After discussing the matter of killing monsters, food and drinks were served, and the sixteen people began to drink and eat. Soon they began chatting about various topics, including stories of ancient sages, current officials, experiences of killing monsters, secrets of the imperial examinations, and interesting events in the academy. The atmosphere was great, without any hostility or conflict.

Fang Yun listened carefully to these stories to broaden his knowledge and observed the people. He found that although they were not perfect, they were all sensible. People like Liu Zicheng were few and far between.

They talked about the upcoming state examination to select Presented Scholars, in which all three classes would participate. Only two from the second class and one from the first class, last year’s Accomplished Scholar Li Yuncong, would participate.

Then they started discussing the classics, policy essays, and poetry. They mentioned that the state examination no longer tested knowledge of the Path of the Saints.

When it came to poetry, they asked Fang Yun to share some tips. He declined at first, but then found some useful points in a book and combined them with his own knowledge to present to the group. The Accomplished Scholars listened carefully, some even taking notes.

As the night approached 7 o’clock, there was a knock on the door, and three people entered. The Accomplished Scholars thought they were waiters, but upon seeing them, they all stood up nervously. The three young men wore black Presented Scholar robes, and their sleeves were embroidered with a pine tree.

The leader had a firm face and sharp eyes. He greeted them and asked if they could borrow Fang Yun for a moment to discuss poetry. They agreed, and the four of them went to the next room, where two other Presented Scholars were introduced.

After some small talk, Fang Yun asked if there was a reason for their invitation. The leader, Night Maple, smiled and said he wanted Fang Yun to join their society, the “Encouraging Mountain Society.” He would be the leader in two years after Night Maple left for the imperial examination in August.

Fang Yun asked if their true goal was not the Path of the Saints but the court, and Night Maple confirmed it.Ye Feng calmly said, “We all aspire to the Path of the Saints, but it is too difficult. Therefore, it is better to aim for the next best thing and cultivate our reputation, name, and talent in the court. If there is an opportunity, we will surely step into the Path of the Saints. If there is no opportunity, we will still become high-ranking officials in the court.”

Fang Yun nodded and said, “This is the best path, but my aspirations do not lie in the court. Therefore, I may not be able to stay in Jiangzhou or Lishan for long.”

“I know that you have great ambitions, and you are a rare talent in a century. We have discussed you many times, and you will surely become a Great Scholar, and even possibly a Saint. If you only aimed for the court, we would not have invited you so earnestly. If you are willing to join the Lishan Society, I will immediately give you the position of the society’s leader.”

Huang Yusheng and Xu Jingxian looked at Ye Feng in surprise. They did not expect him to be so decisive. They did not object because Fang Yun’s entry into the Lishan Society would greatly benefit them.

“Thank you, Brother Ye, for your kindness. However, after I pass the Talented Scholar exam, I plan to travel to Yuhai City for further studies and cannot stay in the state academy for a long time.”

“I am from Yuhai Prefecture,” Ye Feng smiled.

“In that case, when I go to Yuhai City, I hope Brother Ye can help me.”

“That goes without saying. Not to mention that General Fang Shouye is in Yuhai, and Admiral Zhang Poyue appreciates you. Even as a half-friend of Jianmei Gong, you can walk sideways in Yuhai City. The Lord of the Academy has many old friends in Yuhai City. If you go there, they will probably come out to welcome you. How could it be my turn to help you?”

“Brother Ye is too modest,” Fang Yun continued with polite words.

“How about this? We invite you to be a guest of the Lishan Society, with a monthly salary of one hundred taels of silver. You can do anything that the society leader can do, and we will do our best to promote your reputation. How about it?”

Fang Yun knew that being a guest was similar to being an honorary society leader, with a higher status than ordinary members. Most of the officials who came out of the Lishan Society were honorary society leaders.

Fang Yun hesitated, and Ye Feng said, “We know that the Lishan Society cannot afford to keep a dragon like you in this small pond. However, as you rise to prominence, you will eventually need capable subordinates, and fellow townsmen and fellow society members are always the most trustworthy. I wanted to use your strength to suppress the Ying Society, but today I realized that Jing Kingdom is too small, and you will go further than us. The small Ying Society is nothing. You can treat the Lishan Society as a rest stop or inn along the way, and it will not hinder you from reaching the Holy Academy, which is your ultimate destination.”

Fang Yun looked at Ye Feng and asked with a smile, “You are eloquent. Did you study under the Military Strategists?”

“No, I studied under the Great Scholars, using talent to kill enemies and using the heart to govern,” Ye Feng’s eyes shone brighter.

Fang Yun nodded and said, “Since I am already at odds with the Ying Society, I will temporarily join the Lishan Society. I hope that us poor students can support each other.”

Ye Feng and his companions were overjoyed.

The four of them talked for a long time, and Fang Yun finally returned to his room in the Talented Scholar class.

As he pushed open the door, Fang Yun found that there were four more people in the room.

Like Ye Feng, these four were all wearing Presented Scholar robes and were chatting happily with the Talented Scholars.

When they saw Fang Yun come in, they all stood up. One of the burly young men smiled and said, “Did we come too late?”

“Who are you all?”Next, Chang Wanxu introduced Fang Yun to the four people one by one. All four of them were related to prestigious families. The sturdy young man turned out to be Zhang Ruohai, the son of the governor of Jiangzhou, Zhang Poyue. The Zhang family itself was a prestigious family in Mishou, but Zhang Ruohai’s student status was in Jiangzhou.

“Don’t you consider joining our Ying Society?”

Fang Yun said, “I have offended the Liu family, how could I join your aristocratic Ying Society? I have already agreed to become a guest of the Lishan Society.”

Zhang Ruohai helplessly said, “You are Uncle Fang’s nephew, you should join the Ying Society. It’s all that scoundrel Liu Zicheng’s fault. But don’t worry, this Ying Society is not his Liu family’s Ying Society. Since you are from the Fang family, you are one of us. If you need anything, you can come to me.”

Fang Yun smiled and said, “Then I thank you first, Brother Zhang.”

Although Zhang Ruohai was a Presented Scholar, he was quite bold like his father and not bound by trivialities. He pulled Fang Yun to drink, and the atmosphere in the room was exceptionally high.

They drank until late at night, and the group left the restaurant. Fang Yun had drunk quite a bit and was walking unsteadily, but his mind was still clear.

When he arrived home by carriage, the little fox quickly ran over and jumped into Fang Yun’s arms, whining as if complaining that he hadn’t come to see it all day.

“I may not be home during the day frequently in the future. I will go to kill demons in a few days, and it will take ten or twenty days. You have to get used to it,” Fang Yun said, rubbing the little fox’s head with his hand.

The new house was very large, and in addition to Jiang Pozzi and Fang Daniu, there were two more maids and a doorman than before. Tan Yu and Nie Shi did not live here.

After chatting with Yang Yuhuan for a while and drinking a bowl of sober soup cooked by Jiang Pozzi, Fang Yun continued to study.

He didn’t study until four in the morning today and went to bed in the early morning.

The next day, Fang Yun continued to go to the State Academy to study.

The morning was calm, and Mr. Wang’s first class was on the language of the demon clan, which Fang Yun could not understand. He decided to let Qishu Tianxiang “eat” some books on demon clan language at night.

After that, they studied the classics and poetry.

At noon, Mr. Wang said what he would teach in the afternoon and left.

Fang Yun was about to have lunch with his classmates when he heard a voice in his ear.

“Come to my Mingjing Hall.”

Fang Yun did not expect it to be the voice of the court lord Li Wenying, so he said to them, “You go to lunch first, I have some private matters to attend to, you don’t need to wait for me.”

Fang Yun walked to the front of the court lord’s hall and looked up to see the plaque with the three characters “Mingjing Hall” written on it. He knocked on the door three times.

“Come in.”

A strange wind pushed the door open.

Fang Yun bowed outside the threshold and said, “Student Fang Yun greets the court lord.”

Li Wenying was sitting on the Tai Shi chair behind the large desk, smiling at Fang Yun and saying, “Come and talk in front of the desk.”

Fang Yun walked to the front of the desk and did not find anything special, just the four treasures of the study and official documents. The middle of the desk was very clean, with only a piece of woolen felt used to cushion the white paper.

“I don’t know what the court lord has ordered.”Li Wenying laughed and said, “Last winter, I wrote a poem that was just one step away from reaching the Prefecture level. If it could reach the Prefecture level, there would be a great chance of being included in the ‘Literary Path’. I asked a few friends for help, but none of them could make the poem better. Today, seeing the flowers blooming outside reminded me of last year’s plum blossoms, and also of that poem ‘Early Plum’. Your literary talent is unparalleled in Jiangzhou, and I am not as good as you. Are you willing to help me?”

Fang Yun replied, “If Lord Wenying doesn’t mind my limited talent and knowledge, I can give it a try. However, if it doesn’t turn out well, please don’t blame me.”

Li Wenying laughed and scolded, “Stop pretending to be innocent in front of me. When you borrowed my reputation to sell books, weren’t you afraid of my scolding? By the way, how are the book sales?”