Chapter 84

As Jiang Weixiao finally revealed himself, the hall instantly fell into silence. The faces of everyone except for the people from the Yu Xin Yun and Huang Lu Biaoju were filled with evident tension. Indeed, such a reaction was only natural, for the highest authority in the city was the Anchashi. At that moment, Jiang Weixiao's gaze began to sweep over the people from the six biaoju. The leaders of each biaoju, in an attempt to make a good impression, adjusted their postures. However, when Jiang Weixiao's gaze finally landed on Bai Yun Biaoju, the biaoshi noticed something strange and began to wonder internally. Jiang Weixiao, who had been carefully examining each person, abruptly finished his inspection of Bai Yun Biaoju. "Ah! What can I do? He is so young." Jiang Weixiao couldn't bear to look at Yu Xin Yun, overwhelmed by a deep sense of guilt. However, the others, unaware of the reason, mistakenly believed that Bai Yun Biaoju had already fallen out of favor with the Anchashi. Jiang Weixiao then went to his designated seat and sat down weakly. "Everyone, come inside!" The adjutant standing beside Jiang Weixiao loudly called out to the leaders. Since not everyone could enter, only the leaders and key members of each biaoju entered the Ancha Shishi. As the door closed again, the adjutant continued, "Congratulations. You have successfully passed the selection criteria and will have the golden opportunity to relieve His Majesty the Emperor of his burden." While Du E Qi sneered inwardly, the other leaders could not hide their excitement at the prospect of finally having the chance to obtain the official biao. "Due to the urgency of the matter, I will proceed directly to the explanation. The final biao you will undertake consists of three tasks. The results of today's test will determine the ranking from third to first, and each will be assigned one of these tasks." The adjutant continued his explanation. The third-ranked biaoju would be responsible for delivering the rare flowers and herbs discovered on Yan Dang Mountain to the imperial palace, a relatively simple task. The three official biao clearly had different levels of importance. The second-ranked biaoju would be tasked with boosting the morale of the soldiers fighting the Japanese pirates in Zhejiang by delivering items personally bestowed by the Emperor from Changxing to the soldiers. These tasks were within the expectations of the leaders, not much different from the official biao conducted by Jiu Long Fang in previous years. However, the next moment, "The one selected as the final first place will be responsible for delivering the imperial items, which requires utmost caution." The people who heard the content of the final official biao were shocked. Ten years ago, Princess Chao Hui, the only sister of the Emperor, who was very young, died suddenly of illness. The Emperor, who deeply cherished his sister, was said to have shed tears for three days and nights, a story well-known to the people. A few days ago, Mr. Shun Yu, the princess's teacher, accidentally discovered the last item she left behind. The first place would be responsible for receiving this item from Xian Xia Ling and safely delivering it to the imperial palace in Beijing. "If the final biao is completed successfully, you will receive the honor of a plaque personally inscribed by His Majesty the Emperor, and you will be entrusted with a major biao for the country the following year. Of course, you must exert your utmost efforts." Delivering the items of the Emperor's most cherished sister. Even with the promise of great rewards after success, the leaders were more worried about the imperial items. Delivering imperial items involved significant risks. Biao were conducted amidst numerous dangers, and failures were inevitable. In the case of ordinary biao, the matter would be settled with compensation and penalty fees. However, if it involved the imperial family, such a resolution was impossible. Even if the accident was beyond human control, the biaoju would have to pay a severe price for losing the imperial items. The biaoju would not just go bankrupt; the leader and their family would be executed under the principle of collective punishment. However, the adjutant, oblivious to the leaders' concerns, continued, "Now, I will announce the content of the selection test." The hall fell silent again as everyone focused on the adjutant. "The most fundamental and important virtue of a biaoju is the ability to protect the biao in any danger. Therefore, the selection test will be a biao protection contest among the six biaoju." Biao protection contest. The unfamiliar term caused two different reactions. Some blinked in confusion, while others smiled mysteriously. "You will all move to the test site and form your own camps. We will provide a common biao, and you must protect it from all other biaoju for the given two hours." The biao protection contest was, as the name suggests, a war to protect the biao. Each biaoju had to protect its own biao while trying to steal the biao from others. Scores were calculated during this process. There were two ways to score points. Each biaoshi would have a name tag attached, and when it was removed, it would be considered a "death," earning 2 points. Stealing another biaoju's biao would earn 50 points. After the test, the scores would be tallied, and the top three would be assigned the corresponding official biao. After hearing the test content, the expressions of everyone except for the Huang Lu Biaoju hardened. 'This is too dangerous...' 'Ugh, how can we fight and remove the name tags? There will definitely be casualties.' The test content was fraught with danger. Group battles had a much higher probability of causing casualties compared to individual duels. At that moment, only Du E Qi and the people from the Huang Lu Biaoju were smirking. "By the way, will the biaoshi use their original weapons for the protection contest?" Ming Jin Biaoju's deputy leader cautiously asked, wondering if they would use safer weapons like wooden swords. However, the response came from the Huang Lu Biaoju side. "Hmph! Asking such pointless questions. Would you use wooden swords to protect your life in a real battle?" Xue Yu Dao, the leader of the Huang Lu Biaoju, sneered and insulted the deputy leader of Ming Jin Biaoju. The deputy leader felt a surge of anger but quickly shut his mouth, not wanting to provoke the Jiu Long Fang. The people's gazes then turned to the adjutant. There was a glimmer of hope in their eyes, but the adjutant's response dashed it. "He is right. It makes no sense to differentiate weapons for a test. The test will be conducted with your original weapons." However, there was still more to be shocked about. "This test is structured to inevitably become heated. ...Therefore, any casualties that occur during the test will be tacitly accepted by the Anchashi, who has the authority granted by His Majesty the Emperor." The announcement that casualties would not be punished was equivalent to legalizing murder. Jiang Weixiao closed his eyes tightly, unable to face Yu Xin Yun. At that moment, Du E Qi and the adjutant exchanged glances. The adjutant was also a member of the Jiu Long Fang. "Heh! Accidents can happen, Wu Liang Shou Bu." Qing Kun Daozhang of the Huashan Sect muttered, but his true feelings were different. He looked at Yu Xin Yun with a cold, ruthless gaze. No one dared to speak rashly about the unprecedented test content. Then, Yu Xin Yun broke the silence. "Is there anything else to wait for? Let's move now." He scratched his ear, looking bored, and spoke calmly. The other biaoju leaders were taken aback by his attitude. The sound of grinding teeth echoed. '...Fine, let's see how long you can keep up your arrogance. I'll tear you to pieces.' Du E Qi emitted a fierce killing intent towards Yu Xin Yun. Chapter 2 Shortly after, the six biaoju set off for the test site. The adjutant, designated as the overall supervisor by Jiang Weixiao, accompanied them. The test site was a small hill in Yuhang, northwest of Hangzhou. As they ascended the gentle mountain path, a vast plain came into view. "All biaoju, set up your temporary camps. We will distribute the biao to those who have completed their camps first." The adjutant's order was followed by the six biaoju hurriedly setting up their camps and forming their formations. The biaoju were positioned at a certain distance from each other, keeping a watchful eye on one another. The Huang Lu Biaoju was directly opposite the Bai Yun Biaoju. 'All those climbing the mountain are blocked. It might not be bad to just kill them all as soon as the test starts...' Du E Qi was contemplating as he looked at the fluttering flag of Bai Yun Biaoju. The test site was chosen to be this remote mountain at the suggestion of the Huang Lu Biaoju. To minimize the spread of bad news after the annihilation of Bai Yun Biaoju. There were other biaoju people around, but they would eventually be under the control of the Huang Lu Biaoju once they dominated Zhejiang Province. 'Just kill all the troublemakers.' Just as Du E Qi was about to share his decision with Xu Zhong Guang and Qing Kun Daozhang, a sudden, unidentified noise began. Everyone's gaze turned to the source of the noise. The lush trees surrounding the open area began to shake as if an earthquake had struck. Soon, numerous robust men with an extraordinary aura appeared on the test site. 'Why are they here...?' Clang! Clang! As Du E Qi was taken aback, the adjutant and the guards drew their spears and swords. The adjutant shouted in anger, "How dare you! You dare to step into the place where His Majesty the Emperor's orders are being carried out!" The middle-aged man