Chapter 27: A Subtle Warning

Ye Ran had passed the second written exam as well.

He scored thirty-one points, yet his name was clearly listed at the bottom of the notice board, ranked sixtieth... Well, in truth, he was dead last.

This was an unexpected blessing. He remembered that he had guessed at many of the questions, yet still managed to pass. It was self-evident what level those who scored lower than him must be.

Now, only the martial trial remained before he could enroll in the academy. Once he entered Maple Leaf Academy, he would no longer be the Ye Ran of old.

Though he might face formidable opponents from the Temple, Ye Ran brimmed with confidence; his spirits soared, and he walked home as if floating.

“Ye Ran, Ye Ran!”

A carriage rolled up behind him and stopped at his side. The curtain was lifted, and a plump, round face poked out. Inside sat a fat man, fleshy and broad-faced, fanning himself with an air of affected refinement that sent a chill down the spine of anyone who saw him.

Ye Ran was no exception; he looked at him strangely and said, “Andoru, if you swapped that effeminate fan for a knife or a sword, you might win over a few more ladies.”

Andoru chuckled dryly, patting the seat beside him. “Ye Ran, hop in! Let’s go celebrate.”

Ye Ran glanced at him. “Andoru, thanks for your kindness, but let me be clear: I’ve seriously considered your invitation to join the Wild Wolf Guild, but it’s not for me.”

“Come on, Ye, don’t be like that. If you don’t want to join, that’s fine. You’re about to get into Maple Leaf Academy—shouldn’t a brother take you out to celebrate? Come on, get in.”

Only then did Ye Ran step into the carriage without concern. Andoru lowered the curtain and told the driver to swing by Mudbrick Street to pick up Freya as well.

Ye Ran had barely settled in, barely warmed his seat, when Andoru rubbed his hands together and said, “Ye Ran, I heard... Mishel... she’s back...”

He stammered, his chubby face flushing red.

How strange, this name seemed to keep cropping up lately. If it had been yesterday, Ye Ran might have felt a twinge of gloom, but today, after passing the exam, he was in high spirits. He smiled and replied, “She’s back, yes. Why?”

“It’s nothing, really, nothing... Have you seen her?”

“I have.”

For some reason, Andoru’s face suddenly changed, and he grew tense, watching Ye Ran’s expression with caution.

But Ye Ran remained unruffled. “We almost came to blows—with her friend, actually. Fatty, whatever she and I once had, now we are strangers. I don’t hate her for leaving, nor do I hold a grudge over the money she took. At the time, I was furious, but thinking back, she’s a girl—she’d do better marrying into a wealthy family than staying with me. Besides, she wasn’t unkind to me before, and that money was her due. Our bond is over; now she walks her own path, and I walk mine. We’ll not cross each other again. I’m not someone who can’t let go—what’s past is past.”

Andoru seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

But then Ye Ran continued, “Still, Fatty, though I’m done with her, you’d better not go chasing after her yourself. When she was with me, we were dirt poor, barely scraping by, always on guard against thugs—she never gave you a second glance then. Even less reason now. And remember, if it weren’t for you meddling back then, she and I might have had a few more peaceful days. If you go pestering her, don’t blame me for turning against you, brotherhood or not.”

His words were blunt, perhaps rude, but to him, some truths could not be softened.

Andoru wasn’t offended. He laughed awkwardly. “No way, not a chance! I was young and foolish then, you’ve got to forgive me. Honestly, Ye, after my old man died, I saw things more clearly. Family, love—none of it means a damn if you can’t make your own way. If a man can’t earn money, can’t bear responsibility, he’s looked down on everywhere. Now, other than family matters, I don’t care about anything. Women—just for fun now and then, but I don’t even look twice.”

Ye Ran patted his shoulder. “I can’t agree with everything you said, but you’re more of a man than you used to be. Tonight, I’ll drink with you.”

After picking up Freya on Mudbrick Street, the carriage headed straight for the Bran Residence on Lanshay Avenue.

Though Ye Ran wasn’t fond of the fat man Andoru, Freya rarely had the chance to go out, and her delicate face was full of delight. Once aboard, she leaned against Ye Ran’s shoulder, occasionally parting the curtain to watch the passing scene, and now and then expressing her joy on her sketchpad with a pencil.

“Ye Ran, are you confident about the martial exam?” Andoru instructed the driver to take them to the Bran Residence on Lanshay Avenue.

It was another gathering place for the wealthy, but the Bran Residence had a more refined air, making it especially beloved by “cultured” men like Andoru.

Ye Ran thought for a moment and replied earnestly, “I am. If you’d asked me three days ago, I might have hesitated, but now things are different. I’ve sparred with both Wang Li and Lin Yuan, and though I’m still a bit behind them—especially in internal force—I’ve known that from the beginning. That’s why I focused on techniques to neutralize force and dissipate energy. The ‘Dragon-Serpent Step’ I used against Wang Li and Lin Yuan is one of those.”

“My opponents in the martial exam will either be from the Temple or the others who passed the written test. If it’s the latter, I’m certain I’ll pass. If it’s a Temple candidate, I still have a fighting chance.”

“When the results were posted, I counted—fifty-four people passed the written test. This expanded intake is only accepting thirty students, so there can only be six Temple candidates in the martial exam. Unless I’m spectacularly unlucky, I won’t face them.”

He had truly put great effort into this exam, considering every detail. He could honestly say that he’d done his utmost in this selection.

Andoru smiled perfunctorily. “Confidence is good, confidence is good.”

Yet there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Unless one was spectacularly unlucky, one wouldn’t face them.

But what if luck was that bad?

What if this so-called expanded intake had been preordained from the start, merely to give certain people a legitimate status? Then, those who were kept in the dark, who thought opportunity had finally knocked and gave everything they had—how would they end up?

Some things, ordinary folk could never know. Some places, people like Ye Ran were destined never to enter. No matter how hard he fought, the result would be the same.

The driver took out a family token and showed it, and the carriage slowly entered the luxurious Bran Residence...