Drawing Lots for the Match!

Chen Han and Fan Tao merely smiled and nodded. Seeing their expressions, Lu Feng immediately realized this was an opportunity to make money.

With his current strength as an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, there was basically no suspense in him taking the position of the new Constable.

If he bet on himself to win this selection, he would definitely make a fortune.

With this thought, Lu Feng didn't hesitate and immediately had Fan Tao take him to place his bet.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the Yamen office, where several constables were standing by a desk placing bets.

The person sitting behind the desk was the accountant constable, Old Li Tou, from their County Yamen.

Seeing this, Lu Feng strode over and said to Old Li Tou, "Old Li, I'd like to place a bet too. What are the odds?"

Old Li Tou looked up at him and said, "Oh, it's Constable Lu. Since you want to play, I'll tell you about it."

"There are four betting slots in the current odds. The first is Li Hu, with odds of one to two. The second is Chen Yu, with odds of one to three. The last two are Jia Hongyi and Wang Dahai; both of them have odds of one to four!"

After hearing Old Li Tou's explanation, Lu Feng frowned slightly.

There were a total of eleven people who signed up to compete for the new Constable position at the County Yamen, but only four betting slots were set up here.

This meant that these four individuals were the popular candidates vying for the new Constable position.

In that case, he wouldn't be able to bet on himself.

After a moment of thought, he spoke again, "Old Li, besides these four, can I bet on someone else?"

Old Li was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded, "You can, but who do you plan to bet on, kid?"

Lu Feng smiled and replied, "Naturally, I'll bet on myself! What are my odds?"

"Yourself?!" Old Li Tou looked surprised. "Are you sure you want to bet on yourself?"

Lu Feng nodded with great certainty, "Yes, that's right!"

"Alas, it's good for young people to be confident, but too much confidence is not good! Since you want to bet on yourself, I'll calculate it for you at odds of one to five," Old Li Tou sighed helplessly.

Seeing this, Lu Feng didn't get angry; instead, a smile appeared on his face.

Then, he took out a thousand taels of silver notes and placed them directly on the table. "Old Li, I'll bet a thousand taels on myself."

Upon seeing the ten hundred-tael silver notes appear on the table, Old Li Tou was immediately shocked.

Even Fan Tao and Chen Han, who were behind Lu Feng, were startled by his actions.

However, after a moment's thought, they understood that the thousand taels of silver notes he produced were likely compensation from the Caobang Gang.

Seeing this, Old Li Tou took another careful look at Lu Feng and then reminded him, "Lu Feng, I advise you to think carefully. A thousand taels is not a small sum. If you lose, I won't refund you."

Their Qinglu County Yamen had hosted similar betting pools a few times before, and the constables and yamen runners in the Yamen would also bet some silver to play.

But the amount of silver bet was usually not much. A situation like Lu Feng betting a thousand taels had never happened before.

Seeing Old Li Tou say this, Lu Feng just smiled and replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Old Li. Since Lu dares to bet, I naturally understand the rules."

Old Li Tou nodded, then took the thousand taels of silver notes and handed over a wooden token.

"Alright, then keep this registration token."

Taking the wooden token, Lu Feng looked at it and saw the character "Lu" written on the front and "One Thousand Taels" on the back.

Just as he was putting away the token and preparing to leave, Fan Tao, who was behind him, suddenly spoke, "Lu Feng, are you crazy? You're betting all the thousand taels you worked so hard to get?"

Lu Feng just smiled and didn't offer any further explanation.

Seeing him like this, Fan Tao gritted his teeth and also took out five taels of silver to bet on Lu Feng.

Soon, time came to the end of the Chen hour, and Lu Feng arrived at the training ground behind the County Yamen.

He saw that many yamen runners and constables had already gathered there, and the eleven constables participating in this competition had also arrived.

As Lu Feng observed his competitors, several figures slowly walked into the training ground.

Seeing the newcomers, everyone cupped their fists and bowed, "We pay our respects to the County Magistrate!"

These figures were none other than the County Magistrate Wang Lichuan, the County Assistant Zhou Yongsi, the Chief Clerk Lu Yan, and three Constables.

Wang Lichuan scanned the crowd and then raised his hand, "Everyone, no need to be so formal. Today is a good day for our Qinglu County Yamen to select a new Constable. I hope you will all perform exceptionally well. I won't say any more unnecessary words. Strategist Wang, please announce the rules for the selection."

After the County Magistrate finished speaking, the Strategist Wang Jun stepped forward and announced the rules for the selection.

The rules for this new Constable selection were very simple: all participants would draw lots for matches, and the one who achieved first place in the martial arts competition would be promoted to the position of Constable.

After the Strategist finished announcing, he took out a wooden box and had the registered participants come forward to draw lots.

Lu Feng also went up to draw a lot. He drew number five.

The person who drew the same number as him happened to be Wang Dahai, a popular candidate.

Lu Feng naturally knew this person. He had become a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist half a year ago, and he didn't know what realm he had cultivated to now.

So, he turned to look at Wang Dahai, wanting to observe his first opponent, and the other person also looked over at that moment.

Wang Dahai sneered at the corner of his mouth, clearly not taking him seriously.

Seeing this, Lu Feng's face showed no emotional fluctuation.

According to his calculations, this Wang Dahai had likely also reached the Seventh-Rank Martial Artist level.

Otherwise, the other party wouldn't have had that expression. After all, he had severely injured the Caobang Gang's grand leader, Li An, just two days ago and brought him back to the Yamen.

And Li An was an established Seventh-Rank Martial Artist. For Wang Dahai to show such disdain towards him meant that the opponent's strength was no less than Li An's.

However, even if the opponent's Martial Realm had reached Seventh-Rank Martial Artist, so what?

He was now an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, and he also had the perfected Cloud-Dispelling Palm. Even if he encountered a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist, he would not be afraid.

The draw ended, and the competition began immediately.

The first to enter the stage were the contestants who drew number one. However, both of them were only Sixth-Rank Martial Artists.

The County Magistrate, County Assistant, and Chief Clerk sitting in the judges' seats were not too concerned about contestants of this level.

The two contestants were separated after only thirty rounds.

Following that, the second match continued.

It just so happened that Li Hu was among the contestants this time. This person was a strong contender for the new Captain.

The County Magistrate and the others also showed expressions of interest.

The opponent Li Hu faced was merely a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist. As soon as they clashed, Li Hu suppressed the opponent with absolute strength.

Within ten rounds, Li Hu punched the opponent out of the martial arts arena.

Seeing this, the County Magistrate and the others nodded in approval. They were very satisfied with Li Hu's performance.

Just like that, the competition quickly reached the fifth match.

At this moment, Lu Feng and Wang Dahai stood on the martial arts arena.

Lu Feng looked up at the other party, raised his hand, and cupped his fist in a salute. "Constable Wang, please!"

Wang Dahai casually returned the salute with a cupped fist. "Please!"

As the words fell, Wang Dahai's figure flashed, launching the first attack.

The next moment, the opponent was in front of him, and a punch came towards his face.

Facing Wang Dahai's sudden attack, Lu Feng's expression was calm. He turned his right hand into a palm and struck out.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, Wang Dahai was forced back six or seven steps before he stopped.

The scene before them not only shocked Wang Dahai but also drew the attention of the County Magistrate and the others.

The County Assistant Zhou Yongsi, sitting to the County Magistrate's left, narrowed his eyes slightly, looking surprised.

"Huh?! This Lu Feng actually managed to repel Wang Dahai head-on. It seems this fellow is not simple!"

The County Magistrate Wang Lichuan merely smiled, saying nothing.

Wang Dahai, who had been repelled by Lu Feng's palm strike, was not only full of shock but his right hand was also trembling slightly.

However, Wang Dahai was not intimidated by this palm strike. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he charged at Lu Feng again.

Just as the two were about to close in, Wang Dahai suddenly shouted, "Tongbei Fist, break!"

As the words fell, the opponent's fist, carrying a powerful Internal Force, whistled towards his face.

Seeing this, Lu Feng didn't hesitate. He raised his palm to meet it.