Everyone disembarked as excitedly as if they had been released from prison. Even Bai Ruozhu noticed that his calm second brother's eyes were shining, and as soon as they reached the shore, he stretched his arms and legs.
People from the North were not accustomed to long boat journeys, and now they had reached the Jiangnan Region, a place that scholars and aspiring talents dreamed of visiting. Thus, the students from the Beiyu Study Palace were somewhat thrilled, even Dang Youshen, who had been there twice before, became excited—the prospect of seeing a doctor about his throat condition was on his mind.
Dang Youshen's throat had worsened by the day; eventually, he could hardly speak. The head of the academy had become worried and was about to ask Bai Ruozhu for help, but seeing that Dang Youshen had no other ailments except for a raspy throat, he could only advise him to relax and not to fixate on matters unrelated to the competition.
