Chapter 1: The Ancient Scholar Used as Cannon Fodder (Part 1) Autumn in the North...
Autumn in the north is already unusually cold, and at three or four in the morning, the wind is even more biting, howling as if it can blow into one's bones.
In ancient times, there were no streetlights, and no one would light lamps so early in the morning. The world was pitch black, and Lin You could only barely see the road ahead by the dim starlight.
She controlled her body, drifting like the wind towards the location indicated on the system page, trying her best to find her first task target.
Lin You wasn't quite used to this inhuman way of moving; she floated around unsteadily and couldn't control the direction of her movements.
The only thing that made her feel fortunate was that she had no physical form in this state, so she didn't have to be chilled to the bone by the howling autumn wind.
Lin You was an ordinary person, an orphan who grew up in an orphanage. Fortunately, she lived in modern times. Although she was not wealthy, she had enough to eat and drink and was able to go to school with the help of national policies.
It is said that knowledge changes destiny. She studied hard for more than ten years, and recently she finally passed the college entrance examination with excellent results. She is about to embark on a wonderful university life.
To celebrate Lin You's academic success, her eldest sister Lin Nan took a vacation and organized a road trip to Tibet with the four sisters who had shared a dormitory with her in the orphanage, along with her second sister Lin Ran's younger brother.
Of course, only the eldest and second eldest sisters took turns driving. The other three were underage and didn't have driver's licenses. They just took turns sitting in the passenger seat, chatting and talking with the other three.
The five of them were adopted around the same time and all took the surname Lin from the orphanage director, Lin You, Lin Ran, Lin Nan, Lin Jian, and Lin Shan.
The five of them grew up together and took care of each other. They had a very good relationship, even better than some biological siblings.
We chatted and laughed all the way, dreaming about the future, and it was supposed to be a happy trip. Who would have thought that we would encounter an accident on the way?
A large truck swerved to avoid a flock of sheep that suddenly ran onto the highway, but crashed into Lin You's vehicle.
Lin You felt as if her internal organs had been displaced. All she could see was a crimson blur before her eyes, and she heard screams and shouts in her ears. Then she knew nothing more.
When she woke up, her soul had been pulled to a place that called itself the Time and Space Administration to apply for a job. After passing a series of tests, she eventually became a novice portable system.
It's not that she didn't want to apply for a position in the comeback team or the strategy team; although it would be more demanding, at least she could be treated like a human being.
Unfortunately, having just finished her senior year of high school, all she could do was cram for exams. Her emotional intelligence score was too low during the interview, her on-the-spot reaction was too poor, and her personality was too naive. In the end, she only got a job with the portable system.
As a novice system, she was assigned to the most basic cannon fodder rescue team, traveling to various worlds to save the poor souls who were used as cannon fodder.
This was her first mission: to help someone who had been used as cannon fodder by a time traveler achieve the rank of a first-grade official.
Being a first-rank official in ancient times was no easy task; the job itself was incredibly difficult.
Lin You wasn't too worried. She had also taken on another side mission, a "golden finger" test mission, which would not only give her extra experience and points but also grant her target a golden finger.
Although I don't know why, this task looks pretty good, but it's been sitting there for a while and no one from the system has tried to claim it.
Lin You quickly snatched the task, thinking it was just good luck that she hadn't seen any of the other systems.
After drifting around for a while, Lin You finally regained control of her body and saw living people.
She scanned the crowd and saw a group of frail-looking scholars standing in long lines outside the ancient examination hall, carrying their examination baskets and waiting for the provincial examination to begin.
Perhaps due to the exam regulations, although the weather was cold, the scholars were all wearing only single layers of clothing, which did not look warm at all.
Some scholars from well-off families would wear thick, windproof fabric and add a single-layer cloak made of felt.
Most of the candidates were only wearing coarse linen clothes, which were breathable and windproof, and they all shivered and huddled like quails from the cold.
Lin You surveyed the crowd and finally spotted a scholar with an orange question mark above his head. He must be the person she was looking for.
According to the system page, her task target is named Chu Nanfeng, a scholar who has come to participate in the provincial examination.
He stood in the back of the right row, wearing three layers of coarse cloth shirts that were a bit faded from washing. The cuffs and collar were worn and torn, and patches could be seen on the cuffs of the inner shirts.
Even in this attire, his posture was still excellent, his back straight, tall and elegant, a stark contrast to the group of scholars who hunched their necks.
He had a pair of hands with distinct knuckles, long and fair, which he was opening and closing nimbly. He was also pacing back and forth, probably to prevent himself from getting frozen and affecting his exams later.
"Chu Nanfeng, hello! I am the Cannon Fodder Rescue System, and you are my mission target. Please confirm system binding."
Lin You floated to Chu Nanfeng's side, tested the mental link dialogue skill she had just learned from the system's beginner skills, and after confirming that there were no problems, she directly sent the binding request to the other party.
A strange female voice suddenly rang out, startling Chu Nanfeng, but the people in front of him in line did not react at all, as if they had not heard anything.
Chu Nanfeng calmly surveyed his surroundings. Everyone nearby, whether they were examinees or those seeing them off, was male. So where did the strange female voice he heard come from?
Seeing his expression, Lin You rubbed her hands nervously, as if she had startled him. She quickly lowered her voice and softened her tone before continuing to contact him.
"Chu Nanfeng, don't be afraid. I'm having a mental connection with you. Others can't hear me. I don't have a physical body yet, so you can't see me."
The ethereal, inhuman female voice rang out again. Not only was the content chilling, but Chu Nanfeng also suddenly realized that the voice wasn't just in his ears, but in his mind.
He gripped the exam basket tightly in his hands, lowered his eyes, and pursed his lips, feeling as if the hairs on his body were standing on end!
He didn't understand what the female voice was talking about—cannon fodder, system, and such—but a voice that had no physical form yet could echo in his mind was just a ghost!
Chu Nanfeng kept a straight face, showing no sign of anything unusual, but his back was damp and cold. Wearing only a thin shirt, he was drenched in cold sweat from the frigid wind.
He was not yet bound to Lin You, and he did not shield his thoughts from the system. Lin You clearly sensed his thoughts.
She was utterly helpless, not knowing how to explain the concepts of system and data to an ancient person. She could only repeatedly emphasize that the system was not a ghost, and that he should not be afraid, as she would not harm him.
But after she finished speaking, the target seemed to become even more wary and fearful, and their face turned three times paler than before.
Chu Nanfeng tried to calm himself down. This female ghost was very clever; she could not only speak in his mind but also read his thoughts.
Lin You was at a loss. The company's employee handbook and new employee onboarding instructions did not mention what to do if the target of the task mistook the system for a ghost!
My first mission in my system career, it can't be over before it even begins, can it?
"Brother Chu! I've finally found you!"
Just as Lin You was becoming increasingly anxious, a clear voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the stalemate of one person unifying the world.
The newcomer was a boy who wasn't very tall, with bright, sparkling eyes, a somewhat youthful face, and a lively personality.
Lin You looked at his exquisite and warm clothes, and realized that he was richer than her mission target.
The boy seemed to know the target well; he took a sky-blue cloak and tiptoed to drape it over Chu Nanfeng's shoulders.
Lin You looked at the cloak, which seemed to be made of felt. Although it was only one layer, it was thick and warm, and it was also woven with delicate patterns.
The newcomer was none other than Han Qige, Chu Nanfeng's classmate and close friend. The young man pouted and said with some complaint, "Brother Chu, it's a good thing I prepared an extra cloak. Your clothes are too thin. What if you catch a cold?"
The temperature has suddenly dropped in the last few days, and the price of thick clothing material suitable for the imperial examinations has increased more than tenfold. Chu Nanfeng is short of money and has no money to buy any.
He didn't want to trouble his friend, but Qige had already delivered the clothes, and if he delayed any longer, it would only create distance between them.
Ignoring the strange female voice, Chu Nanfeng gently patted the boy's head and said softly, "Thank you, Qige. It was just a momentary oversight. After the exam, I'll treat you to the osmanthus wine I buried last year!"
"That's wonderful! I've been craving those two jars of wine that Brother Chu brewed for a whole year," Han Qige said with a smile.
The two spoke quietly for a while until the gate of the examination hall creaked open and a row of soldiers walked out and stood at the entrance.
Han Qige hurriedly took his leave and left. He was in the front row to the left of Chu Nanfeng, and a page was temporarily helping him wait in line.
Perhaps because she was in too much of a hurry, Han Qige accidentally bumped her elbow into the exam basket that Chu Nanfeng was carrying when she turned around.
The basket lid was knocked open a crack, and Han Qige quickly closed it, giving Chu Nanfeng an embarrassed smile.
His expression was slightly unnatural for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and returned to his seat. Chu Nanfeng did not notice anything unusual.
Lin You frowned. She thought she saw the man throw a stick-shaped object into Chu Nanfeng's basket. Could there be something wrong with it?
The entrance search had already begun at the gate of the examination hall. Several soldiers worked together to quickly and skillfully check each candidate. Chu Nanfeng moved forward with the team.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead. A scholar, over fifty years old and pale-faced, was dragged aside by two soldiers, put on a heavy wooden cangue, and locked to a platform by the gate of the examination hall.
Lin You was startled. Hearing the whispers around her, she realized that the scholar had been caught with cheat sheets during the search.
Were the consequences of cheating in ancient times really this severe? Lin You thought for a moment, then reminded her task partner.
"Chu Nanfeng, the person who just gave you the clothes put something in your basket!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Nanfeng frowned. He and Qi Ge had been friends for many years; how could Qi Ge possibly harm him?
Although he didn't quite believe the female ghost's words, just in case, Chu Nanfeng quietly switched the basket to his other arm and took the opportunity to lift the lid and peek inside.
Lin You peered into the basket and prompted, "What I see is a stick-shaped thing, isn't it that calligraphy brush?"
The basket contained writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and food, all neatly arranged and secured with hemp ropes. Only a single bamboo-handled writing brush lay conspicuously on top.
By this time, a small portion of the procession had entered, and Chu Nanfeng was getting closer and closer to the entrance of the examination hall. Lin You urged him anxiously.
"This thing is definitely problematic, you need to take it out and throw it away right now!"
Chu Nanfeng took out a brush, covered the basket, and weighed the brush. It was so light that it was easy to tell that something was wrong.
The pen seemed to be hollow. He squeezed it hard with his long fingers, and with a snap, the brush broke in half, revealing what was hidden inside.
Hidden inside the pen was a tightly rolled-up piece of paper. Chu Nanfeng quickly unrolled it and glanced at it. The entire page was filled with tiny, neat characters—a policy essay, written entirely by himself!
His gaze sharpened, and he quickly crumpled the paper into a ball, stuffed it into his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed it whole!
The remains of the writing brush were quietly discarded at his feet. Chu Nanfeng, with a calm expression, followed the group and continued moving forward.
Lin You was dumbfounded. Why didn't he just throw it on the ground?! How could he eat something like that?!
"Thank you for reminding me, Miss!" Chu Nanfeng nodded slightly and thanked Lin You softly.
This policy essay was written by him personally. A month ago, while studying at the academy, he accidentally came across a policy essay question. The question was novel and required drawing inferences from one instance to another, so he started writing one.
Every student wrote many of these exercises, and the academy teachers assigned homework every three days.
He lived frugally and had limited resources of writing materials. Whenever he had to hand in his homework to his teacher, he would try to write the characters as small as possible to save on writing materials. He also used the cheapest bamboo paper.
Bamboo paper is a local specialty. It is thin and light, not very tough, and somewhat rough and fragile, but it doesn't take up much space when folded, making it perfect for making cheat sheets.
After he wrote the article, he casually placed it on his desk and didn't pay attention when it disappeared. He didn't know when Han Qige took the article and deliberately tampered with it.
A note from the author:
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Welcome to every lovely little reader who clicked in! [Thumbs up][Thumbs up]
This article has a lighthearted, slice-of-life style, with occasional food appearances [eating popcorn][eating popcorn]
The protagonist, Lin You, is initially naive, being a soon-to-be college student who has just finished the college entrance examination. She will gradually mature later on. [Cat emoji][Cat emoji]
Happy reading! [cat paw][cat paw]
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