Provincial Examination

Lin Su had been in a good mood these past twenty-odd days.

The Wine Factory brought in several hundred taels of silver every day. Anyone would be in a good mood.

That was why he could study in peace.

After studying for ten days, he felt even better, because he discovered that the road of the imperial examinations was truly not difficult.

The Provincial Examination tested poetry and policy essays.

There was no need to mention poetry. As for policy essays, they were simplicity itself to him. Ever since he had accidentally opened his literary path with a "Butterflies Love Flowers," the great tree in his mind had been nourished. All the various essays and poems he had read before now surfaced with crystal clarity. Even articles of which he had only read the title, or had skimmed through blurred vision, now appeared in their entirety in a most eerie fashion. Lin Su could not help wondering whether the Golden Finger's ability to "restore missing passages" also manifested in the literary path.

Through this method, he had memorized no fewer than three hundred policy essays, if not five hundred!

One had to know that policy essays capable of standing out from countless others and being passed down to this day were all outstanding works. Every single one was an essence of brilliance! The slightly inferior essays had long since been ruthlessly cast aside by time.

The examination was not the problem. His handwriting was.

In the imperial examinations, calligraphy was also extremely important. In this world, calligraphy was even a Great Path. Some Great Confucians were mediocre essayists but possessed profoundly deep attainments in calligraphy, and they could still enter the Path.

So during this time, he had been practicing calligraphy.

He rather liked Yan Style. It was free and unrestrained, its rules not quite so rigid, and suited his personality better.

His second brother, that human-shaped timekeeper, had announced the countdown's final day today. Tomorrow was the big day!

Tonight, no one was permitted to disturb him. Madam Lin had personally issued the order.

After Lin Su ate a lavish dinner, he went to bed at Madam Lin's insistence. He had gone to bed early, yet could not sleep. It was probably a common affliction he had brought from that other world. After lying there for some time without falling asleep, Lin Su opened his eyes and studied the floorboards above him. Suddenly, he caught sight of a strange little thing. It resembled an exceedingly slender small sword, hidden in a crack between the floorboards and floating there in midair.

Had his literary path not opened wide, had his Literary Root not grown stronger, had his five senses not become extraordinarily sharp, he could never have noticed it.

At this discovery, Lin Su's heart pounded wildly. Fuck, what is that thing?

He got out of bed without showing any reaction. By his senses, that little thing followed him. He went to the study, and it entered the study as well. As it passed through the faint light cast by the moon over the courtyard, Lin Su caught a flash of light and felt something strangely familiar. Yes, it was precisely like the time that bitch Dark Night had carved words onto his face. He had seen that extraordinarily peculiar glimmer then.

Dark Night! You little bitch, you've gone too far.

You want to steal the formula? Every Earthling knows that... Oh, no, Earthlings do not know, but Lin Su knew it with his toes.

Just go steal the formula honestly. So long as you can crack the difficult barrier of microbial fermentation technology, I'll accept it even if the brewing formula gets leaked.

But monitoring me personally for so long is going overboard. While I sleep, you hang a sword over my head! Tell me, is that something a human being would do?

These past days, you must have watched every word I wrote too. If I wrote down the formula, then it would have been leaked.

Lin Su thought it over and secretly rejoiced. During this period, all he had practiced writing were the Four Books and Five Classics. He had never written anything else. Good, good. In a society where bizarre skills and wondrous arts filled the sky, he truly could not afford the slightest carelessness.

Although he had not suffered any major loss, Lin Su still could not swallow this grievance.

Peeping?

Fine. I'll let you see something fresh!

He sat before the desk, picked up his brush, and began writing.

"On this night, Pan Jinlian had just finished bathing and sat at the edge of the bed. Ximen Qing entered the room, his hand reaching toward..."

In the attic, Dark Night's eyes suddenly widened. Using the sword as her eyes, what did she see?

Not scriptures, not a secret formula, but a story. The images in the story were especially vivid. She seemed to see a man and a woman, playing at something indecent in the depths of the night. The narration was meticulous down to the finest detail. At some unknown point, her legs began trembling lightly, and the little sword hanging above Lin Su began trembling as well.

As Lin Su's brush continued its ultimate depiction, the little sword suddenly shot into the sky and returned to the attic. Dark Night leaned against a pillar, and even the chin beneath her black face veil flushed rosy red...

Heavens, were scholars' brushes not meant to write the works of sages and wondrous poetry?

Were words not meant to carry the Great Path of heaven and earth?

Why had they suddenly become something entirely different?

Heaven bore witness: she knew this was filthy stuff, exceedingly, exceedingly filthy, yet his descriptions carried a peculiar magic. They eroded to the bone, making one feel as though one were personally there, leaving her whole body hot and limp...

Lin Su noticed the little sword's departure, and a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

One page of "little yellow" smut had driven off a Super Master. Delightful!

Yet when he stood, he did not move for a while. The effects of "little yellow" smut went both ways. Driving away Dark Night was one thing, but he himself had also been affected. It took him quite some time to slowly return to normal. As he headed toward the bedroom, wild thoughts filled his mind. The past few nights, Xiao Tao had always come by before bed, dawdling about and seemingly plotting something. Would she come tonight?

Xiao Tao did not come tonight, because Madam Lin had issued a strict order that no one was to disturb him.

Lin Su tossed and turned in bed like a pancake on a griddle for most of the night before finally falling asleep.

His final thought before sleep was: I really can't use this move too often. Isn't it tormenting people? I don't know whether I tormented her, but I truly tasted torment myself...

At dawn, Lin Su was awakened by his second brother.

Madam Lin personally brought him a bowl of noodles. These were Ascending Official Noodles made by his mother's own hand. Seven or eight maids stood in two lines and wished the Third Young Master success in the examinations.

In the attic, Dark Night stared coldly, cursing him viciously in her heart. Success in the examinations? Go on, then, let me see you succeed! If a filthy scoundrel like you can pass, then all the sages must be blind. Heaven's justice simply would not allow it!

Lin Jialiang escorted Lin Su to the docks. Many people were already waiting there, all local Haining candidates taking the examination. Several professors were also at the docks, as was Lei Dongyang. Today, however, he was not serving as an examiner, but merely as security. The scholars were taking their examinations today—what an important matter that was! It absolutely could not be sabotaged, so every stage was tightly guarded.

Past the red rope barrier ahead lay the waiting area. Only those taking this examination could enter; accompanying persons were strictly forbidden.

Lin Jialiang handed the provisions their mother had prepared to Lin Su, then quietly told him, "Third Brother, go speak to Professor Lei. Even if you cannot gain his favor, at least ease the conflict a little."

Lin Su said, "Can he cheat in the imperial examinations?"

"How could that be possible? The imperial examinations are monitored by the sacred will of all sages. Even the emperor cannot cheat, much less him."

"Then why should I ease my relationship with him?"

"..." Lin Jialiang lightly patted his forehead. "Third Brother, you have only just stepped onto the literary path. On that path, you cannot do without personal connections. Three men make a tiger; accumulated slander melts the bones. A literary reputation is not built in a single day, and it also comes from all people and all affairs..."

"Fine, I understand!" Lin Su patted his second brother's shoulder and crossed the red line.

By the small woods along the river, a white Little Fox hid in the grass. She quietly watched Lin Su cross the red line. This kid had finally left his turtle shell. Without the protection of that expert inside the turtle shell, she could make her move.

But she did not strike, because she suddenly discovered that this kid was taking the imperial examinations!

Then there was no rush to capture him. If he truly passed the imperial examinations and forged a Literary Altar, his vital essence would be even richer. It would not be too late to seize him then! Fruit was best when ripe...

But could this kid truly pass the imperial examinations?

Little Fox felt rather pessimistic about it.

She knew about the imperial examinations. They were by no means something any genius could pass merely through a sudden burst of inspiration. One had to study the classics of all sages over a long period. Had this kid done so?

According to her comprehensive investigation over this period, absolutely not!

After Lin Su crossed the red line, he arrived before Lei Dongyang. He gave a slight bow. "Good morning, Professor Lei!"

Lin Jialiang nodded. Not bad, not bad. The scholar could be taught!

Lei Dongyang raised his head to look at the sky, as though the fish-belly white just appearing on the horizon had stirred some inspiration in him. For the moment, he seemed entirely unaware of everything on the ground...

A young man beside Lei Dongyang spoke up. "Kid, are you Lin Su?"

"I am! May I ask this brother's surname?"

The young man lightly opened his folding fan, revealing two large characters upon it: Soaring Clouds.

"Haining's Zhang clan, Zhang Haoyue. Zhang Xiu is my elder brother by blood!"

Zhang Xiu's brother!

Lin Su smiled faintly. "A pleasure to meet you!"

"At the imperial examination grounds, what matters in the end is one's depth of cultural foundation. You cannot muddle through merely by having an occasional flash of inspiration and writing a few poems."

"And then?"

Zhang Haoyue laughed. "And then? Heh heh, there is no then. The Lin Family remains the same Lin Family, and trash remains trash!"

Lin Su applauded in admiration. "Brother Zhang's words are profound! Trash will ultimately remain trash! How well said! Take Zhang Xiu, for instance. Though he muddled his way into the title of xiucai and muddled his way into Quzhou's foremost xiucai, did his Literary Altar not ultimately shatter, leaving him completely erased from the literary path? This shows that trash can only muddle through for a time; it can never muddle through for a lifetime."

The folding fan in Zhang Haoyue's hand stopped moving, and boundless Killing Intent filled his eyes.

The several young scholars beside him also fixed their gazes on Lin Su, their expressions exceedingly hostile.

Even Lei Dongyang's face turned green.

The Literary Altar was a place of circles. The Zhang Family had deep roots and a towering tree, a flourishing literary tradition, and broad connections. Thus, eight or nine out of every ten Quzhou scholars had considerable ties with their family.

When Zhang Xiu's Literary Altar had been shattered at Haining Tower that day and his literary path severed, the Minister of War had flown into a towering rage, and the entire Zhang Family had been enraged. This included the lineages friendly with the Zhang Family, the literary talents who had once been close to Zhang Xiu, especially the other Eight Scholars of Quzhou who had been in the tower at the time and the lineages behind them. Not a single one held any goodwill toward Lin Su. Nearly everyone had been holding in a breath, swearing to kick Lin Su, this Troublemaker of the Literary World, out.

It would not be easy to kick Lin Su out. This kid's poetic talent was peerless. Whenever his Precious Brush fell upon Precious Paper, Seven-colored Rosy Clouds became commonplace. That was the sacred will's judgment, and no one dared object.

But this kid had actually gone looking to be beaten. He dared enter the imperial examinations. Once Lei Dongyang learned he had registered, he became excited and immediately spread the news throughout half of Quzhou's Literary Altar, igniting the excitement of countless people.

Fine, you're a badass in the poetry world, protected by the sacred will's rosy clouds, and no one can break through that. Yet you brat insist on jumping into a field you do not understand at all, so do not blame everyone for beating a dog that has fallen into the water.

Soon, all sorts of plans were made as they waited for the good show to raise its curtain.

Today was the day the grand show opened!

"Do you dare gamble?" Zhang Haoyue asked coldly.

"What shall we gamble on?"

"Today marks the start of the imperial examinations. Naturally, we gamble on our examination results. Whoever ranks higher wins; whoever ranks lower loses!"

"What is the stake? If it's Ten Thousand Liang of Silver, I can't produce that."

"We scholars, how can we gamble on such yellow and white things?" Zhang Haoyue smiled. "The loser strips off every piece of clothing and runs three laps around Haining City, shouting 'I am trash' ten times! Furthermore, the winner may ask the loser one question, and the loser must answer it truthfully and in detail!"

The entire area fell silent. Though gold and silver were not involved, this gamble was enormous beyond measure.

The loser would run naked around the city three times while shouting that he was trash. All refinement would be lost, it would be a shame for life, his Literary Root would be stained with dust, and his literary path would surely break!

For scholars, this was simply heavier than gambling their heads.

Lin Su threw back his head and laughed. "Running naked! Hahaha, that is rather interesting. My eldest brother said that when soldiers fought at the frontier, with no one across the wilderness, swimming naked in the river had a unique flavor. Brother Zhang truly lives freely and unrestrainedly. Wouldn't that make it a different tune played with equal skill from frontier soldiers..."

Everyone looked at one another. Did he understand how weighty this wager was or not?

Judging by his expression, it seemed he truly did not understand. He had not been a scholar from the beginning. Warriors fighting outside did indeed sometimes swim naked. But could that compare with scholars? Could the wilderness compare with a bustling city?

Zhang Haoyue's heart leaped. "Then will you gamble?"

"Of course. Why not? Gambling over the imperial examinations—what a fine tale for the Literary Altar!"

"Good. Then write the contract!"