Chapter 270: Chapter 146: Challenge
Either way, they had to treat this with caution.
"Wang Qi."
The black-faced man suddenly spoke.
The lanky man started, then looked over.
"You’re somewhat familiar with Brother Li. Why don’t you go sound him out?"
He urged Wang Qi on.
"Done."
Wang Qi didn’t refuse. He nodded, stood up, and strode quickly toward the Post House gate.
The others remained under the locust tree, their gazes flickering as they stared at the distant vermilion courtyard gate.
Before long, Wang Qi reached the gate of the Post House.
Outside the guardhouse by the gate, the Black Armored Soldier who had led Qin Fang in—the one everyone called "Chief Li"—was leaning against the doorframe talking to another Soldier. He held a coarse ceramic bowl that was steaming.
Wang Qi plastered a smile on his face, hurried forward, and clasped his hands in a salute. "Chief Li, busy, I see?"
Chief Li glanced up and recognized him as Wang Qi, one of the regulars from D Building...
Quite a few people lived in D Building, so naturally, Chief Li couldn’t know everyone. But there were always some who were slick and sociable, able to blend into a new environment quickly and make themselves known...
Wang Qi was just that type of person.
Chief Li grunted in acknowledgment and continued to blow on his steaming bowl. "What’s up?"
"Now, now, can’t I just come over to pay my respects?" Wang Qi’s smile was obsequious. He smoothly pulled a few silver fragments from his robes and, without drawing attention, placed them on the stone ledge beside Chief Li’s hand. "It’s still chilly out. A little something for you to get a hot cup of tea, Chief Li."
Chief Li glanced at the silver but didn’t touch it. He said flatly, "Spit it out. Post House rules: we don’t accept ’idle money’ while on duty."
Wang Qi’s smile didn’t falter. He took back the money, leaned in a half-step, and lowered his voice. "Yes, yes, Chief Li is a man of integrity. It’s nothing big, really. We just saw you lead a new face in earlier, and he went straight to C Courtyard. The brothers found it curious and were wondering what great talent he might be, just so we have an idea... I don’t suppose it would be convenient to share a detail or two?"
The words had barely left his mouth when another voice cut in from the side. "Well now, Wang Qi, you sure move fast."
Wang Qi’s brow furrowed. He turned his head and saw three men who had approached at some point.
The leader was a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion and shrewd eyes, dressed in a faded martial arts uniform.
Wang Qi recognized him. The man’s name was Huang Shun, another well-known figure from D Building. He had a couple of followers and often clashed with Wang Qi’s group.
"Huang the Second, you’re not so slow yourself," Wang Qi retorted with a humorless smile.
Huang Shun ignored him and turned to Chief Li, also clasping his hands politely. "Chief Li, apologies for the interruption. We were also curious. This new friend seems to have an extraordinary air about him. We were wondering which County’s prodigy he might be? If we knew, we could greet him properly when we see him later and avoid any discourtesy."
Although both groups had the same goal, a faint air of confrontation hung between them. Their gazes crossed, filled with scrutiny.
Clearly, they weren’t the only ones with their eyes on that C Courtyard.
Chief Li drained the last of the hot water from his bowl, set it down on the stone ledge, and swept his gaze over the faces before him, his own expression unreadable.
"If you want to know the rules, go to the guardhouse and read the notice. If you want to ask about people..."
He paused, his voice steady. "The Post House is only responsible for assigning lodging and verifying identity Wenshu as ordered. As for a resident’s origins, the depth of their Cultivation, or who they know... as long as they don’t violate the iron laws of the Post House, it is none of the Post House’s concern."
His words were perfectly measured and watertight.
He neither confirmed nor denied that Qin Fang had any special background.
He simply clarified the Post House’s neutral stance—’We only follow the rules, without bias. Your competition is your own business.’
Wang Qi and Huang Shun’s group exchanged glances. They saw a hint of disappointment in each other’s eyes, but mostly, understanding.
In fact, Chief Li’s words had revealed some information.
...At the very least, the Post House officials wouldn’t vouch for the newcomer, nor would they deliberately obstruct any challenges.
That was enough.
"Chief Li is right. We were presumptuous."
Huang Shun was quick to react, smoothing things over with a smile. "The Post House’s rules are paramount. We understand that, of course."
Wang Qi quickly chimed in, "Right, right, it was just a curious question. No offense, Chief Li."
Chief Li waved his hand dismissively and said no more. He turned to the other Soldier and started speaking about something else in a low voice, his intention to dismiss them clear.
Seeing this, Wang Qi, Huang Shun, and the others knew they wouldn’t get anything more out of him. They all clasped their hands and took their leave.
Once they were a short distance from the gate, the two groups naturally separated.
Huang Shun led his men in the other direction, discussing something in low voices.
Wang Qi, meanwhile, hurried back to the old locust tree.
"How did it go?" the scar-faced man, Shen Tie, asked impatiently.
Wang Qi shook his head and repeated Chief Li’s words verbatim. He finished in a low voice, "Chief Li’s lips are sealed; he didn’t reveal a thing. But from the sound of it, the Post House won’t get involved or take sides. Huang the Second and his crew also went to ask and got stonewalled."
The black-faced man, Brother Shen, mused, "So, that means the Post House either doesn’t know this person’s background, or they know and won’t say. But the rules still apply... which isn’t necessarily a bad thing."
"What do you mean, Brother Shen?" Wang Qi asked.
"If he were truly some incredible figure, Chief Li might have dropped a hint or two to make us think twice. But he didn’t give anything away, just trotted out the Post House rules..."
Brother Shen’s eyes glinted. ’Either this person’s background is ordinary, and he’s just being housed according to the rules, so there’s nothing more to say. Or... the people behind him are so powerful that even the Post House doesn’t want to get involved and is staying out of it completely. But that second possibility is very slim.’
The scar-faced man had a fiery temper and cut in, "Who cares about his background? The key is whether his Cultivation has reached Huajin or not! If he’s at Huajin, we can just pack it in and go to sleep. A Martial Arts Grandmaster like that is here to fight for the status of a Celestial Spirit Disciple; they’re not on our level... But if he’s not at Huajin... then even if he has a background, once we’re on the training grounds, we have nothing to fear! We’ll just follow the rules. What can he do to us?"
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