After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

Lin Chu sat down again, and the two started talking about the palace examination again.

"Although the palace examination doesn't only test policy essays, I believe that as long as you maintain your current level, becoming the top scholar is a sure thing," Zhou Tingfu said casually, as if stating a matter of course. Then, he changed the subject and asked, "Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Lin Chu hesitated for a moment.

Zhou Tingfu looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Teacher, I would like to ask you about the destiny of a dynasty."

Zhou Tingfu's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He didn't answer immediately, but leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and slowly took a sip, as if considering where to begin.

"I thought you would ask about the imperial examination." He put down his teacup and smiled. "It's quite unexpected."

He stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and took down a scroll of bamboo slips from the top shelf.

The bamboo slips were very old, with rounded edges, and the leather straps tied to them had been replaced several times.

He unfolded the bamboo slips and placed them on the table. Lin Chu did not recognize any of the characters carved on them—the strokes were crooked and looked like a very ancient script.

"Fortune is the people's hearts." Zhou Tingfu's voice slowed down. "Royal fortune is something that the royal family enjoys alone. They are born with it and others cannot learn it. But the fortune of officials is different—the fortune of officials comes from the people. If the people love and respect you, you will have fortune. The more people who love and respect you, the more abundant your fortune will be."

"So," Lin Chu carefully chose her words, "even those who can't cultivate can use magic through luck?"

"Yes, this is called officialdom, using luck instead of spiritual power." Zhou Tingfu dipped his fingertip in tea and drew a circle on the table. "With luck, one can prolong life, be immune to all diseases, and ward off all evil. These are the most basic benefits. The deeper one's luck, the greater one's abilities. If one can reach the position of one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers and gain the support of the people, one's strength will be comparable to that of even Nascent Soul or Void Refinement cultivators."

"Especially in Yujing City." Zhou Tingfu pointed to the ground beneath his feet. "The capital city is protected by the nation's fortune, and the luck here is even stronger. If official techniques are used in the capital, their power will increase by three times. Otherwise, wouldn't enemy countries only need to send a few cultivators to kill the officials in the court at will? Then this world would have been in chaos long ago."

Lin Chu's heart skipped a beat: "If I use up my Qi, can I recover it?"

Zhou Tingfu shook his head: "Luck is a consumable. It diminishes with each use. Unlike cultivators who can replenish their luck by absorbing spiritual energy, the only way to restore luck is to continue serving as an official, continuing to work for the people, and continuing to win their hearts. It's very difficult." He paused, "Therefore, those who cultivate officialdom never act lightly. Every bit of luck is like their life, and they will never waste it unless absolutely necessary."

After listening, Lin Chu remained silent for a while, then stood up, clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed deeply: "Thank you for your explanation, teacher."

Zhou Tingfu waved his hand: "You'll find out sooner or later."

The setting sun shone through the window and fell on the teacup between the two people.

The study was quiet for a short while.

Zhou Tingfu stood up, walked to the window, opened it, and looked outside.

"It's getting late, you should go and rest. Your accommodations have been arranged. If you have any questions in the days leading up to the exam, feel free to come and ask me."

Lin Chu responded, bowed again, and turned to leave.

As he reached the door, Zhou Tingfu called out to him.

"Lin Chu."

Lin Chu turned around.

"Do your best on the exam." Zhou Tingfu looked at him, the setting sun casting a long shadow. "With your talent, there's no need to be nervous. Just treat the palace examination like you're chatting with me in the study today."

Lin Chu nodded and pushed open the door to the study.

Zhou Caiwei followed closely behind.

"Come on, I'll take you to your lodgings." She walked beside me, her steps light and quick. After a few steps, she turned back. "Young Master Lin, are you really the same age as me?"

"It should be."

"You look older than my dad." She laughed after saying that, then added, "But you're better looking than I expected. I thought the top scorer in the exam would be an old man."

Lin Chu smiled but didn't reply.

Zhou Caiwei didn't mind and continued walking ahead.

After passing through a corridor and a moon gate, he was led to a secluded courtyard.

"This is it. The house has been cleaned, the charcoal fire is lit, and the bedding is new."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at him again, then turned and left.

Lin Chu stood in the courtyard, not going into the house immediately, and looked up.

Fine snowflakes drifted down from the gray sky and landed on his hair.

Lin Chu recalled the poem he had carved on the old locust tree by the stream a month ago, and the person who had said he would get soaked in the snow with him.

He looked down at the small water stain on his palm, a slight smile playing on his lips, and then closed his hand as if to hold the melted snowflake in his palm.

……

In the days that followed, Lin Chu spent most of her time in the small courtyard of the Zhou residence.

The courtyard is small, but it's quiet and peaceful.

He gets up early every day to read, takes a walk around the yard at noon to stretch his muscles, and continues reading in the afternoon.

He read through the bamboo scrolls Zhou Tingfu gave him several times, making annotations in some places, intending to ask for their guidance when they met again.

Zhou Caiwei would come every now and then.

Lin Chu learned that she was Lord Zhou's youngest daughter.

Sometimes she carries a plate of osmanthus cake, sometimes a pot of hot tea, and sometimes she just passes by without carrying anything.

She always had a legitimate reason for coming—"My dad asked me to ask you if you have enough charcoal," "The kitchen made an extra plate of snacks," "My dad asked me to bring this book to you"—but Lin Chu noticed that after delivering the items, she would always stand in the yard for a while longer, finding some casual conversation to chat about.

"Young Master Lin, what is your hometown, Qinghe Village, like?"

"Young Master Lin, what do you do besides studying?"

"Young Master Lin, is it fun over there?"

Lin Chu answered one by one.

Although his answer wasn't indifferent, he didn't say much more.

She asked him three questions, and he answered one.

It's not that we can't see it.

It is precisely because it is obvious that I deliberately maintain a distance.

He doesn't dislike Zhou Caiwei.

This girl is straightforward, speaks without hesitation, and doesn't act like a typical daughter of an official.

But the light in her eyes every time she came seemed to remind me of the Cang Yao I saw in her early days.

Lin Chu didn't want her to misunderstand, nor did she want to cause trouble for herself.

The snow stopped that afternoon.

Lin Chu put down her book, stood up and stretched her shoulders, deciding to go for a walk.

This was the first time he had gone out alone since arriving in Yujing City.

There were many people on the street.

The snow on the roadside was swept to both sides.

The shops were all open, and the shop assistants were stamping their feet to keep warm at the door, their breath steaming in the air.

Lin Chu walked slowly, crossing two streets before turning into a slightly narrower alley.

The alley was lined with bookstores and pen and ink shops, their signs packed tightly together.

Stepping into an old-fashioned shop, the storefront was small, with a black plaque with gold lettering hanging above the door that read "Shan Hai Ge" (Mountain and Sea Pavilion).

The shop was dimly lit, and the owner was an old man in his sixties, wearing reading glasses, who was hunched over the counter calculating with an abacus.

Hearing the door open, he looked up at Lin Chu, then lowered his head to continue calculating on the abacus.

"Look around as you like."

Lin Chu walked slowly among the bookshelves, her gaze sweeping over the rows of book spines, finally stopping on a shelf in the far corner.

The shelf was filled with some unusual miscellaneous books—geographical treatises, water conservancy diagrams, and river survey notes left by the previous dynasty.

My fingers traced the dusty spines of the books before stopping at a long roll wrapped in oilcloth.

He unfolded the tarpaulin, revealing a map inside.

The paper was yellowed and the edges were somewhat torn, but the lines on it were still clear.

The mountains and rivers of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty are all depicted on it.

Lin Chu recalled what Ao Tianxin had said.

To travel across the river, one must use the power of the floodwaters to go downstream, encountering countless obstacles along the way—talismans on bridge piers, dragon-locking chains in dams, and dragon-slaying swords under bridge arches.

These things have no effect on ordinary people, but they are specifically targeted at the demons who travel along the river.

He must start preparing now.

The direction of every river, the location of every bridge, the distribution of every pass—these may all be useful in the future.

"Shopkeeper," he said, rolling up the map again, "how much for this map?"

The shopkeeper looked up and glanced at him over his reading glasses: "Are you a scholar?"

"Yes."

"This map is from the previous dynasty, it's an old thing. Some of the waterways on it have changed course. You can only use it as a reference if you buy it." The shopkeeper pushed the abacus aside. "If you want it, take it for three qian of silver."