Chapter 169: 115 Perfect Answer Sheet! (Two updates in one)

Lin Chengye began writing vigorously.

Feng Lin, in the back row exam room, couldn’t help but chuckle a couple of times after seeing the questions.

When Xiao Liulang tutored Lin Chengye, he eavesdropped in, and when Lin Chengye was afraid of Xiao Liulang, he would sometimes go through the test papers himself. If he thought there were no problems, he would only then show them to Xiao Liulang.

In this back-and-forth way, he managed to memorize the “Classic of Filial Piety.”

If it weren’t for the strict discipline of the examination site, Feng Lin would already be humming a little tune.

Just from this one examination, the difficulty of the examiners’ questions was simply nothing compared to the devilish difficulty that Xiao Liulang made them endure.

Other candidates were not as calm as the three of them. They didn’t expect this year’s questions to be beyond the scope of their usual study materials. This was killing them!

However, those who could make it to the provincial examination generally had a pretty resilient mentality. Although they were screaming and roaring in their hearts, they just gritted their teeth and kept writing.

This year’s autumn heat was intense. It was already very hot when they entered the day before, but today was even hotter.

The examination room was narrow and poorly ventilated. Not long after the exam started, the students were already sweating profusely.

The bolder candidates started to disrobe. Though it didn’t look proper, the discipline of the exam site has always been that as long as they didn’t cheat, the examiners would even ignore them if they defecated or farted.

By noon, when the sun was directly overhead, the examination room got much hotter. All the candidates felt like they were being roasted on an iron plate.

Finally, a candidate from the provincial city fainted from heat.

This candidate, being from a wealthy family and never having suffered before, was not as resilient to high temperatures as those candidates born from poorer families, who were used to hard physical work.

The proctor was keeping an eye on him. He better wake up on his own, because once someone carries him out of the exam room, he will not be allowed to return to the site.

After waiting a while, the candidate still didn’t respond, so the proctor had to call the guard to take him outside for medical attention.

As soon as the guard took him to the door of the Imperial College, he woke up. He cried and pleaded to return to the test, but the rules of the examination site would not be broken for anyone, not even if it were a prince.

Therefore, the Imperial Examination demanded many things from candidates. Not only was a strong mentality necessary but a healthy body as well. Otherwise, they would not be able to withstand the high pressure of the examination.

This little incident also added a lot of pressure to the other candidates. Plus, the weather was truly getting hotter. Everyone felt as if their examination room had turned into a large oven.

At first, the candidates who kept their dignity and refused to undress, now no longer cared and undressed anyway. Not taking off their underwear was the last respect they had for the examination room!

Xiao Liulang also felt the heat. In the past, he would have probably fainted by now. However, in the past six months, Gu Jiao insisted on him doing her health-check regimen every day without fail. Even when he was away for exams, she would make sure someone like Feng Lin would supervise him.

At first, he thought that all her efforts were in vain. He seemed unable to shake off the gloomy shadow in his heart and he could not stand like a normal person.

Only now did he understand that all her hard work had not gone to waste. His body had become much stronger.

Half an hour later, the temperature in the examination room reached its peak, and two more candidates fainted from the heat. All the candidates were irritable and dizzy and could no longer think properly.

Xiao Liulang took off his coat. Still not enough, his eyes suddenly fell on the bundle by his side.

He opened the bundle and took out a small green bottle that Gu Jiao asked Feng Lin to bring. He smeared a few drops on his temples and forehead. Instantly, a cool sensation spread throughout his body, and he was immediately refreshed and clear-minded.

All the heat subsided at this moment. He settled down and continued grinding out his answers.

It was only when the sun went down that the weather lost its intense heat. After a day of exams, all the candidates were wiped out, not knowing whether it was due to the test or the sun.

Thanks to Gu Jiao’s miraculous medicine, Xiao Liulang, Feng Lin, and Lin Chengye were more relaxed than the other candidates.

During the day, no one felt like eating. Now that the weather had cooled, they finally remembered to eat.

However, to the candidates’ dismay, the food they had brought was all spoiled due to the heat!

The faint smell of spoiled food filled the examination room, causing the proctors to pinch their noses.

But soon, a sweet citrusy smell wafted in. It was oranges! Their peels would spray out a hand full of fresh oil. They were left unspoiled!

Gurgle~

A candidate’s stomach grumbled.

Soon after, everyone began to salivate. The oranges were too fragrant; sour and sweet…

Xiao Liulang ate an orange, then took out a piece of dried meat and a cookie. Due to the water being dried out, the cookie and dried meat didn’t spoil, and neither did the pickled vegetables.