Chapter 99

This time, the prefectural examination was indeed different from the past.

A previously scheduled additional test had already set a precedent for the prefectural examination in Donglin City, and now, because Lin Xun's name did not appear on the list of those who had passed the examination, another controversy arose.

No one had expected such an event to happen.

But Lin Xun knew that this matter could not be avoided. Those who had long harbored enmity would never let him pass the prefectural examination and leave Donglin City easily.

Everything that was happening now proved that his predictions were not wrong.

Lin Xun had no time to be angry, no time to hate anyone, and no time to feel sorrow or indignation. He had to use every means to save himself.

His rationality told him that anger, hatred, sorrow, and indignation were of no help. Self-rescue was the top priority.

The current situation was extremely intense. Although there were no actual weapons, danger lurked everywhere. One misstep, and he would surely not survive.

Lin Xun was betting everything on this, but he had overlooked one person—

Yao Tuohai!

At this moment, Wu Chaoqun and Yu Canglin were weighing the pros and cons of capturing and killing Lin Xun, while Yao Tuohai, who had been observing coldly, finally spoke.

He sat up straight, his elegant and gentle demeanor unchanged, but his voice carried a stern authority that pierced the heart: "The prefectural examination has already been delayed too long. Capture this boy first, take him out of the examination hall, and I will report this matter to the empire later."

A simple sentence, yet it was direct and decisive, completely ignoring who was right or wrong. Capture Lin Xun first, and deal with any rumors later. Yao Tuohai was willing to take full responsibility for this matter.

This move was undoubtedly a death sentence for Lin Xun!

This was Yao Tuohai. When he spoke, it was a thunderous strike, leaving no room for maneuver.

Lin Xun's heart sank to the bottom. He had been negotiating and struggling with Yu Canglin and Wu Chaoqun, but the one he could not see through was Yao Tuohai, who had remained silent.

He thought that as an external examiner, even with his great reputation, Yao Tuohai's silence indicated that he did not want to get involved in this controversy. Who would have thought that Yao Tuohai would speak now, and with his first words, deliver a fatal blow?

This was unexpected and left Lin Xun unprepared.

Hearing Yao Tuohai's decisive words, Yu Canglin and Wu Chaoqun let out a sigh of relief. Their gazes towards Lin Xun were filled with coldness and mockery. A mere boy, thinking he could cause a great storm, but in the end, he could not resist the suppression of a powerful figure! How laughable! How pitiful!

To everyone else, Yao Tuohai's words were like a stabilizing force, settling the matter once and for all!

Excitement.

Commotion.

Triumph.

Cheers.

The previously silent atmosphere suddenly erupted. Everyone knew that Lin Xun was at the end of his rope, with no hope of turning things around!

Lian Fei also smiled, his face flushed with excitement. For him, thoroughly eliminating Lin Xun was no easy task!

"I told you, with my father here, he will ultimately not escape death!" Yao Susu said with a smirk.

"Quick, capture this boy!" Yu Canglin shouted from the platform.

The Donglin Academy instructor, who had been summoned and was waiting on the side, had a cold and stern expression.

"Wait!"

At this moment, Mu Wansu suddenly stood up, her face showing panic and determination. She said through gritted teeth, "Please calm down. This Lin Xun is someone my eldest son has favored, and he is certainly not a heinous criminal."

The people on the platform were slightly taken aback, then they understood who Mu Wansu's eldest son was, and their faces changed.

Shi Xuan!

The son of the empire's financial god!

This Lin Xun had already been favored by Shi Xuan!

Could Mu Wansu be lying? She wouldn't dare, at least not with Shi Xuan's name. So what she said must be true.

But this only made Yu Canglin, Wu Chaoqun, and others feel frustrated. They were about to capture this boy, but now this unexpected turn of events occurred?

Yao Tuohai's brows furrowed slightly, and he said unhappily, "No matter who this boy is backed by, he must be punished today. As the chief examiner of this prefectural examination, I don't need anyone to tell me what to do!"

Yao Tuohai was a great figure, favored by the current imperial chancellor thirty years ago. In the southwestern province of the empire, only Liu Wujun could match him. He was not a man to be intimidated by a mere word.

Shi Xuan might be powerful, but he was still the son of the financial god. Unless he came in person, Yao Tuohai might give him some face.

But now, a mere word was not enough to make Yao Tuohai retract his statement!

Mu Wansu's face turned pale, and she felt utterly hopeless. Lin Xun was indeed in grave danger today, with no hope of turning things around.

Yu Canglin, Wu Chaoqun, and others were completely relieved, sneering. Even invoking the name of the financial god's son was useless. Lin Xun, who could save you now?

Boom!

Suddenly, the Donglin Academy instructor moved. He was a stern middle-aged man, a Linggang realm cultivator. Without a word, he took a step forward, his figure like a shooting rainbow, charging straight at Lin Xun with a fierce momentum.

Lin Xun took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination. He knew he was in a dire situation today, but he would not give up without a fight.

Just as Lin Xun was about to act, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out in the air, piercing the eardrums.

Then, a white bone spear appeared out of nowhere, trailing fine silver starlight, cutting through the air and releasing terrifying power, heading straight for the stern middle-aged man.

The stern middle-aged man's face changed abruptly, and he struck with a powerful palm.

Boom!

In an instant, a terrifying collision sounded, and layers of air waves spread out like a hurricane. Some cultivators nearby were thrown back before they could react, causing a commotion.

The stern middle-aged man was forced back several steps, his face pale with shock and anger. Someone dared to attack in the Donglin Academy!

At this moment, not only the stern middle-aged man, but also Yao Tuohai, Yu Canglin, Wu Chaoqun, and others on the platform, all looked towards the scene, their gazes finally landing on Lin Xun's side.

There, a little girl in a black windbreaker stood, her face, which had been covered by a hat, revealed by the air waves, was so beautiful that it made the world seem dull in comparison.

She held a twelve-foot white bone spear, standing quietly beside Lin Xun. If not for what they had just seen, no one could have imagined that such a little girl could engage in combat with a Linggang realm cultivator!

But soon, everyone's attention shifted. When they saw the incomparably beautiful face of the little girl, they were all momentarily dazed.

The noisy square suddenly fell silent, even Yao Tuohai's expression froze.

Too beautiful!

Perfect, like a masterpiece of the heavens. Such beauty was not of this world, yet it appeared on a five or six-year-old girl, with a shock that could captivate all.

Lin Xun sighed inwardly, his gaze focused on Xia Zhi. "You should leave first. Even if I die today, you can avenge me in the future."

Xia Zhi shook her head. "If you die, my world will be filled with darkness. In that case, I will lose the meaning of living."

She did not say that she would die with him, but her words made Lin Xun's heart tremble with complex emotions.

"You must leave!"

Lin Xun suddenly gritted his teeth and said in a voice only Xia Zhi could hear, "If you can't find the meaning of living, remember the faces of those on the platform. Except for Mu Wansu, kill them all in the future. If I die, I can rest in peace!"

Xia Zhi frowned, looking up at the people on the platform, her clear, black eyes showing a hint of indifference.

Before Xia Zhi could speak, Yao Tuohai on the platform suddenly said coldly, "Entering the examination hall without permission and disrupting the prefectural examination, neither of you will leave today!"

This statement shook the entire square.

The long-suppressed anger in Lin Xun's heart could no longer be controlled, surging through his body like boiling lava, burning him to the point of explosion.

He didn't care about himself, but when Yao Tuohai said he would keep Xia Zhi as well, the sudden anger was uncontrollable, making all the hatred he had endured today surge from his heart.

When he killed Lu Laohu last time and saw Xia Zhi suffer, Lin Xun had felt the same way, with endless anger burning in his heart, making him lose his reason.

No one noticed, but at this moment, a pair of blood-red vortices, deep and profound like a great abyss, appeared in Lin Xun's eyes.

Xia Zhi noticed, and she was momentarily stunned. Her usually calm and pale face showed a rare hint of tension, and she subconsciously grabbed Lin Xun's hand, saying, "No."

Lin Xun's heart shook, and he regained his senses from the endless anger. He looked at Xia Zhi and the cold, triumphant gazes around him, and said, "I will do everything to give you a chance to escape. You must run at all costs. This is an order! Understand?"

Xia Zhi was stunned for a long time, her eyes welling up with tears, and she finally nodded.

On the platform, Yao Tuohai frowned and stood up, saying coldly, "Want to escape? With me here, you are dreaming!"

No one knew why Yao Tuohai was so aggressive now, losing his usual calm and composure.

Only he knew that when he saw Xia Zhi's face, a desire to possess her surged in his heart, completely uncontrollable and irresistible!

It was an instinctive longing, as if beneath Xia Zhi's incomparable beauty, there was a power that could make him do anything to possess her!

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ps: There will be another chapter very late tonight to make up for the one missed the day before yesterday.