Now it was late spring, and the date for this year’s palace examination had already been announced to take place in midsumr.
Traveling from here to the Capital City would take roughly ten days, but it wasn’t as simple as just arriving and taking the exam. Once there, one would need to rent a house, get acquainted with the local scholars, adapt to the atmosphere of the Capital City, and also replenish any deficiencies at this core hub of influence—all of which required ti.
Therefore, setting off now wasn’t considered early.
With a slight stir of thoughts, Li Yang felt drowsiness creeping up after watching for a while. With a turn of his body, his true energy circulated silently, allowing him to land noiselessly back on the ground. He then lifted his feet lightly and returned to his own room to rest.
.........
The next day brought another clear and sunny day.
Why ntion this... because it had been raining for over half a month before.
"The palace examination in the Capital City is imminent. Our ho is far from the capital, and I need to start my journey there for the exam shortly," Li Ming said to his father, who was in the pri of his life, as he ate breakfast.
In this world, people married early. When he was born, Li Yang of Linshan Town was only about thirty years old, and even though Li Ming was now eighteen, his father was just fifty—still strong and vigorous.
Moreover, it seed as if Li Ming’s birth had brought good fortune to Old Master Li, who then had two more sons and a daughter successively, which naturally made the old man relaxed and joyful.
Especially since, when Li Ming was young and learning martial skills, the people of Pine View also imparted a set of techniques to Old Master Li that strengthened the body and nurtured the essence. After years of practice, his health had naturally beco even more robust.
Even though his two younger brothers and sister were only three or four years old, Li Ming wasn’t worried about the family affairs.
"Going to the Capital City for the examination is a major matter. The gifts have been prepared for you, but the common family guardians might not be sufficient. You should still talk to the masters at the Qingsong Sect," Old Master Li said gravely after hearing Li Ming’s statent, giving him a reminder.
"I know, Father. After breakfast, I plan to visit the Qingsong Sect to find my master," replied Li Ming with a smile. Ever since he had mastered the "Pine View As You Wish Power" at the age of seventeen and entered the right track with the "Integrated Essence Technique," Xu Jin didn’t spend as much ti at his ho as before, usually staying up in the mountains to cultivate.
So, he really needed to go and find his master this ti.
"Take so gifts for your master when you go later, don’t forget," Old Master Li said, nodding and looking at his eldest son with a hint of emotion.
If not for this son, where would their current prosperity co from?
Old Master Li got married at seventeen and wasn’t blessed with a child until the age of thirty. Having finally received such a son, he had wanted nothing more than to spoil him, yet even in such circumstances, his eldest son still made sothing of himself.
Indeed, with his own strength, he had brought the Li Family to its current prominent status—if it weren’t for the fact that other wealthy families in Linshan Town had spoiled their sons into worthlessness, he might have thought raising a son was such a simple matter.
Now, thinking back, having such a son was indeed a stroke of incredible fortune.
If anyone else had been raised with the indulgence his son had, they’d likely have grown up to be no good.
However, having struggled so hard for an offspring, Old Master Li’s joy was unspeakable at the ti and understandably so.
Now, he wouldn’t spoil his second and third sons and young daughter as much, teaching them what needs to be taught. Otherwise, the family fortune that had flourished under his eldest son might dwindle.
"Don’t worry, Father. I naturally know what to do," said Li Ming with a smile. After finishing breakfast, he walked cheerily with his hands behind his back to the largest herb shop in Linshan Town, the Li Family’s herb shop.
Yes, the Li Family, Li Ming’s family.
With Li Ming’s successful passing of the imperial examination, being the only juren master in the town, the Li Family, despite their rigorous demands on the families and landlords who were affiliated with them, now had almost half of Linshan Town’s land firmly in their grasp.
In response to this, naturally, the few businesses in the town that were not that many in number to begin with, also slowly ca under the control of the Li Family.
In the past two years, after Ling Ming began studying dicine, the business of the town’s herbal dicine shops also picked up thanks to him.
Besides that, in order to facilitate the exchange of letters and trade for the villagers affiliated with their household, the only postal transfer and newspaper delivery service in town, Pine View, also fell into the hands of the Li Family.
This Pine View employed a full three hundred sturdy n who usually earned silver under the banner of the Li Family by taking care of various chores, and at a monts’ notice, they would beco an ard force for the Li Family, ensuring their safety.
This was also an important part of the Li Family’s efforts to maintain peace and order.
It could be said that the Li Family had now beco the indisputable power in this small town, effectively making it "Li’s Half-Town."
"Today, when visiting Master, follow the usual practice, dicinal liquor, yellow wine, bruise wine, ginseng, one portion of each."
When Li Ming arrived at the shop, he knocked on the counter and said with a light smile to the worker inside, who, upon seeing that it was the juren young master, promptly paid his respects and then scurried to gather the items that Li Ming always brought with him when he visited his Master.
"Young master, your items."
In a short while, everything was packed. The servant boy smiled and handed the items over to Li Ming, "The ginseng is a thirty-year-old root, the seventy-year-old aged ginseng we had a while ago was taken by Old Master Li to make soup to nourish the bodies of the two young masters and the young lady, so this is the best we have in the shop right now."
"Okay, carry on with your work."
Li Ming nodded, picked up the items, and then went on to buy ten large roast chickens. He then rode the tall horse from his family and headed towards the Qingsong Sect outside the town.
Linshan Town was an inconspicuous small town, but the Qingsong Sect was a renowned and prominent sect in Jianghu. It was precisely because of this that Li Ming had been able to have a Taoist enter his ho to instruct him since childhood and cultivate such authentic martial skills and acquire deep knowledge of martial arts.
Riding the horse, he soon reached the foot of the mountain where Qingsong Sect was located, not far from Linshan Town, where one or two sword-bearing Taoists could already be seen coming and going, obviously disciples entering and exiting the Qingsong Sect.
Li Ming was used to this sight and, upon reaching the mountain gate, simply ntioned his identity to the disciples guarding it. With his current status, there was no need for any complicated procedures, and he directly sprinted up the steps towards the mountain.
"Whoosh whoosh..."
The leaves on both sides of the road rustled as Li Ming ran quickly up the mountain, energized by his true energy. In just ten minutes from the foot of the mountain to the top, Li Ming arrived at his Master’s dwelling nestled amongst the mountains.
"Master, Li Ming has co to see you!"
Li Ming called out from a distance, and after a short while, Xu Jin, who was teaching younger disciples, ca out with a smile to greet him.
"You kid, every ti you co, you bring gifts. Say, what brings you here this ti?"
Xu Jin gestured towards Li Ming and instructed the young Taoist, who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen, to bring the items into the house. He then looked at Li Ming with a smile and spoke.
Just as Xu Jin had said, although Li Ming often visited, he never did so without a reason, but fortunately, Xu Jin liked this about him; every visit from Li Ming usually ant that he had reached a new level in his martial arts cultivation and had more profound questions to ask...
Therefore, Xu Jin naturally enjoyed Li Ming’s frequent visits, especially since Li Ming always brought tasty treats, which was a nice reprieve for him and his younger disciples.
"Hehe, it’s not about cultivation this ti. Sumr is approaching, and the palace examination is near. I feel that it’s ti to set off for the Capital City to participate in the examination. It’s just that, having never left ho before, I’m worried I might encounter so mishaps on the way, so I’ve co to seek advice from you, Master."
Li Ming smiled sincerely and directly expressed his concerns.
"You kid, you’re looking for an escort, aren’t you?"
Xu Jin laughed heartily, then waved his hand, "Your journey to the Capital City to take the exam has already been arranged by the sect. However, the one to protect you on your way to the Capital City is not , but soone else."
"Oh? Soone else?"
Li Ming’s face brightened with a smile, and when he saw Xu Jin nod, he responded, "That’s great, since you’ve confird it, I’d like for you to introduce ."
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