Published at 2nd of January 2026 7:36 am

Chapter 1986: Growing Up (Jingkong Extra)

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"Hmm?" Xiaojing was even more confused.

Master Sun’s eyes were sore, and as he rubbed them, he noticed Xiao Hen and Xiaojing arriving. He wasn’t too surprised; rather, he felt a sense of relief that they finally came.

He smiled and said, "Come in."

The two entered the room.

Only then did Xiaojing notice the large pile of papers on the table, covered with various strange formulas. He had learned a bit about this; they were mathematics from Jiaojiao’s past life. A national book from Yan Country included quite a bit of mathematical knowledge.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Master Sun." Xiao Hen said.

"No problem, no problem." Master Sun quickly waved his hand, "It’s already my honor that you agreed to come."

Who would have thought that the limping kid he once looked down on would rise to become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty?

It was his own oversight, failing to recognize him as the young marquis of Zhaodu who supposedly died in a sea of fire.

However, his achievements today are not strongly tied to his status; he’s truly talented, both knowledgeable and learned.

Master Sun didn’t beat around the bush, and directly bowed to Xiaojing.

This scared Xiaojing terribly.

What’s happening?

Master, you suddenly bowing to me makes me really nervous.

After bowing, Master Sun chuckled and sincerely said, "The ancestral rate you reported back then was correct. It was too hasty of me, and I wronged you."

This was when Xiaojing had just entered Guozijian.

Master Sun was teaching the Genius Class a math problem, expanding into the ancestral rate. The ancestors passed down an ancestral rate calculated up to seven decimal places, which is recorded in the "Ten Books on Arithmetic," while Xiaojing instantly reported seventeen or eighteen decimals.

Master Sun insisted that Xiaojing was talking nonsense, disrupting the class.

Xiaojing countered that Master Sun was misleading students and fired ten arithmetic problems at him, taught by Gu Jiao, successfully stumping Master Sun.

Unwilling to concede, Master Sun gave him ten problems, and he solved half of them.

Leaving a maddening golden phrase: "What’s strange about not being able to solve the remaining problems? I’m a student! I’m here precisely because I don’t know how to do them. If I could, what’s the point of having a master teacher?"

Master Sun was so angry that he grabbed a ruler to hit his hand, but Xiaojing dodged quickly, causing him to fall instead.

The entire class burst into laughter, and students from the other four classes all gathered to watch, leaving Master Sun losing face, and he cried on the spot.

Afterward, Xiao Hen took Xiaojing to apologize to Master Sun.

As a student, he shouldn’t disrespect teachers, nor disrupt the class.

But at the same time, Xiao Hen also requested of Master Sun: "Regarding the ancestral rate issue, I will strive to verify it. If it turns out Xiaojing is correct, I hope Master Sun will also apologize to Xiaojing, as you wronged him."

Xiaojing was touched by the bad brother-in-law at the time, but after the incident, the bad brother-in-law never brought it up again, and he slowly forgot about it, not seeing it as a big deal.

Xiao Hen found the formula for calculating the ancestral rate in that Yan Country national book, learned it himself, and taught Master Sun.

Master Sun calculated it three days ago.

...

Coming out from the attic, it was raining outside, with bean-sized raindrops clattering on the eaves.

The rain came suddenly, without anyone foreseeing it.

The coachman waited outside the attic with an umbrella.

There were only two umbrellas; Xiao Hen gave one to the coachman and handed the other to Xiaojing.

The rain was heavy and fast, with small streams already winding through the low-lying areas.

Xiao Hen squatted before Xiaojing, "Get on."

Xiaojing grumbled, "I can walk by myself."

"Quickly," Xiao Hen urged.

Reluctantly, Xiaojing climbed onto the bad brother-in-law’s back, opened the umbrella, shielding them from the downpour.

Xiao Hen trudged through the puddles, soaking his clothes and shoes.

The late spring rain was icy cold, seemingly the last resistance against summer.

Lying on Xiao Hen’s broad and warm back, Xiaojing couldn’t help but feel his presence.

Thinking of today’s events, he muttered softly, "Why do you still remember? Who cares about his apology?"

Xiao Hen said, "Then should I ask Master Sun to take it back?"

Xiaojing: "No!"

Xiao Hen chuckled.

"Never mind, I’ll waive your rent this year."

"Remember to repay the three hundred taels you owe me."

"Bad brother-in-law!"

...

After the New Year, Xiaojing turned nine. He was undoubtedly a prodigy, significantly ahead of the children in the elementary learning class, prompting Xiao Hen and the old Dean to often tutor him privately.

He wanted to participate in the Imperial examination.

Xiao Hen had no objections, and Gu Jiao agreed as well.

He passed the exam smoothly and became a novice scholar.

A nine-year-old novice scholar was quite uncommon. He was pleased and brought his scholar’s certificate to show off to the bad brother-in-law, only to find out that the bad brother-in-law had passed it at eight.

He felt terrible as a whole!

How could the bad brother-in-law pass earlier than him!

"At what age did the bad brother-in-law become a licentiate?" He asked the servants in the mansion.

The servant replied, "Ten years old. Originally, the young marquis could have become a licentiate shortly after the novice scholar exam, but the princess said there was no need to rush and held him back for two years before letting him take the exam. He passed it then."

He wanted to be a nine-year-old licentiate! He wanted to be better than the bad brother-in-law!

The previous dynasty’s licentiate exam was held twice in three years, but the current dynasty, aiming to select more talents, changed it to an annual exam.

This year’s licentiate exam hadn’t arrived yet, and Xiaojing eagerly signed up.

He was confident about the exam, and the old Dean and Xiao Hen also believed there wouldn’t be any issues.

Yet, unexpectedly, he, usually blessed with good luck, experienced a reversal of fortune on the exam day.

Xiaoba’s dog son chewed up his exam entry pass.

— Yes, the puppy Xiaoba that Gu Yan brought from the Manor to Capital City had grown up and become a father, having two puppies.

Xiaojing collapsed in tears.

Getting it at ten years old wasn’t considered late, and he could tie with the bad brother-in-law.

But, sure enough, his luck turned again.

He broke his hand the day before the exam.

Eleven years old could be considered just a year late, not too much.

This time he finally managed to enter the exam site, only for the finished test papers to catch fire...

He screamed towards the sky, "Bad brother-in-law, did you pass all it on to me!!"

At twelve years old, he decided not to take the exam.

The six countries started to get tangled again, and he joined the military.

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