Dong Sheng Divine Continent, Ao Lai.
Ao Lai was a large country in the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. It could be said that it was a place blessed by outstanding people. Its capital was the center of Ao Lai.
High officials, nobles, and nobles were not few in number in the capital. If a commoner wanted to join the ranks of these nobles, the only way was to pass the imperial examination.
Therefore, the imperial examination became the only way for commoners to advance. They studied hard for ten years in order to stand out in the imperial examination and be placed in an important position by the imperial court.
Capital.
More than a year had passed since Ye Xuan accompanied Li Youyun to the capital. Just the journey from Lotus Village to the capital took them half a year.
The mountains were high and the rivers were long, evil people ran amok, and there were even cases of demons eating people. Li Youyun experienced too many unimaginable hardships along the way.
Robbers, demons, heavy rain, and all kinds of natural and man-made disasters accompanied Li Youyun. He even caught a cold on the way to the capital and almost died.
Commoners were extremely bitter. Students from all over the country gathered in the capital for the imperial examination. Students from wealthy families were better off as they could afford to hire guards to protect them. They also had a guarantee of basic necessities. However, if they encountered demons and ghosts, they could only sigh at their own bad luck.
Commoners were even worse. They lacked food and clothing on the long journey. They could fall sick and be killed by robbers. They had to go through many difficulties to reach the capital.
Therefore, the first test of the imperial examination was the journey to the capital. Countless commoners died along the way.
Li Youyun had never traveled far before. This half a year of travel almost took his life. It really made him understand what was called suffering in the world.
Fortunately, every time Li Youyun almost died, he was lucky enough to survive. Of course, this was all thanks to Ye Xuan and Fatso Huang.
After half a year of traveling, Li Youyun no longer had the ambition he had when he first left Lotus Village. He was like a frosted eggplant — wilting!
His body was weak, his body was thin, and his face was pale. It was as if a gust of wind could blow Li Youyun to the ground.
Lai Fu Inn was very famous in the capital because it only received students coming to the capital for the imperial examination. It could also be said that it was a gathering place for scholars.
The reason why the Laifu Inn was so famous was that it was completely free of charge. It provided free food and lodging for students from all over the country, and also allowed students from all over the country to have a place to stay in the capital.
Inside the inn.
Ye Xuan and the other two were eating. There were some simple steamed buns, vegetables, and a bowl of porridge.
"Big Brother Ye, Big Brother Huang, we have to eat more. The Lai Fu Inn doesn't provide dinner." Li Youyun finished the porridge in one gulp. Not even a drop of rice was left.
"Youyun, the imperial examination is in half a month. Your body is too weak. You have to eat more to have the strength to study." Ye Xuan sighed softly and handed a steamed bun to Li Youyun.
"Big Brother, you can't. You only had a bowl of porridge yesterday. You must have been hungry for a long time. You Yun can't eat this steamed bun." Li Youyun flatly refused.
"It's fine. Your Big Brother has practiced some martial arts before. It's fine even if I don't eat for three to five days. But your body is too weak. If you don't eat, how can you have the strength to study? Don't you want to pass the imperial examination and enter the imperial examination?" Ye Xuan reprimanded.
"Big Brother, I …!"
Li Youyun's eyes were red and his nose was a little sour. If it wasn't for Ye Xuan taking care of him in every possible way, he might have already died on the road.
He still clearly remembered that a group of bandits blocked the road. It was Ye Xuan and Fatso Huang who forced them to retreat. He also suffered many knife wounds. He remembered all of this in his heart.
"Youyun, I'm not hungry either. Hurry and eat these two steamed buns." Fatso Huang sighed softly and also handed the steamed bun in front of him to Li Youyun.
"Alright, you're a man. Why are you being so shy? If I tell you to eat, just eat. When you become the imperial examination, you can pay me back ten times or a hundred times." Ye Xuan smiled faintly.
"Big Brother, I'll eat."
Li Youyun ate the steamed bun with tears in his eyes. Ye Xuan and Fatso Huang also finished the porridge in their bowls. In reality, this porridge was only a bowl of water with rice in it. How could it really fill their stomachs?
Of course, Ye Xuan and Fatso Huang didn't need to eat. All of this was just for Li Youyun to see.
The Lai Fu Inn only provided one meal a day. Ye Xuan and the other two had traveled for half a year to reach the capital. They had already used up all of their traveling expenses, which was why they were in such dire straits.
Of course, it wasn't just Li Youyun. The other poor students were also in a similar situation. If it wasn't for the Lai Fu Inn, these poor students would really be in dire straits.
Poor students had it hard, but scholars had it even harder. Passing the imperial examination was their only way out.
"Big Brothers, wait for me here. Youyun will be back soon."
Looking at the pitiful rice in Ye Xuan and Fatso Huang's bowls, Li Youyun's heart was extremely desolate. He seemed to have made some sort of decision. Gritting his teeth, he left the square table. No one knew what he was going to do.
"Teacher, Li Youyun has experienced a year of suffering in the world. His arrogance has been polished. Why don't we just let it go?" Fatso Huang probed.
"Greed, anger, infatuation, resentment, love, separation, desire …"
"This is only the beginning. Let us continue watching," Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.
In a side room of the inn.
Li Youyun's face was sometimes red and sometimes pale, as if he was going through a choice in his heart. But in the end, he gritted his teeth, picked up the bag containing the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and walked out of the room. Then, he quickly left the inn.
"Teacher, where is he going?" In the air, Fatso Huang asked in surprise.
"Let's follow him and see," Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.
… …
Shing Wong Temple.
The Shing Wong Temple was an extremely lively and bustling area of the capital. From the royal palace to the common people, there was an endless stream of people coming to the Shing Wong Temple every day.
Burning incense, praying, and praying. On both sides of the street, there were peddlers peddling their wares. One could even see fortune-tellers and storytellers talking with assurance. Lively voices rose and fell one after another.
Li Youyun sat in front of a square table with a red face. A banner was erected beside him. On it were two large words: Selling Paintings!
Clearly, Li Youyun could not bear to see Ye Xuan and Fatso Huang live on a diet for him. He came to the Shing Wong Temple to sell some of his paintings for some money.
It was a disgrace to the refined, and associated with the stench of money.
It had to be known that in Ao Lai, the scholars all boasted of being virtuous. If they appeared in public and sold their paintings for a living, they would be looked down upon by the other scholars.
This was also why there were so many poor scholars in the Laifu Inn. They would rather eat the free food of the Laifu Inn once a day than take their paintings out to sell.
"This kid is very considerate." Fatso Huang slightly glanced to the side. There was a hint of praise in his eyes.
"The suffering of mortals is the suffering of life. He can understand the difficulties of life, but this is only the beginning." Ye Xuan said softly.
Time passed little by little. Although it was very lively in front of the Shing Wong Temple, Li Youyun did not have an easy time. After a full hour, he had not sold a single painting.
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