0010 Ablaze (Please add to your collection, recommend, and vote!)

Miss is gone, and Jiang Feng has no intention of remaining in the Jiang family any longer.

Miss once said that as long as his name was written in the Jiang family ancestral hall, he could never sever ties with them. Yet even so, he still felt no true connection to such a family.

Before heading into the mountains, Jiang Feng returned once more to the small courtyard. Miss had left, and her residence was now empty. Fallen leaves drifted from the tall trees, making the place seem all the more desolate.

Jiang Feng stood quietly for a while, then entered Miss’s study. The window was propped open, and a leaf had settled on the table by the window. For a moment, Jiang Feng almost saw a graceful silhouette seated there again.

He shook his head firmly, dispelling the vision, and walked over.

A few notebooks lay on the table, the handwriting unmistakably Miss’s. Beside them was a letter, the heading written in hurried script, Miss’s final message: “These books are yours. Read them well. — Jiang Chen.”

Apart from the opening, the rest of the letter was written long ago, the characters calm and unhurried.

Clearly, she had foreseen her own fate and prepared these things for Jiang Feng in advance.

In the letter, Miss first outlined the path Jiang Feng should take after obtaining the Heart’s Seed.

First and foremost was cultivation. Once the Heart’s Seed germinated, it would produce a Primordial Branch, which stored and directed Ming Force. When Ming Force filled the first Primordial Branch, it would mature, and the warrior would officially reach the Dawn Realm, becoming a martial cultivator.

But that only meant possessing the abilities of a martial cultivator. To truly become one, he must pass the Grand Examination.

The Grand Examination was divided into county, provincial, and prefectural levels, organized by different tiers of the authorities in the Zhu Heaven Empire, each more difficult than the last.

Passing the exam granted the qualification of a martial cultivator. However, passing the county exam only allowed entry into the smallest sects, and even then, prospects were limited. The provincial exam offered a bit more, but the prefectural exam gathered all the elite of Zhu Heaven Empire, drawing the attention of every major sect. For example, the two largest sects, Cloudbrusher Sect and Soaring Dragon Sect, only recruited outstanding candidates from the prefectural exam.

Thus, after reaching the Dawn Realm, Jiang Feng must participate in the Grand Examination. Miss believed his talent would never be confined to the county level.

Passing the Zhu Heaven Prefectural Exam would place him on the national lists. The top hundred would go to the capital to take the Imperial Exam and be ranked.

When Miss spoke of “going to the capital,” she meant precisely this. Her requirement for Jiang Feng was to pass all three exams—county, province, prefecture—and rank among the top hundred in the prefectural exam!

She mentioned lightly that to participate in the Grand Examination, one must first obtain a Celestial Permit, which served as an admission certificate issued by either the family or the authorities. Without it, one could not sit for the exams.

Jiang Feng, being from Southern Jiang, could hardly expect his family to apply for a Celestial Permit for him. Miss wrote in her letter that he need not worry; she had already thought of a solution.

Jiang Feng took out the county permit and placed it aside, staring at it for a long time.

When she wrote this letter, did Miss imagine he would acquire this token from the “buyer”?

Not a single word in the letter was tender or gentle, but every sentence was made for Jiang Feng’s benefit.

He wiped his eyes—there were no tears, yet it felt as if a fire had been kindled in his heart. He knew this fire would continue to burn, driving him forward until he achieved his goal.

Jiang Feng read the letter three times over, committing every word to memory, so much so that he could reproduce the very strokes at will. He put the letter away and picked up the notebooks to read.

They contained common knowledge about Ming Force cultivation, her insights into martial techniques, and her analysis of the world’s powers and trends.

Jiang Feng had lived his whole life in the Jiang family; with these notebooks, he would gain the basic understanding he needed.

As for more intricate matters, he would have to experience them himself and feel the world firsthand.

He tucked the notebooks into his chest. Everything else in the room was of great value, but apart from these, he took nothing.

Jiang Feng walked out of the study with his head held high, silently vowing: Miss, wait for me!

He had just reached the courtyard gate when a commotion sounded from outside. Jiang Feng frowned and halted.

A group soon entered through the gate, led by someone who shouted, “My father says this yard is mine from now on! Keep a close watch—everything here is valuable. Don’t let some bastard sneak in and steal things to pawn!”

He deliberately raised his voice, his gaze maliciously fixed on Jiang Feng—it was obviously directed at him.

Jiang Feng stared coldly at him and asked, “Jiang Huaixiao, has your fist recovered?”

Jiang Huaixiao’s face darkened, his fist tingling with phantom pain.

The day they exchanged blows, splinters had embedded deep in his flesh, and he’d had to pick them out one by one. That night, Second Young Master’s screams echoed for hours, and several splinters were so deep they had to cut the flesh open to retrieve them.

Though Jiang Huaixiao had healed thanks to the family’s spiritual medicine, he had never suffered such agony before.

He gritted his teeth and said, “Jiang Feng… Now that Jiang Chen’s gone, who do you think will protect you?”

Jiang Feng gave a soft snort and stepped silently out of the courtyard.

Jiang Huaixiao hated being ignored more than anything. His face grew darker, and he barked, “Your chest is bulging—you must have stolen something! Men, search him!”

Two attendants exchanged glances and rushed at Jiang Feng from either side.

Jiang Feng leaned back, seized their arms, twisted and spun. Both lost their footing, collided with a thud, and fell to the ground groaning.

Jiang Feng shot Jiang Huaixiao a cold glance and strode away.

This must be one of Miss’s martial techniques! Jiang Huaixiao seethed with jealousy and shouted, “Don’t run—Blazing Fist!”

His speed was astonishing; as soon as he began, he was already behind Jiang Feng. In the month since their last encounter, the red glow on his fist was even brighter. Jiang Feng felt a surge of heat and dodged swiftly, but Jiang Huaixiao’s palm struck his shoulder, setting his clothes aflame.

Jiang Feng rolled on the ground, extinguishing the flames.

Seeing Jiang Feng so disheveled, Jiang Huaixiao laughed triumphantly. “Your fancy moves are useless! Without Ming Force, it’s just empty show! Listen, Jiang Feng, Jiang Chen’s courtyard is mine now, and everything inside belongs to me!”

A lewd grin twisted his lips. “The bed Jiang Chen slept in, the chair she sat on… I’ll do whatever I please!” He licked his lips and snickered.

To dare insult Miss so! Jiang Feng roared, “Shut up!” and lunged at him.

Jiang Huaixiao sneered and met him without hesitation.

In terms of martial skill, Jiang Feng was far superior to Jiang Huaixiao. But as Jiang Huaixiao said, without Ming Force, martial techniques were powerless.

Jiang Huaixiao had possessed the Heart’s Seed for nearly half a year; Ming Force had strengthened his body, granting him speed, strength, and defense far beyond Jiang Feng. Usually, Jiang Feng’s punches landed without even making Jiang Huaixiao flinch. But when Jiang Huaixiao attacked, the mere wind of his fist could throw Jiang Feng off balance!

Yet as the fight dragged on, Jiang Huaixiao found it harder to smile.

Jiang Feng seemed impervious to pain—no matter how many times he was knocked back, he rose again, eyes flashing with determination, charging forward without hesitation.

Gradually, Jiang Huaixiao began to panic.

Perhaps from fatigue, he felt Jiang Feng’s speed and strength increasing! More and more of Jiang Feng’s blows landed, each heavier than the last.

With a resounding slap, Jiang Feng struck Jiang Huaixiao’s face, and unseen to all, a golden glow flickered on his palm. When it landed, the sound was like leather drum. Jiang Huaixiao screamed, spinning three times from the force, his face instantly swelling.

Jiang Feng followed with another slap. Both sides of Jiang Huaixiao’s face puffed up, his head almost doubled in size.

The attendants had been watching with amusement, convinced that Jiang Huaixiao, having merged with the Heart’s Seed and trained for so long, would easily subdue a boy not yet of age. Last time, the young master was careless and Miss was present—surely this time would be different. They never expected the tide to turn so quickly, and Jiang Huaixiao to be beaten into a pig’s head!

Now they would be reprimanded by the master! The attendants, shocked and furious, rushed to assist. Jiang Feng was about to face a multi-pronged attack; among them, at least half possessed Ming Force.

But Jiang Feng did not linger. He sneered and retreated swiftly, vanishing into the courtyard.

Jiang Huaixiao, wild with rage, clutched his face and shouted indistinctly, “After him! Drag that brat out!”

The attendants, desperate to redeem themselves, stormed the courtyard, overturning everything in sight. But they were no match for Jiang Feng’s familiarity with the place; after searching fruitlessly, they found no trace of him.

Suddenly, someone turned and exclaimed, “Fire!”

Other cries followed, as flames erupted in several parts of the courtyard, spreading fiercely. In moments, the entire courtyard was ablaze, hellish flames consuming everything!

At first, those inside tried to fight the fire, but it was hopeless. They could only flee for their lives.

All traces of Miss in the courtyard were engulfed, the crackling of collapsing buildings echoing as everything was buried.

The fire raged for nearly half an hour. Every last mark Miss had left in the courtyard was burned clean, nothing remained.

Jiang Feng lay atop a nearby rooftop, watching from beginning to end. The flames danced in his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin, sharp line.

Even if I must burn it all, I will not let them defile Miss’s name!

Only when the last beam collapsed did Jiang Feng glance one last time, then leapt away, disappearing from the Jiang family.

…

…

“What? Miss’s courtyard was burned?”

“What? Xiao’er was beaten?”

Two voices rang out simultaneously, different questions, yet about the same event.

The news reached the Jiang family’s main house. Jiang Tengqing and Lady Jiang were both furious.

Lady Jiang complained, “Master, that boy is getting more and more outrageous. He must be punished this time!”

Jiang Tengqing nodded slowly, about to give orders when suddenly another report arrived: “Bad news! Lord Thornwood and his party met with trouble outside Luming Town!”

Jiang Tengqing slammed the table, shocked, “What did you say?!”

———————————Thanks to fatfox911 and Ochre Sand, I love you both! Please support the new book, don’t let it be so lonely!!