Chapter 3: Destiny Unveiling Rite (1)
Yu Zhong left after giving some encouragement to Aerich. Soon after he left, servants entered my chamber and started to groom me for the ceremony.
As the future Head of the Yu Family, he had to look dignified and noble in front of the other families and their young masters.
The servants were around ten years old—they were the children of our family's servants.
There was no petty conflict throughout the process because Aerich was still only a six-year-old kid, and they did not have any prior impression of him.
Aerich felt a little uncomfortable with others touching him, as he had never experienced anyone touching his body except his parents, and that too only when he was a little kid.
His body shivered every time someone touched his arm or legs, but after some time, he got used to it.
The entire grooming session took around three hours. The servants left after they completed their work.
Although Aerich's looks were not remarkable, the clothes truly made a difference. Aerich tugged uncomfortably at the heavy robes draped over his small frame, shifting from foot to foot as he adjusted to the unfamiliar weight. As the young master of the Yu Family, his attire for the Destiny Unveiling Rite was crafted with great care, each piece carefully chosen to represent the family's stature and tradition.
The robes were a deep, regal indigo—the color of the Yu Family's crest—with intricate silver embroidery tracing the edges, forming curling clouds and ancient symbols that shimmered when they caught the light. The sleeves were long and wide, almost reaching his fingertips, a style reserved for those of high birth. Along the collar and cuffs, fine silk was embroidered with patterns of cranes and pine trees, symbols of resilience and longevity in their culture, a subtle nod to the family's hopes for his future.
His sash was a brilliant silver, knotted neatly around his waist and adorned with a jade pendant engraved with the Yu Family's emblem. The pendant felt cool against his side, grounding him slightly as he fought the nerves prickling up his spine. On his feet, he wore soft, dark leather shoes with silver threads stitched across the tops, echoing the patterns on his robes.
A small silver crown rested atop his head, holding his dark hair in place, the slight weight serving as a reminder of the family's expectations. It was elegant yet simple, fitting for a young master who was still only six but needed to look the part on this significant day. To everyone watching, Aerich looked like a young noble, poised and prepared. Inside, however, he felt each layer and detail as an added weight—a reminder of the moment to come and the uncertainty of what the ceremony might reveal.
Tap, tap.
Aerich reached the entrance of the Yu Family Training Ground, where the Destiny Unveiling Rite would be held. A large crowd had already gathered in the distance. His arrival instantly attracted attention, partly due to the guards surrounding him and partly due to his status as the only child of the Yu Family Head.
If nothing went wrong in the future, he would undoubtedly be the next Family Head.
As he contemplated how to navigate through the crowd to reach the stage where the ceremony would be held, he noticed that the crowd immediately parted to make way for him. Seeing this, Aerich was reminded of the celebrities and influencers from his previous life—only they would receive such treatment; even billionaires were often ignored.
"Thank you," he said to the crowd, trying not to appear arrogant. Although he was no longer the "Son of Destiny," he believed that everyone was the protagonist of their own life.
Though his voice was low, his gesture of nodding his head toward the crowd was noticed by almost everyone.
"Yu Zhong, your child is quite disciplined," remarked Zhen Ren, Head of the Zhen Family. All four family heads were seated at the side of the stage. Only the family heads were allowed to sit; everyone else stood.
Yu Zhong gave a slight nod, his face calm but with a glint of pride barely visible in his eyes. He clasped his hands respectfully, his voice steady and modest, as was customary when among the other family heads.
"Brother Zhen, you honor my family with such words," he replied, his tone measured. "Discipline is a seed carefully sown. Young as he is, I can only hope that Aerich may one day uphold the values we strive to instill, though he still has much to learn."
Yu Zhong paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the other family heads gathered. "After all, it is the example set by esteemed elders like yourselves that guides the younger generation. We all aspire to raise children worthy of the legacy we carry."
He finished with a humble nod, ensuring his words reflected both his gratitude and respect for the other families' contributions to the village's harmony.
There were a total of four families who controlled Yinhe Hollow. These four families were appointed by the emperor himself as a reward for their meritorious service and achievements in contributing to the kingdom's safety.
The four families were the Zhen Family, Yu Family, Hua Family, and Shen Family.
Luckily or unluckily for Aerich, he was the sole star of today's event. The children of the other three families had already been tested.
"Am I forgetting something?" Aerich thought. In his previous life, his luck had never been great; whenever he allowed himself a moment of pride, fate had a way of slapping him down. He hoped that karma from his past life wouldn't follow him to this world.
Aerich finally reached the stage, where many children of the same age—six years old—were gathered, all waiting patiently for the elder who would test their talents to arrive.
Aerich saw many familiar faces. He had no doubt that if he still possessed the protagonist halo, he would have already been insulted by some minor villain from his or another clan.
Ding
[Target meets the requirement for the system to bind.]
[Do you want to bind to the target? Yes/No]
Aerich was a little surprised, then looked at the "target" the system had highlighted. He saw a little girl around his age, adorned in luxurious robes and jewelry, indicating that she, too, belonged to one of the four families. He searched his memory, feeling he had seen her face before, but couldn't recall exactly where.