Yan Liang was sickly this time.

When he woke up, he had a headache and fever, cold hands and feet, tinnitus, and dizziness. This long-lost feeling almost made Yan Liang think that he had returned to his original world.

However, the furnishings in the room told him otherwise.

Before Yan Liang could speak, the system proactively used its points to redeem medicine that could temporarily soothe him, and watched with concern as Yan Liang sat up and swallowed the pill in one gulp.

After the tinnitus and dizziness subsided slightly, Yan Liang took a deep breath and relaxed for a moment, feeling much better.

When he woke up, the original owner's situation reminded him of his lonely death a long time ago. Yan Liang took a moment to process it and began to accept the original owner's memories.

The original owner's name was Yan Shendu, courtesy name Liang—this name Yan Liang was somewhat unexpected, as the two were, in a sense, the same name.

Yan Shendu is only twenty-two years old this year. At such a young age, he has already passed the provincial examination and is going to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination.

However, the conditions for the imperial examination were difficult. Although it was held in February of the spring, it happened to rain all day during this examination.

Yan Shen was young and frail. He traveled to the capital to take the imperial examination, but he didn't take care of his health in order to save money. After arriving in the capital, he devoted himself to preparing for the examination, which caused him to stay up late and develop chronic illnesses. After the examination, he fell ill and could not get out of bed. Because he had no money to buy medicine and no one to take care of him, he died in his sleep a month later.

The two people who went to the capital with him to take the imperial examination were his classmates, but they did not get along well with Yan Shendu. Yan Shenxing was too outstanding, but he did not have the status and wealth to match his talent, which naturally aroused the jealousy of others.

The three of them rented a small courtyard together, splitting the costs equally, but Yan Shendu was relegated to a dark and damp room. Yan Shendu was cautious and timid, unwilling to clash with anyone, so he could only endure it.

The harsh environment, lingering illness, lack of care, and poverty caused Yan Shendu's condition to worsen until he died in a coma.

Yan Shen was preoccupied with his examination results. He had lost both his parents at a young age and lived with his younger brother. Fortunately, a kind neighbor took them in, but the two brothers still suffered from bullying by their peers.

His last wish was to continue passing the imperial examinations, take care of his younger brother, repay the neighbor, and become a good official.

Yan Shendu suffered much humiliation, yet he did not want others to suffer the same fate as he had, and hoped to help others to the best of his ability.

He was kind-hearted and intelligent, and should have had a bright future, but misfortune prevented him from realizing his dreams. Yan Liang sympathized with Yan Shendu's misfortune, but this also meant that his own freedom was built upon Yan Shendu's unhappiness.

But precisely because of this, Yan Liang must live on.

After a day's rest, Yan Liang began to focus on preparing for the exam.

He has the memories left by Yan Shendu, but he still needs to integrate the knowledge himself, and he also needs to imitate the handwriting for a period of time.

To improve his health, Yan Liang practiced staff fighting in his spare time. With the help of martial arts training and the potions available in the shop, his complexion improved significantly in less than a month. While not exactly rosy, it was no longer the deathly pale color he had when he was seriously ill.

The two classmates who shared the courtyard with Yan Liang secretly mocked him, saying that he had lost his mind and was indulging in martial arts instead of studying at this time... Although they said it was secretly, you could hear it if you listened carefully.

These two clearly knew from the beginning that Yan Shendu was seriously ill, but they pretended to be deaf and dumb for a month, waiting for Yan Shenxing to die. Now that Yan Liang is alive and well, they are not happy about it.

Yan Liang initially ignored the two men, but when they saw that he remained silent every time, they started to make veiled accusations and insinuations in front of him—completely treating Yan Liang like a fool.

The three of them were from the same hometown, and the other two knew about Yan Shenxing's family situation, so they said some very unpleasant things.

Yan Liang smiled and revealed his signature weapon to the two men, pointing it directly at them.

"Try saying it again?" Yan Liang asked.

The most vocal scholar was intimidated by Yan Liang's imposing presence and stammered, "A gentleman uses words, not fists!!! Don't do anything rash!!"

"...Do you perhaps think you're a gentleman?" Yan Liang laughed angrily. "Gossiping behind people's backs and now making veiled accusations—is this what a gentleman should do?"

"you!"

The man was both afraid and angry, staring at the short stick held in Yan Liang's hand, but dared not utter a word in response.

Yan Liang clearly looked frail and weak, like a bean sprout. The two of them, who were both healthy, shouldn't be afraid of him, but for some reason, they felt scared.

The conflict ended when the courtyard gate was knocked on. The two men rushed to open the gate, while Yan Liang put away his charlatan and turned back to his room.

The person knocking on the door was there to invite the two to a gathering at the most famous Wangyue Restaurant in the capital.

After the imperial examination, the most active people in the capital were these literary talents, who would either gather together or drink and compose poems to show off their elegant and talented nature.

When Yan Shen was seriously ill, he was isolated from the outside world, penniless and out of touch with those things. After Yan Liang arrived, he became engrossed in martial arts training and studies, and also avoided those pointless gatherings.

The two men, feeling resentful for having cowered in front of Yan Liang, took advantage of his absence to thoroughly slander him, pitying him and saying how strange and ungrateful he was...

Besides scholars from other places who had come to the capital for the imperial examinations, there were also scions of prominent local families at the banquet. Since the person in question wasn't present, the two men could say whatever they wanted. Before long, Yan Liang had unknowingly left a bad impression on others.

In his spare time, Yan Liang would also go to nearby bookstores to find copying jobs to earn money to support his family (because it was too strange for a scholar to start fortune-telling for no reason). Yan Liang successfully imitated Yan Shendu's handwriting because he had experience with it.

He had beautiful handwriting, a handsome face, and was gentle, polite, and well-mannered. Every time the bookstore owner saw him, he would smile.

Six days after Yan Liang confronted his two fellow villagers with sticks, he went to the bookstore to return the books. The bookstore owner looked at him with a strange expression, a mixture of doubt and disbelief.

Yan Liang remained calm and composed. Before leaving, the bookstore owner pulled him aside and whispered something to him.

"Brother Yan, have you gotten into trouble with someone?"

Yan Liang sincerely asked, "Why do you ask that?"

He's been single-mindedly preparing for his exams since he came into this world, how could he possibly have offended anyone?

Ah, there really is.

Yan Liang thought of the two fellow villagers who lived in the same courtyard as him.

"The students who come to my bookstore speak of you with great disdain. They all say that a scholar named Yan Liang bullies his fellow townsman and speaks ill of him..." The shopkeeper said worriedly, "I know you are not that kind of person, but you should apologize to him... Public opinion is a fearsome thing!"

Yan Liang felt a warmth in his heart, smiled and agreed before saying goodbye and leaving.

He knew the bookstore owner was genuinely trying to give him advice, but an apology was out of the question.

It's more like beating them up.

In the previous world, Yan Liang had already realized that sometimes just talking wasn't enough. It's the same principle as refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit; some people just deserve a beating.

Yan Liang really wanted to beat his two fellow villagers to a pulp, but to avoid the scandal from coming to light and hindering his career, he chose another route.

"My name is Yan Shendu, courtesy name Liang." Yan Liang smiled warmly and said to the people at the table, "Please address me as you wish."

The expressions on everyone's faces at the table became quite subtle for a moment.

Based on the rumors that described Yan Liang as a mean and acerbic person, with shifty eyes and a narrow-minded, petty nature, they believed that Yan Liang was a malicious and mean-spirited individual.

Because Yan Liang's reputation had soared (on a bad note), and since no one had ever actually seen him, some people decided to join in the fun and sent someone to summon him. They expected that such an unsociable person would refuse outright, but to their surprise, the person sent out came with Yan Liang.

When they met Yan Liang, no one associated him with the name "Yan Liang." Some students had also met Yan Liang at the bookstore and were deeply impressed by him.

Yan Shen was exceptionally handsome, and Yan Liang possessed an air of elegance and unrestrained charm. No one would associate him with the mean-spirited person who bullied his fellow villagers.

After a long silence, the atmosphere became lively again, with everyone drinking, reciting poems, and having a great time.

Yan Liang doesn't need to explain anything. He only needs to show his face and speak frankly when the candidates ask him questions, whether intentionally or unintentionally, so that they can fill in the truth in their own minds.

Abandoning his seriously ill fellow villager to go drinking, gossiping behind his back, and making veiled accusations and treating people like fools in front of him—it was never Yan Shendu who bullied his fellow villager, but those two.

Yan Shendu's two fellow townsmen looked nervous and kept drinking, presumably having anticipated the outcome—but they should have been aware of this before spouting nonsense.

Those two had bullied Yan Shendu since childhood and knew his personality very well. They had only talked nonsense to vent their anger, and they never expected that he would change so much—he used to have a gloomy, deadpan face all day long in the rented courtyard.

If Yan Liang were to answer this question, he would probably still give a deadpan answer:

—It would be a miracle if I could still laugh at these two disgusting guys.

After a few rounds of drinks, Yan Liang saw that they had asked enough questions and he had a pretty good idea of ​​the truth, so he casually made up an excuse and left the restaurant.

The person sitting opposite him also went downstairs with him.

A night breeze blows, and the sky is filled with stars.

Yan Liang sneezed in the wind.

The person who followed him down also sneezed immediately afterward.

One in front and one behind, it's a bit awkward.

Yan Liang turned around, and the man touched his nose, gave an awkward but polite smile, and introduced himself: "I am Li Xunle."

Yan Liang blinked and said, "My name is Yan Liang."

Li Xunle was actually reluctant to attend these gatherings, but he had already declined many times before, and this time he had no other excuses, so he came to the banquet. Seeing Yan Liang leave, Li Xunle had a sudden idea and followed him.

"They would be better off reading more books than drinking," Li Xunle sighed sincerely. "The results of the provincial examination haven't even come out yet, and they're already so impatient... How are they going to get through the palace examination?"

Yan Liang, who was engrossed in books, wholeheartedly agreed: "You're right."

The two walked side by side, and after a while they realized they were going the same way. Yan Liang's shared courtyard was deep in the alley, narrow and small; while Li Xunle's courtyard was spacious and bright, understated yet luxurious.

Yan Liang was tempted when he saw Li Xunle's courtyard.

"Brother Li, would you be willing to share a room with me?" Yan Liang asked after learning that Li Xunle lived alone in that courtyard.

Thinking of Yan Liang's situation, Li Xunle smiled and said, "Of course, you can move over tonight if needed."

He only listened to what was happening at the banquet and observed the expressions of the others, but he could tell that Yan Liang's relationship with his two fellow villagers wasn't very good. If he could help Yan Liang, Li Xunle would be more than happy to let him move into his residence.

Author's Note: I was so addicted to games that I almost gave up on this project.

I used to play Chu Liuxiang as a Huashan character, leveling up to lv.83 in six days, then uninstalled it. After Chu Liuxiang became Yi Meng Jianghu, I downloaded it again and played as a Taiyin character (only leveling up to lv.5), then uninstalled that too—but just a couple of days ago I downloaded it again and played as a Wudang character.

Back then, people said, "It's so boring, there's nothing fun except for character customization."

I've finally come to love it!!

Please call me Bai Jingze.

—I want to scream!!!

Fang Siming is so adorable!!! He's my new wife!!

And suddenly I understood the beauty of all-or-nothing relationships—

[All Heroes is so adorable (just kidding)! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2020-02-13 23:37:54 and 2020-02-14 21:50:36!]

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: one live little angel has been caught;

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Fuyuan (10 bottles); Xianya (5 bottles);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!