<h4>Chapter 10: Beat You Up</h4> <h4><strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong> Editor: </strong>As Studios</h4>


    After Xiao Ling entered the examination hall, Gu Jiao left, carrying the basket on her back.


    She was going to the market to sell the wild mushrooms and dried wood ear fungus in the basket, and also do something else.


    Divine Academy’s reputation had spread far and wide, and plenty of people came to take the exam. There were locals, and there were also foreigners like Xiao Ling.


    Each referee held a rmendation letter from a vige school, county school, or prefectural school, and they entered the corresponding examination hall.


    Because their levels were different, Xiao Ling and Gu Dashun were assigned to different examination halls.


    Xiao Ling was in thest row.


    Divine Academy prided itself on its high level of education, and most of those who came to attempt the admission exam were at least schr-officiates. It was not easy to pass the exam to be a schr-officiate these days, so it was alreadymendable for Gu Dashun to have be one before the age of 20.


    Xiao Ling was only 17 years old, and the youngest among all the examinees.


    He was also the most handsome.


    s, he was a cripple.


    All the other examinees looked over with curious gazes, but their gazes did not linger, and they soon turned their attention to filling in their papers.


    In the morning, they would be tried on poetry; in the afternoon, on the ssics.


    Most of the examinees who coulde here were erudite and well-learned; it was not difficult for them topose some poems on the spot. However, the ssics in the afternoon were a different story.


    Topics for the ssics exam were all derived from the original Four Books and Five ssics, and examinees were strictly topose their answers in the eight-segment essay format.


    The eight-segment essay wasposed of eight sections: introduction, supplementation, preliminary exposition, initial argument, central argument,tter argument, final argument, and conclusion. It did not allow for figures of speech, had to be written in the tone of the sages, and quotations could onlye from the Cheng or Zhu schools. The restrictions were severe.


    In addition, the topics this time were very difficult. After a day, practically all of the examinees’ faces had turned green.


    When Xiao Ling came out, his ssmate had been waiting outside the examination hall for almost an hour.


    “Ling! Here!” He waved at Xiao Ling.


    Xiao Ling went over on his walking stick.


    His ssmate said, “I heard a lot of peopleining that the ssics this year is tricky. Sigh, just your luck. The topics this time were personally set by the dean. If nothing had happened to you back then and you were able to take the exam with me, then it wouldn’t have been so difficult… It’s all that evil woman’s fault!”


    Xiao Ling nced at him, his furrows deepening.


    His ssmate continued, “By the way, has she been bullying you these past few days? I was so worried that you wouldn’t be able toe today.”


    <i>Indeed… I almost couldn’t make it.</i>


    Xiao Ling paused.


    Suddenly, as though sensing something, he raised his head to look ahead.


    At this moment, the exam had just ended; the street at the entrance of the academy was packed with throngs of people.


    A slender figure with a small basket on her back stood against the wall with her arms crossed, looking a little nonchnt.


    From time to time, people would walk past her while giving her all sorts of looks because of her face; however, she was unfazed by them. She was not angry, ashamed, or embarrassed.


    Soon, her ssmate spotted Gu Jiao as well, and frowned. “Ah! Why is she here? Don’t tell me she’s here to cause trouble for you! Tell me honestly, did you have to escape from your home today?”


    Actually, Xiao Ling was not sure if Gu Jiao was here to look for him. He only knew that she was leaning there, clearly waiting for someone…


    Due to the sheer number of examineesing out from the academy, Gu Jiao’s attention was eventually drawn towards them.


    Gu Jiao turned her head and looked over. In the sea of people, she spotted the handsome young man with a single nce.


    She smiled and walked towards Xiao Ling.


    “Are the exams over?” she said.


    “Yes.” Xiao Ling nodded. “Have you been waiting for a long time?”


    “No.” Gu Jiao tugged at her ear.


    “Didn’t you go to the market? Why haven’t you gone home?” Xiao Ling had seen the wild fungi in her basket and knew that she would go to the market. However, the market would have closed by noon.


    “I happened to have something to do nearby,” Gu Jiao said.


    “What business could you have here?” His ssmate rolled her eyes.


    However, Gu Jiao’s words had reminded him.


    He had finished ss early that day and went to the medical hall. There, he discovered that Doctor Zhang hade again, and even saved a person from their deathbed.


    “Are you sure it’s Doctor Zhang?” Xiao Ling was slightly taken aback.


    Previously, during the dispute at the medical hall Doctor Zhang had also suffered some superficial injuries. Actually, the one who attended to the assant’s wife was not Doctor Zhang; he waspletely innocent. Nheless, the incident had riled him, provoking him to proim that he would nevere again for the rest of his life.


    His ssmate replied firmly, “Of course! I saw that person being carried in with my own eyes—he was covered in blood, his neck was crooked, and his breath was gone. Other than Doctor Zhang from the capital, who else can save him?”


    Gu Jiao looked at a little ant on the ground silently.


    His ssmate continued, “If Doctor Zhang can even save someone like that, he will definitely be able to treat your leg. Don’t worry yourself with all these, I’ll go ask when Doctor Zhang’s consultation hours will be.”


    “When will you be going?” Gu Jiao suddenly asked.


    His ssmate gave her a disdainful look. “Why should I tell you?”


    Gu Jiao: “…”


    They had dinner in town. His ssmate insisted on bringing Xiao Ling to try the Yangchun noodles near the academy, saying that they tasted like home.


    After dinner, Xiao Ling and Gu Jiao took a mule carriage back to the vige. This time, Xiao Ling had requested a ride with a carriage.


    Night hadpletely fallen. There were no oilmps in the carriage, and the bright moonlight streamed in from outside.


    Gu Jiao sat opposite Xiao Ling. She stretched out her long legs, tensing her toes.


    She had bought new shoes.


    Unlike the embroidered shoes which a daughter of a rich family would wear, they were just a pair of cheap cloth shoes. The shoes were in and ck, but they looked surprisingly good on her.


    She looked very adorable as she yed with her shoes, and her eyes seemed to be filled with stars.


    The mule carriage stopped at the vige entrance, as usual.


    After the two of them got out of the car, Gu Jiao also followed behind him as usual, keeping that usual distance.


    The news of Gu Jiao having a falling out with Gu Dashun for Xiao Ling’s sake had already spread throughout the vige. Xue Ningxiang had been keeping vigil by the door, only to see the two of them walking out of the night one after another.


    <i>Was I really not seeing things thest time?</i>


    <i>Did the two of them really get together?</i>


    “Idiot Gu!”


    As her voice broke the silence of the night, Xue Ningxiang turned around and returned to her house.


    Gu Jiao and Xiao Ling stopped outside their house and turned to look at the young man who was trotting towards them. It was Gu Ershun from the second branch of the Gu family.


    Gu Ershun and Gu Xiaoshun were both from Madam Liu’s family. However, Gu Ershun had always been closer to his cousin, Gu Dashun, rather than his own younger brother.


    Gu Jiao only nced at him indifferently before looking away. She unlocked the door and entered the house with Xiao Ling.


    Gu Ershun strode over, and stood at the door with his hands on his hips. He eximed angrily, “Idiot Gu, what do you think you’re doing?! How dare you treat Big Brother like that! Do you know that you almost dyed Big Brother’s exam!? You even embarrassed Big Brother in front of the entire vige!”


    <i>Not listening, not listening…</i>


    Gu Jiao stepped through the doorway and was about to close the door.


    Seeing that she was ignoring him, Gu Ershun was furious. He stepped one foot into the house and held the door with one hand. “How dare you!? Grandpa asked me to look for you! Hurry up and kowtow to Big Brother to apologize! Otherwise, I’ll beat you to death!”


    Gu Jiao tugged at her little ear impatiently.


    <i>Annoying.</i>


    “Did you hear me? If you don’t settle this today, don’t even think about…”


    Halfway through his sentence.


    Gu Jiao raised her foot and kicked him, sending him flying!