Chapter 28 - Examination
After dragging his two juniors back to the ocean, Qing Yan spat out a large mouth of blood.
“Uncle!” The two azure dragons had just reached adulthood and were used to acting in an oppressive manner. Never once had they thought that Zhuang Qing would have the guts to make things difficult for their azure dragon clan.
“I’m fine,” Qing Yan waved his hands. He hadn’t expected Zhuang Qing’s cultivation to have reached such a level of profoundness. The only reason he persisted was so he could prevent Zhuang Qing from seeing through him, but now, he was unable to hold on any longer. He was just about to transform into his dragon form and swim back to the dragon palace when he caught sight of a submarine moving ahead furtively. Upon focusing spiritual qi at his eyes, he realized that the people inside differed in skin tone and hair color from their human forms.
The him who was in a bad mood merely flung his sleeves and the submarine was sent hurtling above the surface of the water. In recent years, these ships had constantly been floating back and forth above their dragon palace, forcing them to set up a concealment barrier throughout all four seasons in a year. It was practically an endless source of frustration for the dragons.
The chief of the submarine whose head was spinning from the hurtling had just regained his wits when he saw a large motionless warship not too far in the distance.
The warship and submarine looked at each other in dismay. The warship reacted very quickly and politely invited the submarine back to its country as a guest.
The four dragons had just reached the dragon palace when Qing Yuan suddenly clutched his head and rolled about on the ground howling, without any care for the surrounding shrimp and crab soldiers.
“Elder!” Seeing that Qing Yuan was so pained that he nearly couldn’t control his spiritual qi, Qing Yan changed into his original form and ordered the surrounding shrimp and crab soldiers, “Everyone is to retreat!”
The thunderous dragon hiss tormented the shrimp and crab soldiers with low cultivation. Some even fainted dead away on the spot. Hearing the commotion, the other dragons in the dragon palace all came out to see what had occurred.
Qing Yuan was jolting around chaotically in the ocean. If Qing Yan hadn’t reacted swiftly and set up a barrier in front of the palace gate, he would even have rammed into the gate.
“Qing Yan, weren’t all of you going to find Zhuang Qing? How did things turn out like this?” The Head of the azure dragon clan walked out. His expression turned grave upon seeing Qing Yuan, who had lost his mind from pain. “Qing Yuan’s cultivation may not be the highest among the azure dragons, but he still has a few thousand years’ worth of cultivation. Who is capable of harming him to this extent?”
“E-Elder’s horn!” An underaged azure dragon displayed an expression filled with shock, horror, and amazement as he pointed at Qing Yuan, who was still struggling in pain. He couldn’t even utter a complete sentence.
Qing Yan shifted his line of sight towards Qing Yuan, his expression heavy. A frightening scene greeted his eyes.
Elder Qing Yuan had left his sh.e.l.l at a hundred years old and transformed into his human form at the age of five hundred. His dragon horns were formidable and beautiful and had always been a source of pride for him. Yet, cracks had appeared on one of his two beautiful and impressive dragon horns. Furthermore, these cracks were widening as Elder Qing Yuan howled uncontrollably.
One crisp snapping sound later, the dragon horn landed on the ground in a few chunks.
“The d-dragon horn broke…” A young dragon covered the tiny forked horns on top of his head, scared speechless.
All of a sudden, several senior azure dragons recalled the utterly humiliating matter from many years back that they dared not even mention. A silent dread a.s.saulted their hearts.
“Where are we going?” Fu Li followed behind Zhuang Qing and got into the car. Putting on his seatbelt, he swung his arms and told Zhuang Qing, “That old azure dragon’s horn was really hard, my hand still hurts.”
“The hardest place on a dragon’s body is their horns. Grabbing it with your bare hands will definitely leave injuries,” Zhuang Qing glanced at the red patch on Fu Li’s palm. He found a bottle of medicine in the car and threw it to him. “This is a medicinal ointment made from seaweed. Apply some and test it out.”
Fu Li smelt something upon opening the cover. “The smell is a bit bad.”
“Great lords shouldn’t argue so much. This medicine is for external injuries, it’s not like I’m asking you to eat it,” Zhuang Qing started up the car. “I’ll take you to buy a handphone first. In this age, even seventy, eighty-year-old elderly men and women have handphones. You can’t even compare to them.”
“I’m older than them,” Fu Li applied the black-green ointment onto his palm, not minding Zhuang Qing’s tone of voice. He had lived for so many years and most a.s.suredly would not bicker with a minor.
By the time they alighted from the car, all the ointment had already been absorbed. Barely any traces of the scar could be seen. Fu Li nodded and praised, “This medicine is not bad.”
Zhuang Qing snorted coldly. “Of course it’s not bad. It’s the dragon race’s secret medicine and is capable of regenerating flesh.” If not for the fact that he had swallowed the other party’s two-million-yuan medicinal pill, he would not have been able to bear taking it out.
The technology city was very crowded. Many brands were carrying out shopping campaigns or whatnot. In any case, during the Chao dynasty, there were major discount campaigns ten out of the twelve months in a year. This was a common method for those selling electrical appliances, dishes, or blankets.
Modern technological devices were practically alien species to Fu Li. During the entire process of selecting a handphone, he didn’t speak a word and when Zhuang Qing asked him a question, he would say that anything was fine. In the end, Zhuang Qing bought him a good quality handphone made within the country with generally good public opinion. Because they bought this particular model, there would be a reimburs.e.m.e.nt of fifty yuan in call rates for a period of twelve months.
Fu Li held the mug given to him by the sales employee and watched Zhuang Qing install various social media applications on the phone. Only then did Zhuang Qing hand the phone to him. “Read the news more often, increase your knowledge.”
“I often watch news broadcasts,” Fu Li put the handphone into the pocket of his trousers. He told Zhuang Qing, “Actually, there’s no need to make things so inconvenient. I can just use the Thousand Mile Sound Transmission to contact you; it’s very convenient for any kind of conversation.”
Zhuang Qing took a deep breath and told Fu Li, “A lot of yao cultivators now don’t know how to use the Thousand Mile Sound Transmission. Besides, since you entered human society, you should adapt to the way of living – use the handphone when you should be using it. News channels don’t only consist of . I’ve downloaded a few social media platforms for you; they have many interesting news pieces, so take your time to play around with them when you go back.”
Oh,” Fu Li fished out his handphone and took a few glances at it. He tapped on a square box t.i.tled ‘contacts’ – there was only Zhuang Qing’s contact. He shot a glance at Zhuang Qing, deeply moved. This mixed-blood dragon was truly cordial and generous.
After sending Fu Li to his rented house, Zhuang Qing called out to him, “When you have money, stay somewhere else.”
Fu Li wasn’t someone who had very high requirements for his dwelling. Hearing Zhuang Qing say this, he agreed easily. “Okay.”
“And,” Zhuang Qing added. “Don’t forget about the written examination three days later.”
“What examination?” Fu Li hadn’t reacted.
Zhuang Qing’s fairly expressionless face darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye. “The management bureau’s recruitment exam.” From the way Fu Li looked, he clearly hadn’t taken this matter to heart.
“Ah, that. I remember it,” Fu Li laughed dryly. “I’ll definitely make preparations to go for it when the time comes.”
Zhuang Qing turned the car, spraying Fu Li in the face with exhaust.
“Such a bad temper,” Fu Li wiped his face and touched the handphone in his pocket. His temper might be a bit on the bad side, but he was still a good person at heart.
Ning Xuan and Chao Yun returned to the management bureau and distributed the local specialties they had brought back. Not seeing Zhuang Qing, they asked somewhat curiously, “Where’s Boss?”
Lin Gui was locking up a pile of information in the archives and replied without even turning his head, “He went out.”
“That’s rare,” Chao Yun found her seat. Not long after she switched on his computer, she involuntarily let out a curse.
She hadn’t logged into the game in a month and had been kicked out of her guild.
“Playing games immediately after returning,” Chu Yu stretched his neck and glanced at her screen. “Watch out for Boss’ scolding later.”
“Oh right, we found a cat yao on our way back who hadn’t transformed into its human form yet. We took it to the Yao Union,” Chao Yun took a bag of melon seeds from Chu Yu’s desk and talked while cracking the seeds. “The little yao didn’t know how to suppress its yao qi yet; we could smell its yao qi from a great distance away.”
“That idiot Ning Xuan found some rubbish incense the size of a tiny fingernail in a crack below the table and insisted that it was a Peace Branch or something,” Chao Yun shook her head helplessly. “Have you heard of this Peace Branch thing?”
“If it wasn’t a Peace Branch, why did it dissipate the moment I touched it?” Ning Xuan didn’t think there was an issue with his reasoning.
“Ice held in a hand will also dissipate,” Chao Yun put down the melon seeds. “The exhaustion from hunting down great yao for more than a month has dulled my original form. I’m going to rest for a few days.”
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to,” Chu Yu stated. “It’s the recruitment examination three days later. You and Ning Xuan will be the combat examiners.”
“We’re recruiting this year?” Ning Xuan gathered his thoughts. “It’s about time for recruitment. I hope we’ll recruit someone who can fight this time around. Every time we meet a great yao, it’s always me and Chao Yun pursuing it. Thanks to this, the blade of my sword has become a lot blunter.”
Everyone who was incapable of fighting, “…”
The day after Fu Li received the money, he went to purchase the grave he had set his sights on. After communicating with the relevant department, Teacher Yao and his wife were eventually buried together. Upon finding out that Fu Li was merely Teacher Yao’s colleague and not his relative, the employees of the relevant department all felt that he was amazing. What kind of friendship did they share for a colleague to spend over two hundred thousand yuan?
One of the younger employees voiced out the doubts in his heart to Fu Li directly.
“Money is merely a worldly possession. What’s priceless is knowledge,” Fu Li placed a bundle of gold ingots in front of the grave. “Teacher Yao did numerous good deeds throughout his life. His heart’s desires ought to be realized.”
The employee left. Fu Li looked at the photograph of the couple on the grave and then turned, speaking towards the underbrush. “Come out.”
“Meow,” A calico cat climbed out of the underbrush. It stood upright on its hind legs like a human and raised its clasped paws towards the grave.
“They will have a good lot in their next life. You can cultivate with peace of mind, don’t keep worrying about Teacher Yao,” Fu Li lightly kicked the cat’s tail. “Don’t run about recklessly. Be careful not to be taken away by people who think you’re a stray cat.”
“Who says I’m worried about that human?” The cat spat out human words, arrogance br.i.m.m.i.n.g in its voice. “I just came to take a look since it was convenient for me.” After stating this, it turned and made to move, but even after walking for an eternity, it still remained at its spot.
“I’ll send you back to the Yao Union,” Fu Li stooped over and picked the cat up by its nape. Placing it in the crook of his arm, Fu Li turned and walked out of the cemetery.
Three days later, many people gathered at Chang Long Biotechnology Company. Pa.s.sersby who thought that there was a fight happening at this place inquired about it out of curiosity and found out that the company was merely recruiting. Instantly, they left in disappointment.
Who knew how good this company’s benefits were for there to be these many applications? But why did those people with dyed red and yellow hair also run over to join in the fun? Clearly, they were an unconventional lot.
Fu Li stood at the entrance and glanced at the densely packed cultivators inside. He couldn’t stop himself from taking two steps back.
“Ouch,” Somebody behind him let out a miserable shriek.
“Sorry,” Fu Li realized that he had stepped on somebody’s foot and hurriedly turned to apologize.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” The person grimaced in pain and smiled. “You also came to compete for the job?”
Fu Li looked at the green cap of hair on his head fluttering in the wind and nodded silently.
“Ai, everyone went crazy after hearing that there are two recruitment spots this year,” The green-haired yao pointed at the ma.s.s of people hiding under the shade. “Even the ghost cultivators came. Brother, are you a human or yao cultivator? You came to join in the fun even with such low cultivation?”
The green-haired yao observed the weak qi that Fu Li gave off and kindly advised him, “It’s all right for little yao like us to join in the fun, but our hopes must not be too high.”
“Oh,” Fu Li listened to the green-haired yao report the number of applicants and experts this year as he followed the long queue to receive his examination number.
“What a coincidence, we’re in the same examination room,” The green-haired yao glanced at Fu Li’s examination seat number. “I’m seated in front of you.” He lowered his voice and said, “If there’s something you don’t know later, I can let you sneak a peek.”
“That…” A hint of distress appeared on Fu Li’s face. “Isn’t cheating not very good?”
“How is that considered cheating? That’s called being willing to help others,” The green-haired yao placed a hand on Fu Li’s shoulder. “Come, let elder brother bring you to the examination venue.”
Fu Li was struck by a realization. This yao was of the carefree and optimistic type.
There was a special formation in the examination venue set up by the management bureau. Regardless of their race, anyone who stepped into this place would be similar to ordinary people, unable to use any skill.
Other than several general knowledge questions on humans, the main bulk of the examination paper was focused on the various management regulations. Fu Li had recently broadened his knowledge of human decrees and thus didn’t have to strain too hard to answer these questions. However, the various major questions at the back were a little complicated and touched on many races. Fu Li, who hadn’t seen much of the world, could only randomly answer them based on the rumors he had heard from other yao in the past.
After they handed in their papers, Fu Li realized that many cultivators were sighing in despair. Even the green-haired yao who had talked about letting him copy the answers was also somewhat dejected.
“The questions this year are a bit difficult,” The green-haired yao’s head drooped weakly. “The written examination alone might eliminate nine out of ten people.”
“Then compared to the human university entrance exam, which one is more difficult?”
“They can’t be compared. Those human test questions have no humanity at all. To our yao clan, they’re full of malice,” The green-haired yao shook his head. “Do you know who among our yao clan has the highest academic qualification in the human world?”
Fu Li shook his head.
Someone who wanted to gossip would most prefer their conversational buddy to display confusion and ignorance. Only then would gossiping give them a sense of accomplishment. “The management bureau’s Dragon Lord. He has a PhD from the National Capital University. I heard he was once a teacher at the Imperial College during the times when emperors still existed.”
Fu Li was tongue-tied. To think that Zhuang Qing was a mixed-blood dragon of culture…
“Then the human world’s civil servant examination…”
“Don’t even think about that,” The green-haired yao said. “You have to know that it isn’t easy to enter university. The civil servant examination is a compet.i.tion between university students. What relation do you think something like that has with us yao cultivators?”
“No yao has ever been a civil servant in the human world?” Fu Li was struck dumb by the green-haired yao’s way of speech.
“There was.”
“Who?” Fu Li’s eyes brightened.
“A couple years back, the management bureau’s Dragon Lord Zhuang Qing was the commander of the imperial court guards. He can be considered a civil servant.”
Fu Li, “…”
This mixed-blood dragon had really made his mark.
“Benefactor,” Chu Yu squeezed through the throng of people, an enthusiastic smile on his face. “It’s been a difficult test. I’ve booked a nourishing meal outside, you must give me some face and have a meal with me.”
Fearing that Fu Li would decline, he pulled Fu Li by the hand and ran out.
The green-haired yao who had recognized Chu Yu stood dazedly at his spot. A good while later, he spat out one statement, “Aiyo, d.a.m.n!”
“Turns out he’s someone with f*cking connections.”