Chapter 24: 024: Xiaocheng

“We know each other, naturally.” Qi Shan was not surprised by the Censor-in-Chief's reaction, maintaining a faint smile. “It is a pity, however, that we only met once; I fear Master Tian may not even remember. Eight years ago, during the Special Imperial Examination of the Xin Kingdom, Master Tian happened to serve as the Chief Examiner.”

Eight years ago?

The Chief Examiner?

These two clues allowed the Censor-in-Chief to react.

He had a bit of an impression.

The so-called "Special Imperial Examination" was a special trial assessment added outside of the normal talent selection activities, and the Chief Examiner was the head examiner. Scholars could use this opportunity to enter officialdom.

The assessment consisted of three parts: family background, character and talent, and most importantly, the grade of one's Literary Heart.

The first two determined the baseline—or rather, the threshold of the bureaucracy—while the final one determined the ceiling of one's potential career.

The Censor-in-Chief had an excellent memory.

He remembered all the scholars selected that time, but he did not recall Qi Shan being among them. Was Qi Shan one of those who failed?

As this guess flashed through his mind, a trace of awkwardness crossed the Censor-in-Chief's face—that he, serving as the Chief Examiner, had actually missed such a big fish; it was truly his own fault.

But on second thought, the Xin Kingdom no longer existed, and a large number of former Xin officials had been purged and poisoned by Zheng Qiao.

In just a few short months, countless vengeful spirits had risen.

It was actually a good thing that Qi Shan had not entered officialdom.

He lightly patted his son's arm. Understanding his intent, the son helped him up. The father and son bowed solemnly to Qi Shan.

"Please, may we know the name of our benefactor?"

Qi Shan returned the bows one by one.

"My surname is Qi, my given name is Shan, and my courtesy name is Yuanliang."

The Censor-in-Chief murmured, "Qi Yuanliang... Qi?"

Qi Shan's surname was very rare. He had a vague impression; there indeed was a young scholar named "Qi Shan" on the registry. At the time, he was only sixteen, the youngest among that batch of scholars.

Only—

The Censor-in-Chief lowered his eyelids, his gaze sweeping imperceptibly toward the Literary Heart insignia at Qi Shan's waist—if he remembered correctly, that scholar's Literary Heart grade seemed to be—

Before he could dredge up that memory, Qi Shan, having seen through the Censor-in-Chief's small movement, spoke up proactively.

"It was a mid-low grade of the sixth rank."

The Censor-in-Chief pursed his lips in silence. As the clues increased, he slowly began to recall some long-buried details.

At this moment, his son looked from Qi Shan to his father and interjected, "A mid-low sixth-rank Literary Heart? Why wasn't he recruited?"

Although a mid-low sixth-rank Literary Heart was considered mediocre—and barring any miracles, there would be no possibility of ever rising to the rank of the Three Excellencies or Nine Ministers—with genuine talent, securing a minor official post should not have been an issue.

In the years before the fall of the Xin Kingdom, talent was scarce everywhere and standards were not high; it was impossible that they wouldn't have recruited Qi Shan.

The Censor-in-Chief said nothing, merely casting a sidelong glance to silently warn his son to be quiet. The son shivered under the glare and shut his mouth instantly.

Once the son was quiet, he turned to seek confirmation from Qi Shan.

"Did our benefactor offend someone back then?"

The fact that Qi Shan was rejected and couldn't even secure a minor post in a remote area was naturally not solely due to his Literary Heart grade.

"Yes, I did indeed offend someone."

Qi Shan's eyes curved into crescents as he admitted it readily.

"Father, who framed our benefactor?"

The Censor-in-Chief's son shared his father's temperament, though he was even more blunt and simple-minded. Upon hearing that Qi Shan had missed his career path because he was targeted for offending someone, anger immediately flared within him. To his surprise, the Censor-in-Chief not only failed to answer but secretly pinched the flesh on his upper arm.

"Father—"

"Silence!" the Censor-in-Chief snapped with a glare.

The son: "..."

"It wasn't exactly a frame-up; rather, a piece of leverage fell into his hands. At that time, failing the exam was better than entering officialdom only to be blackmailed," Qi Shan said, appearing quite composed. There was no obvious emotional fluctuation in his eyes, as if he were discussing a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.

"Leverage?" The foolish son remained blunt.

Qi Shan suddenly laughed. "Yes, forging my lineage."

The Censor-in-Chief's foolish son: "..."

The Censor-in-Chief, knowing part of the truth: "..."

"Forging a lineage" was a minor matter compared to true leverage. However, since the Xin Kingdom had already fallen, the "major matter" of that time was no longer significant. It was just that their lives, as well as those of several relatives and friends, had been saved by this man; why bring up his shortcomings?

Qi Shan asked, "Does Master Tian know where that person is now?"

The Censor-in-Chief seemed to remember something, his expression darkening.

"In Xiaocheng..."

"Xiaocheng?"

"He is currently the Governor of Sibao Prefecture, and his prefectural seat is in Xiaocheng. With the troops of the Geng Kingdom pressing the borders, he has been secretly colluding with Zheng Qiao, working from the inside to help capture several of Xin's fortresses... Had it not been for him, we could have held out for at least five more months, perhaps even waiting for a turning point..."

Qi Shan said, "A fickle villain; nothing to be surprised about."

"Is our benefactor asking for his whereabouts because he intends to... seek revenge?"

At that moment, Shen Xiaolangjun's voice, laced with displeasure, drifted into their ears: "I am out here bravely fighting the enemy, and you are here chatting and reminiscing?"

Shen Tang was covered in blood, carrying the Motherly Sword as she came to find someone to deal with the corpses—to destroy the evidence and avoid further complications—only to see Qi Shan chatting with people from a distance, which made her fists clench.

She felt that the person most in need of the Motherly Sword's "education" right now was not the "filial son" waiting in line to be reincarnated, but the perennial bystander, Qi Yuanliang.

Seeing Shen Tang return, a flash of surprise crossed Qi Shan's eyes—he knew she could handle those ten or so soldiers, but he hadn't expected her to be so fast even without the empowerment of the Word Spirit.

"I naturally trust the abilities of Shen Xiaolangjun. How could such a rabble be a match for you?" Facing the accusation, he dismissed it perfunctorially without any sincerity, his gaze moving past Shen Tang to the area behind her. "Are they all dead?"

She snorted coldly. "All dead."

Pulling up weeds by the roots to leave no future trouble.

With a flick of her wrist, the blood on the blade was flung onto the grass by the force, leaving behind scattered red marks.

"What about those who were poisoned?"

"A kind person like myself would naturally not let them continue to suffer the agony of the soul-binding poison—a sword to the throat, a sword to the heart."

Ensuring they died as thoroughly as possible.

Qi Shan and Shen Tang exchanged questions and answers, while Qi Shan used his peripheral vision to keep an eye on the rescued prisoners—as an official of the Censorate, the Censor-in-Chief had had considerable contact with the Gong clan, a prominent family of the Xin Kingdom. If Shen Xiaolangjun were "Gong Cheng," he should have recognized her.

However, the Censor-in-Chief showed no reaction of recognizing an acquaintance upon seeing Shen Tang's face; instead, there was only a hint of curiosity and surprise.

A young man wearing a Literary Heart insignia, yet fighting more fiercely than a brute with a Martial Gall and Tiger Talisman—he was indeed worth curious observation.

Qi Shan reflected inwardly.

Was Shen Tang really not "Gong Cheng"?

As he frowned, Shen Tang guessed what kind of nonsense was brewing in his mind and resisted the urge to roll her eyes—she knew it; that previous "I understand" from Qi Shan meant he understood absolutely nothing.

Instead of wasting time on idle speculation, he might as well help her bury the bodies.

To her surprise—

Qi Shan decisively refused.

His reason was also absurd.

"I am a coward; I cannot bear to see corpses blurred with blood."

Shen Tang: "..."

She could only roll up her sleeves and do the work herself. Qi Shan was unreliable, and those prisoners, who were clinging to life thanks to her biscuits, green plums, and malt candy, were even more unreliable. While she worked, Qi Shan leaned against a tree trunk, asking her from the shade.

"Does Shen Xiaolangjun have any interest in making a trip to Xiaocheng?"