CHAPTER 904: CHEATING

Translator: CinderTL

Seemingly afraid Song Wen would refuse, Xu Yan hastily continued without waiting for a response. "May I ask your esteemed name, Brother?"

"Fang Pengyi," Song Wen replied.

Xu Yan clasped his hands in a respectful bow. "Brother Fang, my father is Xu Tan, the Clerk of the City Lord’s Manor. I’m also quite skilled in martial arts. If you’ll lend me a hand during tomorrow’s assessment, I guarantee you’ll never be bullied again, whether in Guanling City or Xidong Mountain. With my protection, no one would dare cross you."

Hearing this, Song Wen looked conflicted, reluctant to let Xu Yan cheat but unsure how to politely decline. After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, "Brother Xu, I’m afraid we won’t be seated near each other during tomorrow’s assessment. Even if I wanted to help, my reach might fall short of my intentions."

To Song Wen’s surprise, Xu Yan dismissed his concerns with an arrogant smirk. "Rest assured, Brother Fang. My father still holds some sway in Guanling City. Plus, I’m a devoted martial artist and frequent the Military Training Ground, where I’ve become well-acquainted with most of the soldiers. Tomorrow, I’ll sit wherever I please—no one will dare stop me."

Song Wen smiled faintly as he watched Xu Yan, who seemed rather pleased with himself.

How foolish and pitiful!

Both the Sun Moon Temple and the City Lord’s Manor were scheming against these young men. Yet these youths and their families remained oblivious, eagerly sharpening their minds to plunge into the trap.

Seeing Song Wen’s smile, Xu Yan immediately misinterpreted it, his expression brightening. "Brother Fang, does this mean you agree?"

Song Wen nodded slightly. "I’ll be relying on you in the future, Brother Xu."

Xu Yan thumped his chest confidently. "Don’t worry! Within Guanling City, I’ll guarantee your safety."

Xu Yan was remarkably sociable, becoming overly enthusiastic after Song Wen agreed to help him. It was unclear whether this was a deliberate attempt to curry favor ahead of tomorrow’s assessment or simply his natural disposition.

They chatted idly as they walked back to their wooden cabins. Xu Yan wanted to prolong the conversation, but Song Wen politely declined, claiming he needed to focus on memorizing Buddhist scriptures. Song Wen returned to his cabin alone.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, at 7:30 AM, Song Wen, still half-asleep, pushed open the wooden door to find Xu Yan standing outside, his face etched with anxiety.

"Brother Fang, you’re finally awake! I was worried you’d oversleep and miss the exam."

Song Wen replied calmly, "There’s still well over an hour until the Si Hour. Why the rush, Brother Xu?"

"How can I not be anxious?" Xu Yan exclaimed. "Many candidates have already arrived at the examination hall to secure their seats. We need to hurry and find good spots ourselves!"

Song Wen remained unhurried. "No need to rush. I haven’t even washed up or had breakfast yet."

"What! You still want to eat breakfast?" Xu Yan stared in disbelief.

Song Wen bent down, reached behind the corner of the wooden hut, and retrieved a food box left there half an hour earlier by a soldier. He then turned and walked back inside.

Seeing Song Wen’s calm demeanor, Xu Yan’s initial anxiety began to dissipate. He stepped closer to the hut’s entrance and leaned inside.

"Brother Fang, your composure is remarkable. Do you already have a winning strategy in mind?"

Song Wen tapped his head and said, "The entire Lotus Sutra is stored here."

"Excellent!" Xu Yan’s eyes lit up. "Last night, I spent almost the entire night trying to memorize the sutra, but the Lotus Sutra is so obscure and difficult to understand that I barely managed to retain a hundred characters. With your help, Brother Fang, today’s examination will be a breeze. Please take your time with your meal, Brother Fang; I’ll wait outside."

Xu Yan then withdrew.

About fifteen minutes later, Song Wen, having finished breakfast and washed up, emerged from the wooden hut. "Brother Xu, let’s go," he said.

The two walked for about half a mile until they reached the open field from the previous day.

The once-empty field had been transformed into an examination ground, now filled with over ten thousand wooden tables and benches. Soldiers wielding steel swords guarded the perimeter, temporarily barring entry. A crowd of young examinees clustered around the edges of the examination ground, waiting.

Just as the Si Hour began, Miao Sheng reappeared on the high platform. "The time has come," he announced. "Please enter the examination ground."

As soon as the announcement was made, the soldiers guarding the perimeter of the examination hall sheathed their steel swords.

Instantly, the young men surged into the hall from all directions, scrambling for their preferred wooden desks.

Xu Yan, relying on his robust physique, elbowed his way through the crowd and charged to the front, securing two prime spots at the center of the hall.

With soldiers stationed around the perimeter, the central desks were the furthest from these "invigilators."

The two desks stood side-by-side, separated by only two feet.

Song Wen and Xu Yan settled in. After a brief wait, soldiers arrived with writing brushes, ink, and paper, distributing them to the examinees.

Song Wen unfurled his paper, dipped his brush in ink, and began writing furiously.

Under Xu Yan’s occasional furtive glances, Song Wen swiftly penned over a thousand neat, square-charactered kaishu script in just thirty minutes.

Suddenly, Song Wen stopped writing altogether.

Xu Yan was utterly bewildered. He had been hoping Song Wen would write more for him to copy.

Unbeknownst to Xu Yan, Song Wen’s Spirit Sense had discerned that a thousand characters would suffice to outperform most candidates and secure his place among the three thousand chosen believers.

Song Wen placed his finished paper closer to Xu Yan.

Xu Yan straightened his back, his tall frame allowing him to clearly see the script. He began copying it verbatim.

His handwriting was atrocious—twisted and awkward—but his writing speed was remarkable.

A little over an hour later, Xu Yan, relying on vague memories and hints gleaned from surreptitious glances, finally completed his thousand-character essay.

Xu Yan felt rather smug. His cheating had gone completely undetected.

In Guanling City, even the high-ranking officials show me some respect,

he thought to himself with considerable self-assurance.

What he failed to notice was that cheating was rampant throughout the examination hall, yet not a single person had been caught.

An hour later, the examination concluded.

The candidates began filing out, leaving their papers on the wooden desks for the soldiers to collect.

"Brother Fang," Xu Yan whispered as they walked, "didn’t you say you had memorized the entire Lotus Sutra? Why did you stop after only a thousand characters?"

Song Wen replied, "Our goal is to pass the selection, not to perfectly transcribe the entire sutra from memory. Sometimes, drawing too much attention to yourself isn’t wise."

"Brother Fang, your reasoning is sound," Xu Yan conceded. "But how can you be so sure we’ll be selected?"

Song Wen explained, "The Lotus Sutra is notoriously difficult to understand. Anyone who can write a thousand characters from it is already exceptionally rare."

"Still, I feel like I should have written more to be on the safe side," Xu Yan insisted.

"The examination is over. What’s done is done. There’s no point in fretting now, Brother Xu," Song Wen countered. "The results will be announced soon enough. Just wait patiently—there’s no need to rush."

(End of the Chapter)

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