Every time Jiang Huoer tested a new cannon, it caused quite a stir. Take his last invention—the Divine Mechanism Arrow. Though ultimately successful, it blew away Auntie Wang’s pigpen. Coincidentally, her sow had just given birth to a large litter that year. Auntie Wang had been overjoyed… until Jiang Huoer’s cannon shattered her dreams.

Jiang Huoer lit the fuse just as morning classes ended. The Master Scholar, having served as Grand Scholar at the Crown Prince Manor in the Imperial Capital for years, possessed keen instincts—even as a Literary Rank holder. He felt a familiar unease, the same prickling sensation he’d had during Jiang Huoer’s Divine Mechanism Arrow test.

“That kid…” The Master Scholar’s eyes bulged like basketballs. His dread crescendoed with a deafening cannon blast.

“Everyone! Get down!” He just knew this stray shot would hit the Academy.

Students froze mid-step and dropped flat. His premonition was right. The smoking iron cannonball crashed through the Academy roof. *BOOM!* The building shattered into splinters.

The explosion drew the whole town. Everyone saw the iron projectile trace a graceful arc into the Academy. Instantly, that harmless-looking boy’s grinning face flashed in their minds. A collective chill shot through them, raising goosebumps.

Then the Academy exploded…

Street vendors, passersby, and even the yamen guards panicked. The Venerable Just Judge’s son studied there—Yi Xiuran. So did their own children. Their first thought: *Are my kids safe?* Their second: *Jiang Huoer, that troublemaker!*

The entire town surged toward the Academy. Spirit Martial Town’s first-ever traffic jam paralyzed the streets. Historians would later note: *One blast blocked the whole city.*

Jiang Huoer’s shot left everyone trembling.

“My precious baby! Please be unharmed!”

“My Er’gou! Don’t you dare die on me!”

“My Third Boy! Don’t let that cannon kill you!”

“Jiang Huoer, you little bastard! If Meng Qi’s hurt, I’ll drag you into a ghost marriage to bury her!”

…Duan Mengqi’s mother ran Top Fresh—the town’s five-star restaurant brimming with delicacies. Known as ThirdSister, her words always stunned the crowd. After her outburst, silence fell.

At the creek, Jiang Huoer admired his Redcoat Cannon’s range. He’d aimed at the distant hill… not the town. *Did I really hit the Academy?* Guilt flickered—then delight. *No more classes!*

*Wait… Xiuran and Meng Qi were inside!* He grimaced. “You two skipped my glorious moment… just don’t die on me.” He smoothed his hair in the water—and froze. The reflection was unrecognizable: filthy, ragged, a total country bumpkin.

“Hiding in the water won’t help, you bumpkin,” he muttered, sprinting toward town.

“Mayor! Disaster!” A Jiang Mansion servant gasped into the manor. “Young Master—he’s done it again!”

The mayor had heard the blast. In Spirit Martial Town, Jiang Huoer’s explosions were routine. He set down his teacup. “Calm down. We all know your young master loves tinkering. Which pigpen or dog kennel did he blow up this time?”

“Sir… it was the Academy…”

“What?!” The mayor’s face turned ashen, matching the Master Scholar’s pallor.

“Truly, sir! He blew up the Academy!”

Darkness swam before the mayor’s eyes. His world crumbled.

“How… how many dead…?” He clutched his head, teeth chattering, half-collapsed in his chair.

“No casualties! Morning classes had just ended. Everyone was outside.”

“Alive? Why didn’t you say so sooner!” The mayor sprang up. “Take me to see the damage.”

“Yes, sir! Prepare the chariot!”

“HAHAHA! I DID IT!” Jiang Huoer stood amid the rubble, hands on hips. “Six months of work! My Redcoat Cannon is perfect!”

No one recognized him at first—covered in soot, clothes torn like a beggar’s. The Master Scholar stood nearby, only his back dusty from diving for cover. Jiang Huoer seized his hand. “Teacher! You saw it! I succeeded!”

The Master Scholar couldn’t speak. Having witnessed the Celestial Mechanism Camp’s drills in the capital, he knew the power of Redcoat and Divine Martial Cannons. Jiang Huoer’s creation lacked their full force… yet it rivaled them. Just like his Divine Mechanism Arrow before.

He stared at the grinning boy. Perhaps Jiang Huoer lacked talent for the War God Mark… but as an engineer? He might go far. The Master Scholar ruffled Jiang Huoer’s hair. Normally, he’d scold such recklessness. Not today. With capital recruiters arriving in a week, this self-discovery was a gift.

Students gaped. *Has the blast addled the teacher’s mind?* Parents worried: *Can he still teach our children?* If he was unfit, they’d have to send kids to the next town’s Academy—such a hassle.

From afar, the mayor saw the Master Scholar patting Jiang Huoer’s head. *Since when does the sun rise in the west?* The troublemaker gets praised after destroying the Academy?

Townsfolk swarmed the mayor with complaints. Yi Aimin—the Venerable Just Judge—arrived too. His reputation was earned: before him, Spirit Martial Town drowned in crime; under him, thieves, bullies, and swindlers vanished. He surveyed the ruins with a wry smile. His son Yi Xiuran was close friends with Jiang Huoer. Besides, the wealthy mayor would rebuild.

“Xiuran, unharmed?” Yi Aimin asked as his son emerged.

“Fine, Father.” Yi Xiuran brushed off dust. “Though I’ll need a bath.”

“I’ve sent runners to have Auntie Liu heat water. Bathe before eating.”

“Understood.” Yi Xiuran eyed the wreckage. “Huoer’s brilliant. Another invention succeeded.”

“But his aim’s terrible. A few more ‘successes,’ and he’ll flip the whole town upside down.” Yi Aimin chuckled.

“I’ll tell him to aim better next time.”

“Thank heavens no one died. Otherwise, I’d have to arrest him. Pass that warning along—no more risking lives.” Yi Aimin waved him off. “Go home. Your mother and I will wait for you to eat.”

“Yes, Father.” Yi Xiuran followed the guards toward the yamen.

ThirdSister spun Duan Mengqi in frantic circles, checking her over.

“Mother! Stop! Everyone’s watching!” Duan Mengqi flushed. “This is embarrassing!”

“Embarrassing? I’m checking if that boy’s cannon hurt you!”

“Huoer would never hurt me.”

“Never? If you’d still been inside, he’d have killed you! That boy can’t aim.” ThirdSister shot her a glare. “I’m protecting you, and you defend him?”

“I know you care, Mother. But truly, I’m fine.” Duan Mengqi grinned. “Besides, didn’t you just say you’d force him into a ghost marriage if I died~?”

“Spit! Spit! Spit! Where would I get my fat grandbabies if you two married ghosts?!” ThirdSister planted her hands on her hips. “You child… you’ll be the death of me.”