Chapter 127 - 113: Earth Qi
At the Prefecture City Guard Army camp.
Fang Hu walked through the camp’s main gate and onto the training grounds, his face etched with worry.
"Well, if it isn’t Squadron Commander Fang. What brings you here? I heard your old wound flared up. Shouldn’t you be at home recovering instead of coming here?"
He had only taken a few steps when a young man with a smirk on his face approached him. The man wore a suit of exquisite Locking Fish Scale Armor, with an equally fine Horizontal Blade hanging at his waist.
His exposed palms were delicate, showing no calluses or signs of training.
They looked more like the hands of a pampered young lady from a wealthy family.
A man like that, despite wearing armor and standing in a military camp, didn’t look like a soldier in the slightest.
Fang Hu, in contrast, wore only a half-suit of leather armor, with just a few iron plates covering his vital areas.
Yet just by standing there, he radiated a formidable, killing aura.
"You should just give up on getting that official appointment. Why don’t you take a piss and look at your own reflection? What are you, anyway? An old fossil who’s not even a Martial Scholar, and you still think you can compete with me?"
Now that the Mo Mountain Tribe had been wiped out, it was naturally time to hand out rewards for meritorious service.
The Government Office had even promised before the war that post-battle appointments would be based solely on merit, not on family background or official standing.
This policy had naturally won the support of many lower and middle-ranking soldiers, as well as Martial Artists from humble origins who held no official titles.
It was the only way to convince these Martial Artists to lay down their lives for the Imperial Court.
But now that the Mo Mountain Tribe was defeated and victory was secured, things had changed when it came to actually handing out the appointments.
Since time immemorial, there has been no shortage of those who use their power for personal gain. Many Noble Family Descendants or sons of officials, who were nowhere to be seen on the battlefield, were now crawling out of the woodwork to compete for the positions.
Most of these people had done nothing more than transport supplies. Some had only served as drill instructors for new recruits, joining in for a few easy, one-sided battles when victory was already in sight.
It was doubtful their hands had ever even been stained with blood, yet now they were all quite eager to claim their share.
Take this fellow, Gao Shide, for example.
From the very beginning, this man had been assigned to a supply transport unit. It was said that for more than half the year, he wasn’t even with the army, instead living a life of leisure and pleasure in Xiahe County Town.
Then, just as they were about to crush the Mo Mountain Tribe, the man was suddenly transferred to the small squadron Fang Hu led, serving as his deputy captain just to burnish his credentials. Now, back in the Prefecture City, he had become Fang Hu’s biggest rival for the appointment.
Gao Shide then seemed to have another thought and continued, "How about this? Stop hitting your head against a wall. Why don’t you come work for me? After I get my post, you can be my second-in-command."
Before, Fang Hu had been the squadron commander, and he, the deputy captain.
To say this now was purely to spite Fang Hu.
’Second-in-command? They were just empty words.’
If Fang Hu actually took him up on the offer, Gao Shide was prepared to mercilessly mock this "forthright" Martial Artist who prided himself on being so upright and incorruptible.
"Deputy Captain Gao, our paths are different; we cannot walk them together. You go your way, I’ll go mine. It would be best if we never met again."
Fang Hu shook his head, heavily emphasizing the two words "deputy captain."
"A peasant should know his place and accept his fate. To defy it is like an egg trying to break a stone. I’m curious to see which is harder—the egg, or the stone."
With that, Gao Shide let out a cold snort. Ignoring Fang Hu completely, he walked away, laughing loudly.
Fang Hu watched him leave, his own expression turning grim.
’Barring a miracle, there would be no surprises this time.’ He knew he couldn’t win against a man like that.
~~~~~~~
「Da Liushu Village, Fang Residence.」
CREAK. The courtyard gate swung open.
"Zhi’Er, you’re back! You said you’d only be gone for a day, but it’s been three! You scared me half to death! I was so worried something had happened to you."
Ms. Chen rushed forward to greet Fang Yue, her voice filled with excitement.
But as soon as the words were out, she felt she had spoken ill-advisedly and quickly patted her own mouth. "Pah, pah! Forgive my careless words. My Zhi’Er will have a long and fortunate life, full of wealth and honor, and live to be a hundred years old."
"I just had some things to take care of in town, Mother, so I stayed a couple of extra days," Fang Yue explained with a small smile.
"You must be hungry, Zhi’Er. I’ll go make you something to eat right now." Ms. Chen said, turning to leave. But then she stopped, tapping her forehead as if suddenly remembering something.
She spun back around to face Fang Yue. "Zhi’Er, do you remember what you promised me?"
"Er..."
Seeing the look on Ms. Chen’s face, Fang Yue immediately recalled his promise. When he had been trying to placate her before, he’d agreed to find a wife and have children as soon as possible.
Now, Ms. Chen had latched onto that promise and would bring it up at every opportunity.
"Oh, that’s right! I remember, doesn’t your Martial Uncle have a daughter? Is she married yet? If not, you two should be a good match."
Seeing Fang Yue’s silence, Ms. Chen started playing matchmaker again. Fang Yue was at a loss for words; he couldn’t believe his mother still remembered Zhang Shu.
’I can’t marry her. Anyone but Zhang Shu.’
’If I actually married that woman, there wouldn’t be a single day of peace in this house.’
"Mother, please, don’t even think about it. We’re not a good match. We’re really not."
Fang Yue quickly shook his head, trying to stamp out Ms. Chen’s terrifying notion.
"Well, you’d better hurry up about it then. I’ll go find a matchmaker in the next few days. No... actually, no one in the surrounding villages is good enough for my Zhi’Er now. I’ll have to ask someone to look in the city."
As Ms. Chen spoke, she thought about how Fang Yue was now a Martial Scholar and how their family had such a large estate. He couldn’t just marry a girl from some minor village family anymore; he needed a wife from a family of equal standing.