"Sure, you've got me there. You really know how to guard against everything!"
When the three of them finally entered Jinghu South Circuit, Huang Shang rode in the lead. Nightingale deliberately fell behind and, through gritted teeth, lowered her voice to speak to Wu Que.
Her grand plan to get him into bed had died before it could even get off the ground.
She had used Love Potion, but it hadn't worked.
In Harry Potter, Love Potion was a love-inducing potion that made its target fall intensely in love.
Nightingale's Love Potion was a low-grade version. She hadn't expected it to be as exaggerated as in the original story; she'd only wanted to boost his affection a little, so the ancient scholar wouldn't say no when he was really willing.
But after Nightingale had dripped three drops of Love Potion into the beggar's chicken and Huang Shang had eaten it, his reaction was far from what she'd expected.
Not only had he shown no inclination to do anything naughty with her, but after spending this time developing his Ancestral Aperture and maintaining a Daoist state of mind, his temperament had become more otherworldly, while his fondness for her had diminished considerably.
Nightingale was so frustrated she could have cried. She was convinced Wu Que had sabotaged her.
Wu Que actually wanted to cry even more.
He was different from Xu Yue. Xu Yue was ambitious and wanted Huang Shang to establish an exceptionally strong foundation from the very start, while Wu Que's goal was to form a contract first.
So Wu Que genuinely hoped Huang Shang would cultivate the Bright Jade Art.
But since Huang Shang refused to follow the expected path, many of Wu Que's tricks were impossible to pull off.
Still, seeing Nightingale's clenched-jaw expression, Wu Que suddenly felt great. He chuckled.
Is something bothering you? Tell me about it and make my day.
Nightingale was so angry that her chest heaved. She spurred her horse and caught up with Huang Shang.
The two Reincarnators behind him were secretly at odds, but Huang Shang had no time to spare them a thought.
He was almost home.
When he used to read transmigration stories, what impressed him most was how the protagonist could wake up in someone else's body and, before long, start calling the original owner's parents "Father" and "Mother."
Even if it was just acting, family scenes were the hardest to pull off. It was difficult to capture the natural affection between parents and children.
He didn't yet have what it took to treat strangers with heartfelt warmth as if they were his own parents.
So infiltrating a target's family was a huge test.
Besides, the Reincarnators didn't know Huang Shang's temperament, but his family certainly did—his parents most of all.
It would be tragic if he fooled the Reincarnators, only to be exposed by these characters from the story.
If only there were some way to avoid Huang Shang's family and focus on preparing for the Provincial Examination.
Huang Shang pondered silently.
The Provincial Examination was held in every prefecture. The exam papers were standardized, but the level of competition varied greatly.
The fiercest competition was in Jiangxi and Fujian, lands renowned for their scholars. Five or six thousand people fought for just a dozen or twenty spots!
That was about as competitive as the most coveted civil service posts in later generations. But one had to remember that anyone could take the civil service exams in later times; in this era, not everyone could even afford to study.
Those places were deadly exam districts, but their Literary Qi was exceptionally strong, with an abundance of talented scholars. So when it came to the Presented Scholar examination, the odds reversed.
One out of every ten Jiangxi provincial graduates could become a Presented Scholar. By contrast, in places where the Provincial Examination was easy, not even one in a hundred would pass the Presented Scholar exam.
Hard first, easy later. Easy first, hard later.
By that reckoning, it was fair after all.
Huang Shang's home prefecture, Yong Prefecture, was somewhere in the middle-to-lower range.
Before returning home, he had already asked a fellow student from Zhang Zai's school to look into it. This year, more than two hundred students would sit Yong Prefecture's Provincial Examination, and ten would be selected.
One in twenty or so.
With Huang Shang's current scholarship, he was confident of passing even in a deadly exam district. There was no way he could justify avoiding his family.
He thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with a way around the problem. He could only meet whatever came with whatever he had.
The three rode hard, and before long, Yong Prefecture came into view in the distance.
Since ancient times, this had been an important transportation hub. The Xiang River ran north to the Yangtze, while the Ling Canal led south to the Pearl River, making the region a gateway connecting Hunan with Guangxi, Hainan, western Guangdong, and the southwest.
Yong Prefecture was also the hometown of famous figures such as Huaisu and Huang Gai. When Liu Zongyuan was banished here during the Tang dynasty, he wrote the Eight Records of Yong Prefecture, which had a tremendous influence. Later, many scholars chose this place when they were banished, too—a choice that left people not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Yong Prefecture was now divided into three counties.
Lingling County, Qiyang County, and Dong'an County.
Even in modern times, all three places still had the same names.
Huang Shang's home was in Dong'an County.
The poorest place of them all.
A child from the mountains had made it out.
"Here's our chance again!"
Watching Huang Shang's retreating figure, Wu Que and Nightingale exchanged a glance. It was as if sparks were crackling in the air between them.
Another chance to get closer to him.
Winning over his family was also an extremely effective approach.
Take Xiao Feng, for example. After successfully saving A'zhu, he'd already won half the battle.
If they took care of these characters' families and made sure they had no worries, the characters would be much more likely to leave the world with the Reincarnators.
They would take care of Huang Shang's family.
Happy New Year, big brother and sister-in-law!
They rubbed their hands together, unaware that although Huang Shang's face showed how eager he was to return home, his eyes darted from side to side, hoping something unexpected would happen.
As it turned out, his luck was good.
Something really did happen.
To reach Dong'an County, they first had to pass through Lingling County, Yong Prefecture's political center and the location of the Examination Hall where the Provincial Examination would be held.
When the three rode into the county, strange expressions soon appeared on their faces.
The streets were packed.
Looking down the road, they saw people coming and going in numbers that made it almost as lively as the streets of Kaifeng Prefecture.
But Kaifeng Prefecture was the capital. This was only a small county!
Huang Shang noticed that though the crowd was thick, everyone was moving in the same direction. His eyes flickered, and he walked over to a patrol soldier at the roadside. After cupping his hands in greeting, he asked, "May I ask what day it is today?"
Seeing that Huang Shang was young, yet had an extraordinary bearing, the patrol soldier guessed he might be the son of a wealthy family and didn't dare slight him. He answered at once, "Young master, you must not know. Fairy He's temple is opening today, and all the local gentry and common folk are heading there to seek answers about their fortunes!"
A thoughtful look came over Huang Shang's face. A waft of fragrant breeze passed beside him, and Nightingale had already pulled a string of coins from her dainty purse and handed them over. "Little brother, could you tell us more?"
Wu Que was a step too slow. He put on an awkward but polite smile and looked at the patrol soldier expectantly, too.
The soldier thought the scholar's servant and maid were a little odd. He weighed the coins in his hand, then began to explain.
It turned out that when Fairy He had been young, she'd encountered an Inhuman and eaten a magic peach. From then on, she had given up ordinary food and could even foresee good fortune and disaster.
The locals revered her as a fairy and had built a temple for her. Even the scholar-officials often came to pay their respects and ask her about their fortunes.
Fairy He—could it be Fairy He?
Huang Shang's thoughts stirred. Wu Que and Nightingale's eyes lit up, too.
Who didn't know the names of the Eight Immortals?
There were many theories about Fairy He's origins. One held that she was a young woman from Yong Prefecture during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, and that her story was much like what the patrol soldier had described: as a child, she met an immortal and ate a magic peach, then went on to become a renowned fortune-teller.
Of course, this was Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, not Journey to the East. Fairy He certainly couldn't be real.
But then, what was this woman's true story?
Seeing the curiosity on Huang Shang's face, Nightingale hurriedly suggested with a bright smile, "Young master, let's go take a look!"
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