Bai Mo glanced at the talisman and pills in his hand, then frowned and followed.
He knew Sheng Wenjin wouldn't give him these things for no reason; he must have received some information. Could it be that someone in the examination hall was engaging in favoritism? What tricks would they use to sabotage this exam?
It should be noted that in the Imperial Academy, his grades were second only to Sheng Wenjin and Zhao Rui. If someone wanted to get into the top three, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't cheat during the exam. Moreover, the person who cheated would definitely be a powerful official's son, otherwise it would be impossible for them to reach into the imperial examination.
As soon as Bai Mo entered the vicinity of the examination room, he smelled the stench emanating from the outhouse and immediately began to gag.
He covered his nose, took out the talisman, and quickly stuck it under the table when the proctor wasn't looking.
Surprisingly, as soon as the talisman was applied, the stench emanating from the latrine was completely eliminated.
Not only that, but it also became exceptionally quiet outside, without a single sound.
Bai Mo looked at Sheng Wenjin in surprise. When Sheng Wenjin saw Bai Mo looking over, he nodded slightly at him.
Bai Mo felt a surge of gratitude.
He knew that if it weren't for Sheng Wenjin's talisman, he would definitely have failed the exam.
Because he has a shallow stomach since childhood, he would definitely vomit incessantly in such an environment, unable to eat or sleep, so how could he have the energy to take the exam?
Sheng Wenjin was certainly not a selfless philanthropist; he gave the talisman to Bai Mo because he had a better barrier.
After the exam questions were handed out, Sheng Wenjin slowly began to draw talismans in the air.
Suddenly, the world in Sheng Wenjin's eyes changed.
He was in a garden where all sorts of exotic flowers and plants were in full bloom.
In front of him was a rosewood desk, on which were placed writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
There was no foul smell here; on the contrary, the air was filled with fragrance and the scenery was delightful.
Sheng Wenjin picked up his pen, glanced at the test questions, and began to write furiously.
However, to outsiders, Sheng Wenjin still appeared to be sitting in the same spot, taking the exam seriously, just like any other student.
In the blink of an eye, three days have passed, and the first exam is over.
Sheng Wenjin and Bai Mo opened the barrier at the same time. Although Bai Mo was able to finish the exam smoothly thanks to the talisman and the antidote pill, he hadn't come out for three days except to urinate, so he was disheveled and looked a bit messy.
Sheng Wenjin remained unchanged; the exam questions were too easy for him, and he finished them on the first day.
For the next two days, he did nothing but eat and sleep, and every now and then he would cast a little spell on himself to tidy up his appearance.
So when Sheng Wenjin came out, he looked refreshed.
As soon as the two came out, Wei Zixun ran over happily.
"How is it? The food here is really addictive, isn't it?"
"Hmm! Not bad, quiet and elegant, very comfortable!"
Bai Mo waved his folding fan, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Ha! You're just trying to find joy in your suffering!"
Wei Zixun assumed Bai Mo was forcing a smile, so he stopped teasing him and changed the subject:
"Hey! Let me tell you something funny."
"Let me tell you, I live quite close to Wang Wenjie, and that guy is really unlucky. First, he inexplicably told the examiner that he could always smell the stench of the outhouse. But he was far away from the outhouse, so there was no way he could smell it."
The examiner thought he was deliberately causing trouble and reprimanded him.
I initially thought he was faking it, but then I saw him covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve and gagging, so it didn't seem like he was faking it.
"Yesterday morning he suddenly said his stomach hurt and kept running to the toilet until he was completely exhausted from diarrhea."
That night, he suddenly screamed again, saying there was a ghost in the dormitory, which terrified him so much that he howled.
The examiner had no choice but to let him leave and cancel his exam results.
"The strangest thing is that one of the examiners in the examination room also had the same problem as Wang Wenjie. He had a stomachache and went crazy, as if he had seen a ghost."
"Hey! Do you guys think there might really be a ghost in this exam room?"
Wei Zixun couldn't help but shudder as he said this.
"Heh... Whether there are ghosts or not is unknown, but those who played tricks have probably already reaped what they sowed!"
As Bai Mo was speaking, another candidate from the Imperial Academy walked over and joined Sheng Wenjin and the others in gossiping.
"Hey! I heard that besides Wang Wenjie, Zhao Rui also had a stomachache during this exam. And Zhao Rui is even worse off than Wang Wenjie because he has difficulty walking and pooped in his pants on the very first day! Hahaha... I was sitting right across from him, you guys didn't see how embarrassed he was, his face turned green!"
"Hahaha... He deserves it, all those times he swaggered around in the Imperial Academy!" Wei Zixun laughed upon hearing this.
"However, there are quite a lot more people with diarrhea this time, and they are all people who are considered strong contenders for the championship. Could there be something fishy going on here?"
The candidate frowned.
"That's not something we can worry about. Don't worry! After this exam, someone will definitely investigate! Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. Let's go! Hurry back and wash up, I feel like I stink!"
Wei Zixun said goodbye to the group, and the examinee also left.
Bai Mo bowed to Sheng Wenjin, "Thank you very much, Brother Sheng. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have failed the exam this time!"
"You're welcome, it was nothing! Well then, I'll be going now, see you at the next exam!"
Sheng Wenjin waved his hand and walked away.
Bai Mo watched Sheng Wenjin's retreating figure, frowned and pondered for a moment, then also stepped out.
Bai Mo was picked up by a servant waiting outside and put into a carriage as soon as he went out.
Bai Mo looked around curiously. His family hadn't come to pick him up today; how strange. His grandparents, parents, and even his father had high hopes for his exam, and his mother had said three days ago that after his first exam, she would personally pick him up and take him to the Misty Rain Pavilion for a big meal…
"Has something happened at home?"
Bai Mo asked the servant.
"Young Master, no...no...nothing happened..."
The servant gave a hesitant and stammering answer.
"What on earth happened?"
Bai Mo's voice turned cold.
"Young Master, Madam told me not to tell you... for fear of interfering with your exam! I..."
"Speak up! You're my servant, not my mother's! If you don't speak, I'll sell you!"
Bai Mo grew anxious and threatened the servant before he could finish speaking.
"Young Master, actually it's the Second Young Master who's lost... Madam has been unable to eat or drink for the past two days, so she fell ill and didn't have the energy to come and fetch you..."
The servant thought for a moment and decided to report the truth. The key was that this matter was too big, and given the atmosphere at home, it was impossible to keep it from the young master.
"What? Quick! Go home!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Mo became anxious and quickly got into the carriage, urging the servant to leave.
On the other side, Sheng Wenjin was taken directly to Yanyu Tower by Madam Chu, who planned to treat her son to a good meal.
Chu felt that her son needed a lot of nourishment because he wasn't eating or drinking well during the exam.
On the carriage, Sheng Wenjin saw through the window several groups of soldiers asking passersby about portraits.
"You don't know yet, do you? Your friend Bai Mo's family is in trouble..."
Chu sighed.
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