Xuanqing Guard

The case can be complicated, or simple—it all depends on where you’re sitting.

The guests watching the ceremony sit outside the arena, seeing from beginning to end the "killer" committing the crime and covering his tracks, but those participating in the investigation contest can’t see any of that.

Two different perspectives let the guests easily find the high ground; they don’t need much brainpower to calmly wait and watch the competition.

"The case is quite interesting, but how do you ensure fairness?"

"Before the contest, everyone involved in designing and setting up the case is kept in a designated area and not allowed any contact with the outside world until the contest ends. So actually, before today, even their own subordinates knew nothing about the cases they designed."

"Then how do you determine who wins?"

"That hourglass over there measures half an hour. Within this time, whoever cracks the case or gets closest to the truth wins."

Pang Ban had Shen Hao sit next to him, saying it’d be convenient for inquiries. Once the contest started, he began asking Shen Hao questions, and Shen Hao answered fluently. These were expected questions, so Pang Ban’s asking was a perfect chance to dispel the doubts of the surrounding guests.

Someone nearby asked, "Isn’t this a contest between Hundred Households Stations?"

"Yes. To be precise, it’s a contest between the Black Banner Battalions of various Hundred Households Stations. Since their daily tasks are all handled collectively, this is also a chance to show off and compete between the Black Banner Battalions of different regions."

Hearing this, everyone nodded repeatedly—even Pang Ban, who usually smiled but rarely showed his opinion, nodded a little, clearly approving of this novel testing approach.

They compete in pairs, each round lasting half an hour, four rounds in total, ranking first to fourth place.

Altogether it’s quite a long period—two full hours—but none of the guests felt impatient or restless. Instead, each watched with great interest: sometimes smiling knowingly, sometimes regretting and stomping their feet, and sometimes gathering to quietly discuss their own judgments about the hypothetical case, even making comments about the investigation abilities of the Black Banner Battalion soldiers participating.

The results were quickly settled. With so many eyes watching and progress judged by the clock, there was nothing to argue—if your skills are lacking, it’s obvious.

The winner was the Black Banner Battalion from Tu Kui City. Liu Kuan happily accepted the award from Jiang Cheng personally. The prize was real, exactly matching the previously announced rules, no tricks. The other teams with upcoming events secretly resolved to try harder.

The Black Banner Battalion from Pingshun City all wore gloomy faces and gritted their teeth, shooting strange looks at the team from Tan City. Just a moment ago, Tan City had edged out Pingshun City by the tiniest margin to claim third place, leaving Pingshun City dead last.

Li City came in second, right in the middle.

It was nearly noon now, and everyone assumed it was time to head off for lunch—when teams of cooks, carrying pots and bowls, marched into the training ground. Everyone was stunned, even Pang Ban, who was always calm, showed a trace of surprise.

"Shen Hundred Households, what’s this?"

"Reporting to Lord Commander, this is the next contest item: cooking."

"Cooking?"

"Yes, sir. This is to test the cooks of the Black Banner Battalion on speed and flavor. If you can eat well and eat enough, you’re better equipped to carry out field missions. The regular soldiers fight, but the cooks’ job is to cook, and I believe this is an essential part of logistics that should not be overlooked."

Logistics? An essential part of combat?

That reasoning actually sounds pretty airtight.

Shen Hao continued, "Additionally, you all can sample the cooking skills of my Black Banner Battalion cooks from Fengri City, and this contest’s outcome will be judged by all of you."

On hearing they wouldn’t just be observers but judges as well—and judging by the setup, lunch would be right here!—

Interesting!

Of course, not everyone felt it was interesting. Some who were used to more refined food frowned at the rough style of the big pots and outdoor stoves. But nobody complained because Pang Ban, led by Shen Hao, went right up to the cooks, watching them cook up close.

Pang Ban actually seemed quite interested in cooking, lingering for a while.

"Many years ago, when I first joined Fenghong Manor, I worked as a helper in the kitchen. You know the cutting board, right? Haha, I actually wanted to learn cooking, but I got kicked out for burning the pot, so I ended up focusing on cultivation instead."

Shen Hao was taken aback, never having heard that story before; he hadn’t expected a cooking contest to stir up Pang Ban’s old memories.

Before Shen Hao could reply, Pang Ban wandered on with his hands clasped behind his back, circling until the incense burned out, then returned to his assigned seat, waiting for the meal.

"Meal time!"

The shout was loud and sharp, but it made it clear—this was a proper big pot meal! Everyone present, guests and participating soldiers alike, got a share! And all from the same pot!

The only difference was, the guests had tables and chairs; everyone else had to line up and sit on the ground.

Utensils? All the same: a big porcelain bowl, rice at the bottom, dishes on top, plus a bamboo tube for soup.

This was exactly the kind of food cooks from the Xuanqing Guard made for field missions. Of course, this was not a combat situation; in real battle, it’d mostly be things like meat patties, which are more convenient.

Pang Ban took his portion and immediately started eating.

"Gentlemen, whichever dish you find tastiest, please drop your red ball into the bucket in front of that kitchen. The side with the most red balls wins."

Aside from rice and soup, the bowl contained four dishes—two meat, two vegetarian—each corresponding to one kitchen.

The cooks were the most tense now. They knew they didn’t have the refined skills of restaurant chefs, but when it came to speed, they could leave them in the dust. But who would’ve thought cooks would be up here in a contest—and with the Lord Commander himself tasting the food? That’s a story to brag about for a lifetime.

"You all vote first, I’ll vote last." Pang Ban refused to let everyone follow his lead, insisting the others cast their votes before him.

When all the guests had finished voting, Pang Ban finally threw his red ball into the bucket for the Pingshun City Black Banner Battalion kitchen; he thought their stir-fried pickled pork and cauliflower was the best.

But Pang Ban’s palate was clearly unique—Pingshun City got the fewest red balls...

Afterwards, Pang Ban jokingly said to those below, "You seriously don’t like stir-fried pickled pork and cauliflower? Don’t tell me you don’t like fatty meat!"

The crowd responded playfully, and the atmosphere instantly became relaxed. Pang Ban even cheerfully went to chat among the soldiers, showing great interest in their daily lives and training.