All pursuits are of lower rank, while only studying is of the highest class.

Gu Fei was in the midst of making a batch of ink balls for the Xuanzhu Workshop. Only after she saw the ink paste being loaded into the molds did Kuma dare to step inside and interrupt. "Mistress, that night watchman has been brought here, but when I questioned him, he still insists he knows nothing."

Gu Fei paused her movements. She picked up a clean square cloth to casually wipe her hands and said, "I will go take a look."

When Kuma pushed Gu Fei's wheelchair into the parlor, Pan Gouzi was sitting alone, feeling restless and uneasy. The pastries on the table remained untouched, and he wouldn't even drink the tea. He looked around anxiously, wanting to leave yet feeling it would be impolite.

Gu Fei gave a light laugh, a gentle smile touching the corners of her lips as she gestured with a hand. "There is no need for you to be nervous, Master."

Pan Gouzi turned his head and, seeing it was only a young lady who had entered, reacted as anyone would upon noticing Gu Fei's paralyzed legs. A subtle look of pity flickered across his face. "I dare not, I dare not. My status is lowly, and I am unworthy of the title 'Master'. You had best just call me Pan Gouzi, Miss."

Gu Fei smiled and nodded, her brow suddenly furrowing slightly with concern. "Call you Pan..."

"Pan Gouzi." Seeing that Gu Fei seemed hesitant to speak his name, Pan Gouzi helpfully supplied it himself.

His action coaxed a chuckle out of both Gu Fei and Kuma; the man truly was honest and simple-hearted.

"Ahem, Pan Gouzi," Gu Fei tried calling out. Seeing that he showed no sign of displeasure, she continued, "You have seen it yourself—in this small two-courtyard residence, there are only a few of us old and young, faithful servants. A few days ago, that incident occurred in Wuyi Lane, and my heart is truly unsettled. That is why I invited you to the estate, wishing to ask a question or two so I can be better prepared."

Hearing that she was asking about the murder in Wuyi Lane that day, Pan Gouzi's face instantly turned pale. He waved his hands repeatedly and, without even thinking, blurted out, "This humble one knows nothing at all. Miss, you have found the wrong person."

With that, he made to leave.

Kuma sighed. "Miss, do not worry. This old servant will simply stay awake all night to keep watch."

Watching Pan Gouzi's panicked retreating back, Gu Fei nodded, not forcing the matter. "That will work too. And if worst comes to worst, we can spend some silver to hire a few guards skilled in martial arts."

Just as the two of them were speaking, they saw Pan Gouzi, who had already reached the courtyard gate, turn back. With a troubled expression and after hesitating for a long while, he asked Gu Fei timidly, "May I ask, Miss, are you an ink-making master?"

Gu Fei nodded. "I am an ink-making master from Yizhou."

At this, a look of excitement surfaced on Pan Gouzi's face. He took a few hurried steps forward, then, fearful of offending Gu Fei, nervously rubbed the sides of his short tunic's hem with both hands. "There is something I wish to ask of the Miss."

Gu Fei raised an eyebrow, looking at Pan Gouzi with a half-smile. "You and I have no relation whatsoever. Why should I grant your request?"

Pan Gouzi clearly realized this as well. After pondering for a moment, he hardened his heart, dropped to his knees, and kowtowed to Gu Fei before speaking. "That night, this humble one indeed saw something he ought not to have seen. And what I wish to ask of you is very simple: I have a son around ten years of age, and I wish for him to become a humble ink-making apprentice—that is all. Of course, if he truly lacks any talent for making ink, I will not force the matter."

Gu Fei fell silent. The pads of her fingers traced the armrests of her wheelchair as if pondering something.

With utmost apprehension, Pan Gouzi drew a few pieces of broken silver from his pouch, placed them on the floor before Gu Fei, and kept his head bowed so low he could not raise it. "I know that regular teachers charge tuition fees to teach people how to read, and though I do not understand the rules of the ink-making trade, I suppose it is much the same. My family can only scrape together these five taels of silver right now. If the Miss feels it is not enough, I can gather some more when I return."

The smile vanished from Gu Fei's lips. She pointed a finger at the silver on the ground and said, "We have never met before in this life. Aren't you worried that I might pocket your silver, falsely agree to take in your son, and then dismiss him the next time we meet under the excuse that he has no talent whatsoever?"

Pan Gouzi gave a bitter smile. "I am unwilling to think of the Miss in that way. Since you could come all the way from Yizhou to Great Capital to participate in the selection for tribute ink, you naturally possess genuine skill to have made it here. And since you are able to settle down in Wuyi Lane, these few taels of silver of mine are simply not enough to catch your eye. Therefore, I can only try my luck. If I truly meet a noble benefactor, it will be my son's fortune for this lifetime—allowing him to become a craftsman in the future, eating by his own skill so he does not have to be useless like me and beat the night watch for a lifetime."

Gu Fei smiled, the corners of her lips curling upward and her almond-shaped eyes curving slightly. "What if, in the future, I wish to take your son away from Great Capital, never to return in this lifetime? What would you do then?"

Pan Gouzi was stunned for a moment, then replied as a matter of course, "Then this humble one would move his entire family out of Great Capital and go along with my son."

Saying this, Pan Gouzi rubbed the back of his head and smiled with great embarrassment. "My family consists only of my old woman and my son; wherever we settle down, that is home."

Gu Fei could not speak. She thought of her own parents—Mo Hui and Bai Zilan. No doubt the decisive choice they made to leave Yizhou and travel thousands of miles to Great Capital to search for her and her older brother Mo Xuan sprang from the exact same mindset as Pan Gouzi's.

No matter where one might be, as long as the family stayed together, everywhere was home.

Moved by Pan Gouzi's sincerity, Gu Fei was willing to meet his son first. "Before I see your son, I will not promise you anything. After all, to learn ink-making, talent is very important. If he has talent, and most importantly, a pure and kind character, I would not mind taking him in personally. If he does not, then forgive me for being powerless. As for what you mentioned about that night, I will not force you."

Pan Gouzi frowned and thought for a moment. He could also tell that Gu Fei was not trying to deceive him. Glancing sideways at Kuma standing nearby, he lowered his voice and said, "Can this humble one speak to the Miss alone?"

Gu Fei waved her hand, signaling Kuma to leave first.

Seeing that indeed only the two of them remained at the entrance of the parlor, Pan Gouzi stood up, drew a few steps closer to Gu Fei, and after looking around to the left and right, said, "Actually, that night, this humble one did not lose consciousness at all. I saw the hand that wielded the blade—the hand that held the knife had six fingers. The sixth finger was even smaller than the little finger, and it grew right here."

Pan Gouzi gestured, watching Gu Fei's reaction nervously. "That is the absolute most this humble one saw."

Gu Fei nodded, a contemplative look in her eyes. "If you wish to keep your life, you had best let this matter rot in your stomach. Never speak of it to anyone again."

Pan Gouzi nodded. Although he looked simple, from the conversation he had just had with Gu Fei, it was clear he was also meticulous. Therefore, had Gu Fei not asked, he had intended to tell no one at all.

Gu Fei called Kuma back inside and instructed her to fetch several pieces of silver sycee to reward Pan Gouzi. "If anyone else asks, just say I told you to pay extra attention to my courtyard gate while you are making your night rounds. Go on. When you have free time, bring your son over for me to take a look at him first."

Overjoyed, Pan Gouzi accepted the instructions. Seeing that Gu Fei did not want the silver on the ground, he conveniently picked it up and walked back with a light and nimble step.

Kuma came over to push the wheelchair back into the parlor. "Miss, do you truly intend to take in the night watchman's son?"

Gu Fei made no immediate judgment. "If he truly is good material, taking him in is not out of the question. That night watchman knows how to read the times; though he looks honest, he is as meticulous as a hair. In the future, there will be many places where I need manpower, and having someone familiar and reliable is not bad either."

Kuma smiled. "The Miss always thinks things through thoroughly."

That very night, before night watchman Pan Gouzi could bring his son over, word came the next day that someone had been killed in another alley in the northern part of Great Capital. The victim was similarly an ink-making master from another prefecture, and the manner of death was identical to the ones from a few days prior.

Only this time, it was not discovered by a night watchman; rather, a neighbor heard a commotion, got up to take a look, and realized a tragedy had occurred.

Gu Fei remained tranquil. She acted as though she were completely unaffected by the matter, attending several more ink gatherings listed on the Left Saint Secretariat's invitations. She remained as brilliant and sharp as ever, spreading her renown while simultaneously incurring the displeasure of others.

She even knew that some ink-making masters were whispering behind her back, saying things like "Look, even someone like that got herself killed, which just goes to show you can't afford to be so arrogant."

Kuma was filled with indignation, feeling a sense of injustice on Gu Fei's behalf, but Gu Fei merely smiled and brushed it off.

As for the Xuanzhu Workshop, after crafting that single ink ball, Gu Fei received no further business. She dispatched someone to deliver the ink ball to Ziyuan, completely unconcerned about whether the Xuanzhu Workshop might cheat her out of her silver.

She knew Ziyuan's abilities well. Someone who had previously been able to effortlessly manage the Exquisite Pavilion would certainly find a small establishment like the Xuanzhu Workshop a breeze.

A few days later, night watchman Pan Gouzi brought his son over. Though only twelve or thirteen years old, when he stood straight, he was actually taller than Pan Gouzi. Clad in a coarse cloth short tunic, his youthful face carried a look of bewildered innocence.

Gu Fei said nothing superfluous. She led the boy alone into the ink room, casually took out a few ink balls, and told him to examine them and explain what made them good.

The underage youth's eyes lit up the moment he saw the ink balls. Instead of fully heeding Gu Fei's words, he asked her with a hint of excitement, "Miss, may I use this ink to write a few characters first?"

Gu Fei smiled and nodded. She could tell that although Pan Gouzi's family background was ordinary, he had still sent his son to a private school to learn to read—which explained his reaction upon seeing the ink balls.

She understood all too well the unique sentiment that scholars and literati held toward ink balls. Upon seeing fine ink, they simply could not resist grinding it and writing a few strokes, let alone this young boy.

The boy's hand was very steady. Even though his heart was racing with excitement, from grinding the ink and spreading the paper to holding the brush and dipping it in ink, he executed the motions in one fluid movement, genuinely displaying the bearing of a scholar.

He did not write anything else; with just a single character—"Pan"—he satisfied himself, laid down the wolf-hair brush, placed the ink ball back onto the ink stone, stepped back a pace, and bowed to Gu Fei with utmost respect.

"What is your name?" Gu Fei glanced at the character. It was neat and forceful; though it could not yet be called robust and vigorous, it already revealed a faint, hidden sharpness.

"Pan Qi. Pan Qi pays his respects to the Miss." The youth also possessed a backbone of pride. Unlike Pan Gouzi, who referred to himself as a humble servant in front of Gu Fei, from the very beginning, he was different from his father.

"I observe that you are even more fond of reading. Will you perhaps enter official service in the future?" Gu Fei asked lightly, twirling an ink ball between her fingers.

"Yes," the youth answered Gu Fei with a firm, resounding voice. His spine was held straight, entirely devoid of any cowardice. "My father has already told me the purpose of coming to see the Miss today. Although making ink is fine, I still prefer reading."

Gu Fei did not say much in response to his words. Instead, she pointed at the character "Pan" and asked, "Tell me first, what makes this ink ball good?"

The youth lowered his gaze, pondered for a moment, and said, "The ink tone is rich and heavy, the handwriting does not scatter, and it does not cling to the brush. When entering water, it condenses without bleeding or blurring, and it possesses a refreshing fragrance of ink. It is the best ink ball I have ever seen—even better than the ones our private school teacher uses."

Gu Fei nodded inwardly. Pan Gouzi's son did indeed possess some talent. It was a pity, however, that his aspirations lay elsewhere, but she would not force him. "You certainly have talent. However, if you wish to learn ink-making, I will not force you either. Later on, I will make things clear to your father. Presumably, if you can make something of yourself in the future, he will be happy as well."

Hearing this, the youth bowed gratefully to Gu Fei once more.

With a flick of her sleeve, Gu Fei placed that very ink ball back into its ink box and pushed it toward the youth. "It's yours."

The youth clearly had not expected that he would actually be able to acquire such fine ink. He remained dazed for a long moment, until Gu Fei pushed the ink box straight into his arms and he heard her voice drifting back faintly as she walked out of the ink room: "Of all pursuits, only studying ranks high—and that's not without reason..."