Wu Huang and Hong Jiu'er walked back to the servants' residence.
"Oh, right. Before we get there..." Wu Huang said as an ancient book appeared, floating in his hand.
Hong Jiu'er was startled to see that mysterious book emerge out of thin air without anyone touching it. She looked at it with a bit of curiosity.
"What is that?" Hong Jiu'er asked.
"It's just a simple, cheap book, don't worry too much about it," he said without giving too many details. "Could you touch it for a moment? It won't hurt you at all; it's just so I can create a suitable training method for you," he explained calmly.
Hong Jiu'er nodded, though she didn't fully understand what the book had to do with that. Even so, she placed her hand on its pages. A shiver ran through her body immediately, as if an invisible current were passing through her.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad," Wu Huang said with a faint smile, pulling the book back, which vanished into the air as if it had never been there.
"Well, let's continue," he added, and both kept walking.
The small moment of bewilderment disappeared almost immediately from the young servant, and she followed him animatedly while they conversed in a light and casual manner. They finally arrived at the modest residence. The head of servants was in front of Wu Huang's room, raising an eyebrow as he saw them approach.
"You're back already?" he asked.
"I showed her the sect before starting with the boring tasks. After all, she first has to know the place where she's going to live for a while," Wu Huang explained.
The head of servants nodded.
"Good, let's go, Hong Jiu'er," he said in a strangely gentle tone toward the little servant.
"See you later, Senior Brother!" she said goodbye with a smile.
Wu Huang also waved goodbye, watching both of them slowly walk away. Once they were gone, he entered his room.
"A bit of a long day... now let's see," he murmured as he sat down and opened the Heavenly Book.
"Let's see... Hong Jiu'er, from the Hong family, from the city of..." he continued reviewing, quickly skimming past the overly personal data to focus on the essentials. "Daughter of Destiny... as expected," he said, sighing and resting his hand on his forehead. "She's not just a simple pawn blessed by fortune, but a true Daughter of Destiny."
In this world, the Heavenly Dao was an omnipresent force that inhabited both heaven and earth, guiding all beings from the moment of their birth. Those marked by Heavenly Destiny could experience fortune and misfortune in ways that others could not comprehend, and could even, on occasion, alter the flow of the Dao according to their own will or innate talent.
Wu Huang observed the aura emanating from Hong Jiu'er in the book's record. Her energy was unusual, a combination of purity and potential rarely found in someone so young.
"I really hate getting involved with these types," he murmured, rubbing his temple from the headache the situation was giving him.
It wasn't because he held any resentment toward them; the problem lay in the very nature of the Heavenly Dao and the "luck" that accompanied the Children of Destiny. Luck, in this world, was omnipresent and almost impossible to measure accurately, but its effects were clear and direct: if someone had good fortune, good things would simply happen to them; if someone had bad luck, nothing in particular would happen, although a certain latent risk always existed.
But the Children of Destiny were different. Although they possessed absurdly high fortune, they were constantly tested by the tribulations of heaven. The reasons behind these trials were mysterious, but the effects were undeniable: anyone close to a Son or Daughter of Destiny ended up being dragged into the vortex of their karma.
After all, there is no better way for the universe to force the growth of a heavenly genius than to confront them with the loss of someone they deeply cherish. And the stronger that bond of affection, the more overwhelming the evolution of their power will be. That is why all people linked to a Child of Destiny are more prone to suffering accidents, calamities, or premature deaths. Life alongside them is always uncertain and, in a sense, fatal.
Therefore, if one wishes to live a long and peaceful life, the most sensible thing to do is to stay as far away as possible from a Child of Destiny.
Wu Huang sighed as he closed the book for a moment, reflecting on how he could alleviate, or at least soften, little Hong Jiu'er's fate. But he knew better than anyone that, unless he wanted to earn the wrath of the head of servants, Hong Jiu'er herself, or Supreme Elder Shen Tianzhu, there was no other option: he would have to accept this bitter pill and do everything possible to make the bond with Heavenly Destiny as light as possible.
"I expected as much anyway. All that's left is to plan everything quickly and teach her properly," he murmured as he began to review the rest of the information: her innate talents, her likes and dislikes, even small quirks that could influence her learning.
Although it was extremely private information, Wu Huang knew that if he wanted to accelerate her training, he had to create a personalized study plan. Of course, it couldn't be too rigid; considering how the Heavenly Dao worked, an overly strict plan would likely make the trials more painful and difficult to overcome.
He leaned back slightly in his chair, his fingers brushing the surface of the Heavenly Book, and began to organize his ideas. Every detail counted: from the girl's capacity for concentration to her affinities with spiritual energy.
"If everything goes as I hope..." he murmured to himself, "I can reduce her risks and, at the same time, allow her to grow enough to face her destiny without anyone getting hurt."
Once the carefully crafted plan was complete, Wu Huang was able to sigh and lie back on the bed.
"I wonder how Mu Qinlian is doing," he wondered in a low voice, remembering the first Daughter of Destiny he had ever met.