Chapter 058: The Civil and Martial Examinations

“But not long after Qingyu was born, Su Yunhe secretly took her away without telling me, leaving behind only a letter,”

As Li Bin spoke of the past, his expression grew tinged with an inexplicable sorrow.

“In truth, I had no idea of Su Yunhe’s true identity until I read the letter she left me. Only then did I discover she was the leader of the Solitary Jade Sect.

“Later, I scoured everywhere for news and finally learned that the hidden sanctuary of the Solitary Jade Sect was on Ink Bamboo Mountain. But before I could set out to find mother and daughter, your father suddenly summoned me urgently to the capital. The events that followed there—you know them all too well.

“Your father, knowing I was held in high regard by the people, feared I might rebel or threaten your brother’s succession. So, he confined me under house arrest, and I have remained so ever since.

“In the blink of an eye, fifteen years have passed. My daughter is now of age for her hairpin ceremony. As her father, I should be choosing a worthy match for her at this time. Yet the truth is, I don’t even know what she looks like now!”

With that, Li Bin drained the wine in his cup in one gulp.

As a father, he deeply regretted missing the chance to witness his daughter’s growth.

“Xiuling, my only wish now is to go to Ink Bamboo Mountain and find them, to bring them both back to live in Yan City!”

Li Xiuling responded at once, “Uncle, leave this to me. I’ll arrange for Commander Guo to take you to Ink Bamboo Mountain before you continue on to Yan City.”

“Then I’ll be counting on you,” Li Bin replied.

He knew well that, though he bore the title of prince, he had no real power at court and was constantly under surveillance. Even changing his travel plans required Li Xiuling’s assistance.

…

Yan City.

Today, thanks to Zhao Zhigao’s recommendation, Song Ye underwent both the written and physical examinations at the magistrate’s office.

Since Song Ye was applying only for the position of a strong-arm constable, the written test was quite simple—just a few common characters to prove he was literate and not an illiterate peasant.

The physical test was the assessment Zhao Zhigao had often mentioned: a test of strength and endurance.

Fortunately, just as Song Ye was about to begin the physical test, he triggered a special event quest.

“Ding! Special Encounter Quest triggered!”

“Ding! Special Encounter Quest: [Physical Exam]”

“[Physical Exam]: Successfully pass the physical exam at the Yan City Prefecture.”

“Quest Reward: Secret Realm Challenge Ticket!”

[Secret Realm Challenge Ticket]: Using this ticket, a player may enter the secret realm, where an illusion of a Demon Lord will appear at random. The more damage inflicted upon the illusion within the time limit, the richer the rewards.

Essentially, this secret realm challenge ticket was a tool for farming rewards—it seemed to be quite a valuable item.

The physical test itself was straightforward, consisting of just two tasks: single-handed weightlifting and the “folding push-up.”

Single-handed weightlifting required lifting a twenty-pound stone block with one hand.

The folding push-up required completing thirty repetitions. This exercise was similar to the push-ups of the modern world, but with a significant difference in posture: the upper and lower body had to bend into a folding-knife shape, hence the name.

Naturally, for Song Ye, both tasks were as easy as drinking water.

The results of the physical test were immediate—Song Ye, of course, passed with flying colors. The results of the written test, however, would not be available until at least the next day.

So long as he passed the written test as well, Song Ye would officially become a strong-arm constable in Yan City. It would be a stable job, enough to provide some security for Song Yan.

Upon passing the physical test, Song Ye also completed the special quest.

“Ding! Congratulations to player [Song Ye] for completing the special encounter quest [Physical Exam]!”

“Ding! Quest reward obtained: [Secret Realm Challenge Ticket]!”

“Quest EXP Reward: 300,000 points!”

This special quest [Physical Exam] actually gave him 100,000 more experience points than the previous [Gourmet Dish] quest.

As for the [Secret Realm Challenge Ticket], it was now stored in Song Ye’s player inventory.

Leaving the exam hall, Song Ye went to the main office, where a duty constable told him that Zhao Zhigao had taken Song Yan to the noodle shop next door for a meal.

Family members weren’t allowed in the exam hall, so Song Yan, being Song Ye’s only relative, had to be entrusted to Zhao Zhigao’s care.

Zhao Zhigao, probably worried after waiting outside for so long and afraid Song Yan would go hungry—especially since Song Yan couldn’t speak—simply took her to get some noodles.

Since they were out eating, Song Ye decided to use the secret realm challenge ticket while he had the chance.

The ticket was essentially a boss challenge pass—the more damage he dealt to the boss illusion in the secret realm, the better the rewards.

He also noticed that the “Secret Realm Challenge Ticket” had a time limit—just one hour. In other words, he had to use it within an hour of obtaining it, or it would vanish.

Without delay, Song Ye activated the ticket.

At once, he was plunged into a shadowy domain, standing atop a floating circular platform. Four candlesticks stood around him, their candles casting a dim, yellow glow.

At this point, the demon lord illusion had not yet appeared.

Suddenly, black lightning tore through the space above the platform. Amid the dazzling darkness, a figure slowly materialized, floating in midair.

The figure wore a mask of violet doom and a long, black dress.

Song Ye immediately recognized the dress—it was the very same one his young wife, Qin Xuanxi, had worn the first time she appeared before him.

In other words, the demon lord illusion summoned in this secret realm was none other than the Demon Lord of the Black Abyss, Qin Xuanxi.

Song Ye was utterly astonished.

Good heavens, the boss I’m supposed to challenge is my own wife!

To fight his own wife—wasn’t that domestic violence?

Qin Xuanxi was the most notorious female demon on the continent—a true final boss. It was only natural that her illusion would appear in the boss secret realm.

Though the figure before him was merely an illusion, and even though she wore a mask, Song Ye still found himself reluctant to strike her.

After all, he had seen every inch of Qin Xuanxi’s body—no one knew her better than he did.

He didn’t need to see her face. Just by looking at the graceful figure, the slender curve of her legs, the grandeur that hid her feet from view, he knew the illusion was a perfect replica of Qin Xuanxi.

However, Song Ye also noticed that a ring of black protective energy swirled around the illusion.

Though it was only an illusion, its power was equal to the real Qin Xuanxi’s.

That meant no matter what attack he used, he would never be able to break through the protective energy.

Thus, he needn’t worry about “domestic violence” after all.

Even if his attacks couldn’t break the illusion’s guard, the system would still calculate the total damage, and at the end, rewards would be granted based on that amount.

He would have ten seconds to attack the illusion. After that, it would be the illusion’s turn to strike, and her blow would almost certainly obliterate him in an instant.

Of course, death in the secret realm wasn’t real—the challenge would simply end, and he’d be ejected from the realm.