Seeking Truth with a Sword

"Old man, post it quickly!"

"Yes, post it! Everyone is waiting!"

"Please, just post it!"

Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, a dense crowd of examinees and their families anxiously awaited the four clerks from the Ministry of Rites to post the results list.

The elderly clerk, urged incessantly, puffed his beard and glared, tempted to shout, What's the rush!

However, he understood the examinees' anxious feelings and quietly quickened his pace, dipping his brush in the glue bucket and starting to post the list, still placing names from worst to best.

"Two thousand five hundredth place: Africa, Duan Zhiren!"

As soon as the list was posted, a member from the Advanced Scholar Group in the front row shouted out the rank.

In the crowd, one scholar burst into tears, embracing his classmates and weeping.

"Two thousand four hundred forty-ninth place: Yongzhou..."

"Two thousand four hundred forty-eighth place..."

The dozen or so Advanced Scholar Group members in the front, experienced in this, took turns calling out the names rhythmically, spaced apart from one another, not interfering with each other, and never stopping.

Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, in Xingdao Square tavern, nobles such as Pei Jing and Chou Jinghuan from Chang'an listened to the chanting of names rising from the street below as they each drank wine.

"Nervous?"

Pei Jing, leaning against the window sill, suddenly asked.

"Ah?"

Chou Jinghuan was startled and automatically sat upright, hesitating, "To say I'm not nervous... that would be a lie."

For the eldest sons of noble families, who were destined to inherit their titles, passing the examination at the Academic Palace meant they could continue to maintain their noble thresholds and avoid living meagerly like some impoverished nobles, who survived by selling their ancestral properties and renting out their ancestral homes.

For the younger sons in these families, passing the examination held even greater significance—they could not inherit their father's titles and had to seek their own paths.

"Su Zi once said, 'Heavenly Dao is unsympathetic, and all beings vie for life.'"

Pei Jing held a translucent white jade cup, lightly saying, "Those who can participate in the initial test of the Academic Palace are the elite scholars selected from thousands of miles in each State Mansion.

Moreover, from the Ministry of War, Hu Shang, West Jing, Nanzhou, to even the best peers from the Desert People tribes.

However, in the initial test, ten thousand competitors are reduced to five thousand,

in the retake exam, five thousand are reduced to two thousand five hundred,

and in the final test, two thousand five hundred are reduced to six or seven hundred.

Each step is taken by stepping over other people's bodies,

how cruel, how ruthless, how... heartless."

Pei Jing's words silenced the room, and all the young nobles fell quiet.

"Our grandfathers and fathers, they climbed a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood to receive their titles."

Pei Jing softly said, "We are the same.

We can't turn back now..."

***

"Three hundredth place..."

"Two hundredth place..."

"One hundredth place..."

As the list was posted one by one on the bulletin board, the examinees either cried bitterly or were overjoyed.

The crowd dispersed slightly. Zhai Yiming leaned over the bulletin board frantically searching for his own name, "Not here, not here... why isn't it here..."

Beside him, Yang Yu and Ji Linglang, already confirmed to have passed, frowned slightly, unsure how to comfort him.

And Song Shaoyuan, who also did not appear on the list, stood expressionlessly off to the side.

"Fourth place: Xiangzhou, Yong Hongzhong!"

"Third place: Chang'an, Pei Jing!"

"Second place: Youzhou, He Fanshuang!"

"First place: Yizhou, Li Ang!"

The Jiangnan Road scholars' gazes instantly converged. Li Ang took a deep breath, stepped forward, "Brother Song..."

"Risheng,"

Song Shaoyuan barely squeezed out a wistful smile, "I'm fine..."

Li Ang pursed his lips slightly. The retake exam papers were easy for those who knew the answers and hard for those who didn't. He wanted to comfort Song Shaoyuan, but he did not know what to say.

"Really, I'm fine. Let's go."

Song Shaoyuan coughed lightly, and a sunny smile reappeared on his face. He patted Li Ang on the shoulder, "Risheng, you topped the retake exam, which is a great occasion. We must not return tonight until we're drunk."

"...Okay."

Li Ang could only nod his head.

Other Yizhou students helped the distraught Zhai Yiming, who was squatting on the ground. He stood there, staring blankly at the notice board that did not bear his name, his facial muscles twitching slightly as he finally held back the tears that were about to flow.

Zhai Yiming, with reddened eyes, sniffled and turned around, putting on a brave smile as he said, "Yes, Risheng securing first place in the retake exam is the pride of Yizhou! Let's not leave tonight, everyone. Let's drink until we're drunk, and the drinks are on me!"

The students from Yizhou, Xiangzhou, and Xuanzhou cheered in agreement. They declined the lead of the Advanced Scholar Group's assistant and walked towards the Yanshou Square tavern along the road they came by.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Pei Jing and others also came down from upstairs. As the two groups faced each other, Pei Jing nodded at Li Ang from a distance.

As usual, the young nobles were heading to the Red House in Changle Square, going in the opposite direction.

As the two groups brushed past each other, just as they were about to part—

CREAK—

The Vermilion Bird City Gate opened, and a man with a Hu beard, wearing a long robe and holding two books in his right hand, stood behind the door.

"Mr. Yang Yu?"

"Mr. Xi?"

The young nobles were astonished.

Xi Yangyu stepped out of the Vermilion Bird Gate and nodded at Pei Jing, Chou Jinghuan, and others, his tone leisurely, "Is Li Ang from Yizhou here?"

"Hmm?"

The students from the Three States stopped in their tracks all at once. Li Ang furrowed his brows slightly, turning to look at Xi Yangyu.

A Master... That was a position in the Academic Palace second only to the Mountain Master and the Sacrificial Officer, right?

Any Master possessed the strength of the Candle Cloud Realm, or equivalent to that of a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

"I am he."

Li Ang stepped out of the crowd and bowed to Xi Yangyu.

He looks so much like him...

Under his Hu beard, Xi Yangyu's mouth corners twitched imperceptibly, superimposing Li Ang's figure with that of a person named Pu Liuxuan in his memory.

Although these two did not resemble each other, both were young men from Yizhou, both full of confidence as if they had the world in their grasp.

Both... so loathsome.

"The Academic Palace Inspector who recommended you," Xi Yangyu restrained the intense pain and itching coming from his left wrist, paused for a moment, and continued in an even tone, "is Cheng Juxiu, right?"

Cheng Juxiu, the current generation of Academic Palace Patrol, was held in high hopes. Only a very few knew he was also a disciple of Pu Liuxuan...

Li Ang's brow furrowed slightly, "Yes."

Xi Yangyu continued asking, "Has he used the Spirit Platform Compass to divine your fortune?"

Li Ang nodded, "Yes."

Xi Yangyu asked again, "The trigram he sent back to the Academic Palace for you, was it 'Convinced and Judgment,' with seven Spirit Veins?"

This time, Li Ang did not answer directly but, frowning, bowed and said, "May I ask, Mr. Xi, is there a problem?"

"A problem..."

Xi Yangyu's mouth corners imperceptibly curved up, his tone calm and slow, "Although Cheng Juxiu's skills in Engineering are commendable, his divination skills are not deep enough.

He only divined 'Convinced and Judgment' and that you have seven Spirit Veins,

but he did not understand the deeper meaning behind this trigram."

Xi Yangyu leaned slightly forward, speaking softly, "Your trigram is the 'Skull-interrupted Sword'."