Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

Chapter 74 3rd

Back at the inn in Qingyang County, the atmosphere was a bit strange.

Zhao Mingxuan said goodbye and went back to his restaurant, Dewang Restaurant, which was located in the west of the city. It had a large storefront, three floors, and he heard that business was good.

He walked with his back ramrod straight, like a young master going to inspect his own business, rather than a student waiting for exam results.

The remaining people went back to the inn.

Li Qianqian was assigned to a separate room, while three boys squeezed into one.

The room was small, with three beds placed side by side, leaving only a narrow aisle in the middle.

Lin Feng threw his bag onto the bed closest to the window, plopped down, and the bed creaked in protest.

Zhang Kai leaned the wooden stick against the corner of the wall and sat down as well.

Chen Jing'an was the quietest. She put her small bundle on the innermost bed, then sat on the edge of the bed with her hands on her knees and her eyes looking out the window.

Outside the window, it was dusk over Qingyang County.

The setting sun painted the roof tiles orange-red, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, and the sounds of the evening market filled the streets: the clapper of the wonton vendor, the shouts of the candied hawthorn vendor, and the rumble of horse-drawn cart wheels rolling over the stone pavement.

Everything was lively.

At this moment, several children gathered in one room.

But the room was very quiet.

Lin Feng stared at his toes for a while, then suddenly asked, "Do you think... I can pass the exam?"

No one answered immediately.

After a few seconds, Zhang Kai said in a muffled voice, "I don't know."

"I think..."

Li Qianqian whispered, "I think I answered the questions pretty well."

Her voice carried a confidence that lacked conviction.

At the school in Hexi Town, she was indeed the best student. She had beautiful handwriting and could recite her lessons fluently. Master Lin often praised her.

But this is Qingyang Academy, the best academy in the entire Yunhai Prefecture, and all the students here are top talents from all over the country.

"Where is Jing'an?"

Lin Feng looked at Chen Jing'an.

Chen Jing'an turned her head, glanced at him with blank eyes, and gently shook her head: "I don't know."

These three words again.

Lin Feng sighed and lay down on the bed.

The bed was hard and uncomfortable, making his back ache.

He stared at the roof beams, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

He remembered those three questions.

What is benevolence and righteousness?

He wrote down what his father often said: "To be true to one's conscience is to be benevolent and righteous."

"What should one do if one sees someone weaker than the common people?"

He wrote about finding the ring in Yuanyang County, saying that he should return it if it should be returned, and help if he should help.

Why do you want to enter Qingyang Academy?

He wrote that he wanted to see the outside world, wanted to learn skills, and hadn't thought about the future yet.

It's written quite honestly.

But is honesty useful?

he does not know.

"Kid, forget about it."

The voice of Master Yu Yuan echoed in his mind. This time, unusually, he wasn't boasting; his tone was quite serious.

"If you pass the exam, great; if you don't, so be it. Alchemy is just as good as studying. Learn alchemy from me, and I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury..."

"I don't want to eat and drink spicy food," Lin Feng thought to himself.

"So what do you want to do?"

"I think..." Lin Feng paused.

"I want to see a wider world."

Master Yu Yuan remained silent.

After a while, the voice rang out again, this time with a hint of complexity: "You're quite an interesting person."

Lin Feng chuckled twice and then fell silent.

We ate dinner downstairs.

The meal consisted of four dishes and a soup, including both meat and vegetables, but Raymond Lam found it tasteless.

Qinglong and Mo Wen sat at another table, whispering something to each other, but it was hard to hear what they were saying.

Lin Feng noticed that Qinglong's eating posture was very special. He kept his back straight, held his chopsticks steadily, picked up food calmly, and chewed without making a sound.

He doesn't seem like a wandering swordsman.

Lin Feng suppressed the thought.

Who Uncle Qinglong is is not important; what matters is that he is here with them.

After the meal, everyone went back to their rooms.

Lin Feng lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The sound of the night watchman's gong came from outside the window, "Bang—bang—", it was the first watch of the night.

He sat up and took out the small cloth bag containing the ring from his pocket.

The ring was still inside, quiet and still. He poured it out and placed it in his palm.

Moonlight streamed through the window paper, illuminating the silver ring with a cold, white glow.

"Old man?" he thought to himself.

no response.

"Jade Origin Immortal?"

Still no response.

Lin Feng held the ring up to his eyes and examined it closely.

The cabochon is smooth and has nothing on it.

He recalled Zhao Yan's hysterical reaction when he threw the ring, and the words that Master Yu Yuan had been nagging in his mind.

What secret does this ring hold?

He looked at it for a long time, and finally put the ring back into the cloth bag and stuffed it into the bottom of the bundle.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Three days is neither a long nor a short time.

On the first day, Lin Feng stayed in the inn and didn't go anywhere.

Zhang Kai, however, couldn't stay idle, so he dragged Li Qianqian and Chen Jing'an out for a stroll around Qingyang County.

They came back and said the city was really big, with lots of things and people.

Li Qianqian bought a new light pink hair tie, which looked very pretty when tied in her hair.

Chen Jing'an didn't buy anything.

The next day, Lin Feng also went out.

He walked alone on the street, aimlessly.

He saw a bookstore filled with books, stacked from floor to ceiling, the air thick with the scent of ink and old paper.

He saw a martial arts school with a sign at the entrance that read "Making Friends Through Martial Arts," and inside came the shouts of people practicing boxing.

He saw a pharmacy, bigger than any he had ever seen before, with three doctors sitting behind the counter and a line of people stretching out onto the street.

This is Qingyang County.

It's bustling, lively, and full of opportunities, but the competition is also fierce.

As he walked, he unknowingly reached the west side of the city.

I could see the "Dewang Restaurant" sign in the distance. It was a three-story building with big red lanterns hanging at the entrance. Customers were coming and going, so business was indeed good.

He didn't go in; he just stood across the street for a while, watching.

He saw Zhao Mingxuan come out from inside, wearing a brand new brocade robe, his hair was combed slicked back, and a servant was with him.

He stood at the door, exchanged a few words with a few people who looked like the manager, then put his hands behind his back, looked up at the restaurant's signboard, and had a look on his face that was...satisfaction? Or smugness?

Lin Feng couldn't explain it.

He turned and left.

The third day was the hardest.

Lin Feng was restless all day. He couldn't stay in his room, and he couldn't bear to wander the streets.

My mind is filled with thoughts of tomorrow's results announcement; one moment I feel confident I'll pass, the next I feel hopeless.

Like a pendulum, it swings back and forth between hope and despair.

As evening fell, Qinglong found him.

"Nervous?" Qinglong asked in a flat tone.

Lin Feng nodded.

"Being nervous won't help," Qinglong said.

"If you pass the exam, it's your ability. If you don't, it's the academy's lack of vision."

That's very Qinglong-esque.