Chapter 3 The stone is smaller now, but the person will grow taller.

Along with them disappeared their companions, who had been alive just moments before. They thrashed about on the surface of the sea like duckweed before sinking into the cold depths. Guan Ye's vision was blurred, and the boy's smug, ghostly face truly transformed into a vengeful water ghost, entwining itself around Canglang Island and trapping everything on the island.

Guan Ye's face turned deathly pale. She pointed in the direction the large ship had left, her fingers trembling as she couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Let's go," Pei Bi urged the two.

Ajiu obediently followed, her clothes tightly gripped by Guan Ye. Guan Ye held back her sobs, "They...did you see them?"

"They chose their own paths," Ajiu said expressionlessly. "You chose the path of life, they chose the path of death, that's all."

"You knew all along that they couldn't go back?" Guan Ye asked in surprise.

"They can't get ashore." Ajiu's voice was cold. "Canglang Island has been isolated from the world for many years. No one has left, so naturally no one has landed on the island. They already know that Canglang Island is smuggling teenagers. How could they possibly survive?"

“A-Jiu…” Guan Ye managed to squeeze out his name, looking at his icy face, trembling so much that she couldn’t utter another word.

"Once you enter Xingguo Ward, you become a member of the Pei family. From today onwards, don't even think about leaving."

The two walked side by side across the soft, wet sand, followed Pei Bi into the smoke-filled island, and into the deep mansion of Xingguo Ward. Pei Bi had someone lead Guan Ye to the backyard. "Isn't he going?" Guan Ye pointed at A Jiu.

"You're still talking so much even though you're staying." The middle-aged woman waiting nudged her.

Ajiu gazed at Guan Ye's thin figure, like a gaunt seabird.

She didn't know how long she had walked along the bluestone road. Xingguo Ward had high walls and many houses, and Guan Ye didn't know that there was such a big place inside the walls. It seemed that the Pei family's house occupied most of Canglang Island. A big family is a big family. Even if they hid on a deserted island, they still dominated a region.

"This Xingguo Ward belongs to the Pei family," the woman said, turning to look at Guan Ye. "Did you know that?"

Guan Ye snapped out of her daze. "I've heard of it."

"You do have some knowledge after all." The woman revealed a hint of pride. "Just call me Aunt Lou. I'm an old hand in this neighborhood."

"Aunt Lou," Guan Ye called out hurriedly.

Seeing that this person was not as stupid as she had thought, Aunt Lou's expression softened. She led her to a side room, then asked someone to boil some water. Pointing to Guan Ye's tattered clothes, she said, "Take them all off and let me see."

"Huh?" Guan Ye thought she had misheard. Did they have to strip her naked for the job?

"Take it off," Aunt Lou urged. "You're here as a slave, not as a beggar to offend others' eyes. Take off your clothes and wash yourself." Seeing that Guan Ye still didn't move, she put her hands on her hips and said impatiently, "I'm eighty years old and I was just born. What kind of birds haven't I seen? You little chick, are you afraid that I'll take advantage of you?"

It turned out she hadn't realized she was a woman. Guan Ye remained silent, puffing out her flat chest towards Aunt Lou. Aunt Lou blinked a few times, then gestured with her hand in front of Guan Ye's chest, her face showing the embarrassment of not having guessed the gender correctly. "You're too small, it's not my fault for misjudging you." Saying this, she circled around Guan Ye's body and examined her closely for a long time. "Hold out your hand."

Guan Ye obediently offered her hands, and Aunt Lou touched the calluses on the back of her hands. "What kind of work do you usually do?" she asked, rubbing her fingertips together and sniffing them.

"I do everything," Guan Ye answered honestly, "but most of the time, I don't have any work."

The girl remained composed, not seeming to be lying. In the silence, several elderly women carrying hot water pushed open the door. Before Aunt Lou could speak, Guan Ye pulled her hand away to wring out her towel, splashing the wet water onto her face, humming contentedly. Aunt Lou, not having a penchant for watching people bathe, gave a few instructions and then told the women to leave.

After shedding her tattered clothes, Guan Ye wiped the dirt off her body with a towel, revealing her fair and clean skin. When she touched it with her finger, her skin was so smooth and tender that it seemed like she could squeeze water out of it. Her father often said that he was most glad that his daughter did not take after him. If she were born dark-skinned and could not be found even if thrown into a pile of coals, he really would not know what to do.

Guan Ye disagreed. In today's world, being dark-skinned and strong might make others more wary of bullying you. You weren't some pampered young lady waiting to be cherished. Without her father to shelter her from the storm, she would have to protect herself from now on. Her father hadn't been able to board the ship he longed for, and Guan Ye didn't know if his final destination was Canglang Island. All she knew was that she no longer had to run away.

Inside the Xingguo Ward Sword Pavilion, the ward master, Pei Yuan, was staring intently at a broken sword. The pavilion housed many of Xingguo Ward's prized works from the past, but this broken sword was the only one that had captured his attention for an entire hour. Pei Yuan was a menacing figure, with a head of red hair, a tall and imposing build, and dark skin as if scorched by smoke. His eyes were like copper bells and his nose like a hooked eagle. Although he was not uttering a word, the murderous aura emanating from him made it difficult for anyone to approach him.

"Master." Manager Pei Bi had been following Pei Yuan for many years, but his voice was still cautious. "The people Hu Xian sent have been settled."

"How is it?" Pei Yuan asked in a deep voice, his large, round eyes still fixed on the sword.

“They left behind a boy and a girl. The boy is a good prospect, and the girl…” Pei Bi paused, “She looks a bit young now, but she will grow up.”

"How many people are still registered on Canglang Island?"

"Including those who remained today, there are 68 men and 43 women under the age of 30," Pei Bi replied. "The remaining men and women total more than 200. Considering those who died of illness or old age recently, we don't have an exact number yet."

"Then leave them all here." Pei Yuan turned around. "Without my order, do not send any more messages to Hu Xian."

"yes."

Outside the Sword Pavilion, Aunt Lou had been waiting for quite some time. When she saw Pei Bi finally emerge from the Sword Pavilion, Aunt Lou hurriedly caught up with him, saying, "Manager Pei, I have something to report."

Pei Bi glanced warily back at the tightly closed gates of the Sword Pavilion, then beckoned Aunt Lou to a secluded spot. "Didn't I tell you not to come looking for me after nightfall? Why did you end up at the Sword Pavilion?"

Aunt Lou pinched his arm, "You stubborn fool, I have something to report, aren't you afraid of being seen?" She then pointed to the web of her hand and said, "That girl from earlier today, she has such a big callus here."

“She’s a handyman, so what’s so strange about her developing calluses?” Pei Bi said, amused and exasperated.

"No." Aunt Lou brought her hand closer to her hand. "The calluses on her hands look just like my dead husband's. I can tell at a glance that this girl has definitely been burned."

Pei Bi felt a chill run down his spine. "You mean..."

"You're the one who told us that," Aunt Lou cut off the conversation. "Things aren't peaceful outside, and we can't let things get out of hand with outsiders. I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to let you know."

"She's just a little girl. With that kind of body, how could she possibly burn a lot of spices?" Pei Bi had kept her himself, so he certainly wouldn't be intimidated by the woman. "From now on, you'll be in charge of disciplining her. Can't you handle her? What trouble can a little girl possibly cause?"

“That won’t do.” Aunt Lou perked up again. “Don’t you know me? Everything is under my watchful eye. I’ll quell any trouble before it even starts.”

"If you discipline her well, she'll be of great use." Pei Bi glanced at Aunt Lou's voluptuous figure, smiled meaningfully, and turned to leave.

"Great use?" Aunt Lou pondered, then suddenly seemed to realize something. She stared wide-eyed at Pei Bi's departing figure, her mind clearing, and grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Guan Ye thought she would be lucky to sleep in a woodshed, but Aunt Lou led her to a secluded spot in the neighborhood, which turned out to be Lou's own small detached house. Although it was just two dilapidated rooms, Guan Ye was already grateful to have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, let alone a warm bed waiting for her.

“Aunt Lou…” Guan Ye wanted to touch the mattress but then withdrew her hand.

"What?" Aunt Lou dusted off the bedding. "Don't you like it?"

"No, no, no," Guan Ye shook her head. "I wouldn't even dare to dream of it."

Aunt Lou pinched her cheek. "If it hurts, it's not a dream. Do you want to squeeze into a dormitory with those stinky men?"

Guan Ye chuckled, took off her straw sandals, and sat cross-legged on the bed. Just as she let her guard down, a pair of dark, menacing eyes appeared outside the door, startling Guan Ye so much that she almost rolled off the bed.

“That’s my son, Lou Shitou.” Aunt Lou gestured for the man to come in. “Shitou, she’ll be staying in this room from now on.”

The man called Stone was around twenty years old, tall and strong, with a sharply defined face and exceptionally bright, cold eyes, but his gaze was somewhat bewildered and timid. He scratched his head and hesitated as he approached, then pointed at Guan Ye after a long pause and asked, "You, what's your name?"

Guan Ye watched his actions warily. This man was twice her size. Even if she hadn't fully grown up, she was still a teenage girl. Guan Ye had felt something was off all the way there. If something was amiss, something sinister must be going on. How could she have gotten a soft bed so easily?

"My name is Guan Ye." Guan Ye sat up straight cross-legged, her fists clenching quietly. If this person dared to act recklessly, she would not hold back and would punch his high nose first.

“This is my younger brother’s room.” Lou Shitou leaned closer and carefully examined Guan Ye. “But you don’t look like my younger brother.”

Could it be… Guan Ye stared intently at his clear yet somewhat dim-witted face, a bold guess flashing through her mind.

"He's a bit off here," Aunt Lou said casually, as if talking to someone else. "Stone, go outside, don't scare him."

"Oh." Lou Shitou shrank back, took a few steps, and couldn't help but glance at Guan Ye again. "When is my brother coming back?"

"He'll come back when the time comes." Aunt Lou waved her hand and ignored him. "You have to go to work in the workshop tomorrow and chop the firewood outside. Go to bed early."

"Idiot?" Guan Ye felt a pang of regret. Such looks would be considered outstanding even outside the island, how could he be an idiot? Aunt Lou got up and half-closed the door. "When he was little, I didn't think anything of it. Aren't all kids the same? But after he turned seven or eight, he grew taller every day, and his brain just stopped growing." Aunt Lou seemed to still not understand what happened. "But, it's a blessing that he didn't die. Stone is still considered lucky."

"Is it good that he doesn't have a brain?" Guan Ye pricked up her ears. Aunt Lou continued, "The young master of our neighborhood is a god-like figure, worth ten of my family's stones, isn't he the same?"

"You've gone mad too?" Guan Ye said, then immediately wanted to slap herself.

"Crippled." Aunt Lou's eyes were filled with regret. "He was born with a crippled leg and has never touched the ground in his entire life. Isn't he even worse off than my Shitou?"

"Is the young master of the Pei family disabled?" Guan Ye murmured. "Why isn't someone who's mentally challenged considered disabled?"

A note from the author:

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