In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

Chapter 231 Autumn Examination Results Announced

At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), before dawn, the place where the results of the autumn imperial examinations were posted was already bustling with activity.

"The results are out!" A long shout broke the dawn, instantly stirring up a huge wave of excitement.

The crowd surged forward like a tidal wave, completely surrounding the red paper, with everyone standing on tiptoe to search for the name.

"Master! Our young lady has passed the imperial examination!" A servant boy, his face flushed, exclaimed excitedly, his voice trembling.

"Third Young Master! Third Young Master has passed the imperial examination!" On the other side, an old woman tightly gripped the hem of her clothes and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Madam, our daughter passed the imperial examination, but our son didn't..." A middle-aged man dressed in a simple cloth shirt whispered to the woman beside him, his face showing some disappointment.

"Master, it seems that none of our young ladies or gentlemen are on the list..."

Everyone was talking at once, creating a noisy uproar. Some were overjoyed and dancing with excitement, while others were dejected and hanging their heads in worry.

Families who pass the imperial examination are happy for a couple of days, but they know in their hearts that they will have to busy themselves preparing for the next year's spring examination.

Qianqing Palace.

Tao Jingyang leaned against the couch, the soft light streaming in from the window casting a gentle glow on her fair face.

She had just swallowed the grapes Li Chengze handed her, and was now looking at the document in her hand, muttering to herself, "Fan Ruoruo and Fan Wujiu passed the imperial examination, and Ye Ling'er passed the military examination."

The man leaned against her, casually putting an arm around her shoulder and gently pulling her closer to him, saying softly, "You're both very promising."

As he spoke, he reached out and picked a grape, gently twisting the stem between his fingertips, and brought it to Tao Jingyang's lips with a faint smile. "I never expected that Fan Wujiu, who is by my side, is actually a scholar. He used to always carry a big sword while reading, and I thought he was just pretending to be a scholar for my benefit."

Tao Jingyang tilted his head back slightly, opened his mouth and gently held it in his mouth without chewing it. Instead, he used the tip of his tongue to hold it on his left cheek.

She mumbled indistinctly, "Is there some kind of significance to the surname 'Fan'? How come everyone seems to be able to imitate it so well?"

"Maybe it's the protagonist's halo." Li Chengze saw her like this, with one cheek puffed out, which was quite cute.

I couldn't resist stuffing another one, about the same size, into her mouth.

This time, Tao Jingyang placed it on his right cheek, his cheeks bulging, and his speech became increasingly muffled, "Oh, there are still a few things here."

[Meaning]: You also know this.

"What do you mean? Is 'Li Hai knocks down Brother Jie' a new story from Danbo Bookstore?" Li Chengze repeated in a serious tone, uttering this wicked pun that he had learned from who-knows-where.

Tao Jingyang felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this, and looked at him with a complicated expression.

He thought to himself, "Where did that quiet, cunning, seemingly gentle, and sinister Second Prince go?"

Was the person replaced midway through the season?

"Li Chengze, you should drink tea with Fan Xian less often in the future." She raised her left hand in front of him, gently rubbing her index finger and thumb together as if counting money, then stretched her hand out to him, palm up.

"Pay up, deduct money for puns."

Li Chengze's pupils shifted slightly beneath his thick eyelashes. The next second, as if guided by instinct, he rested his chin on her palm and tilted his head back slightly. "Is it enough to use me as leverage?"

"...Stop flirting with me, okay?"

Just then, a soft rustling sound came from the roof.

Li Chengze also noticed the subtle sound. He slowly reached for the black iron blade tucked at his waist with his right hand, his fingers gently resting on the hilt, applying slight pressure until his knuckles turned white.

His left ear twitched slightly, alertly watching the movements of the person on the roof.

Li Chengze was still analyzing in his heart when he saw Tao Jingyang slowly turn around, looking at him with a questioning gaze. He moved his lips and asked silently, "Can you hear me?"

He was taken aback. Although he didn't understand the meaning of the lip reading, he still nodded subconsciously to indicate that he could hear it.

For over a year, he cultivated himself daily, and with the blessing of that treasure bottle, he reached the eighth rank at an astonishing speed.

However, the external support was no longer effective for him, so the treasure bottle was put away in the storeroom long ago.

After seeing him nod, Tao Jingyang couldn't help but hiss. He stared at him for a long time before speaking to the person on the roof, "Wu Zhu, can you please change this habit of climbing on people's roofs?"

The next second, Wu Zhu walked in silently through the main entrance, dressed in black, with the black cloth over his eyes still on, revealing only his signature "blade-like jawbone".

His voice was low and deep. "I'm used to it."

After saying that, Wu Zhu looked at Li Chengze again, "Being able to sense me means you're no longer just an eighth-rank cultivator."

Tao Jingyang was speechless. "Even someone of your rank can't keep eavesdropping on other people's conversations. Is that polite of you?"

"...I'll change it next time."

Li Chengze was still immersed in the phrase "more than the eighth rank".

He hadn't competed with anyone for a long time, so naturally he didn't know the extent of his current strength.

Seeing him deep in thought, Tao Jingyang remarked thoughtfully, "So fast..."

Then, he gently pinched Li Chengze's pulse, lightly touching his skin with his fingertips, and let his true energy slowly flow through Li Chengze's meridians to explore.

Li Chengze offered no resistance whatsoever. Instead, he consciously opened all his meridians, relaxed his body, and allowed her to explore.

Since their true energy originated from the same source and they trusted each other, they naturally did not experience any discomfort.

After some investigation, Tao Jingyang finally discovered something amiss.

She frowned slightly and said softly, "The cultivation technique you're practicing doesn't seem to be the same one as before."

"It's still the same as before, but I also feel that my state of mind during cultivation is different from before." Li Chengze recalled the progress of his cultivation, "I am more at ease than before."

Listening to their conversation, and noticing that it was getting late and he needed to get his own business done, Wu Zhu interrupted them, "Gentlemen."

The two turned their heads at the sound, their eyes meeting his.