Chapter 131 - 115: How Is This Possible?
"The same principle applies now. He will make the right choice," Huang Lie said with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Huang Yuangu was not reassured. Instead, he pressed on, "What if that Fang Yue is also willing to offer so much? Will Liu Zheng still support us then?"
"Don’t worry. That boy Fang Yue is young and full of vigor. Having just reached Marrow Transformation, he’s at the peak of his pride. He won’t bow his head to Liu Zheng."
Sensing that his nephew was still skeptical, Huang Lie immediately continued:
"The momentum of the Martial Dao is to press forward relentlessly, with courage and diligence. If one submits too often, it will inevitably affect their martial heart, which in turn will hinder their progress on the Martial Dao. A Martial Artist who can cultivate to the fourth stage, Marrow Transformation, at such a young age is bound to have a courageous heart."
Hearing this, Huang Yuangu finally breathed a sigh of relief, his worries easing.
~~~~~~
A clamor of carriages and horses ascends to the sky,
As people spy the roster, hung up on high.
Although this wasn’t the announcement of the imperial examination results, for the Shanyang Prefecture Guard Army, it was a momentous day of no less importance.
Today, the high command of the Prefecture Guard Army would announce the appointments for the vacant Captain positions in various regions.
Thus, a large crowd had gathered early in the training grounds.
"What I said before still stands. As long as Squadron Commander Fang nods his head right now, I’ll still let you be my deputy."
Gao Shide spotted Fang Hu in the crowd, walked over to him, and spoke with the smile of a victor, his tone like one offering charity.
However, the latter didn’t even spare Gao Shide a glance.
It was as if he hadn’t heard a single word.
"Our boss is talking to you! Why aren’t you responding? You really don’t know what’s good for you, and you have no manners." At this moment, Gao Shide’s lackey spoke up arrogantly, venting his boss’s frustration.
At this, Fang Hu turned around and shot a cold glare at the one who had spoken.
"What is the penalty for insulting a superior officer?!"
Gao Shide was currently just a deputy commander, a rank lower than Fang Hu, to say nothing of his lackey—a mere grunt.
But this Martial Artist, who was only at the Skin Grinding Pass, was struck by the aura of a warrior like Fang Hu—one forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The man couldn’t help but tremble.
Fear etched on his face, he staggered backward.
It was unclear if he lost his footing or if someone tripped him, but he fell flat on his butt.
"A piece of work like him... I wonder if his hands would shake if he ever had to kill someone."
"Kill someone? That bastard probably couldn’t even kill a chicken!"
The surrounding people burst into jeering laughter. It was rare to see a Martial Artist with so little courage.
Besides, many were actually quite dissatisfied with a "gilded second-generation" like Gao Shide, but due to military discipline and his powerful background, they didn’t dare do anything openly.
Now that an incident like this had occurred, they naturally took the opportunity to jeer.
"Hmph. Useless trash."
Seeing the situation, Gao Shide knew that staying would only cause him to lose more face. He flicked his sleeves and stormed off.
He didn’t even glance at his own lackey.
With one of the involved parties gone, the commotion here quickly died down.
Meanwhile, on the high platform.
Mr. Wang, holding a red scroll, walked onto the high platform.
This was the list of Martial Artists to be commissioned this time. He had submitted it, and it had been reviewed and stamped by the Prefect, making it officially effective.
In reality, high-ranking governors like the Lord Prefect rarely concerned themselves with appointments to the Junior Seventh Grade Captain position, as it was the lowest rank of Military Officer.
Many Martial Scholars could secure such a position just by waiting their turn if their luck was good.
Moreover, the Martial Artists who served as Military Officers at this level were mostly at the Bone Forging or Marrow Transformation stages. While such experts weren’t numerous, they were by no means rare in a prefecture that had accumulated them over the years.
"Silence! All of you, listen! In the recent great victory over the Mo Mountain bandits, all soldiers and officers performed with great merit. The Lord has decreed the following rewards. Listen carefully."
As Mr. Wang’s voice rang out, the training grounds immediately fell silent.
"Captain of Jingshan County, Wang Weimin."
....
As the names were called out one by one, the Martial Artists whose names were announced were overjoyed, while those who weren’t could only pin their hopes on the next time.
However, after more than twenty names had been called, he still hadn’t heard his own.
It was inevitable that some in the crowd would grow despondent.
"Sigh... If I had known, I would have worked harder back then. If I had passed the Martial Examination and become a Martial Scholar, I wouldn’t be in this position today."
A Martial Artist with graying temples and disheveled hair sighed in lament.
His words resonated with many of the surrounding Martial Artists. Most of them had accumulated significant merits but lacked the title of a Martial Scholar.
They listened as others, whose merits were perhaps less than their own, were granted official posts.
How could they not know the importance of the Martial Scholar title?
But now, it was all too late.
Even Fang Hu, normally as unyielding as iron, couldn’t help but be moved.
His lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
At that moment, his gaze shifted and happened to land on Gao Shide, who was looking back at him with a provocative and mocking expression.
"Forget it. There are only a few spots left; it’s hopeless. If I’d known it would come to this, Fang, you would have been better off accepting Gao Shide’s offer." Zhang Youde sighed deeply, as if he were concerned for Fang Hu.
"Say no more, Zhang. Our paths are different." Fang Hu shook his head and turned his gaze back to the high platform.
But just then, the corners of Zhang Youde’s mouth curled up as he shot Fang Hu a scornful look.
"In that case, take care, Fang." Zhang Youde said, clasping his fist.
Immediately, he started walking toward Gao Shide.
This was his way of showing he had accepted Gao Shide’s invitation. He would follow Gao Shide to his new post after he was commissioned.
This was his way out. After all, he had to side with the one who had a future.
Fang Hu watched this scene, his expression growing uglier. Only now did he realize that this person, someone he had befriended and considered a close companion, was capable of making such a choice.
But he couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t stand in the way of someone’s future.
’Everyone has their own ambitions. When paths diverge, there’s no point in planning together.’
"Captain of Xiahe County, Fang Hu."
Just at that moment, Mr. Wang’s voice rang out.
Fang Hu, who had already given up hope and was preparing to leave quietly, froze in his tracks.
He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He whipped his head around to look at Mr. Wang on the high platform.
The latter smiled and nodded at him.
"Congratulations, Brother Fang! Congratulations!"
"Oh, wait, I should call you Captain Fang now."
At this, the surrounding people began to offer their congratulations, especially the Martial Artists who had no backing, no wealth, and no Martial Scholar title.
At this moment, Fang Hu could only grin foolishly, not even knowing what to say.
Meanwhile, Zhang Youde, who had just reached Gao Shide’s side and hadn’t even managed to utter a few words of flattery, found the smile on his face frozen stiff.
His mouth hung open wide enough to stuff a few eggs inside.
"How could this be? How could a guy like that step in dog shit and get so lucky!" At first, he was shocked and regretful, but then Zhang Youde immediately noticed Gao Shide’s ugly expression.
He quickly changed his tune. He had already made his choice and offended Fang Hu; he couldn’t afford to offend Gao Shide now.
Otherwise, he would end up pleasing no one and suffer a great loss.
He could only console himself internally, ’Fang Hu just got lucky, but Gao Shide’s prospects won’t be bad either.’
’By following someone like Gao Shide, I’ll have the chance to skim off the top and embezzle funds.’
’Following a blockhead like Fang Hu, I’d starve to death sooner or later.’
With that thought, he didn’t feel so bad anymore.
He turned to look at Mr. Wang. Clearly, he was even more anxious than Gao Shide himself to find out which county Gao Shide would be assigned to.
However, sometimes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
As time passed, Mr. Wang quickly read through some twenty-odd names.
"Alright, that concludes the list of appointments. I urge you all to report to your posts as soon as possible and serve the imperial court."
Mr. Wang closed the red scroll and handed it to a soldier beside him to post it. He didn’t leave, but instead continued:
"Those whose names were just called, I will be hosting a gathering at Deyun Building tonight."