Chapter 10

Ye Fan returned to his old house in the southern part of the city, carrying the great honor of topping the martial arts department in the joint examination of the ten academies, along with a body full of soreness and mental fatigue.

He was not particularly concerned about winning the top spot in the martial arts department.

What truly excited Ye Fan was the "Martial God Demonstration" function in the book "Sang," which turned out to be incredibly powerful, beyond imagination.

However, he found that activating the "Martial God Demonstration" once consumed even more mental energy than he had expected.

Moreover, the physical toll was no less significant than the mental strain.

After all, performing the seemingly miraculous basic martial techniques, even just three moves, required intense mental and muscular focus, almost mobilizing every muscle in his body to unleash such a divine skill.

"Too powerful! This is just the basic level of the 'Three Fundamentals' martial technique, and just one punch, one kick, and one step left everyone, including the examiners, stunned and speechless."

"However, the consumption is too great."

"If I were to use an intermediate-level martial technique, wouldn't it be even more terrifying?"

"I need to improve my cultivation as much as possible!"

"Otherwise, I won't be able to activate any intermediate-level martial techniques for the Martial God Demonstration."

Ye Fan was so exhausted that he didn't even want to move a finger, but he was eagerly looking forward to the day when he could perform intermediate-level martial techniques after significantly enhancing his cultivation.

He fell onto the bed, lying down contentedly to rest and recover from the excessive mental and physical strain.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Fan was half-asleep when he heard a loud, coarse voice shouting outside the door, "Xiao Fanzi! Xiao Fanzi! Are you there? Your Uncle Ancai has come to see you!"

Hearing this familiar voice, Ye Fan immediately snapped to attention.

He couldn't afford to sleep anymore, so he quickly got up and ran outside.

Outside, he saw a middle-aged, wealthy man dressed in silk and brocade, holding the hand of a ten-year-old chubby boy. The man was pointing at the old house, which covered an acre of land, as if he were the owner.

Their proud expressions were almost identical, clearly indicating they were father and son.

Ye Fan's face instantly changed, and he quickly put on a flattering smile, saying, "Uncle Ancai! Why have you come? If you had told me you and Brother Hao were coming, I would have prepared some small dishes and wine to welcome you! Now, I haven't prepared anything, how embarrassing!"

"Don't call me Uncle Ancai, and don't try to flatter me with sweet talk!"

The middle-aged man waved his hand and said proudly, "Over the years, Uncle Ancai has been quite generous to you! When your parents passed away four or five years ago, you were still young and had no money for their funeral. The twenty taels of silver for the two coffins were borrowed from me, right?

Three years ago, seeing that you had finally been admitted to Nanchen Martial Academy, I lent you another ten taels to help you with your studies. Uncle Ancai has been quite fair to you, hasn't he?

Now that you have graduated from Nanchen Martial Academy, it's time to repay the silver. The promissory notes are all there, with interest, and over these four or five years, it has amounted to at least a hundred taels."

"So much!"

Ye Fan's heart sank, and he quickly clasped his hands together, smiling, "Uncle Ancai, please give me some more time. I will gather the money as soon as possible and repay you in a few days!"

"That's enough, Xiao Fanzi! With your poor and miserable state, where would you get the money to repay? Even if you became a bandit, your scrawny arms and legs wouldn't get you much silver. I reckon this old house is worth no more than twenty taels. I'll be generous and let you use this house to pay off your debt!"

The middle-aged man said disdainfully, "It just so happens that my son Hao is now of age to apply for the ten primary martial academies. I plan to settle a house in the city so he can focus on his martial arts studies. Since you will be leaving Nanchen Martial Academy and won't need this old house anymore, it's perfect."

He was a local landowner from a nearby town, also surnamed Ye, and a distant relative of Ye Fan. He had always wanted to buy a house in Luyang City.

When Ye Fan's parents passed away, Ye Ancai lent him some silver and had a promissory note, planning to take over Ye Fan's old house if he couldn't repay.

Later, when Ye Fan was admitted to Nanchen Martial Academy, he might have a bright future. Ye Ancai changed his mind and lent more silver for Ye Fan's studies, planning for a long-term investment.

Unfortunately, Ye Fan consistently ranked at the bottom of Nanchen Martial Academy, with little hope of a promising future or entering a higher academy, which disappointed him.

Now that his own son was about ten years old and planned to apply for the ten primary martial academies in Luyang City, he had his eyes on Ye Fan's old house again.

"That's right! Xiao Fanzi, this house now belongs to my father. You, a poor and miserable person, should leave as soon as possible!"

The ten-year-old Hao, wearing a small landowner's hat and chewing on a dogtail grass, rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue at Ye Fan.

"You!"

Ye Fan felt a surge of anger.

He was no longer that poor and miserable boy.

With his current status as the top student in the martial arts department of the Luyang Prefecture's ten academies, he could easily ignore Uncle Ancai, or even make him suffer.

But thinking about how the silver for his parents' coffins and the first year's tuition at Nanchen Martial Academy were borrowed from Uncle Ancai, he felt a sense of gratitude.

Even if Uncle Ancai had no good intentions, the money he lent was a lifeline when Ye Fan was in dire straits.

He couldn't ignore this kindness.

Thinking about this, Ye Fan softened and said with a smile, "Uncle Ancai, please give me some more time. This house is an ancestral property and cannot be sold! I will repay the silver you lent me in a few days."

"Repay? That's a hundred taels of silver. Do you think you can repay it in a few days? You don't even consider how much a poor martial artist like you can earn in a month? Three or five taels?

After deducting your living expenses, you won't have much left. Are you planning to gather a hundred taels in thirty or forty years and then repay me?

By then, with interest, it will be more than a thousand taels. Your descendants won't be able to repay it. What's the point of talking about it?"

Uncle Ancai's face turned stern, and he mocked Ye Fan.

Ye Fan's face turned red, and he couldn't find words to respond.

A hundred taels of silver was indeed a huge burden for him, and it wasn't something he could solve in a few days.

He hadn't figured out how to earn that much silver.

As they were talking, it was early evening, and the city gradually lit up with more lights.

At that moment, a low-key but luxurious carriage pulled by eight magnificent white horses slowly stopped in front of Ye Fan's old house.

"Mr. Ye, Mr. Ye, are you here?"

A green-clad maid stepped down from the carriage and looked around the old house, interrupting Ye Fan and Uncle Ancai's conversation.

"Who is this young lady looking for?"

Facing the clearly well-off maid, Uncle Ancai's expression changed, and his proud demeanor instantly vanished.

He was just a local landowner from a nearby town, and the city's wealthy families, even their stewards and maids, always looked down on people like him.

Hearing the green-clad maid ask about Mr. Ye, Uncle Ancai was puzzled and pointed to Ye Fan, "There's no Mr. Ye here, only my nephew Xiao Fanzi."

The green-clad woman glanced at the middle-aged man dressed like a local landowner and ignored him, then looked at Ye Fan.

"Are you Mr. Ye Fan?"

Seeing the ordinary-looking young man before her, she was skeptical.

But recalling the legends about the top student in the martial arts department, he indeed looked plain and unremarkable.

"I am Ye Fan! What can I do for you, young lady?"

Ye Fan was taken aback and nodded.

"Indeed, it is Mr. Ye. My lady invites you! Please get in the carriage!"

The green-clad woman smiled.

Ye Fan glanced at Uncle Ancai; their property dispute wasn't resolved yet.

"Dad! Why is such a beautiful sister looking for Xiao Fanzi?!"

The ten-year-old Hao, with his mouth wide open, almost dropped the dogtail grass he was chewing.

Uncle Ancai, recovering from his surprise, raised his hand and gave Hao a knock on the head, scolding, "No respect! You can't just call him Xiao Fanzi; call him Brother Fan!"

"Brother Fan!"

Hao, rubbing his head, called out in a pained voice.

"Xiao Fanzi! Since a lady has invited you, go ahead and take care of it. Uncle Ancai isn't in a hurry! I'll come back to see you later!"

Uncle Ancai turned to Ye Fan, his face full of smiles.

Even if he were a blind local landowner, he could recognize the low-key but luxurious carriage pulled by eight white horses. Only the eight major families in Luyang City could afford such a carriage, and only their young masters or young ladies could ride in it.

For such a family to send such a high-spec carriage to invite Ye Fan was an incredibly respectful gesture.

He, a local landowner, didn't dare to delay their business.

"Alright! Uncle Ancai, I'll talk to you about it later."

Ye Fan felt relieved, glanced at the carriage, thought for a moment, and then followed the green-clad woman into the luxurious carriage.

Inside the carriage, he immediately noticed a faint, delicate fragrance, indicating that the true owner of the carriage was indeed a young lady, and a young lady from one of the eight major families.

The green-clad woman also got into the carriage, sitting next to Ye Fan, occasionally glancing at him.

Ye Fan was momentarily distracted, marveling at the green-clad woman's beauty and grace. Just a maid was so impressive; the wealthy families were truly extraordinary.

A driver drove the carriage toward the bustling streets of the city.

"Mr. Ye, you don't even ask which young lady has invited you? Do you just get into any rich family's carriage?"

The green-clad woman looked at Ye Fan with a hint of disdain and said, "Hmph, it seems the top student in the martial arts department of the Luyang Prefecture's ten academies, the rumored genius from a humble background, is nothing more than a sycophant."

Ye Fan glanced at her coolly and said, "This carriage is low-key but luxurious, with no obvious features. But only the eight major families in Luyang Prefecture can use such a carriage. Others would be overstepping their bounds. No other family in Luyang Prefecture would dare to use such a carriage.

The interior is simple and white, with a faint, delicate fragrance, indicating a young lady who prefers plain colors. It must be a calm and pure young lady.

In the entire Luyang Prefecture, only the daughter of the academy's head, Mu Fengshan, fits this description.

But she and I are strangers, and she wouldn't have any reason to invite me. Besides, men and women should not be too close, so even if she wanted to see me, she wouldn't use her carriage to pick me up.

I think it's the head of the academy who wants to see me, just using her carriage. How could I dare not go if the head of the academy invites me? What does this have to do with sycophancy or seeking favor?"

Ye Fan finished with a self-deprecating smile.

"You... How did you know?"

The green-clad woman was shocked.

Indeed, it was the old head of the academy, Mu, who had sent a carriage to pick up the top student in the martial arts department, Ye Fan, for the evening banquet.

But Miss Mu was very curious about the top student from a humble background, so she asked her maid to pick him up.

Before leaving, she had already removed all obvious markings from the carriage to see what kind of person this top student was.

Ye Fan only needed one look at the carriage to guess its purpose, which was terrifying insight.

She didn't dare to say another word.

Ye Fan closed his eyes to rest.

Actually, he hadn't deduced that much.

Sang had told him that, according to the tradition in Luyang Prefecture, there would be a celebratory banquet for the top ten students in the martial arts department after the exams.

At this time, such a high-spec carriage coming to pick him up could only be from the head of the academy.

Ye Fan wasn't thinking about other things.

He was worried that the banquet might not be a simple one and that something unexpected might happen tonight.

...

Seeing Ye Fan get into the luxurious carriage and leave, Uncle Ancai was filled with confusion.

"What a strange thing! I heard from a martial student in Nanchen Martial Academy that Xiao Fanzi was always at the bottom and often bullied during his three years there."

"Today, after the martial arts department exam, he should have been kicked out of Nanchen Martial Academy with no future. How did he suddenly change, and why is a young lady from a wealthy family inviting him? He doesn't look like someone who can rely on his looks to get by."

Uncle Ancai, full of doubts, pulled the bewildered Hao and headed toward the Luyang Prefecture's academy to see how Ye Fan performed.

Today, the biggest event in Luyang Prefecture was the martial arts department exam of the academy.

Even though it was night, the academy's entrance was still brightly lit, with a crowd of people and a steady stream of vehicles.

Thousands of candidates and their parents, as well as onlookers, were gathered.

At the academy's entrance, the list of the top 500 students in the martial arts department was posted.

There were two large red lists.

One list showed the top ten students with large, prominent characters.

The other list showed students from eleventh to five hundredth place, with smaller characters.

Those who found their names on the list were overjoyed, celebrating in nearby restaurants and taverns, partying all night.

Those who didn't make the list were dejected, drowning their sorrows in nearby small taverns, drinking until they were drunk.

Uncle Ancai squeezed through the crowd, repeatedly looking at the second list of 500 names.

He didn't even glance at the first list.

The top ten students in the entire Luyang Prefecture's ten academies were obviously out of reach. Perhaps there was a chance at the bottom of the top 500 list.

"Strange, there's no name of Xiao Fanzi on this list!"

Uncle Ancai scratched his head, unable to find Ye Fan's name.

Hao's eyes were wide open, pointing at the large red list and shouting, "Dad, look! Brother Fan's name is at the top! He's the best martial arts student in Luyang Prefecture!"

Uncle Ancai was stunned and quickly turned to look at the other large red list.

Boom!

Ye Fan's name was clearly at the top of the large red list.

Uncle Ancai was struck dumb, his mind blank, and he couldn't believe it.

"Ye Fan, top student in the martial arts department! When did our Ye family's ancestors start to have good fortune? Xiao Fanzi actually got the