When Yu Qing woke from his coma, it was already the evening of the next day. He opened his eyes and looked around. He found himself lying in an elegant and quiet room. The strong scent of medicine filled the air, and the room was thick with medicinal vapour. He also saw Yu Qing sitting wearily by the bed with a haggard face.
There was also Pu the clerk, pacing back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back and a grave expression.
On the night of the incident, Yu Qing had brought A Shi Heng here. It was also A Shi Heng who, before falling unconscious, had reminded him to find Pu the clerk.
Yu Qing did not know where Pu the clerk lived. Fortunately, Pu had given instructions beforehand. If something happened and they needed to find him, they should go to the shop at the street corner and ask the shopkeeper.
Of course, before A Shi Heng lost consciousness, Yu Qing had also learned what had happened in the kitchen. After the headless snake demon hanging from the beam crashed to the ground, it actually twitched violently once more. Its tail swept and knocked down half a wall, causing half the kitchen to collapse.
Fortunately, it was only a kitchen. The structure had been built lightly, so not much heavy material fell. Otherwise, it might not have been just one arm that got broken.
He had already been examined and treated. Apart from that arm, the other injuries were just minor cuts from tiles.
Yu Qing’s gaze shifted slightly. He noticed the unconscious person had opened his eyes and called out, “Awake?”
Pu the clerk quickly stepped to the bedside and asked with concern, “Young master…” He did not know what else to say and finally managed, “Just focus on recovering well.”
But A Shi Heng asked, “Has the scene of the incident been dealt with?”
Pu the clerk reassured him, “Young master, rest assured. I have already arranged for my own people to handle it carefully. If you do not want it to spread, it will not spread.”
A Shi Heng raised his head to look at his heavily bandaged injured arm. He tried to move it, but found he could only move his shoulder. Below that, apart from pain, there was no response at all.
Seeing this, Yu Qing and Pu the clerk both turned their heads away.
A Shi Heng keenly sensed their reluctance to look directly at him. He realised the seriousness of the problem. The injured arm was the one he used for writing. He asked, “Is it very serious?”
No one answered.
The atmosphere in the room immediately became heavy.
After a long while, A Shi Heng asked again, “Is it crippled? Cannot be cured?”
At this point, Pu the clerk did not hide it anymore. He sighed and said, “For an ordinary person, it might be hopeless. On you, young master, it should not be so desperate. However, the elbow bone was shattered to pieces. Even ordinary good doctors would find it very hard to restore it perfectly. I am afraid we need to find an extremely skilled healing expert among cultivators. If the old master were still in office, this would not be a big problem. It would just take one word from him. But now, our abilities are limited. I am afraid we will have to take our time and find a way. It will definitely take more time. Young master may have to suffer for a while longer.”
Yu Qing quickly added, “Don’t worry. Once little martial uncle returns, there will surely be a way to treat it.”
A Shi Heng understood what the two meant. No matter whether it could be cured or not, it definitely could not be cured before this year’s metropolitan examination. In other words, he could not participate in this examination.
This was exactly what Yu Qing and Pu the clerk were worried about. Before he woke up, the two had discussed it many times, fearing that A Shi Heng could not accept this outcome.
Especially Yu Qing. He did not even know what to say to comfort him. His guilt was plain to see.
During the time the other was unconscious, he had been blaming himself nonstop. He regretted cooking that spiritual rice. Otherwise, those three snake demons would not have been attracted.
If A Shi Heng’s arm really became crippled and could never be cured, the court would never employ someone with incomplete limbs.
He knew very well how much hardship A Shi Heng had endured these years with his diligent studies in poverty.
His father, A Jie Zhang, had truly poured immense effort into cultivating this son for an official career.
The blood, sweat, and expectations of two generations of father and son. If they were ruined because of his, Yu Qing’s, recklessness, he did not know how he could face it.
A Shi Heng had quietly closed his eyes, but the expression on his face was extremely complicated. His heart must have been filled with a hundred different emotions.
Yu Qing and Pu the clerk both knew that no one could remain calm after something like this happened. It was hard for anyone to accept.
But the thing had already happened. What could the two say?
The room stayed quiet for a long time. The now calm A Shi Heng seemed to slowly enter another state. His brows sometimes furrowed tightly, sometimes slowly relaxed. No one knew what he was thinking. After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes again. His pale lips moved. “Mr Pu, I have something to say to him.”
Pu the clerk understood. He nodded slightly, glanced at Yu Qing, turned, and left the room.
Yu Qing looked eagerly at the person on the bed, wondering what private matter he wanted to discuss with him.
Who would have thought that when A Shi Heng spoke, he asked a question that was hard for him to answer. “In terms of age, seniority, or qualifications, it is not your turn to take charge of Linglong Temple. The old temple master was not a muddled person. Why did he let you succeed as temple master?” Clearly, he wanted to take the chance to clear up the doubt in his heart.
Yu Qing’s lips tightened for a moment. “Bookworm, every sect has its own secrets that cannot be told to outsiders. I cannot tell you this.”
A Shi Heng did not press the issue. He changed to another question. “Why did you seize your senior brothers’ money?”
Why ask this again? Yu Qing was puzzled, but he muttered on. “That money is both theirs and not theirs. Before Master passed away, he said to treat everyone fairly. He divided the little money left in the temple into four equal parts and gave one to each of us four senior brothers. The conditions at Linglong Temple cannot keep people. I originally had more than ten senior brothers. They all left one after another. The three of them only came back because of special reasons.
Now that they have money in their hands, they cannot beat me, yet they refuse to accept me as temple master. Do you think they would stay in this poor mountain hollow and suffer?
Do you think if I did not take their money, they would obey me? Only when their money is in my hands, even if they refuse to accept me, for the sake of the money they cannot just leave easily. Without money, it is hard to travel far. Only then do I have time to slowly solve the current problems.
I cannot take over Linglong Temple and have everyone scatter like monkeys when the tree falls. If they all run away in the blink of an eye, what would I do as temple master? How could I explain to little martial uncle later? How could I explain to our dead Master? If I asked them to hand it over themselves, they refused to take my words as temple master seriously. Then I had no choice but to take it by force.”
So that was how it was. A Shi Heng fell into thought.
Yu Qing noticed something was off and asked back, “Things are already like this, and you still have the leisure to care about such trifles?”
A Shi Heng said, “You grew up in Linglong Temple since childhood. The temple basically never gave pocket money. You have always been ‘thirsty’ for money. I know you are greedy for money. But I never expected that as soon as you took over as temple master, you would use the title of temple master to force your own senior brothers to hand over money. That is going too far with greed. If I do not get this clear, there are some things I dare not entrust to you.”
The way he put it made Yu Qing roll his eyes. But seeing the other’s miserable state and feeling guilty, he had no energy to argue. “Go on. Whatever it is, just say it. As long as I can do it, I will help you do it.”
A Shi Heng said, “Please ask Mr Pu to come back in.”
Yu Qing had no objections. He got up and left. He called outside. When he returned, Pu the clerk came back with him.
After the two arrived, a trace of determination flashed across A Shi Heng’s face. In an unquestionable tone, he said, “For this metropolitan examination, continue to participate!”
Yu Qing’s mouth twitched. He wondered if this person could not accept reality and had lost his mind.
Pu the clerk frowned. He had similar worries.
Who would have thought that the lying A Shi Heng turned his head and stared straight at Yu Qing. Word by word, he said, “You go and take the exam. In my place!”
“…” Yu Qing was dumbfounded. He thought he had misheard and pointed at himself.
Pu the clerk was clearly shocked too.
“Yes. You impersonate me and go to the capital to take this metropolitan examination.” A Shi Heng deliberately made it clear and emphatic.
He said it plainly. He really meant to do it for real!
The previous sorrow in Yu Qing and Pu the clerk vanished in an instant. They were both scared out of it and stunned.
Playing this big? After coming to his senses, Yu Qing panicked and waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no. I really cannot do this. I cannot possibly pass the exam either. I had better continue pretending to be the escort. For the replacement, you should find someone else!”
A Shi Heng asked back, “Whether you can pass or not, does it matter?”
“Uh…” Yu Qing froze. He did not react for a moment and asked suspiciously, “What do you mean?”
A Shi Heng looked at Pu the clerk and said slowly, “If a provincial graduate suddenly withdraws from the metropolitan examination, it cannot be brushed off with just a word. The court will send people to verify my situation. I said before, once I am put on the list of those who missed the exam due to reasons, and once it is reported to the court, it is easy to attract attention. Once it alerts the culprits behind the scenes from back then, the consequences would be unthinkable. Moreover, the court will not admit a disabled person. No matter whether it can be cured or not, my arm being injured like this is a big problem. We cannot let the court know. We need to leave some room for manoeuvre.”
Pu the clerk thought about it and nodded slightly. He understood this point. Verifying why a candidate missed the exam was considered a kindness from the court to the examinees. It served to deter villains and prevent anyone from harming candidates.
A Shi Heng looked at Yu Qing again. “If I withdraw from the metropolitan examination, once the court’s people come down to investigate, I will be very passive. At that time, people in the county office who have seen me are hard for me to avoid. It would be difficult to tamper with things. So we must take the initiative. We must prevent the court’s people from coming to verify. As long as I participate normally, the court will not come down to check. That is why I need you to impersonate me and participate normally. Even if you do not pass, it does not matter. At least it buys a few years for the next attempt. Even if I am crippled, finding someone who can pass and is suitable to replace me will also take time.”
That last sentence made Yu Qing’s heart jump with fear. He vaguely sensed the deeper meaning in the words, but there were some things he did not want to think about too much.
It was not that he did not want to help. But how did this plan sound so full of holes? Yu Qing said with a wry smile, “The metropolitan examination in the capital is a grand event of the nation. How can it allow someone to impersonate easily? You just said people in the county office know you. The moment I step out, I will be exposed! Bookworm, it is not that I refuse. It is that this matter really cannot be agreed to.”
A Shi Heng said, “You do not need to worry about this. Mr Pu will arrange everything properly. No one will recognise you.”
Really? Yu Qing turned back and looked Pu the clerk up and down, full of doubt. Clearly, he was questioning whether a mere clerk had that much power.
Who would have thought that Pu the clerk could not hold it in anymore. He was clearly flustered too. He waved his hands repeatedly. “Young master, how could I cover this up? I cannot possibly kill everyone who has seen you, can I? I might manage to kill those in the county, but I cannot kill those above! This really cannot be done. The moment he shows his face, he will be exposed. Impersonation will not work.”
Yu Qing immediately spread his hands to A Shi Heng in a “you see” gesture. In his heart, he breathed a sigh of relief.