He wore a black gauze cap, his features handsome and refined. His seventh-rank official robe was patterned with blue designs, a jade belt was wrapped around his waist, and black boots covered his feet.
Everyone said the new County Magistrate from Prefecture City was young, and now it seemed the rumors were true.
This was Zhao An's first time seeing the new County Magistrate, too.
The man possessed both the scholarly elegance and noble bearing of a scion of a great family, and the solemn, dignified air of an official.
His eyes were narrow and cold. At first glance, he seemed like someone who couldn't abide even a speck of dust in his eyes—not an easy man to get along with.
"Tao Heng..." Zhao An saw the new County Magistrate's true name above his head. It was milky white, its glow spreading out, with six feet of smoke rising above it!
"His Virtue Fruit..."
Before this, the person Zhao An had seen with the most Virtue Fruit was Meng Wanyi. Three feet of white light had risen above her head, pure as the moon.
But now, the white light above this newly appointed County Magistrate was even brighter, reaching more than six feet!
He was the person with the most Virtue Fruit Zhao An had ever seen!
If Meng Wanyi had accumulated three feet of merit for treating countless people and relieving their suffering, that was entirely reasonable.
"Could this County Magistrate have saved even more people..." Zhao An pondered.
With high office and authority in hand, one could indeed affect many people's fates.
Sometimes, a policy introduced by a County Magistrate or a law that benefited the people could earn him a share of Virtue Fruit.
Seen this way, officials did have an easier time accumulating Virtue Fruit than most ordinary people.
Of course, that was only if the official was a good one who worked for the people's benefit and remained upright and incorruptible.
If he embezzled, the Virtue Fruit on him would diminish. And if he spent his time in office doing evil until the people under his rule were plunged into misery, he would be one of the greatest villains in the world!
"If circumstances allow, when this good official falls into trouble, I could consider saving him." Zhao An thought.
Of course, such a fine opportunity to gain Virtue Fruit might not happen to appear before him.
After all, the guards by the man's side, as well as the County Soldiers and Prefecture Soldiers in the city, were no mere decoration.
Zhao An's gaze naturally fell on the guards accompanying the official.
Four of them caught his attention.
The martial air about those four was on a completely different level from that of the surrounding constables and County Soldiers.
They were merely holding their sabers and doing nothing, yet the aura of strength they exuded was so striking that no one dared meet their eyes.
"They must be experts brought from Prefecture City..." Zhao An guessed.
"Why isn't the County Commandant here this year? In past years, didn't the County Vice-Magistrate oversee the civil examinations and the County Commandant the martial ones?"
"I heard the County Commandant was dismissed long ago. Some say he's already eating prison food behind bars!"
"What a pity. Even a powerhouse like him couldn't escape imprisonment..."
"Forget about that. The county examination is what matters now! I heard that if you join the army as a Martial Student, you can take up an important post directly instead of starting as a foot soldier!"
"Of course. That's why I came..."
"..."
"Silence!"
Once the County Magistrate had taken his seat, an official beside him gave the order, and the entire gathering quickly fell silent.
Anyone who failed to read the room at a time like this risked being dragged away.
The County Magistrate first surveyed the examinees. After nodding in satisfaction, he spoke.
"Since ancient times, literature has carried the Way, while martial prowess has protected the people. Today, the county holds its martial examination to select brave and capable talents from the countryside. Martial virtue comes first, skill and courage second, and military strategy third."
"I guarantee that this county examination will be fair and impartial. There will be no favoritism, fraud, or deceit..."
The County Magistrate delivered a lengthy opening speech before finally declaring, "Let the martial examination begin!"
Flags were raised and horns sounded across the Martial Arts Arena, rousing the wealthy family scions who had come to watch from outside the grounds.
The officials and clerks below took their places at various stations, called out the examinees' numbers, and directed them to complete each test in order.
The first event was the simplest: stone lifting.
It tested nothing but a martial artist's physique and strength.
Rows of stone locks lay on the ground, each one larger and heavier than the last. At the end stood a Bronze Tripod.
The tripod stood taller than a person's waist and measured more than a meter across. It was a Thousand-Catty Tripod.
The Great Wu Dynasty had long had a tradition of lifting tripods. In the county examination, anyone who could lift this Thousand-Catty Tripod received full marks for the stone-lifting event.
Of course, ordinary people had no hope of lifting it.
Usually, only someone born with great strength or a Martial Master with powerful Internal Breath had any chance.
Even martial artists with weaker Internal Breath couldn't lift it.
"Number one, Li Dabao! Three-hundred-catty stone lock, lifted above the chest!"
"Number nine, Feng Er! Three-hundred-and-fifty-catty stone lock, lifted above the chest!"
The clerks nearby recorded the examinees' results. Whenever someone lifted a stone lock weighing more than three hundred catties, they would call out loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
Even the County Magistrate on the high platform would turn his gaze toward them at the sound.
The wealthy men from the Inner City watching outside the grounds also had their people note down these powerful, brawny men.
If any of these outstanding candidates failed the examination later, they would be recruited as strongmen to guard the family compounds.
If they made the list, they would be courted and sponsored, with the favor repaid in the future.
Each person's strength test took only a minute or two. In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred people had finished.
Fewer than ten had their names called out.
At a glance, Zhao An saw that three of them were martial artists who had developed Internal Breath. The others were brawny men relying on sheer arm strength.
The heaviest stone lock lifted so far weighed four hundred and fifty catties. One of those martial artists had lifted it.
"Without developing Internal Breath, making the list isn't completely impossible, but the odds are slim." Zhao An thought.
And that was indeed the case. In the Martial Examination, martial artists held an overwhelming advantage.
Most ordinary people who took part weren't really hoping to make the list. They simply wanted to use the county examination as an opportunity to find a good way forward.
If they could get to the Inner City and guard the homes of the wealthy families, they would be satisfied.
After a while, sudden cries of astonishment rang out from both inside and outside the Martial Arts Arena.
"Number two hundred and seventy-seven, Shen Pan! Eight-hundred-catty stone lock, lifted above his head!"
Zhao An looked over. The person in the Martial Arts Arena was a familiar face.
Young Shen Pan flipped over a thick, heavy stone lock wider than he was and lifted it above his head.
His entire body was taut, yet he didn't tremble in the slightest. His handsome face was set with determination, and he had a tenacity that made people instinctively cheer him on.
An eight-hundred-catty stone lock was the best strength result so far.
"Jinyi, what do you think of this lad?" County Magistrate Tao Heng asked after lightly applauding.
One of the guards beside him replied, "He's so young, yet he has two hundred strands of Internal Breath. His physique is stronger than that of his peers. He must be training in boxing. Very impressive."
"Does he have the potential to be cultivated?" Tao Heng asked again.
"Even in Prefecture City, he'd be considered above average." The guard nodded.
"Mm..." Tao Heng smiled faintly and said no more.
After the results were announced, Shen Pan set down the stone lock and glanced at the Bronze Tripod not far beside him.
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