Chapter 271: Chapter 146: Challenge
Hearing this, the expressions of the men turned serious. Scarface had hit on the key point.
...Had that person reached the Huajin realm?
The Martial Arts Examination, while ostensibly for the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect to select disciples,
was also the Prefecture City’s grand annual event.
Young Martial Artists from the Four Prefectures and Eight Counties gathered here. It was a mixed bag of people with all sorts of different goals, and not everyone was after the Martial Arts Records.
Because once the examination began, it wasn’t just Stewards from the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect who would be present.
There would also be Prefecture Military Officers, representatives from major Escort Agencies and Commerce Associations, and even some Noble Families looking to hire Estate Guard Experts.
As long as you could make a name for yourself at the Martial Arts Examination and display some exceptional skill, even if you didn’t ultimately enter the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect and obtain their Martial Arts Records... you could still be noticed by other factions and secure a good future!
A large number of such people were gathered in D Building.
And besides them, there was another group of people whose purpose was different—both from theirs, and from the pursuit of Huajin.
...They were the disciples from the reputable Martial Arts Families and dojos of the various counties.
Their goal wasn’t to join the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect, but simply to come to the Prefecture City to see the world... and, on the side, see if they could catch the eye of some other influential person.
Those types of people might not be weak in terms of skill, but they often lacked experience in life-or-death combat.
...But because they came from wealthy families, there was a high probability they would also be staying in Building C.
Qin Fang was being targeted right now precisely because... this group of people most likely thought that he was one of those types.
"But he’s dressed so plainly. He doesn’t look like a rich kid, does he?"
Wang Qi said after a moment of hesitation.
"Haven’t you ever heard that you shouldn’t flaunt your wealth? He only just arrived at the Post House today. Who knows what his situation really is?" Brother Shen said, shaking his head.
"So, should we test him?" the impatient Scarface asked.
Brother Shen thought for a moment before whispering, "From the looks of it, Huang the Second and his crew have their eyes on him too... No need to rush. Let them scout him out first. We’ll... wait and see for now."
Hearing this, the men mulled it over for a moment, then nodded one by one, agreeing that Brother Shen’s plan was thorough.
「In the blink of an eye.」
As dusk settled, the deep sound of a bronze gong echoed through the Post House—three short beats and one long—spreading through the darkening twilight.
"Dinner time!"
Someone shouted, and the martial artists who had been scattered about—resting in the open area in front of D Building, under the shade of trees, or in their own small cubicles—all began to stir.
A stream of people began to converge on a certain area deeper within the Post House, their hurried steps creating a clamor of footsteps and low murmurs.
Qin Fang, who had just been meditating in his room, heard the gong and pushed open his courtyard gate to step outside.
He saw even more people pouring out of D Building across the way. They were mostly in groups of three to five, calling out to one another as they hurried in the same direction. Some even carried earthenware bowls or wooden boxes in their hands.
Just as he was watching, footsteps sounded outside his gate. A lean servant in simple gray clothes and a cloth sash, carrying two stacked food boxes and a large bronze kettle, stopped before Qin Fang’s courtyard.
"C-7, evening meal."
The servant’s voice was flat. He placed the food boxes on the stone step at the entrance and gently set the bronze kettle beside them. He glanced at Qin Fang, giving a slight nod as a greeting, then turned and left, heading for the next C Courtyard.
Qin Fang paused for a second, just then recalling that the Black Armored Soldier had said hot meals for the C Courtyards would be delivered.
He picked up the food boxes and the bronze kettle. They were heavy in his hands.
The food box was an ordinary lacquered wood container, a bit old, with worn-out corners. The bronze kettle, however, was wiped clean, and faint wisps of steam curled from its spout.
Returning to his room, he opened the food box.
The top layer held a large bowl of coarse rice, the grains distinct and steaming.
The middle layer contained two ceramic dishes: one with glistening slices of fatty pork stir-fried with cabbage, and the other with pickled vegetables mixed with tofu.
The bottom layer was a bowl of clear soup with a few specks of oil floating on top.
The meal couldn’t be called exquisite, but the portions were generous, and it was piping hot.
The bronze kettle was filled with boiling water.
Qin Fang clicked his tongue.
Back in True Martial County, he had cooked for himself. His meals hadn’t been much more refined than this, but he’d had to do everything himself.
Now, having someone deliver it to his door on time saved him a great deal of trouble.
He sat down and began to eat.
The food was average. ’Not as good as my own cooking,’ he thought.
But the hot food warmed his belly, chasing away some of the evening chill and allowing his tense mind to relax slightly.
"...It’s just that the portions are a little small."
Qin Fang muttered.
What he didn’t know was that at the same time, a completely different scene was unfolding outside the kitchens in the southeast corner of the Post House.
It was a spacious shed, with a long line of people snaking out the door and into the adjacent open area.
The Martial Artists from D Building held their bowls and chopsticks, moving along quietly and quickly.
Several huge wooden barrels were placed at the entrance of the shed, filled with rice and a vegetable stew. A few men who looked like cooks stood behind the barrels, deftly spooning food into the proffered bowls.
Each person had a set portion: one large scoop of rice and one scoop of a thick stew mixed with vegetable leaves and a hint of greasy flavor.
Want more rice?
You can have it.
But you have to pay extra, and there’s a limit.
Huang Shun held his large, coarse ceramic bowl, slowly inching forward with the line.
He glanced at a resident from one of the C Courtyards walking back with a food box, their expression calm. Then he looked at his peers silently queuing before and behind him, their eyes tinged with impatience. The corner of his eye twitched.
"Looks like Shen Tie and his group didn’t come," a man next to him whispered.
"He probably sent that Wang Qi to keep watch over there."
Huang Shun grunted, took the food the cook ladled into his bowl, and walked off to the side. Without any ceremony, he squatted on the ground and began to wolf it down.
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