Guessing the exam questions

"Master, everything is packed."

Wearing a white, layered, and elaborate silk dress, with exquisite makeup, the stunningly beautiful Su Su spoke in a sweet voice.

Li Miaozhen nodded slightly, opened the sachet tied to her waist, and a vortex-like suction force surged out, drawing in more than a dozen ghosts inside the general's tent.

"What a pity, you still haven't been able to break through to the fourth rank." Su Su sighed and said:

"Otherwise, given the level of the disciples of the Human Sect, they would have no match for you."

"The Nascent Soul isn't something that can be achieved so easily," Li Miaozhen sighed helplessly.

She's been stuck at the Golden Core stage for two whole years.

The banditry in Yunzhou has been eradicated. Li Miaozhen, in cooperation with the local Yunzhou army and two Jinluo (a military officer), attacked the mountains and captured the strongholds, leveling the largest strongholds and eliminating dozens of smaller ones.

Of course, the banditry in Yunzhou was like a leech, having thrived on this land for hundreds of years, and it couldn't be eradicated so easily.

In a few years, it will rise from the ashes and sprout again.

The current results are the best that the local army can achieve. Yunzhou will be stable for many years, and Li Miaozhen is very satisfied with the outcome.

Next, she will go about her own business—the struggle between Celestial Person and man!

The Heavenly Sect and the Human Sect hold a Daoist debate every sixty years. Before this, outstanding young disciples from both sects clash to warm up for the battle between Celestial Person and Man.

Li Miaozhen is one of the most outstanding disciples of the Heavenly Sect in this generation. The other is Li Miaozhen's senior brother, who is also a member of the Heaven and Earth Society and holds the seventh fragment of the Earth Book.

However, that guy was in Northeast China and disappeared after soliciting prostitutes.

"It's a pity that annoying jerk is dead, otherwise he could have helped me investigate the massacre of the Su family," Su Su suddenly said.

Looking at Mei, who had accompanied her as she grew up, Li Miaozhen had a sudden thought. In fact, Su Su's home was not in the capital. Even if that guy wanted to investigate, he couldn't possibly leave the capital and travel thousands of miles to investigate an old case.

Su Su understood this principle, but she always mentioned it from time to time, seemingly regretting the massacre of her family, but actually regretting that shameless man.

Therefore, one must be detached from worldly emotions, Li Miaozhen thought to herself.

The passing of loved ones brings unbearable grief. A lover's change of heart breeds resentment. All human emotions and desires are karmic fire; hence the saying that deep affection is short-lived.

Only ruthlessness can endure forever.

After leaving the military tent with Su Su, more than four hundred Flying Swallow soldiers gathered in the square, waiting quietly.

Four hundred soldiers disarmed themselves.

Li Miaozhen slowly scanned the soldiers. Some of them had changed into civilian clothes, some wore coarse linen clothes, some looked like wealthy old men, and some were dressed like beggars. This was their original appearance.

The Flying Swallow Army was a ragtag army, with members from all over the country, including disciples of the Beggars' Sect, wandering rogues, and chivalrous thieves who robbed the rich to help the poor.

They all gathered in Yunzhou and formed an army because of one person: the Flying Swallow Heroine.

Now that Li Miaozhen is leaving, the army will naturally disband.

After the bandit suppression ended, Yang Chuannan privately approached Li Miaozhen, wanting to incorporate the Flying Swallow Army into the regular army and train it into Yunzhou's elite force. He hoped she could persuade the soldiers of the Flying Swallow Army to stay in Yunzhou.

But no one wanted to stay.

"Over the past year, we have fought side by side, eliminating hundreds of mountain strongholds of all sizes and beheading thousands of bandits. Wherever we went, the people were able to rest and recuperate without fear of bandits. Wherever we went, merchants were able to trade and make a living. Wherever we went, the light of justice shone down."

"Li Miaozhen thanks all her brothers for their unwavering companionship. However, all good things must come to an end. The Yunzhou trip has come to a close, and I will continue my journey. You should also go home and reunite with your families and friends."

"Life's journey is long, sometimes bumpy, sometimes smooth, sometimes bitter, sometimes joyful. I hope everyone will remember their time in Yunzhou and never forget their original aspirations."

At this point, Li Miaozhen looked at the four hundred soldiers, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and said in a firm and powerful voice, "Do good deeds and don't worry about the future."

Four hundred soldiers clasped their fists, their shouts like a raging tide:

Do good deeds and don't worry about the future.

This is the Flying Swallow Heroine they are willing to pledge allegiance to and follow.

Southern Frontier.

The Gu clan is called a barbarian clan not because they eat raw meat and drink blood, but because they are based on Gu, and their cultivation system and lifestyle are in line with Gu insects.

Only in this way can the Gu worms be cultivated and assimilated with the Gu.

To put it more accurately, the Gu Clan's development followed a "Gu-centric" path, thus its level of civilization could not compare with that of the "human-centric" Great Feng, the Western Regions, and the Northeastern countries.

The gap between civilizations is reflected in all aspects, the most obvious of which are culture and architecture.

The Gu tribe still uses ancient pictographic writing, and their architecture mainly consists of mud houses and thatched huts. They use pottery instead of porcelain.

However, their clothing was not much different from that of the common people of Great Feng. The Gu tribe of the Southern Frontier was skilled in mulberry cultivation and silkworm breeding, and the silk they collected was of several times higher quality than that of Great Feng people of Da Feng.

However, they were not skilled in weaving, so their high-quality silk was often bought at low prices by merchants from Great Feng, or they were bartered with ready-made cloth.

Boshan stretches for hundreds of miles and is rich in natural resources.

The mountains teem with birds and beasts, and are home to countless herbs and wild fruits. Below the mountains lies a fertile land crisscrossed by rivers, where the stronghold of the Li Gu tribe is located.

The Ligu tribe cultivated thousands of acres of land on this plain. Some tribesmen farmed, while others hunted. They bartered with each other and lived a life of plenty.

Mo Sang, carrying a horn bow, led a group of young men back from the hunt. Some carried wild boars weighing hundreds of kilograms, while others carried colorful pheasants, returning with a bounty full.

Mosan saw his younger sister Lina picking vegetables with the women in the fields at the foot of the mountain.

Lina wore a simple cloth dress, revealing her two long and shapely calves. The climate in the Southern Frontier was hot, and the Great Feng skirts and long sleeves of the Da Feng dynasty could not be worn here, so the Gu people would cut and modify the Great Feng clothing.

The skirt hem only reached the knees, and the sleeves were short, only reaching the elbows.

"Lina!"

Mo Sang called out, and only after his sister looked up did he continue, "Grandma Tian Gu sent a message via Snow Eagle yesterday, asking you to see her today. Why are you still dawdling here?"

Lina was clearly taken aback, then slapped her forehead. "Oh dear, I forgot! Mosang, why didn't you remind me sooner?"

Mosang heard the men behind him burst into laughter, and the women in the field joined in.

The atmosphere was filled with merriment, but Mo Sang felt somewhat embarrassed and turned to the men angrily, shouting, "What are you laughing at?"

On the other side, Lina, wearing soft cloth boots, washed her hands by the stream, intending to go to the Tiangu tribe, a hundred miles away.

Seeing this, Mo Sang quickly called out, "The Heavenly Gu Clan's dam has a hole; remember to help repair it."

"Okay!" Lina replied crisply and ran off.

Compared to the Li Gu tribe, the Tian Gu tribe is more like a county town of the Great Feng Dynasty. Although it is simpler, it has moved away from thatched huts and mainly consists of mud houses and brick houses.

The Tian Gu tribe was built at the foot of Luoxia Mountain. From the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, terraced fields stretched out in rows. There was a dam on the mountain, which suddenly broke yesterday, washing away the terraced fields.

Lina, who often played in various places when she was young, climbed Luoxia Mountain with ease. After trekking through the mountains for a long time, she saw the collapsed dam.

Dozens of people from the Heavenly Gu Clan were seen standing at the edge of the reservoir, led by the white-haired Heavenly Gu Granny.

Lina's gaze swept past them and landed on the reservoir, where the corpse of a monster floated on the surface. The monster was over ten zhang long, its body covered with black scales, with a pointed head, a long and thin neck, and thin membranes on its claws.

Granny Tian Gu noticed Lina and waved to her.

Lina leaped lightly among the rocks and arrived in front of Granny Tiangu, asking sweetly, "Granny, what kind of monster is that?"

"Jiao!"

Granny Tiangu smiled kindly, "I don't know where they came from, they destroyed the dam, and washed away all the rice seedlings that the tribe had just planted."

"Oh."

This was Lina's first time seeing a jiao (a type of dragon), but she had heard of it. These monsters lived in the densely interwoven waters of Southern Frontier and roamed freely along underground rivers.

Lina's uncle was supposedly eaten by a dragon while playing in the water.

"Help me collect some stones to plug the gap as soon as possible," Granny Tiangu said.

Okay!

Lina was an expert at manual labor, and she immediately ran off. In less than a quarter of an hour, everyone heard heavy footsteps and looked in the direction of the sound. A "stone mountain" was slowly moving.

This rocky mountain is over 20 zhang (60-70 meters) high, and if thrown into the reservoir, it could create raging waves.

The rocky mountain wasn't moved there on its own; Lina carried it over. However, compared to the twenty-foot-tall boulder, she was as insignificant as an ant.

The members of the Heavenly Gu Clan remained unfazed, seemingly accustomed to it all along.

Among the seven tribes of the Gu clan, the Li Gu tribe is known for its superhuman strength. Lina's father, Long Tu, was a true mountain mover. When he fought against Great Feng, he carried a mountain and threw it at the army, killing thousands of people.

The boulder was slowly moved to the vicinity of the dam, and then with a loud bang, Lina put it down.

Standing on the dam and looking down, everyone saw Lina slowly lower her waist, steady herself in a horse stance, and after a few breaths, suddenly let out a roar and punched the surface of the boulder.

With a cracking sound, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the boulder, and they spread rapidly, disintegrating into pieces of rubble in an instant.

Now, the materials to repair the dam are available, saving the Tiangu tribe from the hard work of collecting them and greatly reducing time and labor costs.

Leaving the tribespeople behind to repair the dam, Granny Tiangu led Lina down the mountain and back to her dwelling, a courtyard house with a skylight.

Granny Tian Gu's daughter-in-law was drying the corpses of Gu worms used as medicinal ingredients in the yard, while her son was raising Gu worms in the backyard.

Granny Tian Gu led Lina straight into the house, took out a wooden box from the cabinet, and opened it with a "click." Inside lay a white jade-like insect, shaped like a scorpion, with six segments.

The two dark eyes on the top of its head make it look rather cute.

"This is the Seven Deadly Gu that my mother-in-law's husband refined. Before he passed away, he had only completed half of it. My mother-in-law spent twenty years finally finishing it." Granny Gu pushed the box towards Lina and said:

"I'm entrusting it to you for safekeeping now."

"For me?" Lina asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's not for you, it's for your safekeeping. You should give it to someone who is destined to receive it in the future."

A string of question marks flashed through Lina's mind.

She was completely bewildered by what was happening when she was suddenly gifted the Seven Deadly Gu and asked to pass it on to a destined person.

Granny Tiangu closed the box and said, "Do you remember the story I told you about the two thieves?"

Lina nodded vigorously. "I remember."

At the same time, she thought of Number Three. Speaking of which, Number Three hadn't sent any messages for a long time, and the Earth Book chat group had returned to its previous calm.

"There is a legend in the Heavenly Gu Clan that on the day the Gu God revives, the entire Southern Frontier, and even the Nine Provinces, will be transformed into a world of Gu. Although the Gu Clan survives by raising and refining Gu, Gu is merely a tool; we are still human."

Granny Tiangu's eyes revealed a complex expression. "This is not a legend, but the doomsday deduced by generations of the Tiangu tribe. In order to glimpse this future, many predecessors suffered the backlash of heavenly secrets."

"In order to keep the Gu God asleep forever, twenty years ago, the old man came up with a plan. He was going to steal something to suppress the Gu God and keep it asleep for generations to come."

"So he left the Southern Frontier and was never heard from again. Not long after, his natal Gu (a type of magical insect) in the tribe withered, and that's when I learned he was dead."

"What was stolen?" Lina asked, clutching the wooden box, her eyes, as blue as the ocean, sparkling with curiosity.

Granny Tian Gu shook her head, patted Lina's hand, and said in a kind voice, "Grandma is old and can't withstand the backlash from the heavenly secrets."

That's why they say heavenly secrets should not be revealed.

"Last night, I glimpsed a shift in fate. That thing is about to be born, Lina, and you are also involved." Granny Tiangu stared intently at her.

"I?"

Lina blinked her blue eyes, unable to understand how she, an ordinary child, could appear in Granny Tian Gu's "story".

"Go to the capital. Your cultivation is sufficient; you just lack experience. This is a good opportunity to travel to the mortal world," Granny Tiangu added.

"I've discussed this with your father, and he agrees."

Going to the capital. Lina examined the wooden box in her hand and found that she wasn't too resistant to such a thing. The first things that came to her mind were Number Three, Number One, and Master Jinlian.

At noon, the warm sunshine hung in the sky, Xu Residence was filled with laughter and joy.

Tables of food and drink were set up in the courtyard. The tables on the left were for members of the Xu clan, while the tables on the right were for Xu Pingzhi and Xu Qi'an's colleagues and old friends.

The magistrate of Changle County and the quick-witted constables were among them, as was Lu Qing, the chief constable of the prefectural government.

Unfortunately, Li Yuchun, Song Tingfeng, and others were in Yunzhou and unable to attend the banquet.

Xu Pingzhi led Xu Qi'an to toast each table. Xu Qi'an was initially just going through the motions, but when he heard everyone congratulating him and calling him "Viscount," he suddenly fell in love with the feeling.

When they reached County Magistrate Zhu's table, the fat, big-eared magistrate sighed, "I have a niece, a beautiful young woman of sixteen. I originally intended to marry her to Ningyan, but it seems that's not going to happen now."

County Magistrate Zhu's daughter is already married; otherwise, she could barely be a match for Xu Qi'an. His niece, however, is not suitable; her status is insufficient.

Head Constable Wang chuckled and chimed in, "Ningyan is a viscount now. The only ones worthy of him are ladies from noble families and heiresses."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Lu Qing, who was sitting at the next table, heard this and felt very uncomfortable, feeling melancholy and dejected.

Originally, given her position as the chief constable of the prefectural government, she would have been more than qualified to be paired with a Nightwatchers. Moreover, they were colleagues, making it a perfect match.

However, after Xu Qi'an was granted a title and entered the aristocratic class, he certainly could not marry a female constable as his principal wife, as it would be against etiquette.

The banquet lasted until 1:30 PM. Xu Qi'an and his Second Uncle Xu were responsible for seeing the guests off, while his aunt directed the servants to clean up the mess.

At three-quarters past Shen time, Xu Erlang returned with his servants and maids.

As expected of a mother, her aunt instructed the cook to reheat a table of leftovers from lunch for Erlang.

"Erlang, rest well after you finish eating. You have to get up early tomorrow to take the imperial examination." The aunt diligently served her son food.

It's not mealtime yet, but Xu Erlang has to get up early tomorrow, so he needs to eat early and get some rest. Poor sleep will affect his exam tomorrow.

Xu Qi'an sat to one side drinking tea, and suddenly asked, "Erlang, what are the subjects tested in the imperial examination?"

While eating, Xu Erlang gave a brief introduction. "Policy Questions, Classical Texts, and Poetry."

He paused, then said, "Starting with the late emperor, poetry was removed from the imperial examinations. It wasn't until the eleventh year of the Yuanjing era, when Wang Zhenwen entered the Grand Secretariat, that poetry was reinstated under his guidance."

During the two centuries of the struggle for Confucian School orthodoxy, the poetry scene declined to the point of withdrawing from the imperial examination system.

"If my elder brother were to take the imperial examinations, he could at least revitalize the poetry scene, if not everything else," Xu Erlang commented objectively. He took a sip of wine, then turned to his father and said quietly:

"Since the end of last year, my eldest brother has gained a reputation in the poetry world, and my father has gradually become famous as well."

Xu Pingzhi, who was playing with his daughter Xu Lingyin sitting on his lap, was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with joy and he burst into laughter:

"Actually, it's because my Dalang is exceptionally gifted. I didn't really cultivate him much. These scholars just like to make a mountain out of a molehill. How did they praise me?"

Xu Xinnian smirked. "I'm praising you for being a heartless person."

"???"

Xu Pingzhi slammed his fist on the table in anger. "This is outrageous! What gives them the right to say that?"

Xu Erlang glanced at his elder brother and chuckled, "The more poems you write, the more infamous you become, Father. Who knows, you might even go down in history someday."

That night, Xu Pingzhi was so worried that he couldn't sleep.

Her aunt scolded, "The person isn't even dead yet, and you're already worrying about your reputation hundreds of years from now? What a waste of your time!"

"A woman's view." Xu Pingzhi snorted, looking worried. "Erlang has the potential to be a prime minister, Dalang will also leave his mark on history. When future generations evaluate them, they will all praise them. But as for me, there are only four words: I'm a worthless son."

The aunt muttered, "At least he'll be remembered in history. By the way, I have something to tell you. What if Erlang is sent on a mission to another region in the future? Can you find a way to keep him in the capital?"

"Don't even think about it. He's a student at the Cloud Deer Academy, so being sent away is unavoidable. Hopefully, it won't be too far," Xu Pingzhi said helplessly.

Students of the Cloud Deer Academy have virtually no chance of entering the power center of the capital's officialdom. Most are assigned to various prefectures and regions, and even those who remain in the capital only hold minor official positions.

"Why don't you go talk to Ningyan? He's Nightwatchers and knows the princess; he'll surely have a solution." The aunt sat on the bed with her legs bent, her delicate brows slightly furrowed in the candlelight.

"This is a matter for the Ministry of Personnel, what does it have to do with the Nightwatchers?" Xu Pingzhi lowered his voice:

"The Nightwatchers watchman, who oversees all officials, is most hated by civil officials. Ningyan's involvement will only backfire."

My aunt flopped onto the bed, hugging her pillow, her brow furrowed in worry.

"Knock knock knock"

Xu Xinnian, dressed in a white shirt and about to go to sleep, heard a knock on the door. He opened it and saw Xu Qi'an standing outside.

"What does my brother want with me?"

Xu Qi'an scrutinized his handsome younger brother, with his rosy lips and white teeth, and grinned, "Come here and guess the question."

PS: I need to look up some information about the imperial examinations in the next chapter. Although I won't be focusing on the provincial examinations, I still need to have a general understanding of them.

Since I'm being so serious, how about casting Extended Net Moon? If not, I can whine and beg for your help.

I'll update this first, then revise it. I'll continue writing the next chapter and correct the typos later.