The facade of Qingshi Town’s County School office was modest, with two stone lions so weathered by wind and rain their features were barely discernible, exuding an air of aged authority.

Zhao Rui stood at the entrance, his palms sweating with nervousness. He tugged at Su Ming’s sleeve, his voice trembling: “Su Ming, I… my legs feel like jelly. This is the County School, the place that oversees all the scholars in our entire town.”

Su Ming patted the back of his hand, signaling him to relax. His expression was calm, but only he knew that beneath that calm was the result of half an hour of mental preparation from his master, Lin Yu.

Lin Yu’s voice sounded lazily in Su Ming’s mind, “Disciple, remember, rules are rigid but people are flexible. If he handles things smoothly, we respond with smiles. If he puts on airs and tries to control us, don’t panic. We have a contingency plan.”

“What contingency plan?” Su Ming asked mentally.

Lin Yu played coy, “You’ll find out when the time comes.”

The two entered the County School office, greeted by the musty scent of old ink and decaying wood. The main hall was dimly lit, with only a minor official dozing behind a glossy, oil-shined counter.

“Esteemed… esteemed sir.” Zhao Rui mustered his courage, his voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.

The minor official’s eyelids twitched as he slowly raised his head, revealing a sharp-featured, weasel-like face. It was none other than Clerk Qian.

He glanced at the two of them, took in their faded coarse clothing, and didn’t bother to conceal the disdain in his eyes.

“What do you want?” His voice was drawn out, dripping with impatience.

“Sir, we’re here to register our examination credentials.” Su Ming respectfully presented the recommendation letter written by Teacher Zhou along with both of their household registration documents.

Clerk Qian didn’t even lift his eyelids, using two fingers to pinch the papers as if they were something filthy.

He gave them a cursory glance, then slapped the documents back onto the counter.

“Not compliant with regulations.”

Zhao Rui’s face instantly turned pale.

“S-sir, what’s not compliant? These were personally written by Teacher Zhou, and they bear his seal…”

“Teacher Zhou?” Clerk Qian sneered, picking at his teeth with a fingernail, “Even Teacher Zhou can’t break the County School’s rules. This guarantor’s seal is blurry and unclear. And these household registration documents—the paper is crude, the handwriting is practically fading. How can these be filed?”

Everything he said was pure nonsense, nitpicking flaws where none existed. The seal was perfectly clear, and the documents were legitimately issued by the village.

Su Ming’s heart sank. He knew trouble had arrived.

“Then… may I ask, sir, how should we go about rectifying this?” Su Ming suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice.

“How to rectify it?” Clerk Qian acted as if he’d heard the biggest joke. He looked up, pointing his chin at Su Ming, “Go back, have Teacher Zhou re-stamp it using the County School’s official inkpad. Then have your Village Chief countersign the household registration documents to verify your identities. Come back after you’ve done that!”

Hearing this, Zhao Rui grew anxious: “Sir, it takes nearly a full day’s walk to get from Qingshui Village to town! If we have to go back and forth like this, we’ll miss the registration deadline!”

“That’s your problem, what does it have to do with me?” Clerk Qian waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing flies, “Next! Don’t block the way here!”

Zhao Rui trembled with rage, wanting to argue further, but Su Ming grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Su Ming shook his head at him.

“See that, disciple? Classic delay tactic.” Lin Yu’s voice turned cold, “He’s not following the rules; he’s targeting us. If there’s no one behind this, I’ll kick my own soul around like a ball.”

“What do we do then, Master?” Su Ming clenched his fists inside his sleeves.

“Initiate Plan B.” Lin Yu’s voice regained its composure, even carrying a hint of leisurely amusement, “Remember that box I told you to bring?”

Su Ming’s heart stirred.

“Don’t argue with him, and don’t show any fear.” Lin Yu directed, “Just place that rosewood box on the counter. Do it slowly, steadily. Then open it, saying you need to check your writing tools to make sure they weren’t damaged on the bumpy road.”

Su Ming took a deep breath and followed the instructions.

Without saying a word, he silently placed the heavy rosewood box onto the counter.

“Thud.”

A dull sound, not loud, but it made Clerk Qian’s eyelids jump.

He frowned, looking displeased at Su Ming: “What are you doing? I told you to leave, can’t you understand plain speech? Take your junk away!”

Su Ming ignored him, simply extending his slender fingers to slowly unlatch the box’s brass clasp.

“Click.”

The lid lifted slightly, revealing the bright yellow silk lining inside. That silk seemed to glow with its own light in the dim hall, dazzling Clerk Qian’s eyes.

“This student merely wished to check whether the writing tools gifted by Young Master Zhou were bumped or damaged during the journey.”

Su Ming’s voice wasn’t loud, his tone flat, but the three words “Young Master Zhou” struck Clerk Qian’s heart like a heavy hammer.

Clerk Qian froze mid-action.

Young Master Zhou? Which Young Master Zhou?

His gaze was involuntarily drawn over.

Su Ming’s fingers continued their movement, fully opening the box lid.

Instantly, a serene fragrance of ink mixed with the scent of precious wood permeated the air. The “Layered Peaks Amidst Clouds” Duan Inkstone lay quietly on the silk, its stone texture warm and smooth, carving exquisite, emitting a subtle, restrained glow under the light. Beside it, the pair of Wolf Hair Brushes had shafts made of high-quality mottled bamboo with natural patterns, the brush tips upright and full, clearly extraordinary items.

Even more critical was the extremely small, seal-script character branded on the inner lid of the rosewood box.

Others might not recognize it, but Clerk Qian, having worked in the County School for over a decade, identified it at a glance!

It was Zhou Wenhai’s personal mark!

Clerk Qian’s mind buzzed as if stung by a hornet.

He abruptly looked up, reassessing Su Ming before him.

This youth was plainly dressed, with delicate features, his expression calm as an ancient well. Yet this seemingly ordinary country boy held in his hands an item gifted by the Zhou family’s eldest young master, Zhou Yulin!

A thought exploded in Clerk Qian’s mind: Could this poor boy be an honored guest of Young Master Zhou Yulin? Or… perhaps a lesser-known relative of the Zhou family?

Connecting this to yesterday’s instructions from Second Master of Zhou Family, Zhou Kang, cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

The Zhou family’s deities were fighting amongst themselves; if a mere mortal like him got involved and picked the wrong side, he’d be lucky to survive with his life!

Zhou Kang was indeed the Zhou family’s second master, but Zhou Yulin was the future family head! The Zhou family’s prodigal son!

Offending Zhou Kang would, at worst, cut off some unofficial income streams. But if he offended someone valued by Zhou Yulin…

Clerk Qian’s face turned even paler than Zhao Rui’s had moments before.

The flesh on his face contorted as he desperately tried to form a smile uglier than crying, his voice beginning to tremble.

“Aiyah! This… this young master, please forgive my poor eyesight! Getting old, my vision is blurry!”

As he spoke, he frantically snatched the two documents back from the counter, bringing them close to his eyes, pretending to examine them carefully.

“Aiyo! Upon closer inspection, this seal is stamped with such force it shows through the paper, perfectly clear! And these documents, while the paper is simple, it shows durability, perfectly matching our scholarly ethos of plainness and lack of ostentation! Good! Very good!”

His face-changing speed was faster than flipping a book.

Zhao Rui, standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

“Ahem,” Clerk Qian cleared his throat, his attitude now as humble as if he’d become a different person, “A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! I’ll process things for you two right away! Immediately!”

He picked up a brush, dipped it fully in ink, and swiftly wrote Su Ming and Zhao Rui’s names in the register. Then he took out two brand-new wooden examination tokens, meticulously writing the information in small regular script, stamped them with the County School office’s official seal, and presented them with both hands.

“Young masters, these are your examination registration tokens, please keep them safe. For the Child Scholar examination next spring, make sure not to be late.”

Su Ming silently put away the wooden box, accepted the tokens, and handed one to the still-stunned Zhao Rui.

He gave a calm nod to Clerk Qian.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Not at all, not at all! It was my failure to recognize importance, delaying your important matters. I hope, young master… you might put in a good word for me in front of Young Master Zhou.” Clerk Qian bowed obsequiously, his face covered in fawning smiles.

Su Ming said nothing more, pulling the still bewildered Zhao Rui as he turned and walked out of the County School office.

Only when the warm sunlight fell on them again did Zhao Rui finally let out a long breath. He looked at Su Ming, his expression as complex as if he were seeing a monster.

“Su Ming… just now… what was that all about?”

Before Su Ming could answer, Lin Yu’s triumphant voice sounded in his mind.

“See that, disciple? That’s called ‘a fox borrowing the tiger’s fierceness.’ We didn’t spend a single copper coin, yet the Zhou family’s reputation handled things for us. Low cost, fast results, no side effects.”

Lin Yu’s soul crossed his legs inside the ring: “When dealing with these petty officials who treat people differently based on status, if you reason with them, they quote rules at you. If you quote rules at them, they act shamelessly. Only when you reveal a backing harder than their master’s will they kneel down and reason with you properly.”

“Is this the wisdom of survival you spoke of, Master?” Su Ming asked mentally, looking at the examination token in his hand, his emotions surging.

“No,” Lin Yu corrected, “This isn’t called wisdom, it’s called risk management. Zhou Kang is our risk, Zhou Yulin is our hedging tool. Remember, never place your hopes on others’ goodwill. Learn to utilize every resource available to build your own safety barriers.”

“Today’s lesson is more useful than reading Sage’s Books for ten years. Congratulations, disciple, you’ve advanced another step in your cultivation of the Way of Survival.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep