When the first candidate walked in,
Lu Ming was sitting at the examiners' table with his legs crossed, twirling a pen in his hand. He looked even more like the chief examiner than Wen Ning, who actually held the position.
The candidate was a man who looked to be in his early thirties. He wore a somewhat faded Daoist robe, his hair loosely tied up with a wooden hairpin, and a nervous but polite smile on his face.
He walked to the center of the examination room, bowed respectfully, then stood there with his hands at his sides, waiting for questions.
Wen Ning looked him up and down, then said,
"Have a seat."
But Lu Ming, beside him, frowned slightly. Wen Ning noticed.
He had known Lu Ming for so long that he understood the fellow's temperament all too well.
Lu Ming judged people heavily on first impressions, and those first impressions often had no rhyme or reason.
Sometimes the other person had done absolutely nothing, but Lu Ming simply disliked the look of them. Ask him why, and he would say they just didn't click.
Judging by Lu Ming's expression, this candidate clearly fell into that category. He was probably done for.
Before Wen Ning could ask the first question, Lu Ming had already put down his pen.
He sat up straight, folded his hands on the table, and spoke in an exceedingly formal tone.
"Since you're here, let's begin."
The candidate immediately straightened his back, his eyes showing focused readiness.
Lu Ming cleared his throat and spoke, enunciating every word.
"Please briefly summarize the main contents of the third volume of the Mount Tai Fengshan Ritual Code."
Wen Ning had just raised his teacup and taken a sip. At those words, the tea nearly shot out of his