Sincerity

Liu Mo lay on the arena floor, motionless. Had it not been for the occasional weak twitch of his chest, everyone would have assumed he was already a corpse.

The small courtyard was deathly silent at first, followed by the sound of people drawing sharp, ragged breaths.

The scene before them was simply too shocking. A Guard Assessment examiner had been beaten into a state of collapse by an apprentice during the assessment—something that had never happened in the history of the Benevolent Heart Medicine Hall.

The apprentices who had once ground and sliced herbs alongside Jiang Feng in the pharmacy now looked at the arena with completely changed expressions.

"Good heavens, Jiang Feng really has some hidden talent... How did I never notice he could fight like that before?"

"Brothers, do you think if Jiang Feng really becomes a guard, he'll still remember us? Will he be able to look out for us a bit?"

"Hmph, you're quite the dreamer. It'll be a miracle if he doesn't hold a grudge. Have you forgotten how you used to belittle him back in the pharmacy?"

In the crowd, Zhao Sen stood in a corner without a word, but the envy and complexity in his eyes as he gazed at Jiang Feng could not be hidden.

On the viewing platform, Xue Zhao and Tie Rong were completely dumbfounded.

Neither of them had expected things to turn out this way.

"Steward Tie, it's time to announce the results, isn't it? Jiang Feng's promotion to guard shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Xie Shu's voice rang out at the perfect moment, dragging their thoughts back to reality.

"No! This assessment is invalid!"

Xue Zhao sprang from his seat, his voice so sharp it had nearly cracked.

Xie Shu's expression turned cold instantly. He stood up slowly, his blood-qi surging. The aura of a Skin-Refining Realm martial artist spread silently like a rising tide, stifling the breathing of everyone nearby.

"You were the one who insisted on overseeing the assessment yourself. Now that Jiang Feng's performance has far exceeded expectations, you claim it's invalid?

Xue Zhao, do you have so little regard for the rules of the Medicine Hall?"

He raised a hand to point at Xue Zhao, his voice chillingly deep.

"Don't think I didn't see the tricks you pulled.

That Liu Mo on the arena floor wasn't here to conduct an assessment at all; every move he made was aimed at crippling or killing Jiang Feng.

If Jiang Feng's foundation hadn't been solid enough and his wits sharp enough, he would have already met your wishes by now.

If you insist that this assessment is invalid, then come up onto the arena with me.

If you can withstand three of my moves, I'll accept your claim."

Xue Zhao's face turned deathly pale. His lips trembled, and he didn't dare utter a single word.

He was merely a Martial Apprentice at the seventh level of the Blood-Moving Realm, while Xie Shu was a genuine Skin-Refining Realm martial artist. Between them lay not just a gap of three minor realms, but a chasm as vast as a natural moat.

Let alone three moves, he wouldn't even be able to withstand one.

He could only pin his final hope on Tie Rong.

As long as Tie Rong insisted the assessment was void, it wouldn't matter what Xie Shu demanded.

Yet, Tie Rong didn't even glance at him. His gaze remained fixed on Jiang Feng in the arena. After a moment of silence, he spoke coldly:

"Why should it be voided?

I think this kid is truly a good seed for martial arts, and he's quite suitable for the Guard Hall.

Tell him to report to me tomorrow. I have nothing more to say; I have matters to attend to, so I'm leaving."

Having dropped these words, he stood up and walked out of the courtyard. From start to finish, he never once looked at the twitching Liu Mo on the ground, as if he didn't know the man at all.

Xue Zhao, standing to the side, was completely stunned.

What was wrong with Tie Rong? Was he taking money and not doing the job?

He had paid out real silver, yet not only had Jiang Feng not been stopped, he had passed the assessment smoothly and become a guard.

Watching Tie Rong stride out of the courtyard, Xue Zhao ignored his own dignity and chased after him, emboldened enough to ask:

"Steward... Steward Tie, you promised me clearly that you wouldn't let Jiang Feng into the Guard Hall... how could you now..."

Tie Rong stopped abruptly and let out a cold snort. His triangular eyes glared over, his gaze piercing Xue Zhao's face like a knife. His voice was muffled but heavy enough to make one's chest ache:

"You have the nerve to question me? You didn't even figure out the kid's true strength, and you made my man lose face in public! I haven't even settled that account with you yet!"

Xue Zhao shuddered under his glare, his mind filled with confusion as he stammered:

"W-what do you mean by that?"

"That kid named Jiang Feng isn't at the seventh level of the Blood-Moving Realm at all. He's at the eighth level!"

"What?!"

Xue Zhao's voice rose uncontrollably by a full octave, the color draining from his face in an instant.

"That's impossible! Even I haven't touched the threshold of the eighth level of the Blood-Moving Realm yet. How could he..."

He could still force himself to attribute Jiang Feng's mastery of blood-qi manifestation to mere luck.

But if the opponent had already broken through to the eighth level of the Blood-Moving Realm, all his excuses were as thin as paper.

What he found even harder to accept was that he, an apprentice steward, could occasionally afford Blood-Qi Pills, yet he had still been thoroughly surpassed by Jiang Feng. Didn't this fundamentally admit that he, Xue Zhao, was inferior to Jiang Feng? Inferior to the piece of trash he used to be able to manipulate at will?

"Believe it or not, it doesn't matter. The fact that he could defeat Liu Mo so easily is proof enough."

Xue Zhao gritted his teeth, still unwilling to give up. He steeled himself, no longer caring about offending Tie Rong, and said bluntly:

"Then we can't just let him go, can we? You... you took my silver, you can't just do nothing."

Those fifty taels were his entire savings, accumulated after doing countless dirty jobs for Wu Han. If they were just thrown away, it would be more painful than death.

Tie Rong, however, was not annoyed. Instead, he slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a look of confidence, his tone unhurried:

"Why are you panicking? When did I say I wouldn't help you?

He passed the assessment and shed his slave registry status, but can he fly out of this Medicine Hall?

More importantly, he is under my command now. In the Guard Hall, dealing with him is just a matter of a single word."

He paused, lowered his voice, and continued with a sinister smile:

"I heard the Wu Family is looking to pull a few guards from us to assist in dealing with some evil spirits.

If I add Jiang Feng's name to that list, do you think he has any chance of survival?

There are countless ways to kill him. Just set your heart at ease; your silver will not have been spent in vain."

Upon hearing this, Xue Zhao's expression finally improved, and a look of gratitude surfaced in his eyes. He bowed repeatedly:

"Then I rely entirely on Steward Tie."

Tie Rong waved his hand dismissively, then rubbed his two fingers together in a slow, deliberate motion, casting a meaningful look at Xue Zhao. The meaning could not have been clearer.

The task could be done, but the "sincerity" had to keep coming.

Seeing this, Xue Zhao felt another pang of heartache, but he knew he had no way out. He could only grit his teeth and offer a fawning smile:

"Steward Tie, please give me a few days... I will send the next portion of 'sincerity' to you as soon as possible."