3.

"In the northern city, three hundred kilometres from here, our family owns an unused property. I want you to look after it. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're well-compensated."

Yang Yuanzhen paused briefly before continuing.

"If you manage the property, most of the profits will go to you. On top of that, you can ask me for anything, as long as it's not unreasonable. I won't refuse."

"Over time, you'll be able to save enough to live a comfortable and carefree life."

"Huh?"

Yang Ze was stunned for a moment before asking in a flustered tone.

"Why father? Why now? Why so suddenly?"

To him, the situation now was pretty clear. Yang Yuanzhen didn't come here to ask for his opinion, but to tell him about the decision that they made. Even though he had expected it, he still needed to play the part of a flustered child who was being discarded from the family.

Looking at Yang Ze's nervous expression along with his pleading, Yang Yuanzhenw was silent for a long time. When he came here, he just wanted to inform him of this matter and head back. But in the end, regardless of his qualifications, he was still his son... And within a small corner of his heart, he still had affection for him. With a complicated face, he looked at his second son before speaking in a grave tone.

"Since you will know this sooner or later, I might as well tell you now."

Taking a deep breath, Yang Yuanzhen continued.

"After six months, the Xuanwu Martial Academy is coming to Yuyang city to recruit disciples. In this assessment, our family has one spot. I decided to let your eldest brother Yang Hai participate in it. If he can pass the assessment, he will be able to become a disciple of Xuanwu Martial Academy."

When Yang Yuanzhen said the last sentence, there was a little fluctuation in his voice. Though it disappeared soon, Yang Ze still caught it.

At first, Yang Ze didn't react, but soon, he realized the meaning of this sentence.

In the memories of his predecessor, there was some knowledge about these. It is said that some extremely powerful people are able to travel through the air and pass through the grounds. These powerful people are the ones who establish many forces. Martial Academy is one of those many forces.

If one can join these academies, they would have the chance to join the ranks of those powerhouses.

This time the Martial Academy was coming to this town to recruit disciples. For the people of the town, this was a godsend opportunity. After all, even the nearest Martial Academy from this town is thousands of miles away. To join them there is wishful thinking.

"I had to spend god knows how much just to obtain this information and the quota. In the entire Yuyang city, there aren't many families who got the quota. Our Yang family must use all we have to send our younger generation to the academy."

Yang Yuanzhen's voice was full of firmness. As a patriarch of the Yang family, he knew the immense help a disciple of the Martial Academy could bring.

Looking at Yanz Ze whose face returned to calm, Yang Yuanzhen knew he understood the significance of the event. This matter couldn't be hidden for long, so instead of embarrassment later, it would be better to clear all the misunderstandings earlier.

"If your big brother leaves, then you and your younger brother are the ones who still remain in the direct lineage. And having you here is not very good for the development of your third brother."

Looking at his son, he continued.

"This is why you have to go to manage the family property. If you are able to handle the task well, I will help you gain a position in the government."

Even though Yang Yuanzhen said it easily, he knew his son wouldn't be able to come to terms with the situation. He might look calm, but he must be angry in his heart.

"Father, the youngest is only ten years old, and you have already decided his future?"

Yang Ze's voice was calm, even though he, Yang Hai, and his third brother Yang Shan were siblings, they were born to different women. Yang Hai and Yang Shan were born to the first wife whereas he was born to the second wife. Unfortunately for the previous Yang Ze, his mother passed away soon after his birth.

After the loss of his wife, Yang Yuanzhen changed in temperament. He should have doted on Yang Ze after his wife's death, but in the end, he put the blame on his newborn. This, coupled with the fact that his second wife took advantage of the opportunity to flame the fire... the situation now has turned into this.

As for the current Yang Yuanzhen... he now loves his only wife very much, so much so that under her persuasion, he has given all his love to his two other sons. And in his fatherly love, he was oblivious to the suffering the second child was going through.

He already had a plan in his mind. If Yang Hai could join the academy, then he wouldn't be able to take care of the Yang Family. In this case, the third child whose mother has a lot of property in the city could help the Yang family develop steadily. As for Yang Ze, he could take care of the remote property so as not to cause any dissatisfaction from other members.

"The Martial Academy, don't I have any hope at all?" Yang Ze thought for a moment before asking this question, though he already had his answer.

"Sigh."

After a long sigh, Yang Yuanzhen shook his head.

"In this assessment, every family only have one quota. Because of our contributions, the academy has presented us with a token that can let one member join without taking the exam. And in this family, your elder brother is the most talented one. Even if there are almost no risks of him failing the exam, we still don't want to bet on it. Hence, your brother is going to use that quota. After all, we need to send the most promising youth of the family."

"I need some time." Since the decision had already been made, Yang Ze knew there was no use in arguing further. He asked for time just to not attract attention towards himself. After all, it would be weird if he suddenly agreed to this absurd request.

"Hmm." Yang Yuanzhen had expected this response, so he just gave him a nod before walking out of the room.

.....

Looking at the back of Yang Yuanzhen, Yang Ze sighed for a long time. If his plugin worked, then it wouldn't be impossible for him to enter the Martial Academy. He was sure that he could become a powerhouse once he joined the Academy along with his cheat.

But the main problem still lies ahead. He still has no clue about the cheat.

"Forget it."

With such an incident in the morning, Yang Ze was no longer in the mood to meditate or practice. Standing up from the ground, he patted the dust and went to the yard to take a walk.

After he walked for a while, he thought for a moment before standing still for a while and then throwing out a punch. It was the most basic boxing skill that was taught in the Yang family.

Punching in the air, he seemed to take out all his grievances.

It wasn't until the sun went down, that he stopped. At that moment, his clothes were drenched in sweat.

After taking a bath, Yang Ze finished the meal that old Xia brought him before going to sleep.

....

[____________96%]

Walking up the next day, the first thing he did was to check the progress. After seeing it increase, he smiled for a moment before taking a walk around the house. In his thirty days of staying here, he never once bothered to explore the Yang family fully.

After making up his mind, Yang Ze opened his door, but before he could see anything else, he was greeted by a figure standing at the door with a smile on his face. The only difference was this smile was filled with malice.

"Yo! I didn't expect the second young master to come out today." Before Yang Ze could speak, he was greeted by a boy who was wearing a grey robe.

'Oh great. Just when I decided to take a walk, this joker decided to show up. Fucking perfect.' Yang Ze cursed loudly in his mind before giving the person a smile and then...

Bang.

With a loud bang, Yang Ze closed the door.

The boy who was standing there with a smile suddenly froze for a moment. He was stunned by this absurd action of Yang Ze, so much so, that it took a moment for him to register everything that happened. After realizing what Yang Ze had done, he gritted his teeth before shouting in a shrill voice.

"Yang Ze, are you still a man? I came here to bid you farewell, but you dared to close the door on my face."

Listening to the shrill shout, Yang Ze rubbed his forehead. The last thing he wanted to do was to meet such an idiot so early. But after thinking for a moment he gritted his teeth before opening the door.

"What do you want Yang Deyi?" His voice was rather calm as if the person in front of him was an acquaintance.

Yang Deyi who was still gritting his teeth clenched his fist. During the sixteen years of his life, Yang Ze was the only person who infuriated him. Not to mention him closing the door on his face, just his laid-back tone was enough to anger him.

"I heard you are going to take care of the family property. In case you need something, you could ask me."

Though his tone appeared generous, one could hear the disdain in his tone. It was as if he was here just to mock Yang Ze. It wasn't the first time he was doing something like this. Even before throughout Yang Ze's childhood, he had been there, creating constant ruckus.

Yang Ze didn't reply but gazed at him deeply before breaking out in an eerie smile. A smile that sent shivers down Yang Deyi...