The Misery of Sitting in an Office

The next morning, Yun Jingheng arrived at the east side of the lake.

He stood in the open space, not sitting down immediately.

He walked along the old embankment for a while, then returned.

A lake breeze blew by, and the ground was still a little damp.

Several waterbirds flew from the center of the lake, landed on the shallows, and pecked at the food.

Yun Jingheng watched for a while before walking to the center of the open space.

The wind was light and the water was very calm on the east bank of the lake in the early morning.

A few blades of grass sprouted from the cracks in the old embankment stones, their leaves still glistening with a thin layer of dew.

Yun Jingheng sat cross-legged in the center of the open space, his hands hanging naturally in front of him.

He didn't form any hand seals, nor did he release any Soul Power.

He simply gazed quietly eastward.

The sun peeked out from the horizon of the lake and slowly climbed higher.

The light spread across the water, and also fell on his shoulders and cheeks.

He began the ritual.

The so-called ritual refinement was not meditation or energy cultivation; the Lunar Primordial Sovereign did not teach him any new methods.

He was simply allowed to sit there, to receive the light with his body, and to touch with the faintest trace of "qi" at the transition between day and night.

In the morning, there is a slight dampness before the yang energy recedes and the yin energy begins to emerge.

At night, there is a stillness in the stillness of the moon just before it rises.

The method of the ritual is extremely simple, yet it cannot be interrupted; the person must remain seated throughout.

For three hours, you cannot leave, cannot move, and cannot be interrupted.

Yun Jingheng wasn't used to it at first.

He wasn't unfamiliar with long periods of meditation; he had even secluded himself for months at a time. But this time, there was no goal, no obstacle, and no opponent.

He just sat there, letting each breath drift into the lake breeze. At first, he counted his breaths, but then he stopped. Later, even "himself" seemed distant.

The sun was getting higher and higher. Three hours wasn't a long time, but sitting for too long made his legs numb and his neck stiff. He could hear birds chirping in the woods behind him and the sound of hammers in the distance.

He didn't move.

Ye Xinglan and Gu Yuena stood at the edge of the woods. They had been watching for quite a while.

Ye Xinglan said in a low voice, "It doesn't seem too difficult."

Gu Yuena did not answer.

Her gaze remained fixed on Yun Jingheng; she had never seen Yun Jingheng so quiet before.

Three hours later, Yun Jingheng opened his eyes.

Just as the sun had completely risen above the lake, he slowly stood up.

I didn't feel dizzy or uncomfortable, just a bit tight in my lower back.

He turned around and saw Ye Xinglan and Gu Yuena, who were already walking over.

Ye Xinglan handed him the water bottle, and Yun Jingheng took it and drank a few sips.

He said, "Okay, let's do it again tonight."

Gu Yuena asked, "Both times, morning and evening, require sitting for a full three hours?"

Yun Jingheng nodded.

Ye Xinglan said, "Then we'll stay with you tonight."

Yun Jingheng smiled but didn't say anything more.

Ten minutes later.

Yun Jingheng sat behind the desk in the Sea God Pavilion, with several stacks of files piled up in front of him.

These are all the money he accumulated during the days he was away.

Some were reconstruction supplies, some were workshop orders, and a few were registrations of merchants who had recently moved to the city.

He had just returned from the east side of the lake; his clothes were still covered in grass clippings, his kettle was on the corner of the table, and his hair was a little messy from the wind.

He originally just wanted to sit for a while, but as soon as Lan Muzi saw him, she brought over five stacks of files.

Lan Muzi said, "Pavilion Master, you need to sign all of these."

Yun Jingheng didn't take it seriously at the time, but now he regrets it and doesn't want to be the Pavilion Master anymore.

He took the top one and opened it.

This is the budget for the cafeteria renovation. Let's look at the next one; it's the additional budget for the outer city drainage ditch.

Each document was quite long; he read one and signed it.

I looked at another copy, and then signed another one.

The files on the table were still there, and two more people had appeared at the door.

A workshop manager waiting for signatures, and a businessman asking about licenses.

Half-Sweet Coffee whispered a reminder from the side, "Master, there are thirty-seven servings left."

Yun Jingheng closed his eyes. For the first time, he felt that even the God Trial hadn't been this tiring.

Ye Xinglan and Gu Yuena were about to come in, but they glanced at each other from the doorway.

Then they left, very decisively.

Yun Jingheng opened his eyes and continued signing.

Cai Yue'er walked in with the file at that moment.

She glanced at the things on the table, then at Yun Jingheng's expression, placed the file on top, and said, "Jing Heng, could you approve a little more funding for the Soul Guidance Department?"

Yun Jingheng looked up, his eyes devoid of light.

He asked, "Which part?"

Cai Yue'er said, "The outer wall of the Soul Guidance Department's laboratory was leaking water on the west side after it rained a few days ago, so we need to purchase several new devices."

Yun Jingheng asked, "Didn't you go through the budget?"

Cai Yue'er said, "We're gone. We've exceeded the limit."

Yun Jingheng was silent for two seconds, then leaned back in his chair with a soft thud.

He looked at the light above his head and said, "Aunt Cai, before I become a god, will I be able to sign all these papers?"

Cai Yue'er remained unyielding. "I don't know, just sign this first."

Yun Jingheng sighed, picked up the file Cai Yue'er handed him, and flipped through a few pages.

She picked up the pen again, signed it, Cai Yue'er took the file away.

Yun Jingheng approved several more documents, all of which were similar.

This requires additional payment, that needs to be postponed, and there's also an application to open another well in the west of the city.

He gripped the pen, his hand already starting to ache, while the files beside him showed no signs of diminishing.

The Half-Sweet Coffee whispered in his ear, "Master, there are twenty-nine servings left."

Yun Jingheng didn't speak. He felt like he wasn't approving the files, but rather being approved by them.

After a while, Wu Zhangkong arrived.

He approached, holding a few pages of paper, and said, "Pavilion Master, the western front defense rotation schedule, and a new batch of output statistics."

Yun Jingheng hummed in agreement, and Wu Zhangkong placed the paper in front of him.

He began to read. The first page listed the number of people to be rotated, the second page listed the status of the equipment, and the third page listed the recent unusual activity in the three nearby cities.

Yun Jingheng read very slowly, while Wu Zhangkong stood in front of the table.

He said, "There's nothing seriously wrong on the western front. It's just that a few caravans have bypassed the border and entered without reporting it."

Yun Jingheng asked, "Have you investigated?"

Wu Zhangkong said, "Checked. No problem. Just ordinary goods."

Yun Jingheng nodded. He picked up his pen to sign when he noticed another document tucked behind him, detailing an anomaly at a Blue Light Tower outside the city.

He looked up, wanting to ask again.

Wu Zhangkong continued, "That tower flashed twice three days ago. The maintenance staff went there and said it was due to geothermal dampness, so it should be fine."

Yun Jingheng hummed in response. He held the pen, but didn't put it down. Suddenly, he put the pen on the table and slowly stood up.

Wu Zhangkong looked at him.

Yun Jingheng said, "I'm going out for some fresh air."

After he finished speaking, he walked towards the door.

Wu Zhangkong didn't stop him; he knew Yun Jingheng had been sitting there for a long time.

Yun Jingheng stepped outside. The wind was gentle. He stood on the stone steps, glanced at the sky, which was very blue and the clouds were high.

He suddenly didn't want to go back inside. He walked towards the left corridor, but after a few steps, he felt that there were fewer people in the right corridor.

He changed direction and exited the Sea God Pavilion through a side door; outside was the Inner Court.

He watched for a while, then slowly walked towards the lake.

He wanted to sit by the lake.

Before he even reached the east side of the lake, Ya Li caught up from behind and grabbed him by the back of his collar, causing Yun Jingheng to stiffen.

He turned around and saw Ya Li with a dark expression. She said, "Why are you running? Changkong is still waiting for you."

Yun Jingheng said, "Let me catch my breath."

Ya Li said, "You can catch your breath after you've finished approving the papers."

Yun Jingheng said, "Mom, I'm almost a god."

Ya Li said, "Even to become a god, you have to sign the papers first."

Yun Jingheng was carried back.

Two students standing by the roadside watched, covering their mouths and laughing.

Yun Jingheng gave them a "don't laugh" look, but the two children laughed even harder.

Ya Li carried him all the way back to the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion before letting go.

She pointed into the doorway. "Go in."

Yun Jingheng stood up straight, smoothed out his wrinkled collar, and glanced back at Ya Li.

Ya Li stood with her hands on her hips, and her gaze... tsk tsk tsk.

Yun Jingheng sighed and went back inside. Wu Zhangkong was still standing by the table.

He pushed the papers forward, and Yun Jingheng sat down, picking up a pen.

The Half-Sweet Coffee reminded, "Master, there are thirty-one servings left."

Yun Jingheng responded as before, feeling that he might really die at his desk.

A bird flew past the window, Yun Jingheng couldn't help but wonder, why can birds fly?