A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

The ferryman and Shuiyue quickly brought the Buddha head that Wang Cheng had made in the first examination to the monks' quarters.

The abbot of Yongning Temple and the chief supervisor of the Protectorate immediately understood upon seeing it. The Buddha head was carved with lifelike detail and smooth lines, clearly demonstrating considerable skill. It was just a pity that the gilding was not yet complete, and half of the face was still made of stone.

Such an unfinished Buddha head would absolutely not pass the assessment. If he hadn't performed well, that would have been one thing, but the stone carving itself was exceptionally well done, yet he misjudged the time, resulting in the gilding not being completed. This inevitably caused him considerable frustration.

The chief supervisor sighed and said, "This young man is quite skilled, and he's so young. I'm afraid he must have taken out loans to participate in the assessment."

Although the abbot did not comment, he seemed to tacitly agree with the conclusion of the overall guardianship.

After the officials questioned the candidates in the monastery, the chief supervisor ordered them released. After all, these candidates had eaten breakfast and were ready to participate in the second round of the examination.

After the candidates dispersed, the chief supervisor and the presiding officer discussed the matter further. Then, they summoned the coroner to examine the body, confirming that the person had hanged themselves and had no other internal or external injuries.

Afterwards, the chief supervisor concluded that the death was due to suicide by hanging. With the testimonies of the candidates in the monastery, the unfinished Buddha head made by Wang Cheng as physical evidence, and the coroner's autopsy report, the case was closed on the spot with all three pieces of evidence.

The chief guardian wrapped Wang Cheng's body in a yellow mat, carried it to the temple gate, had soldiers guard it, and sent two other people to Wang Cheng's home to notify his relatives to come and collect the body.

When Wang Cheng's parents and relatives heard this, they were shocked and refused to believe it. When they rushed to the entrance of Yongning Temple, they indeed saw Wang Cheng's body, his face bruised and blue, and he had been dead for a long time.

The family burst into tears of grief, and Wang Cheng's elderly father wanted to rush into Yongning Temple to demand an explanation. "My son was perfectly fine when he left, how could he have hanged himself?! This is utterly unreasonable!?"

But the guards stopped him, shouting, "This is the biennial selection and assessment for the sect's artisans! How dare you, a lowly commoner, act so presumptuously?! Your son committed suicide by hanging; we have the coroner's report and the testimonies of the other examinees. If you continue to cause trouble here, we'll lock you up and throw you in jail. Let's see if you'll still be in peace then!"

The officers and soldiers reprimanded him sternly and pushed him with water and fire sticks, and Wang Cheng's old father gradually lost his temper.

Although the family wept bitterly, they knew that Yongning Temple was powerful and had the Protectorate backing them up, making it an impregnable fortress. Although they felt that Wang Cheng's death was suspicious, they had no way to seek justice. They could only wipe away their tears, swallow their anger, and take Wang Cheng's body home to hold a funeral.

Inside Yongning Temple, the second round of the examination for painting Buddhist implements was proceeding as scheduled. The cries and screams outside the temple, however, were completely unheard by the candidates due to the high walls of the courtyard.

As evening fell, the second round of assessments came to an end with a resounding clang of a bronze chime that seemed to pierce the clouds and tear through the fabric.

Soldiers had already entered and began collecting the painted ritual implements made by the candidates one by one from the examination rooms. The ritual implements were easier to make than the Buddha heads; although the painting was a bit more time-consuming, overall, they were simpler than the first examination. Duan Rong had finished his work early and was waiting there.

After the soldiers confiscated the painted Buddhist implements, Duan Rong left the examination room. He glanced at Shuiyue, who was standing under the eaves holding Buddhist prayer beads. Shuiyue's face was serene, and she gave him a fleeting, indifferent look. Duan Rong then turned and left.

After the second round, he can leave Yongning Temple. The results of the assessment will be posted at the entrance of Yongning Temple three days later.

Duan Rong walked with the crowd, listening intently to the discussions, which naturally concerned Wang Cheng's suicide. Some said that Wang Cheng's parents and relatives were currently causing trouble at the entrance of Yongning Temple, describing the situation vividly and with great detail. Duan Rong felt a growing unease.

It's best not to make a big fuss about this, lest it cause further complications.

Duan Rong walked to the entrance of Yongning Temple and saw a bustling crowd. Where was anyone causing trouble? He turned his head and saw the guy who had been spouting nonsense in the crowd being chased and beaten by several of his colleagues.

Duan Rong did not linger there and quickly left Yongning Temple. He did not return to Cunmu Hall either. It would take three days for the results to be posted, and another ten days from when the results were posted to when he would travel from Yongning Temple to the Faxiang Sect.

This planning would take about half a month. Therefore, before he took the exam, Wang Xun had already arranged a house for him in a secluded place so that Duan Rong could settle down there first, rather than being in an inn where people came and went and he would be exposed to the public.

Wang Xun had personally shown Duan Rong this courtyard some time ago. The courtyard was quite ordinary, but it was kept very clean, and all the necessary items were complete.

As soon as Duan Rong entered the alley, he immediately released his spiritual senses, confirmed that no one was around, and in a flash, he appeared in the courtyard. He took a breath, drew water from the well, and washed himself thoroughly. Then he used the well water to brew tea, sat on the table in the main room, and slowly sipped it.

By the time Duan Rong finished washing up, it was already dark.

At this moment, he was sitting in the main room brewing and enjoying tea, without lighting any lamps. The main room was pitch black, with the only light coming from the small stove used for brewing tea.

The faint firelight illuminated Duan Rong's face.

Just then, a figure suddenly leaped into the pitch-black courtyard. Although the figure was quite agile and landed as lightly as a cat, the subtle sound did not escape Duan Rong's keen senses.

In fact, he didn't need to use his divine sense to know who the visitor was. He had already made an agreement with Wang Xun that if he came, he didn't need to knock on the door, so as not to disturb the neighbors and cause unnecessary trouble.

Wang Xun leaped into the courtyard, only to see a red light shining through the darkness of the main room, illuminating the face of the person beside him, whose face was blood red, like a demon.

Wang Xun walked to the door, knelt down, and said, "I have failed in my duties, please punish me, sir."

Duan Rong remained silent for a long time, only quietly sipping his tea.

Wang Xun knelt there for a long time, not daring to move.

Duan Rong finished his three cups of tea, let out a slight breath, and said, "Get up first."

Wang Xun got up with a sense of unease. He could tell that Duan Rong was very displeased.

Wang Xun stood there, clasped his hands in a fist salute again, and said, "My lord, please forgive me. This cannot be entirely blamed on me. It was truly an unforeseen event. Who would have thought that Zhu Shicheng would have such a childhood friend who also happened to be taking the exam this time? And the two of us were even arranged to take the exam in the same courtyard. It was truly a coincidence."

Upon hearing Wang Xun's words, Duan Rong's anger, which had subsided somewhat, flared up again. He sneered and said, "So that's how it is. Then I misunderstood you. Didn't the Protectorate post a notice after the registration ended? Did you check it carefully at that time? It's a coincidence that something happened at the examination site. If Shuiyue hadn't been there, do you think your Cunmu Hall could have remained uninvolved once this disaster struck?"

Seeing that Duan Rong was angry, Wang Xun knew that he had been rather careless in his work, so he tried to kneel down again to beg for forgiveness.

When Duan Rong saw that he was about to kneel, he said, "Get up. I have something to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xun was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to kneel or stand, and could only stand there with his legs slightly bent.

Duan Rong sighed and said, "Let's put this matter behind us. You and Yang Ruoshui should investigate Wang Cheng's family carefully and see if they make any unusual moves."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xun clasped his hands and said, "Rest assured, sir. Wang Cheng's family has already set up a mourning hall at home. Yang Ruoshui and a group of beggars are searching the surrounding area. If they have any news, they will inform you immediately." Duan Rong's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, and his tone seemed much calmer. He said, "Investigate Zhu Shicheng's connections in Xidu Prefecture carefully again. Learn from Wang Cheng's experience and prevent any potential problems."

Wang Xun replied, "Yes, sir. I will do it immediately."

Duan Rong said, "Go."

"This subordinate takes his leave." Wang Xun bowed to Duan Rong inside the house at the door before leaving the courtyard.

Duan Rong sat there, drank two more cups of tea, and then extinguished the fire in the stove. In the darkness, he sat cross-legged on the armchair and began to meditate and doze off.

Three days passed, and every day after dark, Wang Xun would come to report the day's findings to Duan Rong. It had been decided on Wang Cheng's side that the funeral would be held after three days of mourning.

Three days later, it was also the day when the results of the Yongning Temple assessment were announced.

That day, early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, a large crowd had already gathered at the entrance of Yongning Temple. Most of them were this year's test takers or their family members, who had come early to see the results of their exams.

In the crowd, there was a beggar, with his hands clasped behind his back and sniffling, waiting there. Although the beggar's clothes were tattered, he was fair-skinned and quite sturdy; he was none other than Bai Gouzi, one of Yang Ruoshui's men.

The white dog leaned against the wall, its eyes half-closed, glancing sideways at the gate of Yongning Temple.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a beard came over and stood beside Bai Gouzi. He glanced at the gate of Yongning Temple, which was tightly closed and it was unclear when it would open. He turned around and saw Bai Gouzi leaning against the wall. He then laughed and said, "These people are all candidates for the imperial examinations, waiting here for the results to be released. Why are you, a beggar, suffering in the cold so early in the morning?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Gouzi glared at the man and cursed, "Can't a beggar look at the results? I'm so bored and want to wait here, is it any of your business?"

"Alright, alright. Never mind." The man then walked away, muttering to himself: The morals of Xidu Prefecture are truly declining; even beggars are so arrogant these days!

The crowd waited outside the Yongning Temple gate, but before the results were announced, a mournful and long dirge began to play from the other side of the street.

At this time, the long street was still dark, and the mournful sound of funeral music could be heard faintly, growing louder and louder. Then, a funeral procession came into view.

Amidst the scattering white paper money in the wind, the sound of wailing could also be heard...

The candidates waiting at the entrance of Yongning Temple quickly guessed that it was the funeral of Wang Cheng, the candidate who had hanged himself that day. Listening to the mournful wails of Wang Cheng's parents, the candidates thought that their lives, like Wang Cheng's, were about to cross a narrow bridge. Although he had hanged himself, he had at least died a clean death. Could they, living in this world, really cross this narrow bridge?

It's only once every two years, and only nine out of a hundred are selected—it's incredibly difficult.

The candidates felt a pang of sympathy for the deceased and stood at the entrance of Yongning Temple, watching the funeral procession disappear into the distance.

It wasn't until dawn that the gates of Yongning Temple slowly opened, and two monks stood there holding their staffs, looking at everyone warily.

Then two more monks came out, one carrying rolled-up paper and the other carrying paste and a brush.

The monk brushed some paste onto the yellow wall on the side of the Yongning Temple gate, while another monk unfolded a scroll of paper and pasted it onto the wall.

The candidates who had been waiting for a long time had already moved like a tide, stepping on the white paper money scattered on the ground, and surged towards the place where the results were posted.

The white dog pushed and shoved his way to the front row. Yang Ruoshui had assigned him because the white dog could read a few words.

He squeezed to the front and glanced at the list of names. He saw the official seals of Yongning Temple and the Protectorate at the top. He skipped over the first line of text and went straight to the list at the back. He was delighted when he saw it.

The list of nine people began with the name Yang Ruoshui had instructed him to write down: Zhu Shicheng, Cunmutang.

Having secured this title, Bai Gouzi ignored everything else and pushed his way out of the crowd. As soon as he emerged, several older candidates who couldn't squeeze through surrounded him. One of them, an elderly man with gray hair, grabbed him and asked, "Young man, have you seen my name? My name is Wanli. Is it on the list?"

The white dog broke free from his hand and said, "I didn't see clearly," before hurrying away.

That night, Wang Xun returned to the courtyard to see Duan Rong.

He informed Duan Rong that the assessment results had been posted and that he had come in first place. He also informed Duan Rong that Wang Cheng's funeral had been held that morning and he had been buried in the Wang clan cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

Duan Rong asked Wang Xun some other questions and gave him a few more instructions before letting him leave.

After the results are announced, there are still ten days before heading to the Faxiang Sect.

During these ten days, Duan Rong naturally found it even more inconvenient to show his face in public.

Zhu Shicheng's relatives and clansmen, who had previously had no contact with him, came to visit him with gifts after seeing that he had been admitted to the Faxiang School of Buddhism. They also said they had prepared a banquet to bid him farewell.

Zhu Shicheng owns a courtyard house without a land deed. His family's original courtyard house was sold to pay for his father's medical treatment. He has been living in Cunmutang for many years.

His relatives and clansmen naturally all came looking for him at Cunmu Hall, but Wang Xun turned them all away, saying that Zhu Shicheng had been thinking too much about the assessment and was feeling unwell, so he needed to rest.

Those relatives and clansmen assumed that Zhu Shicheng didn't want to see them. Over the years, Zhu Shicheng's family had fallen on hard times, and they had given him no shortage of cold shoulders. Now that he didn't want to see them again, it was natural that he harbored resentment.

These people just muttered a few words to themselves and then dispersed, without arousing any suspicion.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, Wang Xun hired a blue sedan chair and went to the courtyard to pick up Duan Rong. Duan Rong rode in the sedan chair while Wang Xun rode on horseback, and together they headed to Yongning Temple.

Duan Rong arrived at Yongning Temple, where he and the other candidates who had passed the examination were heading to the Faxiang Sect that very day.

Wang Xun went along as well. He was at Yongning Temple to complete the necessary paperwork. With this paperwork, he could then go to the government office to apply for a three-year tax reduction for Cunmutang. (End of Chapter)