Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 35: Child Scholar (Part 2)

Early in the morning, all sorts of people squeezed into the area outside Jixia Academy’s examination hall.

The triennial Autumn Imperial Exam encompassed both the Child Examination and the Scholar’s Examination.

The two were almost held consecutively, except that those taking the Scholar’s Exam were all Child Scholars from across the land.

Therefore, the eyes of the major families focused much more on the Scholar’s Exam in the second month.

Even so, as the Child Examination granted the qualification to be listed for the Scholar’s Exam, it still attracted many people’s attention.

Champion Scholar Pavilion.

A few men with kindly faces beamed at the crowded scene before them, but inside they were restless.

Though these men wore the masks of good-natured folk, they were, in fact, far more ruthless than most—they were the true core of the Three Red Gang.

"Boss, I don’t get why you brought us out, but didn’t bring Huzi and the others!"

"With Huzi and the youngest there just standing around, none of these people would dare get close!"

As he spoke, an old, shabby scholar accidentally stepped on his foot; before he could look over, the man was already cursing and muttering away.

He felt the anger boil up, about to reveal his ferocious side, when a man behind him quickly apologized.

"Sorry, elder!" As the man walked off, Liang Yun’s face swiftly regained its composure, and he turned to the other men, saying, "It’s not like outside the city here—in here, throwing your weight around is just asking for trouble!"

"Look over there—"

The others glanced in that direction and immediately felt a chill run through their hearts.

Normally, the Pavilion was full of petty gentry—households with some silver coins or skills, but compared to true noble families, they were nothing special.

Yet even so, men like them didn’t dare provoke these types lightly—in fact, they were downright wary.

The founding emperor of Great Yuan was a conqueror on horseback, famed in war—it’s been several centuries since his time.

These past generations of emperors leaned more toward literature, but decades of martial tradition can’t easily be set aside in a few generations.

So, any major household would hire martial artists as protectors.

Take the Xun Mansion, for example—their descendants must not only read and write and pursue scholarly rank, but also train in the martial arts, practice Qi Condensation and Marrow Firming.

Even if those at the bottom were willing to stake their lives, it would be hard to hurt such behemoths in the slightest.

Abusing one’s power may cow commoners, and sometimes the blood of a man can be spilled within five steps.

But when the powerful also possess force, then commoners remain only commoners!

So for men of their standing, what they feared even more than authority was martial strength.

Gangs like the Three Red Gang feared the authorities, but feared the big gangs even more.

At this moment, in the Champion Scholar Pavilion, a new presence had emerged—quite different from that of the usual wealthy households.

Though their brows were disciplined, traces of insolence still leaked through.

"How dare these gangs come to the Champion Scholar Pavilion?"

Master Zhao exhaled in a hushed tone, shocked.

Gangs and gentry had tangled relationships—yet, because the wealthy cared for their reputations, outwardly they treated these gangs like fire and water.

In the past, even the Nujiang Gang might linger outside the exam halls, but always low-key, fearful of being spotted by the real nobles. This sort of bold, public appearance was nearly unheard of.

"I’m guessing this has to do with what’s happening over in Red Water County," Liang Yun mused.

Master Zhao and the others’ hearts all gave a jolt, expressions flickering with disbelief.

"Still, Great Yuan may be full of holes, but a centipede dies yet never falls—a man like Xu Yuan is just one of many; Great Yuan won’t fall so easily!" Liang Yun said, though a trace of worry lingered on his face.

The way he saw it, Great Yuan’s mandate could have lasted decades more—maybe a hundred years without trouble. But these recent droughts and constant uprisings: even if some wise ministers could drag things out another few years, or even a few decades, what about after that?

Liang Yun was not one of those desperate men who live for today and ignore tomorrow—he’d come out of a remote village for the sake of lasting fortune and glory, to build a family legacy for his descendants, so his own bloodline might rise above others.

If he couldn’t establish his foundation before Great Yuan collapsed, the future was impossible to predict.

Thinking that, he gazed at the solemn examination hall. At the entrance, two stone lions’ bulging eyes seemed to drill into him, filling him with emotion.

He had once wanted to pursue the imperial examination path, but some things are not so easily obtained by mere willpower.

Right then, someone hurried toward them—shouldering through the crowd without a care to squeeze near.

"Bad news, Boss—Big Bro! Bad news!"

The newcomer almost blurted out "Gang Leader" before Liang Yun shot him a glare—he swallowed it, switching to "Big Bro" instead.

"What’s got you so panicked?" Liang Yun’s heart skipped; recalling recent matters, nothing seemed amiss.

The man had been set to watch the West Gate—if he was running over like this, something bad must’ve happened.

Yet what came out of his mouth next caught Liang Yun completely off guard.

"Wang Heihou got taken!"

"Who did it?" Liang Yun’s face tightened—he distinctly remembered giving orders not to touch anyone in that courtyard until after the Child Examination was over.

"It was the Shaving Knife Gang from the South Gate!"

Liang Yun’s brow furrowed, but just then, a low murmur sounded at the front—the crowd seemed gripped at the throat by fate, and in an instant, silence fell.

A junior official in a blue-black robe stepped out, a ledger in his hands.

He scanned the faces around him before squaring his shoulders and climbing to a high perch in front of the Champion Scholar Pavilion—then began reading from the ledger in a sonorous voice.

He opened with quotations from the classics, praising the merits of the imperial exam and the greatness of Great Yuan, then moved on to the admonitions of the ancient sages.

At last—what everyone cared about most: the list of those who passed the Child Examination.

"This year, in Black Mountain Prefecture at Jixia, 186 Child Scholars have been admitted. The names are as follows—"

"Fu Yunchang, 28, from Zuolinn County!"

"Liu Yuming, 49, from Dayun Town, Gaofang County!"

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As the junior official chanted out names, some in the crowd couldn’t contain their rapture—crying out and weeping; others’ eyes rolled back as they collapsed to the ground, overcome.

Three years, then another three—how many "three years" does a lifetime hold? For the sake of this one Child Scholar title, who knows how many gave every drop of their ambition from the day they first remembered anything?

If you succeeded, all was well. But those who failed—when they witnessed such a moment, it hit like another brutal blow.

Lu Chang’sheng stood at the back of the crowd, gazing at an elderly man in front whose body seemed about to give out.

Great Yuan’s laws clearly stated—after sixty, one couldn’t compete in any exam. Judging by the old man’s white hair, this was likely his last time.

"Sir!"

As the list drew to its end, the old man swayed even more violently.

In the end, he couldn’t take it—he tipped straight toward Lu Chang’sheng.

With quick reflexes, he caught the old man, whose face was now paper-pale, lips drained of color—his eyes void, as if his soul had flown away.

"Don’t mind me, don’t mind me... Thank you, young man!" the old man mumbled, dully pulling himself upright and staggering off—just a shell, his spirit lost.

Lu Chang’sheng sighed inwardly, but now, with only a few names left on the list—and his yet to be read—he couldn’t help growing nervous.

At last—

"Lu Erdan, 12, from Dayu Town, Fushui County!"

Lu Chang’sheng and Li Nangua both froze in disbelief.

For the past two years, everyone had only called him Chang’sheng, forgetting that Lu Chang’sheng’s real name was Lu Erdan!

"You did it, Chang’sheng!" Li Nangua cried out in excitement.

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