Chapter 64

Seeing that Jiang Chen did not show any reaction, Princess Gouyu did not press him excessively. She knew that this Jiang Chen preferred softness over hardness.

In the past, she had suffered no small amount of loss in front of him.

"Jiang Chen, you completed the first-grade task this time relatively quickly. It only took you about twenty days. Now, only two of Long Teng Hou's disciples completed their first task just two days ago."

In other words, among this batch of people, Jiang Chen was the third to submit his first task.

"Hehe, being fat first doesn't count as being fat; being fat later can crush the bed. Letting them take the lead isn't a big deal. If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

Jiang Chen was indifferent to the issue of order. If he hadn't secluded himself at home for a few days to break through the eighth pulse true qi and consolidate his martial foundation, he could have come to report three days ago.

These rankings of order actually had little impact on the overall situation.

After all, the final ranking would be decided by martial competition.

Seeing Jiang Chen's indifferent attitude, Gouyu did not say anything. She was very clear that beneath Jiang Chen's seemingly indifferent exterior, his heart was actually more measured than anyone else's.

Seeing Jiang Chen's departing back, Princess Gouyu suddenly found the courage: "Jiang Chen, the agreement we made before still stands!"

Jiang Chen's figure paused slightly, and he couldn't help but laugh, thinking to himself: "This girl is really stubborn! If Ru'er, that little girl, finds out that her idiot aunt has already promised her to me, Jiang Chen, without her consent, I wonder if she would be both amused and angry?"

The second task, compared to the first task, was more complex but seemed more interesting.

First-grade task: Recruit eight personal guards.

Task requirements: Each personal guard must have at least sixth pulse true qi and have potential for advancement.

Age requirements: No lower age limit, but the upper limit must not exceed twenty years old.

Identity requirements: Personal guards must be martial artists from the Eastern Kingdom and must not have any background from other countries.

Task standards: At the end of the task period, they must pass the final martial assessment.

This task was quite novel to Jiang Chen.

At least, this was not a task that could be completed by brute force. Due to the special nature of this task, the identity of the task executor was not restricted.

In other words, for other tasks, the identity could not be revealed, and family connections and networks could not be used.

However, this task had its special nature, being an open task that required the identity to be revealed and the use of connections and networks. Otherwise, with the pride of martial artists, who would be willing to serve as a personal guard for someone without a name or face?

"Chen'er, this task is not simple. Of course, if you want to become a first-grade vassal, you must have capable personal guards."

Every vassal must have a group of loyalists willing to sacrifice themselves for him.

These loyalists would basically form the core of a vassal's future inner circle, from which he could continuously expand his influence.

As for the age requirement, not exceeding twenty years old, that was self-evident. Those over twenty years old with sixth pulse true qi would not have much potential.

The requirement for identity and background was also easy to understand. Identity verification was to ensure that no spies from other countries infiltrated the vassal's inner circle.

This task was not just about recruiting eight personal guards.

At the end of the task period, these eight personal guards would undergo strength testing and some necessary assessments. If they failed these assessments, the task would be considered a failure.

"Chen'er, our Jiang family has operated in the Jianghan vassalage for hundreds of years and has a high prestige in the area. I have a good relationship with some local forces, and they all support me. Your mother, though she passed away early, had some good young relatives on her side. If you return to the Jianghan vassalage, I can help you arrange four or five slots."

Indeed, as Jiang Feng said, his control over the Jianghan vassalage was very good. The Jiang family had ruled the Jianghan vassalage for hundreds of years, making the area as solid as iron.

In daily life, Jiang Feng had high prestige. No matter what conflict arose among local forces, they would always invite the Jianghan vassal to arbitrate.

Jiang Feng was upright and fair, and his handling of matters often made people convinced.

Therefore, despite being heavily suppressed by Long Teng Hou in the capital, Jiang Feng was absolutely a widely respected local leader in the Jianghan vassalage, with high prestige.

If the next Jianghan vassal were to recruit personal guards, there would be countless people willing to respond locally. After all, being close to the Jianghan vassal meant forming ties with powerful forces, which was equivalent to entering the core of the Eastern Kingdom. This was completely different from local powerful figures.

A vassal of a kingdom had immense power, far beyond what local powerful figures could imagine.

Each task had a completion time of one month.

Jiang Chen saved ten days on his first task, so this second task would have forty days. The time seemed ample, but it might not be.

"It seems we need to return to the Southern Border for a trip." Jiang Feng had been away from the Jianghan vassalage for a long time and had some homesickness.

"Father, the situation in the capital is complex, and one move can affect everything. You should stay in the capital, and I will return."

Jiang Feng was slightly taken aback, then thought of something and smiled: "Chen'er, you're going back alone?"

"I'm going back alone." Jiang Chen nodded firmly.

"Good, I have always respected your wishes. You go back alone and use this opportunity to test your ability to control the big picture." Jiang Feng chuckled.

The real Jianghan vassal and the young vassal were different.

The high prestige of the Jianghan vassal in the area did not necessarily mean the young vassal would have the same influence. Especially since the previous Jiang Chen was known for his frivolous and unlearned nature, which was not just famous in the capital but also well-known in the Jianghan vassalage.

Therefore, for Jiang Chen, without his father's help, it would be quite difficult to achieve something in the Jianghan vassalage and successfully recruit eight personal guards.

"Chen'er, I have decided to host a private banquet tonight and invite some friendly vassals to attend. They can also help spread the word and widely recruit talent."

Finding eight promising young martial artists with sixth pulse true qi in just the Jianghan vassalage was quite challenging.

Finding eight young people with such martial talent was not difficult.

However, recruiting personal guards was not just about strength and talent; it also involved considering their character, willingness, and ability to handle affairs.

Considering all these factors made it quite difficult to find suitable candidates. Inviting some vassals with long-standing friendships to widely promote the recruitment in their territories was a good channel.

Jiang Chen did not object. After all, he needed as many channels as possible. As for who to recruit and whether they were reliable, it was still up to him to decide.

That night, the Jianghan vassal hosted a banquet and invited seven or eight vassals with very close relationships to attend.

Vassals often had close interactions and compatible personalities.

Even though they knew that Long Teng Hou and the Jianghan vassal had a poor relationship, it did not affect their friendship.

After all, vassals had many conflicts, and Long Teng Hou could not control everything.

Moreover, the situation of the Jiang family was shrouded in mystery, and many people could not understand it. The previously frivolous Jiang Chen had suddenly made a name for himself with a series of surprising actions.

Many people even suspected that the Jianghan vassal and his son had long harbored ambitions, deliberately hiding their strength to avoid drawing attention, with the goal of becoming one of the four major vassals!

Jiang Chen's choice of the first-grade task also confirmed the suspicions of various parties.

Therefore, when the Jianghan vassal called, even if there was no prior relationship, no one would openly snub Jiang Feng.

After the banquet, the news of Jiang Chen recruiting personal guards spread quickly.

It must be said that in the capital, the speed of information dissemination was much faster than Jiang Chen had imagined.

The subsequent chain reactions were also very rapid.

The next morning, a big figure came to see Jiang Chen.

The first to arrive was Qiao Baishi.

"Master, I have two clan nephews in the secular world, twin brothers, who have been practicing in the family and occasionally receive my guidance. With the help of my spirit medicines, they have now cultivated to the sixth pulse true qi at the age of seventeen. Keeping them there would be a waste of their good years. I heard that Master is recruiting personal guards, so..."

Jiang Chen understood. Qiao Baishi was recommending candidates to him.

"Twins? That's good. It's rare that you have this thought. I'll reserve two slots for your nephews. Give them a letter and have them meet me in the Jianghan vassalage."

Qiao Baishi was delighted. Although he called them clan nephews, in reality, Qiao Baishi had an ambiguous relationship with their clan aunt and had done many foolish things when he was young.

These two nephews, though called nephews, were actually treated like sons by Qiao Baishi.

He wanted to promote these two nephews, but they had no interest in the spirit medicine business and only wanted to practice martial arts and serve a vassal to achieve success.

Jiang Chen trusted Qiao Baishi's recommendations. At least, in terms of loyalty and reliability, there would be no issues.

After Qiao Baishi left, Princess Gouyu came. She, too, was there to recommend candidates.

"Jiang Chen, I recommend one person, the direct grandson of my first martial arts teacher. His family has fallen on hard times, but he is a very loyal person."

Princess Gouyu was straightforward.