Chapter 22: Meeting a Worthy Opponent

Outside the building.

Chen Jisheng was not buried in his work as usual.

Shi Xiaohan did not go out to hunt ghosts as he usually did.

The two stood in the corridor of the Bureau, waiting for Gu Xu to finish his assessment, watching the raindrops fall like broken beads, hitting the ground and splashing silver-white water splashes.

After a long silence, Shi Xiaohan couldn't contain her curiosity and asked Chen Jisheng beside her, "Mr. Chen, do you know why Lord Luo sent his top confidant to our Yishui County?"

As a noblewoman from a prestigious family, Shi Xiaohan was well aware of Chu Fengge's position in the Exorcism Bureau.

Although Chu Fengge appeared to be just a fifth-rank physician on the surface, he often acted as the spokesperson for the Head of the Bureau. His every move and every word could be a signal transmitted by the Head of the Bureau to the others.

Even Shi Xiaohan's father often had to look at Chu Fengge's face when making decisions.

Because of this, Shi Xiaohan was deeply shocked by Chu Fengge's appearance in Yishui County today.

"Lord Luo's thoughts are unfathomable, and I have no way of guessing," Chen Jisheng smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Perhaps it's because I repeatedly emphasized Gu Xu's extraordinary cultivation speed in the recommendation letter, which caught the attention of the higher-ups."

"His cultivation speed is indeed unparalleled." Shi Xiaohan couldn't help but raise her chin.

"For Gu Xu, being valued by the headquarters shouldn't be a bad thing," Chen Jisheng pondered for a moment and continued, "Also, the attendant of Chu Langzhong just told me that Princess Zhao Ning herself set the questions for this year's theoretical assessment in the Exorcism Department. The difficulty will be much higher than before, and there may be many tricky and peculiar questions."

In the Great Qi Dynasty, Princess Zhao Ning, who temporarily took charge of the court on behalf of the emperor, Xiao Wanjun, was not only known as the "Most Beautiful Lady of Luojing," but also renowned for her vast knowledge and understanding of ancient and modern texts.

Although she was just a mortal and had no talent for cultivation, she had studied the scriptures of the world and understood cultivation better than most cultivators.

She revised documents for the Exorcism Bureau many times and compiled valuable materials, establishing a long-term cooperative relationship with the department.

"The questions may be tricky, but they won't stump Gu Xu," Shi Xiaohan said confidently, standing with her hands on her hips. "He can even understand the abomination of talismans. Those questions will be a piece of cake for him."

As Shi Xiaohan had always disliked Princess Zhao Ning, she couldn't help but curse in her heart: The esteemed princess of Great Qi should be handling important state affairs instead of making things difficult for an ordinary minor official! It's simply neglecting her duties and displaying utter ignorance! The glorious Great Qi Dynasty will eventually be ruined in the hands of people like her!

Chen Jisheng glanced at her and shook his head with a smile.

...

A stick of incense burned, and more than half of the time had passed.

Ma Qin was hunched over the table, flipping through the test paper front and back three times. He had completed all the questions he could do and was now biting the end of his brush, thinking hard.

In this test paper, half of the questions were basic knowledge that Ma Qin could easily answer based on his past experience. Three-tenths of the questions were moderately difficult, requiring him to ponder for a long time to come up with an answer, without guaranteeing it would be correct.

As for the remaining two-tenths, Ma Qin couldn't even understand the questions.

He recognized each individual character, but when combined, they became incomprehensible.

Besides various rare and strange ghosts and monsters, these questions also involved feng shui, divination, astrology, and the refinement of magical treasures—knowledge he had never come across before.

"Do you have to be knowledgeable in every aspect of the world to become a ninth-grade petty official these days?" Ma Qin grumbled, wanting nothing more than to smash the brush in his hand on the face of the person who set these absurd questions.

At this moment, unable to resist his curiosity, he stealthily turned his head to see if Gu Xu beside him was just as puzzled by these bizarre questions.

But Gu Xu was still writing with his brush.

Despite the unfamiliar and peculiar questions, Gu Xu remained calm and continued to write.

Though he appeared thin and weak, his sitting posture was exceptionally upright, with a spine as straight as a pine tree. His gaze was serene, and a faint smile hung on the corners of his lips, as if completely immersed in the enjoyment of answering the questions.

"Could this kid have figured out all those insanely difficult questions?" Ma Qin felt his heart tighten.

The final quarter of an hour was undoubtedly the most agonizing for Ma Qin.

He looked at the large blank spaces on his answer sheet and then at Gu Xu, who was writing diligently, becoming increasingly restless and anxious.

He really wanted to hand in his paper immediately and leave this oppressive examination room, but he also felt somewhat unwilling.

He had waited ten years for this opportunity.

If he handed in his paper early, wouldn't it mean admitting that he was inferior to others?

...

When the third bell rang, Ma Qin finally put down his brush, feeling a great sense of relief.

He eagerly handed his test paper to the invigilator—it was a relief to be rid of those damned questions that he never wanted to lay eyes on again.

At this moment, Gu Xu also handed in his paper.

Due to the long period of intense writing, his right hand was slightly sore, and he looked somewhat fatigued.

But in his bright eyes, there was a sense of joy and satisfaction.

If the exam could be likened to a battle of wits between examinees and question setters, then in today's assessment, Gu Xu finally experienced the pleasure of meeting a worthy opponent.

The person who set the questions must also be a knowledgeable scholar, effortlessly bringing forth all kinds of profound and unpredictable knowledge, setting one perplexing trap after another, enough to make most examinees feel deeply frustrated.

But it was precisely these challenging questions that stirred Gu Xu's competitiveness.

He responded with precise and insightful answers, always hitting the key points of the questions.

The more knowledgeable a person was, the more they would feel lonely.

It was for this reason that Gu Xu secretly hoped that he could meet the person who set the questions in his lifetime and engage in a three-day, three-night debate to determine the ultimate winner.

Afterward, Gu Xu and Ma Qin walked out of the hall together and arrived in the misty corridor.

Out of courtesy in officialdom, Ma Qin forced a smile on his face and took the initiative to ask Gu Xu, "Brother Gu, how did you perform?"

"It went well," Gu Xu smiled faintly. "And how about you, Brother Ma?"

"Uh... It went fine too!"

At this moment, Shi Xiaohan and Chen Jisheng also approached.

Ma Qin immediately saluted them respectfully.

Shi Xiaohan nodded in return.

Then she turned around and stuffed a small iron pot she was holding into Gu Xu's hands, smiling mischievously, "Gu Xu, this is the white fungus and rock sugar soup my nanny just made. You've been working hard on the exam, so taste it while it's hot."

Gu Xu took the iron pot and said with a smile, "Miss Shi is thoughtful."

Shi Xiaohan didn't ask how Gu Xu performed on the exam.

Because she had always had full confidence in him.

Seeing this scene, Ma Qin's mood became even more gloomy.

He felt that it was a huge mistake to choose Yishui County in the first place.

...

At noon, Gu Xu ordered a basket of meat-filled dumplings, a bowl of mint-flavored soup, and a serving of steamed pastry with fruit filling from the Bureau's canteen.

He didn't know how much it cost because Chen Jisheng settled the bill for him.

"It's an important day for you today. Make sure you eat well," Chen Jisheng patted his shoulder and said, "Continue to perform well this afternoon."

"I won't disappoint Mr. Chen's expectations!" Gu Xu obediently nodded.

If he worked a little harder, perhaps he wouldn't have to spend any money on meals for the entire day.

He thought happily in his heart.