Chapter 206 - 152: Cold Shoulder (Part 2)
Immediately, the Zhou Family’s butler and his men also left in a hurry.
Fang Yue was a little curious as to why the two families had left so abruptly.
But it was good that they were gone. Their absence meant peace and quiet, and he could focus on his training.
At that moment, outside the tavern, the Zhou Family’s butler pulled aside the servant from earlier and asked what had happened.
"News came from the Government Office," the servant said. "That Fang Yue had a mishap in his martial arts training. He’ll never be able to achieve Qi Sensing in his life!"
The Zhou Family’s butler was clearly skeptical upon hearing this. Although his own Martial Arts Cultivation was not high—only at the Bone Forging realm—he had heard and seen enough to know a thing or two about martial arts practice.
Fang Yue was so young and had nearly reached Great Success in Marrow Transformation. How could someone like him possibly have a training accident!
"They say an official from the Observatory said it, so it must be true," the servant said.
"I see!" The Zhou Family’s butler immediately understood. The Observatory held a special position. Ordinary people might not know of it, but he was not one of them and was well aware of its significance.
If an official from the Observatory said it, then it certainly wasn’t false.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness you arrived in time. That Fang Wuju didn’t agree. Otherwise, things would have gotten complicated today."
The Zhou Family’s butler sighed. "After all, who could have imagined that a Martial Scholar with such a limitless future would end up like this!"
~~~~~~~
In the following days, no one else came to Fang Yue’s door to propose a marriage match.
It gave Fang Yue a few days of peace.
On the eighth day after the Prefecture Examination, a government constable finally notified him to report to the Government Office.
As expected, the Government Office was appointing Fang Yue to an official post.
’Just as I thought, a minor post. This must set a new record for the Shanyang Prefecture Examination, doesn’t it? The lowest-ranked post ever assigned to a Martial Scholar?’
Fang Yue looked at his official appointment papers. They read: Garrison Training Instructor of Wenxi County.
Junior Seventh Grade. It was the lowest official rank in the entire administrative system of the Great Wei dynasty.
The duties were simple: responsible for training reserve soldiers for the Guard Army.
This position of Garrison Training Instructor was also one of the most difficult to get promoted from within the Martial Arts Hall system. It was hard to achieve merits, and without accumulating achievements, promotion and wealth were out of the question.
In truth, Fang Yue had already had a premonition after seeing that person at the Flower-Pinning Banquet.
Sure enough, news that his cultivation was stuck and he couldn’t break through to Qi Sensing soon spread throughout Shanyang Prefecture.
Thus, he went from having a constant stream of visitors from all factions hoping to befriend him to being completely ignored, even becoming a topic of idle gossip for some.
So, being assigned a minor official post with little future today was perfectly normal.
Although Shanyang Prefecture governed many counties, there wasn’t a single position that wasn’t coveted.
Naturally, the posts were prioritized for those Martial Scholars who had great prospects, money, and power.
Meanwhile, inside the Qinghe Gambling House.
"Is that so? What a pity." The Shopkeeper of the gambling house took a small sip of tea after hearing his subordinate’s report, then shook his head with a regretful look.
He never thought that Fang Yue, the man he had intended to befriend but who had refused his goodwill, would turn out to be a ’wastrel’ with no future.
"Shopkeeper, this is karma! That Fang Yue was so arrogant, refusing our gambling house’s recruitment. Heh, what a joke he is now!" the gambling house servant sneered.
To think we almost associated ourselves with a good-for-nothing. If we had, wouldn’t our gambling house have become the laughingstock of Shanyang Prefecture? It’s a good thing it didn’t happen. What a relief.
The Shopkeeper nodded and sighed. "Alright, you can say such things in here, but once you step out that door, don’t repeat them. No matter how far Fang Yue has fallen, he is still a Martial Scholar. No matter how minor his post, he is still an official appointed by the court. We can’t afford to offend him."
"You’re right, Shopkeeper. I understand."
"Mm, you may go," the Shopkeeper said with a wave of his hand.
The servant replied respectfully, "Yes."
After speaking, he turned and left without another word.
After the servant left, the Shopkeeper looked out the window. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.
~~~~~~
In Shanyang Prefecture, within the Wang Family Mansion.
"What did you say? Is it true? The battle merits of those men were previously in Teng’er’s possession, and then someone just left them where they were staying?"
"Such good luck? Manna from heaven? Hmph. Regardless, go and apprehend these men for me. They are definitely connected to Teng’er’s disappearance!"
Hearing his subordinate’s report, Wang Shifu snorted coldly, a frigid killing intent erupting in his eyes.
His son was missing, perhaps already dead.
And yet his spoils of war had appeared in the hands of these Martial Scholars. They just picked them up for free? Who would believe such a story!
Or rather, for Wang Shifu, it didn’t matter if these men were involved or not. They had to be captured and interrogated.
"Master, what about that Fang Yue? How should we handle him?" Because Fang Yue had ranked high, he had attracted the attention of many factions, unlike these other eliminated Martial Scholars who were almost completely ignored.
Therefore, it had been difficult to make a move against him. But now, with the news that Fang Yue’s cultivation was stuck and he couldn’t break through to Qi Sensing, basically no one was paying attention to him anymore.
If they were to act now, it would be much easier.
"Forget it. A wastrel like him couldn’t possibly be a match for Teng’er. He probably just got lucky and picked up a windfall. Pay him no mind."
Wang Shifu waved his hand, casting aside his unease.
’No need to pay too much attention to a wastrel. I should focus all my attention on those other suspects.’
After all, they were all Martial Scholars. Capturing them discreetly would not be an easy task.
"Yes, Master," the subordinate quickly replied.
~~~~~~
「That day, just as the sky began to brighten.」
Fang Yue had already packed his bags, ready to return to Xiahe County.
"Yue, please wait!"
Fang Yue had just reached the tavern inn when a curvaceous woman walked toward him.
The woman appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She had a graceful and slender figure, a beautiful face, and skin so delicate it looked like it could break with a touch. Her almond-shaped eyes were particularly captivating, seeming to possess a soul-stealing power that made one’s heart itch.
The pale yellow dress she wore further accentuated her translucent skin, which was like fine white jade, emitting a faint, comfortable glow.
It was Widow Yu.
Ever since she learned that Fang Yue had come to the Prefecture City, Widow Yu had been keeping an eye on him.
Originally, she had not planned to see him.
But she had heard about his recent troubles and worried that he was taking it hard. After thinking it over and over, she finally decided to come see him.
She wanted to comfort him.
"Hm? Mrs. Yu!" Fang Yue said, cupping his hands in a salute.
The title Fang Yue used made Widow Yu’s face flush slightly.
For him to call her that was, on the surface, a perfectly normal thing to do.
But Widow Yu felt a strange sensation in her heart. It seemed she quite liked this feeling, a peculiar sort of sweetness.
"Yue, are you leaving?" Widow Yu asked, hiding the blush on her face.
"Yes, I am," Fang Yue said with a nod.
He had packed his things early this morning, wanting to leave as soon as possible and return to Xiahe County.
After all, he had been away for quite a while this time.
It had been nearly three months since he left home. With the Prefecture Examination over and nothing else to do, it was natural to go back.
In three months, he had to report for duty in Wenxi County. The journey itself would take a considerable amount of time, so he couldn’t afford any delays.
"In that case, let me see you off, Yue," Widow Yu said softly.
Hearing this, Fang Yue didn’t refuse and simply nodded.
The two then left the tavern together and walked toward the city gates.
Fang Yue’s pace was unhurried, his strides small. Yet Widow Yu walked even more slowly.
"Yue, have you been well these past few years?" Widow Yu asked.
Her voice was gentle and delicate, like a trickling stream, very pleasant to the ear.
"Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Yu," Fang Yue nodded.
Just as Widow Yu was about to say more, a figure squeezed past them from the side.
"Auntie, what are you doing here? Nu fell down and is crying, clamoring to find you!" Wen Lan said, panting.
Then, he shot a wary look at Fang Yue, his expression clearly warning strangers to keep their distance.