Chapter 19

Before he could finish his sentence, Mr. Zhu, hearing the voice, quickly turned around, his face showing a myriad of emotions. He sneered coldly and said, "Young Master Yue, shouldn't you fulfill your previous promise now? You didn't even make it onto the list of a thousand, so what are you talking about advancing to a scholar? You swore in front of everyone that if you didn't become a scholar, you would have to pay Dr. Min's hundred taels of silver consultation fee, plus the cost of your stay in the Heavenly Room last night, by selling yourself into servitude!"

After saying this, he suddenly walked to the stone lion by the tavern and kicked over the old, dilapidated book box that had belonged to Yue Heng, laughing strangely, "With your level of skill, you still want to pursue a career as a scholar? Go sign the indenture contract obediently!"

Yue Heng was not angry. Looking at the scattered documents, classics, and writing materials on the ground, he showed no signs of being provoked. What couldn't such a profit-driven merchant do? From the moment he met him at the Confucian temple, he had thought about it. Given the current environment, could he really expect Mr. Zhu to support him?

Instead, he turned around and smiled, "Miss Wen, I didn't lie, did I? I really stayed in the Heavenly Room last night, but today... I'm afraid I'll have to sell myself into slavery..."

Aren't you deliberately getting close to me and protecting me everywhere?

Then help me solve this trouble, Yue Heng thought with a hidden smile. I want to see how determined Director Wen is, whether he will protect me as wholeheartedly as Min Xuhuai!

As expected, Wen Xin Yue really jumped out of the carriage, her movements light and agile. She whipped out a fiery red whip from somewhere and charged straight at Mr. Zhu, who was trying to grab Yue Heng.

The snake-like fiery red whip wrapped around Mr. Zhu's arm. With a strong pull, Mr. Zhu spun in the air and then fell heavily to the ground, landing on his face and screaming in pain.

The sudden appearance of the beautiful girl, the ghostly red whip, and the swift strike at Mr. Zhu caught everyone off guard. The guards and servants of the Drunken Immortal Tower were too late to intervene even if they wanted to!

"You look down on people with your dog eyes!"

Wen Xin Yue hissed, venting all her pent-up frustration on Mr. Zhu.

Her face was filled with anger, her teeth clenched, and with a flick of her right hand, she shouted, and the front end of the whip coiled around again, like a snake with a soul, quickly wrapping around Mr. Zhu's neck.

Mr. Zhu, who had just climbed up, was tied up again. With his neck wrapped by the whip, he couldn't breathe, his face turning red, and his beady eyes becoming swollen.

He struggled desperately with both hands, but with a strong pull, his body rose into the air, performing a beautiful forward flip and a 720-degree spin, and then fell heavily beside the scattered book box, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, unable to move, clearly more out of breath than in.

"Miss Wen... Hero... Killing someone will violate the laws of Chu! If you really want to kill him, you can come back at night with a mask on!"

Yue Heng, who didn't expect such an outcome, hurriedly blocked her and tried to persuade her. Who knew Wen Xin Yue would be so ruthless, trying to whip him to death!

The people at the Drunken Immortal Tower were already terrified. The servants, eager to protect their master, rushed over, but no one dared to get too close due to Wen Xin Yue's whip. The fiery red whip, like a living thing, fought off the guards, causing them to complain bitterly. It wasn't until a sword-wielding traveler came out from nearby and called a halt to the fight.

"Are you Miss Wen from the Wen family? The red snake whip is indeed as famous as its reputation, truly a weapon for slaying demons and enemies. But isn't it a bit too much to use it against ordinary people? A small lesson for this greedy beady-eyed manager is enough. Today is the day of the red list. For my sake, let him go?"

Yue Heng noticed the sword-wielding traveler. He had an ordinary appearance, dark skin, and eyes like lightning. His hands were rough with calluses, and he exuded a killing aura, but it quickly subsided, making him look like an ordinary sword-wielding traveler.

Wen Xin Yue, also a martial artist, sensed the fleeting hostility in his eyes. She knew this was a mutual test between martial artists, and the other was far more advanced than her. She coldly snorted, left the mess, and got into the carriage, turning back to Yue Heng and saying, "I'll come to pick you up tomorrow!"

"Hey, hey, hey! You hit someone and then leave? Aren't you just putting me in danger?" Yue Heng was anxious as the carriage left.

Wen Xin Yue had beaten Mr. Zhu without any reason and then left in the carriage, leaving the helpless Yue Heng at the Drunken Immortal Tower. Wasn't this deliberately putting him in a difficult situation?

Mr. Zhu, supported by his servants, wiped the blood from his mouth, his face contorted in pain.

Seeing the Drunken Immortal Tower people approaching menacingly, Yue Heng quickly thought of a strategy. He raised his left hand to block them, stepping back and trying to persuade them, "Manager Zhu, the one who hit you is the second daughter of the Wen family, it has nothing to do with me. If you want revenge, go find her. A gentleman uses words, not hands... Killing someone will violate the laws of Chu..."

"Spit..."

Mr. Zhu, humiliated, spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva, his eyes filled with hatred, and said brokenly, "And... the cost of my recent injuries... catch him... make him sign the indenture..."

Two guards rushed over, each grabbing one of Yue Heng's arms, lifting him like a chicken.

Yue Heng was truly anxious, "What are you doing? I'm a genuine scholar, who dares to harm me?"

"Scholar my grandmother!" Mr. Zhu shouted, enraged, accidentally aggravating his internal injuries and vomiting blood, shouting like a madman, "Take him away! Quickly, make him sign the indenture!"

Amidst the chaos, a dense sound of hooves was heard. Everyone saw three horses galloping towards the Drunken Immortal Tower from a corner of the street, and people hurriedly moved out of the way, afraid of being hit.

The guards holding Yue Heng stopped, and those supporting Mr. Zhu turned to see the three horses stop in front of the Drunken Immortal Tower, and the riders dismount.

The leader was dressed in military official attire, with a sword at his waist and an iron badge. Two middle-aged men followed, one in a scholar's short jacket, the other in martial attire with a saber.

"Who is Yue Heng, Young Master Yue?" the military official asked.

Everyone looked at Yue Heng, who was being held by the guards. His thin, weak body was disheveled from struggling, and his clothes were torn.

His right arm was in a splint, and the scattered book box and a small pool of blood on the ground made him look extremely pitiful.

"Looking for me?" Yue Heng's first thought was, "Could it be that the examiners have a change of heart?"

Seeing the blood on the ground, the newcomers became alert. The leading official hurried over and sternly shouted at the two men next to Yue Heng, "How dare you! Release him immediately!"

The man behind him suddenly moved. The sword-wielding martial artist pushed off the ground with his back foot and approached like a gust of wind.

With a crisp sound, the martial artist's saber flashed as he swiftly drew it from his waist, and the next second, the blade, gleaming with a dark light, was pressed against a guard's neck, close to his skin, ready to draw blood at the slightest pressure, making the guard pale and immobile.

The scholar walked over with a stern face, staring at the other guard.

He raised the Fuxi Wenpan in his hand, his body glowing with a faint blue light. Although he said nothing, the powerful aura he exuded made the other guard tremble and quickly release Yue Heng's arm, sitting on the ground in fear.

The military official rushed over to help Yue Heng up, saying urgently, "Today, the Hong County government posted an urgent announcement. Due to an error by the scribe, each list was missing two names. Young Master Yue is among the twenty missing names. The county government specially ordered us to inform you quickly. I only found out where you were after asking many people. I didn't expect to encounter such a situation, causing you distress!"

"Ah?"

Everyone was stunned. Could such a thing happen?

It was unheard of for a list to be missing names, and the one missing was Yue Heng, whom they considered useless and a source of endless trouble, whom they wanted to eliminate to vent their anger!

The scholar with the Fuxi Wenpan coldly surveyed the surroundings and said, "Someone dared to attack a nominal scholar so viciously. Do you think the Ministry of Literature is a mere formality?"

Hearing this, everyone at the Drunken Immortal Tower broke out in cold sweat. Before the list, Yue Heng was nothing, and the people of the Drunken Immortal Tower could do as they pleased with him.

But after the list, Yue Heng could become a scholar, even if just a nominal one, with only a ten percent chance of success. As long as the final decision wasn't made, no one could harm him easily.

In the Zhongyuan world, individual scholars might be lowly, but the Ministry of Literature as a whole was not something ordinary people could oppose. Every year, the list of a thousand names was reported to the Qi Prefecture Ministry of Literature for registration. After registration, scholars were directly managed by the government, with their living and further education handled by the Ministry of Literature. Even a first-level scholar represented the prestige of the Ministry of Literature!

The surroundings were silent, except for Mr. Zhu's violent coughing. The blood in his chest began to congeal again, and his stomach churned, likely about to vomit blood.

The accountant, Mr. Qian, hurriedly asked, "Sir, is what you say true?"

The military official rolled his eyes and sneered, "Do you think I brought people on fast horses for four or five miles just to entertain you?"

Slap. Mr. Qian slapped himself, the palm print clearly visible, and he flattered, "I misspoke, I misspoke! What rank is Young Master Yue? We can hang a red banner to celebrate..."

"This..."

The military official couldn't answer the question. After thinking, he said, "The list of a thousand has been reported to the Qi Prefecture Ministry of Literature, and the rankings have been finalized. The twenty people, including Young Master Yue, are supplementary admissions, not ranked. Young Master Yue, this tavern doesn't seem to welcome you. Why don't you come with me to the southern city military camp to rest for the night? I'll personally send you to the exam tomorrow!"

How could Yue Heng dare to answer casually?