Infinite Professions

Chapter 310 - 165: Strange Phenomena (2)

In such a way, for an unknown amount of time, finally he arrived at a Prefecture City. Although the city was bustling with people and horses and carriages, to Shen Hex it appeared illusory, neither true nor false, neither real nor fake.

The junior clerk paid no heed, leading him by the horse to a magnificently splendid Prefecture Government Office.

Outside the office was a stable, already housing dozens of white horses, all standing motionless like statues, not even snorting.

"Official, please dismount!"

Shen Hex was still observing when he heard the junior clerk urge him, and helplessly he could only dismount.

Seeing the junior clerk once more, his face still carried a smile, yet somehow appeared stiff.

"..."

Shen Hex kept his observation to himself, showing no change in expression, and followed him into the Prefecture Government Office.

Inside the office, in the great hall, examination tables and desks were already arranged, with dozens of candidates fervently writing.

Shen Hex glancing up briefly saw indistinct figures on the high platform above, their features unclear and hard to discern, save for their luxurious official robes that radiated faint brilliance, surrounded by smoky clouds, unlike ordinary official attire, resembling costumes from Liyuan Theater instead.

His subtle glance triggered something, and suddenly a palpable pressure descended upon him, forcing him to lower his head as the junior clerk took the opportunity to lead him to an examination desk.

Recognizing the situation, Shen Hex did not attempt anything else, merely sitting down as expected.

On the table lay ink and brush, along with a sheet of Xuan paper. Shen Hex focused his gaze and took in the clearly prominent characters on the paper.

"Govern the People"

No need for further explanation, it must be the examination topic.

A genuine exam?

A wave of surprise swept through Shen Hex’s mind, though his face remained impassive, and he began to write the essay.

Hello literary essay.

Given his lifetime of cultivation across multiple existences, knowledgeable in the Three Religions, mastering all that is learned, proficient in everything, being a cultivator possessing the Three Splendors Gather at the Top and Five Qi to Origin, his insight, wisdom, and comprehension were all extraordinary.

With such a foundation to support him, writing an essay was effortless, effortlessly producing a richly adorned text.

However, he didn’t write with such embellishment, choosing instead a conventional, stable approach, emphasizing moderation.

A bold bird dies quickly!

Unsure of the current situation, he didn’t wish to draw too much attention.

Moreover, exams sometimes reward not just the quality of the essay but may hinge on the examiner’s personal preference, tangled relationships, and considerations.

As the saying goes, what is your fairy grass is my poison; if your essay doesn’t suit the examiner’s taste, even a richly adorned text might not succeed, possibly leading to overstepping bounds and encountering unforeseen disasters.

Given the oddity of this exam, Shen Hex knew not the examiner or their preferences.

Nor would he risk drawing attention, thus opting for a conventional style just to handle the situation.

As he wrote, his mind pondered the surrounding circumstances.

This Government Office, this examination, and the recent occurrences...

"Could it be that I’m dead?"

A sudden thought emerged in Shen Hex’s mind.

Upon this thought, clarity washed over him.

He was dead, accurately speaking, Song Xiang was dead.

Earlier when he crossed over, the heaviness in his body, the distorted vision, muddled consciousness might have been the dying person’s final moments; the crying and mourning music outside indicated that the Song Family was holding a funeral for him.

According to Song Xiang’s memory, this world followed the custom of keeping the corpse for three days during funerals.

Typically, this custom stemmed from ancient times when medical conditions were lacking, unable to determine true death, fearing premature burial might cause a fatal mistake, thus keeping the body for three days to observe.

Yet, this world appeared somewhat unconventional.

Keeping the body for three days not merely verified death, but held significance for "sending someone to the afterlife".

It’s said that upon death, the soul’s departure from the body is a process requiring three days to fully detach and transform into a Yin Soul, during which the family conducts mourning rites to send the Yin Soul into the Underworld for reincarnation.

In a mundane world, this notion might be dismissed as superstition.

However, clearly, this world wasn’t mundane, for Shen Hex noticed the flow of time from the main world compared to this one was a ratio of one to a hundred.

What does this imply?

It implies that this world is of a Middle Thousand World grade, comparable to the previous Taiyuan Realm.

A Middle Thousand World, in any case, couldn’t be a mundane world.

Thus, the notion of keeping the body for three days and the soul’s departure should hold some basis.

Having crossed over, he found himself in the last phase of soul departure, from living soul to Yin Soul, finally detaching from the body into the current state.

Here comes the mention of Zhuang Zhou’s Dream of the Butterfly crossing mechanism.

Zhuang Zhou’s Dream of the Butterfly, Butterfly Dream of Zhuang Zhou, unlike conventional soul traversal, is a form of "the other me for myself" transfer.

This can be verified from Taiyuan Realm’s cultivation; a soul crossing would equate to seizing life and rebirth, inevitably disrupting fundamental roots, making achievement difficult, with the Primordial Spirit retaining its original form.

However, in Taiyuan Realm, his cultivation found no abnormalities, for his Primordial Spirit’s form upon achieving it resembled Taiyuan Realm’s Zhong Chuan, and not the main world’s Shen Hex.

This proves Zhuang Zhou’s Dream of the Butterfly crossing wasn’t a soul seizing, but a peculiar transfer of consciousness, akin to Zhuang Zhou dreaming of the butterfly and the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou, who truly was who remains hard to clarify.

Such was the case in Taiyuan Realm, and similarly in this world, he came through the Dream Butterfly without occupying and dominating "Song Xiang’s" physical body, but merged entirely with Song Xiang, including accommodating the soul.

Hence, Song Xiang found himself post-death in a state of soul departure, and as he crossed over, the same soul departure state applied, with his Yin Soul appearing as Song Xiang, resembling the middle-aged figure of an instructor, not the Shen Hex of the main world.

How wondrous.

Thus now, he was dead.

Yet not entirely deceased, for a Yin Soul remained, summoned by an unknown "Lord of the Mansion" entity for examination.

Examined on what?

Shen Hex knew not, nor dared make reckless moves, only obediently continued writing the essay.

In such a manner, unknown for how long.

"Prefecture examination ends, stop writing!"

A voice declared, resonating throughout the mansion.

Shen Hex ceased writing, waiting quietly.

Soon, junior clerks arrived to collect the essays from everyone.

"Everyone may leave, in three days, the results will be announced!"

Another high declaration, and everyone rose to exit, Shen Hex among the crowd.

Leaving the Prefecture Government Office, approaching the gate, he saw the same junior clerk coming with the horse, smiling at him, saying: "Official, mount the horse, in four days the results will be announced, if official gains merits, I’ll come to inform you."

Having said that, he led the horse away, and once again Shen Hex found himself in a kaleidoscopic scene.

Soon, the white horse halted, returning to Song Xiang’s home.

Shen Hex dismounted, the junior clerk gave him a nod of farewell, then led the horse away, disappearing into thin air within a few steps.

"..."

Shen Hex paused in silence, finally making no sound, quietly pushing open the courtyard gate to return home.

Meanwhile, in Jinyang Prefecture City, amidst the temple halls.

"This year’s Prefecture examination was lackluster, probably no one could catch the Lord of the Mansion’s eye."

"That Yansheng showed some talent and strategies for governance, it’s no wonder he earned the Prefecture Champion title, just now there’s an archivist vacancy in the Mansion, report to the Lord to have him fill the position."

"That Zhan Dongyang, being a County Capital Captain in life, quite skilled in warfare strategy, appoint him as a Night Patrol City Envoy should be fitting."

"Song Xiang, a County Instructor in life, although his essay was conventional, it was stable, appoint him as a junior clerk in the Mansion."

"Wait a moment, lately Qinghe County’s Little Huang Village has suffered from demon harassment, requiring someone to fill the vacancy, I think Song Xiang, being steady and experienced, could be sent to the post."

"Little Huang Village, that is..."

"No need to elaborate, we merely offer advice, acceptance or not is for the Lord of the Mansion to decide."

"..."