Chapter 202 - 150: Could It Be Him?
This led Liu Chuanzhi to curse Fang Yue endlessly, hoping he had died there too.
But once again, he was disappointed.
Fang Yue had come back early.
Liu Chuanzhi could only console himself. ’Fang Yue came back so early, he must have fled. That means he definitely failed the Prefecture Examination.’
"You don’t need to worry about that."
Fang Yue gave a slight smile and, ignoring the man, prepared to head back to his room to wash up.
But Liu Chuanzhi wasn’t about to let Fang Yue leave so easily.
"Heh heh, I should thank you. I bet three thousand taels of silver that you’d lose. Looks like I’m about to make a hefty profit! HA HA..." After saying his piece, Liu Chuanzhi walked away, laughing boisterously.
At that moment, Fang Yue turned to watch the man’s retreating figure and couldn’t help but rub his nose.
~~~~~~~~
A massive crowd had gathered. Martial Scholars clustered in twos and threes, most of them having already been eliminated.
Although their own hopes were dashed, they still wanted to see who would ultimately pass this Prefecture Examination.
Naturally, there were also some Martial Scholars who were certain they had passed but were waiting around, anxious to learn their final ranking.
Of course, an even greater number were small-time merchants and vendors, setting up stalls and hawking their wares.
And then there was another group: those who had participated in the betting pools, wagering their silver and now awaiting the results.
There were even a few wealthy families from the city who had already prepared generous dowries, looking to find a match among the successful Martial Scholars who were not yet married.
Perhaps, if they were lucky, they could even arrange a marriage.
The crowd was vast and varied, a true cross-section of society.
After a short wait, the sound of firecrackers erupted as the main gates of the Government Office swung open.
Two rows of sixteen government constables in red uniforms marched out, beating gongs and drums. The clamor of percussion and the crackle of firecrackers filled the air.
The spectacle immediately drew the attention of the large crowd of onlookers, creating a festive atmosphere as lively as the New Year.
"Heh heh, they’re posting the results! I’m definitely going to make a killing this time," one of the gamblers who had bet on Fang Yue to fail said excitedly, staring ahead.
Beside him, several others also stood on their tiptoes, their gazes following the official carrying the list.
This time, because of the additional last-minute test, the outcome of the Prefecture Examination was shrouded in mystery.
Meanwhile, on the third floor of a restaurant directly across from the Government Office’s announcement wall...
In one of the private rooms,
"Lan, they’re posting the results! They’re posting them! I wonder if Yue passed," Nu said, her little face flushed with excitement as she looked out.
"Him, pass? How is that possible?" Wen Lan scoffed, not believing for a second that Fang Yue could pass the Prefecture Examination.
After all, while the examination had seemed like a good opportunity, she knew a few inside details.
Namely, the mortality rate for this Prefecture Examination was extremely high; nearly half of the Martial Scholars had died on Boundary Mountain.
Although Fang Yue hadn’t died, he had returned so early, which meant he must have fled.
In another private room,
Wang Mangzi and Xiong Da were eating and drinking, but it was obvious both were distracted, their eyes glancing frequently toward the results being posted outside.
"Sigh, I thought this Prefecture Examination would be a great opportunity, but I nearly didn’t make it back alive," Wang Mangzi said with a long sigh, filled with frustration.
Xiong Da added with a sigh of his own.
"No matter what, it’s good enough that we made it back alive."
Although Xiong Da’s words were comforting, the look of disappointment in his eyes was impossible to hide. If he failed this time, he feared he’d never get another chance.
Wang Mangzi was also still shaken.
Too many Martial Scholars had died this time, including several who were ranked higher and were stronger than him.
Take Wang Teng from the Wang Family, for example. He had even managed to escape back to Sanshui County, but later went missing. No one knew if he had gone back to Boundary Mountain, unable to accept his failure, or if he had died somewhere else.
In any case, he had vanished without a trace, no sign of him dead or alive, which was a chilling thought.
Soon, another burst of clamorous gongs and drums came from outside the window.
The results list outside had been unveiled, and their attention was immediately captured.
But in the next moment,
The two Martial Artists, who had been in high spirits just moments before, were completely stunned.
Their wine cups slipped from their grasp, and they felt as if their throats had been seized.
They stared at each other, then back at the list, then at each other again, simply unable to believe what they were seeing.
Prefecture Examination Results, Fifth Place: Fang Yue of Da Liushu Village, Xiahe County.
At the same time,
Down in the square, countless people saw the name in fifth place: Fang Yue.
Many of them, in disbelief, pulled out their money pouches and checked the names written on the slips of paper inside.
After checking and rechecking, confirming there was no mistake,
These people realized with horror that the bet they thought was a sure thing, a guaranteed small profit, had actually been lost.
How was this possible? How could this have happened!
In an instant, an unknown number of people began to wail, nearly throwing the entire square into chaos.
However, the Government Office constables were very experienced in handling such matters and quickly suppressed the disturbance.
Of course, there were also those who began investigating the identities of the names on the list, hoping to see if any were unmarried and arrange a match.
In front of the bustling, disbelieving crowd, a tableau of human nature, hung the final list of the Prefecture Examination.
~~~~~~~
"He actually passed? And fifth place in the Prefecture Examination, no less! By tradition, that’s enough to be appointed at least a seventh-grade official!"
Wen Lan saw the name, her eyes wide, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"Lan, what is it? Did you see Yue’s name? What place did Yue get?" Nu’s voice piped up.
Wen Lan snapped back to reality, the confident and arrogant expression on her face almost completely gone.
But thinking of Fang Yue’s background, she bit her lip and said, "I didn’t see it. He probably didn’t pass."
"Yue didn’t pass? Then I have to go find him right away. He must be so upset right now," Nu said.
Hearing this, Wen Lan felt a headache coming on.
"Lan, hurry and take me to find Yue!" Nu, completely oblivious to what Wen Lan was thinking, just kept urging her on.
~~~~~~~
’Why him? A country bumpkin who’s only been practicing martial arts for a few years... On what grounds!’
Meanwhile, in the other private room,
Wang Mangzi and Xiong Da were also in a daze after seeing that name.
That guy... he actually passed!
They couldn’t believe it.
"How is this possible? How could this happen!" Wang Mangzi slammed his hand on the table and roared, "On what grounds!"
Xiong Da was also trembling with anger, cursing loudly without regard for his image, "Damn it, how the hell is his luck so good!"
"Good luck? I, on the other hand, think there’s something strange about this Fang Yue."
Wang Mangzi shook his head, his face dark. "How could he possibly have gotten fifth place!"
To get fifth in the Prefecture Examination, one would have to kill a Qi Sensing Martial Master at the very least.
And the number of Martial Scholars capable of killing such a Martial Master was definitely small.
Fang Yue was not among them.
So how did he get fifth place?
Was it just good luck?
’Impossible, absolutely impossible!’
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed through Wang Mangzi’s mind.
’Fifth... fifth place... could it be!’
"Damn it, it couldn’t be him, could it?" Wang Mangzi instantly recalled that the Qi Sensing bandit chasing him was the fifth-ranked Qi Sensing Martial Master of Tenglong Stronghold.
So, was Fang Yue able to get fifth place because he killed that man?
Did he turn in that man’s head?
But then he shook his head. Fang Yue definitely didn’t have that kind of strength.
’Which means... someone gave that man’s head to Fang Yue?’
At this thought, Wang Mangzi couldn’t sit still any longer. He had to find Fang Yue immediately.
After all, the person who killed the Qi Sensing Martial Master should be the same person who saved his life.
A life debt must be repaid!
And now, it was clear that Fang Yue was connected to the person who had saved him. He had to go through Fang Yue to find his savior.
While thanking him, he also had to inquire who had taken his Secret Manual and silver.
"Xiong, I just remembered I have something to attend to. I must take my leave. I’ll make it up to you another day."
Wang Mangzi immediately stood up, excused himself, and left.