The final session of the metropolitan examination

Lina was deeply moved by the concern shown to her by the members of the Heaven and Earth Society, and recounted in detail how she had been deceived:

[Thank you all for your concern. I'm in Yongzhou. This morning I met an old Daoist priest who said I have extraordinary bone structure and am a genius, one in ten thousand. I think he is a truly wise person; otherwise, how could he have discovered my specialness among the masses?]

No, it's just a scammer's opening line. Are you really that stupid, or do you just have an inflated sense of self-importance?! Xu Qi'an suppressed the urge to send a message to complain.

[Part Two: And then you were completely unsuspecting and got tricked by him?]

Li Miaozhen said with a hint of disappointment.

She encountered such injustice, yet she couldn't get there in time and felt powerless. This feeling was terrible, and she was so angry she jumped up and down.

Lina quickly sent a letter to defend herself. "[Of course I'm not that stupid.]"

"If you're not stupid, then who is?" the members of the Heaven and Earth Society thought to themselves.

[This Daoist priest is truly skilled; not only did he discover I was a genius, but he also discerned that I was from Southern Frontier. When I left Southern Frontier, I changed into the clothes of the Great Feng, completely disguising myself as a woman from that Great Feng.]

[4: What about your accent? Has it changed?]

[5: What's your accent?]

The Earth Book chat group fell silent briefly. Master Hengyuan then sent a message: [It's alright, Number Five, you can continue.]

[5: The old Daoist priest said that when traveling, travel expenses are the most important thing. He asked me where I was going, and I told him that I was going to the capital. The old Daoist priest then asked me how much silver I had, and I told him that I had sixty taels.]

He then said that the journey to the capital was long and sixty taels of silver was not enough.

Upon hearing this, everyone knew that the swindler was up to his trick.

[Five: The old Daoist priest said he had a treasure bowl that could make silver accumulate. Putting in a single coin would yield a full bowl of coins the next day. Putting in an ounce would turn it into a bowl of silver the following day.]

[Four: Did you believe it?]

[5: I didn't believe it at first, but the old Daoist priest demonstrated it to me. He told me to put in a piece of silver and cover the treasure basin with a strip of cloth. An hour later, there were indeed several more pieces of silver.]

The old Daoist priest said that his Law Treasure were only given to those with a predestined connection, so he sold them to me for a mere sixty taels of silver.

[I put the last two coins I had into the treasure bowl, and more than two hours have passed, but no silver has yet appeared.]

Number Five's IQ is truly touching. Xu Qi'an laughed. Sure enough, to swindle money from Xiao Man Niu, stealing and robbing are useless; deception is the only way.

[Second: Number five, this Law Treasure is priceless and extremely rare. How could someone give it to you for no reason? You must remember this lesson.]

[Five: But Master Jinlian only gave me the fragment of the Earth Book. He said before that Law Treasure are only given to those with a predestined connection.]

[Second: It's all the Daoist priest's fault.]

Master Jinlian: "."

"Hahahaha." Xu Qi'an laughed like a pig.

"Jinlian's original intention in establishing the Heaven and Earth Society was to help each other, not to ridicule each other."

Suddenly, a soft, melodious voice came from behind, possessing the charm of a mature woman.

The pig's squeal abruptly stopped. Xu Qi'an, slightly embarrassed, turned his head to look at Luo Yuheng, who had appeared out of nowhere, and quickly stood up to bow. "Imperial Preceptor."

Luo Yuheng wore a magnificent feathered robe, carried a Tai Chi diagram on her back, and her jet-black hair was tied up with a black jade hairpin. Her fair face was like porcelain, and her features were delicate and beautiful, making her as beautiful as a celestial being.

A touch of vermilion between the eyebrows adds an ethereal quality.

Her gaze fell on the fragments of the Earth Book, a hint of amusement in her eyes, and she said calmly, "Is Number Five a member of the Gu Clan of Southern Frontier?"

"You know that? How long have you been watching me from behind?" Xu Qi'an answered truthfully, "It seems to be from the Power Gu Tribe."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yuheng nodded slowly and commented, "His superhuman strength is unparalleled in the world."

Xu Qi'an glanced furtively at the Imperial Preceptor's cherry-like lips, "Stronger than a martial artist?"

Luo Yuheng, with her aloof and serene demeanor, was like a beautiful woman sculpted from white jade. She returned to her futon and sat down, saying, "In terms of strength alone, a martial artist is far inferior to the experts of the Power Gu Clan."

"The seven tribes of the Gu Clan have overly simplistic methods; any single tribe is not a threat, but if all seven tribes join forces, even the Buddhist School sect will have to be wary."

It sounds just like my novel, "The One-Sword Slash of Heaven and Earth," both taking an extreme approach rather than promoting all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. Xu Qi'an nodded slightly.

The beautiful imperial advisor was in excellent spirits today, and continued, "Just now, I heard Chu Yuanzhen mention ancient Gods and Devils and demons to you. The Gu God is indeed the only remaining Gods and Devils in the world."

"There really are Gods and Devils?" Xu Qi'an was taken aback.

"Except for the Demon Race and the human race, all the strange beasts existing in the Nine Provinces are descendants of Gods and Devils and demons. Didn't you go to Yunzhou? The strange beast in the legend of Baidi City is a descendant of Gods and Devils. The dragon in the Southern Frontier and the spirit dragon in the Imperial City are also descendants of Gods and Devils."

These Gods and Devils sound like dinosaurs. Xu Qi'an tentatively asked, "How did Gods and Devils become extinct?"

It couldn't have been a volcanic eruption or a meteorite impact, could it?

Luo Yuheng did not answer, her beautiful eyes half-closed, sitting silently.

Xu Qi'an secretly observed Luo Yuheng. Although the Grand Preceptor had a variety of appearances, Xu Qi'an could see many images such as "the white-haired younger sister", "his childhood friend Takagi", and "the older sister with a 36D bust".

But most of all, she is her true self—a kind-hearted aunt.

A mature woman in her thirties or forties, with a fair complexion, she lacks the vivacity of a young girl and the allure of a voluptuous woman, exuding a cool and authoritative air.

Xu Qi'an openly admired the Grand Preceptor's beauty, while Luo Yuheng was well aware of her own charm; any man who hadn't broken his sleeve would be attracted to her allure.

Therefore, Xu Qi'an felt that he was just going with the flow, and besides, secretly looking around would not escape the Grand Preceptor's notice at all, so he simply decided to be more open.

At that moment, he noticed that Master Jinlian had sent a message: [I've blocked number five. Let's discuss how to handle this.]

Wait, what did I miss while I was admiring the Grand Preceptor's good looks? Xu Qi'an reluctantly turned his attention back to the Earth Book chat group.

[Nine: I suggest we leave Number Five alone and let her learn and grow on her own. I believe she'll learn a lot and mature as she travels from the Southern Frontier to the capital.]

Li Miaozhen disagreed with Master Jinlian's approach and sent a letter refuting it:

[Second: Daoist Master, people's hearts are treacherous, and the martial world is complex. Although Number Five is powerful, she is too naive. At any time, wisdom is more useful than strength.]

Then the top scholar shared his opinion: [Number Five is indeed naive and inexperienced, but she's not stupid. She knows how to seek advantage and avoid harm, and she understands what can be deceived and what must be protected and upheld. I think Master Jinlian's suggestion is good.]

Old Lady Jinlian has good intentions. Letting Number Five experience the harsh realities of society will help her mature quickly. Xu Qi'an nodded inwardly, thinking the suggestion was very nice.

[Six: I think what we need to consider right now isn't this long-term issue, but rather how to solve her food and lodging problem tonight?]

This sentence seemed to be the chat killer; the Earth Book chat group remained silent for a long time.

This small meeting of the Heaven and Earth Society can be summarized as follows: Five: What will happen to food and lodging when you are penniless and stranded in a foreign land? We need help urgently!

What can we do? We're just online friends, scattered all over the world. There's no WeChat or Alipay in this world to transfer money to you.

Even the gods couldn't help it.

[Second: Why not let Number Five perform? Breaking a boulder on his chest is quite popular among the common people. He could break it all the way to the capital and earn enough for travel expenses.]

[Six: You can ask a temple for alms and lodging. However, there aren't many temples in Great Feng, so it's unlikely to solve your immediate problem.]

[Four: In times of emergency, it's acceptable to receive something for nothing.]

Chu Yuanzhen meant that they could target some easy targets and steal some silver.

[Nine: Number Five wouldn't steal silver. If you force her to do that, it's robbery.]

After all, they are from the Power Gu Tribe.

Just as everyone was about to speak, they suddenly realized that they had also been blocked, unable to send messages or receive any more.

Meanwhile, Xu Qi'an received a message from Daoist Jinlian: [Number Three, what suggestions do you have?]

Although he verbally said he would let Number Five experience the harsh realities of society, Master Jinlian cared deeply about the holder of the Earth Book fragment. Xu Qi'an thought to himself, without hesitation, he transmitted the message:

Is number five pretty?

[Nine: Good-looking.]

That makes things easier. Xu Qi'an sent a message: "[My suggestion is: Become a playboy.]"

[What does this mean?] Master Jinlian expressed her confusion.

Q: How can handsome men and beautiful women travel abroad without any money?

A: To have a backup plan.

Xu Qi'an told Master Jinlian his thoughts, and then added, "I'll pass on another famous saying to Number Five: Rabbits are so cute, why eat them?"

[Young heroes of the martial world are most susceptible to this tactic; learn this trick, and you'll have plenty of food and lodging on your journey.]

Master Jinlian ignored him.

After communication was restored, Master Jinlian conveyed the thoughts of the Heaven and Earth Society members to Number Five, hoping she could protect herself and have a safe journey.

As for Xu Qi'an's suggestion, Master Jinlian chose to ignore it. Although the method was rather underhanded, it was actually effective. However, it was clear that Number Five couldn't pull off such a sophisticated operation.

This is number three's own specialty.

Not long after, Chu Yuanzhen returned, first bowing to Luo Yuheng who was sitting quietly, then said, "Brother Xu, it's your turn."

Xu Qi'an went out to use the outhouse without changing his expression. After wandering around outside the outhouse for a while, he returned and saw a young Daoist priest leading a middle-aged general in armor, walking hurriedly towards him.

The middle-aged general looked anxious, as if something had happened.

The young Daoist priest stopped outside the meditation room and announced loudly, "Master, the head guard of the Prince of Huai's residence requests an audience."

The Prince of Huai's Mansion. The Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion?! Upon hearing this, Xu Qi'an immediately stopped and sized up the armored middle-aged general.

This Qi and Blood and energy, a restrained inner radiance, and strong cultivation, yet at this moment, his brows were filled with anxiety and restlessness.

The Prince of Zhenbei was a prince, while the Prince of Huai was his official title, and the title of Prince of Zhenbei was an honorific.

"What is it!"

In the quiet room, Luo Yuheng's melodious, soft, and sexy voice drifted out.

"Grand Preceptor, the Princess Consort is missing. I have searched the entire capital but have not found her. The Princess Consort is very close to you, so I have come to inquire about her." The middle-aged general said in a deep voice.

The Princess Consort of the Prince of Zhenbei, the most beautiful woman in the Great Feng? Xu Qi'an's ears perked up.

He had seen so many beauties, and even more powerful women like the Empress and the Imperial Advisor, whose buffs were unparalleled. Now he was increasingly looking forward to seeing what the Princess Consort would look like.

What merit or virtue does she possess to be called the most beautiful woman in the Great Feng Dynasty?

"The Princess Consort is not at Lingbao Temple. General, please look for her elsewhere," Luo Yuheng replied.

The middle-aged head guard left, looking worried.

The princess has disappeared? Xu Qi'an watched the head guard's back as he left.

After having lunch at Lingbao Temple, Xu Qi'an returned to the yamen and continued patrolling the streets with his gong. He was full of fighting spirit and did his job conscientiously.

The two groups of martial arts practitioners had already paid silver notes to "redeem" themselves. Xu Qi'an now had six hundred taels of silver notes in his pocket, and he felt extremely satisfied. Whenever he saw outsiders dressed as martial arts practitioners on the street, he saw them as easy targets.

Unfortunately, we didn't encounter a single fight for the rest of the day.

After finishing his duties and returning home, during dinner that evening, Second Uncle Xu recounted the day's amusing anecdote. "Today, the Princess Consort of the Prince of Zhenbei ran away from home. All five guards of the capital were mobilized, and the white-clad officials from the Bureau of Astronomy assisted in the search. They were busy all afternoon, but still couldn't find her."

My aunt, biting her chopsticks, pressed on, "And then what happened?"

"Later she went back on her own, so it's said she ran away from home. The guards in the Prince's mansion were so worried, they thought the Princess had been kidnapped," Second Uncle Xu said helplessly.

"That's why women are so capricious! Thousands of people were mobilized to search the entire city."

The aunt rolled her beautiful eyes and sneered, "Several thousand soldiers, and you can't even find a single woman. The court might as well keep thousands of dogs instead of you."

Xu Qi'an gave a thumbs up and praised, "Auntie's punches are so tricky!"

The pretty aunt couldn't understand her nephew's nonsense, so she rolled her eyes at him.

Xu Erlang frowned, noticing the key point, and said, "Although the Prince of Huai is a prince, his princess consort is still alive. Logically speaking, it's impossible for the Five Guards of the capital to be alerted."

Thousands of people searched the entire city; members of the royal family were not entitled to this, only a few princes in the palace received such treatment.

Second Uncle Xu replied, "We also find this question strange. We asked the commander, but he didn't know either. He only said it was His Majesty's order."

Emperor Yuanjing cares a lot about this sister-in-law; could it be that he still harbors feelings for her from the past?

Xu Qi'an immediately rejected this guess. The princess was originally a concubine of Emperor Yuanjing, but she entered the palace a little late. At that time, Emperor Yuanjing had already become abstinent and practiced Daoism.

Later, she was given to the Prince of Zhenbei and became the Princess Consort of the Prince of Huai.

There might actually be some hidden story behind this. Xu Qi'an thought these trivial matters weren't worth his troubles, and turned to talk to Erlang:

"Is tomorrow the last game?"

Xu Erlang nodded.

"Study hard! As for poetry, I can confidently say that throughout the five thousand years of Chinese history, no one can rival me." Xu Qi'an said with boundless pride.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Xu Erlang, accompanied by his father and elder brother, carried a lantern to the examination hall.

He saw the bald man and the swordsman in green again, but this time he remained calm, treating them like fools and even giving them a cold smile.

"Number Three's smile is quite arrogant," Chu Yuanzhen remarked.

"It was the last round of the imperial examination, so they probably thought they had it in the bag," Hengyuan explained to Number Three.

"I almost thought it was a provocation."

Hengyuan chuckled, "Let's go. Next, we just need to wait for the results, and then it'll be your turn to face off against Li Miaozhen."

Chu Yuanzhen nodded slightly and walked alongside Hengyuan. He turned to look at the bald man and suddenly asked, "Master, what level is your current combat strength?"

Hengyuan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "This humble monk rarely engages in combat."

Chu Yuanzhen said "Oh". He was a bit like Number Six, and neither of them could be judged by normal ranks. If viewed from the perspective of the martial arts system, he was only a seventh-rank Refining Spirit cultivator, but his true combat strength was far more than that.

Master Hengyuan is an eighth-rank martial monk, but his true combat strength is unfathomable.

On the other side, after being searched, Xu Erlang entered a small, enclosed room to await the final round of the imperial examination.

Poetry!

P. S.: I updated this first and then revised it later; I finished writing it before 5 PM.