Su Ming’s heart stirred, his five senses becoming exceptionally sharp.

He leaned over to look into the well.

The well was very deep, pitch black, with the bottom invisible. He could only see a small patch of sky reflected on the water’s surface.

He reached his hand into the well opening. That cool, vibrant feeling of vitality became even more pronounced.

“Master, this well…”

“Hmm?” Lin Yu’s voice also carried a trace of curiosity. “Interesting. It seems this well water contains an extremely faint trace of spiritual energy.”

“Spiritual energy?” Su Ming’s spirit lifted.

“Yes, spiritual energy. Although it’s so thin it’s almost negligible, it’s much denser than anywhere else in this courtyard.” Lin Yu pondered. “No wonder this Room A is the best dormitory. It’s probably not because the house is good, but because of this well.”

“Disciple, try putting your hand in the water.”

Following his master’s words, Su Ming untied the wooden bucket from the well rope and slowly dipped his hand into the cold well water.

A cool sensation traveled from his fingertips, entering his meridians. It was indescribably comfortable.

Although that spiritual energy was so weak it was almost impossible to capture, the Aura Concealment Art was like a hungry beast smelling blood. It began spontaneously, greedily absorbing these faint, wispy strands of spiritual energy.

“Indeed!” Lin Yu also became excited. “This well probably connects to a tiny underground water vein, and that water vein just happens to pass through a place where spiritual energy gathers!”

“Although for a true cultivator, this amount of spiritual energy isn’t even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth. But for a beginner like you, it’s simply a heavenly blessing!”

“With this well, your cultivation speed for the Aura Concealment Art will increase by at least thirty percent! Moreover, drinking this well water long-term can subtly improve your physique!”

Su Ming’s heart pounded wildly.

Truly, after searching far and wide with great difficulty, you find it effortlessly when you least expect it!

He had been worrying about lacking cultivation resources, yet he never expected such a treasure to be hidden right in his dormitory!

“Disciple, remember, this matter is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me! Absolutely must not let a third person know!” Lin Yu seriously warned. “From today onward, this well is our secret base! Outwardly, you must show a fanatical obsession with studying, putting all your energy on the surface. In secret, use this well water to cultivate fiercely for your master!”

“Yes, Master!”

Suppressing the wild joy in his heart, Su Ming calmly withdrew his hand.

He drew another bucket of water, carefully washed his face. The cool sensation seeped into his skin, sweeping away the fatigue accumulated over the past few days.

He thoroughly cleaned his new home, then went to the school’s dining hall to collect his dinner.

The food was simple: one meat dish, one vegetable dish, one soup, with rice provided freely. Although the taste couldn’t compare to the Zhou family’s banquet, it was clean and hygienic.

After finishing the meal, the sky had completely darkened.

Night was as dark as ink, moonlight as pale as frost.

Su Ming declined invitations from several classmates who came to show goodwill for evening chats. He returned to his small courtyard and closed the gate.

He didn’t light a lamp, instead going directly to the wellside, sitting cross-legged.

The Aura Concealment Art slowly circulated. He seemed to merge completely with the night.

Faint, wispy strands of cool spiritual energy rose from the well, inhaled into his body, flowing slowly along his meridians, nourishing his still-tender physique.

In the small courtyard of Room A, all was silent. Only the occasional ripples forming circles at the well opening shimmered with an ethereal glow under the moonlight.

Su Ming sat cross-legged by the well, eyes closed.

The Aura Concealment Art slowly circulated within his body, like a silent stream flowing through his limbs and bones. The faint strands of cool spiritual energy escaping from the well were greedily inhaled by him, becoming part of the stream, washing over his meridians.

These past few days, he attended lectures at the school during the day, discussing studies with classmates. At night, he closed his courtyard gate and tirelessly cultivated, relying on this treasure well.

He could clearly feel the changes in himself.

His five senses became increasingly sharp. At night, he could hear the night watchman’s clapper sound from afar, could smell the fragrance of flowers from neighboring courtyards carried by the wind. His body also became much lighter. Running several laps around the County School in one breath only left him slightly winded.

The biggest change was still the Aura Concealment Art itself.

As the technique achieved minor mastery, he discovered that when walking on the road, if he wasn’t deliberate, he was often overlooked. Several times, familiar students walked straight towards him, only startling when they got close, as if he hadn’t existed moments before.

“Disciple, not bad, not bad.” Lin Yu’s lazy voice sounded in his mind. “This Aura Concealment Art can be considered mastered. The lower your presence, the longer you live. Remember, our goal is to be the stone by the roadside, not the uniquely shaped pine on the mountaintop.”

Su Ming opened his eyes, exhaling a long, turbid breath.

The sense of fulfillment brought by cultivation gave him peace of mind.

In the following days, Su Ming’s life formed a peculiar balance.

During the day, he was the most dazzling new star at the County School. His policy discussion essays were often publicly praised by Professor Liu, earning him a mixture of respect and envy from fellow students.

Under the night’s cover, he was again the most inconspicuous shadow, silently absorbing the spiritual energy brought by that ancient well in his small courtyard.

Zhao Rui visited several times, each time full of grievances.

Sometimes complaining that the food in Room D was hard to swallow, other times lamenting that some academic supervisor had given him a disdainful look.

“Su Ming, when will this kind of life ever end!” Zhao Rui plopped down on a stone stool, his face full of worry. “I feel like I’ll never pass the provincial exam in this lifetime.”

Su Ming poured him a cup of well water.

“Then don’t take it.”

“Don’t take it?” Zhao Rui jumped up. “If I don’t, my father will definitely break my legs! Besides, if I don’t pass the provincial exam, how can I become an official, how can I bring honor to my ancestors?”

Su Ming looked at him, speaking calmly. “Since you want to take it, talk less nonsense and read more books.”

Zhao Rui was left speechless. He picked up the cup and drank the cold well water in one gulp, shivering.

“The water here really is delicious, sweeter than ours.” He smacked his lips, circling the topic back again. “By the way, I heard Professor Liu is going to submit your policy discussion essay to the County Magistrate? When will there be news? If it really succeeds, you’ll be the great hero of our Qingshi Town!”

His face was full of excitement, sharing in the glory.

Su Ming’s heart also lifted slightly because of his words.

Yes, calculating the days, there should be a result by now.

However, what he waited for was a rejection document.

That afternoon, Su Ming was reviewing classics in his study when Professor Liu’s old servant came looking for him, his expression somewhat grave.

“Top Scorer Su, the professor requests your presence.”

Su Ming followed the old servant through the bamboo grove, arriving at that quiet courtyard.

Before even entering the study, he sensed an oppressive atmosphere.

Entering the study, he saw Professor Liu sitting stiffly before his desk, his face so gloomy it seemed water could drip from it. The desk usually covered with books and maps now held only a solitary document.

Seeing Su Ming enter, Professor Liu raised his eyes. His gaze was full of exhaustion and disappointment.

“Ah…”

A long sigh echoed in the quiet study.

Professor Liu didn’t say much, merely pointing at the document on the desk with his finger.

It was an official document stamped with the bright red seal of the county government.

Su Ming stepped forward and picked up the document.

The core meaning was simple and clear: “The request is temporarily postponed, to be discussed later.”

The reasons listed below made him feel as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

“Government treasury is empty, unable to bear the cost.”

“Conscripting laborers during winter leisure would likely disturb the people’s peace.”

“Occupying land and relocating graves easily causes incidents.”

Every reason for rejection perfectly “confirmed” those difficult problems Professor Liu had raised when testing him initially.

But the county government’s attitude wasn’t to seek solutions, but to directly use these as excuses, pushing the entire matter aside.

The cold ink characters were like a basin of cold water poured over his head, instantly extinguishing the fire in Su Ming’s heart.

His previously conceived plans—using work for relief, gentry donations, river silt sales, the Land Survey Council… all those intricately linked, clever calculations—appeared so pale and powerless before “temporarily postponed, to be discussed later.”

They simply wouldn’t give you a chance to implement anything.

“They didn’t even read it carefully!”

Professor Liu’s voice carried suppressed anger. He slammed a fist on the table, making the brushes in the brush holder jump.

“What empty treasury! The summer taxes collected after last autumn amounted to a full thirty thousand taels! Yet the county government’s accounts only recorded less than twenty thousand taels! That missing ten thousand taels, who knows where they went! And now they tell me there’s no money for water conservancy?”

“Disturb the people’s peace? The people of Qingshi Town suffer floods or droughts every year. The people have long been unsettled! Giving them food to eat, giving them money to earn, would they be unwilling?”

“They’re just afraid of trouble! Afraid of taking responsibility! Better to have one less matter than one more!”

The old professor trembled with anger. His usually gentle face was now flushed red, his eyes filled with deep helplessness.

Su Ming held that document, his hands and feet turning cold.

For the first time, he felt so directly that a seemingly perfect, nationally beneficial, people-benefiting plan was so utterly powerless before a rigid bureaucratic system and those invisible vested interests.

In his mind, Lin Yu’s voice drifted up, carrying a trace of unsurprised mockery.

“See, disciple. This is why your master always tells you to ‘survive’ cautiously. You think you’re on the first level, they’re on the second, thinking about how to solve problems. Actually, they’re not even on this dimension.”

Lin Yu’s internal monologue was now at full capacity: “Tsk tsk, young people, still too naive. Reasoning with these old foxes? They’ll talk rules with you. Talking interests with them? They’ll talk difficulties with you. Talking about the common people of the world with them? They’ll tell you… next time, definitely! Unsolvable, purely unsolvable! But just right. Right now, disciple has obtained a top scorer identity, became Zhou Wenhai’s student for the consequences of paper-making. If the policy discussion were implemented, who knows what karma it would attract, but it would definitely block some wealthy gentry’s money-making paths.”

Su Ming didn’t speak, only silently placed that document back on the table.

Professor Liu vented for a while, gradually calming down.

Seeing Su Ming’s dejected appearance, the anger in his eyes transformed into a trace of pity and guilt.

“Su Ming, today’s matter, forgive my outburst.”

He paused, his tone becoming earnest.

“You must also remember. In officialdom, doing things is difficult, accomplishing things is even harder. Having good strategies alone, without the authority to implement them or the means to maneuver, everything is empty talk.”

“Your policy discussion, no matter how well written, is merely paper articles in their eyes. Disturbing their leisure means making enemies of them. Touching their silver is even more like taking their lives.”

These words were more profound than any classics lesson at the County School.

Su Ming bowed respectfully. “This student… has been taught.”

He truly had been taught.

This was the most vivid, yet also most brutal, lesson he had received since entering this world.

“But…”

Professor Liu’s tone shifted, a glimmer of unyielding light rekindling in his eyes.

“Your policy discussion is not without value. At least, to me, it proves your ability, proves you’re not just a bookworm who only knows classical phrases.”

He picked up the rejected document, pointing at the words with his finger.

“Look here.” Professor Liu’s voice was very low. “The Assistant Magistrate, the Chief Clerk, the County Lieutenant. These esteemed officials didn’t even leave a proper annotation, only drew a circle and wrote the character ‘reviewed.’ Do you know why?”

Su Ming focused his gaze, his heart stirring.

“They… simply don’t care?”

“More than not caring.” Professor Liu gave a cold laugh, the smile full of icy mockery. “They’re waiting, waiting for the County Magistrate’s attitude. If the County Magistrate says ‘temporarily postpone,’ they can’t even be bothered to spend the effort to say one more word. This is called protecting oneself wisely, also called… accomplishing nothing.”

“This document appears to be the County Magistrate’s will alone, but in reality, it’s the collective sentiment of the entire Anyuan County officialdom—don’t bother me, don’t give me extra work.”

Professor Liu crumpled the document into a ball, casually tossing it into the paper basket in the corner. His movements were resolute, as if discarding a piece of garbage.

“So, Su Ming, remember.” He turned, his old eyes fixed on Su Ming, unprecedentedly serious. “If you want to accomplish things, either you have the authority that forces them to listen, or you have the influence that compels them to comply. Other than that, all reasoning is empty talk.”

“Today’s matter is good for you.” Professor Liu’s tone softened. “It lets you see the depth of these waters earlier, preventing you from diving headfirst in the future, not knowing how you died. Moreover, it’s not necessarily without any opportunity. All we can do now is wait. Wait for the County Magistrate to need this achievement, or wait for the next County Magistrate to see this policy discussion.”

Lin Yu quipped: “Hear that, disciple? This old man is a sensible person! Translated: officialdom has risks, entering requires caution! Our ‘Way of Survival’ theory has gained another heavyweight supporter! Congratulations, congratulations!”

Su Ming took a deep breath, performing a grand, respectful bow to Professor Liu.

“This student understands.”

This time, he truly understood.

Leaving Professor Liu’s courtyard, it was already dusk.

The setting sun stretched his shadow very long, cast on the bluestone road, solitary and desolate.

He didn’t return directly to his small courtyard, instead wandering aimlessly through the County School. The sound of reading aloud came from the classrooms. Students chased and played on the sports field. Everything was full of vibrant energy.

But all this seemed separated from him by an invisible membrane.

A sense of defeat surged like a tide, almost drowning him. For the first time, he discovered that the intelligence he took pride in, those calculations he thought were clever, were so fragile and laughable before real power.

“Master, am I very useless?” he asked softly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep