Request to Speak!

The horizon had just revealed a sliver of fish-belly white, with a few stars stubbornly clinging to their positions, unwilling to depart just yet.

A gentle breeze blew, morning dew shimmered, and all things grew. The entire world seemed to be fawning over Li Mu Yang, who had just woken up.

Li Mu Yang stood by the window, stretching his limbs, then began pacing the room, following the methods of the Body-Breaking Technique. He realized that only with a good body could he achieve good academic results; his previous state of constant grogginess had rendered him incapable of doing anything—except sleeping.

A great man from ancient times had also said: "The body is the capital for revolution."

After working up a sweat, he went into the bathroom to take a shower and changed into the new clothes his mother had prepared for him.

He looked in the mirror and noticed he had become much fairer. Before, he was as dark as ink, unfathomably deep; now, he had a bright, lustrous bronze complexion.

"Isn't this the Empire's idol, Louis Koo?" Li Mu Yang said to the mirror.

He blinked his eyes and grinned.

The smile quickly vanished, and he scornfully cursed, "Shameless."

It was still early, and Li Mu Yang had no intention of opening his books to review.

He opened his pencil case to check its contents, packed his schoolbag properly, and then sat at his desk, gazing at the potted plants in the yard, the sky and stars, the rolling black clouds, and the white clouds obscuring the sky.

He watched the fish-belly white turn white, then yellow, and finally, a sun with a shy expression slowly emerged on the eastern horizon.

If it were a month ago, Li Mu Yang wouldn't have had to worry about any of this.

Exams, what did they have to do with him?

As usual, he'd sleep until he woke up naturally, grab two steamed buns, stroll to the examination hall, or perhaps take another nap.

When others submitted their papers, he submitted his. When others went home, he went home.

There was no hope, so there were no expectations.

In just over a month, he was now preparing for the written examination. He was about to clash and fight with scholars who had studied for many years, vying for the scarce promotion positions.

Looking back at the past, he couldn't recognize his current self.

As the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking began, the courtyard started to liven up.

His mother got up to wash, and his father got up to practice his martial arts. Li Sinian had also gotten up and was standing by the windowsill, reciting ancient poems with fluctuating intonation.

"Li Mu Yang—" Li Sinian called out from her room.

"Sinian, don't call your brother. Let him sleep a little longer," his mother, Luo Qi, said in a low voice.

"Mom, I'm already up," Li Mu Yang said, poking his head out the window with a smile. "I've been up for a while."

"Mom, I knew Brother was up. He's too restless today because of the exam," Li Sinian said triumphantly. "Li Mu Yang, are you ready?"

"Everything that should be prepared has been prepared," Li Mu Yang said with a smile. "Now, it's all up to fate."

"Hehe, you'll definitely do well."

"Why?"

"Because I made a wish for you before I went to sleep last night," Li Sinian said matter-of-factly. "My wishes are very effective. I told you to stand up, and you stood up. I told you to become smarter, and you became smarter. I told you not to be better looking than me, and you ended up looking like Black Charcoal—"

"—" Li Mu Yang often suspected this sister wasn't his biological sibling; otherwise, why would she always put him down so severely?

"Eh, Brother—" Li Sinian suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Li Mu Yang asked curiously.

"Brother, why did you get so fair?" Li Sinian, standing in her spot, could see Li Mu Yang bathed in the light of the rising sun. His eyelashes were long, his features deep, his contours sharp, and his skin as delicate as celadon. His back was straight, his smile gentle and confident.

He was no longer timid or slovenly, nor did he look as gaunt as before, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

His body emitted a soft glow, like an immortal descending from the myriad rays of dawn.

"—"

"You really did get fairer!" Li Sinian exclaimed, jumping with joy. "If you don't believe me, ask Mom and Dad— Did you secretly use my skin cream?"

"—"

Luo Qi prepared breakfast. To honor an old saying and bring good luck to her son's exam, she specially cooked two eggs and prepared a fried dough stick for Li Mu Yang.

Li Sinian looked at the eggs and fried dough stick in Li Mu Yang's bowl and slyly said to her mother, Luo Qi, "Mom, are you preparing two eggs and a fried dough stick because you hope Brother scores a hundred on his exam?"

"Yes," Luo Qi nodded with a smile. "You get some too."

"But Brother has three subjects to test today," Li Sinian said with a look of difficulty. "Do you hope he only scores a hundred in total across all three subjects? So, you should prepare six eggs and three fried dough sticks for him, so he can get a hundred in each subject—"

"Ah? That many?" Luo Qi looked a bit troubled. "Then I'll go prepare some more—"

Li Mu Yang's mouth was stuffed with eggs, his cheeks bulging. Hearing Li Sinian's words, his face turned green. He grabbed his mother's arm and said, "Mom, you can't listen to Sinian's nonsense. If you prepare six eggs and three fried dough sticks for me, I won't even need to take the exam; I'll just be stuffed to death at home—"

Luo Qi smacked Li Sinian's hand with a chopstick, angrily saying, "You little girl, you just love bullying your brother."

"Just kidding," Li Sinian stuck out her tongue at Li Mu Yang and said, "Just to liven up the atmosphere and prevent Brother from being nervous."

"You make me nervous whenever you speak," Li Mu Yang said, finally swallowing the egg, his tone annoyed. "You should just stop talking. You'll scare people to death."

"Stingy," Li Sinian muttered.

After breakfast, Li Mu Yang bid farewell to his parents, carrying his schoolbag, and prepared to head to the examination hall.

Li Yan offered to escort Li Mu Yang, but he refused. He had already familiarized himself with the route to the examination hall and didn't need an adult to accompany him.

Li Mu Yang felt refreshed, his steps light, completely free of the tension that usually came before a major exam.

"Perhaps it's because I'm so well-prepared," Li Mu Yang told himself.

Thinking this, he felt that even the dreaded written exam was nothing special.

As he walked out into the courtyard with his schoolbag, a man in a black robe descended from the sky.

"It seems I've arrived at just the right time," the man in the black robe said, a sinister smile on his face as he stared intently at Li Mu Yang.

At Guantang Teahouse.

The wealthy young master Yan Xiangma sat by the window on the second floor, enjoying tea. It was a fine tea, the renowned Lion Peak Longjing from Jiangnan City. Beside him, a songstress in a green embroidered qipao played the pipa, singing a folk song. Her soft, melodic Wu dialect singing melted his heart.

He enjoyed this kind of atmosphere; this was the demeanor a cultured and refined prodigal son should possess.

Those who spent their days idly with a pack of lackeys, harassing respectable women on the streets and causing chaos, could only be considered hooligans. Though he also wished to be such a scoundrel, he worried his father would break his legs – if not his father, then his mother would.

"Young Master, we've confirmed it. This is the exact path Li Mu Yang must take for his written exam – Your position here allows you to glance outside occasionally and see immediately if he has passed by," a middle-aged man in a black tunic said, bowing subserviently beside him with a fawning expression.

"A young master is a young master, born to enjoy. I have beauties in my eyes, good music in my ears, and delicious tea in my hands. You, you dog, are making me glance outside constantly, distracting me. If I divide my attention, will these beauties still be beauties? Will this good music still be good music? Will this delicious tea still taste the same? How vulgar."

"Yes, yes. I was wrong," the middle-aged man quickly apologized. "Young Master, please enjoy the beauties and the good music. Leave the rest to us. I've already had my men waiting below. I'll accompany Young Master up here to watch – as soon as Li Mu Yang walks by, I'll rush down, give him a solid whack, stuff him into a sack, and carry him away."

"You're smart," Yan Xiangma said, closing his eyes and tapping his fingers lightly to a rhythm. "Even though that kid wouldn't get into Xifeng University even if he took the exam, it's better to be safer. Besides, what if he does get in? If I knock him out, he won't be able to go to Xifeng University, or to the Imperial Capital, Tiandu. Then I'll give him an admission letter from Jiangnan University. What do you think, will he accept it?"

"He'll accept it, of course," the middle-aged man chuckled. "Jiangnan University is a prestigious school. I couldn't get in even after trying for three years."

Yan Xiangma's expression changed drastically. "You couldn't get in even if you tried for thirty years. A prestigious school like Jiangnan University, do you think an idiot like you could get in?"

The middle-aged man, remembering his young master's educational background, quickly corrected himself. "Yes, yes, you're right. Forget thirty years, even three hundred years wouldn't be enough for me – applying to Jiangnan University would be self-humiliation. It's simply impossible."

"Mm. Silence," Yan Xiangma waved his hand. "Don't ruin the mood."

"Yes, yes—"

"I told you to shut up."

"Yes—" The middle-aged man covered his mouth, daring not to speak further.

Half an hour passed. Yan Xiangma looked up at the sky, his expression puzzled as he asked, "Why hasn't that kid arrived yet?"

"Young Master, can I speak now?" the middle-aged man asked cautiously.

Yan Xiangma was furious. He pointed at his lackey and cursed, "Are you taking a dump right now?"