"Knock, knock, knock!" A knock sounded at the door.
Then came Tang Duo's soft, sweet voice. "Brother Xiao Fan, time to eat."
"Okay, coming."
Jiang Fan opened the door and walked out. Tang Guo immediately took his hand, swinging it as she happily walked toward the table.
Seeing Tang Guo happy put Jiang Fan in a good mood too.
When Jiang Fan reached the table, he found plenty of delicious food laid out.
Braised pork ribs, steamed sea bass, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a plate of fried chicken with edamame.
"What a feast tonight."
Wang Shuqin smiled as she set out the bowls and chopsticks. "It's all thanks to you, Xiao Fan. You gave the family twenty thousand yuan. Otherwise, we wouldn't be eating this well."
Jiang Fan smiled. "Our family's going to be better and better off."
Hearing him say that, they all thought of what Jiang Fan had said yesterday about applying to martial arts school.
"Brother Xiao Fan, are you really going to take the martial entrance exam?" Tang Guo was young and had few reservations, so she asked whatever came to mind.
"Yes." Jiang Fan nodded earnestly.
"But you're so weak, and your qi and blood are so low. How could you possibly pass?"
"Guoguo!" Tang Fugui and Wang Shuqin glared at Tang Guo at the same time.
Tang Guo pouted, lowered her head, and ate without another word.
Jiang Fan took in the oppressive atmosphere and suddenly stood up.
The moment he stood, everyone's eyes swung toward him.
"Xiao Fan, what are you...?" Tang Fugui looked at Jiang Fan in bewilderment.
Jiang Fan silently walked into the courtyard and over to a stone millstone.
The millstone had once been used to make tofu, but no one used it anymore.
Since it had been passed down through the generations, however, the Tang Family had never thrown it away and had kept it all this time.
"Dad, I remember this millstone weighs about two hundred jin, right?"
"About that." Tang Fugui opened his mouth, utterly bewildered. "Why are you asking?"
Jiang Fan took a deep breath and mobilized the qi and blood in his body. Then he wrapped both arms around the millstone and, with a low shout, lifted it in one burst of effort before raising it over his head.
Shock!
Tang Fugui, Wang Shuqin, and Tang Guo all gaped, their mouths wide enough to fit an egg.
No, even a goose egg might have fit.
With a thud, Jiang Fan set the millstone down, then turned to look at the three of them.
"Dad, Mom, my qi and blood are at 80 N now. I'm already an early-stage martial apprentice, so I qualify to apply for the martial track. I'll work even harder and try to get into an elite martial arts university. Then our family's life will keep getting better."
Tang Fugui and the other two remained deeply stunned, unable to recover for a long while.
The child was still the quickest to accept it. Tang Guo ran over happily and threw her arms around Jiang Fan's thigh.
"Brother Xiao Fan, you're amazing! I admire you so much!"
Jiang Fan habitually ruffled Tang Guo's fluffy hair, his expression gentle.
Tang Fugui finally came back to his senses too. In a disbelieving voice, he stammered, "X-Xiao Fan, wh-what on earth is going on? How... how is this possible? Didn't you only have... have 19 N of qi and blood before? How did you suddenly become an early-stage martial apprentice? Am I dreaming?"
"I'm not sure either. Maybe all that accumulation finally burst forth." Jiang Fan smiled with his eyes half lowered.
No one knew a son better than his father. Tang Fugui could tell that Jiang Fan was hiding something, but since Jiang Fan did not want to say it, he would not ask.
This also confirmed and strengthened the thought in his heart.
Xiao Fan absolutely could not stay in the slums.
The poor pursued scholarly learning; the rich practiced martial arts. Even a three-year-old knew that, and Tang Fugui understood it better than anyone.
With Jiang Fan's talent, staying here with them would definitely hold back his future.
The more he thought about it, the tighter Tang Fugui clenched the fists hanging at his sides.
After dinner, Jiang Fan began exercising.
Sit-ups, push-ups, running...
He kept going until the early hours, only stopping when he was drenched in sweat and his muscles ached all over.
He felt this was still far too inefficient.
Suddenly, Jiang Fan sat up in bed. Through the window, by the light of the moon, he saw the tall mountain in the distance.
It was the highest mountain in Ancheng. The locals called it Plow Mountain.
He made up his mind. Starting tomorrow, he would climb the mountain.
He put his decision into action.
The next day, at the first light of dawn, Jiang Fan arrived at Plow Mountain wearing a black hoodie.
The sun had yet to rise, and the mist had not dispersed, leaving the mountain air thick with moisture.
He had only been there a few minutes when he felt the strands of hair hanging over his forehead grow damp.
Jiang Fan pulled up his hood and began climbing.
Ancheng's cemetery lay at the foot of Plow Mountain. The Crazy Old Man walked out of the caretaker's quarters, yawning with a wine flask in his hand.
He had just stretched when he suddenly noticed something.
The Crazy Old Man's pupils contracted, and he immediately spotted Jiang Fan climbing the mountain.
Although they were several hundred meters apart, with thick mist and branches obscuring the view, and Jiang Fan had his hood up, none of it could block the Crazy Old Man's gaze.
"It's that kid."
The Crazy Old Man checked the time. 4:50.
"Coming here to climb this early? What's gotten into him?"
The Crazy Old Man sat in a reclining chair, drinking as he watched Jiang Fan climb to the summit and descend, then head up again after coming down, making who knew how many trips back and forth.
He only stopped when it was nearly seven.
"This kid's got some perseverance. Not bad, not bad. He has some of my flair from when I was young."
Jiang Fan knew nothing of this. He was soaked from head to toe, though he could not tell whether it was from sweat or the mountain's damp air. Perhaps it was both.
He checked his watch. It was seven; he had to hurry to school or he would be late.
Jiang Fan went home and changed into his school uniform.
"Xiao Fan, where did you go so early in the morning?" Wang Shuqin asked in puzzlement.
"To exercise."
"Oh, I see. You're nearly late for school. Hurry and have some breakfast."
Jiang Fan noticed some steamed buns and soy milk on the table. "There's no time. I'll take them and eat on the way."
Once he arrived at school, Jiang Fan fell asleep as soon as he slumped over his desk.
He could not help it. After all, he had exercised so late last night and gotten up so early that morning. He was not made of iron.
Then again, if he had not become a Spirit Master and gained faster recovery, an ordinary person would probably have been too exhausted to get up long ago, let alone come to school.
Lu Yi walked over to Jiang Fan's desk, frowned, and tapped the desk with a book.
The vibration roused Jiang Fan from his groggy sleep. He looked up and saw Lu Yi.
"Pay attention in class."
Lu Yi had intended to give Jiang Fan a scolding, but then remembered that today was the last day of the Jiang Family's pressure on him. He thought Jiang Fan must have suffered terribly over the past two days, leaving him so mentally exhausted that he had fallen asleep in class.
"Yes, Teacher Lu." Still bleary-eyed, Jiang Fan picked up his book.
The words on the page seemed like tadpoles, wriggling up, down, left, and right.
Within seconds, his eyes closed against his will.
He fell asleep again.
Lu Yi's lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing more.
Jiang Fan slept deeply and only woke when it was time for lunch.
In the cafeteria, Jiang Fan was halfway through his meal when he heard the students around him discussing yesterday's exam.
"I just heard from someone in the class next door that yesterday's exam results are out. They're posted on the noticeboard by the school gate."