The news about Chen Nan immediately drew the "attention" of people from all walks of life. Let us not speak for now of how those folk gossip performance artists vividly spun Chen Nan's legendary tale on street corners, in little taverns, or atop heated brick beds. Even the real big shots had taken an interest in him.
What did it mean to become famous overnight?
This was what it meant to become famous overnight. One bang had to be enough to shake the world.
And the big shots paying attention to Chen Nan were those from the ranks of Transcendents. In particular, the big names among Qingyang Kingdom's Transcendents had developed some interest in Chen Nan.
Even if the news had not said that Chen Nan had the makings of a Transcendent, they would have assumed he did. To accomplish such a major feat without Transcendent aptitude would have been a joke.
Still, the interest those big shots from every side showed in Chen Nan was merely curiosity. After all, among the Transcendents, in many great Lineages, ten-year-old children with Chen Nan's abilities were merely ordinary.
The reason they paid Chen Nan a little extra attention was still his status as an orphan.
It proved that the boy was born with the qualities needed to become a great figure: resilience, meticulousness, ruthlessness in action, decisiveness, and so on.
In the words of the sages, this counted as one who knew from birth—a genius.
Children from the great Lineages could reach that level only after training. That was called knowing through learning, and naturally placed them a level below.
Unfortunately, those Transcendent big shots did not know that Chen Nan was not truly a child, so they had overestimated him.
Yet it was precisely because of that overestimation that they left Chen Nan with the seeds of future disaster.
At the end of the day, Transcendents merely possessed extraordinary abilities. It did not mean they were especially accomplished in how they conducted themselves or handled human affairs. It was like assuming that rich people or those who mingled in high society could not be scum.
In their ordinary lives, they were not all that different from ordinary people.
Why did the great Lineages train their young children? Was it not simply following the worldly practice of refusing to let children lose at the starting line? More than that, it was so that after entering school, their children could bring glory to their Lineage and parents in every possible way. It was no different from the mundane world.
Because Chen Nan had drawn the attention and praise of Transcendent big shots, some Transcendent children were inevitably left feeling stifled. One family in particular was especially so.
In a side room of the main courtyard of the Chen Mansion in Luojing, two children were talking. They were brother and sister. The girl had delicate brows and bright eyes, fair rosy skin, and a smile like a blooming flower, though that smile always carried a trace of mockery.
The boy, meanwhile, radiated heroic spirit. Though only twelve years old, his gaze was so firm and cold that it made one ache for him, like the pity one felt upon seeing a child born with an eye disease due to the parents' misconduct, eventually going blind.
The girl was named Chen Wan'er, a name that suited the smile on her face. Or perhaps, ever since she had become aware of such things, she had always worn a faint smile in order to live up to her name.
She said to the boy, "Big Brother, you saw what happened with Chen Nan, didn't you? He has the same surname as us, yet before even entering an academy, he has already made such a huge name for himself.
"And you—you are the eldest young master among the younger generation of our Chen family, the future helmsman of the Chen family—yet you do not have such a reputation."
The boy was named Chen Jiadong. His gaze was icy, yet his heart burned like fire as he said, "What the hell is some wild brat? For a Transcendent, what is there to boast about in doing something like this?
"Let's wait until he graduates from the Preparatory Academy and gets into Qingyang Academy. Whether someone is truly worth anything is judged by whether they can enter Qingyang Academy. What does this amount to?"
Chen Wan'er smiled. "That is true. Big Brother, you are already a guaranteed admission student of Qingyang Academy, so naturally you look down on ordinary people.
"But this Chen Nan is also surnamed Chen. By doing something like this, hasn't he brought glory to everyone with the Chen surname?"
There was nothing wrong with those words themselves, but saying them in front of Chen Jiadong was practically venomous. His face twisted with inexplicable jealousy, but he immediately brought it under control. With a cold snort, he left Chen Wan'er behind and walked out.
Chen Wan'er laughed alone in the room, humming, "This Chen Nan is rather interesting. He is cute, too. Could he be some illegitimate child one of my uncles sired outside?"
As Chen Nan sat in his room, he suddenly felt a chill run over his body. Could something bad be about to happen?
Then the call came. Seeing the number, he knew it was from the Prefecture Office. At this time, they were probably calling to get those materials back.
He answered, and the Prefecture Office said ingratiatingly, "Little hero, I have already handled everything for you. And because of this matter, you have become famous. Not only famous—Wu City's government has received instructions from Hongyang Commandery to give you a reward.
"The rewards include fifty thousand Qingyang Coins, and in consideration of your special circumstances, you will be allowed to enter Wu City Preparatory Academy without taking an exam.
"In mid-October, there will be a press conference for this. You should show your face, accept the reward, and promote positive energy. What do you think? Is that feasible?"
Chen Nan asked, "There are no remnants of the Wang Clan left, right?"
The Prefecture Office said, "Other than Wang Bodan, Wang Yide's son, who has already entered the Preparatory Academy, there is no one else from their family left. You can rest assured about that.
"Besides, you are a celebrity now. If anything happens to you in Wu City, I will not be able to bear the consequences either. I will take full responsibility for your safety."
Chen Nan smiled. "As long as you bother me less in the future, I will thank you for it. Don't worry. I will hand over everything concerning you."
And so Chen Nan completed the handover with the Prefecture Office and gave him the evidence of his crimes. It was not that Chen Nan could not distinguish right from wrong, knowing full well that the Prefecture Office had taken bribes and concealed filth instead of exposing him.
Rather, Chen Nan understood that even if he exposed this Prefecture Office, the next one sent over would still be cut from the same cloth. There was simply no need.
After that came the rewards. Fifty thousand Qingyang Coins were placed on a card and handed to Chen Nan. He was also given a certificate allowing him to enter Wu City Preparatory Academy without examination—and without paying fees.
Then, beneath the glare of the spotlights, Chen Nan accepted interviews from reporters.
It could be said that the scene was endlessly glorious.
Among those watching the grand spectacle through phones, computers, and televisions, some were envious, some grateful, some jealous, and some filled with hatred.
The three who stood out the most were Li Yu, Xun Xin, and the former Tie Dan, now Wang Bodan.
As Wang Bodan watched Chen Nan, the focus of countless eyes, he wished he could reach through the screen, seize Chen Nan by the throat, and strangle him to death.
Because all of Chen Nan's current honor, rewards, fame, and glory had been built upon Wang Bodan's family going bankrupt, being imprisoned, and dying.
Chen Nan had practically stepped on the corpses of his father and uncle to gain such glory. How could Wang Bodan not hate him?
Before this, he had been a genuine second-generation rich kid. Even at the Preparatory Academy, everyone had treated him with respect.
Now that this had happened, his life had fallen into the depths like plunging to the bottom of a valley. Fortunately, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Even though his family had collapsed, he still had enough money to complete his studies.
But yesterday's glory was gone forever.
Especially when he thought about how he would no longer have so much money to squander in the future, Wang Bodan's hatred surged even more fiercely than when his father had been imprisoned and sentenced.
"Damn Chen Nan, just you wait," Wang Bodan swore inwardly. "I will kill you no matter what!"
Naturally, Li Yu and Xun Xin harbored similar thoughts. However, neither of them hated Chen Nan as intensely as Wang Bodan did.
Their only reason for wanting to get rid of Chen Nan was that Chen Nan knew they had accepted bribes. Naturally, that was a disgraceful matter, but even if it were exposed, it would not be a major issue.
The Transcendent organization would not hand down any severe punishment for something like that. The only harm would be losing face.
Though the two were greedy for money, they still wanted to save face. That was why they had secretly harmed Chen Nan back then. At this moment, they also did not want Chen Nan to make an appearance, but neither would they openly confront him themselves.
There was no need for that, because they had an obvious puppet they could use.
They secretly found Wang Bodan and gave him a thorough brainwashing. But Wang Bodan no longer needed anyone to brainwash him. So long as it was something that could harm Chen Nan, he would do it.
Li Yu and Xun Xin merely provided Wang Bodan with a path for revenge, and that path was the rules of the Transcendents.
There were two charges in total. First, Chen Nan had killed someone. Second, Chen Nan had used Transcendent abilities to steal property, and the amount was not small.
The two told Wang Bodan that he could use these two reasons to report Chen Nan's crimes to the Transcendent litigation authorities. At the very least, it would cause Chen Nan some trouble.
Both of them knew perfectly well that even if the case went through, sentencing Chen Nan to death would be utterly impossible. But as for allowing him to enter the Preparatory Academy without examination, that would probably become impossible.
And that was precisely what the two most wanted to see.
The two of them worked at the Preparatory Academy, so naturally they did not want to see Chen Nan appear there.
If Chen Nan lost this reward, then getting into the Preparatory Academy through the entrance assessment would be far from easy.
Because when it came to entering the Preparatory Academy, talent was not the most crucial requirement. One also needed a great deal of money. The registration fee alone cost ten thousand Qingyang Coins, and after enrollment, the annual tuition was fifty thousand.
Preparatory Academies generally required students to graduate when they came of age at sixteen. For a child entering the Preparatory Academy at ten, the minimum expense in this regard alone would exceed three hundred thousand.
For ordinary people, that was an enormous sum!
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