Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Ye Ci couldn't figure out Wu Tan's intentions.

Wu Tan first escorted Master Shen back to the Shen residence from the county garrison camp, and then made a special trip to the Commandant's residence.

"Thank you for your trouble, Master Wu."

Ye Ci took the reins and said a polite remark.

"Why be so formal, Lord Ye!"

Wu Tan quickly waved his hand, his face full of admiration: "Among the guards of the Shen family, I, Wu Tan, admire no one but you!"

The two mounted their horses and rode side by side. Wu Tan, with his booming voice, chattered on and on:

"You don't know, but a few days ago, many guards in the manor were gossiping in private, saying that you were only able to sit in the position of retainer at such a young age because you were lucky and happened to save Master Shen once, and that you didn't have any real skills at all."

"I'm not trying to be mean, but you're usually too low-key, Master Ye. But this matter can't really be blamed on you."

"It's all those guards' fault. They're all like blind dogs. They only see your quiet and unassuming nature, but they've never seen you diligently practicing before dawn. Just look at that perseverance and willpower—you won't find another like it in the entire Shen family!"

"I refuted them vehemently every time, and I asserted then and there that Ye Gongfeng was no ordinary person, and would surely make a name for himself sooner or later!"

He patted his chest, exuding an air of confidence that everyone in the ward was blind except for him, making him appear extremely magnanimous.

"Look at you! Today you actually managed to fight the Commandant without being at a disadvantage at all. You're absolutely amazing!"

His eyebrows danced with pride, as if he were sharing in the glory.

******

evening.

The flowers and plants in the Shen residence were damp with moisture and felt cool to the touch.

Shen Yixi sat in the courtyard, gently playing with a crabapple blossom. She heard her aunt Shen Xin's soft footsteps, but she didn't look up for a long time.

"Qian'er, both the old man and your father want you to go to the main hall."

Her voice was filled with concern as she bent down and gently patted her niece's shoulder.

Shen Yixi paused, and the crabapple blossom fell to the ground.

She took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and adjusted her plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). As if guessing what was going on, she said softly:

"Auntie, I don't want to get married."

"Don't you want to get married?"

Shen Xin couldn't understand.

"A woman's life should be devoted to her husband after marriage, supporting him and raising children; this is the proper path. Besides, he is handsome and promising young; wouldn't it be better to marry him?"

Moreover, she saw with her own eyes today that Yixi kept looking at Ye Ci with sparkling eyes, so she must like him.

What girl wouldn't like that?

Shen Xin recalled the banquet hosted by the Commandant, where every woman's gaze was fixed on Ye Ci, their eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

A young and outstanding talent, daring to challenge Commandant Qin.

He possessed a dignified and unyielding demeanor.

Not to mention, after the banquet, the heads of various families looked at the Shen family with envy.

If she had envied the Shen family's wealth before, now she seemed to be trying to curry favor with them.

At that moment, the smile on Old Master Shen's face never faded.

Shen Yixi lowered her eyes to look at the crabapple blossom on the ground and let out a soft sigh:

"He is indeed remarkable, with outstanding character and composed demeanor, making him truly captivating..."

Hearing this, Shen Xin's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, thinking her niece had finally come to her senses. But then she heard:

"Are we women merely tools for political marriages in their eyes?"

Shen Yixi lowered her eyes and said, "Perhaps the old man valued Ye Ci's character, but my father wanted me to marry him because he valued the captain's appreciation."

"The world is in turmoil right now. If things really get chaotic, a single captain can't protect the Shen family. If things don't get chaotic, a captain is fine as long as he doesn't cause trouble; he won't be of any help to the family..."

"Who knows, if he marries me today, he might regret it tomorrow."

"I'm tired..."

Shen Yixi's fingers trembled slightly after she finished speaking.

Her voice was weak: "Have you forgotten the marriage my father mentioned last time? Do I have to repeat how the engagement was called off?"

Shen Xin took her hand, her tone carrying a mixture of comfort and helplessness:

"Women of our family are born bound to the interests of our family. Your father arranged for you to marry into the prefectural city so that your brother could climb the social ladder."

"Fortunately, the old man loves you, but you still have to get married eventually."

"Yixi, everyone feels proud of what happened today. Your father and grandfather discussed it, and the marriage certificate has already been sent to the Ye family. So, if you like it even a little, don't say anything discouraging anymore. Be cheerful. It's better than your father taking a fancy to someone else later..."

Shen Yixi looked up in astonishment: "He thinks that's a business contract? He's already given out the marriage certificate?"

Shen Xin nodded: "We're just waiting for him to set a date."

******

As soon as Ye Ci made his move at the county garrison camp, the news spread like wildfire, becoming an unstoppable sensation.

Besides his formidable strength, the most important thing was that he gained the appreciation of the captain, which meant that his future would be bright after passing the imperial examinations.

Regarding innate talent, everyone believed that Master Yang openly promoted Xiao Hua while secretly nurturing Ye Ci. Through this combination of open and covert methods, he actually produced two extraordinary talents capable of winning the martial arts examination!

In fact, in the minds of Master Yang and Qin Lie, there are countless geniuses in the world. Physical talent is the upper limit of martial arts. Ye Ci was amazing for a time, but his future is ultimately limited.

But how could outsiders understand these intricacies?

When the news reached the martial arts school, it caused an immediate uproar.

Xiao Hua's face was so gloomy it could drip water, and his heart was filled with pent-up frustration.

He was clearly Master Yang's last disciple, but now he seemed to have been forced to the forefront and become the scapegoat.

A genius who is too prominent is always a target of envy and will sooner or later become the target of others' jealousy and sabotage.

It felt like he was being groomed as a target.

Now, with the title of Commandant in Songjiang County, no one dares to provoke Ye Ci.

He is the obvious target.

Whenever Ye Ci returned to the martial arts school, all the disciples flocked to him. The flattery that used to surround Xiao Hua now all rushed to Ye Ci, calling him "Senior Brother Ye" in a manner that bordered on obsequious.

In the county town, all the major families were restless and began to consider marriage alliances with the Ye family, eager to marry their daughters to this promising young talent.

Just as everyone was scrambling to curry favor, a bombshell announcement suddenly dropped.

The Shen family had already taken the lead and sent the marriage certificate to Ye Ci, waiting for him to choose an auspicious day to finalize this marriage that everyone envied!

After visiting the martial arts school a few times, Ye Ci felt that the praise from everyone was too noisy, so he simply stayed at the Shen family to train hard.

He gets up every morning to practice stance training, and then spends the afternoon practicing footwork.

As the days went by, they felt quite fulfilling.

During this time, Shen Zonghan came several times to inquire about the wedding date, but Ye Ci only made excuses to decline.

They neither annul the engagement nor set a date.

Ultimately, Ye Ci still didn't quite trust Shen Yixi; he was just waiting, waiting for "her" next move.

As for whether it was her?!

This answer isn't very important.

Even though the captain had warned him, Ye Ci knew that if anyone wanted to deal with him, they would come back.

The Shen family is considered the most prestigious family in the county, yet the other party still dared to break into their home at night, indicating that the other party did not truly respect any of the county's prominent families.

At least in terms of military force, the other side didn't take them seriously.