Hold Back

Seeing Su Ziji hesitate, Fang Xi added, "Our fathers have known each other for years. We hit it off at first sight, and perhaps we will even be fellow graduates in the future. Brother Su, you are a true man—what are a few taels of silver? Must you put on airs and refuse even a friend's gift?"

This was simply Fang Xi's nature. He was broad-minded and somewhat careless, not delicate in such matters, nor did he worry that abruptly lending silver might make someone feel awkward. Had it been Yu Lü, he would likely have handled it more tactfully.

The old Su Ziji would probably have refused. But now that he had recovered the memories of his past life, he was no longer the man who had stubbornly kept up appearances and been schemed against. He had refused yesterday because one should not accept a reward without merit; this was different, a gift from a friend. Besides, the Prefectural Examination required money at every turn, and the silver in his hands truly would not suffice. There was no need to reject Fang Xi's help.

Since they were friends, he could repay it double later.

"Then I shall respectfully accept. I'll return it to you later." Su Ziji smiled, took it, and slipped it into his robes without even looking at it.

Seeing that he did not fuss or put on airs, Fang Xi was in even better spirits. Feeling that he had completed the task his father had assigned him, he clasped his hands in salute. "Then I'll be going. We'll meet again in the prefectural city."

"See you in the prefectural city." Su Ziji weighed it in his hand. "Ten taels? That truly is no small sum. Now I have the expenses for the Prefectural Examination."

As for what he would do if he failed the Prefectural Examination?

Su Ziji truly was not worried. There was certainly cheating in the Imperial Examinations, but only fools let a single leaf blind their eyes. The reason was simple: officials born of bloodlines protected bloodlines, while officials who had risen through the Imperial Examinations protected the examinations. In the era when the Imperial Examinations flourished in his world, apart from the Qing Dynasty, where major cheating scandals occurred repeatedly and investigations invariably revealed Manchu nobles as the instigators, though the punishment often fell upon Han officials.

In the Ming Dynasty, if a prime minister's son lacked talent, at most he could become a Provincial Graduate; he could not become a Presented Scholar.

Yan Song, who had held sway over court and country for nearly twenty years, had been unable to secure a Presented Scholar degree for his own son, Yan Shifan. The privilege of hereditary appointment to study and hold office had also ensured that Yan Shifan could never truly enter the central government.

In this age, with the Imperial Examinations flourishing and countless people rising through them, there were certainly tricks and shady dealings within. But talented people could still make their way to the fore.

His Four Books and Five Classics had reached Level 7. He should be able to pass. As long as he became a Cultivated Talent, the debts he owed would become comparatively easy to repay.

Thinking this, he did not slow his feet as he turned away.

"Eh?"

Not far away, Wild Daoist happened to witness the scene and showed a startled expression.

Wild Daoist had an ordinary face, the sort that would vanish into a crowd and be impossible to find again. His brows drew together slightly as he muttered, "This is bad. It would have been one thing if Su Ziji had merely become an Examination Student, but he has actually found himself a patron!"

Strictly speaking, an Examination Student did not count as having earned a degree, but he was already registered with the authorities. The Fang Family was a Provincial Graduate household, one of fewer than ten in the entire county. Naturally, Wild Daoist knew them. Unease filled his heart, and he secretly regretted it. Had I known, I would not have made an enemy of him. It seems my physiognomy truly has flaws.

"Alas, I possess talent yet go unrecognized. When will I encounter an enlightened master?"

He spent a few coins to catch an ox cart and headed for Boss Zhang's place.

"Mr. Lu, you're finally back. Big Brother was just asking about you," the first person Wild Daoist encountered upon reaching their hideout immediately said.

Wild Daoist's heart stirred. "I'll go see him now!"

Zhang Dacuo did not have a particularly good temper. Wild Daoist was not afraid of him, but they had always supported one another; otherwise, he himself would not have made much money. Moreover, this matter needed discussion.

Sure enough, the moment he entered Boss Zhang's small courtyard, he heard shouting and curses from within. Zhang Dacuo was berating his underlings again.

"Big Brother, Lu Fengxian is back!" Someone with sharp eyes glanced out the window, spotted Wild Daoist's figure, and immediately announced it.

Zhang Dacuo's face darkened like water as he snapped, "What Lu Fengxian? Call him Mr. Lu!"

Lu Fengxian had once followed him around, but the man did possess some skill and had made a name for himself. Zhang Dacuo had to give him some face.

Only when he saw Wild Daoist enter did his expression brighten into a smile. "Brother Lu, what brings you here today?"

Wild Daoist pretended not to understand the implication. The past was the past, but now that he had gained a reputation known even throughout the commandery, things were naturally different. He merely said, "I came to report to Brother Zhang that Su Ziji has been associating with the Fang Family. Young Master Fang Xi personally brought him back in an ox cart just now."

"You mean he is associating with Provincial Graduate Fang?" Zhang Dacuo was startled.

"Yes. Before they parted, I saw Fang Xi give him travel expenses as well. I could not tell how much, but it was at least five taels." Wild Daoist's eye for such things was still sharp.

Zhang Dacuo could no longer sit still. He paced back and forth through the room, his brows tightly knotted.

The two men who had come to Linhua County had already left. Zhang Dacuo had originally intended to send people to watch Su Ziji and find an opportunity to strike, preventing him from taking the Prefectural Examination.

Now that Su Ziji was an Examination Student, Zhang Dacuo did not dare kill him. But if Su Ziji happened to encounter hooligans fighting and got caught up in it, leaving his face disfigured or his leg broken, then he could only count himself unlucky.

One had to know that a disfigured face or broken leg barred one from the Imperial Examinations. It could ruin Su Ziji for life.

Now Su Ziji had latched onto Provincial Graduate Fang. Provincial Graduate Fang was not merely a Provincial Graduate. Though the Fang Family had produced only two Provincial Graduates and several Cultivated Talents in the last two generations, the power of their clan could not be underestimated. More importantly, the Fang Family was tied to the Zheng Family by marriage, and the Zheng Family had produced a Presented Scholar!

How could such a great clan and powerful surname be casually provoked?

"Brother Lu, what do you think we should do?" Zhang Dacuo waved his hand irritably, ordering his underlings out before asking.

"At the root of it, this matter began because of Mount Tong Temple. We cannot keep shouldering everything ourselves. Mount Tong Temple ought to shield us from wind and rain as well." Seeing Zhang Dacuo's gloomy expression, Wild Daoist added, "Brother Zhang, we do not share some irreconcilable blood feud with Su Ziji. Why must we fight to the bitter end?"

"The little silver Mount Tong Temple gave us is not worth our lives!"

"You no longer want Mount Tong Temple's Dao formula?" Zhang Dacuo looked sidelong at Wild Daoist.

"Brother Zhang, you understand me. My original inheritance was the Dragon-Slaying Art: observing the heavens, examining the earth, and calculating men's schemes. Unfortunately, my fate was poor, and I learned only thirty percent of it."

At this point, Wild Daoist grew somewhat melancholy, a bitter smile surfacing on his face. "More importantly, by the time I finished learning, the struggle for the realm was already nearing its end. Now the realm is at peace, and all within the four seas have submitted. Where is there any use for the Dragon-Slaying Art?"

"I can only work at Qimen Dunjia, feng shui, and physiognomy to scrape out a living."

"Do not be fooled by how warmly those who seek readings and feng shui receive me when they need me. In truth, they do not treat me as a person at all. I am already a lowly physiognomist of the ninth rank, with no descendants. That is why I wanted Mount Tong Temple's Dao formula. I am not afraid of the three afflictions and five deficiencies. If I can cultivate into a Ghost Immortal, I will be completely satisfied."

"You've gone in circles for so long. What exactly are you trying to say?" Zhang Dacuo was becoming impatient.

"What I mean is—Su Family's ancestral graves look ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, something is wrong. I cannot say what is wrong, but something is."

"I will not involve myself in this matter anymore. No matter how good the Dao formula is, it is not as good as keeping one's life. We have known each other for some time, so today I am urging you to hold back. Do not capsize your boat in a gutter." Wild Daoist's smile vanished as he spoke solemnly.

Zhang Dacuo could not help feeling his heart pound and his flesh tremble. He paced around the room several times, then let out a long sigh. "I still trust your words. But once aboard the ship, it is hard to get off. I sent men to dig up the Su Family's ancestral graves, and two of my brothers died as well. It could not possibly have been Su Ziji, that frail scholar, who killed them, yet I have always suspected he is connected to it."

"Tell me, if Su Ziji becomes a Provincial Graduate and investigates the matter of the Su Family's ancestral graves, what will happen? Paper cannot wrap fire!"

"Even if you did not participate directly, can you truly sever your ties to it? When that time comes, how will Su Ziji see you?"

Digging up someone's ancestral graves was no different from killing their parents. It was a blood feud that could never be untied. And how could the small gangs and societies in the county possibly handle affairs without a seam? One of the lackeys might let it slip while drinking.

Seeing Wild Daoist struck speechless, Zhang Dacuo slammed his hand down heavily and bared a ferocious grin. "Since such a deep blood feud has already been formed, we must kill Su Ziji. But you are right—we cannot be the only ones to act. Mount Tong Temple must step forward too!"