An Empty Hand

Chen Nan held the admission certificate in his hand, feeling quite pleased. This was the most essential item he needed.

Everything that had happened for so long proved one thing: without strength, doing anything was incredibly difficult. More importantly, he no longer wanted the weak to sacrifice their lives for him.

Even though Chen Nan had piously buried the informants who died in the incident, it was nothing more than a hypocritical self-consolation.

They were already dead; a funeral for the living was merely about saving face.

Chen Nan hadn't intended to do this, disliking such conventional practices. However, when he considered that if he didn't even acknowledge his dislike and do something for the deceased informants, it would be even more outrageous, he proceeded anyway.

Now, he was about to enter Wu City Preparatory Academy and embark on the path to becoming a Transcendent. The sages are not benevolent, treating the common people as straw dogs; if one doesn't want to be manipulated by others, one must stand at the height of a "sage."

He harbored this resolve deep in his heart, a resolve born out of the inescapable pressures of life!

It was just unfortunate that fate seemed unwilling to let Chen Nan have an easy time. Before the certificate had even warmed in his hand, he found himself on the defendant's stand.

The plaintiff was naturally Wang Bodan. The two faced each other in a special tribunal. Moreover, Wang Bodan had hired a brilliant lawyer.

Chen Nan, on the other hand, had no connections and could only rely on the lawyer assigned by the court. This lawyer was clearly all about appearances, and their defense fully embodied that principle.

The courtroom debate made Chen Nan's head throb. Regarding the charges of murder and theft, he presented his evidence during his self-defense.

This evidence was a video recording taken just before he began slaughtering the Ghost Head's thugs.

Chen Nan argued vehemently that even Transcendent individuals could take self-defense measures when subjected to fatal attacks from ordinary people. This, he claimed, did not violate any laws.

He also defended his theft, stating it was done unknowingly. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss, and he was willing to make amends for his actions.

With such compelling evidence and Chen Nan's reasonable arguments, coupled with the righteousness of his deeds, there should have been no punishment.

However, the lawyer hired by the other side was truly professional. They launched a series of fatal attacks against Chen Nan, citing the deaths of the ordinary people who pursued him, resulting in twenty to thirty fatalities, and arguing that this constituted at least excessive self-defense.

Furthermore, Chen Nan's theft could not be excused simply by claiming "ignorance." If every criminal could claim ignorance, what would be the point of legal dignity?

As for whether what he stole was illicit gains, it made no difference to the nature of his theft. Theft is theft; one cannot reduce the penalty for stealing from a bad person or increase it for stealing from a good person, otherwise, what would become of legal fairness?

In any case, after a series of impassioned and eloquent arguments, Chen Nan himself felt he deserved the death penalty.

Fortunately, Chen Nan had cultivated an image as a young hero who punished evil and promoted good. Even with the lawyer's utmost professionalism, Chen Nan's halo somewhat suppressed them.

Therefore, the final verdict at the tribunal was: Chen Nan's scholarship for free admission to the Preparatory Academy was revoked, and he was ordered to pay Wang Bodan fifty thousand yuan as compensation for the theft.

No other penalties were imposed.

On the surface, this punishment seemed light, but for Chen Nan, it was incredibly severe.

He would have to take the entrance exam himself, and the free admission condition was gone. More critically, the fifty thousand yuan was a fortune that had passed him by; with no money, how could he even afford to enter the Preparatory Academy?

After the verdict was read, Wang Bodan looked at Chen Nan from the plaintiff's seat and said, "You remember this, I will absolutely not let you off. I will make you repay a hundredfold for the disaster and pain you have caused me!"

Chen Nan looked at him, remaining silent.

After all, he had already brought the Wang Clan to its current state, and he had no intention of completely eradicating them.

He wasn't the protagonist in a story, always acting without leaving any loose ends. He felt that the current situation was sufficient; did he really need to ensure the Wang Clan had no descendants?

There was truly no need for that.

But now it seemed that while he could let the other party go, the other party wouldn't let him go. There's a saying: Heaven's wrath can be endured, but self-inflicted ruin is inescapable.

Since Wang Bodan was acting this way, he couldn't blame Chen Nan for being ruthless.

Yet, he still showed no reaction, leaving the place in silence. Naturally, everything that needed to be paid had been paid.

Although Li Yu and Xun Xin were not present in court, they learned about the tribunal's proceedings through other means.

The two looked at each other, each thinking to themselves: Barking dogs seldom bite! This Chen Nan is definitely a ruthless person!

The "ruthless person," Chen Nan, left the tribunal looking dejected. As he stepped onto the street, he saw his landlady waiting for him in her car.

His current living expenses were covered by this landlady, so we must mention her name, otherwise, it would be too impolite.

Her name was Jiang Lili. As someone who owned several properties, having a car was not unusual.

After Chen Nan got into the car, Jiang Lili started the engine and, after merging into traffic, asked with concern, "What, was the court's decision very bad?"

"Not too bad, I guess," Chen Nan replied, telling her the outcome.

Jiang Lili then unleashed the kind of explosive verbal concern that women often express when others face misfortune.

Chen Nan stated that the outcome was acceptable, but it had become an obstacle to his entry into the Preparatory Academy, which was quite bothersome.

Jiang Lili chuckled and said, "What's so bothersome about that? With your abilities, is getting into the Preparatory Academy still a problem?"

Chen Nan said weakly, "It's not about my abilities, it's that I don't have any money now. Just the application fee is ten thousand yuan."

Jiang Lili gasped, but quickly added, "Don't worry about that. I can still afford ten thousand yuan. Just go take the exam, I'll cover all the expenses. At worst, I'll sell one of my buildings, and the money will come out."

She used to call him "kid," but now Jiang Lili had voluntarily lowered her status and called herself "sister." In fact, this address was quite fitting, as she was only around thirty years old.

However, Jiang Lili's actions made Chen Nan's hair stand on end. Was this a prelude to her keeping him? But then he looked back and realized he was just a ten-year-old kid, so that made no sense. He then thought that he was judging her with a petty mind.

Chen Nan tried to refuse the money, but Jiang Lili argued with him so fiercely that they almost had an accident. To ensure her safe driving, he finally agreed.

In reality, Chen Nan still had some money. He had paid three months' rent upfront when he first rented Jiang Lili's place. He was currently living in another of her properties, so he wasn't entirely taking advantage of her.

Of course, one couldn't calculate it that way. Currently, she was, in effect, supporting him. Even though he was already a little hero, being exposed and making a fortune was one thing, but solving his living problems was another.

Furthermore, the government had already given him a reward of fifty thousand yuan, and their obligations to him were fulfilled. Moreover, the Prefecture had no desire to hear any more news about Chen Nan.

Soon, the two arrived at the residence. After parking the car in the garage, Jiang Lili returned home with Chen Nan.

Once inside, Jiang Lili rummaged through drawers and cabinets before handing Chen Nan a card.

Chen Nan took the card and saw a "ten thousand" character marked in the upper right corner, realizing it was a card for amounts under one hundred thousand yuan.

Jiang Lili said, "This is my spending money card. It has over ten thousand yuan in it. Just use it to pay when you register for the assessment. There's no password."

Chen Nan truly envied this kind of extravagance; a card with over ten thousand yuan was just for spending money. Such wealth, and such a good woman – it was a shame her previous man hadn't cherished her properly.

But perhaps this was the fate of all good things.

Chen Nan didn't stand on ceremony either, smiling as he said, "Consider this ten thousand a loan. When I have money, I'll pay you back with interest."

Jiang Lili sat opposite Chen Nan and said nonchalantly, "Whatever you want. Give it back whenever you have it. If you stay poor forever, you don't have to give it back either."

Chen Nan was a bit puzzled. Though he knew it was a silly thing to say, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Jiang Lili smiled and said, "Because I've fallen in love with you, okay?"

Chen Nan's face immediately turned red, which made Jiang Lili laugh so hard she bent over. She pinched his cheek and said, "You're only ten years old, and you still blush? But I'm not lying. It's just that if you added ten years to your age, the nature of this 'love' might actually become that way.

Right now, when I say I love you, it's just affection.

You're a little hero with the spirit of a true man. You've done such a great deed. Compared to that, what I'm doing for you is nothing.

Think about it, how many souls have had their grievances redressed because of you? How many broken families have been reunited? And how many suffering people have you saved?

All of these are things people should remember.

By helping you now, I also hope that my own ordinary life can borrow your light and write a brilliant chapter worth recalling in my old age."

Chen Nan smiled and said, "You're the truly kind one, and I'm not entirely so."