Chapter Ten: Xiaofan, You Wouldn’t Want To~

After circling around once more, Yang Fan found that no one was following him, nor was anyone looking for trouble. This left him slightly disappointed.

When he returned to the mouth of the alley, he happened to see Lin Dashan and his group coming back from the other side, their faces all rather grim. After everyone dispersed, Yang Fan entered the small tavern. “Uncle Dashan, how did it go?”

The tavern was small, with Lin Dashan serving as the main cook. Aunt Lin and Big Tiger's mother greeted guests and handled the cleaning.

“They’re people from the county. Very overbearing. The clan elders can at most secure some compensation for us, but judging by their attitude, it will be limited,” Lin Dashan said, his expression somewhat sullen.

“Is there any other way?” Yang Fan pressed.

“The only way is to band together and cause a scene,” Lin Dashan sighed after speaking, as if he himself knew that even making a fuss would be futile.

Yang Fan fell silent.

Such problems had been unsolvable even in his previous life, let alone in a world where a mere town chief could easily destroy a family. Just the assessment of gathering herbs on the mountain had already claimed so many lives—Yang Fan was well aware of how ruthless this world was.

He stayed a while before leaving. Back home, with nothing else to do, he tried activating the “Qi Absorption” divine ability, hoping he could use it as a cultivation method.

Two hours later, aside from feeling a bit more alert, his awakening progress hadn’t improved, nor had he gained any vital energy. This left him rather helpless.

The next day, Yang Fan continued wandering around the town, further familiarizing himself with the environment. He also hoped to find some books to read, but unfortunately, there was no bookstore. He racked his brain to see if he could obtain a cultivation method through his own efforts, but it was in vain.

A little asking around made him realize something: martial arts techniques were simply beyond the reach of ordinary people, and he could only sigh.

That afternoon, Big Tiger rushed over. “You’ll never guess what happened last night!”

“Did you visit a girl and become a real man?” Yang Fan joked.

“I wish! But I don’t dare.” Yang Dahu replied with a trace of grievance, then drew closer and whispered mysteriously, “You know Liu Ergou, right? The guy who ranked tenth in the herb-gathering, from Liu Family Village, big and burly—usually no one can get close to him. After the assessment, he didn’t go home but stayed in town, and last night someone broke one of his arms and one of his legs. It was brutal.”

“Who did it?” Yang Fan was surprised.

He had thought that after refusing Second Uncle yesterday, the Jia father and son would come after him last night, but nothing had happened. Now, hearing this news, his first suspicion naturally fell on them.

“Eight or nine out of ten, it was Jia Xuyang. He stands to gain the most from Liu Ergou’s misfortune,” Yang Dahu sneered. “Truly despicable.”

“Breaking someone’s limbs, even if they heal, will leave them crippled. He’s finished,” Yang Fan frowned. “He can’t even be an apprentice anymore. His future is ruined, his prospects cut off.”

“Tell me about it!” Yang Dahu sighed.

“You should be careful too.”

“Don’t worry!”

At dinner, Yang Fan went to the Lin family tavern. Business was good—most of the patrons were locals, coming to have a drink, chat about the mountains, and shoot the breeze.

After a simple meal, he resumed wandering, hoping to test his luck again.

He paused briefly in front of the Jishi Hall pharmacy, then turned away. There was much inside he wanted, but couldn’t obtain.

Just as he was about to head home, he sensed someone following him.

It was a middle-aged man.

Yang Fan didn’t mind, strolling at a leisurely pace while using “Earth Sense” to keep track. He also discovered another use for this divine ability: by gauging the vigor of someone’s vital energy, he could judge their strength. For instance, in the Taifeng Restaurant, someone’s blood and energy blazed like fire, as dense as a miniature sun. As for Yang Dahu, though tall and burly with a bright red aura, he was only somewhat stronger than an average person. Manager Liu of Jishi Hall was far beyond ordinary folk.

The man tailing him was not much stronger than Dahu—his face weathered, hands calloused, and steps steady—likely a hunter used to the mountains.

Rubbing his stomach as though feeling discomfort, Yang Fan made his way toward the small grove at the south end of town, and the middle-aged man followed him there.

Suddenly, Yang Fan turned around, startling his pursuer.

“Who are you, and why have you been following me?” Yang Fan asked.

“My, what a sharp little fellow.” The man glanced around nervously, then listened for sounds before relaxing a bit. “What will it take for you to give up your apprenticeship at Jishi Hall?”

Apprentice was the formal term for a herb boy.

“I went through countless dangers, barely escaping with my life to earn this qualification. Do you think I’d just give it up?” Yang Fan couldn’t help but laugh.

“If you won’t give it up, you’ll end up just like Liu Ergou.” The middle-aged man drew a short blade and advanced menacingly.

Buzz—

In the next instant, a force as vast as mountains and seas roared into his mind. It was as if he saw a towering divinity trampling him underfoot.

His spirit quaked, his soul trembled.

For a moment, he couldn’t speak, hear, see, or move.

Having activated “Intimidation,” Yang Fan watched the terror spread across the man’s face and felt reassured. He strode forward and punched the man hard in the chest, sending him flying. The man spat blood before he even hit the ground.

As he landed, Yang Fan approached and stomped, breaking one of his arms.

The man howled in pain, finally snapping out of his daze. But when he looked at Yang Fan, it was as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Who are you really? Whose path did I block? Why did you come after me?” Yang Fan bent down to question him.

Perhaps his spirit had been broken by the intimidation, or perhaps he’d simply lost his nerve, but the man didn’t hide anything. “I—I’m Ma Wei’s father. He—he ranked twelfth in the assessment. We’d resigned ourselves to that and were planning to go home once you all officially became apprentices at Jishi Hall. But last night, I accidentally saw Jia Dongsheng attack Liu Ergou, the one who ranked tenth, and it gave me an idea. After investigating, I found out you have no family, no background, an orphan—easiest to deal with.”

“Yes, I am an orphan, with no one behind me—easy prey,” Yang Fan murmured with a sigh.

“I—I didn’t mean to kill you, just cripple you!” the man pleaded.

“Cripple me?” Yang Fan smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “Do you know what that means for an orphan? Even the kindest neighbors won’t take care of you forever. As for so-called clansmen in town? Even less so. In this world, aside from your parents, no one will willingly care for someone who’s unrelated to them for long. If I’m crippled, the best I can hope for is a life of misery. Once I run out of money, I’ll become a beggar—starving or freezing to death who knows when.”

As he finished speaking, he stomped down and broke the man’s neck.

What difference was there between crippling him and killing him?

Not much!

Yang Fan kicked the corpse into the small river nearby, then turned and left under the cover of night.

“So many have died in the battle for apprenticeship, so much chaos unleashed!”

“That’s Jishi Hall, after all!”

“To save the world, indeed!”

Yang Fan’s understanding of the world’s cruelty only deepened.

The next day, when the body was discovered, it only caused a brief stir; after a cursory investigation, the matter was dropped.

That morning, Town Chief Yang Chun came to see him.

“If you ever have trouble in life, come find me,” he began simply, before quickly getting to the point. “A noble from the county has arrived. They want to build a large inn in town, and a formal trading market as well. For us, this is a tremendous opportunity—it will bring great wealth to our clan. The best spot is right where you live. Xiao Fan, you don’t want the elders and children to miss this chance for riches, do you? For the prosperity of our people, for the glory of our ancestors, for everyone’s bright future—and for your chance to befriend the nobles, to enter the county, and soar to the prefecture capital. Xiao Fan, come, sign this contract quickly.”

The town chief, Yang Chun, excitedly produced a contract.

Yang Fan stared straight at him, as if looking at a fool.