---

The black smoke dispersed, and Gu Qingyan caught the golden light.

The golden light transformed into a jade seal, obediently landing in his hand—small and delicate.

Flipping it over, the four characters “Wandering Scholar” were clearly visible, the gloss even more radiant.

Gu Qingyan carefully wiped it and put it into his backpack, fully aware of how dangerous this time’s ordeal was. Fortunately, he had the jade seal obtained from signing in at the wild grave slope; otherwise, he might have died miserably on the tomb just like in the book.

The next moment, his brow twitched.

Something new had appeared in the system backpack—a book emitting dark energy. On the cover, in glaring letters, was written: [The True Young Master’s Journey: Successive Top Rankings in Six Imperial Examinations].

The book moved on its own and opened to the first page.

---

[Li Jingtíng covered his face, blood dripping from his fingertips. The maids screamed in terror, which only made him more furious.]

[The doctor said there might be scarring; Madam Xu wept bitterly. Li Jingtíng blamed the Gu family for this incident.]

[If the Gu family hadn’t switched babies by mistake, he wouldn’t have ended up in Lingchuan. He wouldn’t have obtained the Gu family’s heirloom, nor would he have been so distressed when the heirloom disappeared, leading him to accidentally stab his own cheek with his brush.]

[Li Jingtíng hated the Gu family intensely. He was convinced that Gu Tongsheng and his wife were the cause of his misfortune, forcing him to live in the mountain valley for fifteen years. He regarded those fifteen years as his humiliation, unable to erase the memory, and resolved that once he rose to power, he would take revenge on the Gu family.]

[The Gu family must perish.]

---

Li Jingtíng’s black resentment seemed to burst through the book’s pages.

Gu Qingyan frowned deeply, an ominous suspicion rising in his heart.

Because of the existence of himself and the sign-in system, The True Young Master’s Journey: Successive Top Rankings in Six Imperial Examinations had already been rewritten. What he was reading now was the present, unfolding events.

Li Jingtíng hated the Gu family so much that once he gained power, he intended to annihilate them.

The hostility backed by the Li family gave Gu Qingyan a chill — a sense of being chased by ferocious wolves.

If Li Jingtíng really rose to a high position, everyone in the Gu family would suffer misfortune and be wiped out, just like in the original book.

---

“Brother Yan? Brother Yan?” The old village chief saw him dazed and worriedly reached out to touch his forehead.

Gu Qingyan snapped out of it immediately.

“Uncle, I’m fine.”

“That’s good. The mountain is heavy with yin energy; let’s head down early.” The old chief sighed with relief.

Gu Qingyan nodded and was about to leave but was shocked when he looked up.

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

On the once-barren ancestral tomb hill, countless sign-in points had suddenly appeared.

Golden and shiny, inverted triangles—blinding sign-in points!

Newly born sign-in points right under his nose!

Looking closer, the black smoke over the tomb had completely vanished, leaving only wisps of light smoke.

A thought crossed Gu Qingyan’s mind: “Is burning joss paper really this effective? Once the money arrives, the black smoke disappears?”

He immediately stopped: “Uncle, I want to kowtow to everyone one more time before we leave.”

The old village chief couldn’t stop him and wiped tears, moved: “Third son, your boy wasn’t born in vain. So filial, truly filial.”

Little did he know, as Gu Qingyan kowtowed, he muttered prayers quietly.

[Ancestors, please bless my lucky streak. I’ll burn joss paper for you later, with offerings of boys and girls.]

Gu Qingyan kowtowed all the way—only signing in, without genuine feeling—a pure punch-card robot.

---

[Signed in at biological father’s tomb, gained a set of scholar’s four treasures.]

[Signed in at biological mother’s tomb, gained a Carp Leaping Dragon Gate schoolbag.]

[Signed in at grandparents’ tomb, gained 300 essential beginner’s primers.]

[Signed in at great-grandparents’ tomb, gained a set of Four Books.]

[Signed in at great-great-grandparents’ tomb, gained a set of Five Classics.]

Gu Qingyan’s mouth twitched downward—everything was study-related tools. Seems like the Gu family ancestors were obsessed with their descendants becoming scholars and officials.

He thought to himself: “Don’t just give me stationery. Give me some heirlooms too. Preferably something that, once consumed, lets me remember everything at a glance and soar to the top.”

He still longed for the heirloom taken by Li Jingtíng.

---

[Signed in at the Gu family’s ancient ancestor’s tomb, gained a fragrant medicinal bead bracelet.]

Gu Qingyan shivered. Medicinal bead?

He checked his system backpack. Unlike the dull gray one Li Jingtíng took, this bracelet was a beautiful vermilion red, resembling cinnabar.

He quietly took it out to sniff—it indeed gave off a medicinal fragrance.

One breath in, and his mind cleared.

Whether it granted instant memory retention, he didn’t know yet.

Gu Qingyan secretly gave the ancestor a thumbs up: “Old dogs are smarter. What you give beats what your children and grandchildren get.”

---

After harvesting batch after batch of sign-in points until his points were exhausted, Gu Qingyan reluctantly stopped.

“Uncle, it’s done. Let’s go home.”

The old village chief was dumbfounded, thinking this boy was too honest. His forehead was red from kowtowing, yet he looked so happy.

On the way home, whenever they met people, the old chief loudly announced, “This is the third son’s boy—his own flesh and blood.”

People on the other side would reveal an enlightened expression and greet Gu Qingyan warmly.

“This is Gu Tongsheng’s real son, indeed a handsome and promising young man.”

“Looks like a good young fellow. He’ll take good care of his little sister in the future.”

“If you need help, just say the word—don’t be shy.”

“Take these vegetables home; if not enough, come get more.”

“My vegetables are the freshest, picked this morning. Take as much as you want.”

Gu Qingyan just smiled silently—awkward but polite, holding many fresh vegetables.

“Meiling Village folks are really warm and welcoming,” Gu Qingyan remarked.

The old village chief smiled: “Our village is all related, and although there are occasional bumps, none are bad people.”

“Just live peacefully here. Although your parents are gone, we are your elders and will all help you.”

Gu Qingyan thought deeply.

The old Gu family was united. Even though Gu Tongsheng died young, leaving behind three children, the clan members never thought of seizing their property—instead, they protected them.

But such a good old Gu family eventually disappeared without leaving any trace at all.

It seemed that Li Jingting considered the fifteen years he lived here a disgrace in his life, so he wanted to completely erase the entire Meiling Village.

Gu Qingyan’s steps paused. “Uncle, I plan to study, to take the imperial exams, and become an official in the court.”

Only this path could surpass Li Jingting, surpass the Li family, and make them dare not lay a hand on the old Gu family.

The old village chief immediately supported him: “Studying is good. Your father’s dying wish was for you to study and pass the imperial exams. If you can pass the county-level exam, he can rest peacefully in the afterlife.”

He also knew studying was the way to success. Unfortunately, the people of Gu village were many, but few had the talent for studying. Most only knew a few characters and could only work in the county town.

“Qing’er, just focus on studying. If you don’t have enough for tuition, Uncle will help you pay.”

Gu Qingyan was moved in his heart. He had only been here a few days, but Uncle’s family had already helped him a lot. “I still have money. It should be enough for studying.”

The old village chief then asked, “Since you want to study, have you thought about where you want to study?”

Gu Qingyan blinked, “Can’t I study at home?”

The system tutorials were good, and Gu Tongsheng tutored him one-on-one, never holding back.

The old village chief looked at him in surprise.

“How can you study at home? Even if you’ve already had some enlightenment at the Li family, to officially enter the exam system, you need to find four people to form a mutual guarantee, have a student sponsor you, and if you don’t go to a private academy, no one will know your character, so who would want to accept you?”

Gu Qingyan widened his eyes. It wasn’t his fault—he had never encountered any of this at the Li family.

Seeing his confused expression, the old village chief realized he didn’t know and patiently explained.

Being able to read and write was one thing; passing the imperial exams was another matter entirely.

Because his younger brother was a county-level student (tongsheng), the old village chief had accompanied him to the exams back then and knew some of the details, which he now fully explained to his great-nephew.

“They say the imperial exams are difficult. The entry is a big hurdle,” the old chief sighed.

“Since your father passed the county-level exam, it’s been over twenty years, and Meiling Village hasn’t produced a second tongsheng.”

Gu Qingyan absorbed this and said confidently, “Uncle, don’t worry. Soon, there will be a second one.”

Seeing his ambitious smile, the old village chief didn’t have the heart to dampen the boy’s enthusiasm.

In the end, he only said, “After your father passed, the village’s private academy was abandoned. The academy teacher in the neighboring village is only a tongsheng. If you really want to pass the imperial exams, it’s best to go to the county town’s academy for talented students.”

Gu Qingyan recalled that before Li Jingting left, he studied in the county town.

“Once my household registration is settled, I’ll go inquire.”

When they arrived at the county office, it was already midday.

With the old village chief vouching for him and Gu Dashan, the county officer, present, the registration went smoothly.

After handling this, Gu Qingyan busily started inquiring about the talented student academies without rest.

Unbeknownst to him, just as he left, someone asked the clerk handling the registration, “Who was that just now?”

“Official Bai, that was someone from Meiling Village coming to register.”

Official Bai frowned, “Meiling Village? Why register at this time?”

Normally, when villages had new births, everyone would register at the beginning of the year, not randomly throughout.

The clerk explained, “Sir, do you still remember the matter about Gu Tongsheng and the switched child with the Li family in Qingzhou Prefecture? The one registering today is that child.”

Official Bai’s brows slightly moved, “Oh? Have you seen that child? How is he?”

“Not surprisingly, raised by a big family. Sword-like brows, starry eyes, red lips, white teeth. He looks nothing like a common farmer’s son,” the clerk praised highly.

Official Bai frowned, then turned back into the office, leaving the clerk confused, unsure what he had said wrong.