Chapter 177: Release of Results of the Theory Examinations
Chapter 177: Release of Results of the Theory Examinations
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Was Han Changfeng not calm enough?
Of course not.
It was just that anyone who was caught red-handed doing something unspeakable would struggle to keep their cool. Especially when the person who caught him was the Sacred Lord’s most beloved Princess Ping Yang.
Ping Yang invaded the Imperial Academy?!
The purpose of yer visit was clear to everyone because no matter how much chaos she caused in the capital, she had never disrupted the conduct of political matters.
So...
Just as Han Changfeng’s face ashen, Ping Yang cut through the crowd of Imperial Messengers while wearing her red cloak. She was like a red fireball that shot in front of him.
Her tender cherry-sized lips curled into a smile.
Her glassy orbs studied Han Changfeng’s face at close range.
"Lord Han, you look nervous… Don’t tell me you are illegally altering the scripts?"
With this sentence out, the whole Imperial Academy was like the surface of a lake after a giant rock fell into it. All the Imperial Messengers were momentarily dumbfounded.
Han Changfeng’s jaws dropped like a stone. He was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out.
"Princess Ping Yang, please don’t make such accusations so easily…" Han Changfeng’s heart was in turmoil but he quietly reigned in his facial expressions.
"Hahaha, Lord Han sure can’t take a joke as usual. I’m here on the orders of my Father to retrieve someone’s script," Ping Yang smile with such vibrancy it was comparable to the sakura blooms in spring, after seeing Han Changfeng’s agitated expression.
…
Nights in Yan Capital was not quiet. Candle flames in residences lit up like the stars in heaven. People from all walks of life moved about within these residences, causing a flow of dark shadows that traversed the streets outside.
Compared to Yan Capital, the surface of the Five Kilometer Lake was much calmer. A crisp green covered the lake like a coat of jade. The moonlight that drifted down bathed the area with a silver hue.
Fang Zhengzhi stared at the surface of the lake, his mouth slightly opened and his eyes were not even blinking.
Because…
He saw a woman. A woman dancing under the moonlight. Just like the scene he saw at the Heavenly Treasure Hall. The same dress floating in the air, the same elegant figure.
However, this was not the Heavenly Treasure Hall. It was the Five Kilometers Lake.
So…
Where did this woman come from?
Fang Zhengzhi was stumped. He really wanted to have a good look at her features but there seemed to be a veil of light in the air in front of him, reducing the clarity of the woman’s features.
However, he felt a great sense of wonder.
He felt that the woman was familiar. He must have seen her somewhere before but he did not know exactly where.
The woman softly danced on the surface of the lake, enjoying the glow of the moon. The scene was stunning yet strange. Fang Zhengzhi’s heart felt like it was struck by lightning.
However, this was different from the quick glance he had at the Heavenly Treasure Hall. This time, Fang Zhengzhi could study her carefully, scrutinize her every move.
Hence, he realized that the woman kept her dancing within a certain area.
It seemed circular.
It was not a big circle but the woman could never leap out of that circle. It felt like she was doing this on purpose yet when looked upon closely, it seemed like she was trapped inside.
Fang Zhengzhi played with the thought of calling Yan Xiu here to have a look. However, just as he was about to get up, packets of radiance slowly drifted down from the sky.
Almost like the moonlight dripped down from the skies.
Pure white light gently floated down from the heavens.
Right at this moment, a ray of light of the same kind shot out from the woman’s forehead. That light consumed those starry lights drifting down or rather, it assimilated with them.
As Fang Zhengzhi was mesmerized by this sight, the woman suddenly disappeared.
As if she had never existed.
Serenity returned to the lake surface. The blood-soaked rocks along the shoreline were the same intense red. A breeze came along, revealing a soft glow in the air…
…
Three days later, daybreak.
The fiery sun rose, slowly peeking it’s head out, bathing the horizon in its golden rays and painting the sky gold.
At the gates of Yan Capital, two young adults riding side by side, they rode on the Snow Treading Dragon Stallions that was only possessed by the Divine Constabulary of the Northern Desert.
The two young adults were not riding very fast, therefore, the guards at the capital gates could easily discern who they were.
No one stopped them.
Fang Zhengzhi looked at the aloof Yan Xiu beside him. He did not probe him because he knew what Yan Xiu was thinking. In his heart, he firmly believed that Yan Xiu could definitely do it.
…
At the gates of the Imperial Academy, the crowd was packed like sardines.
Countless of candidates were already waiting at the gates before the sun even rose because today was the release of the results of the Theory Examinations.
Such a day was of incredible significance.
Too many of the candidates, this could be the pivotal moment in their lives.
Hence, last night was fated to a sleepless night, not just for the candidates. The Imperial Messengers that were evaluating the scripts lost their sleep too.
The Imperial Examinations gathered talents from the Northern Lands, Western Liang, Southern Nation and the Eastern Metropolis. It was the grandest occasion in the Law of Dao Examinations.
This meant that many of the candidates traversed thousands of kilometers to get here. Therefore, there were situations of candidates red-eyed and still chewing on dry rations in the mouth.
Other than the candidates coming to see their results, the Yan Capital’s palace officials appeared too.
The release of results of the Theory Examinations was the best time to seize the talents. It was also the time to test their own intuition. To successfully pull over a candidate on the first-class roll would be a significant achievement.
"Quick, look. It is Xing Qingsui from the Stabilisation Constabulary!" The crowd rapidly grew noisier. After that, all eyes were on the young man that was walking here from a distance away.
The young man was about twenty-three to twenty-four years of age. His face was dark. He did not look like someone grew up in comfort like the rest of the noblelites but his aura was extremely intimidating.
Like a coiled panther that was ready to spring on its prey. His eyes possessed a soft gleam and his thick eyebrows gave him a wild demeanor.
"I’ve heard that Xing Qingsui was in the middle stages of the Heavenly Reflection State. He was even personally groomed by Lord Xing from the Stabilisation Constabulary. He has been sharpening himself on the battlefield for a few years. In this round of Imperial Examinations, he will probably get a good position."
"For this round of the Imperial Examinations, I look forward to seeing Su Dongling from the Su Clan."
"Well, I would disagree on this point. Su Donglin might be in his later stages of the Heavenly Reflection State but his skills were not tested on the battlefield. Although his state level is high, he may not fare well against Xing Qingsui on the battlefield.
"Su Donglin is arriving!"
As the crowd was discussing, a young man wearing a white traditional chinese outfit made his way here. His age was about twenty-five to twenty-six years old. The face was smooth and pale but in between his eyebrows, there was a tiredness that could not be shaken off.
Almost as if they pushed himself too much on certain things.
Behind the young man, followed two young female attendants.
The two female attendants had delicate features. One wore a green dress that reached their ankles while the other wore a red one. The common feature was the sword that was slung on the backs of these two attendants.
The sword was similarly distinguished by green and red, matching each attendant’s outfit color.
"Look, it’s Su Donglin’s left and right attendant!"
"Lord Su’s love for his son is extraordinary. The left and right attendants actually followed him to see the results. This is simply too…"
"Don’t hide your envy you brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Hahaha…"
The crowd’s attention at this point was all focused on Xing Qingsui and Su Donglin. No one noticed a pair of eyes. That pair of eyes was calm, not a tiny glimmer was reflected in those eyes.
However, that pair of eyes was special because it was too calm. In the context of the congregation of talents at the gates of the Imperial Academy, this pair of eyes did not fit in.
The owner of this pair of eyes did not seem to want the attention of others.
He simply stood under the shade of a tree. He wore a plain shirt with a whitening sash that hanged off of his hair.
This kind of outfit was extremely ordinary.
An average person would not even look twice at him.
Yet it was exactly this kind of ordinary person that attracted the gaze of many palace officials. All the officials present subtly glanced over at the young man.
However, no one went forward to interact with him. Within their eyes was the expression of apprehension. Fear from the bottom of their hearts.