Chapter Twenty-One: Entrance Examination 1

Chapter Twenty-One: The Entrance Exam (Part 1)

That evening, Ye Bai took his younger sister and Li Fei out for a meal at a nearby restaurant. During a call via his smart terminal, when Li Fei heard Ye Bai summon him again, he grumbled incessantly, complaining that he had only just stepped through his own door and barely had a chance to sit before being called out once more.

However, as soon as Ye Bai mentioned that he would be treating them to dinner, Li Fei agreed without hesitation, for in all the time he had known Ye Bai, the only previous occasion Ye Bai had ever paid for a meal was at Mu’er’s birthday—otherwise, the notorious miser had never played host.

Li Fei asked if something good had happened, but Ye Bai only told him to come over and he’d explain in person. And so, Li Fei was now rushing over in his car.

Ye Bai handed the menu to his sister. “Pick out whatever you like, don’t worry. This time, your brother made some money in the Ghostwood Mountains,” he assured her, seeing her hesitant look.

“Alright.”

Mu’er lowered her head, biting the end of the pen thoughtfully as she flipped through the menu, so absorbed that she didn’t even notice a lock of hair falling over her delicate ear.

“And don’t forget to order the hornet larvae and pork intestines for your chubby brother,” Ye Bai reminded her, giving his head a light pat. “Those are his favorites.”

Mu’er silently nodded as she held the menu.

While they waited for the “fatty” to arrive, more and more dishes filled the table. When the final dish was served, Li Fei’s voice called out from the doorway.

Ye Bai stood up, waving him over. “Hey, over here, fatty,” he said, pointing to the seat beside him, where two bottles of wine had already been opened.

“What’s the occasion? Calling me out so mysteriously at night—if it weren’t for Mu’er, I wouldn’t have come,” Li Fei said, plopping himself down heavily. He grabbed a bottle and drank, the iron stool beneath him creaking under his weight.

Ye Bai said nothing. Li Fei glanced at Mu’er, but she merely smiled mysteriously, staying silent. At that moment, Ye Bai began pouring wine for Li Fei, but as Li Fei watched his hand, his mouth fell open in disbelief, as if witnessing something impossible.

Ye Bai’s hand, holding the wine pot, shimmered with a faint blue glow. The translucent, white jug radiated a blue light under the influence of Ye Bai’s water element power, reminiscent of the luminous goblets used by nobles in ancient times.

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“Hey, pick up your jaw before you break the table.”

“You’ve broken through? So soon?” Li Fei could hardly believe it. He’d barely gone home and returned to find Ye Bai had already reached the entry-level.

Ye Bai simply nodded.

“Haha!” Mu’er, who had been waiting for this moment, burst out laughing, completely abandoning her ladylike composure as she collapsed onto the table with laughter. It was no wonder—after all, the whole scheme had been her idea.

Still stunned, Li Fei seemed to realize something and quickly regained his usual seriousness.

The three of them ate together. Li Fei wanted to drink more, but with the exams approaching, Ye Bai wouldn’t let him overindulge. The reason Ye Bai had called Li Fei over was, first, to thank him for his concern during Mu’er’s disappearance and safe return, knowing how much Li Fei cared for his sister—and second, to celebrate his own breakthrough and wish them luck in the upcoming exam.

When the moon hung halfway in the sky, Ye Bai lay alone in his room, tossing and turning—sometimes gazing at the moonlight outside, sometimes staring blankly at the ceiling, lost deep in thought.

After a night of moist air, dewdrops formed on the leaves, scattering sunlight in the morning. One beam passed through the window, falling across Ye Bai’s body.

Bathed in sunlight, his eyelids fluttered, and he finally opened his bleary eyes. He sat on his bed in a daze, then, as if remembering something, quickly dressed and left the house.

Today, Ye Bai wanted to see if Zhang Lei was still around. He had many questions: why had his sister been targeted, why did Zhang Lei later help them, and what was his connection to Li Fei? With these doubts in mind, he also wanted to get familiar with his newfound strength at the martial arts hall.

As soon as Ye Bai arrived at Ao Han Martial Hall, he saw the head instructor unlocking the doors from afar. “Morning, Master Ao.”

Ao Han led him inside. “Here so early—something on your mind?” Ye Bai followed him and stopped in front of the power tester.

“Actually, I did have something to ask, but since you just arrived too, it’s nothing urgent,” Ye Bai replied, glancing at the numbers on the power tester, shaking his head with a wry smile.

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While tidying up, Ao Han looked at Ye Bai and the numbers on the tester, secretly pleased that his instincts about Ye Bai had been right.

“Ye Bai, little brother, it’s not that I won’t tell you—the time just isn’t right yet. When it is, you’ll know everything,” Ao Han said, setting aside what he was holding and taking the gloves from Ye Bai. He also switched on the speed meter and continued, “All you need to know is that it’s for your own good.”

After checking all his physical stats and understanding the power inside him, Ye Bai asked Ao Han to let him know if Zhang Lei returned, then took his leave.

Time flew by—day followed night. During the day, Ye Bai honed his skills at the martial arts hall, mastering his new strength; at night, he studied and revised with Mu’er in the study. In just one short week, his days passed in this steady routine.

By late June and early July, the land was at its hottest. After a sweltering day, only in the evening, when the blazing sun relented, did the air cool. At dawn, elders took advantage of the coolness to stroll beneath the trees; dewdrops fell from the leaves, splashing onto their shoulders and leaving plum-blossom patterns on their shirts.

Ye Bai was still asleep when the commotion outside their alley began. Parents poured out of their homes to buy nutritious breakfasts for their children. Every year, the entrance exams stirred up the whole city, and many shops offered free breakfasts for examinees, though supplies were limited.

Parents rose early, exam admission slips in hand, to queue for breakfast. The noise from the bustling street filtered through the window, swirling around in Ye Bai’s half-dreaming mind. Checking the time on his wall, he pulled his pillow over his head and went back to sleep.

The noise grew louder, then gradually faded as parents returned home to call their children to the breakfast they had queued for. The streets were unusually clear of traffic—only cars bearing free exam passes for students were allowed. Anyone foolish enough to drive and cause a jam today risked having their car smashed to bits by furious parents, leaving nothing even worth salvaging.

Without the usual congestion, time flowed quietly with the steady stream of exam-bound cars.

When sunlight finally pierced the sky and shone on Ye Bai’s face, he awoke from his dreams at last—the time for the entrance exam had come…