Li Ang asked, "Does that have any impact?"
"Initial Guidance is like using Spiritual Energy to reopen a congenitally sealed Spirit Vein within the human body."
Pu Liuxuan frowned and said, "The Cultivation thod promoted by the Academic Palace has been practiced for over three hundred years and is relatively safe and reliable. Accidents are rarely heard of. If the Spirit Vein is in the head... it’s difficult to say."
He thought seriously for a mont and then said, "How about this: once you arrive in Chang’an, have your senior brother look up so information in the Academic Palace Book Tower and find so past cases. Usually, the first two rounds of tests at the Academic Palace do not restrict Spiritual Vein Talent, so you can take your ti to prepare more adequately. Furthermore..."
Pu Liuxuan hesitated for a mont, then slowly said, "Once you’re in Chang’an, don’t casually ntion my na to outsiders. Your teacher has offended so people over a certain matter."
"Who were they?"
Li Ang asked curiously. His mind instantly conjured an epic saga of grudges and emotional drama spanning hundreds of thousands of words.
Pu Liuxuan casually said, "Not many, just a few Generals, a few Pri Ministers, a few from the Commandery Princes, the Imperial Family, and the Dukes."
"What, what?"
Li Ang could hardly conceal the shock in his voice. "Teacher, did you attempt rebellion back then?"
"Go on, if I had plotted a rebellion, could I be sitting here chatting with you so comfortably?"
Pu Liuxuan laughed heartily and said, "Anyway, just be aware of this matter. Chang’an is a mix of dragons and snakes. Rember to be cautious and vigilant before you pass the exam into the Academic Palace. Only with the status of an Academic Palace Disciple will you have the capital to navigate among various powers and make a na for yourself."
"Disciple understands."
Li Ang nodded in agreent. Though his mind was still pondering over what Pu Liuxuan might have done to be driven out of Chang’an City. It wasn’t often soone managed to offend Pri Ministers, Generals, and Princes all at once. Excluding the possibility of rebellion, only a handful of reasons were left. Could it be that Pu Liuxuan made a fortune and squeezed to death the businesses owned by the elites? Unlikely, for the teacher was not a covetous person. Or was it that Pu Liuxuan, with his dashing charm, had eloped with the number one Qing official of the Teaching Bureau? No, no, that was far-fetched. Even for high-ranking Princes and Dukes, such jealousy over a woman wouldn’t lead to such an ugly spat. Or perhaps, Pu Liuxuan practiced an Evil Cult’s Cultivation Technique, and for self-cultivation through real-world experiences, he disguised himself as a Qing official, played with the world, and, once revealed, incurred the lasting wrath of the elites? You’re not Jian Suyan from the Witch sequence, are you?
Pu Liuxuan, sipping his tea with a light air, had no idea that his image in Li Ang’s mind was turning decidedly peculiar.
CRACKLE! POP!—The clamorous sounds of firecrackers and festive music grew louder as they approached from a distance. Pu Liuxuan set his teacup down with a smile and said, "Your carriage has arrived. Let’s go."
"Mhm."
Li Ang picked up his two trunks of prepared luggage and, with Pu Liuxuan and Chai Cuiqiao, stepped out of the courtyard and locked the gate.
Pu Liuxuan didn’t want to be seen by outsiders and left first, while Li Ang and Chai Cuiqiao walked through the alley to the front entrance of Security Hall. There, they saw Song Shaoyuan, in his refined scholar’s green attire, standing at the entrance of Lansheng Building, smiling, full of pride and excitent, saying farewells to his friends and family.
His mother, Aunt Song, also stood proudly behind, occasionally stealthily wiping away tears when no one was looking.
"Risheng!"
Aunt Song dabbed her reddened eyes and quietly waved Li Ang over, took his hand, and whispered, "You grew up before my eyes, just like my own nephew. I’ve heard everything in Chang’an is expensive, so take this with you."
She handed Li Ang a red envelope stuffed with weighty gold coins and flying money.
"Aunt, I can’t take this."
Li Ang tried to refuse, but Aunt Song said, "Even if you don’t need it, keep it on you. You can sew the gold pieces into the lining of your clothes, just in case. Shao Yuan is a good kid, but all too honest and straightforward. Risheng, you’re astute and quick-witted, so please look out for him for . It’s not important to get into the Academic Palace. As long as he returns safely..."
"Aunt, Chang’an is not so demonic pit that devours people without spitting out their bones. It follows Yu Law."
Li Ang could only accept the red envelope with resignation, as Aunt Song was adamant, and put it in his pocket.
At this mont, the joyous herald had already reached the end of Yizhou Bridge, holding up a celebratory announcent and making his way to the entrance of Lansheng Building.
Following was a convoy of over ten luxurious carriages, each loaded with a student heading for the examinations in Chang’an and their respective luggage and servants.
A proud and satisfied Song Shaoyuan bid farewell to his mother and friends and boarded the penultimate carriage. Li Ang and Chai Cuiqiao got into the last one—upon boarding, he saw many familiar faces in the crowd.
Pasture Supervisor Xun of the Yizhou City Pastoral Supervision Office, the Shade family, Storyteller Luo, as well as Lu Yi and her mother Xi Hui.
A group had also co to wish them well and send them off, following all the way to the outskirts of Yizhou City.
"Young Master," Chai Cuiqiao pulled back the curtain and looked nervously at the Steles marking the distance slowly receding from sight, saying softly, "Have we... left Yizhou?"
"Mm."
Li Ang, with his hand pressed on the dicine chest, nodded slightly nervously as well.
Chai Cuiqiao had never left the bounds of Yizhou, and neither had he. Despite the Academic Palace having built an abundance of roads and bridges over the past three hundred years, for the many peasants of Yu Country with their own fields, there was no necessity to leave their hotowns.
Voluntarily leaving one’s ancestral ho usually stemd from bankruptcy and business considerations.
"Chang’an, Chang’an..." Chai Cuiqiao yearned as she muttered the city’s na, anxiously asking, "Young Master, what exactly is Chang’an like?"
"Bustling, grand, wealthy, open, civilized." Li Ang hadn’t visited Chang’an, but that didn’t an he couldn’t pick a few words from newspapers to describe it. "I’ve heard that the East and West Markets of Chang’an concentrate all kinds of goods and commodities, delicacies, and fine wines from around the world. Starting from the first shop and eating at one each day, it would take three years to finish either market without repeating a single one. Besides the delicious food, there are also fun things to do. Cuju, horse racing, opera, sumo, acrobatics, Beast Fighting, Insect Fighting..."
Li Ang paused for a mont. Chang’an was prosperous and wealthy, and the enthusiasm of its citizens to develop their own forms of entertainnt was high; they would fight nearly anything. Not just Beast Fighting and Insect Fighting, but also tea-fighting, card-fighting, and wine-fighting competitions—all the major guilds and firms in Chang’an were extrely competitive and held nurous contests each year as advertising. I wonder if there’s a gong fighting contest to determine which family has the best quality gongs, with the yearly winner receiving the title ’Champion Gong Fighter’. Hmm, nice na.
"Wow," Chai Cuiqiao’s eyes lit up. "Then, are there competitions to see who can eat the most?"
"Probably... yes?" Li Ang said casually. "I heard from my senior that so taverns and restaurants in Chang’an occasionally put on promotions where, if you can finish all the dishes within a set ti, the al is free."
"Hmm? Free als? Which place would be so silly... oh, I an, so conscientious," Chai Cuiqiao exclaid. "No wonder it’s Chang’an! Their spirit is really in a class of its own."
"What, you also want to transfer your household registration and beco an honorary Chang’an person?" Li Ang gave Chai Cuiqiao a look and said, "Don’t get ahead of yourself. They aren’t really foolish. Such promotions occur occasionally to boost popularity. Normally, one must still pay for als. By the way, how much money do we have?"
"Two hundred and ninety strings of coins."
When money was ntioned, Chai Cuiqiao imdiately acted like a weasel that had stolen a chicken, looking around sneakily, then whispering into Li Ang’s ear, "There are two hundred and fifty in flying money, ten in coins, and thirty in gold and silver pieces."
"Why are you getting so close? No one on the carriage is eavesdropping."
Li Ang rolled his eyes. These carriages were designed and built by the Academic Palace. They were made of fine iron and incorporated a multitude of complex gears and springs. The bottom of the carriage was lined with talismans. These not only provided excellent shock absorption and sound insulation but also reduced wind resistance, improving speed to match that of a top-class horse.
Just this carriage alone, I have no idea how much it cost—according to Cheng Juxiu, these carriages are not for sale, and even in Chang’an, only a very few wealthy families have them.
"Better safe than sorry," Chai Cuiqiao stuck out her tongue and said. "Young Master, how much was in the red envelope Aunt Song gave us?"
"Let’s see."
Li Ang opened the red envelope, which contained ten gold leaves and a small stack of flying money, approximately worth two hundred strings of coins.
"That much?" Li Ang exclaid. Jeez, the debt of gratitude is only getting larger.
"Well, it is the Lansheng Building after all."
Chai Cuiqiao, gazing at the glimring gold coins, couldn’t peel her eyes away and mumbled, "So shiny, so bright, I like it so much..."
"A bald head is also quite shiny and bright. If you like that, you could shave your own."
Li Ang teased the gold-obsessed servant girl, scratching his head and saying, "Hmm... In the two boxes we brought, there are changes of clothes, Scriptures and books for the exam, and spare paper, brushes, and inkstones. We won’t need to buy another set upon arrival in Chang’an. This caravan will stay in court inns along the route. All accommodation and al costs will be covered by the Academic Palace, aning we can save money on the way. We only need to consider accommodation expenses after reaching Chang’an—which we can’t charge to public funds. I heard from my senior that every year, just the candidates from various State Mansions preparing for the Academic Palace exams number over six thousand. Additionally, another four thousand individuals—often foreign students from distant lands, others like with recomndation letters, those recomnded by the Ministry of War or the garrison for enrollnt, as well as youth from Imperial Family and Ministerial families. In total, there are easily over ten thousand people. From the prep ti before the exams to the end of the three rounds of examinations, there is a period of three months. It’s impossible to cover the living expenses of everyone, and only a few impoverished scholars from remote State Mansions get full subsidies. And Yizhou, being relatively affluent, definitely doesn’t qualify."
"Ah? So where will we stay when we get there?" Chai Cuiqiao asked, astounded.
"Find our own place, what else," Li Ang pondered and said. "Usually, it’s in inns of varying quality—low, middle, high-tier—with cheap ones going for about twenty or thirty coins a night, perhaps? Or we could find a place to rent short term."
"That must be expensive, right?" Chai Cuiqiao worriedly said. "Will we have enough money? What if we run out of resources?"
"Renting for three months would probably cost a few dozen strings of coins; that should be enough," Li Ang smiled and said. "As for running out of resources, if it cos to that, we can always practice dicine and earn money like we did in Yizhou."
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