*Luo Xiao Zhao POV*

Xiao Zhao woke up bright and early the day of the exam. He passed Li Qing's room and stopped. Should I knock and check on him? He glanced at the wooden, silent door. No, he can figure it out himself. Besides, his face is as blank as this door. Why would I want to talk to that ice face?

Xiao Zhao continued on his way. He descended the steps and found a table at the corner of the room. As he sat down, a waiter came up to him. "I want two mán tou and a hard boiled egg."

"Ah, ok," the waiter nodded as he hurried away. Soon, he was back with Xiao Zhao's order. Xiao Zhao hunched over, picked up the mán tou, and started to shove it into his mouth. He had just finished the first one when he heard someone set something down on the table and plop down on the stool beside him. He furtively glanced to his right.

Li Qing sat beside him like it was no one's business. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and quickly tapped the ends of the chopsticks on the table to ensure they were even and started to eat.

Xiao Zhao stared at Li Qing with confusion.

As if realizing he was being watched, Li Qing suddenly gave a death stare. If looks could kill I'd be dead. Xiao Zhao thought to himself. He returned to eating his food, but this time, twice as fast.

In no time, Xiao Zhao was finished. He quickly got up and scurried away from Li Qing. I don't know how I offended him. Why did he sit beside me? Wasn't there other tables he could sit at? Why did he have to sit beside me of all people?

When he returned to his room, Xiao Zhao quickly packed up. Today would be the day where he would take his fate into his own hands. No one could stop him this time, nor would he let anyone. He took out the curved piece of glass and caressed it. He smiled.

Grabbing his books, he put them in his bag. Next he started folding his blanket. Before he knew it, he suddenly felt dizzy. He quickly collapsed on the ground. Pain shot through his whole body as he started to shake. At first the shaking started gently but soon, it became more and more violent. Not again. Xiao Zhao thought. As his sight became more blurry, he thought he saw Li Qing enter the room.

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*Quan Mo Ran POV*

Mo Ran was just passing by Xiao Zhao's room when he heard a thud emit from inside the room. Should I... He held up his hand about to knock but hesitated. He wasn't in the habit of checking on someone. He also didn't want to bother Xiao Zhao. But he has Dan Wen. If something happens to him, I would never forgive myself. Why wouldn't you forgive yourself? He is supposed to die anyway. This is your mission. But I don't know if it will still work if the owner dies. Excuses! You just don't want to kill him! What? Since when did I ever hesitate to kill someone?

"Ok ok," Mo Ran said loudly as he tried to shut up the two voices inside his head. He sighed. What would Rui Ming do? Hmmm. That's easy. She would check on him. I'll check up on him. Mo Ran decided.

He knocked on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again. "Xiao Zhao. It's me," he called as he knocked.

Still no luck.

He pushed the door open and glanced to his left. His eyes flew open. Xiao Zhao's whole body was shaking violently on the ground. His mouth was bubbling with white saliva. Mo Ran shot his hand out toward the double doors and they closed imediately .

He rushed over to Xiao Zhao and sat down cross-legged. Quickly, he summoned his inner force and used his hand to direct the inner force to Xiao Zhao's head. Mo Ran closed his eyes as he felt his inner force ebbing away. Suddenly, blood involuntarily came up his throat and he spat it out. Wiping away the blood, he continued. His body was getting weaker but despite this, he continued. Finally, he was done. Having adjusted his inner force, he opened his eyes.

Xiao Zhao was breathing evenly and his body had relaxed. Soon, he would be alright.

Mo Ran glanced at the sun. He had better start on his way. He couldn't afford to be late. He stood up and turned away, about to leave. He glanced at Xiao Zhao's form lying on the ground. He shook his head and walked toward Xiao Zhao. Picking him up, he put Xiao Zhao on the bed and put the blanket over him. Finally satisfied, Mo Ran quickly sprung away. Reaching the doors, he grabbed both sides of them and closed the door gently.

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*Shi Han Jun POV*

Han Jun stood amidst contestants who had come from all over the world. Some came from the Autumn sect, some from the Winter sect, some from the Spring sect, and most came from the Summer sect. They all gathered in front of the gates of the exam hall where they would soon take their test.

Aside from the contestants, there were many other people who came as spectators. Many came to see their sons and husbands off, wishing the best for them.

Han Jun heard a woman say to her son nearby, "My son, you can do it. You are smart. I know you will be one of the few to succeed."

Han Jun turned to the voice. He saw a woman hug her son.

"Mom, don't worry. I will make you proud," her son reassured her.

A slight smile appeared on Han Jun's face. I wish my mother could be here and see me. He pushed the thought aside and instead turned his attention to trying to find Li Qing and Xiao Zhao.

As he scanned the crowd, he heard a girl ask, "Father, when can I join the exam?"

He turned to see a young girl about five, on top of her father's shoulders. The man had grayish hair. He laughed deeply. "My daughter, you can't take the test."

"But why can my brother take it?"

"Your brother is responsible for taking care of the family after I'm gone. So he naturally has to be more knowledgeable," her father explained.

"But Father, what if I want to learn too?"

"Learn?" Her father scoffed. "A girl like you should stay at home and manage family affairs, get married, and have children. That is what a girl should do. What kind of nonsense is it for a girl to go to school?"

"But Father, why can't a girl do what boys do?"

"That is just the way it is, my child," he said gently.

"But–"

A loud clang suddenly interrupted them and everyone quieted. A man had hit a round bronze symbol using a big stick that had one end covered in cloth. The man now stood in front of them and proclaimed, "The time to enter into the exam has arrived. Welcome everyone. I am Wu Xiang Ge and I will be your proctor this year. If you have any questions during the exam or emergencies, feel free to summon me. Before we start, I must go over the rules. Rule number one, no Jing is allowed to enter. You will be required to have a body search. Any Jing who is found to have attempted to enter will be punished with 30 beatings of the paddles."

When the crowd heard this, some started to murmur.

"That is a good rule. We can't let the Jing have any foothold in our government," a man nearby proclaimed.

"Rule number two, women are not allowed to enter. Any woman who has been found to have attempted to enter will be punished."

Han Jun strained his eyes as he tried with all his might to find Li Qing and Xiao Zhao. He was getting very desperate when he saw Li Qing at the edge of the crowd near the back. He slowly made his way to Li Qing, pushing his way through the crowd as the proctor kept going on.

"Before you enter, all your goods will be checked to ensure no one has an unfair advantage. Those who have books and notes will be required to put them in a basket as you enter. If you are found to have books or paper notes after you have entered the exam halls, you will be disqualified immediately..."

Almost there. Han Jun said as he made his way to Li Qing's side. When he arrived, he lightly bumped Li Qing with his shoulder.

*Quan Mo Ran POV*

Mo Ran jumped from the physical touch. He turned quickly only to see Han Jun smiling at him. He glared. Han Jun didn't seem bothered but instead leaned toward Mo Ran and asked, "Where's Xiao Zhao?"

Mo Ran nearly side eyed Han Jun before turning his attention back to the proctor.

"You don't know?"

Mo Ran didn't reply.

"Now, everyone, please line up to enter the exam hall." Mo Ran started to move toward the front but Han Jun grabbed his sleeve, stopping him. Mo Ran glared, hoping Han Jun would let go. Han Jun ignored his glare and said, "We should go to the end of the line." Before Mo Ran could reply, Han Jun started to pull him to the back of the line.

They stood at the back of the line as people rushed to be first.

Mo Ran gave Han Jun a blank expression.

Han Jun must've guessed Mo Ran's question.

"We're waiting for Xiao Zhao," Han Jun explained.

Mo Ran rolled his eyes.

Han Jun hardly noticed. He was too busy trying to look for Xiao Zhao.

"You sure you didn't see Xiao Zhao?" He asked as he strained his neck.

Mo Ran just looked at Han Jun blankly.

Han Jun glanced at Mo Ran and said, "Forget that I ever asked."

The line became shorter and shorter. The exam gates were getting closer and closer. Han Jun became more restless as time wore on...

*Luo Xiao Zhao POV*

Xiao Zhao woke up a bit later. The sun streamed into the room and reflected off the floor. He slowly sat up. What happened? His head hurt. He stumbled to the table in front of him and groggily poured himself a cup of tea. He gulped the lukewarm tea down. His mind instantly cleared. I was packing before it came again. I remember I was on the ground. So how did I end up on the bed? He remembered a blurry faced figure. Who could that have been? He looked like Li Qing...but his face was also a bit blurry so I can't be sure. Anyway, I have to get back to packing. He stood up and walked over to his travel bag and started to pack. He suddenly stopped. Why am I packing... packing for what?

Xiao Zhao suddenly shot to his feet and ran to the window. He glanced at the sun. Oh no! The exam is starting soon! Xiao Zhao threw the last few items into his bag and rushed down the stairs and out the inn. I hope I'm not too late.

*Shi Han Jun POV*

There were only two more people left before it was their turn. I have to figure out a way to stall the exams.

Seeing no other solution, Han Jun leaned toward Li Qing and whispered, "Hit me."

Li Qing pulled away. His expression was blank.

"You don't need to—" Han Jun started to say.

Li Qing suddenly punched him on the cheek. His head snapped sideways and he stumbled back. I guess I didn't need to worry about him hesitating.

"Li Qing! How dare you hit me!" Han Jun cried. He swung his arm toward Li Qing's face. With ease, Li Qing redirected his punch and tried to jab Han Jun in the side. Han Jun dodged and barely escaped from getting hit. Li Qing didn't give up though. Before Han Jun could fully recover from the dodge, Li Qing came at him and kicked him in the adomen. Han Jun flew a couple feet away and landed on his side.

"What's going on here?" cried the proctor.

Han Jun slowly got to his feet and pointed at Li Qing, feigning anger he yelled, "He hit me!"

"Is that so?" the proctor turned to Li Qing.

Li Qing was inspecting his scabbard and didn't reply.

"Hey! Do you hear me?!" The proctor asked, indignant of how he was being disrespected.

Li Qing finally turned his eyes on the proctor and answered. "No."

"No? Get over here, Li Qing! You hit me! You are going to get it!" Han Jun cried, about to rush toward him again. However, a few people suddenly rushed between Han Jun and Li Qing. They held Han Jun back with their hands. "Calm down!" One man ordered.

"He hit me! Do you know who I am?"

Li Qing sighed and said, "Bù zhī yě bù xiǎng zhī."

"What? You!"

"If you want to attend the exam, you have to stop this nonsense," the proctor said sternly.

Through the corner of his eye, Han Jun saw Xiao Zhao appear.

He glared at the men who held him and replied, "Let go. I promise I won't fight."

The men glanced at each other uneasily. They looked to the proctor for his orders. The proctor nodded and they released Han Jun. As soon as he was released, he patted his sleeves and blew on them. Then straightening his clothing, he walked really close to Li Qing and strutted past him. He entered the exam hall with his nose held high. Li Qing followed, his arms crossed around his sword and Xiao Zhao was behind him.

Han Jun chanced to glance behind him and saw Li Qing lean toward Xiao Zhao and pass something to him. He saw Li Qing's lips move. There was a flash of confusion on Xiao Zhao's face, but Xiao Zhao nodded. What was that all about? Well it doesn't matter. All I need to do is focus on the exam.

After they had passed the body check and their things had been rummaged through, they found their seats in the exam hall. They were each given a desk to sit behind. Han Jun started to set up his work space.

"Now that everyone is here, let the exams begin! Your test question is this," the proctor said as he let a vertical piece of paper unroll with a flapping noise. Reading from top to bottom, it read, '何为君子.'

Han Jun glanced at Li Qing to his left. He was already writing something. He then glanced at Xiao Zhao to his right. Xiao Zhao was still thinking. He had a brush in his hand and the butt of the brush was close to his mouth as he thought. Good luck, both of you. Han Jun thought as he focused on the task at hand. This was going to be a long three day exam.

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Bù zhī yě bù xiǎng zhī (不知也不想知): I don't know and I don't want to know.

You may be wondering why the characters are vertical instead of horizontal. In ancient China, they not only wrote characters from right to left, but they also wrote characters from up to down. They only do that in formal writing, however. If they are just writing names for stores and such, they will write the characters horizontally from right to left.

Ex.

Store name: 楼花莲

They wrote from left to right because it is a name and a sign for a store.

Ex.

Formal writing:

They wrote from up to down. Because the exam is in a formal setting, the writing must also be formal.