Infinite Professions

Chapter 320 - 170: Entering the Dream (Part 2)

So, Song Xiang’s children are still quite... simple and naive.

Song Wen, as the eldest son, was especially so. In the early years, he and Song Xiang suffered quite a bit, and later, lacking a talent for studies, he was put in charge of the household affairs. Over time, this led him to develop the stingy demeanor of a landlord, now resenting his brothers who wanted a share of the family property.

Behind closed doors, he vented his grievances to his wife, and afterwards, only then did he extinguish the lamp, blow out the candle, and go to bed.

Song Wen was over forty. Although he lived comfortably, his health wasn’t great, and he often suffered from insomnia. But tonight, for some reason, he fell asleep quickly and drifted into a hazy dreamland.

In the dream, the clouds obscured the view, initially shrouding everything in mist, and then flashes of golden light transformed into a middle-aged man in a yellow robe with a headscarf.

It was...

"Dad!?"

Song Wen looked at Shen Hex, his eyes full of surprise and a bit of fear, subconsciously glancing around.

But Shen Hex didn’t waste words: "I have passed the imperial exams in the Underworld, and have been appointed as the Village Land God of Little Huang Village in Qinghe County. However, the village is dilapidated and there’s no one to worship me, which is quite pitiful. Tomorrow, move your entire family there to live. With my protection, our Song Family will surely..."

Before he could finish, his figure wavered and slowly disappeared.

"Dad!"

On the bed, Song Wen’s body trembled, and he suddenly woke up in shock.

"Why are you shouting in the middle of the night?"

His wife, half asleep, was startled by him and complained sullenly.

"Middle of the night?"

Song Wen blinked, glanced around, and saw the clear moonlight and sparse stars outside the window. Only then did he realize it was a dream and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "I dreamed about my dad."

"What?"

His wife gave him a look, feeling equally surprised.

Song Wen swallowed: "My dad said he’s an official in the Underworld, now the Village Land God of Little Huang Village in Qinghe County. But the village is dilapidated, and there’s no one worshiping him. He wants us to move there and offer him incense, and he’ll bless us..."

"Are you crazy?"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted, his wife looking at him angrily: "You have a great house in this county town and you want to move to the countryside. Have those ungrateful brothers driven you mad?"

"This..."

Song Wen hesitated, speaking after a long while: "Maybe."

"Then what’s there to talk about, go to sleep!"

His wife gave him a sidelong glance and turned over to sleep on the side.

Song Wen lay down again, but this time he couldn’t fall asleep.

It took him all night to finally see the morning come. After a sleepless night, he washed up and, looking slightly haggard, offered a stick of incense at the family altar in front of Song Xiang’s plaque: "Oh dad, it’s really not my fault. It’s all because of Second Brother and the others causing trouble. I really didn’t want to split the family. If you want to talk to someone, go talk to Second Brother and the others..."

"Oh, so filial early in the morning!"

Before his words were complete, someone interrupted with a sarcastic tone.

"Third Brother?"

Song Wen turned around to see it was his third brother, Song Wu, and immediately lost his pleasant demeanor: "What’s it to you?"

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing!"

Song Wu chuckled: "It’s just that I’ve never seen you be so filial, it’s a bit surprising, could it be you have a guilty conscience?"

"Hmph!"

Song Wen snorted, unwilling to argue, and flung his sleeves as he left.

And so, the night passed with yet another round of arguments.

During the quarreling, Song Wen was somewhat restrained, but it still ended in another unhappy conclusion.

Song Wen returned to his room and refrained from criticizing his brothers with his wife. Instead, he turned off the lights early, feeling uneasy as he fell asleep.

This time, he slept until dawn, awoken only by the crowing rooster.

After a good night’s sleep, he felt refreshed and much of the gloom from the previous day had lifted. Song Wen washed up and went to the main hall, only to find someone standing in front of the altar, offering incense.

It was his third brother, Song Wu.

Song Wen’s eyes narrowed as he immediately stepped forward. Song Wu, hearing footsteps, turned around hurriedly, and the two brothers’ eyes met, both looking somewhat flustered.

Song Wen stopped in his tracks, watching his third brother with disbelief: "What are you doing up so early?"

"Nothing, nothing at all!"

Song Wu looked somewhat uneasy but denied it vehemently.

Song Wen glanced at the altar and incense in front of the tablets, feeling the gathering gloom come back as he cautiously asked Song Wu: "Did you also dream about our dad?"

These words caused a scare, and Song Wu, feeling as if he had been stepped on, retorted: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

With that, he flung his arms and hurried away.

And so, another day passed, and when night fell, everyone gathered again. Song Wen and Song Wu, both burdened with secrets, did not stop others from continuing to sing the grand saga of the Six Kingdoms.

The final result, as before, was another unhappy ending.

Then another night passed, leading to the next morning.

Song Wen and Song Wu came early to the main hall, looking at each other without a word, when suddenly someone rushed in.

It was...

"Second Brother?"

Seeing their second brother, Song Cai, looking pale and worn, both Song Wen and Song Wu exchanged curious glances: "What are you doing here?"

The Song Family has nine sons, the first four named "Wen Cai Wu Ying," with Song Wen as the eldest, Song Cai second, Song Wu third, and Song Ying fourth.

Seeing Song Cai’s worn expression, although Song Wen and Song Wu had guesses in their hearts, they didn’t dare to speak it out loud.

"What’s it to you?"

Song Cai, also somewhat uneasy, especially after seeing the incense offered by both of them, still mustered the courage to step forward and offer incense in front of Song Xiang’s tablet.

Then, the three brothers stood before the altar, looking at each other, exchanging glances for quite a while, before all walking away feeling a bit guilty.

And so...

In the Yin Residence, Shen Hex folded his arms and looked at the altar with over a hundred incense coins, his face showing no joy at all.