Days went by, one after another, and Xue Wei would just sit still in the library reading one book after another. He was like a sponge sucking up all the information he could.

While Xue Wei was within the library, many maids had been tasked with attending to him, and there was always a maid close by when he was reading. Even so, he never paid them any attention.

“You know, it is strange, but I have never seen the young master cultivate,” one maid would whisper in the shadows.

“I have been close to the young master while giving him his food, but he does not have the aura of a cultivator,” another would chip in, and soon every maid had noticed the odd actions of this young master.

“Do you think perhaps the young master is useless trash?” someone mentioned, and suddenly the rumor started taking root and growing stronger and stronger within the mansion.

Although the rumor was growing, no one dared to say anything outright. Whenever Xiao Lei caught someone spreading these rumors, they would be severely punished, but he could do nothing about the rumors spreading like ripples in water.

"Silence!" The instant they had been caught, Xiao Lei came into sight, and his eyes were filled with ferocity.

"Master, forgive us!" one of the maids who spoke fell to the floor kowtowing, while tears started streaming from her eyes.

She knew what had happened with the other people who had spoken about the young master, and she feared that it would be the same for her. If she were fired, her entire family would be in turmoil.

No matter who it was, Xiao Lei would not let them off if he heard them talking about his nephew and calling him useless trash, but even his ferocious actions could not cut off the rumors and soon they spread throughout the whole city.

While all of this was happening, Xue Wei was simply reading his books. He had heard about the rumor, but he had nothing to say about it because he was indeed useless trash. As a result, he did not care which kind of book he was reading, as long as it could help him increase his knowledge and escape his brutal reality of being useless.

He read a great many things; some were about the Primordial Beasts, others were about the history of humans. Some were practical books about alchemy and refining weapons, while others were fiction and poetry.

Xue Wei was not particular about what he read; he enjoyed all of it. When Xue Wei was reading, it was as if he forgot everything about how he was without any other relatives than Xiao Lei. He forgot about the fact that he could not cultivate, and he felt happiness from deep within.

Xiao Lei came to visit Xue Wei from time to time. When he came, Xue Wei would happily put aside the books and talk with his uncle, and gradually, he became less and less alert around this older man.

Xue Wei could sense the care that Xiao Lei felt towards him. Even though he was a busy man, he still took time every day to meet up with his nephew and see how he was doing.

He would often come around dinner time and bring a scrumptious meal which they then shared while talking about what they had done that day.

Xiao Lei would talk about the city. He would talk about the people he had met and about the tasks he dealt with. Xue Wei was, for the first couple of days, completely silent and only listened, but as the days went by, he started opening up to the older man and talked about the books he was reading.

"Do you enjoy reading?" Xiao Lei asked, and Xue Wei nodded his head while looking slightly depressed. "When I read, I forget about everything I am missing," he said honestly while poking the Fierce Beast meat on his plate, his appetite almost vanishing.

Hearing this, Xiao Lei's eyes turned tender, and he rustled the young boy's hair once more with a smile on his face.

"I am going out tomorrow. Why don't you come with me?" he asked. It had been two weeks since Xue Wei had come to the mansion. Apart from the first three days, Xue Wei had spent every hour within the library. He had even created a small nest of pillows and blankets on the sofa so that he could sleep in the room with all the books.

Xue Wei was silent for some time, but when he saw the excitement on Xiao Lei's face, he sighed and nodded his head. He wanted to do something for this uncle of his who had done so much for him, who cared about him, so if it made him happy to go out together, then he would come along.

"You will? Amazing!" Xiao Lei was indeed filled with excitement, and he grinned from ear to ear as he started humming a small song. His happiness was contagious, and soon Xue Wei also grinned, something that rarely happened.