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Chapter 156 One radish, one hole; the City God exam at Radish Hill! (Please subscribe)

soon.

Niu Jun rode the clouds to Changshan County.

Unlike Guobei County, Changshan County belonged to Jinan Prefecture of Jingdong Road. Although it could not be described as a poor and desolate place, its prosperity was far from comparable to that of Jinhua.

the most important is.

The world is not very peaceful these days.

The nation's fate is unstable, demons are rising, and signs of chaos are already emerging.

This point has not yet been apparent in Jinhua, but it is now extremely obvious in Changshan County.

Niu Jun descended from the clouds and entered the county town. At a glance, the streets were desolate, with eight out of ten shops closed and very few still open.

The pedestrians on the street were all wary of each other, carrying knives and swords, as if they would start a fight at the slightest provocation.

Occasionally, stray dogs would run by, carrying severed limbs in their mouths, leaving behind unknown remains, creating a desolate scene.

The streets were lined with kneeling beggars, and corpse collectors would occasionally throw emaciated bodies onto oxcarts and then take them to the mass graves outside the city.

"Uncle, please be kind."

Upon seeing Niu Jun, who was dressed neatly and looked like a noble young master, the beggars swarmed around him like flies drawn to a fragrant aroma. There were also a number of martial arts figures carrying knives and swords, their eyes filled with greed.

Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the roads, the bones of the starving dead lie scattered.

Order collapsed, and the nation's fate became unstable.

Upon witnessing this scene, Niu Jun felt as if he were already seeing the tragic human condition at the end of a dynasty.

however.

Although these beggars were pitiful, Niu Jun had no intention of helping them.

Because when he looked at them with his divine eye, he saw that all the beggars in front of him were burdened with karma, and almost none of them were kind people. Even the children had a hint of bloodlust in their eyes.

It's obvious if you think about it.

The chaos in Changshan County has been going on for a long time. Even if some kind-hearted people did become beggars, they probably wouldn't have survived until now; they would have been eaten long ago.

Even if you show the slightest bit of kindness at this time, you will be targeted by all the beggars on the street, and your fate will definitely not be good.

"Halt! The imperial court is arresting a wanted criminal!"

"Catch the fugitive! Don't run!"

"come here……"

Just as Niu Jun was feeling sentimental, a series of shouts suddenly came from the crowd.

A constable dressed in black robes, accompanied by four or five knife-wielding men, was seen searching the streets for a wanted criminal.

"It wasn't you, get out of here."

The constables carried a stack of reward notices. They would stop and question anyone who looked suspicious, and while doing so, they would also search the person and take away their money pouches. Their style was simple and brutal.

It's less about finding wanted criminals.

It's more like a blatant highway robbery.

Upon seeing this group of people, those who had originally intended to approach the beggar Niu Jun scattered in all directions, as if they had seen some kind of monstrous flood.

"Hey you in the white shirt, don't go."

The constable ignored them, because these beggars had no money on them, while Niu Jun, dressed like a noble young master, was clearly a fat sheep from out of town.

"You're quite handsome, but you look unfamiliar. Where are you from, and what brings you to Changshan County?"

The constables caught up with Niu Jun, looked him over, and then asked him a question.

Even ordinary people have their own wisdom for survival.

Seeing that Niu Jun's demeanor was different from that of an ordinary person, the group knew they wouldn't act directly like they would with commoners. Instead, they wanted to find out more about him.

"I came from Jinhua Prefecture to visit friends in Changshan County."

Niu Jun answered calmly, and then asked, "Officer, may I ask how to get to Jinyu Alley?"

Hearing Niu Jun address him as head constable, the constable was clearly pleased and pointed out the way for him: "Go straight from here, and after entering the inner city, turn left at the third street intersection. The alley closest to the yamen is it."

"Thank you, Officer."

Niu Jun cupped his hands in greeting and followed the directions.

However, he did not go directly to Jinyu Hutong, but instead found an inn to stay in.

In fact.

Before coming to Changshan County.

He already knew which supernatural story this time it was, and now all he had to do was wait for the story to begin.

There is such a story in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

There was a student named Song Tao who was bedridden with illness one day. A minor official came to him with a letter and a white-topped horse, inviting him to take the exam.

Song Tao was greatly surprised and asked, "The annual examination is not yet due, why are we having it so soon?"

The officials who came didn't say much, they just urged him to get on his way quickly.

Having no other choice, Song Tao had to go with him despite his illness.

then.

He arrived at a city and entered a royal palace. The palace inside was very magnificent and splendid. In the main hall, there were more than a dozen officials, none of whom he recognized. One of the officials looked very much like Guan Yu.

Two tables and two stools were set up under the eaves outside the hall. A scholar was already sitting there, so Song Gong sat down next to him. A pen and paper were placed on the table.

Before long, the test questions were distributed. The test questions consisted of only eight characters: "One person, two people, with intention, without intention."

Soon, the two finished their essays and presented them to the emperor.

In Song Tao's writings, there is a sentence that reads: "If one intends to do good, one will not be rewarded; if one does evil unintentionally, one will not be punished."

After the gods and immortals finished reading it, they praised it highly and then summoned Lord Song to the palace.

A man who looked like an emperor, sitting in the main seat, ordered: "Henan Prefecture is still lacking a City God. You may go and take up the post."

Upon hearing this, Song Tao realized that this was a test for the City God, and immediately kowtowed to the ground, weeping as he said:
“The great god has favored me and appointed me as the City God, which I dare not refuse. However, I have an elderly mother who is over seventy years old and has no one to care for her. I beg the great god to allow me to serve my mother until she passes away before I take up my post.”

The deity ordered someone to bring Song Tao's mother's lifespan book for inspection. A bearded official took the book, flipped through it, and reported, "She still has nine years of life left."

The gods hesitated, unable to come up with a solution.

Guan Yu said, "Why don't we let Zhang Sheng act as regent for nine years?"

After saying that, he said to Song Gong, "I should have asked you to take up your post immediately; but considering your filial piety, I will give you a nine-year leave, and I will call you back then."

Then Guan Yu gave the other scholar a few words of encouragement and let the two of them leave.

After leaving the palace, another scholar shook hands with Song Tao and saw him off to the outskirts. He introduced himself as a native of Changshan County, surnamed Zhang, and even wrote a farewell poem for Song Tao.

One of the lines is: "With flowers and wine, spring is everlasting; without candles or lamps, the night is naturally bright."

When Song Tao arrived home, it was as if he had woken up from a dream; he had been dead for three days.

His mother heard groans coming from the coffin. When she opened it, she found him awake and helped him out. Later, she inquired in Changshan County and found that a scholar named Zhang had indeed died on that day.

Nine years later, Song Tao's mother passed away. After handling the funeral arrangements, Song Tao went to Henan Prefecture to take up his post as the City God.

This is the story of "The Examination of the City God" from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio".

Niu Jun came to Changshan County to witness the examination of the City God and thus gain mythical power.

As for how he can participate in this supernatural tale and gain mythical power?
Niu Jun felt that he still needed to start by studying the questions and solutions for the City God's exam.

Of course, he didn't intend to take the City God exam like Song Tao. Instead, he planned to visit the City God's divine realm while Song Tao was taking the exam, act as a judge, and then debate with Song Tao and the other Yin gods.

One person, two people, with intention, without intention.

If one intends to do good, one will not be rewarded; if one does evil unintentionally, one will not be punished.

Niu Jun does not entirely agree with this view. In his opinion, intentional good is good, and good should be rewarded. Unintentional evil is also evil, and evil should be punished. Rewards and punishments should not be based on people's hearts, but on the law.

Let's have a debate like this.

Even if the City God and other underworld deities do not agree with his ideas, as long as Song Tao's story of testing the City God can become a tale of gods and ghosts, he can appear in the story and even become a major supporting character, thereby gaining mythological power.

to be honest.

The result is not important; participation is what matters.

As long as you participate, you can obtain mythical power. Just like acting, the more roles you play, the more mythical power you will receive in the end within a tale of the strange and mythical.

……

Changshan County, inner city.

Jinyu Alley!

Unlike the tragic scene I saw when I first entered the city.

Jinyu Hutong was the residence of the powerful and wealthy in Changshan County. It was not far from the county government office, and soldiers and yamen runners patrolled the surrounding streets. Not a single beggar could be seen in sight.

Here, even the gatekeepers and servants all have ruddy complexions.

Outside many mansions, servants and guards led large, fat, snarling black dogs, which inspired fear in those who saw them.

Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the roads, the bones of the starving dead lie scattered.

This is undoubtedly the most accurate portrayal.

In Jinyu Hutong, there is a mansion, which is Niu Jun's destination.

This Zhang family is no ordinary family; they are a prominent clan in Changshan County, with a tradition of combining farming and scholarship passed down for hundreds of years. In every generation, someone has obtained the title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) or even Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), making them a true family of scholars.

"It's true that arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right time."

"I believe that Scholar Zhang's lifespan is coming to an end, and at the latest, a ghost messenger will come to invite him to leave tonight."

"Therefore, the examination of the City God will take place tonight."

Niu Jun stood outside the Zhang residence, opened his divine eye, and glanced at the sky above the Zhang residence.

A deathly aura was already swirling above the Zhang residence, indicating that the family members were doomed. At most, they would be taken away by ghost messengers tonight.

However, this scholar was quite lucky, as he was recommended by the City God of Jinan Prefecture to participate in the City God's assessment in the divine realm of the Great Pine Divine Dynasty.

This is nothing short of a stroke of incredible luck.

of course.

Many things are not as simple as they seem.

Not just anyone can take the exam to become the City God.

In the story "The Examination of the City God" from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio", the underworld deities decide the position of the city god of a prefecture by only allowing two scholars to take the exam. It would be strange if there wasn't something fishy going on there.

In the words of my past life, that was Radish Hill.

One radish, one hole; the radish must come first before the hole can be filled.

Otherwise, with billions of people in the Great Pine Dynasty, including tens of thousands of scholars, literati, and great scholars, why did the City God of the capital choose Zhang Xiucai and Song Tao when recruiting for the position of City God of Henan Prefecture?

Why can't we make it public and have fair competition?
Especially Song Tao.

Like Zhang Xiucai, they usually only went to participate in the city god's examination after they died.

As a result, because Song Tao claimed he needed to fulfill his filial duty, he was allowed to take up the post of City God in Henan Prefecture after his mother's death.

This is equivalent to not only giving Song Tao the position of a prefectural city god, but also adding nine years to his lifespan.

You said there's no problem here.

Who believes it?
So, while the story of the City God's examination appears to be fair and just on the surface, praising Song Tao's philosophy of rewarding good and punishing evil, there's more to the story than meets the eye.

"Let me see why this scholar has won the favor of the City God."

Niu Jun looked at the clan's fortune gathering above the Zhang residence and used it to deduce the secrets behind the City God's examination.

then.

He fell silent.

Because in this fortune of the clan, he saw the figures of seven prefectural city gods and twenty-eight county city gods, as well as many underworld spirits under the city gods appearing and disappearing.

in other words.

Although the Zhang family is not very famous in the Great Song Dynasty, it is just a prominent family in a county.

However, since the founding of the Great Pine God Dynasty, the Zhang family has produced seven prefectural city gods and twenty-eight county city gods, as well as hundreds of judges and wandering gods day and night. They are a true family of city god spirits.

As the saying goes: It's easier to get things done if you have connections in high places.

In the entire Great Pine Dynasty, there are at most eight hundred county-level emperors, and the Zhang family accounts for nearly one percent of them.

Therefore, it is not surprising that someone would arrange for their descendant to take the county god's examination.

pity.

Although the Zhang family is a family of City God and Yin God.

However, compared to Song Tao, he is definitely far inferior.

Otherwise, Song Tao wouldn't have gained the favor of the City God of the Great Pine God Dynasty, a group of Yin Gods, and even the God of Guan, who would have voluntarily added nine years to his lifespan.

In particular, after Zhang Xiucai failed to surpass Song Tao and only obtained the position of acting City God, he did not harbor any resentment or dissatisfaction towards Song Tao. On the contrary, he treated Song Tao with great courtesy and kept a very humble attitude.

This further demonstrates that Song Tao's background is not simple.

"Could he be a direct descendant of a high-ranking official in the underworld?"

Niu Jun pondered for a moment.

Because he really couldn't think of any other reason besides this one.

However, the story of the City God also shows that there is not much difference between ghosts and gods in the underworld and humans. To get ahead among ghosts and gods, or immortals and gods, one still needs a powerful background.

"If that's really the case."

"When you get involved in the story of the City God's examination, you need to be careful not to offend anyone too much."

It's not that Niu Jun likes to overthink.

Rather, the fact that Song Tao could get Guan Yu to speak up and ask for favors on his behalf suggests that it's impossible for him to have no powerful figures supporting him.

After all, Guan Yu holds a high position among the ghosts and gods of the underworld. He is one of the four guardians under the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, second only to the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak.

Especially in "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio".

The status of Guan Yu is probably above that of the Ten Kings of Hell. His power is so great that he can directly influence the actions of the Ten Kings of Hell, much like an imperial envoy. His words and deeds often represent the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak.

To put it bluntly, when Guan Yu spoke, the City God of the Great Pine Dynasty dared not refute him at all.

This is also why, in the story of "The Examination of the City God," after Guan Yu spoke, none of the other underworld deities raised any objections.

no way.

The status of Guan Yu as a deity is clearly established.

They are far beyond the reach of the gods of this world.

This is also why Niu Jun suspects that Song Tao has the support of a powerful figure in the underworld.

As for why it was a prominent figure from the underworld, rather than a prominent figure from the heavenly court?
the reason is simple.

If someone were truly a high-ranking figure in the Heavenly Court, they wouldn't be tested to become the City God, but would directly ascend to become an immortal, or be tested to become a Heavenly God or Water God.

The City God is merely a yin deity; it's not as comfortable as becoming an immortal directly.

When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!

(End of this chapter)