“Bang!”

Gu Qingyan suddenly collapsed face-first onto the desk.

County Magistrate Hong, who had been keeping an eye on him, was startled and shouted repeatedly, “Quick, go check on him!”

The clerks hurried forward. “Looks like he’s fainted.”

Magistrate Hong frowned.

Among the examinees, those who knew Gu Qingyan showed worried expressions but were helpless.

At this moment, they absolutely dared not move—if they did, they would lose their exam qualification.

Teaching Assistant Ma was overjoyed and shouted, “Since we’ve already entered the Gongyuan, no one is allowed to leave before the county exam ends. Sir, you can’t break the rules for him—that’s a capital offense!”

Magistrate Hong frowned coldly and looked at him.

Teaching Assistant Ma shrank back.

But then he thought that Magistrate Hong would be transferred soon this year, whether promoted or not, he wouldn’t be in charge anymore, so he felt more confident.

“Sir, I’m just telling the truth. Even if he fainted or died, the Gongyuan gate cannot be opened.”

Magistrate Hong pressed his lips tight.

Though Teaching Assistant Ma’s words were harsh, they were the truth: “Carry him to the entrance and take care of him there.”

His eyes fell on the desk—before fainting, Gu Qingyan had already finished his exam paper.

“Collect the exam papers according to regulations.”

Teaching Assistant Ma was about to say more when Magistrate Hong sneered, “The candidate fainted but didn’t damage the paper; the exam paper is naturally valid.”

Under Magistrate Hong’s cold glare, Teaching Assistant Ma dared not speak further. He thought to himself that since Gu Qingyan fainted after finishing the paper, his condition was probably bad.

He hoped with all his heart that Gu Qingyan would fail. Once Magistrate Hong left, Teaching Assistant Ma planned to kick Gu Qingyan out of the county school.

Hmph, at that time, the new magistrate wouldn’t defend Gu Qingyan.

Thinking that Gu Qingyan would be at his mercy, Teaching Assistant Ma felt joyful and wanted to laugh out loud.

Gu Qingyan had already been carried to the corridor under the Gongyuan. Being carried like that, he was unconscious.

The clerks who knew him were grateful for how he had helped the people of Lingchuan County by eliminating evil bandits, so they worried. They pinched his philtrum for a while but he still did not wake.

“What should we do?” a clerk wondered, then took off his coat to cover Gu Qingyan so he wouldn’t freeze.

Teaching Assistant Ma came over, sneering, “What are you doing? That’s against regulations. Put the coat back on.”

“Sir, I’m worried about this candidate. It would be unlucky if he died in the Gongyuan,” the clerk defended.

Teaching Assistant Ma glanced at him, “You’re too kind-hearted. Hmph, it’s his own bad luck; mind your own business.”

Looking at Gu Qingyan’s pale face on the ground, who looked really close to death, Teaching Assistant Ma felt pleased and kicked off the thick coat covering him.

The clerks dared not speak up. After Ma left, they quietly picked up the coat, cleaned it off, and covered him again.

“Master Gu, you’re a great benefactor who saved the people of Lingchuan County from disaster. Heaven will surely bless you,” one clerk silently prayed.

Meanwhile, the great benefactor Gu Qingyan was cursing wildly inside his system, losing all dignity, sitting on the ground pointing at the sky and swearing.

“Damn system! You could’ve given me a warning or some hint—I’m in the exam hall and suddenly I faint. If the exam paper gets ruined, I’ll have to retake it next year.”

“You dumb AI, do you know how hard exams are? Getting up early, working late, and enduring cold wind and foul smells.”

“Finally made it to the third session. If my exam gets invalidated, you and I aren’t done.”

“I’m going to petition the Jade Emperor, petition the King of Hell, and have you all executed.”

But no matter how much he cursed, the system remained unfazed.

【Current small world isolated, unable to connect to Heaven or Hell. Please remain calm, Host.】

Gu Qingyan couldn’t stay calm. The system made him faint without any warning; he was completely stunned.

“What the hell is going on? Explain it clearly.”

【You have successfully signed in at the Lingchuan County Gongyuan exam site, activating the Reputation Subsystem.】

【Because the host resisted temptation and has firm belief, achieving the diligence and hard work model student achievement, the Reputation Subsystem is now activating—please be patient, Host.】

Gu Qingyan’s anger faded, replaced by surprise. He asked, “What is the Reputation Subsystem? What’s it for? What can it do after activation?”

【System functions must be explored by the host independently.】

【Host please remember: Simplicity and unity, loyalty and unwavering faith—that is the correct way to unlock life.】

Gu Qingyan twitched his mouth. “Did you even read books? That’s not how you use ‘loyalty and unwavering faith.’”

【System has not read books, please excuse it.】

Gu Qingyan sighed. “When will I wake up?”

【Subsystem activation complete; you will awaken immediately. Please remain calm—strong emotional fluctuations will slow activation.】

Gu Qingyan took a deep breath and suppressed his temper.

At the same time, he was relieved—not permanently unconscious. He just hoped to wake soon, so his family wouldn’t be worried.

Simplicity and unity?

Looks like the sign-in system isn’t all take and no give. If he had chosen to cheat by looking at the county exam questions in advance, the subsystem wouldn’t have activated.

The sign-in system really wasn’t that simple. He would have to observe more carefully later to avoid missing good opportunities.

Sitting cross-legged, Gu Qingyan propped his chin on his hand and stared at the progress bar.

“Everything has to be discovered by myself. I seriously suspect that the two underworld messengers didn’t leave a manual. Those two look like bad guys—I really can’t trust their nonsense.”

He had no idea that the very Ox-Head and Horse-Face he was complaining about were now weeping bitterly.

Gu Qingyan had been gone for a whole year, yet the two of them were still getting whipped—when asked, their only answer was regret.

Ox-Head cried and sniffled, “If we had known, it would have been better to just let him go complain before the King of Hell.”

Horse-Face looked miserable, “It’s too late to regret now. This little world is self-contained; even the King of Hell can’t interfere.”

In unison they said, “We thought he was a pushover, an easy target, but it turned out to be a bomb. Who knew he had such a powerful background? Who have we provoked?”

Before they could finish speaking, footsteps approached outside. Ox-Head and Horse-Face trembled and quickly transformed into a real ox and horse, praying for redemption.

“Moo~~~”

The black ox gave an uneasy bellow.

Zhang Nian was looking toward the entrance of the Tribute Academy courtyard and heard the sound. He tugged on the reins, “Big Black Ox, be quiet.”

“Moo—” The big black ox stamped its hoof.

Zhang Nian tried to stop it, but the Tribute Academy gate opened.

“A-Nian, come help!” Zhang Cheng struggled, carrying Gu Qingyan. Being a frail scholar, he could barely bear the weight, thankfully with some officers helping to support him.

Zhang Nian was shocked and hurried forward.

Several people flustered as they loaded Gu Qingyan onto a bullock cart: “Hurry to the clinic!”

Zhang Nian raised his whip, but before he could strike, the big black ox trotted off.

“Brother Cheng, what’s wrong with Brother Gu?” Zhang Nian asked anxiously.

Zhang Cheng wiped sweat from his brow. “He was fine when he came in, but after the exam, he suddenly fainted. No matter what we do, we can’t wake him.”

He reached out to touch Gu Qingyan’s forehead—it was cold. If the man was still alive, Zhang Cheng was beginning to doubt it.

“Faster.”

Zhang Nian nodded repeatedly.

They finally arrived at the clinic. The doctor examined Gu Qingyan and frowned.

“This… this pulse pattern, I have never seen before.”

Zhang Nian hurriedly asked, “Doctor, please save Brother Gu quickly.”

“Acupuncture where needed, medicine if needed,” Zhang Cheng immediately promised, “We have money.”

But the doctor shook his head, “Gentlemen, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but I really can’t tell what illness this is.”

“His pulse is a bit slower than normal but steady, doesn’t seem like sickness. Rather, it looks like…”

“Looks like what?” Zhang Nian asked.

“Looks like a martial artist has entered the state of ‘turtle extinguishing’,” the doctor pondered. “Of course, this is only my guess. I’ve only seen it recorded in ancient books, never witnessed it myself.”

Zhang Cheng slapped his forehead, “Turtle extinguishing? Could be. Brother Gu is a peerless martial artist. Maybe just like the stories say, he’s at a breakthrough point—not unconscious but breaking through?”

Zhang Nian’s face darkened, “Brother Cheng, stop spouting nonsense. Stories are lies. There’s no such martial art in the world.”

Zhang Cheng looked to the doctor, “Doctor, what do you say?”

“Well… I don’t know either,” the doctor looked innocent, “I’ve only read about it in stories.”

Zhang Nian stamped his foot anxiously, “Then what do we do now?”

Zhang Cheng’s eyes gleamed, “A-Nian, when a martial artist breaks through, we can’t forcibly wake him. We must find a safe, quiet place and let him finish the breakthrough.”

“Clan brother, those stories are lies, there’s no such martial art,” Zhang Nian said, nearly in tears.

But Zhang Cheng was firmly convinced, “How could it not exist? You just haven’t read enough. Historical records say Prince Huai cultivated martial arts to enter the Dao, meditated for three days before awakening.”

“Brother Gu looks like a weak scholar, but he ventured alone into tiger lairs, fought bandits by himself. He must have skills. Trust me, we take him home and wait quietly.”

Zhang Cheng was clearly a devoted fan, steadfast in believing Gu Qingyan’s martial prowess was great—he just kept quiet about it to stay low-key. Even though Gu Qingyan’s younger brother explained many times, he wouldn’t listen.

He even patted his chest, “When he wakes, his skills will rise even higher. Facing thousands of troops will be no problem.”

Zhang Nian’s face turned pale, “It’s over, clan brother, you’ve lost it.”

“Doctor, please think of a way. We can’t just let Brother Gu be like this.”

The doctor thought Zhang Cheng was too dramatic, probably too much reading, “Alright, take him home first. If after one or two days he still doesn’t wake, I’ll try acupuncture.”

Zhang Nian was out of options and had to take Gu Qingyan back.

He gently held Gu Qingyan and carefully felt his forehead, worry etched deep on his face.

Zhang Cheng kept saying, “A-Nian, just listen to me. When Brother Gu wakes, he’ll be a peerless hero.”

Zhang Nian gave him a resentful look but was even more worried—worried about Gu Qingyan and whether Zhang Cheng was going crazy from exams.

Back at the Gu family home, chaos reigned again.

Even though the doctor said it was fine, just sleeping and he’d be alright, how could the three Gu sisters relax?

Gu Shuyan insisted on guarding the bedside, checking Gu Qingyan’s forehead every so often.

“Second sister, will brother be okay?” the little girl asked anxiously.

Gu Wangqing quickly replied, “We hired three doctors, all say he’s just asleep. He’ll be fine.”

“But how can he sleep so deeply, no matter how much we call, he won’t wake?” Gu Shuyan still worried.

Both sisters frowned.

Mother Liu sat by the bed holding Gu Qingyan’s hand, her eyes filled with endless worry.

She murmured, “He was perfectly fine at New Year. How could he suddenly be like this? Could it be an old illness acting up again?

“Godmother, did Brother ever go through this before?” Guo Wangqing asked anxiously.

Madam Liu pressed her lips together and fell silent.

After a long pause, she finally spoke: “Before Yan was three years old, he would sometimes suddenly fall into a deep sleep like this, and no matter how much we tried, we couldn’t wake him.”

“Before three years old?” The two sisters exchanged glances.

Guo Shuyan spoke up: “When our parents were still alive, they said that from birth, his health was poor. He often got sick before he turned three, but after that, his body slowly got better.”

Madam Liu’s heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at the sisters.

The three of them exchanged looks, all hiding some unease in their eyes.

Madam Liu said with difficulty, “I was Yan’s wet nurse. He always fell into such deep sleeps. Every time the doctors just said he was a heavy sleeper and would be fine once he woke up, but no child sleeps so deeply that they can’t be woken at all.”

“Thinking back now, it’s really strange, just like this time.”

Guo Wangqing pursed her lips: “Godmother, third sister, do you think it’s possible there are two people in this world who are born to be incompatible? When one does well, the other is doomed to suffer?”

Her words startled both Madam Liu and Guo Shuyan.

Madam Liu’s heart pounded fiercely; she had always felt that the Li family was a curse to Guo Qingyan, which was why Yan was always sick when he was with the Li family.

Guo Shuyan frowned: “But Brother said, ‘Children do not speak of ghosts, strange forces, or gods.’”

The room fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Guo Shuyan said, “Whether or not that’s true, let’s go kowtow to our parents and ask them to bless Brother to wake up soon.”

That was all they could do.

The whole household was anxious and restless, but Guo Qingyan was utterly bored.

The system was upgrading, and even the system courses were inaccessible; he could only wait in boredom.

Watching the slow progress bar crawl forward, Guo Qingyan was anxious too but had no other choice, so he decided to distract himself.

First, he checked his system sign-in rewards. Aside from a few items he couldn’t use for now, he ate and drank what he could. There wasn’t much left in the system.

He did have jewelry from the pawnshop and silver shop, but those wouldn’t sell for a good price in Lingchuan County. He could sell them for cash later in Qingzhou Prefecture.

Suddenly, Guo Qingyan looked at that dark, ominous book.

[The True Young Master Passes Six Imperial Exams in a Row]

Since the book’s plot was heavily revised, Guo Qingyan had been busy living his own life and hadn’t paid much attention to Li Jingtíng’s story.

Bored now, he opened the book to browse.

The newly generated book was still from Li Jingtíng’s first-person perspective; it was his personal biography.

[Li Jingtíng never expected that a local thug from Lingchuan County would dare to extort him.]

Guo Qingyan raised an eyebrow. That scar-faced guy who first occupied the Guo family old residence hadn’t disappointed him — he went to Qingzhou Prefecture to extort Li Jingtíng.

[Li Jingtíng found it utterly laughable. Such a small-time rogue, relying on the Li family’s power, he could easily deal with him.]

Wow, such confidence.

[Li Jingtíng used his father’s connections to contact officials and easily had the scar-faced thug imprisoned.]

Guo Qingyan sneered — that scar-faced guy was useless; he couldn’t even trouble Li Jingtíng.

[The clan chief noticed this and privately warned Li Jingtíng to stop, lest it escalate into a fatal legal dispute.]

Guo Qingyan remembered the Li family clan chief — a very shrewd man who once took good care of the Xu family mother and son.

Of course, when the Xu family kicked him out, the clan chief did nothing and stayed silent.

[Li Jingtíng was eager to reach the capital quickly, but caught a cold the night before departure, having to delay leaving. He blamed two maidservants for being too wild.]

Guo Qingyan grimaced — a fifteen-year-old boy actually got sick because of lust. No wonder the original book described a harem being opened.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

[After recovering, Li Jingtíng performed ancestral rites, then hurried the Xu family to the capital. But before leaving, he received a letter from Minister Li.]

[The letter requested that the Xu family stay in Qingzhou Prefecture temporarily, and Li Jingtíng had to pass the provincial exam before entering the capital.]

Guo Qingyan sensed something was wrong.

He tried to recall — vaguely remembering that in [The True Young Master Passes Six Imperial Exams in a Row], after returning to the Li family, Li Jingtíng didn’t rush to the capital but chose to earn his titles first.

Since the book’s title was [The True Young Master Passes Six Imperial Exams in a Row], Li Jingtíng must have passed six exams.

According to the imperial exam system of the Great Zhou dynasty, Li Jingtíng’s ancestral home was Qingzhou Prefecture; he had to pass the provincial exam there and become a juren (recommended scholar) before taking the metropolitan exam in the capital.

So this “six exams in a row” should include small-scale provincial titles, including juren and jieyuan (top provincial scorer) earned in Qingzhou.

If that’s the case, why is Li Jingtíng now rushing to the capital?

He has no official titles yet — what’s he going to do in the capital?

Gu Qingyan quickly flipped forward and soon found the answer.

【After returning to the Li family, Li Jingting originally thought he had enough wealth, resources, and power to smoothly pass the imperial exams and achieve success.】

【But he found his mind was always foggy and drowsy, far less sharp and quick-witted than when he was in Lingchuan County, where he could remember everything perfectly at a glance.】

【Li Jingting was alarmed and confused about why this was happening, so he comforted himself, thinking it must be because he missed his father and was distracted by longing.】

【He thought: If it weren’t for the Gu family wasting fifteen years of my life, I would have been a scholar, or even a graduate, long ago. It’s all the Gu family’s fault.】

Gu Qingyan scoffed. This guy was really ungrateful, blaming the Gu family for every misfortune.

【Uninterested in studying, news came from the capital that the legitimate eldest brother of his official mother had died. After discussing it, Xu and her son decided to head to the capital immediately to seize the opportunity and take over the Li family.】

【Li Jingting thought: Ten years of hardship studying is too tiring, better to go back to the capital and live off my parents. If Minister Li is willing, he can secure official titles for my wife and children through connections, so I wouldn’t have to work hard studying and could still become an official.】

【Li Jingting was confident that with his talent, once he became an official, he would quickly rise to great heights.】

【Li Jingting sneered: When I succeed and gain fame, the Gu family and Gu Qingyan will all be trampled under my feet and crushed into mud.】

Gu Qingyan, like an old grandpa on the subway looking at his phone, had a head full of question marks.

What the heck is this?

Suddenly, he connected all the dots — the Gu family ancestral tomb spewing black smoke, the treasured heirloom that Gu Tongsheng blindly gave away, and Li Jingting seemingly empowered by that heirloom.

Returning to the Gu family village, Li Jingting went to the ancestral tomb to pay respects, but the ancestors’ huge resentment directly transformed the once glorious, radiant story into a dark, gloomy rewrite.

The heirloom lost its power, which caused Li Jingting’s life to change drastically.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “Good, give back everything you took from the Gu family.”

He continued reading.

【Xu received a letter advising Li Jingting to first pass the exams to prove his excellence to Minister Li, so that entering the capital later would be more assured.】

【Li Jingting was frustrated and lost interest in studying, but could only stay in Qingzhou Prefecture.】

【With the county exam approaching, Li Jingting would get a headache every time he opened a book. Xu had sent away all the maids, so he had nowhere to vent.】

【At the county exam, upon seeing the test paper, cold sweat covered Li Jingting’s forehead. He considered himself talented and well-studied for ten years, unmatched by anyone, but at the moment of looking at the paper, his mind went completely blank and he couldn’t remember anything.】

【Li Jingting was ill.】

That was the last line in the book.

Gu Qingyan laughed endlessly. Li Jingting was unlucky, and that made him happy.

This guy never changed — once in Qingzhou Prefecture, he just enjoyed himself and never studied properly, so it was no surprise he failed the exams.

Hmph, without the Gu family heirloom that granted him sharpness and memory, I want to see how far Li Jingting can really go.

He even wanted to trample the Gu family into mud — isn’t he afraid of breaking his own legs?

Li Jingting’s hatred toward the Gu family was too deep; Gu Qingyan grew wary and felt an urgent need to become stronger.

【Ding dong, Reputation subsystem activated.】

Gu Qingyan jolted, ignoring Li Jingting’s miserable affairs and focused on the system interface.

【Host: Gu Qingyan】+

【Age: 16】

【Points: 25】

【Profession: Child (Book Collection Function Activated)】

【Skill: Intermediate Medical Skill 15%】

【Skill: King Huai’s Possession】

A plus sign appeared behind the host name.

Gu Qingyan clicked it.

The page flashed and switched.

【Host: Gu Qingyan】+

【Age: 16】

【Reputation: 1006】

【Reputation includes but is not limited to the host’s social status, reputation, honor, etc. in this world, judged by the system; interpretation rights belong to the system.】

Reputation was surprisingly high at 1006 upon activation. Gu Qingyan thought it was likely from the bandit suppression incident.

The county magistrate praised him highly, and the people of Lingchuan County were full of gratitude. So even though he was still a civilian, he had quite a lot of reputation points.

“What use is reputation? It can’t just be for show, right?” Gu Qingyan asked.

【Reputation can be exchanged for points at a ratio of 10 reputation points to 1 point.】

Gu Qingyan gasped. So 1006 reputation points only equaled 100 points.

Since his medical skill entered intermediate level, progress had slowed, only advancing 10% in three months.

Gu Qingyan suspected that the medical skill level of the doctors in Qingzhou Prefecture was only this much. If he wanted to improve further, he either needed to find a better doctor to sign in and acquire skill tutorials, or have extraordinary talent.

Obviously, he wasn’t the latter, so he had to look for opportunities to find the former.

Unfortunately, Lingchuan County was too small, and the doctors’ medical skills there were even worse than those in Qingzhou Prefecture. This matter could only be put on hold for now, and he would figure it out later.

But signing in required spending points, especially for skills—using “King Huai’s Possession” once cost 100 points, quite an expensive habit.

Now that the reputation system was activated, it was at least another path to explore.

Gu Qingyan stroked his chin and thought to himself that in ancient times, taking the imperial exams to become an official was the right way. Among the four social classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—nothing was better suited to grinding reputation points than being an official.

He looked again but felt something was off. Since it opened another interface, it couldn’t have only one use. Product design wouldn’t be this troublesome.

“Is exchanging points the only function?”

Gu Qingyan kept looking back and forth until he finally spotted a button in the corner.

Because the button was light gray and very inconspicuous, it perfectly fit the system’s style of making users figure things out by themselves.

Gu Qingyan suspected again that the hellish guards (Niutou and Mamian) had deliberately not given him a manual, forcing him to take detours.

He lightly clicked it—【Store Not Opened Yet】

Gu Qingyan instantly perked up, energized: “A store? It can open a store? Awesome, I’ll open it right away.”

【To open the store, you need to spend 10,000 reputation points or 1,000 points. Please work hard first, then enjoy.】

One, two, three, four zeros—ten thousand reputation points, or one thousand points.

Gu Qingyan looked at his pitiful 25 points and 1,006 reputation points, feeling the bitter frustration of wanting something but not being able to get it.