The golden chamber of Slot Three opened with a sound like a warm hearth door swinging wide.
Gu Changsheng stood at the center of the rim. He held the wooden plaque in both hands, feeling the smooth cedar beneath his palms. The ten home rules carved into the grain were not grand imperial edicts.
They were simple instructions written for small children who tracked mud onto the clean floorboards of the Frost-Pine courtyard.
“Rule One,” Gu Changsheng said, tossing the wooden plaque into the chamber. “Always come home for dinner when the porch lantern is lit.”
The cedar plaque fluttered downward through the golden light, trailing warm sparks of pine-scented Hearth-Fire Qi.
“Rule Two: protect your brothers and sisters, no matter how much they annoy you during chore time,” Gu Changsheng continued, his steady voice echoing across all three thousand worlds through the live broadcast mirrors.
“Rule Three: never bully the weak or steal from honest folks. Rule Four: finish your homework and sweep the porch before you pick up a practice sword. Rule Five: always wash behind your ears before bed.”
The plaque landed softly in the velvet center of Slot Three, glowing with a gentle amber flame that immediately began to pulse with the steady, reassuring heartbeat of a peaceful home.
