101: warn

The first snow in the capital fell silently.

Overnight, the gray-tiled roofs of the Penglai Inn and its quiet courtyard were covered with a soft, desolate layer of white.

Outside the window lattice, the world became quiet, with only the occasional rustle of snow falling from tree branches.

Inside the room, the faint warmth from the charcoal basin barely fended off the cold seeping through the cracks in the doors and windows.

Xu Qing placed an oil-paper package on the table, containing two still-warm wheat cakes. He then sat down, opened the ledger he never parted with, his brows furrowed with the fatigue and concentration of having just gathered intelligence.

"Brother Su, have something to eat first." He rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and spoke in a low voice, "Today's harvest is significant."

He sat down and opened the ledger he never parted with, beginning to report the day's findings.

"I went to several large bookstores and also mingled in a few teahouses in the southern city, listening to the conversations of those old scholars who failed the examinations."

Xu Qing's voice was very low, but his speaking speed was fast, as if he were reciting a well-memorized essay.

"The chief examiner for this year's Spring Imperial Examination is most likely Wang Deyou, the Minister of Personnel. This man is a prudent and steady official; having served for decades, he believes that 'no mistakes are achievements' and despises students who write dangerously or hold extreme views."

He turned a page, pointing to several names listed there.

"The three major literary societies in the capital are the 'Bamboo Forest Society,' which belongs to the pure stream faction, and the 'West Garden Gathering,' mostly composed of children of noble families, with the shadow of the Marquis Yongchangs Estate behind them. The literary style they advocate is one of ornate language and grand Aura, but it must also be practical."

Su Ming listened quietly, occasionally nodding.

Xu Qing took a sip of cold tea and continued, "I found and read their model essays from the past two years. In summary, to catch the Dharma Eye of Minister Wang, the essay must be steady and balanced. To be appreciated by other examiners, the literary talent cannot be mediocre."

He looked at Su Ming, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

"Brother Su, with your talent, if you were to slightly temper the sharpness of that flood control policy essay and refine its literary flair, contending for a First Class is not impossible!"

Su Ming picked up a wheat cake and slowly chewed it.

"No."

He uttered a single word.

The expectation on Xu Qing's face instantly froze, turning into bewilderment: "Why? Brother Su, ten years of diligent study, isn't it all for one day to be listed on the golden List and bring glory to your family? Hiding your talent like this, isn't it... tying your own hands?"

"It's Master's admonition." Su Ming invoked the authority of Zhou Wenhai, his tone steady, "Master said that the capital is deep water, unlike Qingshi Town. When first arriving, don't seek merit, but seek no fault. First establish a firm Foundation, understand the prevailing winds, and then plan for other things; it won't be too late."

Hearing that it was Zhou Wenhai's instruction, Xu Qing no longer argued, and the confusion on his face slowly dissipated.

Lin Yu was at ease inside the ring.

Once the plan was set, the two began to prepare for the long winter ahead.

The prices in the capital made every one of Xu Qing's purchases feel like a precise calculation.

Su Ming, on Lin Yu's advice, spent most of his budget on old books.

He didn't buy popular contemporary essay collections, but specifically chose historical materials from previous dynasties, discarded legal cases, and a geographical miscellany titled "Records of Mountains and Rivers."

In Xu Qing's view, this was for extensive reading and memorization, solidifying his academic Foundation.

He didn't know that Su Ming's true purpose was to search for clues of another world within these old papers.

With heavy snow sealing the doors, Su Ming completely entered a period of dormancy.

He stayed in the small inn room every day, studying diligently behind closed doors.

He no longer practiced his sharp, pointed calligraphy, but instead imitated the most popular official script of the time.

Each stroke was neat, rigid, and devoid of personality, like a standard mask.

And when alone, he would sit cross-legged, circulating the Breath Concealment Art repeatedly.

The Dragon Qi of the capital was like a giant whetstone, suppressing his outward Divine Sense, but also forcing him to converge all his mental energy inward.

His control over his own Aura, heartbeat, and even every subtle expression reached a new height.

Now, with just a thought, he could become the most inconspicuous guest in the inn.

This afternoon, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Su Ming opened his eyes, all his Aura instantly becoming peaceful and ordinary, like a common scholar who had just woken up from a nap.

"Who is it?"

"I am Liu Ji, a student from Jingzhou. I have long heard of Brother Su's great name and have come specifically to pay my respects." The voice outside the door was very enthusiastic.

Su Ming opened the door to find a fair-skinned, smiling young man standing at the entrance.

The two sat down, host and guest, and Liu Ji, making himself at home, chatted about the academic atmosphere in Jingzhou and the prices in the capital, speaking humorously.

After about half a cup of tea, he changed the subject, asking seemingly casually, "Brother Su, you studied under Master Zhou of Qingshi Town. I have also heard of Master Zhou's great name. It is said that in his younger years, Master was also a top-tier upright admonisher in the Hanlin Academy. Why did he resign from office and return to his hometown?"

Here it comes.

Su Ming's heart was clear, but his face showed a perfectly appropriate amount of bewilderment and respect.

"Brother Liu, you flatter me. Regarding my teacher's affairs, we Juniors dare not speak presumptuously."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Liu Ji's eyes, then he smiled again, "It was rude of me. I only heard that Master Zhou's 'Memorial on Clearing Canal Abuses' back then angered the Marquis Yongchangs Estate, which is why..."

Su Ming immediately interrupted him, a hint of panic on his face.

"Brother Liu, as a commoner, how would I know about such important court matters? My teacher has never told me these things."

He picked up his teacup, making a gesture to see off the guest.

"It's getting late, and I still need to review my studies, so I won't keep Brother Liu any longer."

Liu Ji's smile stiffened for a moment, then returned to normal.

He rose to bid farewell, flawlessly, as if it had truly been just an ordinary visit.

Xu Qing pushed the door open right after, his face grim.

"Brother Su, I've seen that man before."

Xu Qing said in a hushed voice, "The day before yesterday, outside the teahouse often frequented by the West Garden Gathering crowd, I saw him alight from the carriage of a retainer from the Marquis Yongchangs Estate, looking very respectful."

Su Ming nodded, not surprised.

Lin Yu snorted from inside the ring.

You little punk, trying to play mind games with my disciple? You're still too green. Our 'Know-Nothing' divine skill is the core secret art of The Way of Cautious Survival.

Late at night, Su Ming opened the yellowed "Records of Mountains and Rivers."

The pages were filled with annotations left by previous readers, the handwriting scribbled.

When he turned to the chapter describing a place in the Northern Frontier called "Black Wind Abyss," Lin Yu's voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Stop! This is the page!"

Su Ming focused his gaze, seeing a line of extremely small vermilion annotations next to that passage.

"Beneath the abyss, there is strange light, and thunder never ceases. It is suspected that a demonic creature was struck down by heaven."

"Heh, interesting." Lin Yu's voice carried a hint of excitement, "'Demonic creature struck down by heaven'—that sounds like a Cultivator's Undergoing Tribulation failure. Disciple, write down this place name; this is definitely not groundless. After the exams, perhaps we can go take a look."

Su Ming calmly used his fingernail to make a very shallow mark next to the three characters "Black Wind Abyss."

The New Year was approaching.

The streets and alleys of the capital were adorned with lanterns and streamers, filled with a festive atmosphere.

But this liveliness had nothing to do with the scholars in the Penglai Inn.

The Spring Imperial Examination was drawing near, and an invisible pressure weighed on everyone's hearts, making the air in the inn's lobby particularly oppressive.

Several scholars, also from the south, felt a kinship with Su Ming and Xu Qing, so they pooled some money and set up a table in the inn, celebrating the New Year early.

During the banquet, a scholar named Zhang Rui drank a few cups of wine, his face flushed, and began to criticize current affairs.

"Now, the war in the Northern Frontier is unclear, yet the court is still arguing endlessly over trivial old etiquette matters. This is truly ruining the country!"

Another was worried.

"I heard that the number of successful candidates for this year's special imperial examination seems to be less than in previous years. Alas, our future is bleak."

Su Ming merely listened quietly, and when occasionally asked, he only discussed questions of classical interpretation, never touching upon any specific people or events.

The meal was eaten with varied thoughts.

Just a few days before the New Year, a small incident caused quite a stir in the capital's scholarly circles.

An old compiler from the Hanlin Academy, while overseeing the compilation of a historical record from a previous dynasty, was caught in an error by a rival.

It wasn't a major error of principle, merely changing one character in the name of a former imperial clan member due to tabooing an insignificant noble of the current dynasty.

This matter could be considered big or small.

But under the instigation of those with ulterior motives, it ultimately led to the old compiler being fined half a year's salary and demoted to assistant instructor at the Imperial Academy, on the grounds of "lax scholarship and deceiving the sacred ear."

When the news arrived, everyone in the pure stream scholarly circles felt insecure.

The day after this incident, Su Ming went to the courtyard to collect his clothes.

He discovered that the cuff of his faded old robe had a half-inch long small slit.

The slit was very fine, as if it had been accidentally snagged by a dry branch in the courtyard.

But when he touched it, the cut was clean, clearly made by a Sharp Weapon.

Su Ming stood in the cold wind, holding the damaged robe, saying nothing.

This was a silent warning.

Lin Yu's voice also turned cold. "They are telling you that we are watching you, and we can make a cut on your body at any time. Today it's on your clothes, tomorrow, it might be on your future, or even... your neck."

That night, the oil lamp in Su Ming and Xu Qing's room burned until late.

"...If there's an emergency, I'll place half a tile on the windowsill. When you see it, don't ask anything, immediately go to the Fushun Teahouse in the Mule and Horse Market and find Shopkeeper Zhang."

Su Ming told Xu Qing about the escape route that Professor Liu had given him.

Xu Qing nodded heavily, committing every detail to memory.

Spring arrived.

The Ministry of Rites officially issued the regulations for the Spring Imperial Examination, and the gates of the Imperial Examination Hall were covered with densely packed notices for candidates.

The atmosphere in all the inns of the capital suddenly became extremely tense.

Su Ming and Xu Qing went to familiarize themselves with the surroundings outside the Imperial Examination Hall for the last time.

They found that the patrolling soldiers around the Imperial Examination Hall had doubled compared to half a month ago.

Moreover, among the regular soldiers, there were also some sharp-eyed, formidable plainclothesmen mixed in.

Their positions seemed casual, but they subtly blocked all crucial intersections.

"They are from the Imperial Guards, and also... Imperial Bodyguards." Lin Yu's voice echoed in Su Ming's mind, "This display doesn't seem like it's to prevent candidates from cheating, but rather to guard against assassins."

Xu Qing also noticed something was amiss; he tugged at Su Ming's sleeve.

"Brother Su, look over there."

Following the direction of his finger, they saw a bustling scene of carriages, horses, and numerous servants at the entrance of the most magnificent private estate next to the Imperial Examination Hall.

A lavish carriage was parked at the entrance, and the conspicuous 'Wei' family crest on its side stung the eyes in the sunlight.

"It's the Young Duke from the Duke Wei's Estate; I heard he's also participating," Xu Qing whispered.

Su Ming withdrew his gaze, his expression calm.

The last night before the exam.

The capital was sleepless.

Countless scholars were making their final preparations, some burning incense and praying, others studying through the night.