30 Intermission (1)
Earth Modern Calendar June 2010.
Temple of Reincarnation.
In one of the pagoda-like heavenly palaces that seemed to be floating above clouds and forever shone upon by the sun. A mysterious and awe-inspiring aura surrounded a particular pavilion near the center, making it appear more sacred and untainted by any evil or impurities. Small waterfalls, rockery, and all sorts of immortal herbs decorated the place. In the middle was a man seated at a low table, writing something on the parchment using a large brush.
Alright. The scene in the middle was an illusion.
In reality, while the decors, the man, and the table were real, the man was not scribbling using a brush, but watching something on a large mirror that was hovering before him. There was a solemn look on his face that appeared blurred to others due to a mystical technique. The illusion was set in place to tell those who would visit that he was busy and that he was not doing something outside of duties.
Actually, prostrating respectfully three meters on this man's left was another person.
"Quite fascinating." When the man finished watching, he turned to Liu Yang with a faint smile on his lips. "The test is for both the examinee and the trainee guide. The latter couldn't be said to have performed spectacularly since the examinee almost failed."
"Yes." Liu Yang finally raised his head. However, he didn't bother meeting the man's gaze since he knew this lofty person would not let him take a glimpse of anything. His eyesight went on the edge of the low table that seemed to be covered with fog. It was only for the sake of having something to look at. After all, in the illusion, the parchment was real, and contained some important accounts.
"However, the trainee guide is new and as her mentor, you did not explain properly a lot of things to her. We could already say that her last remark was already the best we could expect from her."
Liu Yang knew what the other man was saying.
It had been an hour since Xiang Linxin's examination ended. The woman automatically got transported to the Static World, where Zhang Mei Xing temporarily stayed.
On the blank space that was presented to her by the 'system', Zhang Mei Xing wrote that Xiang Linxin deserved a pass.
'I said yes because at least, she's someone who knows her enemy. There's a saying, know one's enemy to gain victory. Since she's aware of this principle, I am willing to give her a chance.' She made this statement upon remembering the last thing Xiang Linxin blurted out before she, as 'Shen Li' vanished from the test world.
When the evaluation sheet that Zhang Mei Xing filled out reached Liu Yang, he was momentarily speechless. However, upon conducting a review, he found out that the poor excuse thrown at him by the trainee guide could actually pass. The examinee too was not somebody who could make big waves in the wide universe, so it would not be a big deal to let her reincarnate.
Liu Yang could only let it through and Zhang Mei Xing who got his go-signal happily sent the other woman away after deducting the merit points and activating the 'cheat' item on Xiang Linxin's soul. Of course, Zhang Mei Xing did all of this using the system which was powered by Liu Yang's merit points.
"I can return now, right?!" The woman did not forget to message Liu Yang through the customer service tab.
Although the mentor had a fairly mild personality, he could not deny the mild irritation that flitted across his face.
After helping Zhang Mei Xing returned to her real world, he decisively cut off his connection to the system so that the next time an examination takes place, the merits to power it up would all come from Zhang Mei Xing.
He was done babying her.
And he was now before the Pagoda Master, his direct superior, for an explanation why such a clueless mortal had to be made a guide.
When the mysterious Master, one of the few lofty immortals in the whole Temple in charge of a thousand worlds, said that Xiang Linxin's outcome was already the best they could ask from Zhang Mei Xing, Liu Yang became more confused.
Hence he replied, "Pardon my impoliteness, Master. The examinee's outcome is barely acceptable. Had it been another guide, the examinee would have been forced to reflect about her short-temper and shortsightedness from the very beginning so they would be able to counterattack nicely. There would not be a need to exchange an item with merits. We should never forget that merits are very valuable and a large factor in determining luck."
"I know." The master nodded and looked at him. "Had it been another guide, they would be able to perform much better. I bet once the examinee went back to the past for real, she would have an instantaneous change of behavior. For example, in the past life, they were very easy to tricks and manipulate. Then upon their rebirth, they suddenly became very cunning, scheming, and could instantly come up with a solution for every difficulty."
Liu Yang bowed his head in acknowledgment.
The master smiled softly and said, "But this is also good. This time, the examinee won't have much change in her behavior and character. But she still held the advantage of having future knowledge so her development would definitely intrigue some bored deities."
Silence reigned between them after that. The gentle sounds from the waterfall became much clearer to their hearing. Liu Yang actually was not convinced, but the master spoke no more, so he left after one last bow.
How would he know that when his figure disappeared from the master's sight, the latter sighed and muttered something to himself?
'My disciple. You don't understand our Temple's predicament…'
In his mind crossed the real reason the Temple of Reincarnation needed to have Zhang Mei Xing in their ranks.
'We are now in need of a double for our deceased Great Founder, someone with the same looks, origin, and some resemblance to Her aura. Even if it means deceiving the heavens.' He thought with another sigh.
