My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

"Ming'er... Ming'er..."

Shen Ru's voice suddenly rose, and she grabbed Lu Ming's arm.

She, who is usually gentle and quiet, was now stamping her feet like a child.

God knows how much pressure she's been under these days.

Although the gossip from her neighbors was unpleasant, she was well aware of her family's situation.

She was just gritting her teeth and enduring it because she didn't want to cause trouble for Lu Mingtian.

Lying on the wooden bed at night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Only when she heard her son's even breathing next door did she feel that she could still go on living.

At that moment, the surprise came so suddenly that she was momentarily at a loss, and a thin layer of tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

"Mother, I told you it would be alright, I'll take care of everything."

Lu Ming stood up and patted the back of her hand with a smile.

Looking at her son's face, Shen Ru suddenly felt at ease.

She nodded, a smile appearing on her lips, feeling as if the weight that had been pressing on her chest for the past few days had finally been lifted.

Lu Ming turned to look at the servant banging the gong at the door, casually took out a tael or two of silver from his pocket, and tossed it over:

"There isn't much money left at home, so I'll give you this as a reward."

The servant hurriedly caught it, bowing repeatedly.

"Thank you for the generous gift, Master Lu! Thank you for the generous gift, Master Lu!"

With that, he turned and ran out of the alley.

He also had to pass on these messages to the local gentry and collect a fee from each household for relaying them.

Running through this alley will wear down your lips and fill your pockets.

Immediately afterwards, the neighbors, disregarding everything else, swarmed around.

They seemed to have completely forgotten Lu Ming's refusal to help them last night, and also completely forgot their hurtful words from a few days ago.

Now, he has only one thought in mind: to establish a connection with the newly graduated martial arts student in the county.

Although it is only the lowest level of martial arts examination, a martial arts student is still eligible for official employment and a government salary.

After donning this tiger skin, no one dared to provoke him easily anymore.

Lu Ming remained indifferent, his hands hanging at his sides, showing no intention of paying attention.

These people were also adept at changing their tune depending on the situation, and they all turned around and rushed towards Shen Ru:

"Oh, Sister Shen, I knew Young Master Lu was a celestial being descended from heaven, destined for a bright future!"

"Indeed! It's all thanks to Sister Shen's excellent upbringing that Young Master Lu has become so successful. Who else in this whole alley is as fortunate as you?"

"Yes, when Master Lu passed away, you were so grief-stricken that everyone thought you were going to die. It was Young Master Lu who stayed by your side day and night and saved you. He is truly a filial son!"

"I wonder if Young Master Lu is married? My daughter is sixteen years old, exceptionally beautiful, and has excellent needlework skills..."

They were all incredibly enthusiastic, a stark contrast to their cold and indifferent demeanor just days before.

Even Lu Ming, who had lived two lives, was somewhat dumbfounded by the rapidly changing expression on his face.

Shen Ru smiled faintly, though she was displeased, she still responded politely and gently.

She was used to being cautious and prudent her whole life, and couldn't learn Lu Ming's calm and hard-edged nature, but she knew perfectly well what was going on in her heart:

She remembered the faces of these people.

After finally seeing the group off and closing the gate again, Shen Ru breathed a sigh of relief when there was another knock on the door.

This time, a different group of people arrived, with stewards and servants dressed in short jackets and belts coming to the door one after another.

"The Li family of the south of the city congratulates Young Master Lu on passing the county's martial arts exam and presents him with a bottle of Blood Pills as a parting gift!"

"The Song family of the west of the city congratulates Young Master Lu on passing the county's martial arts examination with flying colors, and hereby presents him with a residence in the south of the city. The land deed is here!"

"The Zhong family of Qingshui Lane congratulates Young Master Lu on passing the county's martial arts examination with flying colors. We are pleased to present you with one hundred taels of gold; please accept it with pleasure!"

One after another, footsteps and congratulatory greetings came from outside the door, like a revolving lantern.

Apart from the four powerful local gentry, almost all the local gentry, large and small, sent people to deliver generous gifts to their door.

Lu Ming stood inside the door, looking at the boxes and chests scattered all over the floor, and sneered inwardly.

These wealthy families have noses that are sharper than dogs; the moment the news spreads, the gifts arrive.

No one knew better than them who was behind someone who had offended the powerful Zhang and Wang clans and still managed to obtain the title of martial arts prodigy.

Liu Zhiyuan, the upright and just official of Yinhu County.

Presenting such a generous gift at this moment is both a way of building rapport and a way of testing the waters.

As for the four powerful clans, they wouldn't associate with a peasant for the sake of a martial arts student's title. Especially since this peasant had just fallen out with the Zhang and Wang families.

"Take it all, take it all."

Lu Ming bowed to each of the stewards and servants to express his gratitude and instructed them to bring the things in.

Shen Ru watched from the side, hesitant to speak, and only after everyone had left did she tug at Lu Ming's sleeve somewhat uneasily:

"Ming'er, is this... not a good idea?"

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes held the cautiousness characteristic of someone who had lived a life of poverty.

"I feel uneasy accepting these gifts."

"It's alright."

Lu Ming gently patted her hand:

"Anyway, their money isn't earned cleanly. If we don't accept it, they'll just give it to someone else."

Although Shen Ru's brows were still furrowed, she finally didn't say anything more.

"Young Master Lu... Miss Shen... please save my master..."

Just then, a series of rapid, panting sounds came from the alley entrance.

A plump woman scurried over, and when she got close, she practically lunged at Shen Ru, grabbing her hand. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she could barely speak coherently.

"Fan Wu... he's gone mad!"

Shen Ru quickly helped her up: "Sister Hu, what's wrong with Brother Fan? Tell me slowly."

Hu Sanniang was so anxious that she stamped her feet, and tears streamed down her face.

"He was just checking the list out of habit today, just to join in the fun... who knew, who knew he'd see his own name on the list... and then, then he went crazy!"

She gripped Shen Ru's hand tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

"He's acting like a madman, wandering all over the streets near the county government office! He keeps muttering 'I passed! I passed!'... I can't wake him up no matter what I do!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming's heart stirred, and he roughly guessed the reason.

Zhou Tao was originally another candidate sent by the Zhang family to the yamen, but he was the one whose neck was broken by him.

The spot became vacant, and somehow it ended up on Fan Wu's head.

Of course, Liu Zhiyuan may also be behind this, but now is not the time to delve into it.

"Aunt Hu, please rest at my house for a while and have some water."

Lu Ming gestured for Hu San Niang to move further inside the door:

"I'll go find Fifth Uncle right now, I'll make sure nothing happens to him."

Before he finished speaking, his figure blurred, and he had already darted out of the courtyard gate, disappearing around the corner of the alley in a few leaps.

……

In front of the county government office, beneath the screen wall.

A huge yellow notice hung high, and the sunlight shone on it, making the ink characters as clear as if they had been carved with a knife.

Wang Chenghu, Lin Susu, Hong Sanyuan... Lu Ming, Fan Wu, Zhang Yuquan (promoted to reserve positions).

Eleven names were prominently listed on the list, arranged from top to bottom.

The area in front of the screen wall was crowded with people—military men, commoners, peddlers, and idlers—a dense, dark mass.

They craned their necks, their eyes scanning the names, and chattered amongst themselves.

"Damn! How come Zhang Yuquan got a zero on the written exam? And he's supposed to be a candidate for promotion? How did he even make the list? Is he even going to stop pretending?!"

A burly young man slapped his thigh and shouted out indignation.

The words had barely left his mouth when his companion suddenly tugged at him, lowering his voice and urgently saying:

"Shh! Watch your mouth! The Zhang family isn't someone you can talk about!"

As he spoke, he gestured to the side with his lip.

The burly young man turned his head to look and saw two servants dressed in tight-fitting clothes standing on the outside of the crowd, their cold gazes sweeping over him.

He shrank back, swallowed the swear words that were about to come out, pulled his companion out of the crowd, and slunk into the alley.

On the other side of the crowd, Zhang Yuquan stared at his name on the list, his face ashen, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching twice.

He turned around abruptly and shouted at the servant standing behind him:

"What kind of work is Liu Tiezhu doing? Wasn't he supposed to change Lu Ming's written test score to zero? How come my score is zero now?"

His voice was very low, but it couldn't hide the ruthlessness in his words.

The servant was so frightened that he trembled, lowered his eyes, bowed, and shook.

"Young Master, I suspect... I suspect he made a mistake while attacking the exam hall, which is why this happened. I... I'll go find him and confront him right away!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Yuquan slapped him across the face.

With a sharp "smack," five red marks immediately appeared on the servant's left cheek.

He dared not raise his hand to cover it, gritted his teeth, bowed and took two steps back, and quickly ran towards the side gate of the county government office.

Zhang Yuquan stood still, clenching his fists.

"Lu Ming... Liu Zhiyuan!"

He looked up at the yellow notice, his teeth itching with hatred, and a chill ran through him as well.

Liu Zhiyuan dared to give him a zero on the written exam and then brazenly put him on the list; this was a blatant assertion of power.

You got 0 points on the written test, but if I want you to be on the list, you will be.

Isn't this a warning to the Zhang family?

Just then, the crowd suddenly stirred, and everyone's eyes turned to the street.

"Look! It's Fan Wu! He's back!"

"That old bastard, I don't know if he's lucky or unlucky. He took the exam for over twenty years, finally passed, and then he went insane!"

"Heh heh, serves him right! We can't even make the list, so why should this old geezer be on it!"

On the street, Fan Wu was walking with his head swaying.

His hair was disheveled, drool hung from the corner of his mouth, and his pipe was still tucked into his waistband, swaying with his unsteady steps.

He wore a silly grin, staring blankly ahead, muttering the same sentence over and over again:

"I got it... I got it... Hehe... I got it..."

People on both sides of the street surrounded him, pointing and whispering.

Wu was completely unaware and just kept walking forward.

Zhang Yuquan watched coldly from the crowd, when suddenly an inexplicable anger welled up inside him.

A sinister smile crept across his face as he muttered to himself:

"That old bastard hangs out with Lu Ming every day, it's so annoying to look at him. Since we can't deal with Lu Ming for the time being... we'll take it out on you first."

He pushed through the crowd and was about to step forward, but he stopped abruptly after taking only half an inch of his foot.

Not far away, a figure emerged from the crowd and stood steadily in front of Fan Wu.

Lu Ming.

Zhang Yuquan's pupils contracted slightly, his left foot hovering in mid-air, remaining motionless for a long time:

"Lu Ming... You have a path to heaven but choose not to take it, you have no way to hell but choose to walk into it yourself..."

He muttered through gritted teeth, but his feet hesitated to move.

On the day of the martial arts examination, the opponent's performance on the training ground was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head.

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it, repeating this three times, finally suppressing the urge to provoke him.

"Fine... let him run rampant for a couple of days. Someone will take care of him."

He stopped, turned his back, and hurried away.

At that moment, Lu Ming grabbed Fan Wu's shoulders and shook him violently:

"Fifth Uncle! It's me! Lu Ming! Wake up!"

Fan Wu's neck swayed back and forth as he shook him, but his empty eyes remained unfocused.

He just kept grinning foolishly, drool dripping from the corners of his mouth, and mumbling incoherently:

"I won...hehe...I won..."

Lu Ming sighed.

This is a time-travel story, and you even get to meet a fantasy version of Fan Jin passing the imperial examination.

This wicked imperial examination system has truly harmed countless people.

He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Fifth Uncle, I'm sorry."

Before he finished speaking, he clenched his right fist, tightened his grip, and delivered a clean and sharp straight punch to Fan Wu's abdomen.

With a muffled thud, Fan Wu's body suddenly bent over.

A violent bout of dry heaving came out of his throat, and a puddle of white foam appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His eyes darted around twice, then focused, as if he had been jolted awake by a bucket of ice water.

He raised his head, looked blankly at Lu Ming, then turned to look at the crowd of onlookers, and finally slowly swept his gaze over the yellow notice on the screen wall.

All the memories came flooding back in that instant.

After more than twenty years of wasted time, his long-cherished wish was finally fulfilled, but his restless mind broke free of its cage and dragged him into a state of chaos.

A bitter smile appeared on his deeply lined face. He slowly straightened up, supporting himself on Lu Ming's arm, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and resentment.

"You little brat... you hit so hard."

Lu Ming watched as he regained his senses, a slight smile playing on his lips, and gently patted his back.

"Strong medicine is needed for critical illnesses."

As he helped Fan Wu walk toward the roadside, a voice suddenly came from the entrance of the county government office:

"Hmm, it's quite lively. Yinhu County truly lives up to its reputation for martial arts, attracting so many talented individuals."

Wang An, dressed in the uniform of a constable, stood smiling on the stone steps in front of the county government office, his hands behind his back.

His short, stout body was shrouded in his uniform, and his round face held a gentle smile.

His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling firmly on Lu Ming.

Lu Ming felt a chill run through his body, as if he were being targeted by a venomous snake, and his hair stood on end.