Chapter 31 Application (1/2)

Ergouzi destroyed his master's earthen house with one sword, and he was also frightened by the huge power of the sword.

However, after this sword attack, the heavy sword he spent 100 taels of silver to build had its body broken into a pile of small iron pieces.

The infuriating energy stored in the dantian was completely consumed, with not a trace left.

When I left Sanchazi Town, I felt a little empty while walking.

After returning to Shekou Mountain, it took three days for the true energy in the Dantian to return to normal.

It was Master who was experienced and saw the problem at a glance.

Ergouzi just couldn't control his power well at that time. After pouring his true energy into the sword, he was on the verge of losing control.

If he hadn't thrust out the sword in time, his entire right arm might have been blown to pieces by the zhenqi like the sword.

When he thought about it afterwards, he felt a little scared.

Therefore, learning any skill requires the guidance of a famous teacher. The master can see through his mistakes at a glance and save him from taking many detours.

Ergouzi was very lucky to meet a famous teacher.

Although he didn't fully understand what he was asking for advice from Master this time, it also pointed out the direction of his cultivation and strengthened his confidence.

After the zhenqi in his body returned to normal, he often wondered how to control the zhenqi freely and how to better control the zhenqi.

It's just that the true energy he cultivated is so powerful that ordinary objects can't withstand his true energy.

The expensive heavy sword in his hand was also destroyed, and he still had to build a new one.

Just consuming one sword at a time cost 100 taels of silver. The cost was too high and it was a bit painful.

But in order to practice peerless martial arts and to test martial arts talents, you have to spend more money.

It just so happened that, counting the time, Wu Xiucai's application was about to begin. He went to the county seat to get a new sword and asked about the application.

For this reason, he prepared another stone of ordinary Dali Pills and sold them to Sima Yi, asking him to help exchange them for more than 20 Peiyuan Guben Pills.

Then I found the original sword shop and remade a 120-pound epee.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the family in the sword shop had strange eyes.

And this time is obviously different from the past, a bit too polite.

The old man actually came forward in person, invited him to sit down and talk, poured him a cup of tea, and served him some exquisite and delicious refreshments.

The other party was too polite, which made Ergouzi feel uncomfortable. He only sat for a while and then left.

Let’s first inquire about applying for the exam.

The registration and examination affairs of Wu Xiucai were under the jurisdiction of the County Academic Affairs Office.

Ergouzi was standing at the gate of Xuezheng Yamen, carefully rubbing the mud off the soles of his shoes, brushing off the dust on his clothes, and arranging his hair before walking inside.

"stop!"

There was a loud shout, and a man was picking his teeth and half-dressed walking out of the concierge.

"Do you know where this place is!"

"Is this something you can enter?"

"Country people really don't know the rules."

Obviously, the concierge regarded Ergouzi as an ordinary farmer in the countryside, and looked very impatient and disgusted.

"I want to ask..."

Ergouzi was interrupted before he even asked, and the concierge waved him away.

"Get out! Get out!"

"I'm here to apply, I want to apply!"

The concierge was startled when he heard this, and looked at it for a while.

The skin of the person in front of him was tanned, and his clothes had been washed away and were worn in many places.

There are black cracks criss-crossing the palms, which makes them look like farmers who have been farming for a long time.

"Just you?"

"Do you know what should be tested? How should it be tested?"

The concierge looked disdainful. Based on his decades of experience, he was definitely just an ordinary little farmer in front of him.

"That's right! I just don't know this, so I wanted to find out!"

Ergouzi thought to himself, if I knew everything, I wouldn't need to ask you.

"roll!"

"You don't know anything, yet you dare to come here to entertain me!"

The concierge yelled loudly, with a fierce look on his face, like a vicious dog baring its teeth and about to pounce.

Ergouzi was kicked out of the door, but he was unwilling to leave just like that.

I remembered the last time I worked with Huang Laocai. Every check and card in the yamen required money.

He took out a broken piece of silver from his arms, which weighed about two or three coins, and handed it to the man.

The concierge took the broken silver from Er Gouzi's hand and weighed it secretly. He should have about two coins and six cents, and he could go to Yihong Courtyard to play around.

He put the broken silver into his sleeve, but he still didn't give a good look and looked impatient.

"If you want to know anything, just ask."

"I just want to know how to register for the martial arts examination and how to take the examination. I want to register."

Ergouzi took advantage of the money he had just spent to quickly raise all his questions.

"It's easy to sign up. Just take your household registration list and you can sign up at the government office."

"Household registration list? Where should I go to apply for it? In addition to this, do I need anything else?"

Ergouzi didn't have this thing and needed to go get it. He thought about what he had just spent money on, so he wanted to ask clearly at once to avoid making many trips.

"There's so much nonsense!"

"If you don't understand, go back and ask your elders and ask where you are going in the village."

The concierge was asked a series of questions and became furious, and wanted to drive the two dogs away again.

Obviously, the three coins spent just now can only maintain a very short-term harmony.

Either keep sending money, or get out.

Ergouzi chose to get out.

And he rolled back to his Shexi Village overnight without stopping.

He remembered that Huang Laocai had always been the head of Shexi Village.

To ask for help again, Ergouzi went to the town to buy a piece of pork.

Only after he sent the pork out did he realize that he had gone to the wrong door again.

Since the last incident, Huang Laocai not only lost all his land, but also lost his position as head of the village this year.

Now the head of Shexi Village is Ergouzi's uncle.

Ergouzi felt that he would definitely be troubled by his uncle or cousin again.

"If you need a household registration list, you can go directly to the town and find the township head, and you can handle it directly there."

After Huang Laocai understood Ergouzi's intention, he gave him instructions.

"Well, I'm free anyway, so I'll go with you to find the township chief."

"I used to have some friendship with the township chief, but I haven't had any contact with him in the past year. I think we can still have some feelings."

"Thank you very much!"

Er Gouzi felt that the pork he had just sent was still very valuable. Huang Laocai was as reliable as ever. No wonder he was the richest man back then.

The three coins spent by the Educational Office were worse than feeding a dog. If you feed a dog a pile of shit, the dog can at least help you lick the shit off your butt.

The doorman ate his shit and bared his teeth at him and bit him.

The two went straight to Sanchazi Town. There was a large courtyard with blue bricks and blue tiles in the east of the town, which was the home of the township chief.

The two bought a fish in the town and now stood at the door of the township chief's house.

Huang Laocai spit some saliva on his hands, tidied up his messy hair, and helped Er Gouzi smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes.

"The township chief is a cultured man, with the title of Wen Xiucai. You should learn to be more polite when we meet later."

"Okay."

The two tugged at their sleeves, adjusted the hems of their clothes, wiped the mud off their feet, and then walked in.

The township chief received the two in a living room.

The floor of the living room was painted with lime and tung oil, and it looked as bright as a mirror.

Even though the two carefully wiped the soles of their shoes outside, they still left two rows of footprints on the ground.

Huang Laocai and Er Gouzi bowed and apologized quickly, and the township chief sat on the chair and nodded slightly, indicating that it was okay.

After explaining the purpose of the visit, the township chief did not make things difficult for Er Gouzi, and helped Er Gouzi to complete the household registration list.

He also encouraged Er Gouzi a few words.

Er Gouzi took the hard-earned household registration list, and did not even have time to eat a bite of food, and rushed to the county town without stopping.

The doorman of the Educational Office refused to let him in. After receiving three coins of silver, he took a look at the household registration in Er Gouzi's hand.

"You can't do this. You need to get a stamp from the county office."

Then he turned hostile and kicked Er Gouzi out.

Er Gouzi was angry, but he couldn't do anything about the doorman.

Even if he was a guard dog, he was a dog in the government office, more noble than the farmers like them.

He could only go to the county office with a smile and give several silver coins before a red stamp was stamped on the household registration.

He took the stamped household registration to the Educational Office and gave three coins of silver.

When he thought he could register this time, the doorman threw it back.

"Have you paid the taxes?"

"Yes."

"There is no official seal on it!"

Er Gouzi could only be dejected and go to the county office to find someone again.

In this way, he went back and forth 28 times, stamped 18 official seals, and gave silver 87 times, and finally got through the connections and entered the academic office.

In the hall of the academic office, there was only one clerk working.

After this torture, Er Gouzi put on a familiar smile, handed over the silver, and then talked about business.

"You are very sensible."

The clerk took the silver, praised Er Gouzi for a rare sentence, and then took the thick pile of materials in his hand.

"Where is the recommendation letter?"

"What recommendation?"

Er Gouzi was confused. He had run so many times, but he had never heard of any recommendation.

"You don't even know this, why do you still apply? Go back and farm your land well."

The clerk threw the materials at Er Gouzi and tried to drive him out.

Er Gouzi could only quickly take out a piece of silver and offer it.

"Please, can you tell me?"

Sure enough, when dealing with the government, you have to spend money to communicate normally.

"Whether it's civil or military, you must have three scholars to recommend you before you are eligible to register for the exam."

"Ah?"

Er Gouzi was a little confused. He was a peasant. Where could he find three scholars to write a letter of recommendation for him?

He only knew Zhang Youliang, a scholar who wanted him dead. How could he write a letter of recommendation?

Moreover, where could he find the other two scholars? How could he have such a big face?

He had practiced hard for so many years and knew that now was not the time to be stingy with money. He quickly took out a large piece of silver, at least one or two taels.

"If there is no letter of recommendation, is there any way to make compromises?"

"No!"

"This is the rule set by the court. No one can change it. You will be beheaded."

When Er Gouzi walked out of the academic office, he was dejected, as if he had been beaten repeatedly dozens of times.

Why is there such a rule? What should he do if he has no connections or background?

Worry!

After practicing hard for so many years and going back and forth for so long, he was finally stopped by the registration stage.

Walking aimlessly on the street, I unknowingly arrived at the entrance of Huichun Hall.

Er Gouzi's heart brightened. Sima Yi was a local snake in the city. Maybe he could do something about it.

"Brother Ergou, I have already replaced the Peiyuan Gubenwan Pills you asked for last time."

Sima Yi saw Er Gouzi and took out more than twenty porcelain bottles from the cabinet, which were filled with Peiyuan Gubenwan.

"Oh, I was busy with other things during this time, and I almost forgot about the pills."

"Why are you so busy that you have forgotten the Peiyuan Gu Ben Wan? This is a few hundred taels of silver. If you don't come again, I will be greedy."

Sima Yi noticed that Er Gouzi was not looking well and asked half-jokingly.

"Oh! Just some annoying things."

Although the two have known each other for a year or two, they have not had any in-depth interactions.

Ergouzi organized his words in his mind, not knowing how to speak.

After all, this place is not like a yamen, where the relationship is purely about money. You can just use money to open the way, but it is simpler and more direct.

"Hahaha! You have helped me a lot over the years, and I was just planning to thank you. Today I will be my host. Let's go to Hongyan Tower for a meal, and then talk about your troubles."

When Sima Yi mentioned Hongyan Tower, Er Gouzi remembered that the food there was extremely expensive. A small piece of fish cost several taels of silver, and he shook his head quickly.

"It's too expensive!"

"Brother Ergou, you may not know that one of my brothers has taken your pills and his cultivation level has greatly improved. He is already preparing to take the martial arts examination."

"So I must thank you very much!"

When Sima Yi said this, he looked sincere.

Although everyone can practice cultivation, if there is a lack of resources, the path of cultivation will not go far.

But there are only so many resources in the entire Anchang County, and most of them are in the hands of the county magistrate.

Although the Sima family has some resources, the family has a large population and a lot of expenses, so each person can not get much.

But Ergouzi was shocked at this moment. He knew that only scholars were qualified to take the examination.

It is true that there is no way out of mountains and rivers, and there is another village with dark flowers and bright flowers.

"Is your brother a scholar?"

"Hey! You are not a master, you are just an ordinary scholar and martial artist!"

Sima Yi said casually, not taking the scholar seriously at all and showing no awe at all.

But Er Gouzi was very excited and asked cautiously.

"Do you know many scholars?"

"It's not too many. There are eight scholars in the family, and I know a few scholars in the county. I only know a dozen or twenty in total."

Ergouzi was ecstatic!

In the past, he only knew that Sima Yi's family should be in good condition, and he was considered a local snake.

Unexpectedly, there were eight Wu Xiucai in his family who could only occasionally pass the exam because of the smoke coming out of their ancestral graves.

"Brother Sima, big brother! I want to ask you for a favor!"

At this moment, Er Gouzi wanted to hold Sima Yi's thigh and call him brother.

"What help? As long as I can help, I will do my best."

"It's like this..."

Ergouzi recounted his experience of being tortured to death by the yamen since he applied for the exam.

Sima Yi was filled with indignation after hearing this.

"Is the scribe you're talking about a bit crooked at the corner of his mouth?"

"Yes."

Ergouzi remembered clearly that every time the scribe received money, he would smile crookedly.

"Hmph! Cheng Waizui is getting more and more outrageous. He uses chicken feathers as arrows and needs to be beaten again."

"I can help you get the letter of recommendation tomorrow, and I will accompany you to the Xuezheng Yamen the day after tomorrow."