The sunset poured down like molten gold, dyeing the sky into a sea of crimson flames.
Amid the rolling clouds, it seemed as though a Vermilion Bird spread its wings. Golden-red streams of light fell from the heavens, gilding the flagstone road beneath their feet.
"Uncle, do you think you can take first place?" Jiang Yiming asked as they headed back. "If you take first place, will you get to ride through the streets on horseback?"
"The martial examination results will be posted tomorrow. We'll know tomorrow!" Jiang Ning walked slowly with his hands behind his back, the dark patterns on his black training garb appearing and vanishing beneath the sunset's glow.
He did not care much about becoming the martial examination's top scorer.
For him, earning the title of Martial Scholar was enough.
First, it would grant him official status. Second, it would qualify him to take the provincial examination in the prefectural city that summer.
That was what mattered.
As for being the top scorer of Dongling Commandery's martial examination—
In his eyes, it was merely a pleasant-sounding title.
Besides, Yan Youjiao had received the same three top-grade evaluations as he had. Jiang Ning felt that his odds of taking first place in the martial examination's preliminary test were slim.
After all, the written assessment of the martial examination was easy to manipulate behind the scenes.
And Yan Youjiao was Commandant Yan's second son.
With Commandant Yan around, Jiang Ning held little hope.
Even setting aside the friction between himself and Commandant Yan—such as how he had intercepted and shot Cao Rong, one of Commandant Yan's capable subordinates—
The father-son relationship between Commandant Yan and Yan Youjiao alone was enough to give Yan Youjiao a ninety percent chance of claiming first place.
When they returned home—
Cooking smoke