"You, you, you...you're not allowed to take the exam!" the boys said weakly and without conviction.

"Why should I?" Lin Zhongyuan asked almost immediately.

He studied hard not only because he enjoyed it, but also because he hoped to make something of himself and provide a good life for his younger siblings, parents, and grandmother.

Good days when no one will bully you.

Now they're telling me not to take the exam?

That won't do!

Master Cui hovered on the roof beam, afraid of startling the others, and did not dare to appear directly, but upon hearing their words, he was already anxiously worried.

These brats refuse to study properly, yet they dare to threaten his good students?

If it weren't for the fact that they were still relatively young, he would have gone to their house tonight and knocked on their door.

“If you go to take the exam… and you pass, wouldn’t you be all the rage? Then we’d get a beating from our parents, so! You’re not allowed to take the exam!” These boys had already discussed it beforehand, so they didn’t hide anything and went straight to the point.

Lin Zhongyuan remained silent.

His former friends are really straightforward; they can say anything.

"What if I refuse?" Lin Zhongyuan said defiantly.

It wasn't us who hit them!

And if anyone is to blame, it's their parents who were jealous and envious. It wasn't their fault, so why should they be held responsible?

But if these kids had brains like that, they wouldn't have any trouble studying.

However, they still had their own theory: they wouldn't dare to mess with their own parents, but they certainly had the guts to mess with Lin Zhongyuan.

"If you refuse, we'll beat you up," the group said matter-of-factly.

Someone else glanced at Lin Zhongyuan's hand.

If his hand is injured, he will definitely not be able to write, and naturally he will not be able to get good grades.

Then their parents won't scold them anymore.

Lin Zhongyuan: "..."

He already had a thousand curses in his head, wanting to curse these guys to death.

However, one man can't fight four men, and his second brother wasn't home.

He definitely couldn't handle these bad boys by himself.

"But if I don't do well on the exam, my parents will scold me, and they might even hit me... Do you know how fierce my dad looks? Aren't my legs legs too?" Lin Zhongyuan decided to avoid the sharp edge and said in a weak manner.

"Uh..." The group of mischievous boys exchanged glances.

They also thought that Lin Weiming was tall and strong, and that he could handle so many bandits. He was also very fierce to the second brother, Lin Zheyun, so they guessed that he would really hit people.

"How about this? I'll pretend to do well on the exam, but I'll definitely fail! That way you won't get beaten by your parents, and I won't get beaten either," Lin Zhongyuan continued.

"Okay, but you have to keep your word! You're not allowed to take the exam properly; you absolutely have to fail." The boys specifically instructed them.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm." Lin Zhongyuan said sincerely, "Don't worry, I don't want to stay at home studying every day either."

Looking at Lin Zhongyuan's pale and thin face, the men felt a pang of sympathy. They patted him on the shoulder and said, "When you fail the exam and come back, we brothers will take you to the mountains to play and eat roasted eggplant."

"Okay." Lin Zhongyuan said with a big smile.

After those people left, Master Cui floated down from the roof beam.

Lin Zhongyuan's face twisted in anger, and he let out a snort from his nose.

"It's just a temporary measure. Once you actually pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, they won't be able to do anything to you. At that time, even if you beat them up, they won't dare to fight back," Master Cui comforted him.

Lin Zhongyuan shook his head and said, "I won't beat them up. Once I pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, I'll come back and become a teacher, forcing them to study."

Since these guys don't like studying!

Then I'll have to force them to study, and if they don't do well, their parents will beat them when they get home!

Master Cui: "..."

He silently withdrew his hand that was about to pat him on the shoulder.

"Hahaha, your student is so funny! He looks mature beyond his years, but he's still a child at heart." Laifu, who had also watched the show, burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

"What are you laughing at?" Master Cui glanced at Laifu and said protectively, "This child has a kind heart!"

If Liangshan hadn't already gone to tell their parents, those kids would have been beaten until they cried their eyes out.

However, perhaps because he was eager to teach them, Lin Zhongyuan recited the text with a determined air, almost as if he were gritting his teeth.

Master Cui was very pleased with his student's autonomy, so he took the opportunity to sneak outside to smoke.

Before I knew it, all my stock was gone.

Master Cui wasn't in a hurry. After seeing Lin Zhongyuan still studying diligently, he drifted to the village entrance to find Lin Wanyue.

"Wanwan, I'm out of cigarettes, could you get me a few more packs of Huazi?"

"?" Lin Wanyue put down the lump of mud in her hand, raised her little head, and sniffed it.

The smell of smoke is just too strong!

"No," Lin Wanyue lied without hesitation.

"Impossible!" But to his surprise, Master Cui exposed him the next second: "There are still so many in the place where you hid me last time, I can't even take them all, I know there must be more!"

The smoke was clearly not from this world, yet it was piled up in that strange place.

This must be related to Lin Wanyue.

Lin Wanyue didn't want to talk about it, and he had no motivation to be curious; he just wanted to teach Lin Zhongyuan as soon as possible.

Lin Wanyue: "..."

"(??へ??╬)No!"

Master Cui's eyebrows shot up immediately, and he asked with a puzzled look, "Why?"

"You're smoking too much. You should only smoke one pack a day. Smoking too much is bad for your lungs," Lin Wanyue explained in her childish voice.

"It's nothing." Master Cui waved his hand dismissively, saying nonchalantly, "Anyway, I'm already dead, how much worse can things get?"

"Then you might die again." Lin Wanyue still refused to take out a cigarette.

The Records of the Underworld states, "When a person dies, they become a ghost; when a ghost dies, it becomes a '聻' (a type of spirit).

Even ghosts, besides going to the underworld, can still die.

"..." Master Cui fell silent.

He remained silent and didn't say a word before quietly drifting back to the Lin family's new residence.

His biggest wish now is to teach Lin Zhongyuan to become the top scholar in the imperial examination. Although he also likes smoking, he can tolerate it a little more compared to this wish.

…

Lin Wanyue was very satisfied and continued to mold the mud into various shapes with her friends.

Although she didn't have the skills of Zhang the Clay Figure Master, Lin Wanyue combined the small figurine making methods she had seen in later generations, and the things she made from clay were surprisingly quite decent.

Especially the lifelike little figures, which completely captivated the children.

"Wanwan, could you make a doll of yourself and give it to me?" Big Nose asked, his eyes sparkling.

Actually, after using the medicine given by Lin Wanyue, Big Snot no longer had a runny nose as much as before, but the nickname was still retained.