"What daydreaming are you doing again? Go help your mom. It’d be more practical to think about what to make for lunch," the butcher shop boss said irritably.
"What daydreaming? I’m telling the truth," his daughter huffed angrily, "That brat just got lucky, really hit the jackpot..."
"Shut up!" The butcher shop boss waved the sharp knife in his hand at his daughter and said, "If you keep spouting nonsense, believe it or not, I’ll chop your tongue off. When Jesse was in danger, that kid didn’t hesitate to jump down to find him. What were you doing then? Sitting at home eating your apple pie, insincerely saying it’s such a pity Jesse is such a good person. Go look in the mirror, see how ugly you’ve become now! I’m afraid even if I offered ten pigs, I couldn’t marry you off!"
The butcher shop boss’s daughter had never heard her father speak so harshly to her, and she finally couldn’t hold back, covering her face with her hands, running back into the house crying.
Soon, the boss’s wife came out of the house, complaining, "How can you talk to our daughter like that? Wasn’t that too harsh?"
"Harsh? Haven’t you seen what our daughter has become? It’s all because you’ve spoiled her!" The boss angrily drove the sharp knife into the cutting board, pointed at his wife’s nose, and scolded, "You say I’m harsh, then tell me which of my words is wrong? She has the nerve to be jealous of Tianmiao? When Jesse was in danger, who else dared to jump down? Only that kid jumped without hesitation. With mutual affection, Tianmiao is good to Jesse, and Jesse is good to her. Isn’t that normal? What’s our daughter jealous of? What right does she have?"
"But, you really went overboard, saying she’d need ten pigs as a dowry and still couldn’t get married," the boss’s wife said sulkily.
"What do you know! There’s still time to fix this with some effort now, but later it’ll be too late. Having dreams is good, but delusion is not. If our daughter has a dream and works hard to achieve it, I’d be pleased. But look at her, day after day indulging in wishful thinking? Can one just do nothing all day and expect good things to fall on their lap?" The boss said irritably, "Alright, enough with you. Go back inside."
The boss’s wife paused, silent for a moment, then turned and went back inside. But she felt a sense of doubt in her heart. Sometimes she wondered if her husband’s identity was so simple. Was he really just a butcher?
...
Jesse brought Tianmiao to the Imperial City. The Imperial City was far more prosperous and bustling than Reya Town. Staggered stone houses, spacious roads, endless streams of pedestrians, and the shops lining both sides of the street were filled with a dazzling array of goods.
Jesse had been to the Imperial City twice, so he knew where the Knight Association was. He took Tianmiao there first. Passing the test would make things much easier.
And when Jesse went to the Knight Association for the test, things didn’t just become easier, they changed dramatically. After Jesse’s test, the whole Knight Association was alarmed. The association members who were dissatisfied earlier with Jesse bringing a child for such a sacred test were now excited, their lips trembling, not knowing what to say.
The stele used for the test cracked and broke, and the brilliance of the Fighting Spirit stung his eyes, causing tears to well up.
"My disciple, what is your name?" The president of the Knight Association excitedly grasped Jesse’s hand, his face beaming with a smile, and asked.