A Mortal’s Immortal Gourd
Chapter 31: Registering for the Exam

Ergouzi’s sword strike had blown apart his master’s clay house—and even he was startled by the sheer power of the move.

But after that one strike, the heavy sword he had spent a hundred taels to forge shattered into a pile of iron fragments.

All the True Qi stored in his Dantian was completely drained—not a trace remained.

When he left Sanchazi Town, he felt so weak he could barely walk straight.

Back on Shekou Mountain, it took him three full days to recover the True Qi in his Dantian to normal levels.

Thankfully, his master’s experience was unmatched. With one glance, he saw the root of the issue.

Ergouzi had lost control after pouring his True Qi into the sword. If he hadn’t released that strike in time, his entire right arm might have exploded just like the sword.

Looking back, he still felt a lingering fear.

That’s why having a skilled master was so important—one who could point out your mistakes and help you avoid detours.

Even though he didn’t fully grasp his master’s demonstration, it had pointed him in the right direction and bolstered his confidence.

Once his True Qi returned to normal, he kept pondering how to control and release it more smoothly.

But the Qi he cultivated was too explosive—ordinary objects couldn’t withstand it.

The sword he had spent so much to forge was destroyed. He would have to make another.

But burning through a sword each time cost 100 taels of silver—it was painful just thinking about it.

Still, to master peerless martial arts and take the Martial Xiucai exam, the expense was necessary.

Just as it happened, the exam registration period was starting. He planned to go to the county to forge a new sword and inquire about the registration process.

He prepared a sheng of regular Strength Pills to sell to Sima Yi, asking him to help exchange them for over twenty Peiyuan Gutben Pills.

Then he went to the same swordsmith shop to forge another 120-jin heavy sword.

He couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, but the family at the swordsmith’s looked at him strangely.

This time was clearly different—they were overly polite.

The old man even came out himself, invited him to sit down, poured him tea, and brought out some fancy snacks.

Their excessive courtesy made Ergouzi uncomfortable. He didn’t stay long and left soon after.

Next, he went to ask about the exam registration.

Martial Xiucai exam affairs were handled by the County School Affairs Office.

Ergouzi stood at the office entrance, carefully scraping mud off his shoes, brushing dust off his clothes, and smoothing his hair before walking in.

“Stop right there!”

A loud voice rang out. A man chewing on a toothpick, half-dressed in a robe, stepped out from the gatekeeper’s room.

“You know what place this is?”

“You think you can just stroll in here?”

“Country bumpkins really don’t know any manners.”

Clearly, this gatekeeper mistook Ergouzi for a common peasant and was instantly irritated and contemptuous.

“I just wanted to ask—”

Before Ergouzi could finish, the man waved him off and drove him out.

“Out! Out!”

“I’m here to register! I want to sign up for the exam!”

The man paused, then scrutinized him again.

This guy’s skin was tanned black from the sun, his clothes faded and worn in several places.

His hands were crisscrossed with blackened cracks—clearly a field laborer.

“You? You even know what the exam is about? Or how to take it?”

The gatekeeper sneered. In his decades of experience, this guy was definitely just a dirt farmer.

“Yeah! I don’t know, so I came here to ask!”

Ergouzi thought, If I knew everything, would I be wasting my time with you?

“Scram!”

“You don’t know a thing, and you dare come mess with me?”

The gatekeeper snarled like a rabid dog, baring his teeth and ready to pounce.

Driven out, Ergouzi didn’t want to give up so easily.

He remembered how last time, when he did business with Huang Laocai, they had to pay bribes at every checkpoint in the yamen.

He pulled out a piece of broken silver from his pocket—probably two or three qian—and handed it to the man.

The gatekeeper weighed it discreetly—about 2.6 qian. Enough for a little fun at the brothel.

He slipped the silver into his sleeve, but still didn’t put on a friendly face—just looked slightly less annoyed.

“What do you want to ask? Hurry up.”

“I just want to know how to sign up for the Martial Xiucai exam. What’s the process? I want to register.”

While the silver was still warm, Ergouzi quickly asked all his questions in one go.

“Registration’s simple. Bring your household registry booklet—the yamen handles it.”

“Household registry? Where do I get that? Do I need anything else?”

Ergouzi didn’t have one and needed to apply. Since he just paid, he figured he might as well ask everything now to avoid multiple trips.

“Why all the nonsense?”

“Go ask your parents or your village chief if you don’t know.”

The gatekeeper got annoyed again and tried to kick Ergouzi out.

Clearly, those three qian only bought a moment’s peace.

Either pay more or get lost.

Ergouzi chose to get lost.

And he didn’t walk—he sprinted straight back to Shexi Village.

He remembered that Huang Laocai used to be the village chief.

Wanting to ask a favor, Ergouzi even bought a slab of pork from town.

But after gifting the pork, he learned he’d knocked on the wrong door.

Since the last incident, Huang Laocai had not only lost all his land but also the village chief position.

Now, the chief was Ergouzi’s uncle.

Ergouzi braced for trouble—either from his uncle or his cousin.

“If you need the household registry booklet, just go to the town and see the township registrar. They can issue it directly.”

Once Huang Laocai understood Ergouzi’s purpose, he gave him directions.

“How about this—since I’m free anyway, I’ll go with you. I used to have some connections with the registrar. Haven’t talked in a year, but there should still be some rapport.”

“Thank you!”

Ergouzi felt the pork was money well spent. Huang Laocai was still as reliable as ever—no wonder he used to be the richest man in town.

The three qian he gave that gatekeeper were worse than feeding a dog.

At least a dog might lick the crap off your butt while eating.

That guy took his silver and still bared his teeth and tried to bite.

The two of them headed straight for Sanchazi Town.

To the east stood a big courtyard with blue brick and tile—that was the township registrar’s residence.

They bought a fish from the market and stood at the registrar’s door.

Huang Laocai spat into his hands, slicked back his messy hair, and helped smooth the wrinkles on Ergouzi’s clothes.

“The registrar is a scholar—he has the title of Civil Xiucai. Be a bit more refined when we meet him.”

“Got it.”

They adjusted their sleeves, tidied their hems, wiped the mud off their shoes, and stepped inside.

The registrar received them in a guest room.

The floor was polished with lime and tung oil, gleaming like a mirror.

Even after wiping their shoes outside, they still left two rows of footprints on the floor.

Huang Laocai bowed with Ergouzi and apologized. The registrar nodded slightly to show it was fine.

After explaining their purpose, the registrar didn’t make things difficult and helped Ergouzi get his household registry.

He even offered a few words of encouragement.

With his hard-won household registry booklet in hand, Ergouzi didn’t even stop for a meal—he rushed back to the county.

That same gatekeeper still refused to let him in.

Only after receiving another three qian did he reluctantly glance at the household registry.

“This won’t do. Needs a seal from the county yamen.”

Then he flipped his attitude and threw Ergouzi out again.

Ergouzi was furious but had no way to deal with the man.

Even a watchdog from the yamen outranked a farmer.

He could only plaster on a smile, fork over more silver at the county office, and finally got a red seal on his registry.

Back to the School Affairs Office—another three qian paid.

Just when he thought he could finally register, the gatekeeper threw the papers back.

“Did you pay your taxes?”

“Yes.”

“There’s no official seal!”

Once again, Ergouzi trudged off to chase stamps at the county office.

Back and forth—he ran 28 trips in total, collected 18 official seals, and handed over silver 87 times.

Only then did he finally get past the door.

Inside the School Affairs main hall, only one clerk was working.

After all that suffering, Ergouzi now knew the routine: smile first, hand over silver, then speak.

“You’ve got some sense.”

The clerk actually praised him and took the thick stack of documents.

“Where’s your recommendation letter?”

“Recommendation?”

Ergouzi was baffled. He had made so many trips, but no one had mentioned this.

“You don’t even know that? Go back and farm your fields.”

The clerk tossed the papers at him and prepared to throw him out.

Ergouzi quickly pulled out a silver ingot.

“Please, just tell me!”

Sure enough, dealing with officials required silver before you could talk.

“Whether for civil or martial exams, you need a joint recommendation from three Xiucai before you can register.”

“What?”

Ergouzi was stunned. He was just a dirt farmer—where would he find three Xiucai to vouch for him?

He only knew one—Zhang Youliang—and that guy wished him dead. No way he’d help.

Where would he find two more? Who’d do him such a favor?

He knew this wasn’t the time to be stingy and quickly pulled out a large silver piece—at least one tael.

“If I don’t have recommendation letters, is there any other way?”

“Nope!”

“That’s a rule set by the imperial court. Not even I can change it. Breaking it means losing your head.”

When Ergouzi left the office, he was utterly deflated—like he’d been beaten dozens of times.

Why were there such rules? What was someone like him supposed to do without connections?

Frustrated!

Years of hard training and weeks of running around—all stopped by one requirement.

He wandered aimlessly until he found himself in front of Huichun Hall.

A lightbulb went off. Sima Yi was a major player in town—maybe he could help.

“Ergou! The Peiyuan Gutben Pills you asked for—I already got them.”

Sima Yi spotted him and pulled out over twenty porcelain bottles from the counter.

“Oh, I’ve been so busy lately I nearly forgot about those.”

“What could be more important than these? That’s hundreds of taels’ worth. If you hadn’t come soon, I might’ve just pocketed them.”

Sima Yi noticed Ergouzi didn’t look great and asked half-jokingly.

“Sigh! Just some stuff that’s been bothering me.”

Though they’d known each other for a year or two, they weren’t particularly close.

Ergouzi struggled to find the words.

Unlike the yamen, where silver talked, this situation felt harder.

“Haha! You’ve done me a great favor these years. I was planning to treat you anyway. Let’s go to Hongyan Restaurant for a good meal—you can tell me what’s bothering you.”

As soon as Sima Yi mentioned Hongyan Restaurant, Ergouzi remembered how crazy expensive it was. A tiny slice of fish cost several taels!

“No need! That’s too much!”

“Ergou, you don’t know—my older brother took your pills, had a huge cultivation boost, and now he’s planning to take the Martial exam.”

“So I really do need to thank you properly!”

Sima Yi sounded totally sincere.

Sure, everyone could cultivate—but without resources, the path was short.

And Anchan County’s resources were limited, mostly controlled by the magistrate’s faction.

The Sima family held some, but with so many mouths to feed, each person only got a little.

Ergouzi was stunned—only Xiucai were allowed to take the Juren exam.

Just when he thought all hope was lost—light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

“Your brother is a Xiucai?”

“Pfft, don’t call him that—he’s just a regular guy. A martial one, at that!”

Sima Yi brushed it off like it was no big deal. No reverence at all.

But Ergouzi was beyond excited and asked cautiously:

“Do you know many Xiucai?”

“Not that many. My family has eight, and I know a few more in town. Maybe a dozen or twenty in total.”

Ergouzi was overjoyed!

He’d only known Sima Yi was influential—he didn’t realize the guy’s family had eight Xiucai.

“Brother Sima! Big bro! I have a huge favor to ask!”

Ergouzi nearly clung to Sima Yi’s leg.

“What is it? If I can help, I will.”

“Well, here’s the thing…”

Ergouzi recounted his entire nightmare of a registration process.

Sima Yi was furious on his behalf.

“That clerk—did he have a crooked mouth?”

“Yes!”

Ergouzi remembered clearly—the guy always smiled crookedly when taking bribes.

“Hmph! That bastard Cheng Crooked Mouth is getting out of hand. Needs to be put in his place.”

“I’ll get you the recommendation letters tomorrow. The day after, I’ll go with you to the School Affairs Office.”