Chapter 235 - 167: Unwilling
"It's you!"
"How could it be you? There must be a mistake. I know this man. He's the Garrison Training Instructor from Wenxi County. I heard he fled the battlefield, a coward who ran from the fight."
Xue Bing immediately stepped forward, pointing at Fang Yue in disbelief.
His eyes were locked on Fang Yue. He couldn't believe it. He had paid a tremendous price just for this chance to leave Shanyang Prefecture.
And now his fate was to be decided by someone he had always looked down on—a lowly servant, a mud-legged peasant!
'This is impossible. Absolutely impossible!'
'It must be fake!'
But then again, 'a Garrison Training Instructor who fled to Shanyang Prefecture in cowardice, a minor Martial Scholar with no future, a mud-legged peasant who would never in his life advance to become a Qi Sensing Martial Master…'
'…with no family background and no real power—how could someone like that possibly become an Inspector for the Observatory?'
'Besides, this man should have been conscripted into the Sin Army camp of the Vanguard Army by the Shanyang Prefecture Government Office. How could he possibly be here?'
'Could he have defected to the Rebel Army?'
'Yes, that must be it! He's joined the Rebel Army, otherwise, how could he be here!'
'Therefore, this Fang Yue is definitely not an Inspector. He's an imposter.'
Convinced he had uncovered the truth, Xue Bing's eyes sharpened. He stared at Fang Yue and barked coldly, "Speak! What are your intentions in impersonating an Inspector? Have you turned traitor and become a spy for the thief soldiers?"
After rebuking Fang Yue, Xue Bing turned to Lin Qingyuan and said earnestly, "I implore you, Lord County Magistrate, to act and apprehend this villain!"
Xue Bing's words immediately caused the expressions of the others to change drastically. Could this person really be an imposter?
After all, how could a man who fled from battle be an Inspector for the Observatory!
"Honorable Inspector, please present your identification for this humble official to verify," Lin Qingyuan said, refraining from taking immediate action.
Having been an official for many years, he was well-versed in the rules of bureaucracy. He wouldn't make a rash move, not even if there was only the slightest chance he was wrong. What if this man was a real Inspector?
Could he really determine the man was an imposter based on Xue Bing's words alone?
Such rashness was not the way of a public servant.
"Of course." Fang Yue smiled faintly and immediately produced his Inspector's Token, handing it to Lin Qingyuan.
Lin Qingyuan took the token from Fang Yue, examined it thoroughly, and after confirming it was indeed a genuine Inspector's Token, returned it to him.
"Lord Lin, what's the verdict? It's a fake, right?" Seeing Lin Qingyuan's action, Xue Bing forced himself to ask, even though a sense of dread was already creeping into his heart.
"You bastard! What nonsense are you spouting? Hurry up and apologize to Inspector Fang! So disrespectful, so insolent! You have no manners at all!"
'Xue Bing has already offended Inspector Fang, and it's clear there's old enmity between the two.'
'So, there's no way Xue Bing will be chosen.'
'So, why would I bother being polite to this former young master from the Prefecture City?'
"Please forgive me, Inspector Fang. I was rash just now. I hope Inspector Fang can give me a chance and forgive me. I will be sure to reward you generously..."
Xue Bing took a deep breath, his face alternating between pale and flushed. He quickly came to his senses. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to bow his head.
However, even though Xue Bing had bowed his head in humiliation to the man he once despised...
...Fang Yue didn't even spare him a glance. He looked at the others and said:
"Alright, just as I said before, you will all spar with each other. I'll watch and then decide."
At Fang Yue's command, the six men, including Xue Bing, immediately began drawing lots. And whether by coincidence or not...
...the matchups pitted the trio of wealthy scions, led by Xue Bing, against the trio of low-ranking military officers chosen from the various Guard Armies.
"Heh heh, Inspector Fang, please, this way. I've had my servants brew some tea. We can watch while we drink."
Lin Qingyuan immediately invited Fang Yue to sit to the side.
A servant quickly brought over a pot of fine tea.
~~~~~~~
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the matches were already over.
The results were quite unexpected. Among the trio of officers, two were victorious.
And among the three wealthy scions, the winner was, surprisingly, Xue Bing.
Seeing this result, Fang Yue smiled faintly. Then, he directly chose the trio of military officers.
"I defeated my opponent. Is Inspector Fang going to go back on his word? Why aren't you choosing me?" Xue Bing demanded, suppressing his rage.
'This Fang Yue is definitely using his public office to settle a private grudge. It's so unfair, utterly shameless!'
Fang Yue feigned a slight surprise, then shot him a cold glance and said, "Do you even need to ask me that question?
When did I ever say I would choose the winners? I only said I'd look at the results. And as it happens, I don't like you, so I'm not choosing you!"
Fang Yue sneered, giving Xue Bing no chance to argue.
Xue Bing's face flushed crimson. He had never been so humiliated and looked down upon in his life.
He seethed with such hatred for Fang Yue that he wished he could strike him down on the spot, but he couldn't act on it. He could only endure.
After all, if he made a move here, he would likely be captured and suppressed immediately.
He would be charged with the crime of assaulting a Shangguan, and then he would probably be forced into the Sin Army.
And once he was in the Sin Army, he feared he would never have a chance to turn his life around.
Xue Bing took a deep breath, forcing himself not to dwell on it.
At that moment, Fang Yue rose to take his leave of Lin Qingyuan, then departed from the Sanshui County Magistrate's Office with the three low-ranking officers he had chosen.
In truth, from the moment he had first met them, Fang Yue had already made up his mind. As long as the three officers' combat skills weren't too poor, he was going to choose them.