"Today I will do my best no matter what; I will pass the Imperial exam." After saying this, Su Lin opened his eyes. He was in a horse carriage with his uncle, and in his eyes, anyone could see a youth with very high hopes for his future, but there was also hesitation due to his own overthinking. In everyone's life, there was a day when we face the same hesitation in many ways—some feel it at work, some at school or home, or maybe in love. But this hesitation also shows how much you care about that thing or person.
"Su, did you bring all the important things you need for the exam?"
As Uncle Hong was talking to Su Lin, a six-horse carriage passed Su Lin's carriage. In that moment, Su Lin's gaze was locked inside the carriage; there was a beautiful girl sitting inside. Her black hair moved with the air like a flowing river. Her skin was soft as flowers, and her white dress radiated a holy aura. Seeing this girl, Su Lin's heart suddenly started beating faster. His whole body became very light, and this feeling made his life seem like eternal.
At this moment, Su Lin thought of only one word: "Who is she?" This was the first time he saw someone as beautiful as her. Seeing her carriage moving away from him, he felt a little pain in his heart. This pain was not easily understood; it was sweet but also salty. In his mind, he only remembered her face.
"What happened? Did you see something?" After noticing that Su Lin was paying attention elsewhere, Uncle Hong asked.
"Oh, that's nothing."
Sometimes, people just want to hold onto something for themselves, and that is called a secret. For Su Lin, this day became one of his secrets.
"Uncle, I never ask you this before, but can you tell me everything about the outside world?"
After hearing this, Uncle Hong's face showed a complex expression because this was the first time Su Lin had asked him about that. After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but speak:
"Okay, I will tell you everything I know. So, listen." Saying this, Uncle Hong adjusted himself and started talking.
"Su, this world is not as simple as you see. We are just a drop in the sea. You think life is all about growing, then working to live, getting married to a beautiful girl, and dying in old age. But beyond this mortal realm, there are some people who do not live like us; we call them immortals. Unfortunately, I don't know much about immortals, only one thing: there are some immortal sects that accept disciples, but getting into an immortal sect is very hard."
After hearing this, Su Lin gained a little understanding about the difference between immortals and mortals.
"Su, don't think about this too much. Focus on your exam today—it's more important than those things."
"Okay, Uncle. Whether immortals exist or not, it doesn't matter to me today. I just want my name publicly announced by the Emperor." They talked as the carriage moved forward. Soon, it stopped, and they arrived.
Right now, Su Lin was looking at a huge black iron gate. On top of the gate, there were two words written: Examination Hall. (In old times, examination halls were called Gongyuan, and here they are just similar to that.)
Before entering the gate, Su Lin bowed to his uncle and then walked inside. When he saw how the inner part of the building looked, he was stunned because a long stone pathway stretched forward in a perfect manner. On each side of the way, there were towering statues of golden lions. As he walked forward, he could smell the fragrance of many types of flowers.
When Su Lin was looking around his surroundings, there was a shout coming from behind his back. When he turned around, he could see six armed men scouting a young boy with a red fan in his hand towards the exam hall. After seeing those people, everyone was giving way to them. When those groups of men passed, the young boy glanced at him for a second, then went on his way.
When Su Lin saw the young boy's gaze, he suddenly remembered that he did the same thing in his own way today. After thinking about that girl, he looked at the people around him but couldn't find her. After some time, he went towards the hall.
"Everyone, take your tokens from here and go to your seats. Also, don't try to cheat in any way. If we see you cheating during the exam, your right to attempt the Imperial Exam will be sealed for the rest of your life," an elderly man spoke loudly to everyone, explaining the rules and seating plans. After receiving his token, Su Lin was searching for his seat number; his seat number was seven when he sat down.
When Su Lin looked at the surrounding people, he could see every eye peering forward with anticipation, every breath held in hope and fear alike. In this hall, destinies would be decided by knowledge and skill. In this silence, Su Lin could hear his own heartbeat.
After a while, several sheets of paper were placed on his desk, including one question paper. There were only two questions on the paper: one was to show your writing and poetry skills, and the second was to write about yourself. Seeing this, Su Lin smiled because these are the only things he had been thinking about for a few months. Today, he was going to put his all efforts into those papers.
After some time, Su Lin started writing his first question. He chose to write on 'The heavens are Ruthless.' As his brush moved, he wrote:
"The heavens are ruthless. It's not about the death of a person, and it's not about the life of a person. If we see the heavens as heavens, it was ruthless not because of some partiality but because of his sense of equality. In his eyes, all living beings and non-living beings are equal. He loves rocks, mountains, and trees as much as he loves you.
In his view, we are born from Him and return to Him in death."
"In his eyes, this is his law—his words which can't be changed. But in this world, everyone is struggling between the heavens and themselves, and it's called inner conflict. The heavens did not want you to question his existence, but when you do, you are trying to search for truth. When in your life you reach the truth, it reveals life, death, and the equality of existence. When you understand all of them, it becomes a realization. This realization makes heaven appear indifferent or ruthless in your eyes." When he finished his writing, he thought about only one thing: who makes this heaven?
After that, he moved to write his poetry. As time passed, he finished his poetry and philosophy writing. He stood up and handed over all his papers, with his name token. When he left the exam hall, on the way, he saw a familiar figure. It was none other than the girl who was in that carriage, which Su Lin saw in his way. When he saw that girl again, his heart's beats got out of control. If anyone saw that girl, they would say at a glance that she came from a rich family. In her dress, there was gold work all over, and she was wearing very expensive jewelry. After seeing this, Su Lin moved his face and hid it with his robe.
In Su Lin's life, he saw hardship more than comfort. He knew in his life that this girl's life has a very big gap, and in this world, maybe it can't be filled. After passing the girl, Su Lin moved forward to the main gate. On his face, there was a shadow of helplessness and regret.
In any man's life, if he wants something but can't get it because of his birth or lack of money, at that time, only two choices remain: steal or compromise. Some choose the path of stealing to get what they want, and some compromise themselves. But there are always some people who don't know what to choose, and Su Lin is one of them.
Author: This is my second chapter. I know it takes too many days just to write a second chapter, but I will try to upload chapters continually. Autumn Sky is my first novel, so I hope you give your full support to it. If you notice any problems in my novel, please tell me in the comments.