Chapter 46: Chapter 32: Did Brother Sun Pass the Scholar Exam?
Translator: 549690339
At the city gate.
Like other pedestrians, Lu Yuan queued up and walked out of the gate.
Perhaps because of the bandits in the county, the inspection at the city gate was much stricter than usual.
Eight city guard tax officials stood at the entrance, checking the people coming in and out.
However, this kind of inspection mainly targeted those entering the city. Those leaving the city were only briefly checked before being allowed to go.
But Lu Yuan could clearly feel that this strictness was only superficial.
Otherwise, why would these petty officials not stop and inspect those martial artists with swords and spears entering and leaving the city, instead directly allowing them passage?
And those honest and easy-to-bully farmers and foot traders were all stopped, strictly inspected, and extorted for bribes.
“That’s why these corrupt officials are all bullies and cowards. Killing every one of them would be justified,”
Thought Lu Yuan as he prepared to leave the city when he heard a shout from the side.
“Stop there.”
The two gate officials remembered Lu Yuan, knowing that he had made a fortune by selling tiger and leopard skins in the city. They exchanged glances and approached him with the intention of making a quick buck.
However, before the two greedy officials could get close, Lu Yuan’s eyes fiercely stared at them.
Having spent more than a year in this environment, traveling between mountain ridges and facing countless wild beasts, he had developed a fierce and savage aura.
In addition to practicing martial arts for more than a year and cultivating inner strength, his temperament was now vastly different from the past days.
Even though he was dressed as a hunter now, his muscular body exuded a ferocious aura that made him seem unapproachable.
Especially his eyes, which seemed to have gained a murderous intent commonly described in novels after killing hundreds of lives.
Feeling the fierce gaze, the two officials shivered as if cold water had been poured on their hot bodies. Their greedy thoughts instantly dissipated, replaced by a chill.
Their steps froze.
Just like animals at the bottom of the food chain encountering a powerful predator, the two officials were filled with dread.
“This man is a ruthless killer.” With years of experience as gate officials, they realized this almost instantly.
Driven by their instinct for self-preservation, the two officials’ courage quickly crumbled, avoiding conflict with the hunter before them.
“There’s a stone on the ground that’s in the way.”
One official, thinking quickly, spotted a small stone on the ground, picked it up and threw it aside. He retreated to the side and opened up the path for Lu Yuan to leave the city without any interference. With a forced smile on his face, he said, “Take care, Master.”
“Trash!”
Lu Yuan walked with his head held high, and when he passed by the two officials, he mocked them with disdain.
He was actually prepared to kill them if they tried to extort money from him just now.
At present, the main forces of the government and the local gangs were surrounding the Black Wind Gang. There weren’t many forces left behind in the city.
The gate was guarded only by a few greedy petty officials who weren’t skilled in martial arts. With his strength, Lu Yuan could easily smash their heads with his bare hands.
‘It’s a pity they backed down,’ Lu Yuan thought with slight disappointment.
Honestly, after being oppressed by the government and gangs since crossing over, it was only natural to bear resentment toward them.
He had already killed many members of the gangs, but not a single one of the government’s lackeys.
What a pity.
Contemplating murder, the two officials sensed danger and instinctively retreated a few more steps, shivering while leaning against the city wall.
The other officials nearby pretended not to notice, keeping their distance.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan sneered and walked towards the mountains without paying them any mind.
After walking for about ten steps, before leaving the city gate area, he heard rustling from afar. Dust and smoke approached, and a messenger in official uniform rode in on a fast horse.
“Victory at Fairy Maiden Ridge! Victory at Fairy Maiden Ridge!”
“Wang Butoa joins forces with Liu Meihua Gang Leader, defeating the Black Wind Gang. Over a hundred heads were taken. A great victory in exterminating the bandits!”
The messenger rode on his horse, announcing the good news to the people around him.
The pedestrians near the city gate made way for the messenger when they saw him coming.
After the brief commotion, their faces lit up with joy upon hearing the news.
The collaboration of the government and the Plum Blossom Gang to eliminate bandits was a great success!
This news was a huge celebration for everyone in Mei County.
Cheers and discussions began to sound.
“So, they succeeded in eliminating the bandits?”
After the news, Lu Yuan inexplicably thought of the Jianghu secret revealed by the black-clothed man in the tavern earlier.
Although the man looked unreliable and the source of information was questionable, it was hard to say how much of it was true.
Similarly,
As a victim of the government and gang oppression, Lu Yuan knew their true nature.
The words of these scum were also not trustworthy. They claimed a big victory now, but who knew the real situation?
Perhaps they were just hiding the truth from the people!
“Anyway, this doesn’t concern me anymore.”
Lu Yuan shook his head and quickly walked toward the mountains.
Now that they claimed victory, whether it was true or not, the Black Wind Gang issue should be more or less resolved.
The Plum Blossom Gang and the government personnel would likely return to the city soon, and it was not safe to linger here any longer.
After leaving the city, and spending an hour, Lu Yuan turned into the mountains.
After entering the mountains, he found the original hiding place and took out the Iron Bow and a big bag of silver.
The silver weighed heavily, about several tens of jin. During his trip to Southsea, he sold goods four times, selling more than ten rare furs and three jars of tiger whip wine, making more than a thousand silver taels profit.
His depleted savings were restored in an instant and even expanded several times over.
Their family fortune became impressive.
“A thousand silver taels, with today’s prices, are enough to buy hundreds of acres of farmland in the countryside, build a big mansion, and become a small landlord. That is to say, my current fortune can make people call me a Master,” said Lu Yuan, tallying his earnings, 1,123 silver taels, his face beaming with happiness.
Of course.
Although this money was enough for him to buy a large piece of land and comfortably be a landlord.
But as an ambitious seeker of longevity, he has no plans to do so.
Being a landlord sounds nice, but without enough power, even if one is rich, it’s like a rootless duckweed.
After all, if you stockpile food while I stockpile weapons, your house becomes my granary.
Although the above statement is hard to hear, it is undeniable yet true.
Just like the recent Black Wind Gang incident in Mei County, Lu Yuan had heard in the county town teahouse that thirteen big landlords outside the city were wiped out by these fierce bandits and their families were completely plundered.
The bloody example in front of him made Lu Yuan soberly aware that this is a cruel society where the strong prey on the weak.
You need martial strength to live well.
Without martial strength, you can only be a sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Just for example, when he left the city earlier, if Lu Yuan were an ordinary hunter, would those greedy officials have let him go out of the city so easily?
They would have framed him for colluding with the Black Wind Gang and confiscated the several hundred silver taels he had earned from this trip. “So, martial strength is the only guarantee. This is ultimately a martial feudal society!”
Lu Yuan sighed, keeping the silver in his backpack and moved swiftly, like a
dark shadow, quickly shuttling through the dense forest.
There were still two hours until dusk.
Before that, he had to find a safe place to stay in the mountains first.
The mountains are not safe at night.
Even if he had practiced martial arts, he could not guarantee complete safety, so he had to be cautious.
More than ten days later.
After having been away for more than a month, Lu Yuan finally returned home.
But soon after returning to Yangmei Town, he heard some news. “Brother Sun got the Scholar’s Degree?”
Listening to his neighbor Aunt Niii’s chatter, Lu Yuan looked surprised.
His good-for-nothing friend finally passed the exam and became a Scholar!
Like many people in the town hearing it for the first time, he was also somewhat shocked and amazed.
No wonder.
Mainly because Sun Siwen’s previous attempts left quite a strong impression.
Taking the Scholar’s exam twelve times, for twelve years in total, and finally passing it this time?
The shock of this news.
It was like in modern society, a high school student, who has taken a college entrance exam for twelve years, and has been rejected each time, suddenly tells you that they have passed and been accepted by a university.
However, after the initial shock, calm soon returned.
“Brother Sun finally became a Scholar, fulfilling his wish. The hardships of more than a decade finally paid off. This is a great joy. I should visit him to congratulate him.” Lu Yuan thought, starting to consider what to give his friend as a gift.
His instinct was to offer some cured meat he had prepared himself, but he thought that it was just ordinary food they had shared during meals and wasn’t solemn enough for the occasion.
Therefore, he quickly dismissed the idea.
“Hmm, Brother Sun is a scholar, and now that he has become one, I should give him something that scholars would use. For example, brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, precious ancient books, etc. … ”
As Lu Yuan thought about it this way, his ideas became clearer.
For his only friend, his feelings were important.
Especially since he has now become a Scholar, it seems that his luck is reversing and he is rising.
This makes it even more crucial.
After all, this is ultimately a feudal dynasty.
The rulers here, in addition to those high-flying martial arts heroes.
Are those scholars with a degree.
And Sun Siwen has become a Scholar, which in modern terms, means he has passed the provincial civil service exam.
He could directly look for a petty official job in the Government Office, serve as a staff member for a county magistrate or Prefect, or teach in a county school.
Although these are all low-level jobs, they are still part of the governing class.
Not to mention, if he continues to work hard and becomes a juren (imperial examination title), his level would instantly rise to that of a deputy director, and he could become an official.
Facing such a potentially promising, budding official, making some early investments seemed necessary for Lu Yuan..