Yan Xiangma personally tested them, and those detox soups proved remarkably effective.
After his father Li Yan, mother Luo Qi, and younger sister Li Sinian each drank the antidote, none of them suffered any other aftereffects.
That very night, Li Yan crawled out of bed and patched up the courtyard wall. Before long, he had completely repaired the bluestone wall, which had been cracked by the impact.
Luo Qi stoked the fire and cooked, while her daughter Sinian studied and caused trouble.
Yan Xiangma took the credit for slaying the crows, so Li Mu Yang's parents and family did not grow too suspicious. In their eyes, Li Mu Yang would always be that sickly little boy who needed their care and protection.
Life returned to normal, as though nothing had happened.
Yet Li Mu Yang knew perfectly well that some very important things had happened.
He sensed Cui Xiaoxin's growing distance and foresaw an ending that was bound to arrive sooner or later.
Li Mu Yang was in a terrible mood, but he did not show it.
After dinner, he fought to do the dishes. Luo Qi refused no matter what and told him to hurry upstairs and study.
Li Mu Yang reached out to take his father Li Yan's pulse. Luo Qi looked over strangely and asked, "When did Mu Yang learn to take pulses?"
Li Mu Yang had prepared for this long ago. Smiling, he said, "I learned it from Daoist Master, but I never had a chance to use it before."
Li Yan nodded and said, "He's a transcendent master. If you can learn his medical skills, that would be a decent way to make a living."
Luo Qi grew angry and said, "Li Yan, what are you saying? My son is going to study at Xifeng University—he's going to achieve great things someday. Why would he need medical skills to make a living?"
"It would be fine if that's what our son wanted. If he likes it, of course I'll let him study it. But if he doesn't, we can't force him."
"All right, all right, you have the final say when it comes to our son." Li Yan did not want to argue with his wife over Li Mu Yang. He had never won such an argument before.
Li Sinian came running over like an eager sycophant, wrapped her arms around Li Yan's, and said, "Dad, you can decide my affairs too. Whatever you say goes, okay?"
Li Yan reached out and stroked his daughter's little head. "All right. Now hurry upstairs and go to sleep."
"Dad, it's not even that late!" Li Sinian complained. "I just supported you, and you can't even consider my feelings?"
"So much for whatever I say goes? Then sit with Dad a little longer before going upstairs to bed." Li Yan absolutely adored his clever, well-behaved younger daughter.
Suddenly, he thought of that elder daughter who had been taken away by the Lu family—she should have been just as beautiful and adorable, right? She must be living an even happier life than she would have here, right?
"Dad, your pulse is normal. The toxins in your body should have been completely expelled. The most important thing now is to replenish your nutrition and quickly restore your strength to its former state."
After instructing his father, Li Mu Yang turned to Li Sinian. "Your turn."
"Brother—" Li Sinian blinked and said, "Can we go to my room for you to check me?"
"Why? After checking you, I still have to check Mom—"
"Oh, why are you so stupid? I'm a girl!"
"But—"
Li Sinian's room was warm and understated. Unlike other girls' rooms, it was not decorated entirely in pink or pale red. Every furnishing and ornament displayed an exquisite sense of aesthetic taste.
Her room was very large, a whole room bigger than Li Mu Yang's.
Although her room was large, whenever they had something to discuss, she was always the one who ran to Li Mu Yang's room. Li Mu Yang rarely came to hers. Perhaps he also felt that she had grown up and, as a young woman, ought to have her own privacy.
"Brother, you're in a really bad mood, aren't you?" Li Sinian dropped heavily into a chair, kicked off her slippers, and sat cross-legged like a little monk. She got straight to the point.
"No, why would I be?" Li Mu Yang said with a smile.
"You're still lying." Li Sinian looked disdainful. "At dinner, I saw you spacing out several times. You ignored me when I spoke to you, and you even ate the cilantro I put in your bowl—you've never eaten cilantro before."
"Maybe it's because something like that happened today, and it happened because of me, so in my heart—"
"So you really can't let go of Sister Xiaoxin?"
"—" Li Mu Yang knew that nothing could be hidden from this little girl.
"Brother, can't you tell? Sister Xiaoxin wants to sever ties with you and keep her distance—"
Li Mu Yang was silent for a long while before smiling. "I can tell. And then?"
"And then—" Li Sinian sighed softly and extended her fair, pink wrist toward Li Mu Yang. "Take my pulse. You still have to live well and be yourself. Isn't it just one woman? If you don't mind—"
"What?"
"I could be your temporary girlfriend for two days?"
"You're trying to trick money out of me again," Li Mu Yang said.
"—"
--
Li Mu Yang took the examinations that followed. The papers for the final two sessions were not difficult. Apart from two minor questions he could not figure out, he answered everything else.
Li Mu Yang felt good about himself. According to Cui Xiaoxin, anything he could answer was guaranteed to be correct—wouldn't that make his paper nearly perfect?
Li Mu Yang did not see Cui Xiaoxin again. At the end of the examination, he deliberately waited by the examination hall for a while. He waited until all the students had dispersed, but Cui Xiaoxin never came out.
Li Mu Yang understood that she had probably handed in her paper early and left.
When the examinations ended, all the students had to return to the classroom and assemble as their teacher instructed.
After Li Mu Yang returned, he swept his gaze several times toward the fifteen-degree position. As expected, Cui Xiaoxin had not come.
Li Mu Yang's appearance, however, caused quite a stir among the students. They pointed at him and whispered among themselves.
Zhang Chen turned around to look at Li Mu Yang and asked with a grin, "Li Mu Yang, how did you do?"
"I think it was all right." Missing Cui Xiaoxin's departure, Li Mu Yang answered without expression.
"What does 'all right' mean? I heard that Classmate Cui Xiaoxin has been tutoring you lately. You should definitely be able to get into Imperial Xifeng University, right?" After saying this, Zhang Chen made a face at those around him, and everyone else laughed knowingly.
With the Literary Examination over, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. With such a good show to watch, naturally they would not miss it.
Li Mu Yang thought seriously for a moment and said, "I should be able to—but no one can guarantee that sort of thing."
"—"
The entire room fell deathly silent.
Zhang Chen stared at Li Mu Yang with his eyes wide and said, "Li Mu Yang, are you crazy? Do you know what I was asking?"
"I'm not crazy." Li Mu Yang fixed Zhang Chen with a sharp gaze. "If you keep mocking me like this, you'll definitely find out what I'm about to do."
Zhang Chen was genuinely afraid that Li Mu Yang would get physical with him, but backing down would make him look cowardly. So he stubbornly said, "You can't get into Xifeng University, and you can't win Cui Xiaoxin either—Li Mu Yang, even if you work hard, it'll all be for nothing. You're still a useless piece of trash."
Li Mu Yang grabbed Zhang Chen by the collar and lifted him up in front of the entire class. Then he carried him toward the lotus pond outside the classroom.
Splash—
Li Mu Yang suddenly exerted his strength and hurled Zhang Chen viciously into the pond.
"Li Mu Yang, you lunatic—" Zhang Chen thrashed desperately in the water and shouted, "Just you wait! This time, I definitely won't let you off—"
Li Mu Yang's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice carried a violently suppressed ferocity. He snarled, "I'll get into Xifeng University, and I'll— I'll win Cui Xiaoxin too."
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