Chapter 12: Ah-Chu got first place in the written exam. I have a friend…
Who else could Jiang Yuemian be chatting with? Naturally, it was her currently close disciple. She also opened the communication slip and copied a scroll for Chen Que to complete.
Shen Que was startled by the sudden sound of the question being read aloud, then silently comforted himself, thinking that his master must be doing it for his own good.
[Faith Points +1]
...
[Faith points have exceeded 500! Congratulations to Mianmian for initially achieving the 500-point achievement!]
Jiang Yuemian was overjoyed; this was the first time she had ever felt such a powerful surge of faith since arriving here.
She casually adjusted herself into a comfortable position on the chair and looked down at her disciples, who were frowning in pain. They looked like they were being tortured by the civil service exam questions.
Let her see it, that's the right thing to do, no one can escape the torment of civil service exam questions. As he thought this, his faith level soared.
001 was in a great mood as it listened to the ringing of its faith points, and floated contentedly in the sky, though only Jiang Yuemian could see it.
After a while, Jiang Yuemian got sleepy again and fell fast asleep in the chair. The immortal, as gentle as a breeze and as bright as the moon, didn't care about his image at all. He casually leaned his head against the chair, his long eyelashes hanging down over his closed eyes. The wind gently blew his hair, making him look even more like an immortal.
Xiao Mingjue inadvertently saw Jiang Yuemian's embarrassing situation and smiled helplessly. Xiao Wu was still the same as always. Fortunately, the disciples below were all racking their brains to take the exam, so no one saw it. Otherwise, her image as a celestial being would be in jeopardy.
...
Soon, the day of the inner sect competition arrived.
Jiang Yuemian arrived at Shen Que's courtyard early in the morning and inquired in detail about Shen Que's learning progress. "Is your verbal comprehension accuracy rate around 80%?"
"Reporting to Master, my speech is about 80% complete. Besides my speech, my data analysis and judgment have also improved." Before she could speak, Shen Que had already guessed what she was going to say and continued to answer.
“Hmm, not bad, then…” Jiang Yuemian was sitting side by side with Shen Que, and turned her head to ask another question.
"Common sense and quantity are also acceptable." He smiled slightly.
"Okay, then I wish Ah Que good luck with his results." Jiang Yuemian thought that it would be better to give him more encouragement.
"Disciple will do his utmost." Shen Que said solemnly with a serious expression. The boy's expression changed instantly, but Jiang Yuemian could still see that he was a little nervous.
So she nodded slightly and continued to encourage him: "But don't be nervous. As long as you do your best, Ah-Que will be the best in my eyes."
Jiang Yuemian looked intently at Chen Que with her clear eyes.
Shen Que found it strange; how could someone with such an untainted appearance have such a personality?
Just like...the sun.
His eyes seemed to be burned, and he looked away somewhat helplessly, but his heart was firm. He was determined to win first place fair and square, leaving no room for argument.
Only in this way can he be worthy of being Jiang Yuemian's apprentice.
......
Jiang Yuemian sat at the head of the table, her graceful figure almost too beautiful to look at directly. Next to her sat her senior brother, Xiao Mingjue, while Nangong Chen, as the chief disciple, naturally presided over the ceremony from below.
Chen Que sat quietly among the disciples below, at his exam seat. The papers hadn't been handed out yet, and he was already lost in thought. He wondered what his master was doing up there, and whether his master would get hungry sitting like this all day.
Thinking of this, he angrily pounded his head. He had been so stupid to even think about such a thing.
After a while, he wondered if his master would pitifully ask him to prepare food if he got hungry in the evening.
His master would praise him with sparkling eyes after eating his fill of food. Should he accept the praise? He felt a little embarrassed.
Thinking of this, Shen Que shook his head again. Serving one's master is the duty of a disciple. Shen Que, how could you want to take credit for such a small thing? You've really fallen. He smiled bitterly.
But his gaze involuntarily drifted upwards, and in that instant, he met the eyes of Jiang Yuemian, who was looking down. The master he had just been thinking about was startled when his gaze met hers, then her eyebrows curved into a smile, and her clear eyes looked at him with a trust that she herself did not realize.
That one glance stopped Shen Que's wild thoughts. He cleared his mind, returned his master's smile, and prepared to face the exam.
001 also saw him and muttered to himself to Jiang Yuemian.
[Mianmian! Look at that kid Chen Que, he's still looking up! He's not even waiting to answer the questions!]
It's okay, Ah Que is still young and at that age where he's very curious.
[Still young!? You're only in your early twenties, how come you're more mature than him!]
Oh dear, although I am young in modern times, I am almost a hundred years old now.
For some reason, since Jiang Yuemian came to this world, she has become more and more integrated into it. She now feels that she is the original owner of this body and still thinks about things with her own mindset and experience.
[snort! ]
Jiang Yuemian quickly offered a few words of coaxing and then looked down.
001: ...How annoying, Chen Que!!
The written exam time has arrived. Those who have not yet entered the venue are no longer allowed to enter and will have to wait until the next Inner Gate Competition.
The inner disciples began distributing the test papers one by one, and the rustling sound of the papers touching could be heard everywhere.
When Shen Que received the test paper, he first scanned the question types from top to bottom, and then carefully wrote his name in the upper left corner.
Then, he began answering the questions:
The first module is common sense.
As the title suggests:
Every year around the beginning of spring, the Liwen Palace sends disciples to various villages to help the elderly plant crops. Regarding this practice, the correct statement is:
Shen Que glanced at the options and filled in the answer. He had a photographic memory, and general knowledge questions were his forte.
The second module is speech, which he found somewhat challenging. For some reason, he felt it was different from his usual way of speaking.
He began to read the question:
As the title suggests:
We often like to figure out whether something is "good or bad," a way of thinking known as "either-or thinking." However, this approach is logically flawed. When people fall into either-or thinking, they only see extreme choices, making them prone to making incorrect judgments. This passage aims to emphasize:
A, the world is full of ways that are either good or bad.
B, avoid falling into the trap of seeing things in terms of either good or bad.
C, the idea that "it's either good or bad" is logically flawed.
D, "Either good nor bad" can easily lead to incorrect judgments.
Shen Que frowned. The answers were all correct, but he insisted on choosing the most correct one. This test was so profound. No wonder his master once said that reaching the passing score was already a sign of great talent.
He read the question carefully again, filled in an answer, and hoped to choose the right one.
...
By the time he finished the verbal reasoning questions, he was covered in sweat. He took out a handkerchief from his storage bag, wiped his brow, and continued answering the questions.
Next came the data analysis, which he was quite good at. After finishing the data analysis, he had a general idea of the answer. Then came the quantitative reasoning questions.
After finishing, he carefully checked it three times, then raised his hand to signal that the inner disciples had taken his paper and that he could leave.
Jiang Yuemian, who was sitting at the head of the table, was really bored, so she opened the 5000 Civil Service Exam questions in her mind and started working on them.
She became more and more energetic as she worked on it, and then it dawned on her: indeed, the civil service exam has tormented me a thousand times, but I still love the strategy exam as much as I love my first love.
When she had finished scanning all the papers, she looked up and saw that Ah Que had handed in his.
Hmm? That was fast! Could Ah Que really be a peerless genius?
But now that Ah Que was gone, there was no point in her staying. She touched her hungry belly, rolled her eyes, and decided to leave too.
Then, he glanced furtively at his senior brother beside him, and while he wasn't looking, he quickly stuck a speed-up talisman on himself and ran away.
Xiao Mingjue: ...Junior sister, he actually saw it.
well.
......
"Ah, yes!"
After leaving the examination hall, Shen Que wanted to return to his courtyard. But he heard a clear female voice. He thought he was hallucinating, but when he turned around, he realized that it was his master.
He was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Why is Master out now?"
Jiang Yuemian was in a great hurry to avoid being discovered by her senior brother, and she ran as fast as she could, afraid of being dragged back.
At this moment, her fair face flushed, her eyes showed joy at seeing Shen Que, her lips parted slightly, and she spoke breathlessly from running: "I...I was so bored, I came out as soon as I saw you."
"Roll~"
Jiang Yuemian quickly covered her uncooperative stomach, feeling somewhat embarrassed in front of her disciple, but she had to admit that she was hungry.
"Disciple was just about to go back and make some food. If Master doesn't mind, would you like to try some?" Shen Que gave his master a way out, and couldn't help but smile. He found his master adorable and down-to-earth.
"Okay, okay, Ah Que is really the best." Jiang Yuemian was already hungry, so she naturally went along with it when Shen Que said that.
"Ah Que, I want to eat chicken stew with mushrooms! Stir-fried shredded potatoes! And loofah and egg soup!!" she began to recite the menu.
[Adults should eat too!]
Jiang Yuemian pretended not to hear it and ignored it.
"Okay." Shen Que's eyes and brows softened, and his voice was also infected with a smile.
...
"Mmm... Ah Que, this chicken leg is so delicious! Wow, your cooking skills have really improved!"
"The shredded potatoes are so sour and spicy, so delicious! I've really struck gold!"
001 also secretly stuffed two mouthfuls into his mouth, looking quite satisfied.
"If Master likes it, I will make it for you often in the future." Shen Que looked at his master intently, and the way he ate each bite was just like a little mole, so cute.
Cute? He was taken aback again. How could this word be associated with his master?
Then, as if he had figured it out, although his master was like the bright moon hanging high in the sky, he could always make him feel warm. Perhaps, he could stay by his master's side forever.
Thinking of this, he felt great and started eating, his eyes fixed on Jiang Yuemian, as if she were his whole world.
......
The written test results came out the next day. Jiang Yuemian didn't use her position to check them in advance, but she couldn't wait to drag Shen Que to see them as soon as the results were released.
When they arrived, the list hadn't been posted yet, and the two listened to the people around them discussing it.
"Sigh! I really don't know the second verbal reasoning question. Does anyone know it?"
"What! You've already finished writing the data analysis?"
"How could you calculate it like that! I never thought of that!"
"I don't know where the Immortal Venerable obtained this quiz, but ever since I took it, I feel that my understanding of cultivation has improved!"
"I felt the same way! I hit a plateau a while ago, but after finishing that test paper yesterday, I actually broke through!"
"The Immortal Venerable is truly selfless! He doesn't hold back any of these excellent cultivation methods!"
"Yeah yeah!"
Jiang Yuemian, who concealed her face by blending into the crowd, chuckled.
"Make way, make way!"
"The senior brother who posted the notice has arrived!"
With a "whoosh," the list appeared before us.
Everyone looked over and saw that the top spot on the list was clearly marked with Shen Que's name.
The crowd was buzzing with discussion.
"Who exactly is this Shen Que!?"
"He's really hiding his true abilities!"
"Could it be that this Senior Brother Shen intends to make a name for himself?"
The person being discussed had already been pulled away by Jiang Yuemian.
Jiang Yuemian feigned a serious expression, trying hard to suppress the corners of her mouth: "A-Que, didn't you say on the way here..."
She thought he would be frustrated and comforted him all the way, but unexpectedly, Ah Que gave her a pleasant surprise.
She continued, "Our Ah Que is number one."
The Immortal Venerable spoke softly, making Shen Que blush.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but before he could speak, Jiang Yuemian changed her tone.
She pretended to be nonchalant and said to him, "Ah Que, let me tell you a story. I have a friend."
“We prepared for the civil service exam together. After the exam, I asked her how she did, and she said she was going to retake the exam a second time.”
"And guess what? When the results came out, she got 75! 75 points! And me, I got 49!"
Shen Que: "......"
Do cultivators with even greater talent than their master really exist?
A note from the author:
----------------------
Waaaaah, I woke up from a nap in the library and it was time to start writing! I painstakingly finished typing, barely making it in time. [Poor thing]
Oops, I accidentally posted this! I didn't subscribe to 9 PM, how awful! My hand slipped and I clicked it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com