Chapter 133: Renowned Far and Wide
Jiang Longyu and Chu Qiguang's battle had the entire venue buzzing with excitement.
Even though their platform had collapsed, the other platforms were still usable, so the battles continued. However, none of the following matches came even close to the level of Jiang Longyu and Chu Qiguang's epic showdown, and the spectators and examiners quickly grew bored.
All of Chu Qiguang and Jiang Longyu's subsequent opponents either surrendered without even putting up a fight, or lasted only a few seconds before being thrown off the platform.
On the leaderboard, Chu Qiguang's name remained firmly at the top with a spotless record.
Jiang Longyu was ranked second, with his only defeat coming from Chu Qiguang, while Chen Yuebai was third, having lost only to Chu Qiguang and Jiang Longyu.
The rest of the battles passed in an uneventful blur, and three days flew by in the blink of an eye. On the final day, the leaderboard would be unveiled.
***
In the backyard of the governor's office, Xue Chengdao was inspecting Chu Qiguang's eight characters.
"Are you certain these are Chu Qiguang's eight characters?" he asked.
"I heard that Wang Chengwang of the Wang Clan Village wanted to marry his daughter to Chu Qiguang, so he asked Chu Qiguang for his eight characters," the servant replied. "I went to the Wang Clan Village and paid the Wang Clan's steward to obtain them."
Xue Chengdao nodded, then handed the eight characters to a white-haired elderly man beside him. The old man was dressed in a yellow Daoist robe and had a jade hairpin in his hair. He was the abbot of the Past Sun Daoist Temple, and Xue Chengdao had invited him here for his expertise in feng shui and divination.
The old Daoist priest observed the eight characters for a moment, and a surprised look suddenly appeared on his face.
"What is it?" Xue Chengdao asked. "Could it be that Chu Qiguang really does possess the eight characters of one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals?"
"No," the old abbot replied with a peculiar look in his eyes.
Xue Chengdao and Shang Ziyan were both present, and the two of them heaved a collective sigh of relief.
However, the old abbot then continued, "Having said that, his eight characters are far from ordinary. As a matter of fact, he possesses the makings of a future prime minister."
Both Xue Chengdao and Shang Ziyan were stunned to hear this, and they hurriedly asked the old abbot for further confirmation.
After escorting the abbot out of the governor's office, Shang Ziyan mused, "Wu Siqi is truly a calculating old fox to have secretly nurtured such a prodigy. Once Chu Qiguang reaches his full potential, he's most likely going to become a second Wu Siqi."
Xue Chengdao remainede silent for a long while before shaking his head. He had originally intended to manipulate Chu Qiguang's scores for the martial examination to ensure that he at least didn't secure the top spot, but he had now changed his mind.
He sent someone to the Wang Clan Village to gather more information on Chu Qiguang and verify that his eight characters were accurate, and at the same time, he sent someone to visit Fei Yi and report the situation.
He's clearly destined for great things. I'm only a governor, so I definitely won't be able to stop his ascent. In that case, why should I bother trying to oppose him? I'll leave it to others more powerful than myself to get in his way.
***
Hao Xiangtong dragged Hao Yongtai out bright and early to see the unveiling of the final leaderboard.
Hao Yongtai was still in very low spirits, and he complained, "What's there to see? Chu Qiguang beat even Jiang Longyu, so he's definitely going to secure the wusheng title."
"But they're probably going to make up an excuse to drop him down a few places," Hao Xiangtong said. "They could say that he did poorly in the written test. I've seen his handwriting, and it's absolutely hideous, so I don't think I can even argue with the examiners if they decide to deduct marks based on that."
Doesn't that mean Jiang Longyu could still claim the top spot?
With that in mind, a glimmer of hope reappeared in Hao Yongtai's eyes, and he began walking urgently toward the leaderboard.
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Hao Xiangtong asked with a puzzled expression. "Aren't you feeling unwell?"
"I can't help but feel enraged at the thought of Brother Chu having his rightful top placement taken away from him!" Hao Yongtai proclaimed righteously. "I need to see the results for myself as soon as possible!"
Even from afar, they could already see a large crowd of people gathered in front of the examination venue. Most of the examinees already had a rough idea of their placings, so the ones who were most eagerly awaiting the results were those who were right on the cusp, unsure of whether they had made it or not.
The leaderboard was put up bit by bit.
First, it was all the examinees outside the top forty. Then came the twenty-sixth to fortieth places, followed by the eleventh to twenty-fifth places. For this edition of the martial examination, only the top ten would receive the wusheng title.
Some of the examinees who had already seen their names were shaking their heads in dismay, while some were looking quite distraught, and those who hadn't seen their names yet were already beginning to celebrate.
Finally, the top ten was unveiled, and Chu Qiguang had claimed the top spot, with Jiang Longyu coming in second. This was the expected outcome, but that certainly didn't mean everyone was willing to accept it.
Hao Xiangtong was so ecstatic to see this that her cheeks flushed with excitement. She jumped up and down in celebration and squealed, "He did it! He got the top spot!"
In contrast, Hao Yongtai was staring at the leaderboard in a daze, the final glimmer of hope in his eyes quickly fading away.
The minor officials of the manor office began swarming toward the residences of the top ten examinees, offering up their congratulations in the hope of being rewarded with tips.
Chu Qiguang had already prepared for this. He had stationed Chen Gang outside to hand out tips to all
the minor officials. Meanwhile, he had to follow the rules and offer incensee to the gods, then go and pay his respects to the examiners alongside the other examinees, and attend the dinner banquet.
He didn't care much for these rules, but he was happy to avoid causing offense,now he simply did what everyone else did.
News of Chu Qiguang's victory over Jiang Longyu spread like wildfire, triggering a series of chain reactions behind the scenes.
***
Three days later, a eunuch was frantically rushing toward the Immortal Ascension Hall in the Palace of Eternal Life when Chief Eunuch Chen Zhong stopped him in his tracks.
"What are you doing? Are you not aware that His Majesty is currently in seclusion?"
"Yes, but I've come bearing news about Jiang Longyu," the eunuch hurriedly said.
Chen Zhong opened the written report the eunuch was carrying. After reading through its contents, he smiled and said, "You can go now. I'll inform His Majesty of this matter."
The eunuch promptly departed, while Chen Zhong continued to wait outside the hall.
Some time later, the Yong'an Emperor emerged after a long period of meditation, and he asked, "What is it? Didn't I tell you not to interrupt me during this critical juncture in my cultivation?"
"I come bearing important news, Your Majesty. As a matter of fact, I have come to congratulate you. The Profound Origin Dao Lord has smiled down upon our Great Han Empire and sent another exceptional prodigy to aid you."
"Oh? Let me see," the Yong'an Emperor said with an intrigued expression.
However, contrary to Chen Zhong's expectations, the Yong'an Emperor didn't seem very pleased by the news of Chu Qiguang's victory over Jiang Longyu. Chen Zhong's heart sank slightly at the sight of the peculiar look that appeared on the emperor's face.
