Above the Great Dao
Chapter 382 - 189: The Eternal Night Approaches

Chapter 382: Chapter 189: The Eternal Night Approaches

The newly promoted Scholar of Xin Xiang Province was a title awarded once every three years to a candidate from each province, and it was hardly something that would make officials such as the governor or the general feel honored. At most, they would grant an audience and offer a word or two of encouragement. Yet now, the officials of Xin Xiang Province, including the governor and the general, had personally visited the countryside and stopped by Chen Shi’s home to offer their congratulations.

This spectacle left the villagers both amazed and scared, unable to make heads or tails of it.

Wasn’t Mr. Chen about to turn bandit? How come, in the blink of an eye, he had become a Scholar and even ranked first in Gongzhou Province?

The key was, how did he rank first without even attending the autumn imperial examinations?

Li Tianqing was in the middle of Alchemy in Chen Shi’s courtyard when several government officers hurriedly entered. Seeing that he was busy, they did not disturb him.

In these few days, Li Tianqing had already refined over fifty batches of Resurrection Pill; he already had it down to a science. Although he could hear from outside claims of Chen Shi passing the exams and achieving the highest score to become a Scholar, he was not at all swayed by these words and remained as calm as ever while he completed this batch of Resurrection Pills. Only then did he stand up.

"May I ask if you are Scholar Chen Shi?" one of the government officers asked him, seeing his young age and extraordinary demeanor.

"I am Li Tianqing from Quanzhou." Li Tianqing replied, "Chen Shi has stepped out, but he should be back shortly. If you gentlemen would like, please feel free to rest in the courtyard for a moment."

"Oh, we dare not impose."

The newly appointed governor’s voice sounded from outside, chuckling, "This humble official and others shall wait outside for Mr. Chen."

Li Tianqing was surprised and walked out of the Chen Family house, bowing and saying, "Li Tianqing greets the governor and all the officials."

The new governor looked him over and said, "You are Li Tianqing of the Li Family from Quanzhou? I’ve heard that you are the star of the Li Family. Everyone aboard the stone ship vanished without a trace, only you survived. I also heard about the unfortunate demise of Mr. Li Xiaozheng, it is truly lamentable. My family name is Xu; my given name is Jian, styled Zhongxiao. This is Mr. Cui, in charge of the military troop movements in Xin Xiang Province, the general of Xin Xiang."

He introduced them one by one, and Li Tianqing greeted each in turn. These newly appointed officials of Xin Xiang often belonged to the Thirteen Families, although four of them were not from the Thirteen Families.

Li Tianqing, being well-read and knowledgeable, immediately realized upon hearing the four names that though they did not come from the Thirteen Families, they were still from slightly smaller but still powerful families, not mere commoners.

An official who was the Academic Officer of Xin Xiang Province smiled and said, "Young Master Li, your name is also on the Gongzhou autumn examination list, and with a favorable ranking. Ranked at number four, you are the top scholar."

Li Tianqing was nonchalant and asked, "How is this Scholar ranking determined?"

The Academic Officer laughed, "Naturally, it is arranged by the Western Capital. Ranked in front of you, the first is Scholar Chen Shi, the second is Yan Yayuan, and the third is Xu Jingkui. Being rated fourth indeed shows respect for the Li Family of Quanzhou. Congratulations, Li Jingkui!"

Hearing this, Li Tianqing knew that the Gongzhou Scholar list was arranged according to the rankings of the Thirteen Families.

As to why Chen Shi was ranked ahead of the Thirteen Families, he was not clear.

At this moment, Chen Shi returned from sneaking melons, still holding two round watermelons, which he brought for Li Tianqing and Black Pot. Governor Xu Jian hurried forward to greet him, chuckling, "Scholar Chen, here I come to offer my congratulations. Congratulations on being the top scoring Scholar!"

The other officials also approached to offer their congrats, and Chen Shi was utterly baffled as he handed the watermelons to Li Tianqing.

Only when everyone had spoken their piece and made the situation clear did he understand, and with trepidation, he said, "This student hasn’t written a single word or achieved a single deed; how can I dare to claim the title of Scholar for both Gongzhou and Xin Xiang? I’m terrified, terrified! I am overwhelmed with shame!"

The Imperial Censor of Xin Xiang Province, Xia Mingdong, laughed and said, "Ah, Scholar Chen, with your literary grace and martial prowess, in five hundred years before and after, Gongzhou, Xin Xiang, there’s no second choice but you! Making you Scholar is a testament to the Western Capital’s skill in recognizing talent!"

The others chimed in one after another, showering flattery upon Chen Shi and praising his literary and martial skills, so much so that Chen Shi, who knew very well he hadn’t attended the exams, started to feel elated by their praises.

Governor Xu Jian looked around Chen Shi’s house and said, "Mr. Chen’s modest living conditions are apparent, for you reside in this remote and impoverished spot. I have a property in Xin Xiang City, just three acres and long neglected; I’ve failed to take care of it. If you, Mr. Chen, would not look down on it, please accept it as a gift."

Chen Shi was about to decline when Xu Jian grabbed his hand and chuckled, "Brother Chen, my house is already lying idle; better to put it to use. They say ’precious swords for the heroes,’ and you, a young hero, make me eager to be sworn brothers with you, willing to entrust you with my life and possessions, let alone a mere neglected house!"

General Cui chimed in with a laugh, "Indeed, indeed! Your performance in the examination impressed us all; it showed us what splendid composition is, what Sword Qi means. We’re completely taken by it. I usually keep away from pleasures of the flesh, but I have a few maids and singers at home who are quite pleasant to look at and I’d like to send them to your residence."

Mr. Gao laughed, "With maids and singers at hand, how could you not have capable servants? I have a few who are very attentive; I’ll also send them to your residence."

Mr. Ma also started laughing, "I’ve always indulged in culinary delights; by chance, I have a few capable cooks at home. If Scholar Chen enjoys the taste of Xin Xiang cuisine, I’ll send them your way too."

"Scholar Chen should not lack for a splendid carriage when traveling. I have four fine horses of the Jiao Long breed to send to your residence!"

"Hey, I happen to have a colorful cloud carriage lying idle at home, a gift from a wealthy merchant in the south. It’s just gathering dust at home, so I might as well give it to Scholar Chen!"

...

Before Chen Shi could even speak, the crowd offered him one thing after another, furnishing him with a house complete with beauties, servants, carriages, and horses.

Bao Tixing even planned to gift Chen Shi a farmstead, not too large, located outside the city, with a thousand acres of fertile land and a hundred tenant farmers. Just collecting the rent each year would be enough to maintain the house and keep the wives and concubines in comfort.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on (f)reew𝒆(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.