"Liang, I still have something to do. Talk later."
Ye Fan frowned slightly and said.
"Alright, Godfather... no, Brother Ye. You go ahead."
Zhou Liang had noticed Ye Fan's unusual behavior too.
No matter what, today he had become Ye Fan's first visitor after Ye Fan made a name for himself in Jiangning City.
He could show off in the class group again. Just thinking about it thrilled him.
After hanging up, Ye Fan quickly ran toward his family's old apartment.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Now that his Vitality Value had reached 248 calories, Ye Fan could run at over 20 m/s, like an agile cheetah.
With an effortless leap, he cleared ten steps.
Ye Fan's home was on the seventh floor of a rundown residential complex.
Within a few breaths, Ye Fan arrived outside the door.
The old-fashioned yellow decor exuded a heavy sense of age.
In less than seventy square meters of cramped space, the family of four, along with Jin Lian, had once squeezed into this tiny home.
"You shameless bastard, move aside."
Ye Ling snapped.
"Hehe, little sister, don't be in such a hurry.
You owe me rent. Besides, I asked around—you emptied your savings to treat your father's illness.
If you're willing, I can let you live here for free. How about it?"
A fat, greasy man wore a lecherous expression.
His eyes, ringed with dark circles, roamed over Ye Ling's slender, budding figure beneath her school uniform.
A shabbily dressed woman stood nearby as well, watching timidly.
Yet she did not dare stop the man in the slightest.
Rage surged within Ye Fan.
This was the sorrow of little people at the bottom. Now that martial arts flourished and strength reigned supreme,
there were still many rotten scoundrels trampling upon the bottom line of this era.
"Ye Ling!"
Ye Fan called out in a low, powerful voice.
The fat man jumped in fright, while Ye Ling seized the chance to run to Ye Fan's side and tell him what had happened.
He had heard Mother mention before that, in order to treat Father's illness, they had borrowed money from every relative they could.
But many relatives who worshipped the rich and despised the poor avoided Ye Fan's family as though they were plague-stricken, directly drawing a line between themselves and them.
With no other choice, Mother had sold their home at a dirt-cheap price.
They had not handed it over yet, and had agreed to move out today.
But it was already evening when Ye Ling came to pack their things.
She happened to run into the new landlord, the fat greasy man. Seeing how youthful and tender Ye Ling was, he immediately developed the urge to tease her.
At the same time,
the fat greasy man was startled when he saw Ye Fan.
This kid was tall and powerfully built, with an extraordinary bearing.
Even just standing there, Ye Fan gave him a heart-palpitating sensation, as though he were facing some terrifying big shot.
"Little brother, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I was only joking around with little sister..."
The fat greasy man rolled his mung-bean-sized eyes and rubbed his hands together.
"A misunderstanding my ass..."
Smack!
Ye Fan snorted coldly, but his tall body moved with astonishing speed.
A crisp slap rang out. The fat greasy man felt heaven and earth buzzing as teeth mixed with blood sprayed through the air.
His whole body spun as he flew away, as though struck by a heavy blow.
"Wuwu, please stop hitting him."
The previously timid woman dropped to her knees at once and begged Ye Fan for mercy.
Ye Fan looked sorrowfully at the woman, then took their belongings with Ye Ling.
The fat man curled up in the corner like a beaten stray dog, groaning in pain.
For an instant, Ye Fan caught the flash of resentment in his eyes.
"I'll tell you where my family lives. If you don't accept this, come find me!"
“Beep.”
Ye Fan directly swiped the housing card Wu Xie had given him against his Martial Artist Watch.
A crisp activation sound rang out. "Welcome, esteemed Martial Warrior Ye Fan, to Villa No. 017, Linjiang No. 1."
"Holy shit... the inner city... Lin...jiang... No. 1?!"
The fat lecherous man clutched his face, swollen like a pig's head, his expression filled with shock.
A Martial Warrior?
Linjiang No. 1?
Those were the most high-end villas in the inner city. It was not somewhere one could enter merely by having money—only the most distinguished figures in Jiangning City could live there!
Compared with that, the house they had just bought was as far apart as clouds and mud!
"Dear, don't you think that young man from earlier looked like the Heroic Youth the news reported on a while ago...?"
At those words,
the dark-eyed, fat man shuddered violently, his whole body trembling like chaff in a sieve, his fat quivering.
Beneath him, a wet patch spread.
"Ah... so rank, so stinky..."
"Brother, I want to practice martial arts too."
After activating the auto-navigation function, the siblings sat inside the million-Huaxia-Coin "Wendao" car.
Ye Ling spoke earnestly.
"Heh, you never used to care so much about martial arts. Tell me, what happened?"
Ye Fan chuckled, looking at Ye Ling fondly.
In truth, he had never intended to force Ye Ling onto the martial path.
After all, although the Human Race had set off a tide of evolution,
martial arts training was still filled with dangers and challenges.
One careless mistake could cost someone their life.
Living an ordinary life to the end was not necessarily a bad kind of happiness.
"Because whether it was the trouble at the school gate today or being harassed by that disgusting fat man just now,
if I had enough strength, I could have stopped all of it from happening and killed it at the source."
"And not only that.
Martial arts are flourishing now. Many people and matters have stepped beyond the bounds of rules. When the critical moment comes, I don't want to become a lamb waiting for slaughter."
"Also, I want to protect Father and Mother and guard our little home. I don't want you to be so exhausted either, Brother."
Ye Ling looked at Ye Fan with her large, watery eyes.
Warmth filled Ye Fan's heart. His younger sister had gone through many things—she had grown up.
"Alright. Once we get settled, I'll teach you stance training."
Ye Fan nodded.
Even if Ye Ling lost her motivation later, improving her vitality, strengthening her body, and extending her lifespan would still be good.
"Yay!"
Like a lark, Ye Ling chirped excitedly.
"Oh, right, Brother. Why didn't Sister Jin Lian come back with you?"
Ye Ling had a premonition.
Ye Fan told Ye Ling about what had happened at the Jiangnan Martial University Trial Camp.
It immediately made the little girl so angry that her cheeks puffed up like buns.
"Despicable ingrate! Shameless!"
"I sensed it long ago. Jin Lian's ambitions are too great. Our home can't contain her."
"Hmph. Once I learn martial arts, I'll definitely seek justice for everything Brother, Father, and Mother have given her!"
Ye Ling waved her small fist and spoke indignantly.
"Good. Brother believes in you."
Ye Fan rubbed Ye Ling's little head and smiled.
If this had happened before, he would have been furious too.
But now that he possessed the Sign-in Enlightenment System, he was filled with hope for his future martial path.
Jin Lian had not been wrong about one thing—they were no longer people of the same world.
In the future, he would stand so high that she could never reach him!
Before long, as the siblings chatted, they arrived at the private parking garage for Villa No. 017 in Linjiang No. 1.
They swiped the card and entered the villa.
The furnishings and facilities inside left both siblings deeply shocked...
Before you continue