A patch of oily white light appeared in the starry sky of the Life Mansion, resembling a mound of stacked, glowing white flesh, its shape indistinct.
Four Light Chains extended from the surface of the white light, hooking into the four corners of the Life Mansion.
’Being a Deceitful Infant really isn’t easy! But for a Deceitful Mother like you to be linked to the Fate Grid of a Fate Master like me...’
Sunshine Boy was once again lost in deep thought.
Not until late at night did Wang Laoshu and Nanny Xiang return with the Night Guard Team. More than half of them had tattered clothes and were wounded.
Every one of them wore a grim expression.
Sunshine Boy immediately counted them.
’Fourteen people had left, not counting myself.’
’Now, there are twelve people standing outside.’
The Book Listener and the Eater were both there.
Everyone was staying far away from Hao Yunsheng; only the Captain stood about ten feet from him.
Hao Yunsheng had an unconcerned look on his face, fiddling with three stalks of Mugwort in his hand, flicking them lightly.
Sunshine Boy turned his head toward the black canopy and said with a beaming smile, "Mother, I’d like to take a walk in the courtyard."
"You’re still small; you can’t go running about. It won’t be too late to go out after you put on your Tiger Head Hat and Tiger Head Shoes," the Deceitful Mother said.
"Okay, I’ll listen to you, Mother."
"Good boy. My son is so obedient, so much less trouble than those people outside."
Wang Laoshu stopped outside the threshold. Nanny Xiang walked in, bowed to the Deceitful Mother, and said, "Mistress, the watermelon has been buried and the tiger skin has been procured. The young master will be able to wear his Tiger Head Hat and Tiger Head Shoes tomorrow morning."
"Go before the Lady of Protection for Birth and retrieve a Life-Saving Needle. Unblock the child’s ears with it. He’ll be a little safer when he goes out in the future."
"Yes, Mistress."
Nanny Xiang turned and left.
Sunshine Boy glanced over at Hao Yunsheng, only to find that he was actually smiling.
’This is bad.’ Sunshine Boy looked toward the Book Listener.
The Book Listener thought for a moment, then raised his index finger. He touched his left earlobe, then his right, his face contorting in a pained expression.
Sunshine Boy understood instantly. ’So that’s what "unblocking the ears" means.’
’This "unblocking the ears" is probably good for a Deceitful Infant,’ Sunshine Boy mulled over, ’but whether it’s good for *me* is another question entirely.’
"Mother, I’m perfectly healthy, and I’ll be able to get up and walk soon. There’s no need to unblock my ears, right? We can’t keep troubling the Lady of Protection for Birth. Why don’t we just prepare the ritual for the Lady of Celebration for Birth instead?" Sunshine Boy said.
"Oh, my son, you don’t understand. This Life-Saving Needle contains the power of the Lady of Protection for Birth. Once it pierces your ears, you’ll be able to hear more sounds. If you encounter danger, you’ll know about it sooner. Don’t worry, Mother won’t hurt you."
"Thank you, Mother. I’ll listen to whatever you say." Sunshine Boy knew it was pointless to argue.
"My son is so good. I can’t wait for your naming ceremony and first-birthday-grab," the Deceitful Mother’s voice grew even more affectionate.
When Sunshine Boy heard "naming ceremony and first-birthday-grab," a chill went down his spine for no apparent reason.
Before long, Nanny Xiang returned, carrying a three-inch-long silver needle, and handed it to the Deceitful Mother.
The Deceitful Mother held Sunshine Boy in her left arm, picked up the silver needle with her right hand, and said softly, "My son, unblocking your ears will hurt a little, but it’ll be over soon. Don’t be afraid."
"Okay, Mother." Sunshine Boy gritted his teeth, preparing himself.
The Deceitful Mother aimed at Sunshine Boy’s left earlobe and stabbed it forcefully. After piercing through, all the blood was absorbed by the silver needle, which in turn released a pale yellow mist that seeped into the wound.
A baby’s flesh is tender. Sunshine Boy’s body convulsed, but he endured the pain, clenching his jaw tightly.
"My son is a brave little man," the Deceitful Mother said, before stabbing him again.
Sunshine Boy let out a muffled grunt, a hiss escaping his lips as he forced himself to endure.
"There, there, all done. It doesn’t hurt anymore," the Deceitful Mother’s voice was filled with affection.
Just then, Hao Yunsheng suddenly dropped to his knees, kowtowing three times with resounding THUDS. "Mistress," he declared, "times have been troubled lately. Merely unblocking the young master’s ears might not be enough to protect him. I think we should be more thorough and unblock the young master’s eyes as well."
"You..." The Book Listener’s face was flushed with anger.
The Eater glared at Hao Yunsheng, his grip tightening on his Tiger Head Copper Rod.
The other Night Guards looked on with resentment, and even the Captain frowned.
Sunshine Boy quickly said, "Mother, I’m still small. Even if you want to unblock my eyes, we can just do it in a few days."
The Book Listener hurriedly knelt, kowtowing once like Hao Yunsheng had. He said loudly, "Mistress, if the young master had entered the Ninth Grade and opened his Spiritual Eye, this wouldn’t be an issue. But he has not. If his eyes are pierced now, even if they heal, he will never be able to open his Spiritual Eye for the rest of his life. I beg the Mistress to reconsider!"
A wave of realization washed over Sunshine Boy.
’Hao Yunsheng’s primary goal is to blind me. Even if I’m not blinded, the rush of Deceitful Power will ensure I can never open my Spiritual Eye. A Fate Master without a Spiritual Eye would have their power drastically reduced. A classic, multi-layered plot.’
’However, I’ve already half-opened my Spiritual Eye.’
Outside, Hao Yunsheng called out, "Unblocking the eyes is best done early. If his eyes are injured, the young master won’t dare to stray far and will stay by your side forever."
"Stay by my side forever? Excellent!"
Sunshine Boy felt a sudden chill in both eyes, followed by an explosion of searing pain.
The onlookers watched in horror as blood streamed from the tiny infant’s eyes, staining his face—a completely different outcome from having his ears pierced.
The Book Listener and the Eater were so enraged their eyes looked ready to split. The Book Listener gripped the Eater’s hand tightly, afraid he would swing his rod.
The Captain gave Hao Yunsheng a deep look and took half a step back.
Sunshine Boy felt as though two balls of fire had been shoved into his eyes, the flames coursing through his veins and setting his entire body ablaze.
"It hurts... It hurts... Hao Yunsheng, you’re trying to kill me..." Sunshine Boy wasn’t pretending this time; the pain was truly bone-deep.
The Deceitful Mother patted Sunshine Boy gently, comforting him with feigned sympathy, "Silly child, that’s not the pain of being pierced. That’s the Goddess’s power entering your body. It’s for your own good."
A Golden Dragon suddenly materialized before Sunshine Boy’s darkened vision, hanging high in the night sky, illuminated by a myriad of stars.
The Golden Dragon’s color was rapidly changing, shifting from gold to a grayish yellow.
The Golden Dragon’s eyes had been a brilliant gold, but now they were ringed with grayish yellow.
This Yellow Dragon was a full size thicker than the Golden Dragon before it, and far more imposing.
An instant later, his eyes and the dragon’s eyes overlapped.
The world seen through the dragon’s eyes was almost identical to when Seeing the Dragon was activated: the world was devoid of objects, everything reduced to flows of energy.
But now, there was a new color among the energy flows.
Grayish yellow.
’Huh? My eyes don’t hurt anymore?’
’I probably would have been blinded if I didn’t have a Spiritual Eye,’ Sunshine Boy thought, suddenly reminded of the Book Listener’s words. ’But Hao Yunsheng, for all his scheming, never calculated that I had already half-opened my Spiritual Eye and formed the prototype of Seeing the Dragon.’
’If my Spiritual Eye had been fully formed, Seeing the Dragon probably would have resisted the Deceitful Power. But since Seeing the Dragon was still immature, it actually devoured the Deceitful Power instead.’
’The Deceitful Power from that Life-Saving Needle nurtured Seeing the Dragon, causing the Golden Dragon to mature and transform into a Yellow Dragon.’
’It seems this Spiritual Eye Sees Dragon can be renamed "Seeing Deceit"... no, never mind. Let’s just call it "Deceitful Dragon."’
Sunshine Boy’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his head slightly, and with his eyes still closed, he "looked" toward the space behind the black canopy.
A humanoid stream of grayish-yellow energy flickered in and out of view, flowing upward. It was about ten feet tall, its silhouette resembling a seated giant.
’I should be terrified of the Deceitful Mother, but I almost broke into a grin. Even the Celestial Destiny Instrument can’t spy on Deceit, yet here I am, able to see a faint shadow of it.’