Chapter 69: House of Gold, Beauty Like Jade

Tian Shegong departed very peacefully.

He left with a smile.

But others were not so peaceful.

In an empty room behind the teahouse, Tian's grandson ran out of the door acting madly, his face full of excitement as he cried:

"Yi, I've passed! I've passed!"

Yet the next moment, his voice cut off abruptly.

"Beast, what have you passed?!"

At the doorway, a fair-complexioned young man chased forward, rolled up his sleeves, and with a single slap, knocked Tian Shegong's great-grandson to the ground.

Afterwards, the young man calmly withdrew his hand, letting the Tian grandson sit on the ground clutching his face and crying out in pain.

If you were to ask what happened, and why the fair-complexioned young man would suddenly act violently and strike someone without cause?

This matter specifically begins with the release of the prefectural examination results, starting from when Tian Shegong joyfully passed as a stipend student.

Ever since Tian Shegong, overcome with excessive excitement, fainted at the entrance of the examination hall, everyone had sent him for medical treatment.

However, this was an illness of the heart with no physical lesion; the Physicians who came to diagnose it all shook their heads after looking. During this time, Xu Qing had attempted to use a Disease-Dispelling Talisman, but he was unable to remove the poison of this heart-illness.

In the end, it was the Imperial Physician attending the Crown Prince who stepped forward, using esoteric medical methods to wake the dying Tian Shegong from his coma.

Yet before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, Tian Shegong, having regained consciousness, let out another "Yi-xi" and fainted dead away again.

By dusk, Tian Shegong, whose mind and spirit had lost their guard, had completely breathed his last.

The Tian family wept together in a heap; dragging Tian Shegong's corpse, they had nowhere to go until Guo Dongyang coordinated with the teahouse shopkeeper, who then placed Tian Shegong in an empty room in the rear courtyard for temporary storage.

But who could have known that midway through, while Tian's son was keeping vigil, he suddenly ran out of the teahouse acting madly, shouting wildly at the street corner words of madness like "I've passed!" and "I've passed!"

The commotion caused by Tian Shegong's son was enormous, startling everyone resting in the teahouse into a flurry of activity before they could drag the mad Tian son back inside.

Strangely enough, the teahouse attendants, the Shopkeeper, even combining forces with Guo Dongyang and the Wu brothers, found it difficult to subdue that Tian son.

But the moment Xu Qing showed his face, the constantly struggling Tian son immediately became calm.

"Where am I? Why are you all surrounding me?" These were the first words the Tian son spoke after regaining clarity.

Seeing the Tian son awaken, this matter was still far from over.

By evening, the old servant guarding beside Tian Shegong also burst open the room door, shouting "I've passed."

This time, everyone in the entire teahouse could not sleep.

Even though the dead take precedence, the teahouse Shopkeeper was still severely frightened by the strange events occurring one after another.

Usually, when storytellers spoke of gods and ghosts, everyone treated it as just a story, as matters with no substance!

But now, they had truly and concretely witnessed matters of ghosts and monsters.

"Why don't we report this to the authorities? Let's send Old Mr. Tian's remains to the government office."

Upon hearing these words, the Tian son, who had just been lively and jumping around not long ago, immediately became displeased.

In these times, the principle of 'fallen leaves returning to their roots' is upheld; when a person dies, they must be buried whole in the ancestral grave. But if the old gentleman's corpse were sent to the government offices, how could it possibly return intact? Most likely, it would be burned by someone in a single fire, and by then, there would be nowhere to seek justice.

Furthermore, the old man cared most about his reputation throughout his life; now that he had finally passed as a stipend student with great difficulty, even though he is dead, he died with purity and integrity, a figure capable of leaving a clean name in the history books.

If people were to learn that after the old gentleman died he began acting like a monster, becoming a ghost to harm people, would that not become a huge laughingstock under heaven?

We don't know where the Tian son got so much concern for his image, but in short, he refused to let everyone report to the authorities, and instead began inquiring about news of Monks, Daoist Priests, spirit mediums, and spellcasters, saying he wanted to hold a ceremony for deliverance; perhaps after doing this, the old gentleman would feel their filial piety, settle down, and rest assured to move on to reincarnation.

Xu Qing, who had been acting like an outsider the whole time, upon hearing these words, seemed to trigger some mechanism and immediately perked up.

"Performing rituals, delivering souls—this is my old trade!"

"Why take a detour when far is near? Just find me directly!"

Guo Dongyang did not know about this, so the Wu brothers helped explain, and only then did everyone learn that this Licentiate Xu usually conducted business with the dead, assisting people with rituals and funeral processions.

The Tian family thought, this is truly like handing over a pillow when one is sleepy; since that is the case, let Mr. Xu give it a try.

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, as long as Xu Qing went to suppress Old Grandfather Tian, this matter would be considered settled.

But Tian Shegong's great-grandson happened to be a type who 'curiously seeks the strange,' insisting on seeing what strange learning or principles the person who passed as a scholar on the same day as himself possessed.

Xu Qing did not like people who lacked a sense of boundaries.

The storyteller had an even heavier heart of curious seeking for the strange, but Guo Dongyang knew that every trade has its secrets.

Just like street magicians performing tricks; if you rush to expose their underlying methods, you are definitely going to invite dislike.

Seeing that Tian Shegong's great-grandson had followed along, Xu Qing simply let him come.

When they arrived at the room where the corpse was stopped, Tian Shegong lay quietly on a straw mat, covered with a paper quilt, looking extremely like a scene from a corpse-transformation story.

"Are you truly not afraid?" Xu Qing asked.

"Not afraid!"

The Tian grandson forced himself to remain calm, speaking with reason and evidence: "Great-grandfather loved me most when he was alive; how could he possess me to harm me?"

Xu Qing smiled: "Indeed, that is the logic; elders always favor their grandchildren, so wanting their grandchildren to pass as Top Scholars is only reasonable."

What did this mean? The Tian grandson had not yet figured it out at first, until Tian Shegong, lying as a corpse on the straw mat, pushed up the paper quilt, sat up straight, and blew a breath directly onto his face, only then did the Tian grandson come to his senses.

No wonder those acting mad during the day were all Tian family members; it turns out Great-grandfather wanted his own family members to all pass as Top Scholars!

Unsurprisingly, the Tian grandson went mad, drooling foolishly as he tried to run outside, mouth still shouting words of lost-mind madness like "Yi, I've passed! I've passed as a Top Scholar!"

Xu Qing followed out; not far across the courtyard, at the moon gate, Guo Dongyang was still stretching his neck listening to the movements inside the yard, and beside him, the Wu brothers and the teahouse Shopkeeper were also tilting their ears to listen to the situation inside the courtyard.

The result was seeing the scene of the Tian grandson running out, only to be slapped down to the ground by the fair-complexioned young man who chased out after him.

The several people all shivered in unison from fright.

Guo Dongyang no longer dared stretch his head forward to get closer; turning his head, he gave a dry laugh, and the few of them, with tacit understanding, supported the Tian grandson and left the side courtyard.

Inside the room, Xu Qing, having just finished beating the grandson, turned his gaze back to the old gentleman.

At this moment, the old gentleman had already left the straw mat, with only a paper quilt that had covered the corpse quietly scattered on the ground.

And Tian Shegong, with a face like golden paper, was banging his head against the window with a clatter, trying to escape outward.

Xu Qing stepped forward, about to say a word to the other party, but an illusion of achieving top honors on the Golden List and winning all three examinations instantly surfaced in his mind.

This thoroughly enraged Xu Qing; the old man's behavior was like forcibly inserting a small advertisement into his brain without permission, and not even the kind he liked.

If you were going to conjure an illusion of corpses falling from the sky, that would be one thing—he might even have enjoyed such a sweet dream—but this?

Shaking off the illusion of the Golden List, Xu Qing followed the same method, slapping down with his palm, and the world immediately returned to tranquility.

Although the Tian She Gong before him could move freely, he was already a junior walking corpse influenced by an obsession.

However, this walking corpse differed from the ordinary ones Xu Qing had seen; Tian She Gong possessed an innate ability to affect the minds of others.

After dispelling the influence, Xu Qing reached back, grabbed the collar at the back of Tian She Gong's neck, and dragged the now completely subdued old man back to the cold couch.

The room was dim; Xu Qing lit incense and candles, for he, who had not touched a corpse in a long time, was already starving with anticipation.

"The Dao of Immortals values life, the Dao of Ghosts values the end."

"The Dao of Immortals is often auspicious, the Dao of Ghosts is often ominous."

Familiar scripture resounded, and the pages of the Scripture of Salvation turned accordingly.

The old man Tian was originally named Tian She, with ancestral roots in Quyang; his family was wealthy, and he studied literature from childhood, having mastered the classics and histories by the age of fifteen or sixteen.

Alas, the family later declined, and the Tian She family was forced to scatter all their assets, leaving behind only two boxes of scriptures.

When Tian She was wealthy, he still had many classmates who associated with him, but when he fell into poverty and hardship, not a single person came forward to inquire after him.

At that time, Tian She understood a truth: only through studying could one turn one's fate around, and only by obtaining an official title could one earn respect!

At that time, the several mouths of the Tian family struggled even to share a single bowl of millet porridge.

Yet even so, Tian She refused to let his elderly parents sell the family's books, instead studying even more diligently.

Later, a classmate Tian She knew well passed the provincial examination; from then on, that person escaped the muddy shallow pit, transforming from a lowly earth loach into a high-and-mighty Successful Candidate.

Not only did he travel in a sedan chair, but upon arriving in the village, those local gentry and wealthy households who had once wielded power and acted tyrannically all fawned and curried favor with him.

Seeing this, Tian She's conviction to study and obtain an official title became even firmer.

If three years did not suffice, then ten years.

After another ten years, Tian She's parents grew old; on their deathbeds, his mother still worried about him, holding his hand and saying to him, "If you cannot pass, then do not take the exam anymore; in your mother's eyes, even a Successful Candidate is not that important."

Tian She remained silent, quietly observing mourning for three years, and after three years, he returned to the examination hall.

By this time, Tian She's pursuit of an official title had reached the point of obsession.

It was in this year that fifty-year-old Tian She, taking the exam, met Guo Dongyang, a storyteller at a teahouse.

During casual conversation, Tian She mentioned his past, speaking of how a classmate, equally poor in former days, had passed the provincial exam and achieved such glory.

Although Guo Dongyang was young at this time, his experience was incomparable to that of ordinary bookish scholars.

When he learned the name of the classmate Tian She spoke of, he immediately sneered and said, "Could it be that you are referring to the Duty Officer in charge of supervising water conservancy construction in Hejing?"

Tian She asked how he knew of this matter and why he was laughing.

Guo Dongyang instead replied strangely, "The dam of the Jing River in Hejing Prefecture collapsed, drowning over a hundred thousand people; your classmate became infamous, locally known as the 'Straw Magistrate,' who with a stroke of his brush and a word of his mouth, used straw to fill sand and built a thousand-li river dike. Such a great corrupt official, such a great magistrate, who among the people of Hejing does not know?"

Tian She was astonished; he only knew his classmate had become wealthy and noble, unaware of such events.

It was also on this day that, to persuade Tian She not to obsess over official titles, Guo Dongyang alone performed a segment of 'The Yellow Millet Dream' for him.

At the end, Guo Dongyang sighed, "Wealthy households can sell official posts and titles, while poor families, wanting power, believe that passing the imperial examinations is the only path, so whether they love studying or not, they study until they wear through the sheepskin mat and grind through the iron inkstone."

"But no one knows that those who endure more suffering and face more cold treatment are more likely to become greatly evil and treacherous once they become officials, while those from humble backgrounds who retain righteousness after gaining power are exceedingly rare."

"Your classmate obtained an official title and harmed hundreds of thousands of living beings, yet you take him as a role model; how can I not laugh?"

Tian She seemed to have some realization, but ultimately did not follow Guo Dongyang's advice; he believed himself upright and thought that once he became an official, he would seek welfare for the people of the world.

Thus another twenty years passed; every time Tian She went to take the exam, he would seek out Guo Dongyang to discuss principles, his words implying nothing other than, "Wait until I pass, and I will show you what an honest and incorrupt official looks like."

This year, Tian She finally became a Government Student, and Guo Dongyang saw his haggard appearance upon finally achieving his wish.

All other pursuits are inferior; only studying is high.

After reading through Tian She's stubborn life, Xu Qing's expression of disdain was just like Guo Dongyang's upon first meeting Tian She years ago.

It was only because Tian She's children and grandchildren were promising that they could continuously support his studies.

If he had been a lone bachelor with no one to support him, Tian She, who could only read, would likely have long ago ended up wandering the streets of Fucheng.

Perhaps in his idle time, he would have shamelessly run to the teahouse where Guo Dongyang worked, listening to stories while asking the waiters to extend credit for wine and fennel beans.

After finishing the life story of 'Licentiate Tian,' Xu Qing was, for the first time, utterly speechless.

The corpses he had superintended were not few; often, the older the age, the more concerns the corpse held from life, and even if not exciting, their lives could at least be described as not lived in vain.

Now, the seventy-one-year-old Tian She before him was the oldest corpse Xu Qing had encountered so far.

Yet, aside from meeting the friend Guo Dongyang, the other party's life had no other redeeming qualities.

If one sentence were used to summarize it, it would be: failed the exam, failed the exam, fail, fail, fail, fail.

Guo Dongyang might not have been good at other things, but he certainly had some vision; if only Lord Tian She had listened to a single piece of advice midway, changed his path, and chosen a new profession, his life would not have been so bland.

In youth, he could not distinguish the five grains and only knew how to read; in middle age, he relied entirely on his children to support his studies; in old age, only with his descendants as support did he finally become a Government Student just before breathing his last.

Exploiting both the old and the young; with such character, it is no wonder Guo Dongyang once offered the admonition that even if he obtained an official title, he would not make a good official.

Afterwards, Xu Qing looked at the corpse and evaluated—Middle Grade of the character 'Human.'

As for the reward, it was a miniature, pocket-sized box-garden courtyard, along with a piece of warm, clear, and spiritual fine jade.

The box-garden was named the Golden House, within which a universe existed inside a mustard seed, forming its own realm.

Xu Qing held it in his palm, bowed his head to look, and saw a compound with four courtyards and four exits, featuring garden ponds with artificial hills and rocks, as well as scattered gates, courtyards, corridors, and wing-rooms.

Looking again at those buildings, each had upturned eaves and flying corners, exquisitely beautiful.

Xu Qing placed the box-garden on the desk, moved his mind, and in the next instant, he found himself standing among the garden's artificial hills.

Reaching out to touch, what he saw and felt was no different from a real mansion.

Xu Qing walked around once, momentarily unsure whether he was in an illusion or a true mustard-seed world.

After roughly touring the place, a thought suddenly arose in Xu Qing's heart.

Such a beautiful mansion would be a pity if not used to store corpses.

With such a portable courtyard, whether refining Changyou Soldiers or Corpse Soldiers in the future, it will be more secretive and convenient.

Who knows, perhaps one day during a duel of spells, the Box Garden could flip, and 'Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals' would descend from within, catching the opponent completely off guard.

This is a fine item; if operated correctly, it might serve as a protective magical treasure.

Xu Qing's thoughts shifted slightly; he left the Box Garden, and upon opening his eyes again, he had already appeared in the real world.

After storing the Box Garden within the Shanhe Map, Xu Qing turned back to look at the other reward—the Human Grade Middle Class 'Yan Ruyu'.

The so-called Yan Ruyu was not a beauty, but a jade pendant; its function was that carrying it on one's person would preserve one's youthful appearance and restore one's youth.

However, this item could not extend one's lifespan; at best, it could only serve as an object for preserving one's looks.

Two-in-one chapter

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(End of Chapter)