The White-Bone Demon of the Farm is as rich as a country

The next afternoon, Chu Ning'an took Ah Xi to the inn to meet Mr. Wu and then went to the county government office to attend the banquet hosted by County Magistrate Xu.

Everyone knew that this banquet was for the county magistrate to meet with the famous students in the county in advance. Most of those invited were the best among the local students. As the chief examiner of this exam, the county magistrate could also use this meeting to find out the truth for the next exam.

It was still early when Chu Ning'an arrived at the inn, but the inn was already full of people. Some students gathered in groups of three or five to loudly criticize the current social problems, some were arguing about the pros and cons of an article, and some invited guests were talking about the evening banquet... The entire lobby of the inn was as noisy as a vegetable market, and the usually well-mannered and talented people seemed to have forgotten their self-righteous status.

Chu Ning'an had never studied in an academy, nor had he participated in literary gatherings among scholars, so only a few students from Xingzhi Academy knew him. When they saw him come in, they came forward to greet him and asked about his studies in the past few days.

"Is this brother also an undergraduate? What's your name? Which academy do you attend?" A young man in lotus-white brocade robes asked with disdain and arrogance, "Are you also among those invited by the county magistrate?"

Seeing that this man was full of arrogance, Chu Ning'an did not want to compete with him, but he calmly clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "My name is Chu Ning'an, and I am a student of Xingzhi Academy." After saying that, he turned around and went upstairs to find Mr. Wu.

"Hey... don't be in such a hurry to leave. We're all from the same class, so why not make friends through literature?" He stopped Chu Ning'an without any regard for the rules, and said with a high opinion of himself, "I'm Dong Zhanyang from Yunlai Town. Has the county magistrate invited you as well?"

Seeing that the man was very rude, Ah Xi walked forward and wanted to stand in front of his young master, but was pulled back by Chu Ning'an. He suddenly remembered what Ru Yue said, and glared at this man named Dong Zhanyang fiercely. Humph, I'll find a girl to put you in a sack when I go back tonight.

Zhang Erqiang had heard that this man, Chu Ning'an, was one of the most popular candidates for the top spot in this county exam. He was extremely arrogant and looked down on others, but his knowledge was said to be quite good.

Chu Ning'an looked at him coldly, with a terrifying aura around him. He was born in the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion and was trained by the Marquis's son since childhood. In addition, he was born with an aura of nobility. When his aura was fully open, everyone around him felt an invisible pressure and avoided his gaze. Dong Zhanyang also unconsciously took two steps back, and then straightened his back as if he realized it belatedly, as if he did it on purpose because he didn't want to be outdone by Chu Ning'an. Chu Ning'an didn't say a word, looked at him meaningfully, turned and walked upstairs.

"Brother Ning'an, I see you." The cold, solemn atmosphere in the inn hadn't yet dissipated when a sudden voice rang out, causing everyone's gaze to turn in unison. Chu Ning'an himself paused to gaze at the newcomers. It was Yang Sixian and Chen Yihe. He cupped his fists and bowed to them.

"They said you came to the inn yesterday, but unfortunately we missed you. So today we thought we'd try our luck. Maybe you can go to the county government office with us."

His words were ambiguous, and people who didn't know the truth would inevitably think that Chu Ning'an was mediocre in knowledge and was not among those invited by County Magistrate Xu. He could only attend the evening banquet by relying on the convenience of his classmates. This made some talented and famous students look down on him even more. If he had no talent and reputation but had to rely on other people's relationships to get in touch with official power, it would be suspected of currying favor with the powerful.

"Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary." He was already tall, and standing on the stairs, he seemed to have an aloof and arrogant air. This made people who disliked him dislike him even more, but it also made some people feel that he was polite and decent, neither humble nor arrogant, and was a person worth making friends with.

"Brother Ning'an, why do you have to keep people at a distance?" Yang Sixian said hesitantly while standing downstairs.

Although this statement was not a big one, it was heard by many people around, and it inevitably made people have more doubts about Chu Ningan in their hearts.

"Cousin, gossiping behind people's backs is not what a gentleman does." Chen Yihe didn't understand why his cousin, although he was a bit outspoken, was not the kind of person who would stir up trouble in secret. He didn't know what he was doing this time.

"Who made him reject my kindness for a vulgar country girl?"

"That's Brother Ning An's private matter. You shouldn't interfere."

......

There were more topics of dispute in the inn because of Chu Ning'an's behavior just now, but he, who was the one who disturbed the situation, sat leisurely in front of his master and listened to his teachings.