Chapter Ninety-Four: The Underworld Imperial Examination

As dusk drew near, he took a room at an inn. Then a sudden chill wind rose, rattling the windows with a clatter. Bai Zhi hurried to the sill, reaching out to shut it, but gave a startled cry.

"What is it?"

Hearing the alarm in her voice, Liu Ping came over as well and looked outside. At once, he sensed that something was amiss.

"A procession of wandering dead... these do not seem like ordinary spirits." Bai Zhi frowned slightly. She leaned against the window and stood on tiptoe to look out, but she was too short to see much at all. That only made her a little vexed; being small was truly troublesome.

Liu Ping smiled and lifted her into his arms. "Not ordinary spirits? Let me have a careful look..."

On the street below, pedestrians were few and far between. It had been dusk only moments ago, yet the sky had suddenly darkened, and many people assumed a downpour was coming, so naturally none dared come out. In the middle of the road, however, there marched a procession of men and horses dressed like officials, with gongs, drums, and horns sounding as they advanced. Ghost soldiers in the guise of constables led horses by the reins, and upon each horse sat a scholar-like ghost. Their faces were blank, their eyes lost and unfocused, clearly unaware of where they were.

Now and then a passerby would rush straight through them, oblivious to their presence and unable to hear the clamorous noise. A few with unusual constitutions shivered and looked about in alarm.

At the rear of the procession stood a towering warrior, more than a dozen feet tall, brandishing a great saber. He was horribly fierce, with a gaping maw as though ready to devour men alive. His eyes were like bronze bells, and in their black depths gleamed a trace of eerie light. His whole body was knotted with muscle and corded with bulging veins, exuding an overwhelmingly imposing aura. At that moment he was sweeping his gaze in all directions, and when he discovered that someone in the inn beside the road was watching, he immediately turned his glare upon them.

Bai Zhi's face went white. Clearly, she was rather afraid of that ghost general. Liu Ping frowned slightly, covered Bai Zhi's eyes, and looked straight back without the least fear.

Seeing that the young man showed no dread at all and even looked down on him, the ghost general flew into a rage. Yet seeing that he wore a scholar's robe and evidently possessed official standing, the general dared not act rashly and forcibly held back his temper, continuing on with the rest of the procession as it moved farther and farther away.

"Is this an underworld civil examination?" Liu Ping murmured in interest, recalling certain rumors.

"That ghost general looked so fierce!" Bai Zhi said after prying Liu Ping's hand away from her eyes.

"He was sensible enough not to come looking for trouble. Otherwise, your young husband would surely have taught him a lesson." Liu Ping smiled faintly in disdain and paid that ghost general no mind.

At present, he had sealed away with secret arts all the fortune he had gathered from writing his books. The general could not sense it, so of course he remained arrogant. If it were all released, that ghost general would be reduced to nothing but trembling.

In this world, cultivators, demons, and monsters relied relatively little on fortune. Deities depended on it greatly. But the path that ruled by fortune above all else was the way of ghosts and spirits.

Once Liu Ping released all his fortune, perhaps an ordinary demon general would feel nothing out of the ordinary, but that ghost general would instantly feel as though a mountain had been pressed down upon him, unable even to resist. Achieving such a thing was not at all exaggerated. To write a novel that would be remembered through the ages was to reach the very pinnacle of the literary path. And what was there unusual about a person at the pinnacle of an entire field being able to suffocate a ghost general?

"My young husband is mighty and imposing!" Hearing Liu Ping's words, Bai Zhi said excitedly. "Then shall we catch up and give him a beating?"

Liu Ping pinched her nose. "If he has not come looking for my trouble, why should we go looking for trouble with him? Though he is weak, above him there are ghost marshals and ghost kings."

"All right..." Bai Zhi nodded.

"But let us go and see what this underworld examination is really like." Liu Ping smiled slyly.

"Mm!"

Liu Ping and Bai Zhi then sent their souls out from their bodies. Bai Zhi's soul slipped into Liu Ping's embrace, and the two quickly chased after the procession.

Following from afar, they soon arrived at a palace.

The palace looked somewhat familiar. Liu Ping examined it carefully and discovered that it had in fact been transformed from the City God Temple.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Ping mingled among the cluster of ghost scholars and tried to enter.

He had thought they would make things difficult for him and refuse him easy passage, but the situation turned out to be the complete opposite. Liu Ping slipped through without the slightest trouble.

This made him click his tongue in wonder. The civil examinations among the living were guarded with the utmost strictness, yet this underworld examination was astonishingly lax.

They soon entered the palace interior. In the great hall above stood seven or eight dark officials, engaged in a lively discussion, though no one could tell what they were saying. As for the ghost scholars who had entered the hall, their eyes gradually cleared, and they looked around in uncertainty and confusion, clearly not yet understanding what was happening.

"The thirty-ninth Great Xia examination begins now. Candidates, take your seats!" A middle-aged examiner in blue official robes stepped to the center of the hall and addressed the examinees below.

Hearing this, the candidates had no time to wonder what was going on and instinctively took their seats. Since Liu Ping had occupied one seat, one candidate stood there in a daze, unable to find his place, turning in anxious circles.

"How strange. Why is there one seat missing? Who is this person?" the examiner asked, pointing at him.

"Luyang Prefect Yin Bing!"

"So it is him. Arrange a seat for him."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Bing bowed deeply in gratitude.

Afterward, the examination papers, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone were distributed one by one.

The topic on the paper consisted of only eight large characters: a man, two men, with heart, without heart.

At that moment Bai Zhi began to fidget in Liu Ping's arms. He patted her gently, then after thinking for a moment wrote a line.

"To do good with intent: though good, it merits no reward. To do evil without intent: though evil, it merits no punishment."

He then looked for the next question, only to discover that there was no next question at all. He searched again and again, but could not find one, and could not help feeling speechless. "This underworld examination only has one question? Isn't that far too careless?"

A quarter of an hour later, the officials above called out, "The examination is over. Candidates, lay down your brushes!"

Ghost soldiers then collected the papers one by one, while the officials above judged them carefully and selected twenty passing scripts. After waiting another half quarter-hour, a man in dragon robes entered.

Seeing him in dragon robes, Liu Ping was secretly startled.

One who could wear dragon robes must certainly have been an emperor in life, and not only that, he must have made considerable contributions, only then able to continue after death as a ghost emperor. If he had been a muddleheaded and tyrannical ruler, and still hoped to enjoy life after death? Dream on. Royal birth or not, once dead he would not be allowed an easy time.

An emperor of this kind was generally at the level of an earthly immortal. As merely a spirit, he could be opposed only with some difficulty by Liu Ping, despite the great fortune he carried. The power behind such a figure, however, could not be underestimated, and he could not be lightly made an enemy of.

After a brief consideration, Liu Ping thought that if he were to pass the exam, then unless absolutely necessary he must not act recklessly. He only hoped that he himself would not pass. Secretly vexed, he could only smile bitterly inwardly. He had merely come to see the world, yet unexpectedly found himself entangled in such trouble.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Paying respects to Your Majesty!"

The officials all bowed in salute, while the group of candidates stared in astonishment. Who was this emperor? Why had none of them ever seen him before? Emperor? Could he be the famed Bright Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty?

The Bright Emperor waved a hand and turned to the examination papers, flipping through them rapidly. As soon as he finished one, he casually set it to the left. Rejected.

He read quickly, clearly displeased with the overall quality. Then suddenly his eyes lit up when he saw one paper, and he could not help murmuring softly, "To do good with intent: though good, it merits no reward. To do evil without intent: though evil, it merits no punishment..."

This reasoning, this single line, was a little inappropriate in the world of the living, but in the underworld it was perfectly fitting. It was simply exquisite.

He could not help repeating it softly twice more, then carefully placed it on the right. After that he continued reading swiftly, and soon reached the very last one. After a moment of hesitation, he also placed it on the right.

The Bright Emperor said, "These two candidates have passed. This one may serve as City God of Zhang County. This one may serve as judge."

Hearing this, many of the scholars present, along with the few degree holders among them, finally came to their senses. Right—they were already dead. This was the underworld examination! At that realization, they could not help but wonder with anticipation: might they too be able to pass and become a City God?

A yellow-robed official seized the two papers and stepped forward, saying, "Luyang Prefect Yin Bing, are you willing to serve as judge of Zhang County?"

"This minister is willing!" Yin Bing replied in ecstatic joy, dropping quickly to his knees.

"And the other paper... whose is this? Why is there no name?" the yellow-robed official said in surprise, then read aloud, "To do good with intent: though good, it merits no reward. To do evil without intent: though evil, it merits no punishment. Excellent, excellent. Who composed this?"

Upon hearing this, the faces of the candidates all filled with envy. This person was probably about to be appointed City God. Discussion broke out all around, and several people wanted to claim authorship, yet none dared step forward. After all, the true writer was right here, and the examination papers all bore names. Exposing the truth would be childishly easy.

"It was I who wrote it."