BOOM!

An explosion went off in Xu the Second’s mind, as if the words "Dragon Ascension" had just detonated in his skull. He couldn’t hear anything else around him.

Dragon Ascension!

That unfilial son of his had actually achieved Dragon Ascension.

He had fathered a son who achieved Dragon Ascension, but that son no longer had anything to do with him.

In an instant, all the color drained from Xu the Second’s face.

Xu Yang lifted the red cloth, revealing a paper certificate and a carved wooden Token inside.

"Share in the good fortune, everyone! Thank you for your hard work!"

Xu Qing, acting like a seasoned adult, stepped forward with the copper coins she had prepared in advance and gave some to each member of the procession.

"It was no trouble at all. It is our good fortune to be the ones to deliver this joyous news to Master Xu."

"Congratulations on becoming a Scholar, Master Xu!"

The men spoke festive words as they accepted the money.

After Xu Yang confirmed the items were in order, the men from the procession all bid farewell and departed.

"Ah Yang, well done! You’ve brought honor to our old Xu Family!"

His uncle and aunt rushed over, beaming.

"Our Xu Clan has produced a Martial Scholar!"

The surrounding members of the Xu Family all came forward one after another to offer their congratulations.

Xu Daxin stood in the crowd, wanting to approach but not daring to. He only regretted the harsh words he had spoken years ago when Xu Yang had come to him to borrow grain.

Even more so, he regretted causing trouble for Xu Yang last year over that short-lived ghost.

More and more people came forward to congratulate him. Regardless of whether they were close or not, they all approached to say a word of congratulations.

Xu Qing took out the celebratory sweets she had prepared, giving some to everyone, young or old, who came to offer their good wishes.

Xu Yang was a bit speechless. He’d known all along the little girl was going behind his back, preparing not just firecrackers, but even candy.

In truth, it was only because he didn’t care and had no parents.

If he had parents, preparing celebratory sweets for such a momentous occasion would be far from enough; they would have to host a banquet for the entire neighborhood.

The wealthy families in the city would even hold three-day-long feasts, with endless tables of food open to all. Anyone could show up, offer a word of congratulations, and get a meal.

"Ah Yang, congratulations."

Li Yao squeezed through the crowd and came forward to offer her congratulations as well.

Her face was unnaturally pale, clearly covered in powder. In a tone that seemed deliberately casual, she said, "Ah Yang, you’re successful and famous now. All that’s left is to start a family. When will you be inviting the village to your wedding feast?"

"That’s right, Ah Yang, it’s time to find a wife and get married."

"Hurry up and have a son to inherit all your skills."

"It’s not good not to have a wife to run the house. Even sleeping at night isn’t comfortable."

"My husband’s family has a niece who’s an absolute beauty. Want me to be your matchmaker?"

...

Her words met with unanimous agreement from the villagers, who all began urging Xu Yang to find a woman quickly.

"Thank you all for your concern, uncles and aunts. As you all know, I have achieved Dragon Ascension, so I cannot get married for the time being," Xu Yang explained.

A flash of disappointment crossed Li Yao’s eyes. ’How could I have not noticed that Bai Shi Workshop was hiding a Dragon Ascending Genius?’ she thought.

"The Great River Gang congratulates Master Xu Yang on becoming a Martial Scholar and successfully achieving Dragon Ascension! We present a gift of ten taels of silver, a bolt of brocade cloth, a three-year-old wild ginseng, and two jars of Champion’s Red wine!" a sudden shout rang out.

The people of Bai Shi Workshop were all astonished. The Great River Gang had actually come to give Xu Yang a congratulatory gift, and a generous one at that.

The crowd parted to reveal Qian Jiaxing leading several members of the Great River Gang, carrying gifts as they approached.

Qian Jiaxing walked respectfully before Xu Yang, cupped his fists, and said, "Master Xu, on the Gang Leader’s orders, this humble one has brought a gift to congratulate you on becoming a Martial Scholar. Please accept it."

Xu Yang’s expression was calm as he said, "Put the things in the house." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Toward this old friend from his past, he acted like a complete stranger. There was no mockery or ridicule, nor any polite greetings; he simply treated him as an ordinary member of the Great River Gang.

"Yes!"

Qian Jiaxing’s voice trembled, his heart still in turmoil.

He thought back to the old days when the two of them practiced martial arts together at Weiyuan Hall. They would walk home together every evening, discussing their insights into Martial Arts. They had been the closest of friends.

But he had wanted to climb the social ladder by fawning over Lu Ren, so he drew a clear line between himself and Xu Yang, even resorting to vicious insults later on.

Now, Xu Yang had become a Scholar, achieved Dragon Ascension in the Martial Arts, and had even defeated Lu Ren in the examination, becoming a major figure in Qingyuan County.

Meanwhile, he had become a mere lackey in the Great River Gang, an errand boy sent by the Gang Leader to deliver a gift to Xu Yang.

It was all so absurdly laughable.

Not only had he failed to latch onto Lu Ren, but now even Lu Ren himself had been defeated by Xu Yang in the Martial Arts Examination.

When he heard the news, he hadn’t been able to sleep all night. ’How could I have been so disloyal back then?’

"Put the things in Master Xu’s house."

He tried his best to control his voice as he ordered his subordinates to take the items inside.

"Master Xu, we will take our leave."

Once the items were put away, Qian Jiaxing bowed respectfully before leading his men away.

"Brother Xu, congratulations."

Not long after the men from the Great River Gang left, Qiu Wenjie and his father also arrived with gifts. Besides the two of them, Xu Yang’s maternal uncle and his cousin, Zhou Hui, also came along to offer their congratulations.

Unlike with the people from the Great River Gang, this time Xu Yang didn’t dare to put on any airs. He respectfully invited Zhou Shunchang into his home and served them tea and fruit.

Xu Qing also left the other guests and started preparing a meal to entertain them.

Watching all this, Xu the Second felt another pang of misery.

Successively, more people arrived with congratulatory gifts: the Liu Family, the Huang Family, fellow disciples from the Martial Arts Hall, and even some wealthy city families whom Xu Yang didn’t know at all.

He didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted them all.

Later in the evening, the excitement finally died down, only for a few uninvited guests to arrive.

Several disciples from Gale Hall, led by Kong Yu—the man hailed as having the number one Root Bone in this year’s examination—had come looking for him.

"Junior Brother Kong, if you ask me, he’s the one who killed Yang Jun. We should just arrest him and hand him over to Master."

The moment Jiang Yi saw Xu Yang, a hateful light flared in his eyes.