Chapter 43: The Seventh Day of the Ninth Month, the White Dew Examination

After coming ashore, Zhao Xing and Xu Lao Ba returned to the river salvager's stall.

Returning the voucher, reclaiming the one-liang deposit, and tossing a tip to Xu Lao Ba—everything was settled fair and square, clean and clear.

Had it not been so late, Xu Lao Ba would have definitely dragged someone along to boast about the feat.

Checking the time, Zhao Xing headed back toward Gucheng.

"Rise, wind~"

With wind stirring beneath his feet, his pace quickened, covering two to three meters with a single stride.

He arrived home just before the end of the Hai hour.

"Today's harvest was remarkable. I only intended to make a small fortune, but I never expected such a massive payoff in the end."

"It seems my Grade Two Providence is truly extraordinary."

If it were Grade One Providence, he probably would have brushed right past this fourth-tier pearl.

"With this harvest, I won't have to worry about food and drink for a short while, and my Qi condensation speed won't be slow either." Zhao Xing packed up the pearl, placed it inside a chest, and locked it securely.

He still had some spare cash on hand and was in no rush to sell it; he wanted to wait for the right time to fetch a high price.

An ordinary person would have lost sleep over a windfall of sudden wealth, but Zhao Xing ate and slept as peacefully as ever.

The next day, he went to the Directorate of Agriculture as usual to report for duty and study.

Once the Lesser Heat solar term passed, the Senior Agricultural Official began to focus heavily on theory with minimal practical application.

He directly announced to everyone that the next solar term would test theoretical knowledge.

Reading books instantly became the top priority for the clerks at the Directorate of Agriculture.

"Senior Agricultural Official, could you give us a hint about which classical texts will be covered? Could you narrow down some key points for us?" a clerk inquired.

Xue Wenzhong smiled faintly. "Of course. Listen closely, all of you: *Great View of Trees*, *Classic of Materia Medica*, *One Hundred Solutions to Heavenly Timing*, *True Chapters of the Four Agriculture*, *Phenology of the Lunar Months*, *Three Radiances of Earth Veins*, *Ten Thousand Benefits...*"

Well, asking was as good as not asking—every damn thing was a key point!

Extensive knowledge and a strong memory were essential qualities for agricultural officials. The Nineteen Prefectures were vast and abundant, featuring countless varieties of heavenly timing and geographical advantages, not to mention all kinds of plants.

If the imperial court dispatched you to a post and you didn't even know what was suitable to plant there or when to plant it, what use would you be?

***

That was merely the basic requirement, the bare minimum of begging the heavens for a meal.

Many special environments required agricultural officials to cast spells, alter heavenly timing, locate earth veins, and artificially create a favorable environment before deciding what to plant.

"In the south of Guangling Prefecture, there is Yuanling County. In spring, one can plant the Five Fine Grains; planted in spring and harvested in spring, a single ear can feed five people."

"In summer, one can plant the Hundred-Blood Vine; planted in summer and harvested in summer, the vine's fruit can replenish a hundred types of blood."

"In autumn... and winter. What was planted in autumn again?" Chen Ziyu tilted his head and looked at Qian Dong.

The latter spread his hands. "Why are you memorizing such an obscure text as *Benefits of Grotto-Heavens*? Could it possibly be that you have a chance to serve as an official in a grotto-heaven blessed land?"

"That's true, too." Chen Ziyu was about to let it go when he heard Zhao Xing leisurely chime in from beside him: "In autumn, one can cultivate Golden Beans; planted in autumn and harvested in autumn, they gather Qi in three days, enter the graded ranks in a month, and their value rivals gold."

"In winter, one can dig up Bone-Mending Ginseng; it can knit bones in ten days and regenerate severed limbs in a hundred."

Chen Ziyu opened his book to check and sighed in heartfelt admiration, "As expected of my brother, your foundation is truly solid."

Zhao Xing said with a trace of nostalgia, "Not entirely. If you were to live there for a few years, you'd know it like the back of your hand, too."

"Brother, you talk as if you've been there yourself. Isn't Guangling Prefecture tens of thousands of miles away from our Pinghai Prefecture?"

"Can't I have gone there in my dreams?" Zhao Xing laughed.

"Sure, of course you can, who else is the big brother here?"

"Hahaha."

***

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the White Dew solar term was approaching.

Zhao Xing spent his days and nights cramming books in preparation for the exam. Once he transitioned to a regular, graded official, he would not only enter the Providence Dynasty system—gaining increased fortune and longevity—but he would also be able to attempt many things previously out of reach.

For instance, that treasure mountain known as the Great Dream Academy; once graded, he would presumably be able to attempt extracting benefits from it once more.

Becoming an officially ranked agricultural official would also expand Zhao Xing's sphere of action, allowing him to learn more spells and laying a sturdier foundation for the future revival era.

Zhao Xing was not working hard just to secure a formal position, but for longevity itself. If he had been dropped into the even more distant Grand Ancestor era, he would have simply given up entirely.

Yet, having been placed in the era of Emperor Jing, he felt he could still strive to endure until the revival version.

Such motivation was both plain and immensely powerful. Just imagine: if someone told you that starting now, you should exercise and maintain healthy lifestyle habits, and if you live another twenty years, you can witness a technological breakthrough and achieve eternal life—would you do it?

***

"No taking a wife, no having children. When one receives official rank and status, the providence blessings of extended lifespan and fortune will not be diluted; they will belong entirely to the official himself."

"Furthermore, as for any longevity-prolonging treasures, the earlier they are used, the better. Otherwise, the bottlenecks will grow stronger and the difficulty will increase exponentially."

"Upon receiving an official rank, it brings a concurrent boost to all other aspects. However, if I reach the corresponding rank beforehand when the appointment comes, all those benefits will be converted entirely into added lifespan. Therefore, by the coming of spring next year, I had best reach the ninth tier of Qi condensation, so that all the advantages of receiving rank are funneled solely into my lifespan," Zhao Xing calculated inwardly.

Doing this had another benefit: if he were ever dismissed from office and demoted in rank, the impact on him would be minimal, if not entirely negligible.

It was equivalent to saying he had the innate capability to leap onto the great carriage of Great Zhou's providence without needing much assistance; he only needed them to open the carriage door, and when the time came for them to kick him off, he would have the ability to jump down without sustaining injury.

"Heaven's mandate is my mandate, Heaven's providence is my providence, Heaven's allotted span is my lifespan. Return my fortune to the court? Not a chance." After mapping out his future, Zhao Xing returned his attention to matters at hand.

***

On the seventh day of the ninth month, White Dew.

The Directorate of Agriculture ushered in its first theoretical examination of the year.

The entire exam lasted for two days. Late arrivals were barred from entering, but early submission of papers was permitted.

The chief exam proctor remained Xue Wenzhong, though the test questions had to be reviewed collectively by the other agricultural officials and align with Nanyang County's ideological stance—neither too avant-garde nor too rigid.

Once graded, the examination papers had to be archived and submitted to Nanyang County for re-examination. While the exam results from other solar terms also needed to be archived and submitted, Nanyang County generally did not review them in detail, only conducting random spot checks unless someone filed a report.

However, the theoretical examination was guaranteed to undergo a thorough, comprehensive re-examination from top to bottom.

It was no big deal if a clerk's spellcasting went slightly awry, but if their theoretical ideology went astray, it would become extremely dangerous.

During the Grand Ancestor era, a clerk at the Directorate of Agriculture in Nanyang County—nobody knew where he picked up some heterodox books—tried to show off during an examination by writing about a theoretical concept called "Severing Heaven and Earth from Communication." As a result, he offended both the Heavenly Timing faction and the Earthly Advantages faction simultaneously and was promptly dragged off to prison.

Even the Self-Nature faction did not reject the Heavenly Timing and Earthly Advantages factions; they merely maintained a primary-secondary relationship. But "Severing Heaven and Earth from Communication" rejected the current calendar system and even denied the Dao itself, fitting squarely into the category of heretical thought. This went beyond mere heresy—it was an outright betrayal and insult to the nation.

Great Zhou was relatively tolerant regarding freedom of speech. Later, after an investigation, the man was released after being detained for half a year. He didn't suffer any major consequences, but the booksellers who peddled heterodox texts met a grim fate; following a severe crackdown and confiscation, their entire clans were executed.

"During the exam in a moment, I must hold back somewhat and write conservatively. Let's not conjure up any overly radical thoughts; being even a tiny step ahead is enough to land me a top-grade mark," Zhao Xing muttered repeatedly to himself before stepping into the examination hall.