25: Completed

The façade of the Qingshi Town County School Office was not large. The two stone lions, their features obscured by erosion from wind and rain, exuded an air of aged solemnity.

Zhao Rui stood at the entrance, his palms sweating from nervousness. He tugged at Su Ming's sleeve, his voice trembling: "Su Ming, my... my calves are cramping up. This is the County School, the place that governs all the scholars in town."

Su Ming patted the back of his hand, signaling him to relax. His expression was calm, but only he knew that beneath that composure lay the result of half an hour of psychological preparation by his Master Lin Yu.

Lin Yu’s voice sounded lazily in Su Ming’s mind, “Disciple, remember this: rules are dead, but people are alive. If he handles things smoothly, we’ll greet him with smiles. If he puts on airs, don’t panic. We have a contingency plan.”

“What contingency plan?” Su Ming asked internally.

Lin Yu kept him guessing, “You’ll know when the time comes.”

The two walked into the County School Office, and a scent of old ink mixed with musty wood assailed them. The main hall was dimly lit, and only a petty official was dozing behind the greasy, polished counter.

“Sir... Sir,” Zhao Rui mustered his courage, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

The petty official’s eyelids fluttered, and he slowly lifted his head, revealing a face with a pointed chin and sunken cheeks. It was Petty Official Qian.

He glanced at the two of them, seeing their coarse, faded cotton clothes, and the contempt in his eyes was undisguised.

“What is it?” His voice was drawn out, laced with impatience.

“Sir, we are here to register for the examination roster.” Su Ming respectfully handed over the letter of recommendation written by Master Zhou and their household registration documents.

Petty Official Qian didn't even lift his eyelids, using two fingers to pinch the papers, as if they were something filthy.

He scanned them carelessly, then threw the documents back onto the counter with a *thwack*.

“It doesn’t comply with the rules.”

Zhao Rui’s face instantly turned pale.

“S-sir, what part doesn’t comply? These were personally written by Master Zhou, and they bear his seal...”

“Master Zhou?” Petty Official Qian scoffed, picking at his teeth with a fingernail. “Master Zhou cannot break the County School’s rules either. The guarantor’s seal is blurry and unclear. And look at these household registration documents—the paper is coarse, and the writing is practically falling apart. How can these be filed?”

Everything he said was utter nonsense, nitpicking for problems. The seal was perfectly clear, and the documents were legitimately issued by the Village Head.

Su Ming’s heart sank. He knew trouble had arrived.

“Then... Sir, how should we rectify this?” Su Ming suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice.

“Rectify it?” Petty Official Qian looked as if he had heard the funniest joke ever. He lifted his head and pointed his chin at Su Ming, “Go back, and have Master Zhou re-stamp it using the special ink paste provided by the County School. Then, have your Village Head sign the household registration documents a second time to prove your identities are correct. Come back once that’s done!”

When Zhao Rui heard this, he grew anxious: “Sir, it takes us most of the day to walk from Qingshui Village to the town! If we go back and forth like this, the registration deadline will pass!”

“That’s your problem, what does it have to do with me?” Petty Official Qian impatiently waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. “Next! Don’t block the way here!”

Zhao Rui was trembling with anger and wanted to argue further, but Su Ming grabbed him.

Su Ming shook his head at him.

“Disciple, did you see that? The classic Stalling Tactic.” Lin Yu’s voice turned cold. “He’s not following the rules; he’s giving us trouble. If nobody instructed him to do this, I’ll kick my Soul Body around like a ball.”

“What should we do, Master?” Su Ming clenched his fists inside his sleeves.

“Activate Plan B.” Lin Yu’s voice regained its composure, even carrying a hint of leisurely amusement. “Remember how I told you to bring that box?”

Su Ming’s heart stirred.

“Don’t argue with him, and don’t show weakness.” Lin Yu instructed. “Just put that Zitan Wood Box on the counter. Your movements must be slow and steady. Then open it, and say you need to tidy up the Writing Implements so they don’t get damaged by the bumpy road.”

Su Ming took a deep breath and did as instructed.

Without saying a word, he silently placed the heavy Zitan Wood Box onto the counter.

“Thump.”

It was a muted sound, not loud, but it made Petty Official Qian’s eyelid twitch.

He frowned, looking at Su Ming with displeasure: “What are you doing? I told you to leave, can’t you understand human language? Get your junk out of here!”

Su Ming ignored him, merely extending his slender fingers to slowly unfasten the Copper Clasp of the wooden box.

“Click.”

A corner of the lid was lifted, revealing the bright yellow Silk lining inside. The silk seemed to glow on its own in the dim light, catching Petty Official Qian’s eye.

“I merely wish to check whether the Writing Implements gifted by Young Master Zhou were damaged on the road.”

Su Ming’s voice was soft and his tone was flat, but the three words "Young Master Zhou" struck Petty Official Qian’s heart like a heavy hammer.

Petty Official Qian’s movements froze.

Young Master Zhou? Which Young Master Zhou?

His gaze was involuntarily drawn over.

Su Ming’s fingers continued their movement, opening the lid completely.

Instantly, a quiet scent of ink mixed with the fragrance of precious wood permeated the air. The 'Cloud-Shrouded Mountains' Duanyan Inkstone lay quietly on the silk. Its stone was smooth and warm, the carving exquisite, shimmering with a subtle, reserved glow in the light. Beside it lay a pair of Weasel-Hair Brushes. Their handles were made of high-quality Xiangfei Bamboo, bearing natural speckles, and their tips were straight and full—clearly not ordinary items.

Even more damning was a tiny character, formed by Seal Script, branded onto the inner lid of the Zitan Wood Box.

Others might not recognize it, but Petty Official Qian, who had been working in the County School for over a decade, recognized it instantly!

That was Zhou Wenhai’s Emblem!

Petty Official Qian’s mind went blank with a *buzz*, as if he had been stung by a wasp.

He abruptly looked up, re-examining Su Ming before him.

The youth was plainly dressed, with a delicate face and an expression as calm as an ancient well. Yet, this seemingly unremarkable country boy held a gift bestowed by the Zhou Family’s Eldest Young Master, Zhou Yulin!

A thought exploded in Petty Official Qian’s mind: Could this poor boy be an honored guest of the Eldest Young Master Zhou? Or... an unknown relative of the Zhou Family?

He then recalled the instructions of Zhou Family Second Master Zhou Kang from yesterday, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

The Zhou Family’s Immortals were fighting, and if he, a Mortal Lackey, got involved and chose the wrong side, he might not even know how he died!

Zhou Kang was indeed the Zhou Family’s Second Master, but Zhou Yulin was the future Family Head! He was the Zhou Family’s Qilin Child!

Offending Zhou Kang would, at most, cut off some Gray Income. But offending someone valued by Zhou Yulin... Petty Official Qian’s face was even paler than Zhao Rui's had been moments ago.

The fat on his face squeezed together as he struggled to force out a smile uglier than a cry, and his voice began to tremble.

“Oh dear! This... this Young Master, look at my eyesight! I’m old, and my eyes are failing me!”

As he spoke, he frantically snatched the two documents back from the counter, brought them close to his eyes, and pretended to examine them carefully.

“Oh, wow! Upon closer inspection, this seal is stamped with such force it penetrates the paper—it’s very clear! And these documents, though the paper is simple, it shows resilience, perfectly matching the unpretentious nature of us scholars! Good! Excellent!”

His change of face was faster than flipping a book.

Zhao Rui, standing beside him, was completely dumbfounded, mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

“Ahem,” Petty Official Qian cleared his throat, his attitude as humble as if he were a different person. “A misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding! I will process this for you two right away! Right away!”

He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and swiftly wrote down Su Ming and Zhao Rui’s names in the Registration Book. Then, he took out two brand-new Wooden Examination Plaques, meticulously wrote the information in Small Regular Script, stamped them with the County School Office’s Official Seal, and presented them with both hands.

“Two Young Masters, these are your Examination Roster Plaques, please keep them safe. Make sure not to be late for the Scholar Examination next spring.”

Su Ming silently put away the wooden box, accepted the plaques, and handed one to the still-dazed Zhao Rui.

He nodded calmly at Petty Official Qian.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“You flatter me, you flatter me! It was I, this lowly one, who Failed to Recognize Mount Tai and delayed Young Master’s important business. I only hope Young Master... can put in a few good words for me before Young Master Zhou.” Petty Official Qian bowed deeply, his face covered in a flattering smile.

Su Ming said nothing more, pulling the bewildered Zhao Rui, and turned to walk out of the County School Office.

Only when the warm sunlight shone on them again did Zhao Rui let out a long breath. He looked at Su Ming, his gaze as complex as if he were looking at a monster.

“Su Ming... just now... what exactly happened?”

Before Su Ming could answer, Lin Yu’s smug voice rang out in his mind.

“See that, Disciple? That’s called ‘The Fox Exploiting the Tiger's Might.’ We didn’t spend a single Copper Coin, yet we used the Zhou Family’s name to get things done. Low cost, fast results, zero side effects.”

Lin Yu’s Soul Body crossed its legs inside the ring: “When dealing with this kind of petty official who judges people by their clothes, if you try to reason with him, he talks about rules. If you talk about rules, he acts like a hooligan. Only when you reveal a Backer tougher than his own Master will he kneel down and talk reason with you.”

“Is this what Master calls the wisdom of survival?” Su Ming asked internally, his heart surging as he looked at the Examination Roster Plaque in his hand.

“No,” Lin Yu corrected. “This isn’t wisdom; this is Risk Management. Zhou Kang is our risk, and Zhou Yulin is our Hedging Tool. Remember, never place your hope on the goodwill of others. You must learn to use every available resource to build your own Safety Barrier.”

“This lesson today is more useful than ten years spent reading the Classics of the Sages. Congratulations, Disciple, you have advanced another step in the cultivation of The Way of Cautious Survival.”