Chapter 1: Small town

Qingshan Town was originally an ordinary town located halfway up the mountain.

Usually, there are few outsiders, but at this moment, it has become turbulent

because of Qiguo’s exam.

"Next, Fenghua County examinee, Xia Fan." The invigilator read with the list.

Xia Fan, who was named by his name, walked out of the team and handed his

wooden sword and package.

Two assistants immediately took the package and unzipped it, carefully

checking the contents.

"Clothes, two sets, compliant."

"Pills, one bag, compliance."

"Pick up paper, stack, compliance."

"Money..." When the money bag was found, one person put it upside down in his

hand, and couldn't help showing a surprised look, "less than five taels."

A few chuckles suddenly came from behind Xia Fan. Although his voice was

suppressed very low, he still vaguely heard words such as poor ghosts and soil

buns.

"As long as you don't exceed the limit, you can bring as many as you want."

The invigilator didn't respond much, as if he had seen many similar scenes,

"Press your fingerprints here and cross the bridge."

Xia Fan arched his hands and crossed the small suspension bridge connecting

the inside and outside of the town.

Only then did he really enter the "examination room".

And the candidates in the front line have already run across the street.

It seemed that they had the same idea as himself, Xia Fan secretly said that

when he came to an unfamiliar place, the first thing he had to do was to get

acquainted with the situation in this place before he could deal with the

content of the next assessment.

Half an hour later, after visiting the town, he finally had a general

understanding of the "exam room".

This town is much smaller than he thought. It is more appropriate to say that

it is not a town than a village.

It is located in a remote location, backed by mountains, and surrounded by

rift valleys. The access to the outside world is only a suspension bridge made

of hemp rope and wooden planks.

The surrounding vegetation is lush and lush, and there are big trees in the

sky, and you can smell the fragrance of moist soil when you walk on the road.

If you change the age, this isolated residence is undoubtedly a superb view in

the eyes of some people. It is no problem as a tourist attraction close to

nature, but at this moment, isolation means poverty and backwardness.

Four criss-crossing mud roads roughly divide the town into a tic-tac-toe. The

houses are less than 30 buildings, most of which are bungalows with thatched

roofs, and some have been abandoned for many years. Obviously, its scale is

shrinking with the years.

is a little like a town in the center of the Tic Tac Toe. There are at least

two floors of blue brick houses along the road, as well as a hotel and a tea

house.

Here, naturally, it has become the most lively area in Qingshan Town.

"This Xiongtai, bother," Suddenly someone patted Xia Fan on the shoulder, "Are

you from Fenghua County too?"

Xia Fan turned around and looked around, only to see a man who was slightly

fat and his age was looking at him with a smile on his face, even with some

expectations in his eyes.

"Yes, I don't know if you are..."

"Hey, fellow." The other party seemed to be relieved, "My name is Wei

Wushuang, I was two or three behind you before, and I just heard the

examiner's question."

"That's it."

Seeing Xia Fan raising his eyebrows, Wei Wushuang quickly waved his hand

again, "I didn't think there was any problem with only carrying half a bag of

money. After all, not everyone is a disciple, but those disciples of the

martial art are high-profile and like to look down on people. To be honest. ,

I hate them too tightly."

"By the way, should we go in and have a drink and talk?" He glanced at the

teahouse, "I'll please you for this meal."

Is this self-acquaintance or is it a casual dedication? Thinking that there

was nothing wrong, Xia Fan agreed, and he was also a little curious about what

the other party was doing.

sat down at an empty table on the second floor. Wei Wushuang skillfully placed

a pot of green tea, added a plate of boiled peanuts and a plate of raw pork

ears. Obviously, he is also a frequent visitor to restaurants.

It seems ordinary, but Xia Fan knows that this is definitely not the normal

life of ordinary people. Those who can go to restaurants in this era have some

spare money at home.

At least he has never played.

This can be regarded as experiencing life from another angle.

"You are welcome," Wei Wushuang gestured to please, "If you still want to eat,

just tell me."

"This is enough." Xia Fan poured himself a cup of tea, "The money is limited,

it's best to save some money, I don't know how long this exam will last."

"Yes." When it comes to the exam, Wei Wushuang's expression is obviously

wilted. "I heard that although the admission rate for Shikao is not low, the

advantages and differences are different. If it is rated as inferior, it is

better not to be selected. After all, That's a desperate job. It's just...hey,

you and I are from retail investors, so how can you compare to those noble

disciples."

Every time I hear Shikao, an indescribable feeling will always rise in Xia

Fan's heart. Although he has long accepted that this is reality, he still

cannot ignore the strangeness caused by the collision of two common senses.

That’s right, in this world, the various anomalies that were only active in

ghost stories and legends have become a common phenomenon; it definitely does

not exist in a certain mountain col, tomb or remote wasteland, but it really

affects people. All aspects of life. In order to deal with these evil events,

each dynasty set up a Privy Council to select relevant talents to protect the

safety of one party.

And the method of selection is public examination. All those who are admitted

are alchemists. Not only do they have official status, their treatment is the

same as that of ordinary officials. Therefore, over time, Shi Kao gradually

became the third largest national unified examination after scientific and

martial arts examinations, and because the Privy Council was not among the six

departments and was under the direct control of the emperor, its momentum in

recent years has been Above Wu Kao.

Like the scientific examination, the scholarship examination is held once

every three years, but the format is not divided into different levels of

selection in autumn and spring. Anyone who wishes can apply for registration

before the summer university examination. Passing the identity review is

equivalent to obtaining a standard. Exam qualifications. The exam usually

lasts for a few days, after which the level can be determined.

According to the news Xia Fan heard before, the admission rate for the Shikao

is halfway, which seems to be much more relaxed than the scientific test.

However, considering the duties of the alchemist, this is also reasonable.

After all, the number of people participating in the examination is much lower

than the scientific examination. At the same time, it is a three-year

examination. If the requirements are increased, the Privy Council will

inevitably lead to a shortage of personnel in the Privy Council, which will

affect the safety of various places.

It's just that the exam always scores high and low. Even if the alchemist who

barely passes the test has official status, the place he is assigned will not

be much better. The problem is that even if the local officials are poor, they

will live a little bit poorer, and they will always have a chance to turn over

if they gradually become more senior. But unlike the Privy Council, it is

inevitable that anyone has to deal with all kinds of visions, and it is not

surprising if he accidentally died on duty.

With this difference, it is no wonder that Wei Wushuang is worried about his

ranking.

"The scholarship test is an active registration and voluntary participation.

If you don't come, won't you be free from these troubles." Xia Fan said

disapprovingly. The other party is obviously not the kind of person who needs

to take a fight. He has some spare money in his pocket at any time, and he can

still go to the restaurant on weekdays. This kind of person can live quite

well even if he is not an official, and there is no need for risk.

"I'm not afraid of Xiongtai's jokes. I was driven by my father." Wei Wushuang

grinned helplessly. "He said that he is only a businessman when he does

business well. Compared to a serious official, it is simply It's a thousand

miles away! If I didn't come, I would be ashamed of the ancestors, the talent

bestowed by God, and sorry for the rice I ate. Of course, the main reason is

the root in his hand. Leather whip..."

Xia Fan couldn't help but twitched the corners of his mouth, "You shouldn't be

the eldest son of the family?"

"Do you know this too?" Wei Wushuang drank a sullen tea, "Father with three

children and two daughters, I am the second child."

seems to be real.

However, he himself is not much better. During his stay in Fenghua County, his

master not only lost his entanglement, but because he wanted to recover the

loss quickly, he lost a sum of money in gambling, almost losing everyone. .

Now that the master is being held by the casino, waiting for him to get the

alchemist and redeem him with the salary. It is as shameful as it is.

If it weren't for the fact that the cheap master picked him up as an orphan

and took care of him for more than ten years, Xia Fan really wanted to abandon

him and leave.

He shook his head, set aside this unbearable memory for the time being, and

decided to go straight to the topic, "What do you want to talk about when you

ask me to drink tea?"

"Eh? No, it's nothing..." Wei Wushuang was taken aback for a moment, then

scratched his head, "I think since Xiongtai are both from Fenghua County, UU

reading www.uukanshu.com might be able to make a company. Take care of each

other. If Xiongtai is in trouble, I can also help."

"That's it?" Xia Fan asked calmly.

"Of course, I don't mean anything else." After being looked directly at for a

moment, Wei Wushuang coughed dryly, "Well, it would be better if you and I can

help each other in the next taxi exam. Naturally, it is not breaking the

rules. Under the circumstances, I never had the idea of bribing Xiongtai

with a bowl of tea!"

"You mean... cooperation?"

"Yes, cooperation." Wei Wushuang nodded again and again, "I think this Shikao

is very different from the other two exams. Collaboration may not be

considered cheating."

"Why do you see?" Xia Fan slowly took a sip of tea.

"Take Qiuwei as an example. When you go to the examination center, you have to

search your body before sending it in. There are compartments in the

courtyard. Once you enter, you can't make noise at will, let alone talk to

others. In fact, even go to the toilet. It must be accompanied by an

invigilator. But look here—"Wei Wushuang looked around the teahouse, "We are

already in the examination room, but we can't help whispering, and we can even

talk while eating!"

"There are also those in the same robe," he said to a big table in the center,

"I noticed that they have been together since they were in line. They are all

family children, and we should know some news that we don't know. If it is

like As in the scientific examination, everyone is a competitor. They

shouldn’t be unprepared for their peers, but it doesn’t seem to be the case

now. I think the examination may allow everyone to pass the examination, and

it’s a group of people. The advantage is greater than that of one person."

Xia Fan couldn't help raising her eyebrows.

This guy seems a bit dumb, but he didn't expect his observation ability to be

unexpectedly good.

For a teenager who has not yet reached the championship, this is already a

rare thing.