Chapter 5

As the eight soldiers continued to advance, the golden silk fabric occasionally fluttered in the wind, allowing Fang Zhengzhi to catch a glimpse of the black inside. Besides the black, there seemed to be a golden glow flashing on it.

I wonder if it's just the reflection from the golden silk fabric?

"Everyone, be quiet!"

At this moment, the village chief, stroking his beard and holding a smoking pipe, walked out from the crowd with a smile on his face.

"Village Chief of Nanshan Village, Meng Bai, respectfully welcomes the esteemed officials from the Divine Marshal's Mansion!"

"Hmm, I'm a bit pressed for time. If everyone is gathered, let's start quickly!" A tall man with a square face and wearing black armor with cloud patterns stepped out from behind the mysterious object, waving his hand impatiently at the village chief.

"Yes, yes, I'll make it quick. General Li, please take a seat on the stage first." The village chief Meng Bai's expression remained unchanged, and he continued to smile.

"Alright." General Li nodded, turned, and looked at the eight soldiers beside him.

"Carry the object up."

"Yes!" The eight soldiers responded in unison, then lightly leaped and landed steadily on the high platform.

This scene left Fang Zhengzhi somewhat surprised. This world is indeed different. A platform one meter high, and eight soldiers carrying such a large object, they just went up like that?

The villagers below the platform were also stunned when they saw the eight soldiers simultaneously climb up.

"Truly worthy of the Divine Marshal's Mansion!"

"Of course. Did you see the red triangular mark on their armor? If I'm not mistaken, these people should be the 'Red Feather Guards' of the Divine Marshal's Mansion!"

"Red Feather Guards?! I heard that to join the Red Feather Guards, one must at least succeed in 'entering the Dao.' Entering the Dao means they are all great figures who have mastered the Dao of all things!"

Hearing the villager's introduction, the other villagers immediately looked at the eight soldiers on the platform with envy.

At this moment, Village Chief Meng Bai smiled again and climbed up the side of the platform. He waved his smoking pipe at the chattering villagers and cleared his throat.

"Villagers! The esteemed officials from the Divine Marshal's Mansion have arrived, and good times are coming to Nanshan Village. Wherever the Divine Marshal's Mansion is, beautiful flowers bloom. The Divine Marshal's Mansion is our hope, and it is good, the Divine Marshal's Mansion..."

Listening to Village Chief Meng Bai's "eloquent speech," Fang Zhengzhi finally deeply understood why Nanshan Village was so poor...

Please, even if you're flattering, can't you be a bit more subtle? Even using metaphors would be better. At the very least, tell a fable.

...

On the platform, General Li, sitting in the leftmost chair, was somewhat restless, his brows tightly furrowed, and his hands continuously tapping the armrests of the wooden chair. He looked at the village chief Meng Bai, who was speaking with great enthusiasm, and tried hard to endure.

As a military general, he preferred the villagers' simplicity to this unreserved flattery.

The other soldiers also stood tall and straight, like spears planted in the ground, but their faces were somewhat dark.

The entire square echoed with the voice of Village Chief Meng Bai. However, he was a man who had lived for several decades, and although his education was not high, he had good judgment.

After freely speaking for about ten minutes, he finally took a puff of his smoking pipe and exhaled a wisp of smoke.

"Alright, now we begin the first round of the selection. Those selected should stand in two rows. The left row is for the preliminary test, and the right row is for the main test. Line up and take turns for the examination!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of people stepped out from the crowd and quickly formed two rows amidst the chaos.

This time, the total number of participants in the selection was only about forty, divided into the preliminary and main tests, with about twenty people in each row.

Although the scene was somewhat chaotic, they quickly lined up...

The soldiers on the platform, including General Li, all breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing Village Chief Meng Bai's words, Fang Zhengzhi was somewhat curious. Examination? How does this world conduct examinations?

Squeezing through the gaps in the crowd, he quickly reached the front and saw a familiar figure. Li Huer was being led by a tall, muscular man with a dark complexion and prominent veins on his hands, who was dressed in animal skins.

The man was Li Huer's father, Li Zhuangshi, the deputy leader of the Nanshan Village hunting team.

Li Huer was grinning and looking around, and he immediately noticed Fang Zhengzhi at the front of the crowd. He had just been beaten, and seeing the chicken leg in Fang Zhengzhi's hand, he became furious. Standing in the queue, he kept gesturing at Fang Zhengzhi and muttering to himself.

From his mouth movements, it seemed he was saying, "Wait until I finish the preliminary test, and then I'll show you!"

Fang Zhengzhi watched Li Huer quietly, then brought the chicken leg to his mouth, tore off a piece, and chewed it vigorously, letting the oil drip from his mouth.

This instantly made Li Huer lose control.

His somewhat dark little face turned red, and he raised his fat arm, ready to leave the queue.

Then, a slap landed on his buttocks.

"Behave yourself! If you misbehave again, I'll break your legs!"

Li Zhuangshi's face was somewhat embarrassed today. His son had played "robbery" in front of the entire village. If the villagers hadn't considered Li Huer's young age, it wouldn't have just been a beating; he would have received at least thirty lashes.

The first item of the examination piqued Fang Zhengzhi's curiosity.

Because...

After the soldiers finished preparing, he discovered that it was actually a blood draw! It felt similar to a health check-up from his previous life, but he wondered what it was for?

While Fang Zhengzhi was thinking, the villagers beside him spoke up.

"If we could find someone with the 'Mystic Heaven Constitution' in Nanshan Village, that would be great!"

"Mystic Heaven Constitution?! How is that possible? Not to mention Nanshan Village, even in the entire Northern Desert, it would be hard to find another Mystic Heaven Constitution. The Divine Marshal's Mansion's examination mainly checks for any 'demon race' infiltration..."

Fang Zhengzhi was once again moved by the wonders of this world. There are demon races? And what is this Mystic Heaven Constitution? I wonder if I have it? He waved his arm, thinking that such luck was unlikely.

Then, he gave up...

Six- to eight-year-old children were forcibly held by the soldiers for blood draws, which was not a gentle process. As a result, the children of Nanshan Village were frightened and started crying.

The entire square became even more lively.

When it was Li Huer's turn, the situation seemed to change.

Li Huer raised his fat arm, staring at the long syringe in the soldier's hand without blinking, allowing the bright red blood to flow from his arm, with a fierce and fearless expression.

When the blood draw was complete, Li Huer gave Fang Zhengzhi a defiant look.

The meaning was clear: See, I'm naturally brave and don't cry!

Fang Zhengzhi's lips curled into a smile, and he spoke.

His dark eyes blinked, looking at the fearless Li Huer with great confusion.

"Why isn't Brother Huer crying? The other boys cried when they had their blood drawn. If Brother Huer doesn't cry, will the people from the Divine Marshal's Mansion think he's different and a fool?"

Fang Zhengzhi's voice, though not loud, was enough for Li Zhuangshi, who was in the queue, to hear clearly.

Li Zhuangshi, who had just finished his blood draw, glanced at the children around him who were crying loudly and then at Li Huer, who was blinking and pouting.

He immediately became nervous.

The words of a six-year-old child are the most innocent. Although not crying might be praised as bravery by those who know him, the people from the Divine Marshal's Mansion didn't know his son.

What if they misunderstood?

Although the possibility was low, it wasn't impossible. If he were mistaken for a fool, the loss would be significant!

Thinking of this, Li Zhuangshi winked at Li Huer, signaling that he could cry...

Unfortunately, Li Huer was too proud, pouting and showing his bravery to Fang Zhengzhi, and didn't notice Li Zhuangshi's signal.

Li Zhuangshi couldn't hold back any longer, noticing the somewhat strange looks from the soldiers responsible for the blood draws.

He raised his hand and slapped Li Huer's face.

"Slap!" The sound was crisp and clear.

Li Huer was instantly stunned, his proud expression not yet fading as he looked up at Li Zhuangshi in confusion. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong.

Seeing Li Huer's stunned look, Li Zhuangshi felt a deep sense of frustration.

This expression, if seen by others, would make him look like a fool.

Without hesitation, he had to act decisively. This time, Li Zhuangshi didn't hold back. He raised his right hand again and slapped Li Huer.

"Slap!" This time, it was really heavy.

The sound of the slap echoed throughout the square.

"Cry! Are you a fool?" Li Zhuangshi, after slapping Li Huer, still felt frustrated.

Li Huer tried to hold back, but the burning pain on his face made it impossible for him to endure.

"Wah!"

A piercing cry finally rang out, piercing the sky.

Fang Zhengzhi sighed lightly, looked up at the sky, and a trace of worry flashed across his face.

"Life is always lonely like snow..."

...