Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Ye Xiao asked expressionlessly, "You want me, someone who has only recently entered the Bone Forging stage, to first find a way to become Gray Sleeve of the Azure Owl Gang, then find a way to defeat other competitors, and finally sit in the position of Hall Master?"

"You're unwilling?" the town magistrate asked.

Ye Xiao really wanted to say, "Is this a question of willingness? Shouldn't it be... a question of ability?"

But he kept these thoughts to himself and simply asked, "What can the Town Guard offer?"

"Give them a chance."

The town magistrate said, "As long as you complete these two tasks, you can become a town guard of the town's command."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiao cursed the town envoy several times in his heart.

This is just making empty promises without offering any benefits.

Although this flatbread is indeed delicious.

Even in the upper city, the Town Guard is aloof and unapproachable. No matter whether it is a powerful family or any other force, no one dares to offend the Town Guard.

If I could really join the Town Guard, it would be a meteoric rise to power.

"Is there a time limit for the second step of the task?" Ye Xiao asked.

"Six months."

The town magistrate said, "You may find it difficult, but if you cannot complete these two tasks within the time limit, you are not worthy of being exceptionally admitted to the Town Guard."

"I agree."

Ye Xiao hardly hesitated; he had already considered it in his mind.

The opportunity to join the Town Guard is not something that comes around all the time.

Moreover... the other party didn't really give him a choice. If he didn't agree to the undercover mission, he wouldn't be able to clear his name today.

Seeing Ye Xiao's decisive agreement, a hint of satisfaction appeared in the town envoy's eyes.

Ye Xiao then asked, "If I complete both tasks in half the time, will I gain more?"

The town magistrate's gaze lingered on him for a moment.

"Can."

She added casually:

"But if you can't do that, I'll record the traces you leave in the files. The Zhencheng Division's prison doesn't need another person."

……

At the same time, the fog in the alley clung to the mud walls, and the small oil lamp in the courtyard trembled in the wind, its flame as thin as a needle.

Mother Ye pushed the door tighter by an inch, her palms sweaty.

Xiaoxue curled up in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), wrapped in an old cotton quilt, her eyes wide open.

She heard a group of people outside deliberately stomping in the mud, making a loud thud, as if they were stepping into the hearts of the people inside.

"Thump...thump...thump!"

The courtyard gate sounded muffled from being smashed.

Mother Ye pressed herself against the door, her voice hoarse: "Who...who is it?"

The old woman's shrill voice immediately pierced through the door: "Open the door! Don't you even recognize me?"

Ye's mother was still hesitating.

The next instant... "Bang!" The door was kicked open, the latch loosened by half a hand, and Uncle's greasy laughter squeezed in:

"Sister-in-law, stop pretending to be dead, open the door, let's talk business."

The door was pried open a crack.

The old lady leaned on a wooden cane, with Buddhist prayer beads hanging from her wrist. Her eyes were like hooks. Her second and third uncles were on either side of her, followed by their wives, who were holding each other's arms and all had smiles on their faces.

The first thing they did upon entering the courtyard was not to look at anyone, but to sweep the house, as if they were there to check on some goods.

Auntie San wrinkled her nose: "How can anyone live in a place like this? No wonder the animals raised here are so unruly."

Ye's mother stood blocking the doorway, her voice tense: "What do you want to do?"

My second uncle raised his hand and waved it, as if announcing, "Take what you're entitled to."

The old woman slammed her wooden cane on the ground with a "thud": "Your family has been the best at hiding all these years, playing dead when it comes to paying money. Now that you finally have some money, you still want to pretend to be deaf and dumb? There's no such logic in this world!"

"We have never taken advantage of the family in all these years, and we have even given them gifts during holidays."

Ye's mother's throat tightened: "And we really don't have any money right now."

Uncle San sneered, his eyes like shards of ice: "We've all inquired. That kid works long hours every day. He gets paid every three days at the North Furnace. Do you think we don't know that? Since that kid is risking his life for money, he should use it to support his elders first."

Mother Ye's chest tightened: "Xiao'er earns every penny with his life on the line. Our family needs to eat and live..."

"live?"

Uncle scoffed, his muddy shoes sinking into the threshold: "If you want to live, you have to know the rules. Only those who know the rules deserve to live. The rules of the Ye family are what Mother says!"

The old woman pointed with her cane and uttered a single word from her superior position.

"search."

Second Uncle lifted the lid of the rice jar, reached in and stirred it a couple of times, the rice making a rustling sound. Third Uncle kicked open the old cabinet door and rummaged through the clothes and blankets.

Third Aunt has sharp eyes; she reached out and touched the old cloth bag in the corner of the wall.

Xiaoxue clenched even tighter, her knuckles turning white from gripping so tightly.

Ye's mother rushed over: "Don't move! That's..."

Her second uncle blocked her way, his smile growing even colder: "You are a disgrace to the Ye family, living in such a shabby place and treating rags like treasures."

Third Aunt exclaimed "Oh dear!" and took out a few loose copper coins from her cloth bag, deliberately jingling them between her fingers.

"Sister-in-law, look, we have money, but we refuse to give it to you as a token of our filial piety. We really don't know what's important."

Ye's mother's face turned pale; that was the money left over after buying the food.

The old woman's eyes shone brightly, and she pointed her cane at the girl's nose: "See that? You still dare to say you have no money?!"

Mother Ye's lips trembled: "That's really what our family needs to make a living."

"Making a living?"

Uncle San spoke slowly, his words like the scraping of bone with the back of a knife: "Chong'er practicing martial arts is the way for the Ye family to make a living. He really doesn't understand the bigger picture."

The old woman's prayer beads jingled loudly, then she lowered the sound:

"Chong'er is an inner disciple. Do you even understand what 'inner disciple' means?"

Mother Ye was stunned. She had wanted to resist, but in that instant, it felt like her throat was being choked: "Chong'er... has become an inner disciple?"

Seeing her reaction, her second uncle laughed even more smugly: "Nonsense! Of course only our Chong'er has the ability to become an inner disciple! Unlike yours, practicing martial arts is just a waste of money. Don't you even take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror!"

Ye Mu's fingertips felt cold.

She didn't understand the rules of the martial arts school, but she knew what the inner sect was like in the lower city; a single sentence could crush someone in the Silent Alley.

Seeing that she dared not argue back, her second uncle changed his tone, his words carrying a hidden barb:

"Sister-in-law, don't blame us. Chong'er is destined for success. If you're sensible, you should contribute what you're entitled to and pave the way for Chong'er. That way, you'll also have a chance to benefit from it in the future."

Uncle San accepted it even more gently: "It doesn't have to be much money, just a little something for tonight. But when we come back in a few days, make sure you have all the money ready."

Mother Ye gritted her teeth: "We really can't come up with the money..."

"Can't you get it out?"

Auntie chuckled and glanced at the stove: "Then let's use something as collateral."

She stepped over, lifted the lid of the small earthenware jar next to the stove, and inside was a layer of lard that was dazzlingly white.

Auntie's eyes lit up: "You were hiding this? You guys are doing pretty well, aren't you?"

She reached out and picked it up, her movements as swift as if she were moving her own belongings.

Mother Ye rushed forward and pressed down on the rim of the jar: "That's...that's what I just bought today, to save for the children, to save for Xiao'er to practice martial arts and improve his health."

"For nourishment?"

Second Uncle scoffed, "Your son doesn't deserve any supplements! Chong'er is the one who needs them!"

Uncle San then glanced at the beam, where a small strip of cured meat hung, glistening with oil and black—a rare treat for the family.

He said calmly, "Take that one too."

My aunt reached out and started tearing off pieces of cured meat.

Xiaoxue watched from the corner of the kang (heated brick bed), her eyes reddening, her lips trembling, but she dared not utter a sound.

When Ye's mother tried to stop her, her third aunt slapped her hard on the back of her hand, leaving a red mark.

The old lady saw that Ye's mother's face had turned pale, as if she had finally felt relieved, and tapped the ground with her wooden stick little by little:

"We'll come back in three days with the money ready."

"If you don't have enough supplies, don't blame us for being impolite."

"Teach the rules until they are understood."

Before leaving, my second uncle turned back, smiling as if he were talking casually, but every word he spoke was piercing:

"If that's not enough, we'll let the neighbors all know that your branch of the family is unfilial to your elders and disrespectful to your inner family."

"Think carefully about what will happen when the time comes and everyone in the alley will give you a hard time."

The door slammed shut.

The wind seeped in through the crack in the door, the oil lamp flame flickered wildly, and the room was so cold it felt like there was no skin left inside.

Xiaoxue huddled in the corner of the kang (heated brick bed), tears welling in her eyes, which she desperately held back. She whispered, "Mother, where's brother? When is he coming back?"

Ye's mother's throat tightened, and she almost blurted out: Tell your brother.

But she abruptly cut off the words before they could even reach her tongue.

She knew that Ye Xiao was no match for Ye Chong, who had already become an inner disciple.

Mother Ye suppressed her anger, her chest aching, her voice hoarse and cracking:

"I remember, just now... no one came to our house."

Xiaoxue panicked: "Then, what should we do? Aren't they coming again? Are we really not going to tell my brother?"

"Don't say a word." Ye's mother interrupted her, her tone not harsh, but dull and stern: "Don't tell your brother a single word about tonight's events."

Xiaoxue bit her lip and nodded tremblingly.

Mother Ye pressed the quilt down an inch, as if to press back the cold of Xiaoxue and the events of the day.

Next, she wiped the empty space next to the stove clean, closed the cabinet door, and tightened the rice container lid again.

All she wants now is for Ye Xiao to come back without anyone noticing the disturbance or the red mark on the back of her hand.

But she knew in her heart that while the room could be wiped clean, the curtains could not be wiped off.

Three days later, the other party came to her door again, and she was still powerless to resist.

But all she can do now is drag it out day by day.