Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 322 The Night is Vast, the Divine Weapon Makes a Sound

It was nightfall on the sixth day of the seventh lunar month.

The two little demons ultimately dared not linger outside the examination hall.

Firstly, they feared the chilling aura emanating from ahead, and secondly, they worried that their demonic energy might leak out, potentially attracting an irresistible enemy, which would be disastrous.

Wei Yuan led Ashi back to the south of the city using earth magic.

Strangely enough, once he left the influence of the examination hall, when Ah-shi looked back at the north, he suddenly felt strangely relaxed.

The mouse let out a long sigh and said, "Hedgehog, we can't help the scholar either. Worrying for nothing will only annoy him."

Or, how about I hire some clever mice and have them keep an eye on the examination hall for me from afar?

As a bloodline spirit rat among rat demons, Ashi naturally possesses the ability to communicate with the rat horde.

However, because of Ninth Master's warnings, Ah Shi never used this ability.

Ninth Master said, "The rats outside have their own rules of survival. Their rise and fall are none of our business."

However, if you deliberately provoke certain groups, you may easily enlighten them.

"If wild mice were to develop intelligence on a large scale, it might not necessarily be a good thing."

Ah Shi always kept Ninth Master's teachings in mind, but at this moment he was really worried about Chen Xu, so he couldn't help but want to break the rules.

It explained the whole story to Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Ashi, do not command the rats on a large scale. Just select about ten strong ones from the ordinary rats."

Scatter a few of them out in the east, north, west, and south of the city, including the inner and outer rivers of the Yuancang River, and have them keep an eye on things.

It's not that we necessarily have to do anything, but since you're feeling uneasy, let's learn more about what's happening in the city.

The more information you get, the more likely you are to gain something.

Upon hearing this, Ashi's eyes lit up.

As it nodded in agreement, Wei Yuan added, "Besides, rats are already everywhere, both inside and outside the city."

Since you have the ability to communicate with the rats, you can obtain information directly from them even without commanding them to do anything.

This is merely obtaining rough intelligence from certain rat leaders, and cannot be considered as deliberately provoking or directing them.

It's unlikely that the entire rat colony would be easily given sentience, isn't that good?

Upon hearing this, Ashi felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his mind instantly became clear.

Its already wide eyes widened again, staring at Wei Yuan with a strange look.

Wei Yuan felt a little uncomfortable under its gaze, when he heard the little mouse mutter reluctantly, "..."
“Hedgehog, you are sometimes a tiny bit smarter than me.”

Wei Yuan was so flattered by this sudden praise that the soft thorns on his head instantly stood on end.

The mouse tilted its head and suddenly burst out laughing: "Hedgehog, you're easily flattered! Squeak squeak..."

Before its laughter had subsided, it flipped over and suddenly leaped from the roof to the corner of the wall.

Hey, it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Night fell, and lights shone brightly throughout Pingyang City.

The sounds of human life never cease, whether it be greed, anger, ignorance, or joy.

Inside the four gambling dens, there was a constant commotion and a boiling atmosphere throughout the night.

The world is full of dazzling colors, and everything seems to be as usual.

Of course, with the provincial examinations underway, many topics related to the examinations inevitably arose throughout the city.

The odds for Chen Xuzhong to become the top scholar have decreased once again.

This is all because on the third day of the seventh lunar month, a wisp of smoke rose into the sky from the examination hall.

People couldn't help but excitedly speculate: "The smoke on the paper must mean that someone in the examination hall wrote a poem about smoke!"

This person must be Chen Xu without a doubt.

Of course, there are also doubts. After all, although Chen Xu wrote the most poems about green smoke, who can be sure that all of them are his work?
What if it's someone else?
However, such doubts were relatively weak, so the higher the calls for Chen Xu to win the top prize, the lower the odds.

At this moment, on this night, beneath the seemingly normal surface of the world, turbulent undercurrents are clearly brewing.

In comparison, the examination hall, which was at the center of countless discussions, seemed almost isolated from the world. The deep blue sky, like a giant dome, enveloped the examination hall.

The examination hall was quiet and dark, with only a few gray-yellow lanterns swaying under the eaves of the various examination cells, bringing faint, mournful sounds.

Chen Xu slept fully clothed, still keeping his breathing closed.

The mysterious golden elixir lay dormant in his dantian, giving him immense confidence.

Suddenly, a distant and hazy "click" sound rang out.

Immediately afterwards, there was a whooshing sound of something burning.

A moment later, a gust of wind suddenly howled.

Then came the smell of burning from all sides.

The burnt smell spread very quickly through the hazy atmosphere, and in no time it seemed to permeate the entire examination hall.

Finally, a terrified cry rang out: "Oh no, there's a fire!"

"The lantern fell down... There's a fire!"

"Quickly put out the fire!"

"Help me! Ah—"

In the very end, there were heart-wrenching screams.

The entire examination hall was awakened by the sudden awakening of all the candidates.

Then, the candidates experienced the most thrilling night of their exams.

In fact, every night in the examination hall could have been thrilling.

The degree of panic will vary, and the severity will differ.

A waterborne attack is usually the most brutal of all forms of terror.

The candidates had been taking exams for six consecutive days and five nights, and their emotions were all tense, almost on the verge of their limits.

If another flood were to strike at this moment, the tension that had been building up in many people's hearts would suddenly snap.

That night, besides the student who was shouting for help, there were all sorts of sounds, some crying, some laughing, and some sobbing and going crazy.

"Fire broke out? Hahaha, yes, it's time to break out... I just dreamt about a fire breaking out."

"Wait, could it be that the dream has come true?"

"I started this fire! I started it! Please, Master, arrest me immediately! I'm willing to confess! I confess! Waaah..."

"Help! Help! I can still write, I haven't finished yet! Don't take the paper away, I haven't finished yet..."

It was you who set fire to my answer sheet and destroyed it.

"You monster, give me back my answer sheet right now! Ah!"

The frenzied noises, along with the flames, engulfed the entire examination hall.

It looked like chaos was about to break out in the examination room.

Perhaps the most serious examination incident in the entire Dali Dynasty is about to occur, and all the examiners present, including the students, will be nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of imperial examinations.

Just then, a bell rang out.

thump—

The leisurely sound of the bell echoed slowly throughout the entire examination hall.

This is the sound of the Heavenly Bell.

With a single sound from the magical artifact, all the chaos vanished.

At this moment, all the chaotic sounds, including the flames that had been raging everywhere in the hazy darkness, all fell silent and disappeared.

A chaotic situation that seemed out of control was swiftly quelled with the ringing of the Heavenly Bell.

The power of this divine weapon ends here.

Inside room number 36 of the Jiazi building in Dongwenchang, Chen Xu frowned slightly, sensing something inexplicable amiss.

(End of this chapter)