A Mortal’s Immortal Gourd
Chapter 35: The Exam Begins

The Martial Xiucai exam in Anchan County had begun. It was an annual grand event that attracted many spectators from the surrounding areas.

At the same time, it also attracted some people with ulterior motives, hoping to find a son-in-law among the examinees.

After all, all the outstanding young men of the entire county had gathered here.

In previous years, there were even incidents where several families fought over the same young man.

The exam venue was set in the training grounds opposite the county yamen. It spanned over a hundred zhang in width, surrounded by fences, and guarded by yamen officers.

At this moment, Ergouzi stepped into the exam grounds with a nervous heart.

Thanks to Sima Yi’s arrangement, he was able to follow behind a young man from the Sima family and enter smoothly.

Otherwise, with the way those yamen officers acted, he would’ve had to shed a layer of skin just to get in.

“Thank you, Brother Sima!”

That young man from the Sima family clearly didn’t want to interact with Ergouzi. After tossing out a sentence, he turned and walked into a group of young noblemen from the county, chatting and laughing.

“Sima Dong, who was that guy? Why’d you bring a farmhand into the exam ground?”

“I don’t know him. My fourteenth brother insisted I bring him in.”

“Since when did the threshold for the Martial Xiucai exam get so low? Even farmers are showing up now.”

At this moment, Ergouzi was wearing a coarse cloth outfit so washed out it had turned white. Compared to the other examinees dressed in fine silk and satin, he looked completely out of place.

As a result, a large space was cleared around him—no one wanted to get close.

Everyone was curious: how did a rural farmer sneak in?

The examinees all cast curious glances at Ergouzi, with a sense of superiority, like watching a fool.

Ordinary families could grit their teeth, save up some money for lamp oil and writing tools, and maybe scrape by for the literary scholar exams.

But the path of the Martial Xiucai required a huge investment in martial training—something beyond the reach of ordinary folks.

So, there wasn’t a single poor person in the entire exam ground.

Now, a clueless farmer had barged in. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the moment he’d make a fool of himself—some comic relief to spice up the test.

Ergouzi, now sharp-eared and keen-eyed, heard every snicker from those rich young lords.

That kind of elite circle was never one he could break into anyway.

After all, someone like Sima Yi was a rare exception.

Ergouzi stood alone in the crowd, strikingly out of place like a crane among chickens. Looking around, he saw that the spectators had already gathered thick around the perimeter.

Some had even brought tables and stools, seizing the opportunity to sell tea, fruits, and snacks.

Vendors carried large bags of roasted sunflower seeds, selling them for one wen per bamboo tube.

A few three-handed pickpockets slipped through the crowd, taking advantage of the chaos to make a fortune.

In short, apart from the nervous examinees, everyone else was having a blast.

At the center of the exam field stood a tall platform with over a dozen chairs arranged—seats prepared for the examiners.

At the moment, the chairs were still empty; the officials hadn’t arrived yet.

“Dong! Dong-dong-dong…”

A loud gong rang out, and everyone immediately went silent, craning their necks to look toward the platform.

A crowd of people escorted the County Magistrate in with grand steps. He took the central seat atop the platform.

Below him sat five head examiners, responsible for scoring.

The remaining chairs were filled by prominent figures from the county.

Ergouzi actually spotted Sima Yi on the platform, standing behind a middle-aged man with a full beard.

Besides Sima Yi, he also saw his cousin Zhang Youliang among the crowd of spectators.

“The Martial Xiucai exam of Anchan County in the Great Zhou Dynasty officially begins!”

With that loud proclamation, the exam commenced.

First, the rules were announced—the test would be held in three rounds.

The first round was a weight-lifting elimination test. Anyone who could raise a 500-jin stone bar overhead and carry it around the field would pass and move on to the next two rounds.

Those who failed the lift would be deemed lacking in strength and disqualified from further testing.

The subsequent weapons and combat tests would be judged by the examiners.

The strength test began, and over a hundred examinees were divided into ten groups to take the stage in turns.

Only now did those sons of noble families in their fine clothes reveal their true strength.

Each of them flexed their muscular builds, shouted loudly, hoisted the 500-jin stone over their heads, and circled the field, earning waves of awe from the onlookers.

Of course, every success needed a few failures to shine even brighter.

Some examinees used all their strength just to lift the stone overhead, trembling with shaky limbs, and fell after only a few steps.

The clumsy flops of the failures sent waves of laughter through the crowd.

Watching someone succeed didn’t bring much joy—but seeing someone fail miserably? That got everyone genuinely laughing.

So when Ergouzi’s turn came, cheers erupted from both inside and outside the field.

People had their sunflower seeds and grins ready, just waiting for Ergouzi to “perform.”

Of the twelve examinees in this group, nearly all eyes were on Ergouzi.

Not because he was handsome, but because his farmer’s look stood out so much that everyone was certain he’d fail.

But reality doesn’t bend to people’s wishes.

The twelve examinees walked to the row of stone bars.

Eleven of them planted their stances, stuck their butts out, and fumbled around the stone to find the best grip.

Only Ergouzi didn’t even bother with a stance. He just squatted, picked up the stone, and casually tucked it under his arm.

That scene gave the spectators a powerful sense of unreality.

It looked like Ergouzi had tucked a hollow wooden block under his arm, not a 500-jin stone.

At the same time, the other examinees let out loud roars and finally hoisted their stones overhead, beginning to trudge forward with heavy steps.

Ergouzi noticed that his method seemed too informal and worried the examiners might fault him for improper technique.

These idle officials loved nitpicking for no reason.

Thinking that, he quickly tossed the stone from under his arm back to the ground.

Then, mimicking the others step by step, he planted his stance, stuck his butt out, shouted, and lifted the stone overhead properly.

While others were slowly shuffling forward, Ergouzi followed behind at the same pace, trying his best to blend in and avoid scrutiny.

In the eyes of others, this mimicry looked like blatant mockery—it felt insulting.

But to Ergouzi, lifting 500 jin with both hands was really nothing. The sword on his back alone weighed 150 jin.

And so, Ergouzi completed a full lap around the field with the 500-jin stone held overhead, his expression calm, breathing steady, and barely a drop of sweat shed.

This left those waiting to laugh at him sorely disappointed.