"Last time I encountered a lone woman, she turned out to be a Corpse Ghost, and this time it's the same. Are there any normal people left in this world?"
The carriage sped along, and Lu Zheng sat in silence, "When I get back to Tonglin County, I'll stroll outside the city every evening to see if I encounter a Corpse Ghost every day."
Liu Qingyan covered her mouth, giggling, "But haven't we also seen Sister Shen alone?"
Lu Zheng shrugged, "But she was a ghost too at the time."
"Huh?" Liu Qingyan blinked, realizing Lu Zheng made a valid point.
But... Lu Lang, you're comparing Sister Shen to a Corpse Ghost. Should I tell Sister Shen about this when we go back?
The next day, the carriage entered Yizhou Prefecture, and under Lu Zheng's directions, arrived at the inn he stayed in during his first visit.
After storing the horses and putting away the luggage, and letting Old Huang rest at the inn, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan went out for a walk.
In Yizhou Prefecture, there were more scholars than when he last visited.
But after all, it's just a local exam, neither the Autumn Examination nor the Imperial Examination, so most were young people and some were academic underachievers who hadn't passed the Scholar exams in years.
Yes, even as Scholars, it's a title recognized by the Great Jing Dynasty, and the slots for each exam are limited. Even though there are more slots than for Advanced Scholars, not everyone can obtain them.
So the value is still higher than the Scholars from Lu Zheng's area.
In the following two days, Lu Zheng took Liu Qingyan around Yizhou Prefecture, enjoying their time together.
Two days later, the exam began.
Lu Zheng didn't join the hustle and bustle but waited quietly until the exam was about to end before heading outside the examination site.
This state exam was held at the State Academy, and Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan ordered some snacks at a restaurant outside the academy, waiting for Zhu Yushan to come out.
Soon, the exam ended.
Hundreds and thousands of candidates poured out of the academy, some leaving together, some alone. Many families and friends of the scholars, like Lu Zheng, had ordered food in the restaurant, inviting these scholars for a meal post-exam.
However, as the scholars all left the academy, Lu Zheng still hadn't seen any sign of Zhu Yushan.
Lu Zheng was a bit puzzled, exchanging glances with Liu Qingyan, "Did you see Zhu Yushan?"
Liu Qingyan also shook her head, "If you didn't see him, of course, I didn't either."
"Missed him? Not possible?"
With Lu Zheng's eyesight and skill, every scholar who came out of the academy was scanned by him; theoretically, it was impossible to miss anyone.
"Caught in a rain of bad luck?" Liu Qingyan tentatively asked, "He's already achieved cultivation; how could he miss the exam?"
"Indeed..." Lu Zheng was also a bit stupefied.
Liu Qingyan quietly asked, "Should we visit the River God's Mansion?"
Lu Zheng blinked, pondering.
Just then, Lu Zheng turned his head and saw two figures appear from the corner of the street, rushing towards the academy. The source of thɪs content is novel✶fire.net
The two figures were indeed Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu.
Perhaps fearing to attract too much attention, their speed was within the range of ordinary people's.
Zhu Yushan hiked his robe up to his waist, running in big strides, while Li Hanyu held up her skirt, running quickly, not much slower than her husband.
However, when both arrived at the State Academy, they saw the school janitors cleaning up, preparing to close the doors.
Zhu Yushan stood dumbfounded at the academy entrance, lips trembling, face pale, eyes hollow, looking pitiful.
Li Hanyu, her eyes doubtful, stepped forward a little, and softly asked a janitor, "Excuse me, the state exam..."
"The state exam just ended!"
A janitor replied casually, then glanced up and saw the stunned Zhu Yushan at the door.
Clearly, as a famous figure who had taken the exam twelve times in Yizhou, this janitor recognized Zhu Yushan and chuckled.
"Zhu Yushan? I thought I didn't see you this year and that you had given up, but it turns out you missed the exam again."
Several janitors looked up and noticed the dazed Zhu Yushan at the door.
"Ah, isn't this Zhu Yushan? He used to come after the exam ended or got rejected due to being dirty or missed it because he was sick."
"This time is new; he came after the exam ended. Even if he were here to pick someone up, everyone's gone!"
"Zhu Yushan, what unlucky event did you encounter this time? Tell us so we can have a laugh."
"Yes, it's been a long time since we've seen you. What have you been up to lately?"
"This time, did you forget the exam date or the hour?"
In the restaurant, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan heard the dialogue at the academy entrance.
Liu Qingyan couldn't understand, "Why is Young Master Zhu again?"
"I don't know either..."
Lu Zheng also expressed confusion, but...
Lu Zheng moved his lips, sending his voice into Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu's ears, "Brother Zhu, Sister-in-law, I've ordered some food upstairs. Please come up for a chat."
Zhu Yushan was startled, looked back, and saw Lu Zheng on the second floor of a nearby restaurant, nodding towards him.
"Little Sister Qingyan is here too?" Li Hanyu first noticed Liu Qingyan.
"Sister Li!" Liu Qingyan waved to Li Hanyu.
A moment later, Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu entered the restaurant and sat opposite Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan.
Lu Zheng poured drinks for Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu, and the four toasted.
After putting down the wine glass, Lu Zheng blinked and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhu, this time..."
Zhu Yushan sighed, put down the wine glass in his hand, and shook his head silently.
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan focused their gaze on Li Hanyu.
Li Hanyu pursed her lips lightly, glanced at Zhu Yushan, and seeing he didn't stop her, jokingly but kindly said, "He went into seclusion for cultivation and lost track of time."
"After our last visit to Tonglin County, my husband became more focused on cultivation. Half a month ago, he suddenly had an epiphany and said he'd go into a small seclusion for a few days."
Li Hanyu said helplessly, "But once he went in, he didn't come out. I was afraid to disturb his cultivation, so I dared not break in to call him, and..."
Liu Qingyan quickly restrained her smile, straightened up, and waved her hand repeatedly, "It's nothing, nothing; I just accidentally choked."
The corners of her mouth trembled, her lips pursed, obviously struggling to contain her laughter.
Lu Zheng mischievously added, "Did you choke on the rain of misfortune?"
At this, not only Liu Qingyan but even Li Hanyu couldn't hold back her laughter.