Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

As dawn broke, there were no bright lights in the wolf's house, only a small oil lamp hanging in the air.

The flames shrank, as if afraid of being seen, illuminating one face in half, making it half bright and half dark.

Wild Wolf sat under the lamp, several pages of old accounts spread out on the table.

After Zhang Tu died, someone else took over the accounts in the Silent Alley. The money that was due was still collected, but the words "Zhang Tu" on the street had long been wiped clean.

The pot was also covered very securely.

So much so that even outsiders believed it... The Tiger Tooth Gang was indeed the murderer, and they were truly unlucky; hundreds of people died just like that.

But in Wild Wolf's heart, this matter was not over yet. The person who killed him was a slap in the face, and he had to get revenge.

He held a thin piece of wire between his fingertips and gently heated it over the lamplight; it was found on Zhang Tu's corpse.

The strands curl up like sticking out a tongue.

He stared at that curve as if he were looking at an invisible path of a knife, and suddenly smiled, but the smile was as cold as a blade.

The curtain was lifted by a corner by the wind.

Li Yi walked in, not daring to shake the water off the soles of his shoes. He stood half a step away from the threshold, even breathing lightly, as if afraid of bringing the fog in.

The wolf didn't raise its eyes, but simply tapped the old tent lightly twice with its knuckles: "Speak."

Li Yi swallowed hard, his voice extremely low:

"You guessed right... I've had people keeping an eye on Ye Xiao's movements these past few days, and he is indeed extraordinary."

He paused, then quickly added, "And just yesterday, he became an inner disciple of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts Academy."

The flame in the oil lamp inside the room suddenly shrank even further.

The wolf's fingertips paused for a moment, then he placed the thin iron wire back on the table, as if sheathing something sharp.

He finally looked up, but his eyes weren't excited; instead, they seemed to be confirming a long-overdue debt.

"Being able to enter the inner gate means that your stance training has been greatly improved, and your life force is stronger than I estimated."

Li Yi couldn't help but speak up: "Master Wolf... making a move against an inner disciple of a martial arts school for no reason will cause a major incident. There are established rules at the martial arts school, and if this gets out, even the head of the hall won't be able to cover it up."

"You don't need to remind me."

The wolf's tone remained indifferent:

"The matter of Zhang Tu has long been forgotten, and the only reason to take action against him is gone. If I were to arrest him and chop him up now, I would only be inviting trouble."

Li Yi was taken aback.

He thought the wild wolf wouldn't give up, after all, based on his past experience, once the wild wolf set its sights on its prey, no one could escape its grasp.

The wolf lowered its head and neatly folded the old pages of accounts one by one.

The movements are unhurried, even showing some patience.

Like a hunter reburying a trap and waiting for the wind to carry the scent back.

"We can't touch the inner disciples of the martial arts school openly," Huang Lang said calmly. "But what the city has in abundance is people who die in secret, people who die without knowing why."

He raised his eyes, his gaze landing on Li Yi's face, as if pressing a command into his very bones:

"You will keep a close eye on Ye Xiao yourself."

"Don't miss a single thing: where he's staying, who he's close to, what missions he's taken on, and whose name he's associated with."

Li Yi felt a chill run down his spine and immediately replied, "Yes."

After Li Yi left, only fog and lamplight remained in the room.

The flame in the oil lamp flickered slightly.

The wolf picked up the thin iron wire again, looked at it under the light, as if it were a rope to be put on in the future.

The flicker of interest in his eyes flashed for a moment, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Inner disciples..."

The wolf chuckled softly, as if savoring a flavor: "If they're truly cubs that can't be kept in captivity, then they'll just have to be wiped out."

Ye Xiao, whose identity has changed, is no longer someone he can easily eliminate without paying a price.

He smelled the blood, but didn't bite.

He was waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that would allow him to bite the other person's throat cleanly without getting a drop of blood on his throat.

……

The area where the inner city meets the silent alley.

Compared to the inner city, it gets light later here and the environment is worse, but compared to the Silent Alley, it's much better.

The stalls at the alley entrance had just been set up, the steam rising thinly, and the voices of people were faint.

The Ye family's courtyard was unusually lively.

The old lady sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), an old cotton quilt covering her legs, a string of Buddhist prayer beads clutched in her hand, and a wide grin spreading across her face.

"I knew it!"

She raised her voice, as if afraid the neighbors wouldn't hear: "My Ye family is blessed! My Ye family's grandson is successful!"

My second uncle stood beside me, holding a bowl of hot soup, his face beaming with a smile, but his smile was all gleaming with cunning: "Mother, please keep your voice down. Our status is different now. Don't let outsiders laugh at us."

The old woman glared at him: "What's so funny? They dare laugh? They're just jealous!"

Uncle San sat at the table, had just taken a sip of tea when a tea leaf got stuck in his throat. He coughed twice to get it down, and then said in a sarcastic tone:

"Jealousy is a given. The inner circle of the martial arts school... which of these families around here has ever produced one? Even among the families in the inner city, very few have children with this ability."

Auntie San stretched out the newly patched collar and smiled, "I saw long ago that Chong'er was different. He has been calm and intelligent since he was a child. Only someone like him can handle good fortune."

Ye Chong sat to one side, holding a bowl in his hands, his cheeks burning from the praise.

His eyes darted around, avoiding eye contact with anyone. He wanted to explain, but seeing the expressions on his family's faces, he didn't know how to begin.

Someone passed by outside the courtyard gate, smiling broadly: "I heard your grandson became an inner disciple of the martial arts school? Congratulations! His future is limitless!"

The old lady immediately chimed in, her voice even louder: "That's right! It's my dear grandson, Ye Chong! I knew he wouldn't let me down; he entered the inner gate without a word!"

The passerby paused, then hesitated, "But I heard that inner disciples live in the Silent Alley?"

My second aunt peeked out from the kitchen, quickly cutting me off, her smile sweet but sharp:

"That guy you're talking about has only been in the martial arts school for less than a month. How can he compare to my Chong'er? He came from a deaf-mute alley; he should be grateful if he even made it into the outer gate, let alone the inner gate. It's a pipe dream!"

The passerby chuckled awkwardly, thinking he had misheard. After all, as family, how could the other person be wrong? He offered a few words of congratulations and then left.

The atmosphere inside the courtyard was even more lively.

My second uncle put down the soup bowl and tapped the edge of the table twice with his fingertips, as if waking up all the abacuses in the room:

"Mother, now that Chong'er has entered the inner sect, things can't be the same as before. His robes, boots, and medicine for training can't be neglected, so that he won't be looked down upon."

The old lady tossed her prayer beads aside: "You're right, we have to buy all of these! My grandson is making a name for himself at the martial arts school, what would it look like if he dressed shabbily? People would think the Ye family is ignorant!"

Uncle San chuckled, but there was no smile in his eyes: "I can buy it, but where will the money come from?"

My second aunt immediately chimed in, her words seemingly friendly, but dripping with venom:

"Is that even a question? We're family, of course we'll figure it out together. Besides, once Chong'er establishes his reputation, who among us won't benefit?"

She paused, as if afraid the abacus wasn't being struck loud enough, and then added:

"With the name of the inner sect, whether it's doing business outside or buying on credit, who would dare to disrespect us? And don't forget, the martial arts exam is in another month. Once Chong'er becomes a martial arts scholar, we will all rise to prominence along with him."

Ye Chong's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He wanted to say that he was still an outer disciple, so how did he become an inner disciple?

But those words of praise and compliments, like sweet soup poured into his chest, were so sweet that he couldn't bear to spit them out.

"Chong'er".

The old lady said with a satisfied look, "Look how wise I was back then! With just one sentence, I placed all the family's hopes on you. Your uncle's family didn't even have anything to use, and they still complain that I'm being biased all the time... They just don't understand. I have a keen eye for talent and I saw long ago that you are the hope of the family."

After she finished speaking, as if afraid that Ye Chong might feel even slightly uneasy, she immediately added more emphasis to her words:

"Don't worry, whatever you need at the martial arts school, Grandma will take care of it for you."

"Your father was right just now. Your clothes must be new, your boots must be good, and you can't be short of medicine... If you're short of medicine, your training will be slower, and if you're slow, you'll be trampled on for the rest of your life."

The old woman tightened her Buddhist prayer beads, as if reining in the road: "My grandson can't be slow."

Ye Chong was still holding the bowl of soup in his hands, but the rim of the bowl had already gone cold.

He wanted to say, "I'm not actually like that," but the praise and promises he received rendered him speechless.

The second uncle nodded repeatedly, saying "Mother is right," but his eyes were already calculating another matter:

"Mother, it's only right that you love Chong'er, but maintaining Chong'er's dignity requires a considerable sum of money."

Uncle San, twirling his teacup, slowly added, "It's certainly not a small amount."

Auntie immediately smiled and said, "That's right, Chong'er is so lucky, we have to raise him with lots of money. If we raise him well, he will repay our whole family in the future."

The old lady grew even more enthusiastic upon hearing this, waving her hand dismissively as if the money was a trivial matter.

"I'll figure out the money."

"I still have some trump cards up my sleeve, you don't need to worry."

My second aunt immediately chimed in, her tone both sweet and urgent, as if worried that even cutting the meat wouldn't be enough for the old lady:

"Mother! Your little treasures might have been enough in the past, but now that Chong'er is an inner disciple, the expenses are much greater than before."

She turned to look at her second uncle, her words flowing smoothly as if she had rehearsed them beforehand:

"It's not like we don't have connections."

"Isn't there plenty of money right there in the alley where the mute lives?"

The atmosphere in the room paused slightly.

Uncle, as if struck by a revelation, laughed and said, "That's right! There's still that other one!"

Uncle frowned and said:

"That unfilial brat risks his life for money in the North Furnace, getting paid every three days. That money is real... But have you forgotten that last time, even though Mother intervened personally, he still kicked us out."

He recalled his previous experience, and his tone immediately turned cold:

"A bastard from a mute alley, his wings haven't even grown strong yet, but he dares to show disrespect to his elders. It would be better to have given birth to a dog than to have given birth to him."

Upon hearing this, the old lady's smile faded slightly.

It wasn't because I felt sorry for Ye Xiao.

It was the disobedience that made her uncomfortable. As the head of the Ye family, she had long been accustomed to the obedience of her family members.

The old lady twirled the prayer beads between her fingers and slowly said:

"Since Ye Xiao doesn't understand the rules."

"You have to teach him until he understands."