Chapter 31: Narong Qing is a Cripple
Vice General Liu surveyed the chaotic scene, his brow furrowing instantly. "Princess, perhaps I should escort you back. I will select a new group of men for you later, and I guarantee they will meet your satisfaction."
Xiao Li gave him a careless sidelong glance, not deigning to reply. Instead, she extended her hand toward Yang Jun.
Yang Jun immediately handed her a bow and arrow.
Xiao Li nocked an arrow to her bow. "Are you ready?"
Yang Jun gripped the reins tightly, his expression resolute. "I am ready."
Xiao Li announced, "The arrow is the signal. All participants will chase this horse. The winners will be those who can still reach the finish line after the horse stops."
A guard behind her immediately bellowed her words, his voice carrying far enough for everyone within a hundred-meter radius to hear.
The message was passed back from those in the front, so soon everyone knew the rules.
Before they could dwell on the rules, Xiao Li loosed the arrow. Yang Jun shot forward on his horse, and a huge crowd immediately took off after him.
The rest, seeing everyone ahead of them running, were either swept up in the moment or pushed along from behind, and had no choice but to join the chase.
There were droves of them, but fortunately, the terrain was open enough to accommodate them. Still, Xiao Li knew most of them would be weeded out quickly.
She turned her horse and rode to the city wall, climbing up the gate tower to wait.
At the start, Yang Jun set a blistering pace, and the men kept up. But that initial burst of energy was short-lived; many couldn’t even last ten minutes before dropping out.
At that point, Yang Jun would slow down just enough to stay in sight, stringing them along.
A single garrison of the Military Department contained about five thousand soldiers, and the training grounds were vast, bordered by grasslands and hollows. It took a full fifteen minutes to complete one lap on horseback, let alone on foot.
Yang Jun circled this entire area, lap after lap.
They had started out like a swarm, but less than a thousand men remained before the first lap was even finished. The second lap was even more brutal, leaving only about two hundred. By the third lap, a mere handful were left.
Vice Officer Liu frowned. "Princess, if they keep running like this, there won’t be anyone left."
Xiao Li was unmoved. She wanted to select men with true ability, not just settle for an even one hundred.
Yang Jun ran a total of four laps, slowing his pace for the others. The whole ordeal took a full hour.
Yang Jun galloped to the base of the gate tower, where someone had already drawn a line on the ground. Now, the first one hundred men to cross that line—even if they had to crawl—would be declared winners.
The area ahead was clear. Everyone stood back from the finish line, waiting for the first victor to arrive.
Soon, a young soldier came into view. He was tall and dark-skinned, and though he was panting, he ran across the line with apparent ease, taking first place.
An official with a register stood by. "State your name and village!"
"Wu Family Village, Wu Lie."
After noting it down, they had to wait quite a while for the second man to arrive. "Name and village."
"Zhang Family Village, Zhang Youli."
The third: "Huai Tree... Huai Tree Village, Liu Ergou."
The fourth: "Du Family Manor... Tian... Tian Sheng."
The fifth... the tenth... the twentieth... the fiftieth... the fifty-fifth...
Half an hour later, after another long wait, it became clear no one else was coming.
The total was nearly half of the one hundred she wanted.
Xiao Li turned. "That’s enough."
The run was merely a test of stamina and endurance. She didn’t care how fast they were, only that they had perseverance and resolve. She would have even accepted those who crawled across the finish line.
But the path ahead had been empty for a long while.
Fifty-five men. After further screening, she might have to eliminate even more.
But an elite force valued quality over quantity.
Xiao Li descended from the gate tower. The fifty-five men had already been separated from the crowd and arranged in five rows. They were of various heights, and not all were powerfully built, but their eyes were resolute.
Yang Jun handed her the register. It recorded their origins—all were commoners from the villages outside the city.
Only those from truly destitute families would risk everything for a hefty reward. But even that kind of desperation had levels: there was trying hard, giving it your all, and then there was fighting to the death.
"Gather your things and follow me."
Xiao Li swung herself onto her horse. It had been a long afternoon; it was time to head back.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Princess, wait a moment!"
Xiao Li turned to look and saw him pointing into the distance. "There’s one more person."
He was pointing back toward the course.
From her high vantage point on her horse, Xiao Li easily spotted the dark speck. It was a very large man; even from a distance, she could tell he had a powerful build.
He seemed to have a bad leg, for he ran with a pronounced limp, but he was still heading their way with unwavering determination.
Someone shouted, "It’s Instructor Rong!"
"Princess, it’s Instructor Rong! He hasn’t given up yet!"
This Instructor Rong seemed to be quite popular. Among the fifty-five men who had been selected, more than half wore expressions of nervous anticipation, eager to see him finish.
Vice General Liu rode over, frowning. "Princess, there’s no need to wait. That’s Rong Qing. He’s a cripple."
Xiao Li asked, "How can he be an instructor if he’s a cripple?"
Someone below immediately answered, "Your Highness, Instructor Rong is the grandson of General Chang Wei, Rong Yao. He is also the sole heir to the Rong Family’s Saber Technique and is currently in charge of teaching us Sword Skill."
Vice General Liu shot the man a nasty glare. "Princess, pay him no mind. That Rong Qing has an injured leg; it’s impossible for him to serve as your guard. He’s only persevering for the sake of the prize money."
Xiao Li gazed toward the approaching man, saying nothing. She just waited.
Everyone else’s attention was also fixed on him.
It was impossible to tell who started it, but a quiet voice murmured, ’Come on, Instructor Rong.’ The feeling was contagious, and soon, many others were shouting as well.
’Come on, Instructor Rong! You can do it, Instructor Rong...’
Xiao Li raised an eyebrow and cracked her whip. "What’s wrong with all of you? Haven’t you eaten? Shout louder!"
The soldiers were instantly fired up. "Go, Instructor Rong, go!"
"Hang in there, Instructor Rong!"
It was a mere hundred meters—so close, and yet it seemed so far away.
His limping figure was tall and burly, yet every step was a struggle. He lost his footing and collapsed, only to stubbornly push himself back up. He fell again, and rose again...
Everyone watched, their hearts in their throats.
Finally, when he was less than ten meters away, with victory practically in his grasp, he collapsed again. This time, he didn’t get up.
His body lay prone on the ground, his labored breaths causing the bulging muscles of his back to heave violently. It was partly from exhaustion, but mostly, it must have been from the pain.
"Instructor Rong..." The cheers faded away. Everyone held their breath, watching him. No one made a sound, all of them waiting quietly, willing him to get up, offering their silent encouragement.
At last, he seemed to recover slightly. He slowly lifted a hand and slammed it into the ground. His fingers dug into the dirt, veins popping on his skin as he dragged himself forward a single, agonizing crawl.
GULP. Someone swallowed hard, the sound loud in the silence.
With every eye fixed upon him, he lifted his other hand. SMACK. It hit the ground, and he crawled forward again.
His injured leg was clearly useless now, dragging limply behind him.
Ten meters is not a great distance—just a few long strides. But for him, right now, it seemed impossibly far.
He crawled for only five meters before his palms began to bleed, and fresh blood started to seep from his leg as well.