Fairy He (Seeking Recommendations! Collections!)

"Not bad, you really have your ways, you actually managed to guard against it!"

When the trio finally entered the borders of Jinghu South Circuit, Huang Shang took the lead while Nightingale deliberately lagged behind. She lowered her voice, grinding her teeth as she spoke to Wu Que.

Her grand plan to turn raw rice into cooked porridge had died in the cradle.

The Love Potion had been administered, yet it had no effect.

In the world of Harry Potter, Love Potion is a magical concoction that causes the target to develop an intense infatuation.

Nightingale's version was a low-end variant; she hadn't expected it to be as exaggerated as in the original story, merely hoping to boost his favorability so that the scholar wouldn't act coy and play hard-to-get when his heart was clearly willing.

However, after Nightingale dripped three drops of the potion into the beggar's chicken, Huang Shang ate it, but his reaction fell short of expectations.

Not only did he show no intention of engaging in any intimate activities with her, but as he developed his Ancestral Aperture and maintained a Daoist state of mind during this period, his temperament had become increasingly ethereal, and his closeness to her had diminished significantly compared to before.

Nightingale was so depressed she wanted to cry, convinced that Wu Que was behind it.

Wu Que, in fact, wanted to cry even more.

Unlike Xu Yue, who had high aspirations and wanted Huang Shang to establish an incredibly solid foundation from the start, he was aiming for a contract first.

Therefore, Wu Que genuinely hoped Huang Shang would cultivate the Bright Jade Art.

Since the other party wasn't following the script, many of his tactics couldn't be deployed.

But seeing Nightingale's teeth-grinding expression, Wu Que suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction and chuckled.

Is there anything unhappy happening? Tell me so I can be happy too?

Nightingale was so angry her chest heaved, and she spurred her horse to catch up with Huang Shang.

While the two Reincarnators behind him were locked in a battle of wits, Huang Shang couldn't spare them a thought.

He was almost at his old home.

When he used to read transmigration novels, what he admired most was how the protagonist would transmigrate into someone else's body and, shortly after waking up, be able to call the original owner's parents "Father" and "Mother."

Truth be told, even if it were acting, family dramas are the hardest to pull off; the natural, spontaneous affection between parents and children is very difficult to grasp.

He currently lacked the ability to interact with strangers with genuine, heartfelt emotion while posing as their child.

Therefore, infiltrating the target's family was a massive test.

Moreover, while the Reincarnators didn't know Huang Shang's true temperament, his family certainly did, especially his parents.

It would be a tragedy if he managed to fool the Reincarnators only to be exposed by these plot characters in the end.

If only there were a way to avoid Huang Shang's family and focus on preparing for the preliminary examination.

Huang Shang pondered silently.

The preliminary examinations were held in each prefecture; the test papers were standardized, but the level of competition varied greatly.

The most intense competition was in Jiangxi and Fujian—the homelands of scholars—where five or six thousand people vied for a mere dozen or twenty spots!

One must realize that this was roughly equivalent to the popularity of civil service positions in later generations, but don't forget, anyone could apply for civil service, whereas in this era, not everyone could study.

However, although those places were "death zones" for exams, their Literary Qi was extremely prosperous, and there were too many talented people; thus, when it came to the imperial examinations, the ratio actually flipped.

Ten Jiangxi licentiates could produce one jinshi, whereas in places where the preliminary exams were easy, a hundred people might not produce a single jinshi.

Hard first, then easy; easy first, then hard.

Calculated this way, it was still fair.

Huang Shang's hometown, Yongzhou, belonged to the middle-to-lower tier.

Long before returning home, he had asked a classmate under Zhang Zai to check: this year, over two hundred students were participating in the Yongzhou preliminary examination, with ten to be selected.

Twenty-to-one odds.

But with Huang Shang's current level of scholarship, he was confident in the preliminary exam even in a "death zone," so avoiding his family was easier said than done.

He thought for a long time but couldn't find a way to avoid them; he could only take things as they came.

The three of them galloped on horseback, and soon, Yongzhou came into view.

This place had been an important transportation hub since ancient times; the Xiang River flowed north to reach the Yangtze, and the Ling Canal flowed south to connect to the Pearl River. It was the gateway connecting Hunan to Guangxi, Hainan, Western Guangdong, and the southwest.

At the same time, Yongzhou was the hometown of famous figures like Huaisu and Huang Gai. When Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Yongzhou during the Tang Dynasty, he left behind the Eight Records of Yong Prefecture, which had a significant impact, leading many later scholars to choose this place even when they were demoted, which was quite ironic.

The current Yongzhou governed three counties.

Lingling County, Qiyang County, and Dong'an County.

The names of these three places remained unchanged even in modern times.

Huang Shang's home was in Dong'an County.

The poorest place of all.

A child from the mountains, who had finally made his way out.

"The opportunity has come again!"

Watching Huang Shang's back, Wu Que and Nightingale exchanged a glance, and sparks seemed to crackle in the air between them.

The opportunity to build rapport had arrived once again.

Winning over a target's family was an exceptionally effective path.

Take Xiao Feng, for instance; successfully saving A'zhu would account for more than half the effort.

Only by settling the families of these plot characters and ensuring they had no worries behind them would the probability of them leaving the world with a Reincarnator increase.

Huang Shang's family would be taken care of by them.

Happy New Year, big brother and sister-in-law!

They were rubbing their hands in anticipation, unaware that while Huang Shang wore an expression of eagerness to return home, his gaze swept left and right, hoping for an incident to occur.

His luck was not bad.

Something was actually happening.

To enter Dong'an County, one first had to pass through Lingling County, which served as the political center of Yong Prefecture and the location of the examination hall for future imperial exams.

As the three of them rode into the county, strange expressions quickly appeared on their faces.

The streets were simply too crowded.

Looking out, the bustling throng of people was almost as lively as the streets of Kaifeng Prefecture.

But Kaifeng Prefecture was the capital; this was merely a small county town!

Huang Shang noticed that although the crowd was dense, they were all surging in one direction. His eyes flickered, and he walked toward a patrolling soldier on the street. After offering a salute, he asked, "May I ask what day it is today?"

The soldier saw that Huang Shang was young and possessed an extraordinary bearing, likely the son of a wealthy family, so he dared not be negligent and immediately replied, "You may not know, young master, but this is the opening of the temple for the Lady He. The local gentry and commoners are all heading there to inquire about their fortunes!"

Huang Shang fell into deep thought. A fragrant breeze drifted by as Nightingale had already fished a string of coins from her small pouch and handed it over: "Little brother, tell us more in detail!"

Wu Que was a step too slow, revealing an awkward yet polite smile as he also looked at the soldier with anticipation.

The soldier felt these pageboys and maids were a bit strange, but after weighing the money in his hand, he began to explain.

It turned out that when the Lady He was a child, she had encountered a supernatural being and eaten a celestial peach. From then on, she not only abstained from mortal food but could also foresee fortune and misfortune.

The villagers revered her as a fairy, built a temple pavilion for her, and even the scholar-officials frequently went to pay their respects and ask about their fates.

"Lady He... could it be Fairy He?"

Huang Shang's heart stirred, and the eyes of Wu Que and Nightingale lit up as well.

Who didn't know the names of the Eight Immortals?

The origins of Fairy He were debated, but one theory held that she was a common woman from Yong Prefecture during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, whose experiences were roughly similar to what the soldier had described: encountering an immortal in her youth, eating a celestial peach, and later becoming a divine oracle.

Of course, this was [Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils], not [Journey to the East]; Fairy He certainly could not exist here.

It was just unclear what kind of background this person actually had.

Seeing the look of curiosity on Huang Shang's face, Nightingale hurriedly suggested with a beaming smile, "Young master, let's go take a look!"