Chapter 1949: Mid-Level Imperial Examination Success

In the afternoon, rapid hoofbeats echoed from the main road. Dust billowed as three swift horses galloped into view.

The villagers of Qipai Village, enjoying the shade under the trees, couldn't help but recall the previous incident upon seeing this scene. It was said that Mr. Chen had been attacked by his enemies at his home and almost thrown into prison.

The villagers immediately grew tense, standing up one after another and looking across the river. They saw the three men indeed reining in their horses outside the bamboo grove, seemingly about to turn into it.

"Oh no! Something bad is going to happen again!" an old man exclaimed, slapping his thigh with a worried expression.

Everyone else felt the same way. Their respect for Mr. Chen was heartfelt, and not solely because of his character. By establishing a school in Qipai Village, Mr. Chen had brought tangible benefits to the community, offering a glimmer of hope to generations of farmers.

Just then, one of the three men raised a gong high and struck it forcefully. The three dismounted, tied their horses by the roadside, and, while beating the gong, walked and shouted, "Please bring out Master Chen quickly! Congratulations on passing the imperial examination!"

Their shouts carried across the river.

"Passed? Passed what?""Oh! I remember San Gouzi saying a few days ago that Mr. Chen went to take the imperial examination again! He must have passed! He's going to be an official!""What rank is above a Xiucai?"The villagers chattered excitedly. More and more people, drawn by the sound of the gong, hurried towards the school to see what was happening.

Outside the school, the men proclaimed, "Good news! Your esteemed lord, Chen Zhenqing, has achieved first place in the provincial examination as *Jieyuan*, topping the Laurel Roll, and will surely excel in the national examination!"

The three men presented the report with beaming smiles. Mr. Chen reached out and took it. His expression was as calm as it had been after previous failures, showing little emotion, only a faint sigh.

Mrs. Chen had come out with Mr. Chen. The couple, understanding each other implicitly, Mrs. Chen gently held her husband's hand and quietly instructed the servant boy, "Mingyan, go get the congratulatory money."

"Yes!" Mingyan happily went to do as told.

It seemed the Chen household had anticipated Mr. Chen's success this time, as everything was already prepared. Soon, the school inside and out was teeming with people, all jubilant and crowding around to ask for congratulatory money.

Not only villagers from Qipai Village, but also gentry and prominent families from Qinggui Town and Jinxian County arrived successively. Even the County Magistrate himself came to offer congratulations. Even without the connection to the Grand Secretary, as a *Jieyuan*, Mr. Chen's success in passing the *Jinshi* examination was practically guaranteed.

The celebration continued late into the night.

The next day, the newly crowned *Jieyuan* did not stay home to entertain relatives and friends. Instead, he ordered food and wine to be sent to Qingyang Temple.

Upstairs, the food and wine were laid out. Xiaowu and Yulang were serving nearby.

"Now we can no longer call him Mr. Chen, but must address him as Master Chen," Qinsang said with a smile, raising a toast to Chen Zhenqing.

"Daoist Priest, please don't mock me. I know full well how much of this *Jieyuan* title is due to external factors," Chen Zhenqing said, taking a deep gulp of wine and sighing.

"Passing as *Jieyuan* is certainly not a bad thing. This is a stepping stone to advancement, Brother, and you can finally achieve your aspirations. Why be so dejected?" Qinsang shook his head slightly.

"Aspirations?" Though he hadn't drunk much, Chen Zhenqing seemed a little tipsy, his eyes unfocused. "My teacher is old now, and though he has returned to court, he feels time is running out. Among his disciples, I am not outstanding. I have been idle for many years, and in terms of official duties and governance, I am far inferior to others. I can't be much help to my teacher."

He paused, then said gravely, "I have already decided: if I am fortunate enough to pass the national examination, I will request to be assigned to a border county. As an official, I will strive to benefit the local people, hoping that even a hundred years from now, people will still remember the name Chen Zhenqing!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Yulang and Xiaowu. "Soon, I will take my family to the capital for the examination. This parting might be permanent. My only concern is for these students."

Yulang's eyes reddened. Xiaowu sat quietly beside Qinsang. They had spent years living alongside Chen Zhenqing, and this bond was not easily broken.

Qinsang perceived Chen Zhenqing's thoughts and smiled slightly. "Brother, please speak your mind plainly."

"Could Yulang take over the school?"

Chen Zhenqing's words startled Yulang. "Ah? Me?" Yulang, completely surprised that his teacher would entrust the school to him, immediately stood up, pointing at himself.

"There are indeed many who wish to succeed me, not a few of them truly talented. However, I can see through their intentions; they are unlikely to be content remaining in the countryside as mere teachers. Yulang's character, knowledge, and talent are evident to all; he is more than qualified to be a teacher! If only he were willing to enter officialdom, our teacher-disciple duo could have both ascended the Laurel Roll, becoming a celebrated tale!"

Chen Zhenqing looked at Qinsang with an expectant gaze. Qinsang was Yulang's true master; if Qinsang did not permit it, nothing else mattered.

Just then, someone seeking medicine entered the temple. Qinsang leaned on the table and stood up, telling Yulang, "As your master, I will not interfere. Think carefully for yourself whether you can shoulder this responsibility."

Two years later, in midsummer, the sounds of reading echoed from the school.

A cool breeze blew through the bamboo grove, dissipating some of the summer heat. Yulang, now a teacher, finished a round of inspection in the elementary school and ascended the bamboo tower.

Sounds of spirited discussion emanated from the bamboo tower. It wasn't an argument, but a group of talented scholars debating classical texts. Though Mr. Chen had left, the number of students at the school hadn't decreased. In fact, scholars from the county town now preferred to come here to compose poetry and write calligraphy.

"Brother Yulang is here! Come quickly and arbitrate for us!"

Seeing Yulang, the group surged around him. Though Yulang presided over the school as a teacher, he was similar in age to most of the scholars present, so they addressed each other as brothers.

After finally extricating himself from the crowd, Yulang walked towards the window. Xiaowu sat there, chin in hands, gazing out the window. She exuded a cool, detached aura that discouraged approach.

After that incident, Yulang clearly felt that his senior sister always had an invisible barrier when dealing with outsiders. Furthermore, as women were not allowed to take imperial examinations in Yan, his senior sister's old friends gradually left the school, with fewer and fewer remaining. Fortunately, his senior sister had not become disheartened and closed herself off as before; she remained at the school. He hoped his senior sister would overcome this.

Yulang sighed inwardly, then took out a letter. "Senior Sister, a letter from our teacher has arrived. He requested an external posting and has gone to Danyang County, Zhongning Prefecture, Luzhou, to serve as an official."

"Danyang County, bordering the Kingdom of Daliang?" Xiaowu took the letter and read it carefully.

"Yes! After the brutal war decades ago, Yan and Daliang were nearly exploited by surrounding kingdoms. Recognizing the situation, they agreed to a ceasefire and began to recuperate. Nowadays, the rulers of both nations are not warlike. Although Danyang County is on the border, there should be no major issues. Furthermore, our teacher still carries the protective jade pendant we gave him. I plan to ask the City God to contact the spirits and deities of Zhongning Prefecture so they can offer some assistance if necessary."

Hearing that Yulang had considered everything, Xiaowu said no more. When school ended, the two of them, as usual, carried their satchels and walked towards the setting sun, returning to Qingyang Temple.

Passing through Qipai Village, the villagers greeted them warmly, and some even asked Yulang when he would take the imperial examinations. Yulang hesitated, wanting to speak, but only after leaving Qipai Village did he finally say, "Senior Sister, I heard news about Meng Yusu today."

"Oh?" Xiaowu looked over, her expression unperturbed.

"Meng Yusu seems to have gone mad. The Meng family has moved out of Qinggui Town, and no one knows where they went. Master has cured many cases of madness; the Meng family would certainly be too ashamed to ask him for medicine." Yulang snorted coldly.

After that incident, they hadn't specifically inquired about Meng Yusu's whereabouts. It was said that Meng Yusu had been taken away by the yamen back then and never reappeared at the school. It was unknown when she was released, but she likely suffered greatly.

"Oh," Xiaowu responded flatly. Yulang wanted to ask his senior sister what she thought of Meng Yusu now, but though his lips moved, he ultimately didn't voice the question.

They returned to Qingyang Temple. The temple was empty inside.

At this moment, Qinsang was in the underground chamber, seated cross-legged on the main altar. Lightning shimmered around him, and streaks of electric light snaked about. Most striking was the main altar beneath Qinsang; its interior had become transparent, revealing countless intertwined bolts of lightning and flickering electric currents. Within these bolts, one spot glowed with the most blinding light. From the outside, it appeared as only a small, dragon's eye-sized speck of light. Yet, this speck seemed to possess infinite variations. And this speck of light was precisely the mysterious lightning talisman that Qinsang had been unable to decipher, and the very core of the entire main altar!

'Crack!''Rumble!'

The main altar and the underground chamber trembled. Inside the main altar, in the world formed by lightning, bolts collided and devoured each other in an unceasing, apocalyptic scene.

Suddenly, Qinsang formed a hand seal, silently chanted a phrase, and a bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip. The lightning struck the main altar beneath him, piercing directly into it. Like a ripple effect, as this lightning bolt entered, the already chaotic power of thunder erupted into full rebellion.

After being unleashed, this lightning bolt did not vanish. One end remained connected to Qinsang's fingertip, while the other stirred the sea of thunder within the main altar. Qinsang held the lightning like a musician plucking strings, his hand's power changing rhythmically, causing the lightning to undulate. In this manner, the lightning pulsed and slowly probed towards the core of the main altar, gradually approaching the speck of light.

Seeing the lightning draw ever closer to the speck of light, Qinsang's gaze sharpened. Without hesitation, he directly dissipated the lightning from his fingertip with a sharp 'snap'. Simultaneously, the main altar trembled violently. The power of thunder, as if finally finding an outlet, surged out of the main altar along the path of that lightning bolt!

Qinsang bore the brunt of it, but fortunately, he had been prepared. His body floated into the air, his hands transforming into lightning palms. His palms met the surging thunder, and two streams of lightning converged in his grasp, becoming one. His palms pressed down slowly but firmly, eventually resting tightly against the main altar, finally suppressing the power of thunder. The lightning abruptly vanished, and the underground chamber plunged into darkness.

Qinsang floated down, gazed at the main altar, and pondered for a moment before muttering, "It's still lacking something."

Then, his lips moved slightly.

Above ground, Luohou was curled up on a large meditation cushion. For years, it had been almost continuously in slumber, but today it was awakened by Qinsang. Taiyi, too, mimicking Luohou, had been in secluded cultivation in a side hall to consolidate its power, and was also startled awake.

'Whoosh! Whoosh!'

The two demons entered the underground chamber and bowed in unison."Greetings, Master!""Greetings, Lord Emissary!"

Qinsang nodded, appraising the two demons. Taiyi showed almost no signs of restless energy. As for Luohou, seizing a new body and refining it from scratch would ordinarily take a long time. However, with the elixirs bestowed by Qinsang, rare treasures from a Void Refinement stage great demon, Luohou had progressed extremely quickly recently, improving by leaps and bounds. Qinsang believed it wouldn't be long before it fully recovered.

"Go down the mountain now and do one thing," Qinsang said, flicking his finger to unleash a burst of electric light. The light exploded before the two demons, revealing a map composed primarily of glowing points. This was the formation of the altars that Qinsang had deduced through his comprehension of the main altar. The most prominent point indicated the location of the main altar, while the others showed the positions of the subsidiary altars.

"You are to act separately, using this formation map, and you must find all the subsidiary altars!" Qinsang stated gravely. His deductions weren't entirely accurate and might have omissions. Next, he needed the two demons to verify each location while he continued his calculations here. The reason he couldn't access the 'speck of light' was precisely the incomplete formation map. Once he obtained the complete formation map of the altars, Qinsang would be confident enough to begin repairing the main altar!

Qinsang waved his sleeve, and several streaks of light flew out. "Some subsidiary altars might be in Yundu Mountain and Luomu Mountain. Luohou, you are not skilled in evasion techniques, so take the Earth-Travel Boat. Taiyi, your true form is a talisman, and by activating the lightning talismans, you should be able to control all their power. With these for self-defense, you should be able to handle any situation, unless you encounter a Void Refinement cultivator."

"As you command!"

Seeing how seriously Qinsang regarded this, the two demons dared not slacken in the slightest. They committed the formation map to memory and departed as ordered. Flying out of Qingyang Temple, the two demons quickly conferred, then split up, one heading east and the other west.

Qinsang strode out from the main hall. Yulang, who was closing up the temple, quickly greeted him, "Master."

Qinsang said, "These past two years, you have been a role model, and your temperament has become much steadier than before."

Yulang hadn't expected his master to praise him and was momentarily stunned, then shyly let out a silly chuckle, completely ruining his composed demeanor. This disciple was the one Qinsang cared about most among all his apprentices. Since entering the immortal sect, Yulang had accompanied Qinsang daily, and Qinsang had even specially prepared spiritual medicines for his medicinal baths. In some ways, Yulang benefited from Xiaowu's presence; otherwise, he wouldn't have fared much better than his other senior brothers.

The drawback was that Yulang mostly interacted only with mortals. He had never trained in the cultivation world, nor experienced the life-and-death struggles or schemes among cultivators, making his experiences the polar opposite of Qinsang's. Always sheltered under Qinsang's wing, he retained a childlike disposition and was easily distracted. Without the support of the medicinal baths, his cultivation speed would not have been so rapid. Qinsang had let him settle down, believing it would be beneficial for Yulang.

"This is a Foundation Establishment Pill, enough for your breakthrough. For now, settle the school affairs, then focus entirely on Foundation Establishment," Qinsang said, taking out a jade bottle. "Once you break through, I may often go into secluded cultivation, and Qingyang Temple will be managed by you all."

Yulang was first delighted, then startled. He solemnly accepted the jade bottle. "This disciple will not fail Master's expectations."

"Go," Qinsang said, looking at his disciple thoughtfully. After Foundation Establishment, it would be time to select a cultivation method for Yulang. Qinsang had observed Yulang's experiences over the years. He hadn't discouraged Yulang's interest in martial arts because he wanted to see if Yulang could eventually discover something on his own. Of course, that wouldn't be now. Only after Yulang had achieved a certain level of cultivation, and if his passion remained undiminished, would there be a slight possibility. However, given Yulang's obsession with martial arts, perhaps the path of body refinement would be more suitable?