The other two trainee Martial Suppression Guards had arrived a step ahead of Fu Shaoping.
The veiled female guard's pretty brows were slightly knitted. She was clearly growing impatient with the wait.
Fu Shaoping hurried over and stood in line with them.
Ye Xiaoqi swept his gaze over them before speaking:
"Your month of training is over. From today onward, you are full-fledged Martial Suppression Guards. Under orders from above, this year's assignment process has changed. Instead of having me assign everyone, the commandants and Trainee Martial Suppression Guards will discuss arrangements among themselves. If both parties agree, they will form a team."
Ye Xiaoqi spoke blandly.
Anyone familiar with him would have sensed his displeasure.
This was clearly an attempt to strip his Personnel Hall of some of its authority.
At those words,
the Personnel Hall erupted into a hubbub.
Without waiting for Junior Banner Ye's instructions, more than half the commandants swarmed toward the female guard.
"What are you doing? What are you doing? Throwing yourselves forward like hungry wolves pouncing on a tiger? I haven't finished speaking!" Ye Xiaoqi glared at them, then continued, "If you haven't reached a mutual agreement in half an hour, I'll assign you myself."
The moment he finished,
the crowd, which had fallen silent for an instant, stirred again.
Fu Shaoping saw more than a dozen commandants heading his way.
He quickly stepped onto the raised platform at the front. Every one of them was a commandant. If they extended an olive branch and he rejected it, their inevitable future encounters would be awkward. Better to take the initiative. He cupped his hands toward the crowd and declared:
"Thank you for your favor, my lords. I joined the Martial Suppression Bureau to fulfill my late father's wish: to vanquish evil, defend the righteous path, and uphold justice."
At those words,
the entire Personnel Hall fell silent.
The gazes directed at Fu Shaoping were full of bewilderment. Wasn't vanquishing evil, defending the righteous path, and keeping the peace precisely the Martial Suppression Bureau's purpose? But that was the official line.
In truth, when people joined the Martial Suppression Bureau,
weren't they all after promotion and wealth?
None of them knew what medicine Fu Shaoping was hiding in his gourd.
The veiled woman gave a cold snort.
"Playing to the crowd."
Fu Shaoping cupped his hands toward everyone and continued:
"Commandants, my cultivation is currently at the Body Tempering Realm Second Level. I would therefore like to work within my abilities and specialize in criminal cases in Green Ox Town's villages. If any commandant would give me priority for such assignments in the future, I would gladly serve him with the devotion of a hound or horse."
The villagers around Green Ox Town were all farmers.
There was scarcely a single martial artist among all the surrounding villages.
Understanding dawned on everyone.
So this fellow was a coward who shied away from trouble.
The commandants needed people who could charge into battle. Naturally, they had little interest in someone who lacked the courage to challenge himself. Besides, Fu Shaoping was not even sixteen; taking him along would be like raising a son. Their enthusiasm faded, and they turned to surround the veiled woman instead.
In front of the platform,
the space emptied in an instant.
Fu Shaoping felt rather awkward.
Still,
after a month of experimentation,
he had discovered a rule governing the Mystic Mandate Codex's points: the greater the evil, the more points he received. The offender's cultivation seemed to have little bearing on it. Most importantly, he was only at the Body Tempering Realm Second Level and had yet to truly fight another martial artist. It was better to play it safe while he grew stronger.
Unfortunately,
his plan was perfect, but reality was cruel.
The commandants clearly had no wish to let him take up a place on their teams. After all, advancing another step to Junior Banner required a hundred eighth-grade merits, while handling a criminal case involving ordinary people would earn a single Ninth-Rank Merit at most.
In the blink of an eye, most of the half hour had passed.
One or two people approached Fu Shaoping during that time to sound him out, asking whether he might change his mind, but he held firm and refused to budge.
Just then,
Ye Xiaoqi emerged from the side chamber where he had been handling routine business.
The other two Martial Suppression Guards had already found their places. Only Fu Shaoping remained unassigned.
Behind Ye Xiaoqi,
a walking stick tapped against the floor.
Old Zhan appeared before them, having changed into a Flying Fish Uniform.
When Fu Shaoping saw that the flying fish on his Flying Fish Uniform was embroidered in copper thread, his eyes lit up. He hurried forward and offered his heartfelt congratulations:
"Uncle Zhan, congratulations!"
Through an unexpected turn of events, Old Zhan had finally risen to the rank of commandant after meeting Fu Shaoping.
Old Zhan smiled and said:
"I heard what you said just now from the side hall. I don't have a single Martial Suppression Guard under me yet. If you don't mind, how about joining me?"
"Thank you for your favor, my lord!"
The change in address
signified that the two had reached an agreement.
The other commandants felt no envy. Instead, they looked with pity at this pair of old and feeble misfits.
Yet,
years later,
whenever they gathered and this incident came up, every one of them would beat his chest and stamp his feet. A golden opportunity had been placed right before their eyes, and they had failed to seize it.
What bitter regret!
"Since the teams are settled, you six stay. The rest of you spectators can leave."
Ye Xiaoqi waved a hand.
Once everyone else had left,
he took out a scroll and added the names of Fu Shaoping and the other two beneath their respective commandants.
Fu Shaoping happened to glance at it and saw that the female guard's name was written as "Nameless."
It was obviously not her real name, but Ye Xiaoqi showed no intention of questioning it.
Fu Shaoping could not help wondering just what sort of background this guard named Nameless had.
"Here are your Martial Suppression Sabers. Keep them safe. A single Martial Suppression Saber is worth fifty Origin Stones-more than your little lives. Don't let anyone swipe them."
That expensive?!
As Fu Shaoping accepted his, his hand immediately sank under its weight.
After reaching the Body Tempering Realm Second Level, he could lift four hundred jin. Even so, the cold Martial Suppression Saber still felt substantial in his hand. It probably weighed several dozen jin.
After handing out the Martial Suppression Sabers,
Ye Xiaoqi waved a hand, and his two subordinates brought over three boxes, handing one each to Fu Shaoping and the other two.
"Now that your training period is over and you've become full-fledged Martial Suppression Guards, your benefits will change accordingly. These boxes contain the deeds to one mu of paddy field and one mu of sloping farmland, already registered in your names. These are your benefits for becoming full guards."
There were even paddy fields and sloping farmland!
Joy welled up in Fu Shaoping's heart.
However,
he remembered that his father had apparently received no such thing. Had the Martial Suppression Bureau recently introduced reforms?
It seemed the Martial Suppression Bureau did not remain unchanged forever. Its various benefits policies also shifted with the times.
Ye Xiaoqi continued:
"Furthermore,"
"Each month, you may collect one Low-Grade Essence Stone, one packet of Grade C Blood Qi Powder, and one tael of silver. Provided, of course, that you complete your assignment for that month."
"Every Martial Suppression Guard must complete one ninth-grade assignment per month. If you fail to meet that requirement, your monthly benefits will be canceled. If you fail for six consecutive months, you will be demoted to trainee status and must wait a year before becoming a full guard again. Is that clear?"
"Yes, my lord!"
Before you continue