Tu Gou

A quarter of an hour passed quickly.

While Chen Shi'an and the others rested, several dozen men from the Demon Hunting Team erected forty wooden boards along one side of the Martial Practice Grounds. Each was as tall as a man and as broad as a man's shoulders, spaced roughly ten feet apart.

"Now we begin the selection of Squad Leaders."

Ye Xicheng did not give them a moment extra. The instant the quarter hour was up, he pointed at the forty boards and called out, "The previous test examined your strength and endurance.

"Now we will test your speed and ability to react.

"In a moment, your seniors will shoot arrows at you. The only cover you can use to shield yourselves or evade them will be those forty wooden boards."

All one hundred and ten candidates, Chen Shi'an included, blanched.

Ye Xicheng smiled faintly. "Don't worry. The arrowheads have been removed, and the tips wrapped in thick cotton cloth."

Everyone let out a collective breath of relief, their expressions easing a little.

The corners of Ye Xicheng's mouth curled high. "However, even without arrowheads, they still pack a punch. You'd best pray for your own good fortune."

Meanwhile, thirty men from the Demon Hunting Team strode out and formed a line.

Each held a longbow, with a quiver full of headless arrows beside him.

They wore peculiar smiles as they looked at Chen Shi'an and the others, like big bad wolves eyeing plump little lambs. The sight sent shivers down the candidates' spines.

"I'll count to ten. After that, they'll loose their arrows. Anyone hit loses the right to compete for a Squad Leader position." Ye Xicheng suddenly raised his voice.

The one hundred and ten candidates immediately took to their heels, racing toward the forty boards nearby.

Ye Xicheng began counting at once, and he counted extremely fast.

In fewer than five breaths, he reached ten.

At the same time, a succession of twangs rang through the Martial Practice Grounds.

The thirty Demon Hunting Team men drew and released without a moment's hesitation.

Thirty arrows whistled through the air, hurtling toward the one hundred and ten candidates.

Five breaths was far too little time. Only half of them had managed to get behind the boards.

The rest were all exposed to the arrows.

An instant later, screams erupted across the Martial Practice Grounds.

Although the arrow tips were wrapped in cloth, they struck with tremendous force.

Everyone hit was knocked clean off his feet, accompanied by a piercing scream.

More than a dozen men were hit in that first volley.

Those lucky enough to escape finally reached the area with the upright boards.

But there were still over ninety candidates and only forty boards-too many wolves, too little meat.

As they watched, the thirty Demon Hunting Team men drew their bows again.

A fierce struggle immediately broke out around the boards.

The latecomers swiftly picked their targets and fought to seize their boards.

Thus, the thirty Demon Hunting Team men kept shooting while the candidates brawled in a clattering, thudding melee.

Chen Shi'an had let loose a little of his speed earlier, placing him among the first to arrive and securing him a board well ahead of time.

But he had clearly miscalculated. His earlier low profile had not helped him in the slightest. Instead, it had made him everyone's target.

The latecomers clearly took him for a soft persimmon ripe for the squeezing.

For a moment, three men actually came to seize his board at once.

Had he gone all out, he could naturally have defended it with ease.

But he did not.

Instead, he withdrew willingly, handing over the board and leaving the three candidates to fight among themselves.

There was a reason for this choice.

While behind his board, he had watched the thirty Demon Hunting Team men shoot the entire time.

Their archery was exceptional, with excellent power, speed, and accuracy. They lived up to the Demon Hunting Team's name.

However, Chen Shi'an was confident that his speed would allow him to evade these arrows completely.

Besides, more than ninety candidates remained on the grounds. With so many people drawing fire for him, the arrows might not even come his way.

Rather than fight others for a board, he might as well focus his attention and energy on dodging arrows.

His decision was undoubtedly correct.

The candidates fighting for boards were distracted, making them even easier to hit.

Moreover, the Demon Hunting Team men clearly favored shooting into the crowds.

By staying away from the fighting, Chen Shi'an was actually safer.

Several volleys passed without a single arrow coming toward him. He did not even need to dodge.

He was not the only one.

One other person had made the same choice: that dangerous young man wearing a bear hide.

He, too, stayed out of the struggle for boards, standing well off to one side with his gaze fixed on the thirty Demon Hunting Team archers, judging where their arrows would land.

The unusual behavior of Chen Shi'an and the bear-hide-clad young man soon drew the spectators' attention.

Seeing Chen Shi'an standing safely to one side without a single arrow coming his way, the Martial Academy disciples could not help feeling indignant.

Some even muttered, "Shoot him! Shoot him already! What are you all doing? He's completely exposed! Why aren't you shooting him?"

On the Reviewing Platform, the senior members of the Demon Hunting Team watched Chen Shi'an and the young man in the bear hide, their eyes flickering.

A smile appeared on Fu Qingyang's face. "Calm in the face of danger, and able to choose the best response in so little time. Good!

"I'm looking forward to seeing more from Chen Shi'an."

Then he turned his gaze toward the young man wearing the bear hide. "He's quite interesting, too. What's his name?"

Ye Xicheng hurriedly opened the register and said quietly, "Tu Gou. A hunter. His father and grandfather both made their living hunting."

"A mongrel? A nickname?"

Fu Qingyang paused in surprise.

Ye Xicheng grinned. "Tu, written with the water radical beside 'surplus,' and Gou, as in 'muddling along.'"

Fu Qingyang shook his head with a wry smile. "What tasteful naming. This Tu Gou is rather interesting, too. Keep an eye on him."

Soon, as volley after volley fell, more and more people were hit and eliminated. The number of candidates on the grounds rapidly approached forty.

The thirty Demon Hunting Team men had fewer and fewer targets to shoot.

Chen Shi'an and Tu Gou made the same choice almost simultaneously. They began seizing boards.

Their movements were swift, their targets unmistakably clear.

Evidently, they had long since picked whom to strike.

Tu Gou's approach was simple and brutal. He went up to a board and traded a heavy punch with his opponent.

He did not budge, while his target flew straight backward and crashed heavily to the ground.

Once the man got up, he had lost all desire to fight Tu Gou. He turned away to fight someone else for a board.

Chen Shi'an's movements were equally clean and decisive. He rushed up to a candidate.

Before the man could react, Chen Shi'an lashed out with a lightning-fast kick, knocking him out from behind his board.

At that very moment, several arrows tore through the air toward them.

Sheltered by the board, Chen Shi'an escaped unscathed. His opponent, however, screamed as an arrow struck him, ending his chance of becoming a Squad Leader.

If searching for the book's title turns up nothing, try searching for the author. The title may simply have changed!

After several more volleys, only forty candidates remained, all hiding behind boards.

The thirty Demon Hunting Team men put away their bows and stopped shooting.

Meanwhile, directly in front of the Reviewing Platform, someone drew twenty circles in lime, each roughly thirty feet across, and marked their centers with the numbers one through twenty.

Ye Xicheng stood and looked at Chen Shi'an and the other thirty-nine men. "By making it this far, you've proven your strength and shown that you're a cut above the rest.

"Unfortunately, there are only ten Squad Leader positions. Thirty more of you must be eliminated."

The forty candidates showed no joy at having passed. Instead, their expressions grew solemn.

They all knew that those remaining were the elite. The competition ahead would only grow fiercer and more brutal.

Ye Xicheng raised his voice. "In the next stage, you will fight in pairs.

"There are no rules. The fight ends when one side concedes aloud or is knocked out of the white circle.

"The winner advances. The loser is eliminated.

"Now, show your number tags."

Chen Shi'an and the other thirty-nine candidates took out their number tags and went to one side of the Reviewing Platform to register.

Registration was soon complete.

A Demon Hunting Team man brought over a lot-drawing tube containing forty bamboo slips.

Only the upper halves of the slips were visible. The lower halves were engraved with the forty candidates' identification numbers.

Ye Xicheng took the tube and respectfully set it on the table before Fu Qingyang.

Fu Qingyang cleared his throat. "As your commander, I will draw lots to decide your matchups."

With that, he tapped the table lightly.

Two bamboo slips sprang from the tube and hung suspended in midair.

Ye Xicheng flicked his sleeve and caught the two slips. He called out, "Number sixteen and number three hundred and fifty, proceed to arena one."

Two candidates promptly strode forward and entered the circle marked with the number one, standing opposite each other.

Their gazes met, and sparks seemed to crackle where their eyes locked.

Fu Qingyang continued drawing pairs of bamboo slips, while Ye Xicheng kept announcing the numbers.

Soon, all twenty pairs had been selected and were standing inside the white circles.

Chen Shi'an was in arena sixteen. Whether by coincidence or a twist of fate, his opponent was a small, thin man with narrow eyes, a noticeably receding hairline, and a forehead full of wrinkles. Judging by his face, he had to be at least forty.

He had been one of the three men who tried to seize Chen Shi'an's board during the previous test.

The moment he entered the circle, the thin man began chuckling at Chen Shi'an, unable to suppress the upward curl of his lips.

Clearly, Chen Shi'an's willingness to surrender his board had given the thin man entirely the wrong impression.

He thought he had drawn the best possible lot.

Chen Shi'an looked at the thin man with an indifferent gaze and thought, Should I slap his face or kick his backside?

Once all forty candidates had entered their circles, Ye Xicheng said in a low voice, "There is no time limit. Fight until a winner is decided.

"Since there are no rules, and fists and feet have no eyes, your lives will be at risk once you enter the arena.

"You are already prospective members of our Demon Hunting Team. I don't want any of you injured.

"So know your limits. If you truly cannot win, concede early.

"Having made it this far, there is no shame in conceding.

"Once you join the Demon Hunting Team, you'll have plenty of opportunities to earn military merit, and more chances to become Squad Leaders."

At that, he swept his hand down. "Begin!"

Inside the twenty white circles, some struck immediately, some faced off while studying their opponents warily, and others acted as gentlemen who used words rather than fists, actually starting conversations with their opponents...

Arena sixteen was one such example.

The thin man held his chin high. "You're no match for me. Concede now, and you'll spare yourself a beating. I'll also save my strength for the next test.

"Don't worry. If I become a Squad Leader, I'll find a way to get you assigned under me and take good care of you."

Chen Shi'an smiled faintly. "Big brother, you're already getting on in years. Even if you become a Squad Leader, that'll probably be your limit. You won't have room to rise any higher.

"I'm young and have potential. If I become a Squad Leader, I'll definitely be able to climb further.

"As long as you're willing to concede, follow me afterward, and I'll make sure you feast on fine food and drink."

The thin man's face immediately darkened. "Who's your big brother? Who are you calling old?

"I only look old! I'm twenty this year!"

Chen Shi'an blinked, looking the thin man up and down with disbelief written all over his face.

How could a twenty-year-old look like this? His face was in far too much of a hurry!

The thin man rolled his eyes. "What are you staring at? I'm naturally mature and steady. Is that a crime?

"If you don't believe me, I'll show you my family's household register after the test."

This fellow's pretty amusing!

A smile appeared on Chen Shi'an's face. Originally, he had intended to settle the score over the board.

Now he felt that kicking the man out of the white circle would be enough.

Just then, a piercing scream rang out in the distance.

The fight in arena three had already ended.

The victor was Song Yuming, a Martial Academy disciple. Relying on his formidable Eighth Acquired Stage strength, he had knocked his opponent out of the white circle with a few punches and kicks, becoming the first to advance.

His opponent flew out of the circle and crashed heavily to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth. After coughing up several mouthfuls of hot blood, he passed out.

The Martial Academy disciples all cheered.

The yellow-robed elder seated on the Reviewing Platform also wore a smug smile.

However, the Demon Hunting Team members, along with their superiors on the Reviewing Platform, frowned slightly.

At this point, everyone fighting except Chen Shi'an already counted as a member of the Demon Hunting Team. They were comrades-in-arms.

Song Yuming was clearly stronger than his opponent. Winning would have been effortless. There had been no need to strike so viciously.

Comrades harming one another was a grave taboo in the Demon Hunting Team.

"See that? If you don't concede, you could very well end up like that fellow.

"You can't beat me anyway. Why put yourself through that suffering?"

The thin man continued trying to persuade him.

Seeing Chen Shi'an smile without answering, he went on, "You know perfectly well that the two of us are definitely near the bottom in strength among everyone here.

"If we tear each other apart here, neither of us will end up becoming a Squad Leader.

"If you concede and let me save some strength, I'll gain an advantage in the later fights and have a chance to make a bid for a Squad Leader position."

Afterward, I'll look after you.

We'll call it a partnership-a union of two powerhouses!"

The corners of Chen Shi'an's mouth curled up slightly. "You said yourself that we're both at the bottom of the pile in terms of strength. How can you call this a union of two powerhouses?"

"That doesn't matter. If two powerhouses can't unite, then two weaklings can help each other out."

The scrawny man waved a hand. "I've already given you a whole basketful of reasons. You seem like a smart guy, so hurry up and admit defeat.

My surname is Pi, and my given name is Hou. Play along today, and from now on, in the Demon Hunting Team, your big brother Pi will definitely have your back."