Before he got the title of scholar, Yuan Jing found that the villagers' attitude towards him had changed a lot. In the past, they treated him like a child. For example, Uncle Yonglin would pat him on the head or lift him up to express his love for him. But this time, when Tao Yonglin was about to pat him on the head as usual, he stopped abruptly and patted him on the shoulder instead.

When the children wanted to play with him, they were stopped by the adults. They looked at him with some respect, and the elders were much more polite in their attitude.

All things are inferior, only reading is superior. This small change made Yuan Jing deeply aware of how sacred the scholars with official titles were in the eyes of the common people in this era. This cognition is much deeper than that in modern society, where there is more than one way out in modern society.

When Yuan Jing returned home, the old lady wanted to celebrate properly. Not only did she want to hold a buffet, she also wanted to invite people to a good meal. However, Yuan Jing quickly stopped her and told her to just have the fun at home.

"Grandma, this is just the beginning. I still have to take the college entrance examination in June. I want to continue taking exams in the future. If I celebrate just because I won the first place in the case, people would think it's too arrogant."

But we can't let the old lady down, right? Yuan Jing continued, "Grandma, why don't we wait until I get the title of scholar before celebrating together? I'm quite confident about the college entrance examination in June, which is only four months away."

"Well, grandma will listen to my grandson. We'll celebrate together when the time comes. Let's have the eldest son and his family come over today to have a good meal and celebrate. Dayong, hurry up and kill the chickens and sheep." The old lady still couldn't control her supernatural power and gave orders loudly.

Yuan Jing was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but he could also understand the old lady's feelings, so he did not try to stop her in order not to spoil her fun.

Tao Dayong was happy, Xiao Song was happy, Tao Dazhui and Daya, Erya and Sanya were all happy too. Perhaps the only one who was a little unhappy was Wang. She thought that it was not her son who got the top spot in the exam, so there was nothing to be happy about. But she did not dare to show it in front of the old lady, otherwise, with her skills, she would scold her to death.

Tao Jinbao was also very conflicted. Every time he returned to the big house, he could eat good food and often had meat. But when he was here, neither his grandmother nor his uncles and brothers would allow him to have fun, let alone bully his sisters. The old lady would scold him when she saw it. But at home, Wang never cared and thought it was the right thing to do.

"Bao, you have to get the first place in the exam for me in the future, so that I can be happy. I think Jinbao is no worse than Yuanjing." Wang muttered while holding her son.

Little Song, who was carrying firewood, happened to hear this, and she guessed that Wang would be unhappy, because the better her son was, the higher her status would be. Wang wanted to compare herself to him, but she looked down on her nephew. How could Tao Jinbao compare to her Jingbao? She didn't even dare to hope that her younger son could be half as smart as her older son, but Wang really dared to think so.

After finishing this meal, Yuan Jing devoted himself to studying at home. He did not have to go to school every day. The teacher would assign some targeted homework and asked him to go there once every ten days or half a month.

His family's expectations of him became higher because he won the first place in the county examination. During this period, they were more nervous than him. They did not allow Xiao Niu Niu to go to the study to bother his brother. Even when passing by the door of his study, they were careful to tiptoe so as not to disturb Yuan Jing who was studying hard. Yuan Jing himself did not care and had talked about it several times, but none of his family members changed their minds, so Yuan Jing had no choice but to let them do what they wanted.

During this period, Yuan Jing had some leisure time to make a literacy board in the form of a tangram for Xiao Niu Niu to learn words while having fun. Xiao Niu Niu really couldn't put it down after getting it. When Tao Dayong was free, he would also teach his youngest son to recognize the words on it. Because of his business in the past two years, his son taught him a lot of words.

In the blink of an eye, more than three months passed, and the Tao family became busy again, packing bags for Yuan Jing and Tao Dayong to go to the provincial capital to take the exam.

There were a lot more people seeing Yuan Jing off this time. Yuan Jing suspected that the whole village had come out. The clan leader and elders also told him earnestly to relax and take the exam, because in their opinion, even if he failed this time, Yuan Jing was already the first in the county exam at the age of ten. It was only a matter of time before he became a scholar. He could even hope for the title of a juren. The whole Taojia Village would benefit from it.

"Everyone go back. I'm leaving and will be back after the exam." Yuan Jing climbed onto the carriage and waved to everyone.

"Dayong, you must take good care of Yuanjing and don't be careless, otherwise your stepmother will not forgive you when you come back!" The old lady was reluctant to let her eldest grandson go such a far place, but she had to go, so she reminded Tao Dayong before leaving.

"I understand, Mom. Let's go back." Tao Dayong had been reminded countless times, but he didn't seem to be annoyed.

The carriage went away. This time, the little calf did not cry loudly, but sobbed. His brother left again.

For this trip, the ox cart was replaced with a horse carriage. Tao Dayong specially hired one from a carriage company with a dedicated driver. After all, the journey would take a lot of time. When they arrived at the town, they met up with another classmate who had passed the provincial examination and was also going to take the academy examination. Of the two students from the school who took the provincial examination, only one passed in the end, and the other failed.

This classmate's surname is Sun and his given name is Wenmin. He is eighteen this year. If he can pass the college examination and get the title of scholar, it will be a very good result in this area. However, he does not feel proud at all. After all, there is a ten-year-old top scorer in the county examination right in front of him. So on the way together, he asked Yuan Jing for advice on his homework from time to time with a humble attitude.

When they were alone, he said to his book boy, "No wonder the Master likes Tao Yuanjing so much. Compared with him, I feel like the books I have read over the past ten years have been wasted."

The strong and powerful servant said: "...Master, there is no need to belittle yourself like this. This year, apart from Master Tao, you are the only one who has become a student in the whole town."

Sun Wenmin felt that the book boy didn't understand his feelings. After communicating with Tao Yuanjing, he realized that his foundation was much more solid than his, but how many years had he studied? As far as he knew, Tao Yuanjing was born in a farming family and was sent to school to learn to read and write at the age of six. It has only been four years since then.

The reason cannot be explained except by the word genius.

After stopping and walking along the way, it took seven days to finally reach the provincial capital Wenchang City. Not to mention, even Yuan Jing breathed a sigh of relief. He was used to the convenience of modern society, but when he came to this backward ancient time, no one knew what was going on. Anyway, this butt of his was no longer his own.

Sun Wenmin's family was a landlord and had no shortage of money. Tao Dayong was also willing to spend money on his son, so after moving into the inn that day, Tao Dayong looked around and found a house to rent. The next day, he moved in with Sun Wenmin. Sure enough, this small courtyard was much quieter than the inn. Tao Dayong also hired a cook to cook for them, so the two candidates didn't have to worry about anything and just waited for the day to enter the examination room.

On the day of the exam, Yuan Jing and Sun Wenmin walked out of the small courtyard for the first time. They used to exercise in the small courtyard when they were tired of reading. Yuan Jing wanted to stroll around this ancient provincial capital to experience the local customs and the prosperity of the city, but seeing how hard Sun Wenmin was working, he felt embarrassed to be too idle.

He arrived outside the examination hall before dawn. He had to go through the same procedure as the county examination, but there were many more people taking the academy examination than the county examination. Tao Dayong looked around just like his son. He saw many students who were not younger than him coming to take the examination, and he could not help but be amazed.

There were young students. The father and son saw a candidate who was about eleven or twelve years old, holding his exam basket and waiting in line like them. The candidate also saw Yuan Jing. At that moment, Yuan Jing saw the desire to fight in the candidate's eyes. He wanted to compete with Yuan Jing, which made Yuan Jing laugh.

The college examination was divided into two sessions. As the youngest candidate, Yuan Jing behaved very calmly, which made the chief examiner, the academician, pay a few more glances at him. However, Yuan Jing didn't care at all, as he had seen many big shots in his previous two lives.

He took the exam with concentration, and after the test he walked out of the examination room easily with the exam basket. He saw Tao Dayong, who was stretching his neck to look for someone. When he saw his son coming out, Tao Dayong immediately ran over to take the exam basket and looked at his son with heartache. Every exam is a test of physical fitness. When he was waiting outside, he saw someone who couldn't bear it and was carried out, which made him more worried about his son's condition.

"Brother Sun hasn't come out yet?"

"No, Dad will wait. Yuan Jing can go to the car and take a rest first."

"Okay." Yuan Jing enjoyed his father's care very much. Since he got the first place in the county examination, there was one benefit, that is, people no longer called him Jingbao. Not to mention, he felt embarrassed every time he was called that, and it was useless to protest. Being the first in the county examination had so many benefits, Yuan Jing sometimes thought that he should have taken the exam earlier.

Not long after, Sun Wenmin came out and was helped by his servant to get on the carriage and go back together.

Sun Wenmin was a weak scholar. After he went back to wash up and eat something, he fell asleep on the bed. Yuan Jing felt that he was in good spirits. Maybe it was the effect of the spiritual spring water, or maybe it was the result of the enhanced soul power. This made Tao Dayong feel strange because his son was much younger than Sun Wenmin.

When Sun Wenmin woke up and learned about Tao Yuanjing's situation, he expressed envy and asked Yuanjing the reason. Yuanjing told him that he insisted on exercising every morning and evening. Over time, his physical fitness improved and it would not affect his studies.

Thinking that he would have to continue to take imperial examinations in the future, Sun Wenmin was considering whether he should ask his father to hire a martial arts master to teach him some kung fu to strengthen his body.

The college examination was fine, but the provincial examination consisted of three examinations, one of which required one to be locked up in a dormitory for three days. It was terrifying just to think about it.

After resting enough, the four of them went out for fun. After all, it was their first time in Wenchang City, so how could they not see the world?

The provincial capital was indeed much more prosperous than the county town. They approached a bookstore, and the books inside were much more complete than those in the county town. Yuan Jing couldn't move his feet when he saw the books. It happened that Sun Wenmin was also a book lover, so the two of them started picking books in the bookstore.

The types of books Yuan Jing picked were more diverse, including those that would be used for imperial examinations such as the Four Books, as well as many miscellaneous books and unofficial histories. Having read the official history and had a certain understanding of the history of this time and space, these books could help him further enrich his knowledge of this era.

For Tao Dayong, of course, it is to buy things for his son.

Just as he stretched out his hand to a travelogue, another hand reached out, and both of them grabbed a book at the same time. Yuan Jing looked up in surprise. Coincidentally, the owner of the other hand was the young student he saw on the day he entered the examination room. Looking so closely, there was obvious arrogance on the young student's face.

Yuan Jing rolled his eyes and realized that the young man was coming for him, not the travel book in his hand.

Yuan Jing let go of his hand and smiled good-naturedly: "Do you also like this travelogue? Then I'll give it to you."

A boy of eleven or twelve is still a child in Yuan Jing's eyes, and he has always been quite tolerant of children.

Who wants him to tolerate such a look? The boy understood Yuan Jing's look, and was a little annoyed. He stuffed the book into Yuan Jing's hand and said, "I came here because I saw you here. What's your name? Should we compare who ranks higher in this college exam?"

Sun Wenmin and Tao Dayong rushed over when they heard the noise, fearing that they would have a conflict. When Sun Wenmin heard the boy's words, he laughed. It was obvious that he wanted to compete with Yuan Jing, who was about the same age.

Yuan Jing blinked: "Okay, but I don't know your name yet. By the way, my last name is Tao Yuan Jing."

"I remember it, and you should remember my name too. My last name is Yu, and my given name is Xiao. I'm twelve years old, so I'm definitely older than you."

"It turns out to be Brother Yu. Brother Yu is two years older than me."

Seeing two teenagers solemnly exchanging identities with each other, if they were not both young students, one would think they were playing house. Sun Wenmin would surely laugh out loud. But now, he could only bear it and remember Yu Xiao's identity.

"Are you the top scorer in the county exam in Yangning County next door?" Yuan Jing turned a deaf ear to the outside world and had no idea about the situation outside, but he had participated in the provincial examination and had heard the name of this young student from other candidates.

"Yes, I also know that Tao Yuanjing is the top candidate in your county." Yu Xiao said slowly. In fact, when he first saw Yuan Jing, who was younger than him, he vaguely guessed Yuan Jing's identity, because among the top candidates in the county this year, only Yuan Jing was younger than him. He was a little resentful before that Yuan Jing stole his limelight, but now, he felt a little embarrassed.

"It's almost noon, do you want to have lunch together?" Yuan Jing took the initiative to invite, because he knew that if the original owner wanted to fulfill his life and enter the officialdom, he could not fight alone. Classmates and good friends would all be his connections for entering the officialdom in the future.

"Okay, for your sincerity."

Hearing him say this, Yuan Jing also wanted to laugh. He could clearly see the eagerness in his eyes, but he acted as if he couldn't refuse. This personality was somewhat similar to Heng Jun's. However, Yuan Jing knew very well that Yu Xiao was not his lover. However, because of Yu Xiao's appearance, he missed his lover even more and didn't know where he was.

Tao Dayong was very happy to see his son making friends and knowing that Yu Xiao was not a bad kid. After leaving the bookstore, the group went to a restaurant outside.

After the meal, Sun Wenmin felt even more devastated. Yuan Jing was a genius, and now Yu Xiao was a second genius, which made him look so ordinary that he could not have the slightest bit of pride.

After this day, two more people joined the tour group, they were Yu Xiao and his servant. Yu Xiao's conditions were obviously the best among the three. Their tour range also expanded from the city to outside the city. There was a very famous temple outside Wenchang City, which attracted many tourists. Of course, the three of them had to go there to see if it was worthy of its reputation.

The scenery on the mountain is indeed beautiful, and there are many tourists, including students who come to take the college entrance examinations, and young ladies from wealthy families in the city who travel with veils on.

A few people saw on the mountainside that a group of soldiers on horseback were hurriedly passing by the foot of the mountain, heading towards Wenchang City.

"What happened? Looking at the aura of this team of soldiers, it's extraordinary." Yu Xiao said in surprise.

Yuan Jing felt that Yu Xiao was quite sensitive, perhaps because he had a good family background and had seen a lot. He also sensed a murderous aura from this team of soldiers, as if they had seen blood. They must have been on the battlefield and killed people.

Sun Wenmin said in a thoughtful tone: "It has nothing to do with us. There is a pavilion over there. Let's go there and take a rest."

"Okay." Yu Xiao immediately turned his attention away.

Among the three, Yuan Jing had the best physical strength, while Yu Xiao and Sun Wenmin were about the same, so after the two sat down to rest, Yuan Jing went to the back alone, where the scenery was better. His father went up there to burn some incense for him and pray to the Bodhisattva to bless him to get good grades.

There was a mountain spring and a small waterfall behind. Yuan Jing, who was admiring the beautiful scenery, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He noticed with his sharp eyes that there were streaks of blood in the flowing spring water, which were washed away by the water in an instant.

Yuan Jing thought for only two seconds before he decisively followed the direction of the blood. In a secluded place, he saw a figure lying on a rock beside a spring. The blood was seeping out of his body and flowing along the spring water.

Just by visual inspection, one can tell that the man is very tall, with long legs and one foot in the water. These are not important. What is important is that Yuan Jing's heart is pounding. The closer he gets, the more he can sense that familiar soul. Fortunately, he has found him.

Yuan Jing just put his hand on the man's shoulder, wanting to turn him over to check his wounds and treat them in time, but the next moment the man's eyes opened, as sharp as an eagle. If it were a real ten-year-old boy, he would probably be frightened and take a step back. Yuan Jing just raised an eyebrow and said calmly: "You are injured. I know a little about medicine. Do you want me to help you treat it?"

"By the way, I am the student who came to take the college entrance examination this year. My last name is Tao Yuanjing."

Explaining your identity clearly not only helps the other party relax their guard, but also helps prepare for future contacts. If you don't know your identity, how can you get the other party to find you?

Looking at the other party's aura, one could tell that he was not a simple person. And since he was so seriously injured, Yuan Jing had to believe in conspiracy theories. This person might be an important figure in the court.

The man stared at Yuan Jing for half a minute, and finally said, "Okay, you come."

Yuan Jing dragged him off the rock and onto the ground with great effort, then checked his injuries. Yuan Jing couldn't help but gasp. This man was still alive until now, he was really lucky. If he hadn't appeared, what would have happened to him? Would he die in an accident like Zhou Hengjun in the previous life?