While Shu-ming and Luo Xia were waiting, they heard the sound of a door opening, followed by light footsteps that were almost inaudible.
A young man who appeared to be in his twenties entered. He had blood-red hair and golden eyes that resembled two small suns. It was Luo Feng, the first young master of the Luo Clan.
Upon seeing his appearance, Shu-ming felt a slight sense of strangeness. The description… was almost identical to what he had written in the book inside his consciousness before. But that wasn't the only thing. He felt an overwhelming aura of absolute authority, a feeling he couldn't describe in words, as if an emperor was standing before his subjects.
Luo Feng raised his gaze. He had only sensed his sister's presence earlier, but the moment his eyes met Shu-ming's, a strange shiver ran through the depths of his body and soul.
A mysterious feeling swept over his entire being. He thought inwardly, "W-what is this feeling?!"
The sensation inside him grew stronger with every passing second. He didn't know the young man in front of him at all, yet… there was a strange, deep sense of familiarity. It was something incomprehensible that made him feel as if standing before Shu-ming was an insult to him.
Luo Feng stared at him for a long time, which made Luo Xia feel uneasy. "Brother? What's wrong with you?"
He didn't answer her. A mixture of awe, reverence, and deep respect toward Shu-ming had filled him, as if this young man before him held the key to something extremely important in his life—a part of him, something that went beyond logic and understanding.
He also felt a strange halo emanating from Shu-ming, specifically from his forehead, between his eyes. It made him feel that Shu-ming was no ordinary person.
Now, as if his soul had realized it in a way his mind and logic couldn't comprehend, serving Shu-ming—even at the cost of his own body and soul—was the most natural thing in the world.
At the same moment Luo Feng felt this, the book inside Shu-ming's consciousness began to glow gradually. Its light grew brighter until it became as dazzling as the sun, then it suddenly faded, recording the name "Luo Feng" on a separate page. His name shone with a pure white light like snow.
Only then did the feeling of disturbance disappear from Luo Feng, leaving behind only reverence and awe.
Just as he was about to unconsciously kneel, Shu-ming—who had just felt the book glow—spoke: "Young Master Luo, this is our first meeting. How are you?"
Luo Feng stared at him intensely and finally spoke: "H-hello, Sir Shu."
Luo Xia felt something strange about her brother's reaction. Besides… how did her brother know Shu-ming's name? "Brother, do you already know Sir Shu? Otherwise, how would you know his name?"
Shu-ming felt the same confusion. He had never met Luo Feng before, yet… his name, appearance, and even his past were exactly the same as what he had written five years ago in the book of his consciousness. The way the book had just lit up was also highly suspicious.
Luo Feng replied to his sister, "That… how do I know him? I don't know… I feel like I've heard of him before…"
It was truly strange. This was the first time he had met this Sir Shu, yet he had spoken his name without even realizing it.
Shu-ming stood up from his seat, cupped his hands, and greeted Luo Feng: "Greetings, Young Master Luo."
He then continued, "The situation was a bit strange just now, so I couldn't introduce myself properly. My name is Shu-ming, and I am currently helping the young miss with her studies."
Luo Feng quickly cupped his hands and slightly lowered his head. "It's fine, Sir Shu. As for me, I am Luo Feng, the heir of the Luo Clan and the eldest son of the clan…"
His words came out quickly, as if he was afraid of making a mistake while speaking. His manner of speaking didn't suit the heir of a great clan at all.
Her brother's behavior was strange, but Luo Xia didn't pay much attention to it and invited them both to have lunch together. The three of them sat at the same table. Luo Feng didn't speak much, while Luo Xia and Shu-ming continued talking about their studies and discussing poems and other topics.
After a few minutes, the three finished their lunch, and each went about their own business.
Hours passed after they parted. The setting sun gave way to the darkness of night.
In Shu-ming's room, he sat on his bed with his eyes closed, focusing on the book inside his consciousness—specifically on the name Luo Feng. He thought to himself, "This… Is Luo Feng really the protagonist of the novel I wrote? But I never mentioned that he was from the Luo Clan in Yancheng… In fact, I never mentioned the name of the city at all…"
As he thought about this, the pages of the book flipped automatically until they stopped at a page as dark as the night that swallows all light. The first line on that page lit up the moment he reached a certain conclusion…
1. The author is allowed to define a character without fully revealing their identity and to give them a new meaning to live by. If their identity is defined with complete precision, the writing loses its meaning and becomes a rigid description.
That was the only line that lit up on the pitch-black page, but it clarified many things. Most importantly, it revealed the true value of this mysterious book inside his consciousness… Only now did he realize the importance of the treasure he carried.
This book… allowed him to give a person in this world a new identity and a new meaning to live by, like an author writing the life of a character… However, according to the full description of the line, he wasn't creating something from nothing—that was something only the Creator could do. It was more like manipulating the identities and threads of the world, giving a person who was destined to remain insignificant a new purpose in life and allowing him to reach the peak of his existence. But what really mattered… was this truly important to him?
He could do it for others, but if he wanted to describe himself in a vague way without fully defining his own identity, how could anyone describe themselves without their own identity? Perhaps by describing his life using "he" instead of "I." But it was better to wait until he met Luo Feng tomorrow and ask him directly, "What do I mean to you, and why did you look at me that way earlier?"
He wasn't worried about Luo Feng's reaction. He was the perfect example of goodness, a model protagonist. But he didn't know if that trait was truly in him, or if he himself had given him the attribute of "goodness." That ability needed deep study. Perhaps he would get answers to some of his questions once he met Luo Feng.
While he was deep in thought, he heard footsteps behind the door, followed by a knocking sound.
Knock… knock… knock…
Shu-ming opened his eyes and said, "Come in…" but he also wondered, Who would visit at this hour in the middle of the night?
The door opened quietly, and a person with blood-red hair entered. It was Luo Feng!
Shu-ming felt a bit strange. "Young Master L—" But before he could finish his sentence, he saw something that left him speechless for a few breaths. Luo Feng had thrown himself down, kneeling on one knee!!
Before Shu-ming could say another word, Luo Feng spoke: "My lord, please… allow me to serve you with my life."
Shu-ming still didn't fully understand the situation, but he continued speaking calmly: "Young Master Luo? What are you doing right now?"
Luo Feng replied with visible unease: "My lord, I don't know how to describe this feeling… but please… accept me as one of your subjects."
Only now… did Shu-ming understand the function of his strange book. A simple smile appeared on his lips: "If I told you to cut your own throat right now, what would you do?"
He still wanted to test the limits of this loyalty.
Luo Feng replied calmly: "My lord, my life is at your command, but… do you really want me to kill myself?"
That was somewhat acceptable in Shu-ming's eyes… It wasn't completely blind loyalty, but it was a level of reverence higher than one would show an emperor or anything else. He could say that he now occupied the top position in Luo Feng's mind.
Since such an opportunity had come to him, how could he let it slip away? He finally spoke with a calm smile: "Luo Feng, have you mastered the Nine Yang Vein Technique?"
Luo Feng was still kneeling.
Upon hearing that, Luo Feng's eyes widened sharply… That was his secret, something he had never told anyone. How did Shu-ming know? It must be connected to that feeling. "As expected of my lord… You can see through this insignificant one so easily… I have only mastered the fifth vein of the technique…"
He felt that Shu-ming… might be the one who had helped him and placed the book and the herb in his path.
The Nine Yang Vein Technique was what had allowed Luo Feng to overcome the problem of his blocked energy channels. It supplied the body with scorching qi that renewed the pathways and burned away everything causing the blockages, but it required a massive amount of Yang energy.
Luo Feng had found this technique in a cave outside the borders of Yancheng City. He used to go out wandering there often. When he spotted the cave, he decided to take a look inside.
There, he found only two things: an old, torn book titled "Nine Yang Vein Technique," and beside it, a fiery red herb. The heat it emitted was so intense that the air around it continuously distorted.
Unable to suppress his curiosity at the time, Luo Feng grabbed the book and began reading it. After finishing, he swallowed the herb and followed the instructions in the book. This caused a massive amount of Yang to flow through his body, restoring his internal energy.
And after only five years of practicing this technique, he had reached the level of a martial arts expert like his father!
Despite that… he had never told anyone about it. He simply claimed that he had found a master who helped him with his physical problem and taught him martial arts.
Shu-ming smiled calmly, trying to hide his joy and act with a bit of mystery so he wouldn't appear naive in front of his subordinate: "Alright, you may leave now. Treat me normally when others are around. Also, I will need a copy of the Nine Yang Vein Technique, so send it to me later."
Luo Feng replied with joy after being accepted as Shu-ming's subordinate: "Yes, my lord! As you command!"
An unprecedented wave of happiness rose in Shu-ming's heart. Asking for a martial technique book from a martial artist would normally be seen as a blatant insult, yet Luo Feng accepted it openly with no feeling of humiliation at all…