Under the jurisdiction of Qiong Heavenly Mansion are nine counties.
Nad after the nine colors of the world: cyan, red, yellow, green, scarlet, orange, purple, blue, and black.
Huangyu County is much more prosperous than Qingning County. When he first arrived at this county, the bustling atmosphere hit him head-on.
Li Xian’s long hair was secured with bamboo strips, a longbow was in a wooden case slung over his back. His loose clothing perfectly concealed the longsword at his waist.
He appeared normal, yet his handso appearance often drew a few extra glances from passersby.
"Tofu for sale!"
"Hot tofu, fragrant tofu!"
"Co and see, we have sugar figurines here."
"Fresh vegetables just picked yesterday, co on, sirs, take a look."
...
The shouts of various vendors.
"A bowl of hot tofu, please." Li Xian had been running all the way and was already hungry. He ca to the tofu stall, caught a whiff of its aroma, and wanted so warm food.
"Sure thing."
The small vendor scooped up a steaming bowl of tofu with a wooden scoop. He sprinkled so brine and topped it with chopped scallions, making a bowl of steaming tofu pudding.
"Three wen coins, sir," the vendor said with a smile.
"Alright."
Having paid, Li Xian squatted down and slurped up the hot tofu, finishing it cleanly. His body felt much warr, but for soone who practiced martial arts, one bowl was certainly not enough.
"Three more bowls, please."
Li Xian handed over ten more wen coins.
"Sure, sure, take your ti, sir." The vendor bead with joy.
"By the way, I heard it’s been quite lively in this county recently?"
Li Xian casually inquired.
"It’s bustling indeed," said the vendor, as he dished more tofu. "The results of the winter exams were just announced. Oh my, we’ve got dozens more bigwigs over our heads now."
"I can’t even read, let alone understand articles; otherwise, I’d have tried my luck too, maybe even aspired to beco a scholarly master myself."
"Sir, enjoy your al. I’ll get you another."
Li Xian took the wooden bowl, which was noticeably thicker and steadier. The steam ward his face, lting the frost on his eyelashes.
With the previous bowl having filled his stomach, he savored this one slowly.
"So, where’s this list posted? I’d like to take a look," Li Xian asked.
"Not far, there are several places,"
The vendor replied, "In front of the governnt office, in so big restaurants, even so busy streets and alleys have the lists posted."
"I see," Li Xian noted, "I heard the list is different this year compared to previous years?"
"Ah," the vendor said, "You’re right about that. In previous years, the top scholars always ca from prestigious families. But this year, sohow, a poor kid erged as one."
"But then, an ordinary person, possessing such talent, isn’t that a kind of treasure in itself?"
"For regular families, being a bit dim or silly could be a blessing, no?"
Li Xian’s heart felt slightly heavy; it seed the rumors were true. He added, "I didn’t expect you to have such insight."
"Hehe."
The tofu vendor scratched his head, "Like I said, I can’t read or understand books, but I’m sowhat aware of those verses and phrases."
"Sir, another bowl, please take your ti." Seeing Li Xian finish, the vendor sensibly handed over another bowl.
"You seem quite knowledgeable about these exams?" Li Xian asked.
"Every year, the winter exams are held here in Huangyu County; it’s impossible not to know," the tofu vendor said self-deprecatingly, "Besides, for us ordinary folks, the Civil Dao is much more tangible than martial arts."
"Of course, the reality is that few ordinary people pass and beco top scholars."
"After the scholars pass, what happens next?" Li Xian asked.
"Hmm..." The vendor paused, thought for a mont, and said, "Passing the exams ans reporting to the Prefecture City, where there’s an academy for further study."
"Beyond that, I’m not sure."
The mysterious fortunes are hard for ordinary folk to describe.
"Thank you."
Li Xian ate four bowls, feeling warm in his limbs.
Going to the bustling area, he saw a tavern with a red list hanging from the second-floor balcony. It was filled with various nas, in no particular order.
"Li Xiaofan..."
Seeing his younger brother’s na, Li Xian felt gratified: "My brother really made the list, all those sleepless nights weren’t for nothing."
Even with his photographic mory, the efforts Li Xiaofan put in were apparent.
After their father’s death, the two brothers couldn’t afford books. Li Xiaofan often wrapped himself in their father’s coat, hiding near the private school to eavesdrop.
He used every possible thod to acquire knowledge.
Yearning for a place in the winter exams.
Hoping for their lives to turn around.
Li Xian clenched his fists, his gaze turning cold. But as he continued to read, there were only thirty-six nas.
"There are a total of thirty-six listed."
"Now my brother is nowhere to be found. That thirty-seventh person is the key," Li Xian visited three lists, all only showing those who made it.
It wasn’t until the governnt office that he saw that thirty-seventh na.
"Zheng Caiqi"
"The thirty-seventh."
It’s him!
Li Xian’s expression remained unchanged as he left the governnt office. Next, he needed to find out what force Zheng Caiqi belonged to.
He had to follow the clues to understand where his brother was.
"I must not reveal anything."
"Otherwise, their alertness could make the situation even harder to predict."
Although scholars who pass the exams have a special status, if they die tragically, it would cause a great upheaval.
But being weak is an original sin.
These factors might only make the enemy wary. But his life was still in their hands.
Hence, gathering information needed utmost caution.
Li Xian, keeping his composure, began investigating from the bustling market. The other party, after all, had a large presence and quickly found out that Zheng Caiqi was the seventh son of the Black Water Gang’s leader, Zheng Xuezhang.
He was his youngest son, extrely spoiled in daily life.
This winter exam had no less than thirty people accompanying him, ready to serve at his command.
Moreover, the main power base of the "Black Water Gang" wasn’t in Huangyu County, but the local rice shops, taverns, and escort agencies included Zheng Xuezhang’s share.
"Phew..."
"Now that things are clearer, let’s proceed to the next step!"
Li Xian exhaled, calming his mind, hiding in the shadows; his intent to kill was restrained.
...
Night fell in the blink of an eye.
There were few pedestrians on the streets, three to five shadows left the gambling den together.
Having waited long, Li Xian narrowed his eyes, quietly following.
"Damn it, lost again."
"I’ll turn this filthy gambling den upside down soday."
"Ah, quite unlucky, truly unlucky. Didn’t they say the top scholars are heaven’s favored? Even after slapping a top scholar, I still have bad luck with my hands."
"Maybe you didn’t hit him hard enough. The kid is tough; ask him if he has any family, and he won’t say a word."
"Looking at his poor appearance, even if he has family, what waves can he stir? I say he should obediently give that scholarly spot to our seventh young master."
"Exactly, exactly! If the seventh young master gets into the Prefecture City and enters the academy, our Black Water Gang could gain so favor, couldn’t we? If he can gain a strand of mysterious fortune, imagine how big the prospects could be."
"So people are just greedy. A wretched mutt thinking of becoming a big man."
"Even the seventh young master is enraged with him. If it weren’t for him, our seventh young master could have openly earned the scholar’s spot on his own abilities."
"What kind of world is it? Even dreaming of a reversal is a joke."
...
The group chatted boldly, arms around each other, very pleased. Their dark skin and plain clothes clearly marked them as mbers of the Black Water Gang.
Li Xian had been trailing them for a while, touching the long sword at his waist, the Qi in his Dantian flowing through his limbs, he continued to follow them.
The world is like this; when you’re weak, everything becos an obstacle.
"Xiaofan, if the world doesn’t help you, your brother will."
"You should be that Golden Flood Dragon!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers