Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

The noise outside was blown away by the wind and pressed down on the eaves, making it feel stuffy.

One woman muttered under her breath, "Serves him right."

Someone immediately tugged at her: "Keep your voice down, you want to die?"

Another man muttered, "A man like Zhang Tu should have been..."

He was interrupted by others halfway through his sentence.

Zhang Tu is dead.

The people in the Silent Alley wanted to laugh, but no one dared to actually laugh; they could only suppress their laughter.

Ye Xiao remained inside the house, watching from afar through the crack in the door.

There was no fluctuation.

No emotions.

It was as if the knife wound from last night had not been inflicted by him.

It's as if the scene of blood splattered at the alley entrance is just someone else's dream.

Before returning home last night, he broke the matter down into four parts: leaving the house, sneaking in, drawing the knife, and evacuating.

I've reviewed in my mind every step I took that was half an inch too long, every pause that lasted too long, and every exhale that was too forceful.

Make sure that the next time you do it, it will be better and there will be fewer flaws.

When the crowd had mostly dispersed, the mother asked in a low voice, "Xiao'er... are you going to the martial arts school again today?"

She didn't know what had happened, only that her child had been going to the martial arts gym every morning recently.

Ye Xiao gently shook his head: "I won't go to the martial arts school for the next few days. I'll stay in Beilu for a while."

With Zhang Tu dead, the road became even narrower.

Now he must become stronger as soon as possible. As long as he can endure the pain of the Northern Furnace, he can improve the Crimson Blood Stake at the fastest speed.

The mother said worriedly, "You've been going to the North Furnace every night, and now you have to go even during the day. That place is deadly, and your body can't take it... Zhang Tu is dead, so the alley will be quieter these next few days. You don't need to work so hard."

She dared not ask too many questions about Zhang Tu, nor dared she think too deeply about it.

But she knew that in places like the North Furnace, people would rather stay far away than Ye Xiao wanted to increase the working hours.

She just couldn't let it go.

Xiaoxue clutched Ye Xiao's sleeve, her fingertips white with cold, as if afraid the wind would sweep her away if she let go. She whispered:

"Brother...please stop going to Beilu, okay? I keep dreaming that you won't come back."

He was speaking when his voice seemed to be broken by the cold wind, soft and stuck in his throat, tinged with a sob, but he stubbornly held back from crying.

Ye Xiao looked down at her overly clear eyes.

He reached out and gently touched Xiaoxue's head.

"I'll be back in a few days, and I'll buy you candied hawthorns then."

Xiaoxue nodded vigorously, her little face beaming with such a pure smile that it made her mother's heart ache.

The area outside the courtyard had only just quieted down.

The courtyard gate was being knocked on loudly.

The mother flinched, nearly dropping the wooden bowl she was holding: "Who...who is it so early?"

Ye Xiao raised his eyes but didn't move.

The next moment, the door was pushed open halfway from the outside.

A damp, cold mist squeezed in, mixed with the sour, rotten smell of the alleyway, like a cold cloth being forcibly stuffed into the room.

Grandma, leaning on a wooden cane, stepped into the yard surrounded by her second and third uncles.

As soon as she entered the room, she smiled, but her eyes drifted to the corner of the table.

The old cloth bag hung heavily, its surface creased with sharp edges, as if it held an undue weight.

The old lady's smile softened further, as if she had applied a layer of oil to her face.

"Xiao'er, I heard you went to Beilu again these past few days? Grandma is really worried. Your family should be very careful with money... If you have more money, you should know how to use it wisely."

She said she was "worried," but her gaze was like a hook, repeatedly returning to the old cloth bag on the corner of the table.

My second uncle immediately chimed in, smiling warmly, but his voice carried a manipulative sweetness:

"How old are you? What do you know about planning? If you keep the money in your hands, it'll leak out if you don't hold on tight. It's safer to leave it to us to manage, and this is for your own good."

Uncle San added in a sinister voice, like hammering a cold nail into wood:

"Your second uncle is right. Money is not safe in the hands of the younger generation; it should be kept under the control of the elders, that's the proper way."

They didn't tell us directly.

But every sentence they said brought the same message to the table... This money isn't something you should be able to decide for yourselves.

The mother's face turned pale instantly, and she gripped the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned blue.

The old lady sighed again, as if she were worried about them:

"Xiao'er, your mother is in poor health, and Xiaoxue is growing. We must be careful with the money at home and not do anything reckless."

As she spoke, she abruptly changed the subject, seemingly casually mentioning it, yet with great emphasis:

"Besides, Chong'er is about to take the martial arts exam, which is a top priority for our Ye family. If you're really sensible... you should also do your part for Chong'er. If he does well in the exam, your whole family will benefit too."

The second and third uncles nodded in unison, their eyes darting around like beads on an abacus: when and under what pretext could they justifiably move that bag away?

Xiaoxue huddled beside Ye Xiao's legs and whispered:

"Brother... what are they planning to do?"

She huddled closer to his legs, as if looking for a shelter from the wind.

Ye Xiao raised his hand and gently pressed down on her head, his palm steady, without saying a word.

Seeing that no one responded, the old woman's smile gradually faded. She slammed the wooden stick on the ground with a "thud," clearing away the last bit of space in the room.

"Xiao'er, everything you've earned is thanks to the good fortune of our Ye family. You must be filial, understand? Don't let people laugh at you and say you're ungrateful."

Uncle San sneered, his words becoming even more direct and venomous:

"You're such a naive child. If you leave the money in your hands, something bad will happen sooner or later. And it will be the Ye family that suffers in the end."

The mother was trembling with anxiety, and her voice was weak:

"Mother... Uncle... all of this, all of this was earned by Xiao'er through his own hard work."

"What's wrong with risking your life?"

The old woman rolled her eyes and spoke in a shrill, piercing voice:

"If you're alive to earn money, you should be alive to be filial! Do you really need that much money? It's safer to keep it at home!"

In short, they portrayed robbery as a matter of course and the money meant to save one's life as filial piety and a duty to give away.

The air inside the room was so compressed it felt like it was about to drip water.

The way they looked at Ye Xiao's family didn't seem like they were relatives.

More like three old snakes, coiling and entwining, waiting for their prey to catch its breath before swallowing it whole.

The mother froze, Xiaoxue shrank back, and the whole room felt stuffy, as if someone had covered her mouth and nose.

Ye Xiao finally raised his eyes.

He didn't glare at anyone, nor did he yell.

But those eyes were too calm, as still as the light of cooled iron—not hot, yet capable of cutting.

The curse that Second Uncle Ye Feng was about to utter was abruptly stuck in his throat, as if his tongue had been pressed down by that gaze.

Ye Xiao spoke.

"roll."

The single word, spoken so lightly, struck like a nail driven into a crack in the floor, sending shivers down one's spine.

The old woman's face flushed red instantly, and she slammed her wooden stick on the ground, her voice shrill:

"What...what did you say? Say it again!"

The second uncle immediately took a half step forward, raising his voice as if to use the word "elder" as a shield:

"Ye Xiao! How dare you speak to your elders like that? Have you forgotten how we took care of you! Your mother back then..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Xiao's gaze swept over.

Clean, cold, like the back of a knife gently pressing on the Adam's apple.

Uncle choked on the second half of his sentence, and the anger on his face changed instantly, as if he wanted to be ruthless but was afraid of actually encountering someone ruthless.

The sneer that Uncle San had been wearing froze for a moment, and he looked at her vaginal opening.

"How dare you! You think you can do whatever you want just because you've made a little money?"

He was about to make a move as soon as he finished speaking.

The mother finally came to her senses and hurriedly tried to stop him, but Ye Xiao pressed her shoulder down as soon as she raised her hand.

His palm was very steady, as if he had pressed her back against the wall.

Ye Xiao didn't look at his mother, only at the three people, his voice remaining calm:

"Take one more step, and I'll make you leave lying down."

The room fell silent instantly.

Even Xiaoxue held her breath.

The old woman's eyelids twitched, and the wooden stick trembled in her palm, as if she finally realized that the child in front of her was no longer a soft persimmon that she could suppress with a single word of disrespect.

She forced a smile, gritted her teeth, and spat out a curse:

"You unfilial brat! You'll get your retribution!"

My second uncle's face turned pale and then red, and he was trying to get back at me, his words trembling with stubbornness:

"Fine...fine! Remember this! If you kick your elders out today, don't expect the Ye family to acknowledge you again!"

Uncle San added a chilling remark:

"Don't think this is the end of it. I've said it before, the money's in your hands, and it'll cause trouble sooner or later. Don't come begging us then."

They spoke harshly, but none of them dared to take another step forward.

Finally, the old lady flicked her sleeve, turned around and left, the wooden stick tapping the ground with a "thump, thump," as if trying to save face.

My second and third uncles followed closely behind, their footsteps faster than their mouths.

As the curtain was lifted, mist rushed in, casting the three figures in a crooked and distorted silhouette.

Like three old snakes sticking out their tongues to suck blood, only to be nailed to their mouths by iron nails, they could only slink back into the ditch in disgrace.

They walked very fast.

But no one dared to turn around and look at Ye Xiao again.

……

Ye Xiao left the alley and walked towards the North Furnace.

The tea stalls on the street corner were set up early, and the smell of leftover soup and cold rice mingled with the steam.

Someone was whispering among themselves:

"I heard that the Green Owl Gang has already found out that it was the Tiger Fang Gang who did it."

"The Green Owl Gang wiped out that group in the middle of the night, completely destroying them."

"They've got some nerve, daring to mess with the Green Owl Gang."

"Sigh, now these two streets will belong to the Green Owl Gang, and the money we'll have to pay from now on will only increase."

People were whispering among themselves.

But to this day, no one can say for sure who exactly slit Zhang Tu's throat.

The Green Owl Gang provided an answer.

Some people believe it, some people don't.

Whether it's true or false seems to be no longer important.

Ye Xiao's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

At that moment, he understood that the higher-ups of the Green Owl Gang never cared about the truth.

What they want is profit and convenience.

The truth is meaningless in the lower town; only "who's in charge" matters.

The blame fell on someone else's head, and the storm moved far away from the alley.

Ye Xiao, however, did not truly relax; his desire to become stronger remained urgent.

Everything seemed to be going too smoothly.

……

The streets were silent on the night the entire Tiger Tooth Gang was wiped out.

A leader of the Green Owl Gang clapped his hands, as if casually brushing off a layer of dust stuck between his fingers.

"Alright, the death of Black Sleeve can be exchanged for the Tiger Fang Gang, so it's a worthwhile death. No need to waste any more manpower. Wild Wolf, your mission is over."

The room was dimly lit, with several bloodstained knives hanging on the wall, sealed account books piled in the corner, and the faint aroma of tea rising from the stove.

The wolf stood with its eyes lowered, like a night beast with its claws retracted: "Understood."

His voice was steady and calm, without the slightest hint of emotion.

The gang leader nodded in satisfaction: "These next few days, the streets will be taking over the shops left behind by the Tiger Fang Gang. You lead the team and keep an eye on things to make sure nothing goes wrong. Remember, the accounts must be in order."

"Yes."

The wild wolf responded again.

The hall master led his men away, their footsteps disappearing at the end of the stairs, leaving only the flickering shadow of the fireplace in the room.

The wild wolf then raised its eyes.

In an instant, the light in his eyes turned as cold as a drawn blade.

He squatted down and watched as Zhang Tu was carried away, leaving only a faint bloodstain on the floor tiles.

The fingertip lightly touches the ground, and the cut is neat.

The angle is extremely accurate.

The force is fierce, steady, and fast.

It didn't look like something a thug would do, it wasn't like a street brawl, and it certainly didn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment revenge.

It's more like someone who's been trained or rehearsed countless times, slitting someone's throat with a single blow.

"My subordinate Black Sleeve was killed just like that, and he told me to leave it alone." Wild Wolf said with a half-smile.

The man in black sleeves behind him said tremblingly, "Master Wolf... the gang leader wouldn't let you investigate, probably because he wants to confirm that it was the Tiger Fang Gang who did it."

He knew that Huanglang was the strongest and most valued among the Gray Sleeves under the Hall Master, which led Huanglang to act arbitrarily.

As a trusted confidant, he naturally had to offer advice.

Wild Wolf slowly stood up, his eyes narrowing, like a wolf that had truly awakened in the night: "The hall master's instructions were about what happened on the streets, but I'm talking about what happened in secret."

"Mr. Wolf, do you mean... continue the investigation?"

The black sleeves were pressed down so hard that her breathing trembled.

Wild Wolf said coldly, "Investigate discreetly, the quieter the better. Don't let a sound be heard. Li Yi... if you make a big fuss... I'll take your life first."

Li Yi knelt down with a thud: "Yes! Lord Wolf!"

The wolf turned and left.

The night wind blew into his sleeves, making a rustling sound.

He only had one direction in his eyes... the Silent Alley.

"Start from there."

"Since the person died there, there must be clues...the person who dared to kill me."

"I want to see who it is."

The lamplight fell on his profile, and the interest in his eyes gleamed coldly.