“It’s not allowed, Mr. Smith, the mistress will surely blame us for this…” the young servants said with wry smiles, yet none of them would lead him there. At that moment, Donald Smith was filled with rage—he was, after all, the master, and yet these servants gave him no respect at all. How infuriating! Did they really think he didn’t know where the attic was? David Smith’s face turned cold as he pushed aside the servants in front of him and strode toward the attic. The servants hurried to block his way, shouting, “This cannot be done! You must have the mistress’s permission first!”

“Anyone who blocks me will die!” Donald Smith gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. Han men often wore swords; whether scholars, knights-errant, or roguish young men, all took pride in wearing a sword. The servants could only watch helplessly as Donald Smith walked toward the attic. They exchanged glances, then headed toward the outer residence. Donald Smith assumed they were going to complain to his aunt, but he didn’t care—after all, he was his aunt’s most beloved nephew. He arrived at the attic door, where two strong servants stood guard, each with a long sword at their side, staring coldly at Donald Smith.

Donald Smith felt especially furious. He drew his sword and shouted, “Who do you think I am? Why do you block me just because I want to see my cousin? Do you think I, Donald Smith, am not worthy to meet the young marquis???”

The strong servants said nothing, only continued to watch him coldly, each with a hand on their sword hilt.

Just as the tension was about to erupt, the attic door suddenly swung open. A chubby little boy waddled out, complaining, “Who dares make such a racket here!” When he saw David Smith, his eyes lit up and he called out, “Brother’s here! Is uncle here too? Come up, quickly!” At these words, the two strong servants finally stepped aside. Donald Smith snorted in displeasure and went up to the attic. The chubby boy grabbed his hand and led him inside, where they knelt and sat, and the boy began to pepper him with questions.

Donald Smith was very fond of this younger brother—perhaps even more so than his own full brother, since this little one never competed for affection.

After chatting for a while, Donald Smith finally noticed the black book placed on the wooden desk. Its smooth cover immediately caught his attention. Curious, he picked up the book and flipped through it. “Records of the Three Kingdoms? What kind of book is this?” Seeing that even his elder brother didn’t recognize the book, the chubby boy was especially proud. His mother’s instructions were forgotten as he excitedly recounted his own glorious deeds. When he mentioned the goldfish and the book in his belly, Donald Smith’s eyes widened in disbelief. But thinking of his father’s dream, and looking again at the strange book in his hand, he believed it!

“Brother, I… have some things to do, I’ll take my leave first!” Donald Smith hurriedly bid farewell to the chubby boy and rushed down the attic stairs!

He had to tell his father about these things—this was a heavenly book! Could it be that his little brother was favored by destiny? If so, wouldn’t he himself become a relative of the imperial family in the future? Thinking of the powerful Dou clan, now so famous, his eyes burned with excitement, his whole body growing hot!

“Ugh~~” Suddenly, a hand clamped over Donald Smith’s mouth and nose from behind. Donald Smith was terrified and struggled desperately!

“Puchi! Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!” A short blade stabbed straight into his back, again and again. Donald Smith’s eyes bulged, his whole body trembling, but he could make no sound. Blood trickled from his mouth, a few tears fell from his eyes, and slowly, he stopped struggling. Clark Steward pulled the short blade from behind, waved his hand at the surrounding servants, and they quickly supported Donald Smith’s corpse. Working together, they swiftly carried it away. Other servants cleaned the bloodstains from the ground. Clark Steward clasped his hands behind his back, looked at Donald Smith’s body, and shook his head.

“No matter what you were planning, this heavenly book can only belong to the young marquis. Anyone else who comes into contact with it—dies.”

Clark Steward bowed deeply toward the distant attic, then turned and left.

Only the faint traces of blood on the ground remained to prove that a young life had just ended.

Chapter 0007: The Grand Ancestor in His Youth

The chubby boy knew nothing of what had happened outside. He was still engrossed in his book. He only half understood its contents—after all, he had only studied half of the Gongyang Commentary, and this heavenly book contained many characters he didn’t recognize. He could only scratch his head and read at random. Among this pile of biographies, he still liked reading the Annals of Emperor Wu best. He was especially fond of this man called Cao Cao—not because of his bravery or greatness in battle, but because—

“From a young age, the Grand Ancestor loved falconry and hunting with dogs, and wandered about without restraint. His uncle repeatedly complained about him to Song. The Grand Ancestor was troubled by this. Later, when he met his uncle on the road, he pretended to have a twisted face and crooked mouth. His uncle was puzzled and asked the reason. The Grand Ancestor replied, ‘I was struck by a sudden evil wind.’ The uncle reported this to Song.

Song was astonished and summoned the Grand Ancestor, whose face and mouth appeared as before. Song asked, ‘Your uncle said you had a stroke. Are you better now?’ The Grand Ancestor replied, ‘I never had a stroke, but lost my uncle’s favor, so I was falsely accused.’ Song became suspicious. After that, whenever his uncle reported something, Song never believed it again, and so the Grand Ancestor became even more unrestrained.”

What a clever man! Could it be that all those who love falconry and wild living are geniuses?

The chubby boy felt a strange sense of kinship.

Meanwhile, Donna Smith and David Smith had a long and detailed conversation. Near the hour of Hai, the chubby boy, led by a servant, left the attic and went to the main hall. Seeing his uncle there, the chubby boy bounced over, hugged his uncle, and said with a smile, “Uncle, since you’re here, why didn’t you come see me?” David Smith smiled, patted the boy’s head, and said gently, “I heard you were studying, how could I disturb you?”