Chapter Seventy-Eight: Kevin Xue’s Inquiry

A Half-Sage arrived in an instant and departed just as quickly, yet the lingering aura of the Sage continued to sweep through the entire city. Countless citizens knelt toward the receding brilliance, crying out in reverence for the Sage.

Only now did those gathered in the courtyard before the examination hall realize that their literary power was finally circulating once more, though the lingering palpitations in their hearts would not fade for a long time. A mere shadow of a Half-Sage had sent tremors through the hearts of all the scholars present.

Everyone made their way back into the courtyard, but now all eyes converged upon its sole occupant. Song Mu remained with his eyes closed, quietly absorbing the mighty force bestowed by the rainbow radiance of the Half-Sage’s literary path.

Qiu Buchu and Fan Ti Xue stood at a distance, carefully observing Song Mu. Only now did Qiu Buchu finally see the famed figure of the Ji Prefecture: handsome and serene, tall in stature, radiating an innate scholarly elegance simply by standing there. This man was indeed worthy of being a descendant of the Song family’s literary lineage.

“Ah, to think that when Lord Song fell, the court was upended. Now the Song family has found another uncut jade. One day, the literary bloodline will shine again,” Qiu Buchu sighed, then waved his hand to signal the officials to withdraw.

Though the examination had not concluded, and even with the arrival of a Half-Sage, the pressing task was to bring the courtyard examination to a proper close.

Suppressing their inner turmoil, the officials refrained from disturbing Song Mu, but drew closer to Ouyang Hong, engaging in conversation. Every word revolved around Song Mu’s deeds.

The newly appointed scholars also returned to their examination booths. Though the soldiers forbade them from approaching Song Mu, their expressions betrayed their unsettled minds and boundless envy toward both the events just witnessed and the man before them.

Song Mu stood where he was for a long while, gradually coming back to himself. Warmth suffused his body, as if a new power flowed through his bones and blood—an energy that could be drawn forth at will, distinct from the literary force circulating through his dantian and meridians. Surely, this was the mighty power granted by the rainbow radiance of the literary path.

This radiance only appeared when a scholar reached the pinnacle of literary cultivation, akin to a divine aura of protection. Though it could not be wielded offensively, it could ward off all evil and malicious attacks. The ray within Song Mu’s body lacked such miraculous potency, but with Duke Qin’s blessing, it imbued him with righteousness, so that lesser demons would not dare approach.

Though the Half-Sage’s gesture was slight, it granted Song Mu what he most urgently needed.

Song Mu sighed inwardly, opened his eyes, and was about to look up when he suddenly noticed a procession of ants moving across the ground before him. These ants marched in formation, unlike any he had seen before. They gathered before him, slowly spelling out a message: “On the night of the ranking announcement, come to Qiu’s residence. A chance awaits you.”

The words took shape, and Song Mu blinked in disbelief. When he looked again, only a patch of sand remained—no ants in sight.

Perplexed, he looked around, but saw nothing suspicious, leaving him more bewildered than before.

Qiu’s residence, Song Mu surmised, must be the home of the Ji Prefecture Governor. But why would the governor make such an arrangement? Song Mu pondered briefly, unable to fathom the intentions of those in power, yet reasoned that even if villains meant him harm, the governor’s mansion would not be their chosen venue.

Calmly, Song Mu resolved to go and see for himself when the time came.

With these thoughts, he moved as the sun neared the horizon, signaling the end of the examination. Turning to take his seat and wait, he found someone approaching the booth.

Several scholars, with whom he had crossed paths before, greeted Song Mu with smiles and invited him to sit. Yet, as he entered the booth, all the scholars rose, fixing their eyes intently upon him, wide and unblinking.

The sensation reminded Song Mu of the time he stumbled upon a group of owls in a school’s sycamore tree hollow, their eyes wide and unwavering.

Under their gaze, Song Mu felt uneasy and dared not take his seat, forcing himself to stand nearby with an awkward smile.

Fortunately, the literary star overhead continued to tremble, manifesting strange phenomena that helped divert some attention from him.

Song Mu could already imagine how, once the examination ended, these scholars would spread tales of what transpired in the booth today.

Soon, people began to trickle out of the courtyard. Song Mu spotted several classmates from Shiyang County Academy—they had all become scholars, which surprised him. It seemed that this year, Shiyang County might produce nearly ten scholars, a leap from the usual handful.

Before Song Mu could inquire about the reasons, a short, thin figure approached him. Recognizing Zhang Yiqi, who carried a rough exam basket and wore a cheerful smile, Song Mu greeted him.

“Brother Song, I didn’t expect you to finish so early,” Zhang Yiqi said, scratching his head with an honest smile.

Song Mu returned the greeting with a laugh, asking, “You’re out as well? I just happened to finish quickly.”

Zhang Yiqi smiled wryly, for today had been truly eventful for him and had deepened his understanding of Song Mu’s strength.

While writing his essay, Zhang Yiqi was interrupted by Song Mu’s literary aura. When composing poetry, he was interrupted again. Just as he began to write lyrics, the scenery changed abruptly. Though others might not know the cause, Zhang Yiqi understood that it was all due to Song Mu.

“Brother Song, you jest. We spoke of competing today, but it seems I am far behind,” Zhang Yiqi said with a bitter smile, leaving Song Mu a bit embarrassed.

He had been so immersed in solving the problems before him that he hadn’t considered those around him. Now, reflecting on how his repeated disturbances of the literary star might have affected Zhang Yiqi, he felt a touch of guilt.

“Well… Brother Zhang, did your writing go smoothly today?” Song Mu asked.

Zhang Yiqi nodded, showing no sign of discouragement, and instead asked, “Brother Song, what did you write to cause such earth-shaking changes?”

Song Mu was taken aback, unsure how to answer.

Before he could reply, several others approached, their topic of discussion the sudden strange phenomena in the exam hall. Several classmates from Shiyang County chimed in, faces filled with astonishment, all glancing at Song Mu.

“Brother Song, was all this commotion caused by you?”

“Certainly. With Brother Song’s talent, even if you didn’t compose a masterpiece, your exam work must have been exceptional.”

Song Mu touched his nose sheepishly and said nothing.

He and Zhang Yiqi conversed a bit longer, when another person came before Song Mu—it was Xue Kaiwen. Though he looked exhausted, his eyes burned with intensity as he asked, “Song Mu, how many times did the literary star move for your poetry?”

...

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