Chapter 706: Unboxing Review

"They're here, they're here! Look up, the Meridian Gate has moved, the Meridian Gate has moved! The civil and martial top graduates are coming out! This year's civil and martial top graduates are coming out!"

"Everyone, hurry and look, hurry and look!"

The shouts of a few sharp-eyed individuals were like the signal for a charge, and the entire population of the capital, surrounding the Jishui Pond, surged toward the Imperial City in a grand, roaring wave.

The earth trembled, and the water rippled.

The schools of fish in the pond were startled, flicking their tails and retreating.

At the bottom of the river, the fat catfish that had been spitting out silt and tossing aside debris while digging for treasure surfaced, looking suspicious. It emerged with a head full of black sludge, shook itself twice, and a faint black mist dissipated.

One by one, the river otters climbed up the masts and leaned against the ship railings.

The windows of the wine houses, flower houses, and famous mansions swung open.

After nearly a month, the civil and martial examinations had concluded, and today was the day of the "Procession"!

Inside the Tianchen Hall, the Holy Emperor had announced the names and personally designated the rankings of the civil and martial graduates. After the graduates bowed to thank the Emperor for his grace, they were ordered to begin the procession. They would ride in formation, passing openly through the main streets and along the banks of Jishui Pond, allowing the commoners to watch and the high officials and nobles to offer their critiques—a grand spectacle seen only once every three years.

The crowd was a sea of heads, and the hot breath from ten million mouths dispelled the biting chill of spring.

"Whose child is the top graduate this year?"

"I heard the surname is Lin, as in 'forest'."

"Nonsense, it's clearly Ling, as in 'token'!"

"You're both wrong, it's Ling, as in 'soaring to the peak'!"

"Hey, you're all wrong, all wrong! The civil top graduate's surname is Lin, and the martial top graduate's surname is Ling. That martial top graduate is incredible—twenty-three years old, Sky Bridge completion, they say he has 'Solid Gold Bones'!"

"What 'Solid Gold Bones'? Doesn't sound as good as Lord Liang."

"There is always someone better, and a heaven beyond heaven. Lord Liang jumped out of the Twenty-Eight Mansions long ago; he doesn't enter the martial examinations."

"That's for sure. A top graduate comes every three years, but Lord Liang is the first of his kind in sixty years!"

Liang Qu's appearance and the martial examinations were too close in timing, making it inevitable for busybodies to draw comparisons.

There was no suspense regarding the outcome.

From age to official rank, whether it was the one-hundred-and-twenty-zhang blood pillar or lifting five pillars with one hand at the end of the second month, and even his rarity—it was a total crushing victory from start to finish.

Dong, dong, dong!

Amidst the noise.

The three gates of the Meridian Gate swung wide open, and the human voices suddenly ceased.

Only the top three civil and martial graduates, six people in total, exited through the main central gate; the others exited through the side gates.

They walked out and mounted their horses.

Saluting cannons fired in unison, and faint white smoke dissipated in the air. The top graduates wore golden flower hats, donned bright red robes, held the imperial edicts, and rode horses with golden saddles and red manes. Surrounded by crowds and led by flags and drums, the festive joy could not be blown away by the cold wind.

The Imperial Guards held long poles, raising square placards that read "Silence" and "Keep Away."

The "Keep Away" placards were still useful; no one dared to block the road.

However, the "Silence" placards could not stop the clamor of the commoners.

It was just a grand, festive day, and no one was looking for trouble or making arrests.

The procession moved from the Meridian Gate to the riverbank like a black tidal wave, then circled southward.

Long Yao and Long Li tugged at the long fur on the little river otter's head.

The otter's eyes shone brightly.

"It's so lively. It's a pity the Second Cao Shixiong stayed in Pingyang and didn't come."

Xiang Zhangsong withdrew his gaze and exhaled a breath of turbid air. Although he was only watching the prestige and excitement of others, he felt a unique satisfaction in his heart—infected by the joy and happy to have broadened his horizons.

"Pingyang Prefecture has gained an extra department and a county for no reason; the Second Cao Shixiong is probably so busy his feet don't touch the ground."

"We've seen the big events, and we've already said our goodbyes to General Xu. We should go." Liang Qu called down to the otter on the lookout to come down and sail the ship. "Do the senior brothers and sisters want to buy anything else? Once we leave the Imperial Jingcheng, goods won't be this complete elsewhere."

"Let's go, let's go. Today's business is done, life is complete."

Xu Zishuai stretched.

They arrived in the capital in late the first month and left in late the third month—exactly two months in total. From the rewards to today's examination procession, the experiences in between were nothing if not rich.

Seeing the capital reveals the field, seeing the field reveals the state, seeing the state reveals the world.

The world is vast when one's horizons are infinite.

"If we wanted to buy anything, we would have bought it two days ago. Let's go back early; it's more comfortable at home," said Zhuo Shaoqin.

The Sixth Cao Shixiong, Cao Rang, agreed: "The capital is just too cold. Back in Southern Zhili, green grass should be poking out by the end of the third month. Hey, the Imperial Jingcheng can still have a heavy snowfall in the third month."

"Alright!"

The senior brothers and sisters had spoken.

The gates of the residence were closed, the doors and windows were all locked, and the Xu family servants returned home.

Withered leaves drifted and turned.

The large residence returned to cold silence.

No matter how good it is outside, one must eventually go home.

Splash!

The large anchor rose from the water, and the otter ran to untie the mast ropes.

The sails billowed, and the flood waves surged.

"We're off!"

The water beasts flicked their tails and followed.

The fat catfish sighed at the ruins, hurriedly hugged a few large boxes, and followed.

The treasure ship was slightly slow at first, but in no time, it passed the fiery procession and headed south.

"So fast!"

Xu Zishuai stepped onto the deck, the cold wind hitting his face, his pores shrinking from the freeze.

He looked back.

Obscured by clouds and mist, the capital's iconic Moon-Gazing Tower was blurring at a speed visible to the naked eye. Less than two quarters of an hour after leaving Jishui Pond, it was already about to disappear without a trace.

"Eighth Junior Brother, how long did it take us to get here?"

Xiang Zhangsong counted on his fingers: "We left in early the first month and arrived in the late first month—less than twenty days. Coming from south to north was against the current; going back is with the current, so it should be much faster. We should be able to arrive within fifteen days."

Cao Rang exclaimed: "With this treasure ship, wouldn't we be able to make a round trip in about a month?"

"Going to Huangzhou should be even faster; it won't take a radiant date."

"Distance depends entirely on the person. A horse runs for half an incense stick's time, while a person walks for a whole day." Xu Zishuai lay down on the deck. "Ordinary people can barely leave their county, but a Martial Saint can roam the world. Watching snow on Mount Tianshan in the morning and looking out over the East Sea in the afternoon is no different from being in a county town."

Dong!

The deck vibrated slightly.

Liang Qu set down the heavy object in his hand, and a small pool of clear water gathered.

"What are you chatting about?"

Xu Zishuai rolled over and sat up, moving away in disgust: "Where did that box come from? Why is it so dirty?"

The box was square, with round rivets on the corners—this was not unusual. The key was that the surface of the box was covered in moss and mud, looking as if it had been soaked in water for a long time.

Liang Qu took the towel handed to him by Long Eying and wiped his hands: "Ah Fei fished it out of Jishui Pond. There are five in total, with varying quality. I don't know if there are any good treasures."

A box from Jishui Pond?

Everyone's eyes lit up.

The Imperial Jingcheng is a place of wealth and prosperity under heaven.

"Come, come, open it, open it! Let's see if there's any good luck for getting rich!"

Everyone gathered around.

The lock on the box had long since rusted. Liang Qu gripped it through a towel and snapped it off.

Crack!

Whoosh~

Without the lock, foul-smelling, ink-green dirty water poured out like vomit.

The martial artists reacted quickly, leaping onto the ship railings one after another.

Foul algae hung in strands, and a few dead fish were so rotten their species couldn't be identified.

The otter sniffed, dry-heaved a few times, and ran over with a mop to clean it up.

Once the stench had mostly dissipated, Liang Qu approached again, tilted the box to the side of the ship to pour out the dirty water, and picked out the items.

The things in the box were many and chaotic, mostly daily clothing, three large gold ingots, several small ingots, two rotten silver banknotes, and some decayed elixirs.

Personal items, worthless.

The only useful things were the silver ingots, worth about two hundred taels.

Two hundred taels—for an ordinary person, it would be considered a fortune, but for Liang Qu, it was better than nothing, only enough to pay two months of allowance for Long Yao and Long Li.

The first battle was unfavorable.

Xu Zishuai urged: "Open another one, open another one!"

Bang, bang, bang!

Liang Qu was not polite, snapping the chains of the remaining four boxes all at once.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 707 =====