After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Xue Xu thought he was going to die in Xuanzhong Prefecture, but he didn't expect that not only did he not die, but he also ranked fifth in the provincial examination.

However, the wave of people who came to "find a son-in-law after the list of successful candidates" that followed the messenger who brought the good news almost killed him. He was only sixteen years old! He didn't want to die!

So how did Xue Xu, who also ranked fifth in the provincial examination in Xuanzhong, manage to escape the wave after wave of people trying to find a husband for him?

This is all thanks to him; he has a delicate, slender body that sways gently in the wind.

Waves of stewards, servants, and guards rushed into his rented courtyard, trampling the landlord's chickens into chicken pancakes!

In his panic, he spat out a mouthful of blood, spraying it all over the group's faces, which served as a way of scaring them away in a rather unusual manner.

Xue Xu watched as everyone fled in disarray, and he breathed a sigh of relief. But he also knew that he could no longer stay in this small courtyard. Some people were afraid he would die young, but what if there were others who weren't?

Besides, I don't actually have any terminal illnesses or incurable diseases; I'm just physically weak. With some adjustments, I can continue to be energetic for many more years to come.

He just didn't want to explain right now. After all, this was his protective shield, helping him to get away with it for the time being. Sigh! Boys really need to protect themselves when they're out in the world!

However, this place is not a place to stay for long. He really didn't expect that just taking the provincial examination would make him have to flee overnight.

Li Haisheng: I know this place well! It's easy to escape!

He had his page pack his luggage and urged the coachman to drive the carriage away from the provincial capital overnight.

I should have gone directly to the capital, but it's only the end of August, and there are still almost six months until the imperial examinations. I want to go home to visit my parents and get some travel expenses and warm clothes, so I should go back to Puyang County first.

"Uncle Wang, hurry up, hurry up!"

The pageboy, Que Yun, urged him on, occasionally lifting the curtain to look back.

"Oh dear, little A-Yun, we're already going fast enough. Any faster and our young master won't be able to handle it. This road is uneven and too bumpy!"

"Just hurry up, even if it's a bit bumpy, it's better than being caught and made a bandit husband!"

"Ah Yun! Cough cough, cough cough cough!" Xue Xu coughed because of his servant's words. Que Yun quickly patted his back and handed him tea.

After taking a few sips of tea, Xue Xu caught his breath and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Who would dare to take a scholar as their husband?"

Que Yun muttered under his breath, "With your looks, young master, it's hard to guarantee that you won't attract the attention of female bandits. Besides, those people in Xuanzhong Prefecture aren't much better than bandits..."

Xue Xu shook his head helplessly, but did not refute his servant's words; those people were indeed no different from bandits.

The carriage sped along until it finally left the provincial capital area. Xue Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back on the thick cushions inside the carriage to rest.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the carriage. Xue Xu was startled and quickly told Que Yun to go out and check.

Que Yun lifted a crack in the carriage curtain and saw a group of men in black riding horses toward the carriage.

"Young Master, it seems they've come from the provincial capital. They've discovered us!" Que Yun shouted anxiously.

Xue Xu gritted his teeth, "These people! They won't even spare a sick person, they've really gone mad! Uncle Wang, let's take the back path!"

"Yes!" the driver responded, and hurriedly turned the horse around and headed towards the forest path.

However, the path became even more rugged and difficult to traverse, and the carriage gradually slowed down, becoming slower than a person on foot. Left with no other choice, the three had to abandon the carriage and flee.

After running along a mountain road, the sound of the black-clad men's hooves grew closer and closer, and they were about to catch up.

Just then, several arrows suddenly shot out from the roadside bushes, whistling past Xue Xu's hair and accurately hitting the black-clad man in the distance.

Several men in black fell to the ground with a thud, causing chaos as they scrambled to hide under large trees.

As Xue Xu was surprised, he saw two boys, one tall and one short, rush out of the woods, each carrying a feathered arrow on their back.

The tall boy shouted, "You guys go quickly, leave this to us."

Xue Xu clasped his hands in a salute: "Thank you both for saving us, but these people are extremely vicious, and I'm afraid you two are not capable of handling them."

The short boy urged, "Stop talking nonsense, use this time to run further away!"

Xue Xu didn't look down on anyone, but these people had come to chase him, and now they were abandoning the people who had rescued him to escape on their own, which he found somewhat unbearable.

"Hurry up and leave!"

"Alas! Take care, my two righteous men!" Hesitation would only cause trouble for our benefactors. Neither I nor my page know martial arts, so staying here would be of no help and might even become a burden.

There was no time to lose, so they continued running deeper into the mountains with Que Yun and the coachman.

They hadn't run far when the shouts of battle behind them gradually subsided. Just as they were wondering what was going on, the two teenagers caught up with them.

The tall boy said, "Those guys are cowards. They didn't dare to chase after them anymore after a few died or were injured."

Xue Xu thanked them again and asked their names. The tall boy scratched his head and said his name was Ah Hu, while the short boy said his name was Ah Bao.

Ah Bao looked Xue Xu up and down: "You look like a scholar, how did you offend those men in black?"

Xue Xu sighed and briefly recounted what had happened to him in the provincial capital.

Ah Hu's expression became somewhat unnatural upon hearing this. "So you're a scholar, my apologies!"

"My benefactor, there's no need for that. What talk of being a scholar or not? I almost died just now!"

"Hahahaha, young master, you're joking! If you had met our master and the two of us brothers, you wouldn't have turned into a dead man!"

"Alas, it was my fate to survive. I was lucky to meet two divine soldiers who helped me escape danger." Xue Xu stepped forward and bowed, and his page A Yun and coachman Wang Bo also bowed deeply.

"No, no, no, I was just trying to help someone in need. Anyone would lend a hand." Ah Hu waved his hand. "Where are you going, young master?"

"I had planned to return home to visit my parents before heading to the capital for the imperial examinations, but now it seems I won't be able to go back."

"how to say?"

"I bet there are already people waiting for me in Puyang, just waiting for me to return home."

"Is this... going to be taken away by big brother again? You can't force a relationship. This guy is really going to great lengths to marry off his daughter!" A disbelieving expression appeared on Ah Bao's dark little face.

Xue Xu was very patient with the children, and as he walked toward his carriage, he told them about the schemes of the big merchants and minor officials.

The carriage was not destroyed, and nothing was lost. It took the coachman, Uncle Wang, some effort to get the carriage back to the main road.

"Where do you two live? Let Uncle Wang drive you there."

The two of them didn't refuse, because chasing a sika deer was indeed a long way, and they would probably not get there until dark on foot.

"Xinghe Prefecture," they said in unison.

"Xinghe Prefecture? That's the prefectural city ahead. It's not that far, but it's really impressive that you two can travel this far on foot to hunt!"