At night, Chu Ning had a dream.
In the dream, he encountered the little Daoist apprentice from Mount Sanqing.
At this moment, the little Daoist apprentice wore a wronged expression, suffering a scolding from an elderly Daoist.
"Two Longevity Fruits, a common person consuming one can prolong life for tens of thousands of years, taking the second will not increase life span any further, but the power of the Longevity Fruit will be stored within the body, constantly increasing one's strength daily—you have harmed this person."
"The Snake Spirit was subdued by your master, tasked with guarding the mountain gate, daring only to devour the essence of heaven and earth, not venturing to commit such outrageous acts as consuming humans. This person barged in rashly, at most the Snake Spirit would have scared him off, but you fed him these two Longevity Fruits, and that's what sparked the Snake Spirit's murderous intent. By swallowing this person, it could offset tens of thousands of years of cultivation and escape from the Blessed Land of Cave Heaven."
Chu Ning was stunned upon hearing this.
So the giant snake would have devoured him because he ate two Longevity Fruits?
Was that little Daoist apprentice well-intentioned but ultimately did wrong?
"Master, your disciple realizes his mistake."
"This person was but a mortal who stumbled into the Blessed Land of Cave Heaven by chance. A day in the Blessed Land is ten years in the mundane world. If you had been kind-hearted, providing him a sip of Spiritual Spring water to replenish ten years of life would have sufficed.
"You gave him two Longevity Fruits, which should have been a rare fortune, but this person's fate was too weak to enjoy such blessings; this is something destined in the mysterious workings of heaven. From now on, do not make the same mistake..."
"Disciple understands."
...
...
"Damn his weak fate!"
Chu Ning woke up, his gaze flickering. If the content of the dream were true, did the body he now inhabited after transmigration retain the effects of the Longevity Fruit?
Logically speaking, transmigration wouldn't transfer such effects, but Chu Ning remembered how his strength had increased by dozens of pounds on the first day after his transmigration.
What if it had been inherited?
Daily increase in strength.
It wouldn't be hard to verify.
...
...
Outside the door.
The rain drizzled down.
Inside the door.
Chu Ning was sitting leaning against the threshold.
He was the only one at home.
The old auntie had gone out with a bamboo basket on her back to pick wild vegetables.
He had accompanied the old auntie to pick them a few times, but each time she persuaded him to return home shortly after they started.
After thunderstorms, a type of algal plant called Thunder God's Dung, somewhat similar to fungus, grew on grassland stone surfaces, creating an extremely delicious flavor when used in soup.
He had eaten it several times already.
Since his transmigration, seven days had passed.
Four days ago, Daning County finally received rain, ending the drought; afterwards, as if to compensate the common people, it rained for three consecutive days.
The price of grain hadn't fallen much, but at least some wild vegetables were slowly growing.
Now he also knew what the object wrapped in red paper taken from the clay stove by the old auntie was.
A pair of bracelets, purchased by his father when he became an arrest officer for the old auntie.
Previously, with the household lacking even grains to cook, the old auntie didn't pawn them, not only to keep as a remembrance but also as emergency funds.
Being frail since childhood and frequently ill, he needed to keep the jade bracelets just in case he fell sick once more, to have money for medicine to save his life.
In the end, the old auntie exchanged them for a bag of coarse rice and two pounds of meat.
The jade bracelets, worth twenty taels of silver, were exchanged for just a bag of coarse rice and two pounds of meat. To be honest, Chu Ning felt somewhat distressed.
Yet the old auntie still did it.
Because the time to enroll in the school was approaching.
Letting Chu Ning eat his fill daily so he would have the strength to pass the school's physical examination.
In seven days, Chu Ning confirmed his suspicions; the effects of the Longevity Fruit had been inherited by this body.
His strength was indeed increasing dramatically every day.
Since he had inherited the strength, it was probable that the lifespan followed suit.
This verification brought him a touch of anticipation, although the daily increase in strength wasn't much, fluctuating around a pound either way.
Sometimes a bit more than a pound, sometimes less than a pound.
The reason for the variance, he had figured out as well.
If he ate more, the increase was greater.
If the food was better, the increase was also more significant.
If he didn't eat for a whole day, the increase in strength was negligible.
If he ate exactly the same for two days, he gained more strength after exercising compared to not exercising.
Chu Ning surmised that the energy contained in the Longevity Fruit was like water in a reservoir, stored within his body, with a dam preventing its release. How much could flow out depended on how wide he could open the sluice gate.
The factors affecting the size of the sluice gate were exercise and food, and whether it was related to him growing his body at this stage, there might be a connection, but it likely played a minor role.
...
...
After the rain came clear skies, and the sun rose in the east.
Today, Chu Ning put on a clean set of freshly washed clothes early in the morning.
After drinking two bowls of rice porridge and eating three eggs, he left his home under the hopeful gaze of his old aunt.
Today was the enrollment day for the school in Daning County.
The school was located in the eastern part of the city, where the residences of the powerful and privileged were situated. Compared to the lower houses in other areas, the eastern district was filled with tall gates and courtyards. The home of arrest officer Huang was also in the eastern district.
When Chu Ning arrived at the school, the entrance was already crowded with many parents bringing their children to register. The gate of the school was bustling with activity; coupled with onlookers, the street in front of the school gate was jam-packed.
After much effort, Chu Ning made it to the school entrance, where he saw two soldiers standing guard, holding long spears and looking sharp and alert. The surrounding commoners didn't dare to approach within a distance of a zhang.
"Apart from those registering, no one else may enter."
The soldiers' gaze swept over the crowd, and many of the commoners who had been pushed to the front frantically moved back. In previous years, there were instances where those who didn't watch where they were going got too close and ended up with a hole from a spear.
Seeing this, Chu Ning walked toward the entrance, and the two soldiers did not stop him after glancing at him.
With their keen eyesight, they could tell that Chu Ning was under seventeen. As for whether he had sufficient strength, that would be determined during the school's assessment.
Stepping into the school gate, he was met with a martial training ground.
The training ground occupied most of the front courtyard of the school, extremely spacious with neatly laid gray-green stone slabs on the ground. On either side, weapon racks were lined with various weapons glistening in the sunlight.
It was solemn and imposing.
At the moment, there were already dozens of young men in the field, but most of them had expressions of excitement mixed with nervousness and stood without much conversation.
Facing a crucial exam that could change their lives, no one had the mood to chat.
On one side of the training ground, some young men were queuing up in front of a table, behind which sat two middle-aged men—one in charge of questioning and the other responsible for recording the registrations.
Chu Ning conscientiously lined up at the back to register, but his mind was pondering where to find Teacher Liu?
Should he ask someone from the school?
Wouldn't that be too obvious?
While Chu Ning was contemplating, the candidates in front of him finished registering.
"Your surname and name, and where is your home?"
"Chu Ning, my home is in the alley of Si Hutong in the southern part of the city."
Chu Ning quickly responded. The inquiring man asked carelessly, "Do you have any living martial masters among your relatives?"
"My father, Chu Ping, was a martial master and an arrest officer before he passed away five years ago."
The inquiring man did not ask further, while the man responsible for recording, after finishing writing Chu Ning's name, was ready to set down his pen.
Chu Ning glanced at the names listed on the paper and hurriedly added, "However, my late father and arrest officer Huang were good friends. When Officer Huang learned that I was applying to enter the school, he was very pleased and even told me to look for Teacher Liu after I join the school."
At this moment, Chu Ning could no longer care whether being so direct would cause trouble, for he had seen the trickery in this registration.
The sheet of paper listed the names of the candidates taking part in the assessment, but Chu Ning noticed that some of the names had circles behind them, while others did not.
The circles were very small, just like periods. Other candidates might not notice anything amiss, but Chu Ning, who had been the head of a listed company in his past life, had dealt with leaders frequently and heard many stories about them.
One of these stories was about how leaders would write their instructions on documents.
The leaders' subtle instructions on the documents were a mystery that only their subordinates could understand.
One such mystery involved adding a period after the written instructions.
Instructions like "Agree, please handle this promptly" or "Settle the outstanding amount quickly" seem to urge action quickly. But if the subordinates see no period, they know the leader is not particularly concerned about it, and they can continue to drag their feet.
Of course, the main reason leaders use these subtle hints is to dispense with those who come seeking favors through personal relationships.
Using this method, not only does the person requesting a favor feel happy reading the words, but the subordinates also understand the leader's thoughts and avoid actually breaching the rules.
It was impossible for the registration sheet in front of him not to have some sort of trickery.
As expected, after hearing what Chu Ning said, the man with the pen held it upright once again.
The man on the left asked, "Which Officer Huang?"
"Uncle Huang Zhongtai."
The two men glanced at each other, with an indescribable look in their eyes. The next moment, the man recording the registrations placed a small dot behind Chu Ning's name.
Although the dot was smaller than those behind some other names, it certainly was better than having no dot at all compared to others.
He had now figured it out: the ones with larger dots behind their names must be those with strong connections who required special attention, followed by those like himself who needed a moderate level of attention.
"No matter what background you come from, the martial disciple test is to select successors for the state, and no one can be allowed to show favoritism or engage in fraud. If you cannot pass the test, even knowing the Chief Instructor would be of no use. Go to that side and line up, waiting to be divided into groups for the test."
The man on the left suddenly scolded sternly, his face exuding righteous indignation. Chu Ning's face turned pale, and he hurriedly apologized, though in his heart he was scoffing. If it weren't for seeing that circle behind his name, he might have almost believed it.
The reason the instructor put on such a show was nothing more than the fact that there were still others queuing up behind him, and the conversation just now had been overheard by the candidates behind him. It was a display to show the school's fairness and impartiality.
Chu Ning walked towards the training ground with a look of panic, while the queued candidates shot him angry and contemptuous glances.
Having heard what the instructor registering them had shouted just now, they had already categorized Chu Ning as someone who wanted to cut corners.
Fortunately, the instructor was very fair, which restored their confidence a bit.
Chu Ning saw the expressions in these young men's eyes and felt somewhat helpless—truly a bunch of naive children.
...
...
An hour later, the school gates closed, and all the candidates had completed their registration.
The two instructors also collected the list and walked toward the interior of the school, conversing in low voices as they went.
"This year, there are a few candidates with impressive family backgrounds."
"Speaking of backgrounds, Director Huang's should be the most significant. However, that Chu Ning probably doesn't have a very deep connection with Director Huang."
"Director Huang was already promoted to Chief Patrol Hunter last year, yet Chu Ning still referred to him as arrest officer Huang, which shows that they are not closely acquainted. His father was also an arrest officer before his death, so I'm guessing Chu Ning must have sought assistance from Director Huang's family. Perhaps Director Huang decided to help on a whim."
"Yes, that's what I think too. Although Chu Ning doesn't have a deep relationship with Director Huang, since Director Huang has conceded a favor, we'll let him pass. If he lacks the ability later, he will be eliminated in three months just the same."