The scene remained frozen for several seconds before the Crazy Old Man snatched the letter of introduction from Ye Qizhen's hand, opened it, and saw that it really was Yan Tianyang's handwriting.
Immediately, he swiftly got up and went to Jiang Fan's side, pulling Jiang Fan into the kitchen without saying a word.
"You've been lying to me for so long, you little brat."
Jiang Fan didn't like hearing that. "What do you mean I lied to you? I've said it before, I don't know any Yan Tianyang, and I've explained it more than once or twice. Don't tell me you're having a bout of dementia."
The Crazy Old Man opened his mouth. Indeed, Jiang Fan had told him many times, but he always thought that Jiang Fan was afraid of revealing that he was introduced by Yan Tianyang, which would cause resentment, so he had never admitted it.
Who exactly are you? And what is your purpose in approaching me?
Jiang Fan was somewhat speechless. "My name is Jiang Fan. I was born in a slum in Ancheng. I'm 17 years old, male, and a senior in Class 8 of Ancheng No. 9 Middle School. I'm a Leo, and I like—"
"Stop! Stop! Hold on!"
The Crazy Old Man rolled his eyes. How could he not realize that Jiang Fan's introduction was purely meant to disgust him?
Actually, he had investigated Jiang Fan's background to some extent before. In addition, based on his years of experience in judging people, he knew that although Jiang Fan was cunning, he would not harm the innocent and would only offend others if they offended him. But if someone offended him, this guy would be ruthless and cunning.
At that moment, Ye Qizhen was craning his neck to look into the kitchen, extremely curious about what was happening inside, but because of the Crazy Old Man's identity, he dared not go in rashly.
What exactly is the relationship between that boy and the Crazy Old Man?
At this point, if he still thinks Jiang Fan is just cooking for the Crazy Old Man, then he's wasting his brain.
Just as Ye Qizhen was wondering to herself, a deep voice came from outside.
"Teacher, I've brought you some fine wine again. It was a gift from a local tycoon in Ancheng, so I'm just passing on this opportunity to you."
As soon as Wei Cangyue stepped across the threshold, he saw Ye Qizhen standing inside.
" Xiao Ye, what are you doing here?"
" Captain Wei, I've come to see Master Li," Ye Qizhen replied.
The two had known each other for a long time and had crossed paths several times over various matters.
Wei Cangyue guessed and asked, "You wouldn't happen to be here to become the Crazy Old Man's apprentice, would you?"
Ye Qizhen readily admitted, " Yan Shuai ordered me to come."
Wei Cangyue was not surprised by this answer.
"The master rarely takes on disciples. To date, he has only two disciples, both of whom are Spirit Master. He only accepts Spirit Master as disciples. As Spirit Master and a prodigy of our time, you are the perfect person to become his disciple. To be honest, I really hope the master can accept you as his disciple. With a disciple, there will be hope, and at least you won't continue to drift aimlessly like this."
Although Wei Cangyue addressed the Crazy Old Man as "teacher," he was not his disciple. He had simply received guidance from the old man and attended his classes, which was why he was qualified to call him "teacher."
"Huh? Where's the teacher?"
Ye Qizhen glanced towards the kitchen. "He's inside."
Wei Cangyue peeked into the kitchen and was surprised to find Jiang Fan inside. The two were arm in arm, whispering to each other in a secretive manner.
What are Jiang Fan and the teacher talking about?
"His name is Jiang Fan? Captain Wei, do you know him?" Ye Qizhen asked curiously.
"I know him, of course I know him. He's a student in my special training program, his name is Jiang Fan."
Ye Qizhen also arrived in Ancheng today and met Wei Cangyue, only to find out that Wei Cangyue was teaching a special training class at Ancheng No. 9 Middle School.
He was quite surprised when he learned of this.
After all, Wei Cangyue was a genuine High-Stage Fifth Rank Martial Artist. Moreover, he was once a member of the renowned Sharp Edge Squad. Although the Sharp Edge Squad had fallen on hard times, he had become its captain.
It's utterly baffling that someone like him would come to a small high school in Ancheng to be an instructor for a special training class.
After much thought, Ye Qizhen asked again, "What is Jiang Fan's strength?"
"A few days ago it was the Early-Stage Martial Apprentice, now it's the Middle-Stage Martial Apprentice," Wei Cangyue replied.
"Just Middle-Stage Martial Apprentice?"
Ye Qizhen frowned. Middle-Stage Martial Apprentice wasn't that bad, but based on that alone, why was the Crazy Old Man so close to him?
Wei Cangyue added, "Speaking of which, this Jiang Fan is quite an interesting person."
"Oh? What's interesting about that?"
"I heard it from others that when Jiang Fan's mother was pregnant with him, something went wrong, which resulted in him being born with congenital deficiencies. Also, because he was switched at birth in the hospital, he grew up in a slum, where he didn't eat or dress well, which caused his blood and energy levels to be pitifully low, only 19N."
"So low?" Ye Qizhen looked surprised.
"That's right, and even in the tests at the beginning of this semester, he only got 19N."
These words startled Ye Qizhen so much that he could barely speak.
"You mean—you mean, he broke through from 19N Qi and Blood to the Middle-Stage Martial Apprentice in less than a month?! This—this—how is this possible? Is this something a human can do? Or did he obtain some earth-shattering opportunity?"
"Young people have such vivid imaginations. No matter how talented someone is, it's impossible for them to break through from 19N Qi and Blood to the Middle-Stage Martial Apprentice in just one month. He must have been hiding his strength all along, and then suddenly astonished everyone."
Ye Qizhen found Wei Cangyue's explanation to be quite reasonable.
However, he was still quite surprised. This young man was passionate yet knew how to keep a low profile. Could he have done the same?
The answer seems to be no.
Thinking of this, Ye Qizhen's gaze involuntarily fell on Jiang Fan in the kitchen.
"He's quite patient; he's not an ordinary person."
Wei Cangyue remained noncommittal and said nothing.
Soon, Jiang Fan and the Crazy Old Man came out of the kitchen together.
Jiang Fan noticed that Ye Qizhen was staring at him, her gaze, which seemed like an X-ray, made him feel very uncomfortable.
After regaining his composure, the Crazy Old Man took the wine that Wei Cangyue had brought him and poured himself a glass.
He said to Ye Qizhen, "Go back to where you came from and tell Yan Tianyang that I have already taken on a disciple."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qizhen and Wei Cangyue were both taken aback, and then a storm of emotions surged within them.
"Teacher, you've taken on an apprentice?!"
Wei Cangyue stepped forward and continued, "Is your disciple Spirit Master? Where else in Ancheng I Spirit Master?"
Ye Qizhen also listened intently.
Jiang Fan, who was cleaning up the room, was quite curious as to why Wei Cangyue's first reaction upon hearing the Crazy Old Man mention taking on a disciple was that he was taking on Spirit Master.
Could it be...?
Jiang Fan had a bold guess in his mind, and he felt that his guess was pretty much correct.
"This is none of your business," the Crazy Old Man said, looking like he couldn't be bothered to explain.
At this moment, Ye Qizhen suddenly spoke up.
"Your apprentice wouldn't happen to be... Jiang Fan, would he?"