Liu Hao’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Oh my, quickly! There are far fewer people now than there were before. Hurry, let’s rush over!”

With that, Liu Hao darted out first. Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai, snapping out of their daze, quickly followed. Watching Liu Hao sprint ahead, Wang Qingchen thought with a slight weariness, short calves really are a disadvantage; he’s falling so far behind everyone else just running.

Reaching the notice board, the three of them quickly squeezed in while the crowd was thinner. Perhaps they struck lucky with the timing, as they soon managed to push their way to the very front.

Wang Qingchen looked up, and sure enough, Zhao Cheng’s name sat at the top. Wang Qingchen mused that his own rank must be quite far behind Zhao Cheng’s this time. With that thought, he began scanning the names below Zhao Cheng’s, one by one. When he finally reached the seventh position, an expression that was half-smile, half-grimace crossed Wang Qingchen’s face. He didn't know how to feel—should he be happy about passing the Academy Examination, or should he find a fortune-teller? Was he fated to be forever linked with the number seven? After all, this was the third time he had checked a results board only to find himself ranked seventh!

Still, Wang Qingchen managed to comfort himself. "Well, it seems my performance is quite stable." After this moment of self-mockery, he continued scrolling down. As he looked, he recognized several names. Seeing these familiar faces had passed, Wang Qingchen felt genuinely happy for them. After all, whether at the academy or in the county town, he had always gotten along well with them and naturally wished them success in the exams.

Wang Qingchen kept looking until he spotted Liu Hao’s name, and immediately following it, Li Yuntai’s. Li Yuntai? Wang Qingchen squinted closely. It truly was Li Yuntai’s name, and his ranking was surprisingly mid-list. Seeing this, Wang Qingchen reached out and grabbed Li Yuntai, who was still scanning the lower rankings, “Quick, look, look! Your name is here!”

Upon hearing Wang Qingchen, Li Yuntai confirmed the person was speaking to him and hurriedly squeezed next to Wang Qingchen. “Where? Where is it?”

“Right here…” Wang Qingchen pointed to Li Yuntai’s name. “See? Not only did you pass the Academy Examination, but your rank is quite good too. What do you say, wasn't I right?”

Li Yuntai looked and confirmed it was his name. He was ecstatic. Grasping Wang Qingchen’s shoulders, he shook him vigorously. “Hahaha, hahaha! It’s really my name, it’s really my name, Qingchen, look, it’s really my name…”

Wang Qingchen’s head began to ache from the shaking. He quickly shouted, “Stop, stop! I can’t take this, stop shaking, stop shaking!”

“Hahaha, Qingchen! Do you know how happy I am? I honestly thought I wouldn’t pass the Academy Examination this time. I didn’t expect Heaven to be so kind to me; not only did I pass, but my rank isn’t bad either! This is truly wonderful!” Li Yuntai continued to share his overwhelming joy with Wang Qingchen.

Hmph, so your excellent result is entirely credited to Heaven, Wang Qingchen thought resignedly. Thankfully, Li Yuntai was only attributing success to Heaven out of sheer happiness; he wasn't spiraling into the kind of manic episode like Fan Jin. So, Wang Qingchen let him have it. Give the credit to whomever he liked, as long as he didn't end up like Fan Jin.

Over on his side, Liu Hao had started looking from the bottom of the list along with Li Yuntai, so he hadn't seen his own name yet. Hearing Li Yuntai’s loud exclamations only increased the pressure on him. Li Yuntai had been ready for failure, yet he had suddenly placed in the middle tier, while Liu Hao, who was certain he’d passed, still couldn't locate his name. Anyone would start to worry in that situation.

Although Wang Qingchen had seen Liu Hao’s name, he hadn't realized Liu Hao hadn't found it yet. Previously, Liu Hao had always found his results quickly and even helped many other scholars check theirs. Based on that history, Wang Qingchen naturally assumed Liu Hao had already seen his own name and was simply helping others now, so he didn't bother pointing it out.

Liu Hao operated under the same assumption: if Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai had seen his name, they would surely have told him. Thus, he concluded that Wang Qingchen’s side of the board also lacked his name, so he kept searching the lower ranks. Poor Liu Hao searched and searched until sweat was beading on his brow, but still, nothing.

Once Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai had checked their results, they prepared to leave. The crowd was so thick, hot, and stifling it was hard to breathe. So, the two called out to Liu Hao, telling him they were heading out.

Hearing Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai announce their departure, Liu Hao felt a pang of reluctance, but he knew that after searching for so long without success, it meant he hadn't made it—he had failed the Academy Examination. Since there was no point lingering there, he nodded in agreement.

When Wang Qingchen saw Liu Hao’s expression, he was puzzled. Why did Liu Hao look so utterly dejected? Hadn't he passed the exam? And with a decent rank too. Perhaps a close acquaintance hadn't passed, and Liu Hao was feeling their sorrow?

After squeezing out of the crowd, the three of them were drenched in sweat again. After several deep breaths, Wang Qingchen finally felt less suffocated. He turned to Liu Hao and asked, “Say, what’s wrong with you? Why do you look so crestfallen? I saw you searching the lower ranks for quite a while. Who were you looking for? Did someone fail that’s making you this upset?”

When Liu Hao heard this, he felt Wang Qingchen was feigning ignorance just to tease him. Of course, I was looking for my own name! Do I look like I have nothing better to do than search for someone else’s name? So, Liu Hao didn't answer, merely rolling his eyes at Wang Qingchen.

“Hey, why the eye-roll? I was just asking. Why such a strong reaction?” Wang Qingchen looked bewildered. He didn't think he had said anything offensive.

“Hmph, of course, I was looking for my own name! What else would I be looking for?” Liu Hao retorted irritably.

“Your own name?” Wang Qingchen questioned. “If you were looking for your own name, why were you searching near the bottom ranks?”

“Nonsense, if not at the bottom, where else would I be looking— wait, are you saying…” Liu Hao looked at Wang Qingchen in disbelief.

“Your name is right there in the middle, and even ahead of Yuntai’s. Didn't you know? Could it be you never actually found your name just now? Is that why you’ve been looking so lost?” Wang Qingchen couldn't believe it.

At that moment, Liu Hao couldn't worry about Wang Qingchen’s confusion. All that echoed in his mind was Wang Qingchen’s words: In the middle, in the middle. He looked at Wang Qingchen, desperate for confirmation, “You mean my rank is in the middle, Qingchen? You’re not tricking me, are you?”

Without waiting for an answer, Liu Hao spun around and dashed back toward the board. He vanished into the crowd almost instantly, leaving Wang Qingchen utterly awestruck. If skill in fighting through crowds were an official measure, Liu Hao would surely claim the number one spot.

Li Yuntai, having overheard the exchange, was also struggling to process it. “Wait, did he seriously not find his own name this whole time?”

Wang Qingchen nodded. “It looks like it. Didn't you see him fighting his way back in to check again?”

As Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai said this, they burst into laughter. In fact, for many years to come, they would often tease Liu Hao about this incident—though that is a story for later.

Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai didn’t wait for Liu Hao and headed back to the inn first, eager to wash up. That layer of sweat was unbearable. After they had bathed and settled into the main hall to eat, Liu Hao finally arrived, lagging significantly behind.

Though Liu Hao appeared disheveled, the smile on his face stretched almost to his ears. Upon entering the inn and seeing Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai already in the hall, he hurried over. “Hahaha, you won’t believe this! I really passed the Academy Examination! It turns out my rank was high up, which is why I kept looking near the bottom and couldn’t find it for ages!”

Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai, already knowing the truth, still replied, “Yes, congratulations then!”

Liu Hao beamed. “Hahaha, congratulations to you all too! You have no idea! I pushed my way back in, and there was my name on the board, and it was a good one too. I was so happy right then, I thought about telling everyone standing next to me: That person on the board is me…”

Wang Qingchen quickly interrupted, “Wait, you didn’t actually do that, did you?”

“How could I? I was overjoyed, but I’m not completely foolish, am I? If I had actually said that, wouldn’t some of the people who failed have beaten me up? Don't worry, I’m not stupid!” Liu Hao assured him.

Wang Qingchen wasn't concerned about whether others would beat him up; he was worried that if Liu Hao had acted that way, he would have been perilously close to becoming another Fan Jin. Wang Qingchen certainly didn't want anyone he knew to turn into that.

Afterward, as the three still needed time in the county town to meet friends and acquaintances, they didn't rush their return. However, they did send letters via courier to inform their families that they had passed the Academy Examination.

Having passed the Academy Examination, Wang Qingchen had completed the first step of his goal, putting him in exceptionally high spirits. When celebrating with his friends and classmates, he truly let loose and enjoyed himself.

Meanwhile, Wang Qinghua received the letter that Wang Qingchen had sent back via courier and eagerly tore it open. After reading it, Wang Qinghua could hardly conceal his delight. Without regard for the time, he gave a few hurried instructions at the mill and immediately rushed toward Wang Family Village with Wang Qingchen's letter.