The night was tranquil as Chen Xu watched the little hedgehog demon depart.

He had just learned many things, leaving him with a sense of calm joy.

His divine thoughts unknowingly spread out in all directions, but suddenly he heard a sharp cat meow: meow—

A most grating sound, coming from the alley behind the inn.

Chen Xu's divine thoughts instinctively sensed in that direction, and suddenly he felt an indescribable chaotic aura approaching him.

Oh no, it's the Demon Puppet!

This aura was exactly like the Demon Puppet Mouse Demon he had encountered in the mouse hole before.

Chen Xu immediately embraced the center, steadying his heart and spirit.

He saw a shadow swiftly flash under the window, leaping agilely onto the opposite courtyard wall, then suddenly turning back to let out a piercing cat cry.

A pair of blood-red glowing eyes stared straight at Chen Xu.

It was indeed the Demon Puppet.

The cat's body was covered in black spots, its brownish fur sparse, with a black bell hanging around its neck, which chimed faintly with its sudden leap.

The bell had a peculiar dizzying effect, but when Chen Xu sensed it, he realized that perhaps because of his strong divine soul, the dizziness didn't affect him.

However, Chen Xu immediately feigned a dazed demeanor, holding his forehead and swaying.

"What's happening? My head is spinning," he muttered, raising a hand to instantly close the window, then staggered a few steps while holding his head.

The oil lamp was knocked over, and as Chen Xu's sleeve brushed against the flame, the wick extinguished.

He fell back onto the bed, seemingly in a deep sleep.

This was, of course, an act; it was just one or two Demon Puppets, after all, of which Chen Xu was not truly afraid.

But he remembered how, during the demon puppet's demise in the She Jun Ruins, a strange curse seal had erupted, capable of marking its enemy.

Chen Xu's heart pounded at the memory; having just seen off the little hedgehog demon, he now saw the Demon Puppet again.

Were the two somehow connected?

Could it be that the Demon Puppet was hunting for the little hedgehog demon?

Luckily, Wei Yuan knew the Earth Escape Technique, making it difficult to capture.

Considering the two mouse demons at his home were also being hunted by Demon Puppets, Chen Xu couldn't help but suspect whether the "big figure" behind these puppets was targeting all little demons with spiritual qualities across the world.

Destroying a Demon Puppet risked getting marked by a curse seal, which was the greatest challenge Chen Xu currently faced with the Demon Puppets.

He needed to find a way to eliminate such a mark.

The night that was supposed to be calm and joyful ended up reigniting a strong sense of crisis and urgency within Chen Xu because of the Demon Puppet's appearance.

He couldn't help but worry once again about the two mouse demons at home, hoping the county examination would end soon, so he could achieve academic success and return home.

During the night, Chen Xu remained three parts vigilant.

He immersed his consciousness into the Fire and Smoke Kitchen. This immersion has a unique aspect — it did not hinder Chen Xu's awareness of the outside world.

In case of danger, with his current divine soul strength, he would often awaken instantly.

In the Fire and Smoke Kitchen, he repeatedly practiced diligently, also attempting to draw a newly learned Water-Repelling Talisman, applying it to his Mud Ball Daoist Soldier.

While there was still no way to solve the Demon Puppet mark issue, the water fear problem of the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier was resolved thanks to the Water-Repelling Talisman.

A pleasant surprise, indeed.

There were still some spiritual foods given by County Magistrate Feng previously in the Fire and Smoke Kitchen that were yet to be processed. Chen Xu chose the the Pill Jade Spirit Rice to cook porridge.

Truly, when tired of cooking, he read; when tired of reading, he cultivated; when cultivation became monotonous, he cooked again.

Stoking the fire, divining water, and fanning the flames were all part of cultivation.

Once progress was made in cultivation, anxiety often began to wane.

On the third day, when the provincial examination results were announced, Wu Zhengze stayed at the inn, forbidding the students from crowding to see the results, only sending a few cart drivers to copy the postings.

One of the drivers was also Wu Zhengze's long-time servant and was literate.

Wu Zhengze told the students, "The more tense the moment, the more you must keep your composure.

You are not allowed to go because the throng under the lists can get cramped and noisy, and if you're injured by accident, it might affect the academy test. To whom would you then reason?"

By his words, he believed that the students from County School should all pass the provincial examination.

It had always been like this; the Jichuan County School was unlike ordinary clan schools or private institutes.

If a student didn't have confidence in passing the provincial examination, the masters there wouldn't even permit them to participate.

Of course, passing the provincial examination was one thing, but the academy test was another matter.

Indeed, after the drivers returned with the copied results, joy was evident on their faces: "They all passed! They all passed! Master Chen indeed got the top spot!"

They excitedly started recounting stories of incidents under the list.

"Some were sour, saying Master Chen only got the bookworm's stroke of luck because his test poems were good enough.

In fact, his answers in the first two tests might not necessarily be stronger than other talented people from Yunjiang Prefecture...

Hey, guess what happened?

When Master Chen's three test answers were posted, everyone was dumbfounded.

In the first test, over a hundred questions with not a single mistake! The second test, which reportedly had the difficult questions on mathematics and legal orders, was perfectly answered too.

The few who were talking big quickly covered their faces and slunk away."

At this vivid recounting, Wu Zhengze smiled slightly.

That night, some were joyous, others miserable.

Some had failed the provincial examination multiple times and wailed, getting drunk, with their family experiencing intense sorrow around them.

Others just scraped through, feeling both happy and worried.

With the provincial exam being so challenging, how much more difficult would the academy test be? So they refused all distractions, shutting themselves away for intense study. Even if it was a last-minute effort, they needed to keep doing their best.

Among the few who ranked at the top, their strength was enough, as their original goal was the first place.

But there is only one first place, and it was early seized by Chen Xu.

"Jichuan County, Chen Xu!"

At this moment, sighs could be heard from several households.

There were also those who gritted their teeth in helplessness, resolved to strive harder, hoping to surpass him.

Cui Yunqi analyzed with Cui Jingxian, "The provincial exams take place every year, this year is not considered a major year, but there are a few who need to be watched.

Zhang Mingyuan from Zhuxi County could recite the Four Books backward at the age of eleven, and Zhou Zhuo from Yunheng County could write poetry at seven. Although he hasn't penned the Cyan Smoke Poem, his literary talent is still esteemed by the world.

The Wei Family, hum, Wei Tang is a waste. But their concubine-born child Wei Song has always been deep in scheming and is by no means simple.

This time, these few rank in the top ten, not formidable enemies, yet they require attention."

As he spoke, he had actually already sent out quite a few people.

On one hand, to protect Chen Xu from afar, and on the other, to keep a close watch on the Wei Family.

"Wei Tang was castrated, and as I say, he deserved it. Over the years, who knows how many innocent girls he has harmed? If not, why are others not castrated in the Ghost Market?

Now, Wei Tang is completely wasted, and his father is using this as an excuse to extort the Wang Family.

Inevitably, from now on, the Wei Family will belong to Wei Song, this person is insidious and must be watched."

Hearing this, Cui Jingxian hesitated slightly and said, "Yunqi, do you mean Wei Song might make a move against Brother Chen?

He wouldn't be that foolish, would he? Brother Chen is now in the limelight, if Wei Song dared to do such a thing, wouldn't he be afraid of being jointly targeted by everyone when found out?"

"When a vile person gains favor, he tends to become arrogant, it's important not to overestimate his nature.

The title of first place in the provincial exam sounds good. Especially Brother Chen, who took first place during the prefecture exam by knocking the bell with the Bookworm method.

If someone could surpass him, that would be quite a feat.

If Wei Song wants to completely suppress Wei Tang and gain control in the Wei Family, he might not avoid making a foolish move.

In any case, cautiousness won't cause harm."

What Cui Yunqi didn't tell Cui Jingxian was that his men had already blocked quite a few "admirers" from visiting Chen Xu at the inn.

He had also secretly instructed the inn's shopkeeper to ensure the inn remained guarded, and not to allow anyone to disturb Chen Xu's peace.

Time flowed away, like quicksilver spilling onto the ground.

In the past few days, Chen Xu had been studying behind closed doors with his fellow County School classmates, Master Wu continued to provide him with extra tutoring, and Feng Yuanbai often came at night to lecture him.

As expected, the hedgehog Little Demon Wei Yuan did not come over again as he previously stated.

Chen Xu also hadn't detected any trace of the Demon Puppet again.

If not for him having truly learned the Water-Repelling Talisman and the mysterious fire seed still nurturing inside him, the encounter that night with the little hedgehog in the bookcase would have seemed like a dream.

The little hedgehog's words, "Some evil ghosts wear the skins of humans to enter the Mortal World," were words that Chen Xu had not yet encountered.

But Chen Xu kept these words in his mind and remained secretly vigilant.

On April 11, the Imperial Examination Hall sealed its doors once again.

This time, the chief examiner entering the Imperial Examination Hall was the educational inspector Su Quan, along with three vice examiners.

One was Prefect Ding Qian, the second was the Governor from the Celestial South Dao, Zhao Ji, and the third was the retired former attendant of the Ministry of Rites, Sun Heling.

During the prefecture exam, there were over three thousand seven hundred examinees.

By the time of the provincial exam, there were only seven hundred and forty left.

The top twenty percent of the total number entered the provincial exam, and this year, Yunjiang Prefecture had a total of eighty-two Scholar spots.

Not small, but certainly not large either.

On April 16, the sky was still murky and dim.

Before dawn, the sun had yet to rise, and the students were already setting out early, all heading towards the Imperial Examination Hall.

This time, Wu Zhengze personally escorted them, sitting with Chen Xu and Xu Wenyuan in the front carriage.

In the middle carriage rode another master, Yao Qing, along with three other students.

Wang Mochuan brought up the rear in the last carriage.

The sound of horse hooves resonated up front, and through the curtain, the hustle and bustle of the entire street seemed audible.

The annual provincial exam was about to begin again, and the crowds from all directions, like rivers converging into the sea, were all pouring towards the Imperial Examination Hall.

The examinees, the escorts, the spectators...

People carried lanterns, treading on the barely visible starlight, rushing towards another year of fierce competition.

The carriage moved slowly, as the swelling crowd created a chaotic atmosphere.

Suddenly, without knowing how, chaos broke out.

A carriage ahead suddenly toppled onto the ground, and with a loud neigh, the horse pulling the carriage broke free of its reins, whinnying as it charged towards the carriage carrying Chen Xu and others.

Not good!

Wu Zhengze's face changed, he reached out to pull open the curtain, swiftly moving his hand to his waist to draw out his pen.

But from the side, a nimble figure in tight-fitting attire shot out, shouting, "Vile beast, how dare you rampage!"

That figure leapt onto the horse's back, raised a fist, and struck the horse's head, making it neigh miserably before staggering as if drunk.

Just as the chaos seemed to be calming, on the edge of the street, Cui Yunqi's guards were about to leave with a disheveled old crone in custody—

"Take this person away, find out her origins..."

Cui Yunqi, eyes fixed on the horse about to fall in the street, casually pointed at the old crone the guards were holding.

Unexpectedly, during this brief distraction, the old crone somehow managed to break free from the guards, darting into the crowd like a phantom.

Then she cried out loudly, "Kind people, save an old lady and her family! We can't go on living, help..."

With a thump, she collapsed in front of the carriage Chen Xu was in.

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