Volume One: River City Tune, Chapter 31: The Decision (Part I)

It was nearly the second watch of the night when Li Ling returned home. Having had a few extra cups of wine, he intended to wash up and go straight to bed, but a glance at his younger sister, Yue’er, stopped him in his tracks. She stood there looking awkward, troubled, and hesitant to speak. Curious, he asked, "Yue’er, what’s the matter? Did you not enjoy yourself at the wine gathering today?"

Yue’er fidgeted, rubbing her small hands against the hem of her clothes, before finally stammering, "Of course I was happy to go to Brother Gu’s house, but... but..." The words caught in her throat.

Li Ling laughed. "What is it? Can’t you even speak your mind in front of your brother?"

"Well... Brother, do you really intend to take the imperial examinations again? Can you please not go?"

"Why? Are you worried I won't pass?" Li Ling was taken aback. With Gu Yuezi and the others constantly urging him to pursue the path of the examinations, it was strange that his own sister would try to dissuade him. After all, wasn't the imperial exam the shortcut to success in the Great Yue Dynasty?

Having voiced her concern, Yue’er felt a weight lift. She looked at her brother and said, "Brother, I’m afraid of going back to how things were... Father became the way he was because he failed the scholar’s exam, and you were the same way before. It was only by the grace of our ancestors that you became different, but now you want to take the exam again. I’m so scared..."

Faced with his sister’s worried, pitiful gaze, Li Ling sighed. He realized how much trauma those past days had inflicted on the young girl, leaving her terrified that history might repeat itself. He reached out and stroked her hair. "Don’t worry, Yue’er. I am not the same as I was before. Remember, I have the protection of an ancestor who became an immortal. Whatever I do, I am destined to succeed, right? That naturally includes the imperial examinations."

Seeing that she remained hesitant, he added, "How about this? I promise you this will be the only time—the very last time. If I fail to earn the scholar’s title this time, I will never take the exam again. I’ll just stay at home, write my novels, and do some business. How does that sound?"

"Do you promise?" the young girl asked, blinking her large eyes at him.

"I promise!" Li Ling laughed and held out his pinky finger. "Let’s hook pinkies; that way, I can never go back on my word."

"Okay, let's hook!" Li Yue’er extended her own pinky. As they linked fingers, they chanted, "Pinky swear, one hundred years, no going back!" With the vow sealed, a look of relief finally appeared on her face.

Li Ling relaxed as well. It was true—on his way home, he had already decided to attempt the examinations. It wasn’t just because the words of Gu Yuezi and Xu Cang made sense; he felt that only by attaining an official rank could he truly ensure his own safety.

Although he hadn't told anyone, Li Ling remained wary of the Zhuang family’s apparent malice toward him. He was eighty percent certain that the thugs who had broken into their home and injured him and Yue’er were henchmen of Zhuang Qiang, the man who had walked into their shop with such arrogance that day. A man like that wouldn't resort to thievery for a mere hundred taels of silver; the only explanation was that he had ordered the attack to seize their money.

Why would Zhuang Qiang go to such lengths? What kind of deep grudge could the Zhuang family hold to make them resort to such despicable tactics just to ensure he couldn't pay his debts?

Li Ling couldn't fathom the answer, nor could he seek justice from the local authorities, as the magistrate in charge of criminal law was Zhuang Hong, Zhuang Qiang’s elder brother. As a commoner at the bottom of the social ladder, Li Ling realized he and his sister had been living in constant danger with no means of self-defense.

The only way to gain a measure of security was to change his status and obtain a rank that would make others think twice before acting against him. Even the title of a scholar would be enough to make the Zhuang brothers hesitate. Therefore, the path of the imperial examinations had become an absolute necessity.

The next morning, Li Ling dug out a large stack of books—remnants from his own studies and those left by his late father. Beyond the essential Four Books and Five Classics, there were many commentaries on the classics by renowned Confucian scholars. Due to the shifts in history, the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism that should have been dominant was nowhere to be found, replaced by the Wang School, established fifty years ago by the great scholar Wang Dan. It blended elements of philosophy with practical statecraft, which actually seemed quite sensible.

There were also various treatises by Confucian scholars analyzing the classics. In total, there were over a dozen volumes, enough to keep someone occupied for half a month.

Li Ling decided to start by thoroughly mastering the *Analects* and other classics; these were the foundation, and without them, everything else would be a castle in the air. He expected this to be a time-consuming struggle that would drain his mental energy. However, as he began to read aloud, he was stunned to find the content flowing through his mind as if he were watching a film. The voice of his inner thoughts recited the text faster than his eyes could scan the pages, as if the knowledge had long been imprinted in his brain, waiting to be triggered.

After a moment of shock, Li Ling understood: this was the solid foundation built by the original owner’s years of grueling study, now etched into his body and mind. It made sense—his father had been training him for the exams since he was a child.

After a decade of effort, even if the original Li Ling had been slow, he would have memorized these classics by heart. Even the dense, archaic commentaries were now perfectly clear to him. His basic training was, in fact, remarkably solid.

"Then why couldn't you even pass the scholar’s exam—no, not even the preliminary test?" Li Ling wondered. Upon reflection, he realized: "It was a psychological barrier. You had the knowledge, but when the pressure hit—especially in the exam hall—you would panic and forget everything! That’s why you failed even the county-level exams."

This aligned with the original owner’s timid nature. For someone like that, even a familiar task could feel like climbing to the heavens.

"Sigh..." Having figured this out, Li Ling felt at ease. "Since I have become you, let me fulfill your unfinished wish. I will at least earn that scholar’s title for you!" In his previous life, Li Ling had been a top student—not because he was naturally gifted, but because he thrived under pressure. He always performed at his best during major events; many of his teachers had remarked that he possessed the temperament of a general.

With his resolve set, Li Ling immersed himself in the world of the imperial examinations. He used the original owner's memories to consolidate his knowledge, while applying the advanced, systematic learning methods of a modern individual. He truly began to feel like a top-tier scholar.

A true scholar didn't just memorize; he mastered the points and could draw inferences from one instance to another. And what made it even more impressive was that he could still carve out time for other things. While a student in the future might play basketball or video games, the current Li Ling spent an hour or two every day working on his novel. Though his update speed had slowed, by mid-October, he had nearly finished the fifth volume of *Investiture of the Gods*. At this rate, he would finish the seven-volume epic by the end of the year.

Of course, even a top student runs into questions. Li Ling thought of his friend, Xu Cang, the only other scholar he knew. After compiling a list of his doubts, he went to the Xu residence, only to be told that Xu Cang had already left for the prefectural city to take the provincial examinations.

It wasn't until late October that Xu Cang returned to Jiangcheng. When Li Ling visited, he found the atmosphere in the Xu house somber. Everyone looked anxious and heartbroken, and Xu Cang was nowhere to be seen, having locked himself in his room.

"What... what happened, Mrs. Xu?" Li Ling asked, bewildered.

Mrs. Xu hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Cang’er... he failed the scholar’s exam again." Her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face. Xu Cang’s younger brother and sister stood nearby, looking equally despondent, unable to utter a word.

Li Ling understood the situation. With the father long dead, Mrs. Xu had raised her three children through needlework and laundry. The entire family had pinned their hopes for a better life on Xu Cang passing the examination. But now, after repeated failures, both he and his family were devastated. Li Ling sighed. He had previously offered to provide financial help, but Xu Cang had politely declined, stating that he would not accept rewards without having earned them. Despite their poverty, Xu Cang had his own dignity and bottom line.

Seeing the state of the household, Li Ling decided not to intrude further. He offered a few words of comfort and turned to leave. Suddenly, the door to the room was flung open, and Xu Cang stumbled out. Before Li Ling could greet him, Xu Cang ignored him entirely, falling to his knees and looking up to the sky, wailing, "Five years! I have failed to pass the scholar’s exam for five years in a row! Heaven, if you truly want to torture me, just strike me down with a bolt of lightning!"