Outside the Imperial Academy gates.
Xiaoxiao, along with Yang Qiu and Wang Kui, waited at the entrance.
They watched as examinees came out to reunite with their families and then leave, but Yang Ming was nowhere to be seen.
Xiaoxiao grew anxious, continuously peering inside.
Yang Qiu, feeling restless as well, said, "Why hasn't Third Brother come out yet?"
"Don't worry, he's not the only one who hasn't come out; there are others as well. Maybe something's held them up," Wang Kui voiced to reassure.
Indeed, as Wang Kui mentioned, others were waiting outside, their anxious anticipation no less than theirs. Although it was certain other examinees were still inside, Xiaoxiao's heart remained on edge, as her eyelid twitched incessantly, giving her a sense that something was about to happen.
If the Imperial Academy weren't such a sacred place where people like them couldn't just enter at will, Xiaoxiao would have stormed inside to find him by now.
