When Judge Lu heard the old teacher say he wanted to withdraw, he looked up at him.
"Have you thought this through? Once you withdraw, you'll never get another chance. Not just anyone is qualified to hold the position of City God."
The old teacher had made up his mind.
He had sat in the examination hall for over an hour, judged a case, been asked a question by Wen Ning that he couldn't answer, and then made the most important decision of his life.
"I have. When I was teaching, what frightened me most wasn't students making mistakes, but students making mistakes with no one to guide them.
"But the City God Temple isn't a classroom. Every ghost standing here has already reached the end of their road. They have no chance to start over.
"I can't turn a blind eye to someone with nowhere left to turn, so I'm not suited to being a City God.
"It's not that a City God shouldn't want to teach and reform people. My desire to do so is simply too strong—so strong it would tip the scales of reward and punishment."
After saying this, the old teacher looked at Wen Ning.
"Thank you for that question just now, Heavenly Official Wen. It brought me to my senses.
"I spent most of my life standing at a teacher's desk. I always believed that as long as I was willing to teach, there was no student I couldn't teach well.
"But some things can't be solved through teaching, and some wrongs can't be corrected through forgiveness."
Wen Ning looked at this teacher who had devoted his entire life to education.
Although he disagreed with the man's approach to passing judgment as a City God, Wen Ning respected his integrity as a teacher.
"You