Chapter 142 Day 6 of Transmigrating into an Imperial Examination Novel

Chapter 142: Day Six of Transmigrating into a Civil Exam Novel

Qin Cang practically ran out of An Yi's place.

The spots where he had been beaten still ached faintly, but he'd checked them back at the house—just superficial bruises, nothing's broken. To him, it was no big deal.

The wind stirred by his running carried a coolness against his flushed cheeks, actually making him feel better.

He needed to hurry home, grab his old hatchet and a few spare snares, then check the traps he'd set deeper in the woods at the foot of the hill before it got completely dark.

He'd given a rabbit to Scholar An today and eaten so much himself—he'd need to make up for it fast.

As he ran, An Yi's face popped into his head without him meaning to.

Scholar An... was really kind.

He had helped him today, hadn't looked at him with that disgusted look like everyone else did, hadn't told him not to fight back, just stopped those guys and even... let him stay to eat together.

Thinking back, a tiny smile crept onto his face without him being able to stop it, making him look a bit like the teenager he really was.

He also thought Scholar An looked especially good today.

He had seen Scholar An a few times before—always in a faded, threadbare long gown, head down, hurrying past like a shadow about to fade away. He knew he was a scholar, but he'd never made much of an impression.

But today's Scholar An was completely different.

He was wearing a robe he'd never seen before—made of comfy-looking fabric, simple and elegant. It hung loosely on him, making him look even thinner and taller.

Just standing there without saying a word, he had this presence you couldn't ignore.

Not fierce, not cocky—just... really steady.

Especially those eyes. When he looked at someone, it was like he could see right into your heart, but without making him feel uncomfortable like those other people did.

Qin Cang remembered the rich young masters he sometimes saw in town when selling his game. Their clothes were way fancier than Scholar An's, embroidered with fancy patterns that sparkled in the sun.

But when you looked at them, all you saw was the flashy clothes. The person was buried under the fabric, blurry.

Scholar An was different.

When you looked at him, you only saw him, period.

The clothes were just a backdrop, like he was born to wear them—or rather, no matter what he wore, people would only remember him.

As he ran, Qin Cang felt something gently tickle his heart, a little itchy, a little warm, and hard to put into words.

He shook his head hard, trying to get Scholar An's image out of his head, but the slender, upright figure and those calm eyes only got clearer.

He quickened his pace toward his own equally rundown ancestral house.

Hopefully he'd get lucky and find more game in his traps today.

He did the math in his head. He'd eaten so much of the rabbit he gave to Scholar An, so when he caught more, he had to send him another one for sure.

As soon as that thought came to him, even the dull aches from his injuries didn't seem so bad.

An Yi stood quietly by the window until the hurried but somehow light footsteps of Qin Cang faded completely at the end of the path. Only then did he slowly look away.

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Inside the room, the lingering smell of the rabbit meat hadn't fully dissipated, mixing with the scent of herbs and old wood, creating a strange, fleeting feeling of everyday life.

He flicked his sleeve, and a stream of water curled up, sweeping up the dust and smells and tossing them outside.

The air was left with only the scent of rain after a storm.

An Yi lowered his eyes, glancing at his own plain, elegant robe that stood out so much against the surroundings. He didn't plan on changing.

He'd noticed Qin Cang's gaze earlier, but this outfit was comfortable to him. He didn't care if it drew attention or not.

With a slight thought, the pure internal energy in his body began to flow like a gentle stream, coursing through his limbs and bones, driving away the last traces of sluggishness and weakness left in his body from its long illness.

The next moment, his figure flickered, and like a ghost, he silently floated out of the rundown house. The creaky wooden door swung shut by itself without any wind.

The wild grass in the yard barely stirred, as if brushed by a very fast breeze.

His speed was too fast for normal eyes to catch, as if he had merged with the light and flowing air.

On the dirt road in the village, occasional farmers carrying hoes on their shoulders only felt a faint breeze brush past, stirring their clothes, but saw nothing.

An old farmer squatting by a ridge cleaning his tools was startled by this sudden "gust of wind," squinting and looking around suspiciously, muttering curses:

"What's with this weird wind, just one gust? Creepy!"

An Yi paid no attention to the voices behind him. He wanted to go to the county town now.

The village was not far from the county town; at his current speed, it took only a moment to go back and forth.

However, just as his lightning-like figure was about to shoot past the crooked old willow at the village entrance, a very familiar "buzzing" murmur of discussion suddenly rang in his ears, clear as if someone were whispering right against his eardrum.

Ah!

An old friend—the comment section!

"Wait, the male lead is an adult, how can he blend in so naturally while playing with a little kid?"

"Because the male lead is childish and chuunibyou at heart!"

"Done, please notify me!"

"It's only just begun; if the author doesn't screw up, it's still far from finished! (Dog head holding a flower)"

"So vivid! I used to squat in the shade poking earthworms with a stick when I was little. You never see that anymore."

"Yeah, I miss that so much!"

"Time that's passed never comes back~ (crying)"

"Only memories can be savored~ (crying) (crying)"

"..."

"Why'd you start singing?"

"You know, we middle-aged guys like to lament about life, hit up karaoke sometimes and belt out a few songs."

"Mind if I ask how old the guy above is?"

"Heh heh, 20!"

"..."

An Yi suddenly stopped his swift movement, going from extreme motion to absolute stillness in an instant, and he landed softly in an unnoticed, shadowy corner where old firewood was piled, without stirring a speck of dust.

He smiled faintly, a barely perceptible flicker crossing his calm eyes.

As expected, another transmigration.

The familiar comment section, always popping up at critical moments, was back again.

He thought of the figures his gaze had just swept over. His eyes pierced through the gradually brightening sunlight and landed precisely on the old locust tree at the village entrance.

There stood two children of similar age, about six or seven years old.

The boy wore a patched but cleanly washed coarse tunic and trousers, his skin was tan from prolonged sun exposure, even somewhat dark, his frame slender but his back was straight.

What was most striking were his eyes—jet black and shining like obsidian immersed in mercury, shimmering with an intelligence and alertness far beyond his years.

In his hand, he held a twig, absently tracing something in the dirt, looking a bit bored.

Snuggled beside him was a girl equally plainly dressed, her hair tied in two small buns.

Her face was slightly round, her skin fairer than the boy's, and she appeared somewhat younger.

Her large eyes were vivacious and spirited; tilting her head, she watched curiously as the boy poked at the ground, occasionally extending a little finger to point, saying something, her expression innocent yet mischievous.

It was the protagonist and his younger sister.