As for Wen Ning, he was mortified. With King Yama right there, he didn't dare pick up on Meng Po's remark.
Judge Lu, the interviewer seated at the far right of the long table, had kept his head down, leafing through the register in front of him and repeatedly setting his brush on the inkstone. He acted as though he couldn't hear the others chatting beside him.
Only when the hall fell completely silent did he close the register and look up at Wen Ning.
His face was lean, his expression stern from years spent poring over case files.
"Heavenly Official Wen, while the written exam is still underway, let me explain the arrangements for this City God selection."
He opened the register in front of him and lightly traced a finger across the page.
"A total of one hundred and twenty-six candidates have registered for this selection. All are humans whose merit qualifies them to take part. Once the written exam ends, the judges will grade the papers on the spot, and the ten highest-scoring candidates will proceed to the interview."
Wen Ning was just about to ask whether the interviewers would ask questions of their own choosing when Judge Lu spoke again.
"We discussed it and decided to ask only one question in this interview. Every candidate will answer the same question. That's the fairest approach."
You've already decided on the question, so why are you telling me? Wen Ning thought.
He certainly couldn't say that aloud, though. Instead, he said,
"Then what is the interview question?"
Judge Lu tapped the table.
"The question is simple, but answering it well is difficult."
He opened the thick register in his hands, lightly ran a fingertip across a line of writing, then pushed that sheet toward Wen Ning.
Wen Ning