Chapter 2792

Yun Jian ordered two bowls of wontons, and father and son began to eat.

While Yun Jian ate voraciously, Yun Xi ate with great elegance, taking his time. To him, the county examination was a trivial matter.

By the time Yun Jian finished, Yun Xi had only eaten a third of his bowl. Suddenly, the sound of gongs rang out from outside.

"The list is up! The list is up!"

Instantly, the scattered crowd rushed to see the results.

Yun Jian stood up hurriedly. "Wang Ge'er, you eat slowly here. I’ll go take a look."

"Father, be careful. There’s no need to rush. We can look after everyone has seen it. The list will be posted for several days," Yun Xi said, feeling both touched and helpless at his father’s eagerness.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. Your father is sturdy. I’ll just take a quick peek. Wait for me," Yun Jian said.

"Then please be careful," Yun Xi could only say.

Seeing his son’s agreement, Yun Jian hurried out, eager to see if his name was on the list.

Yun Xi finished his wontons leisurely. As he put down his spoon, Yun Jian returned, his face beaming with excitement. "Son, son! You are first place!"

Yun Xi smiled faintly, showing no pride. He had known this all along. The county examination was not difficult; one only needed to be familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics and memorize them well.

"Father, please calm down," Yun Xi said, seeing his father’s agitation.

"How can I calm down? It’s first place!" Yun Jian remained excited.

"I’ve already heard. I know it’s first place," Yun Xi said. "But if my first place causes you to become unwell from excitement, then this first place loses its meaning."

Hearing this, Yun Jian realized this was his son’s filial piety. He calmed down, though his eyes still shone with suppressed excitement.

It was no wonder Yun Jian was so moved. This branch of the Yun family had never produced a scholar through the imperial examinations. Now, Yun Xi’s sudden excellent results were naturally cause for great joy.

Once the initial excitement passed, Yun Jian composed himself. "Son, let’s go home. We’ll celebrate properly today."

Seeing his father’s joy, Yun Xi did not dampen his spirits. Besides, "celebrating properly" at home simply meant eating and drinking a bit better.

Yun Xi becoming the top candidate in the county examination was good news. However, the third branch of the Yun family did not make a huge fuss. They celebrated privately at home, mainly because Yun Xi stated he wanted to prepare thoroughly for the prefectural examination in three months.

That was correct. The county and prefectural examinations were held annually, while the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations were held every three years.

With Yun Xi’s current standing, there was no need to worry about the prefectural examination.

Since Yun Xi had made his decision, his family did not interfere. Yun Jian was very happy with his son’s talent.

Yun Xi announced he would enter seclusion for two months, then spend the third month preparing for the prefectural examination.

In truth, another reason for Yun Xi’s seclusion was to cultivate his Book Qi.

Because his Book Qi was of a special color, Yun Xi needed to control this unique hue.

In fact, Yun Xi discovered that his black Book Qi seemed endless. If he controlled a single type of Book Qi for combat, he never had to worry about running out.

Therefore, Yun Xi decided to align his display with his examination rank. Although he could currently control yellow Book Qi for combat, he chose to manifest green Book Qi.

As he put it, he could not let others discover his trump cards. Indeed, Yun Xi was beginning to grow in the direction of a "bean paste bun"—appearing soft and harmless on the outside while hiding strength within.

During these two months, besides reviewing imperial examination regulations, Yun Xi mostly memorized all the poetry and lyrics provided by Liang Chen, applying them to Book Qi combat.

Book Qi is the energy, while the moves are the poetry and lyrics. Whether using a sword, palm, fist, knife, other weapons, or no weapon at all, the movements followed these verses.

One could say that a single poem constituted a simple set of moves. Yun Xi had now memorized thousands of poems and lyrics.

"Liang Chen, where did you get so many poems and lyrics?" Yun Xi asked, liking them very much.

"I cannot tell you that now. When you reach a certain level of cultivation, you will know naturally," Liang Chen replied.

Yun Xi was merely curious and did not press further. "Liang Chen, give me a drop of spiritual liquid. I want to cultivate my Book Qi."

One drop of spiritual liquid could sustain Yun Xi for several months. Compared to the beginning, when one drop lasted years, his cultivation had improved significantly.

During these two months, Yun Xi raised his yellow Book Qi to orange, then fused it with black. As his Book Qi level increased, Yun Xi found his black Book Qi becoming clearer, as if it could transform into other colors at any moment.

Two months later, Yun Xi emerged from seclusion. His aura had changed considerably; he seemed more gentle and more unfathomable.

"Wang Ge'er, you feel different," Yun Jian said.

Yun Xi smiled faintly. "Because my Book Qi has improved."

"Really? What color is your Book Qi now?" Yun Jian asked.

Yun Xi smiled. "Blue."

Yun Xi was not intentionally hiding the truth, but saying too much was not always wise.

Yun Jian listened with a happy face, not doubting him at all. After all, normal county candidates usually had green Book Qi. His son having blue Book Qi indicated the result of exceptional talent in Book Qi.

"By the way, Wang Ge'er, I asked your mother to make five light jackets for you. Although it is autumn now, the temperature might drop at night. You will spend two nights in the examination cells for the prefectural exam. If you catch a cold, it would be bad," Yun Jian said.

Yun Xi laughed lightly. "Father, I have Book Qi. Cultivated to my level, simple cold will not affect me."

Yun Xi was correct. Confucian scholars were largely unaffected by cold or heat, aside from restrictions like bathing. This was one reason why this world valued Confucian scholars so highly. Only with strong physiques could they build a better future for the people.

"(⊙o⊙)…" Well, Yun Jian realized he had truly forgotten that Yun Xi was a Confucian scholar.

"However, Father, thank you," Yun Xi said seriously to Yun Jian. Only those who truly loved him would not consider how capable he was.

The prefectural examination required traveling to the provincial capital. The carriage ride took about two days, but Yun Xi left fifteen days early, planning to rest in the capital for a few days before taking the exam.