Qingshan Town was originally an ordinary town located in the middle of the mountain, and it was rarely visited by outsiders, but at this moment, it became boiling because of the taxi examination of Qiguo.

"Next, Fenghua County candidate, Xia Fan. The invigilator read the list with the list.

Xia Fan, who was named by name, walked out of the team and handed over his wooden sword and package.

Immediately, two assistants took the package and untied it, carefully examining the contents of the package.

"Clothes, two sets, compliant. ”

"Medicine packets, one bag, compliant. ”

"Paper, stack, compliance. ”

When the "Qian Yin ......" found the money bag, one person put it in his hand and turned it upside down, and couldn't help but show a surprised look, "It's less than five taels." ”

A few chuckles suddenly came from behind Xia Fan. Although his voice was very low, he still vaguely heard words like poor ghost and dirt buns.

"As long as it doesn't exceed the limit, you can bring as much as you want. The invigilator didn't react, as he had seen many similar scenes, "Press the handprint here and cross the bridge." ”

Xia Fan arched his hand and crossed the small suspension bridge that connected the town and the outside.

At this time, he can be regarded as really entering the "examination room".

And those candidates who were in front of the queue had already run all over the streets.

It seems that they think the same as themselves, Xia Fan said secretly, when they come to a strange place, the first thing to do is to familiarize themselves with the situation in this place before they can cope with the next assessment.

Half an hour later, after walking around the town, he finally had a general understanding of the "examination room".

The town was far smaller than he had imagined, and it was more appropriate to call it a village than a town.

It is located in the middle of nowhere, backed by mountains and cut off by rift valleys, with only a suspension bridge made of hemp rope and planks.

The surrounding vegetation is lush and green, and as far as the eye can see, you can smell the scent of moist earth as far as the eye can see. In a different era, this isolated place of residence may seem like a sight to behold for some, and it is no problem to be a tourist attraction close to nature, but at the moment, isolation means poverty and backwardness.

Four criss-crossing dirt roads roughly divide the town into a tic-tac-toe, with fewer than thirty houses, most of them thatched-roof bungalows, and some of them showing signs of being abandoned for years. Clearly, it is shrinking in size over the years.

The center of the tic-tac-toe is a little more like a town, and there are at least two-story blue brick houses on the side of the road, as well as an inn and teahouse.

And here, naturally, it has become the most lively area in Qingshan Town.

"This brother, bother," someone suddenly patted Xia Fan on the shoulder, "You are also from Fenghua County?"

Xia Fan turned around to look and saw a slightly chubby man of the same age as him looking at him with a smile on his face, and there was even some expectation in his eyes.

"That's right, I don't know if you're ......"

"Hi fellow. The other party seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "My name is Wei Wushuang, and I was two or three people behind you before, and I just happened to hear the examiner's question." ”

"I see. ”

Seeing Xia Fan raise his eyebrows, Wei Wushuang hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I don't think there's anything wrong with only bringing half a bag of money, after all, not everyone is everyone's disciple, and it's just that those sect disciples have high shelves and like to look down on people." To be honest, I hate them too much. ”

"By the way, why don't we go in and have a drink and talk?" he glanced at the teahouse, "Let me invite my little brother to this meal." ”

Thinking that there was nothing to do anyway, Xia Fan agreed, and he was also a little curious about what the other party was planning.

Finding an empty table on the side of the second floor and sitting down, Wei Wushuang skillfully ordered a pot of green tea, and added a plate of boiled peanuts and a plate of raw cut pork ears.

It seems quite ordinary to say, but Xia Fan knows that this is by no means the normal life of ordinary people, and those who can go to the restaurant in this era have some spare money at home.

At least he never went down.

This can be regarded as experiencing life from a different perspective.

"You're welcome," Wei Wushuang gestured please, "If you still want to eat, just tell me." ”

"That's enough. Xia Fan poured himself a cup of tea, "Money and silver are limited, it's best to save some money, I don't know how long this exam will last." ”

"Yes. Speaking of the exam, Wei Wushuang's expression was obviously depressed, "I heard that although the acceptance rate of the taxi examination is not low, there is a difference between the advantages and the bad, if you are assessed as inferior, it is better not to be selected, after all, it is a desperate job." It's just that...... Hey, you and I are both from retail investors, how can we compare to those high-ranking disciples. ”

Every time he heard about the Shikao, Xia Fan would always have an indescribable feeling in his heart, although he had long accepted that this was the reality, he still couldn't ignore the strangeness caused by the collision of two common senses.

Yes, in this world, visions that are only active in strange legends have become a common phenomenon, and they do not exist in a mountain col, a tomb, or a remote wasteland, but they really affect every aspect of people's lives. In order to deal with these evil events, each dynasty set up a privy council and selected relevant talents to protect the safety of one party.

The method of its selection is a public examination, and all those admitted are scholars, not only have official status, but their treatment is no different from that of ordinary officials. Therefore, after a long time, the Shikao has gradually become the third largest national unified examination after the scientific examination and the martial arts examination, and because the Privy Council is not among the six departments, but is under the direct control of His Majesty the Emperor, its momentum in recent years has been above the martial examination.

Like the scientific examination, the taxicograph is also held once every three years, but the form is not divided into autumn and spring - anyone who is willing can apply for registration before the summer examination, and passing the identity check is equivalent to having the qualification for the examination. The test usually lasts for a few days, and the level can be determined at the end of the test.

According to the news that Xia Fan heard before, the admission rate of the taxi examination is between half, which is much more lenient than the scientific examination. However, given the duties of the alchemist, this is also a reasonable thing. After all, the number of people who take the taxi examination is much lower than that of the scientific examination, and at the same time, it is a triennial examination, and if the requirements are raised again, it will inevitably lead to a shortage of manpower in the Privy Council, which will affect the safety of various places.

It's just that the exam will always be high and low, and even if the Fang Shi who barely passes the exam has an official status, the place he is assigned will not be much better. The problem is that even if the civilian officials who take office are poor, they will live a poor life, and there will always be a chance to turn over their qualifications slowly. But unlike the Privy Council, no one can avoid having to deal with all kinds of visions, and it is not surprising that they accidentally die in the line of duty.

With this difference, it's no wonder that Wei Wushuang is worried about his ranking.

"The taxi exam is an active registration and voluntary participation, if you don't come, you won't have these troubles. Xia Fan said disapprerovingly. The other party is obviously not the kind of person who needs to fight, he has a few spare money in his pocket at any time, and he can go to the restaurant on weekdays, this kind of person can live a very nourishing life even if he is not an official, and there is no need to take risks at all.

"I'm not afraid of my brother's jokes, I was driven here by my father. Wei Wushuang grinned helplessly, "He said that he was only a businessman, and he was just a businessman, and compared to the official family, it was simply a hundred and eight thousand miles behind! Of course, the main reason is the leather whip in his hand......"

Xia Fan couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth, "You shouldn't be the eldest son in the family, right?"

"Do you know that?" Wei Wushuang took a sullen sip of tea, "My father has three sons and two daughters, and I am the second. ”

It does seem to be biological.

But he himself is not much better - during his stay in Fenghua County, his master not only lost his entanglement, but also lost a sum of money in gambling because he wanted to recover his losses quickly, and almost lost people. Now that the master is being held by the casino, he is waiting for him to take the Fang Shi exam and go back to ransom people with the money, which is really as shameful as it is.

If it weren't for the fact that the cheap master picked him up as an orphan and took care of him for more than ten years, Xia Fan really wanted to leave the other party and leave.

He shook his head, put aside this unbearable memory for a while, and decided to get straight to the point, "What do you want to talk about when you invite me to tea?"

"Eh, no, it's nothing ......" Wei Wushuang was slightly stunned, then scratched his head and said, "I think since Brother Tai is also from Fenghua County, maybe they can take care of each other with a companion." If my brother is in trouble, I can also help him. ”

"That's all?" Xia Fan asked quietly.

"Of course, I didn't mean anything else. After being stared at for a moment, Wei Wushuang coughed dryly, "Okay, it would be better if you and I could also help each other in the next taxi exam, naturally, without violating the rules, I would never have the idea of bribing Brother Tai with a bowl of tea!"

"What do you mean...... Cooperation?"

"Yes, cooperation. Wei Wushuang nodded again and again, "I think this exam is very different from the other two major exams, and it may not be cheating to cooperate with each other." ”

"How can you see it?" Xia Fan slowly took a sip of tea.

"Take Qiu Yu as an example, when you go to the examination institute, you have to search your body before sending it in, there are compartments in the courtyard, once you enter, you must not make noise at will, let alone talk to others. In fact, even when you go to the toilet, you have to be accompanied by an invigilator. But look here—" Wei Wushuang looked around the teahouse, "we're already in the exam room, but we can't help but talk to each other, and we can even talk while eating!"

"And those who are dressed in the same robes," he said, pointing toward a large table in the center, "I notice that they have been together since the queue. Those are all children of the family, and they should know some news that we don't know. If it were like a scientific expedition, everyone was a competitor, and they wouldn't be unwary of their peers, but that doesn't seem to be the case now. I think the Shikao may allow everyone to help pass the examination, and the advantage of a group of people is greater than that of one person. ”

Xia Fan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

This guy seems to be a little stupid, but he didn't expect his observation to be surprisingly good.

For a teenager who has not yet reached the crown, this is already a rare thing.