Chapter 4

......

"Hexed?!"

Fang Zhengzhi's heart still raced with lingering fear. After much effort, he finally managed to pin the "crime" on a wandering scholar who had passed through Nanshan Village over ten days ago, allowing him to escape from his home.

However, this incident gave him a warning. He was only six years old, and sometimes he needed to be a bit more low-key. If he were really considered hexed...

Just thinking about the things he had seen before—drinking talisman water, being tied to a cross, being burned and buried alive—made Fang Zhengzhi shudder. Although he didn't know if such "tortures" existed in this world, it was better to be cautious.

After wandering around for a while, he found himself at the square, drawn by the crowd. Looking at the dense crowd, Fang Zhengzhi felt a bit amazed.

The square, which was usually used for distributing game, was now filled with villagers chatting and laughing. In the northeast corner, a one-meter-high platform was built with logs, and a bright red carpet was laid on it.

On the carpet, three wooden chairs covered with fine animal skins were arranged in a triangular shape in the middle.

In the center was a redwood chair carved with a beast's head, and on it lay a fine animal skin, white on the sides and bright red in the middle.

Fang Zhengzhi's eyes were immediately drawn to this animal skin, his black eyes sparkling. He had never seen such a skin before, and he was certain that it did not belong to Nanshan Village.

"Such a good thing. If I had this animal skin, my family would become rich overnight. Should I just grab it and run?" This thought flashed through Fang Zhengzhi's mind but was quickly dismissed.

With his short legs, he would probably be caught before he could even run, and his little bottom would surely be beaten to a pulp.

Just as he was thinking, a figure appeared in front of him.

"Fang Zhengzhi!" A boy with a round, tiger-like face, wearing open-crotch pants, holding a chicken leg in one hand and wiping his greasy mouth with the other, glared at Fang Zhengzhi.

Being blocked by a six-year-old brat who seemed ready to fight at any moment was something Fang Zhengzhi found hard to accept.

Adults were tough, but a brat of the same age was no problem. He could easily outsmart him.

"What?" Fang Zhengzhi replied lazily.

"My mother told me you're not happy about me getting the child examination quota. You said you want to compete? Little Master asks you, do you dare to compete with me now?" The brat waved his thick arms, showing off his strength.

Fang Zhengzhi pursed his lips. This boy, Li Huer, was the precious son of his neighbor, Aunt Li. He was a bit slow, but he ate meat every day, making him much stronger.

"Aren't you going to take the child examination? Aren't you afraid of getting hurt and affecting your performance?" Fang Zhengzhi said with a seemingly kind expression.

Li Huer was taken aback, his head shaking. He thought it was true; getting hurt wouldn't be good. So, he quickly accepted Fang Zhengzhi's advice.

"Then we won't fight. We can compete in something else!"

"Running, you can't beat me..." Fang Zhengzhi said with a worried look.

"Who said I can't beat you? If you dare, let's race now!" Li Huer clearly wasn't convinced.

"Alright, do you see that animal skin on the platform? Let's see who can grab it first." Fang Zhengzhi pointed to the bright animal skin on the platform.

"Fine!" Li Huer nodded eagerly, ready to run up the platform.

Truly, the young are fearless, Fang Zhengzhi thought. Just as Li Huer was about to run, Fang Zhengzhi spoke again.

"Wait!"

"What? Are you scared already?" Li Huer stopped, turning to look at Fang Zhengzhi with a puzzled expression.

"No, give me the chicken leg first before you run. It will be hard to climb the platform with it in your hand." Fang Zhengzhi suggested kindly.

Li Huer's eyes darted around. He thought that if he gave the chicken leg to Fang Zhengzhi, he would definitely lose!

"Okay, fine!" Li Huer agreed readily, not thinking about whether he could get the chicken leg back.

Then, the chicken leg was in Fang Zhengzhi's hand, and Li Huer, like a little fat pig out of a cage, ran wildly toward the platform.

His movements were wild and unrestrained, with no hesitation...

Li Huer's speed was genuinely fast. The villagers guarding the platform didn't react in time, and he was already on the platform, grabbing the animal skin and showing Fang Zhengzhi a victorious smile without even catching his breath.

The result was obvious.

As Li Huer laughed loudly with the animal skin, a few villagers also reacted.

Open-crotch pants couldn't stop a slap.

The villagers' movements were equally wild and unrestrained...

A crisp slap echoed on Li Huer's little bottom.

"Ouch! Ow, ow..." His continuous cries showed his current mood.

"Sigh, the higher you climb, the colder it gets." Fang Zhengzhi looked up at the sunlight, took the chicken leg, and started to eat...

......

Amidst Li Huer's cries, the official selection finally began.

After a loud drumbeat, several hundred soldiers in bright armor, riding tall creatures covered in fine black fur and white scales on their legs, appeared in the square in perfect formation.

The square was instantly occupied by nearly half of the space.

The thunderous hoofbeats made the villagers involuntarily step back.

"Are they riding Snow-Treading Dragon Steeds?"

"Tsk, tsk... Definitely! Only the Divine Marshal's Mansion can afford Snow-Treading Dragon Steeds. I heard they eat several pounds of meat per meal."

"Eat so much? A few meals would make me poor!"

"You? Haha... You're not even worth one Snow-Treading Dragon Steed!"

A group of villagers in tattered clothes stood on both sides of the army, whispering and pointing at the soldiers.

"Look, they're carrying something. I wonder what it is?"

"Who knows, but since it's from the Divine Marshal's Mansion, it must be extremely valuable!"

After a few voices, all the villagers noticed the mysterious object at the front of the procession, carried by eight burly soldiers.

A golden silk fabric, like a ribbon, covered the mysterious object, shining in the sunlight.

Fang Zhengzhi also noticed this. From his perspective, the object carried by the eight soldiers was about two meters tall, but its width was hard to guess.

(Thank you: Yilingdian, Piaomiao10 Tuti, Zhijian de Tiaoyue, Qingfeng1987, Folangshen, Dancheng Rensheng, and the few friends who donated ten points! Finally, I need votes, I need votes, I need votes! Important things must be said three times!)

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