Immortal Connections - Chapter 31 preview

Chapter 31 - Wu Ying

Seated cross-legged in a single, blocked off room where but a low-edged table, cushions, more than sufficient paper and ink and brush lay, Wu Ying reflected that perhaps, his ambitions had overshot his reach once again. Also, that he should have expected that with so many other things, the method to untying the knot left behind by his friend Shou Ren was the utilization of an examination.

He could only be thankful it was not the full Ministerial examination, for he was neither studied nor inclined to take such course work. No, this exam was much simpler, though in two parts. The first, a detailing of mortal and spiritual herbs in the Middle Kingdom and the second, more dangerously, the same - but for immortal herbs.

The full content of the questions, thus far, he was uncertain of, though he could guess. Growing methods, identification tools and methods, harvesting techniques. Storage equipment and methodology. All of it would be tested. In what form those question would come was yet to be ascertained, though a part of him laughed at these bureaucrats. 

They intended to test his gathering suitability in a serene, roofed environment with paper and ink. How little that would tell them, for the true strength of a wandering gatherer was in the wild. Their ability to traverse perilous locations, to navigate around powerful spiritual beasts, to locate their targets in a chaotic environment and, most of all, survive to return in due time.

None of which a boring, dry recitation of knowledge would test.

“Ascendant Long.” The trio of bureaucrats arrived, and Wu Ying rose to greet them with a bow. “You understand why you are here?”

“To be tested on my knowledge and ability at gathering.”

“Exactly. We three,” a gesture between each of them, the two men and a female bureaucrat standing there together. “We will be here, with you, during the test. You have but an hour to answer each section.”

“An hour!” Wu Ying could not help but be startled. “Are not such tests longer?”

“A full day, often in the mortal world.” A snort. “But we are not mortals, now are we?”

There was no rejoinder to that statement that would suffice, and so Wu Ying bent his head in acknowledgement. At their prompting, he took his seat once more. The trio set-up the incense and water clock combination, lighting the incense even as they lifted the gate on the water clock to allow it to slowly drip out into a reservoir. As the hour completed each quarter and the reservoir filled, a small ball would be dislodged, falling to strike a metal plate beneath to give indication of the passing time.

Along with the water clock, a document was set before them, freshly sealed with a wax imprint of the Ministry of Personnel. The other two bureaucrats – representing the ministry of war and justice in turn – watched the lead examiner with hawk eyes, intent on ensuring that no shenanigans were to occur.

A quiet request and Wu Ying was forced to stand again, unbolting his robes and opening them to showcase that he had no writing or scroll upon him. He was relieved of all his various accessories, even the spiritual storage toe rings that he normally wore, the items set aside. Even his sleeves were checked for writings and other methods of cheating before, finally, he was allowed to sit once more.

“The moment the examination questions are passed on to you, the examination will begin. Do you understand?” The bureaucrat asked once more, still nameless. Wu Ying knew better than to ask their names, for their anonymity was guaranteed – both as a safeguard against cheating but also, retribution.

“Understood.”

Warning offered, the scroll was handed over to Wu Ying who immediately undid the string holding it close and then broke the seal with a flick of his thumb. He noted, idly that they had turned the screw that released the flow of water and lit the incense with a flare of aura, but he was no longer focused on them.

Instead, he began to speed up, the scroll unrolling before him as he read through the details of the examination. Not just a few questions, but dozens of them. He began categorising the kinds and variety as he scanned through the entire work, realising that there were a total of a hundred questions, all of which would require multiple sheets of paper to answer completely.

Less than a minute per question, across multiple plages, with illustrations and drawings required. Impossible for a mortal to complete or even hope to complete. Even his own written tests to his students had been only fifty questions long. This test was meant to test more than just rote knowledge but his ability to work under pressure.

Fair enough.

Even as he read, composing his thoughts for each question, he worked the ink stone, grinding out ink and adding water to the mixture so that he would have a ready pool of ink when he was ready. It took just over a minute to prep himself, all the while he was reading over the document. Then, setting the scroll above him for easy reference, he began to write.

A flick of his hand had his long sleeves flip over, such that it no longer rode downwards and in the way. The brush was taken up moments later, even as the wind began to blow, rushing in around Wu Ying. Though he might no longer have the dao of the wind, he still had progressed far with their aid. The wind would never be further than a breath away, and he utilized their speed and strength now.

Like a rushing gale, he moved, words appearing on the paper as he scribed his answers. Down, down, down he wrote, filling the page with characters and drawings until he was out of space. Then a flick of his hand sent the paper into the air, hung in space as he continued writing, never raising his head. One after another, pages floated in the air, drying in the warm wind that blew around them, never touching one another but orbiting the group like silent paper sentinels.

Time flashed by in a blur, Wu Ying never stopping his movement. When his ink began to run out, he plucked the ink stone from the table with tendrils of wind and chi, grinding it down with care and adding the ink dust to the well, droplets of water spilling into it and stirring themselves into the mixture even as he continued to write. 

His brow furrowed in concentration, sweat began to bead itself on the surface of his skin. While the output of energy was minimal for an immortal, it was the necessary splitting of concentration that was taking its toll on Wu Ying. Making an executive decision, he began to slip the papers in front of the exmainers one after the other as they finished drying, reducing the burden on his concentration. 

The clack of the second ball in an hour alerted Wu Ying that for all his speed, he was still running out of time. He had only completed two fifths of the questions at this time, and knew that some of the more complex questions still awaited him. Discussions on crop rotations, formations and environmental chi balancing could take up dozens of pages by themselves, especially when the questions were so messily outlined.

He sped up further, choosing to leave out minor details in each answer, sacrificing thoroughness for completion. Better to have most of the answer written than to leave himself with insufficient time to even answer a single question. 

Tongue to the top of the mouth, air cycling through his nostrils in long, slow breaths. Sweat dripped down his back, gathered on his brow and was wicked away by helpful breezes, gentle air that often played with stray locks of hair that had escaped the simple tie that had been offered to him to replace his hairpin. The smell of fresh ground and made ink, the smell of sandalwood, cassia, amber and hibiscus filling the air from the incense stick faded into the background, even as the swish of floating and flying sheets of paper surrounded him.

On and on, he worked. Another metal ball dropped, increasing the silent tension as the trio of invigilators sat, barely an eye twitching at his antics. Finally, as the water drained out of the main reservoir, the ball tipped over, the last of the incense burnt out and the first examination was over.

Leaving Wu Ying to place his brush down, the final touches of his sketch of a proposed six field system of herb and field rotation complete, but for a last few marks. Keeping his face impassive, he willed the documents to land before the bureaucrats, one after the other before turning the stack over and handing them over.

Now, all he could do was wait, as he forced tense shoulders to relax and his breathing to deepen, as he wicked away the last of the sweat that had built and began to cultivate once more. All he could do was wait, and in a short time, begin the process again.

With a subject matter he was even less well versed in.