The next day, as soon as Meng Anci stepped into the Licentiate Institute, he saw Zhao Boyong leaning against the window, staring blankly at the birds in the tree.
Then he heard footsteps, turned around, and smiled bitterly. " Anci, do you think my illness... will allow me to participate in the imperial examination?"
"Of course you can," Meng Anci said, walking to his side. "Why don't you take a day off?"
Zhao Boyong raised an eyebrow indifferently, "It's been going on for more than a day or two, what's there to rest about..."
The Green Mountain Academy holds exams every three months, and the next exam is just around the corner. He wasn't jealous of anyone; he only hated his own body for being so weak. Whenever he studied a little longer or put in a little more effort, he would fall ill.
" Anci... do you think I can pass the imperial examination?" He had been in poor health since childhood, and his father had married a concubine to continue the family line. If he wanted his mother to have a stable life at home, he had to pass the imperial examination.
Meng Anci smiled and comforted him, "My aunt is a very skilled doctor; there's no illness she can't cure. If you're willing to spend the money, I believe you'll definitely get better."
Zhao Boyong's lips twitched. "I think you look like a tout..."
Meng Anci's smile remained unchanged, "Brother Boyong... the reason you fell behind these two times is not because you are not good enough, but because your body does not allow it, or perhaps you are not used to the new environment."
Trust me... go to the Anzhi Hall for treatment, and I guarantee you'll get at least second place in the October exam.
Zhao Boyong asked suspiciously, "Do you really think so?"
Meng Anci blinked his incredibly sincere eyes and nodded repeatedly, "You are very smart, with a very strong comprehension ability. You can remember most of what you've read, if not all of it."
"Believe in yourself, you can do it..." he said, giving Zhao Boyong a fist bump.
Zhao Boyong stared at him intently for a long time, but found no flaws in Meng Anci's words. Even the look in his eyes was sincere and firm.
Zhao Boyong coughed twice, "Alright... I'll trust you this once."
As the two talked, the classroom gradually filled up with people. Shiyan walked in with dark circles under his eyes. He sat down weakly in a chair, tilted his head to the side, and began to stare blankly.
Zhao Yushan nudged him, "Did you go thieving last night?"
Shiyan stared straight ahead and grumbled, "The exam is in a few days. Whether I can maintain my second-to-last place is still unknown. I have to study from dawn till dusk."
He turned to Zhao Yushan and said, "Go back and ask your grandfather if we can send the top-ranked scholars from each county back."
Zhao Yushan scoffed, "I think if anyone's going to be kicked out, it'll be you first."
Shiyan slumped into his chair, reminiscing about how carefree his life was before he met Meng Anci, all because of his competitive spirit.
Now... Shiyan sighed heavily, "I struggled to rise from the bottom of the class in the Licentiate Candidate Institute, only to be thrown back down to square one once I entered the Licentiate Institute."
Zhao Zhiyuan tapped on his desk. "Exams are like a threshold. Those you surpass are stuck outside the threshold, while those you don't surpass have already entered the room."
So, you think your grades are lagging behind, but actually, that's just your true ability.
Upon hearing this, Shiyan let out a wail... "Heavens above, when will this end?"
Master Li entered the room, holding his books. Seeing that Shiyan was sitting and standing improperly, he said displeasedly, " Shiyan, do you think this academy is your home? Sit up straight!"
Shiyan was extremely unwilling, but dared not utter a word, and obediently sat up straight to listen to Master Li's lecture.
A desolate cemetery.
Ghost One floated in mid-air, she felt uneasy because she had messed up the task the boss had given her last time. She decided to scare Boss Zheng again to salvage her image in his eyes.
A moment later, a handsome male ghost floated over from the city. " Yingying, Boss Zheng is at the gambling den on East Street. Now is the perfect time to go."
Ghost One gave a faint "hmm," "Well done. Clean it up properly tonight and come to my grave."
Tang Qiao couldn't suppress a smile. "I'm worried about you going alone... Do you want me to come with you?"
"No need," Ghost One waved her hand confidently, "I have a big boss behind me, no ghost dares to touch me." After saying that, she floated towards the gambling house on East Street.
As soon as she left, the other male ghosts surrounded her, saying in a sarcastic tone, " Tang Qiao, don't be too smug. Don't think that just because you've won Yingying over, she'll take you to be reincarnated."
Let me tell you, we're not pushovers.
Tang Qiao floated to the grave of the Ghost One, his eyes sweeping contemptuously over the ghosts. "I know exactly what you're thinking. Instead of wasting your time on Yingying, you should go and show your faces to the boss."
"What if Yingying really does reincarnate someday? Then the position of ' Ghost One ' will be vacant... Maybe you'll still have a chance? As for who she reincarnates with, that depends on your own abilities."
After saying that, he darted into the grave mound and lay down comfortably in the coffin. He had put in countless unseen efforts to climb into Yingying's coffin. Despite having many handsome men, only he could serve her in bed.
East Street Casino.
Just Ghost One floated over, Boss Zheng was kicked out of the gambling den. The curtain was lifted, and a burly man walked out.
He stepped forward and grabbed Boss Zheng's hair, spitting out the toothpick in his mouth, "Ten taels of silver, with compound interest, it's now thirty taels."
"I'm only sparing your body by chopping you up and feeding you to the dogs because I'm a regular customer. You give me two hundred coins every day... are you treating me like a beggar, or are you trying to humiliate me?"
Boss Zheng was forced to look up, " Brother Scar... I was wrong, I was wrong... Give me a few more days, I'll definitely be able to raise the money."
Scar seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He lightly patted Boss Zheng's cheek, "Raise the money... tell me how to raise it. Do you want me to come to your house to get the land deed?"
"Scarface... Brother Scar..." Boss Zheng's vision blurred, his mouth filled with the taste of blood, "Just two days... My sister-in-law is going to give birth in the next two days, I'm sure I can get the money... If I can't, you can break my arm again..."
Scar chuckled as he looked at the thugs behind him, "His sister-in-law is having a baby, so what? Is your sister-in-law giving birth to your child...?" This remark caused the surrounding people to burst into laughter.
" Brother Scar, believe me... I can definitely pay you back."
"Alright, I'm not an unreasonable person. I'll give you another half month. If you still can't pay back the money, don't blame me for coming to your door and breaking your legs..."
After saying that, he released Boss Zheng's hair, disgustedly rubbed his hands on Zheng's body twice, and turned to enter the gambling den.
The Ghost One floated in mid-air, resting its chin on its hand, watching with great interest.
Seeing Boss Zheng walk out of the alley, it floated behind him and followed him all the way back to Hexi Village, intending to scare him, but it turned out that it was already past midnight.
Ghost One looked at the tightly closed courtyard gate and angrily slammed his fist on the threshold. Damn it... he didn't scare anyone. Luckily, he acted on his own.
If the boss finds out how useless she is, forget about being reincarnated; she might not even be able to keep her throne Ghost One.
Her figure gradually faded away, Ghost One turned into a wisp of green smoke and drifted back to the mass grave. As soon as she crawled into the burial mound, Tang Qiao pounced on her.
Tang Qiao was already handsome, and with his seductive intentions, he quickly charmed Ghost One, making her feel like she was floating on air, and she completely forgot about scaring Boss Zheng.