owlsbooks Chapter 60 Martial Arts
Chapter 60 Martial Arts
Yang Silang became interested and went over to give it a light kick.
Woof...
Hei Zi was fast asleep when he was suddenly kicked out of his dream and woke up instantly. The milky white light around him vanished in an instant.
It turned its head and saw a stranger standing in the yard. It immediately bared its teeth and prepared to pounce. But when it smelled its owner's familiar scent, it froze, circled around and sniffed several times, and then frolicked at the feet of the disguised Yang Silang.
Yang Silang laughed heartily, realizing that his disguise technique couldn't fool his own dog.
Now that this black creature has gained sentience, will it really become a spirit or monster?
It won't grow into a ferocious creature like the Green-Scaled Serpent, um, I don't think so.
As he frowned in thought, Hei Zi suddenly felt a chill all over his body, let out a low whimper, turned over and lay on the ground, exposing his belly and wriggling his body in an attempt to please him.
"You're really smart..."
Yang Silang laughed heartily, lightly tapped the dog's belly with his foot, and then turned and went back into the house.
He still needs to make the most of the remaining time to sleep and rest, as the martial arts exam is coming up in a few days. He will also have to practice martial arts hard during the day, and he can't let go of such a good sparring partner as Long Yiyan.
Time flies, and more than twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the sun had passed its zenith and was hanging obliquely in the sky.
Under the warm autumn sun, the once empty training ground became noisy and bustling.
A large number of people, young and old, poured into the venue, crowding the area and making it impossible to move. There were at least several thousand people.
Clever vendors roamed among them, calling out their wares, adding a touch of human warmth to the once desolate and bleak scene.
The field was filled with new yellow soil, leveled, and hastily cleaned by the soldiers. Apart from weeds, flags fluttered in the wind around the field.
Today was the day when the Gongzhou Prefecture military examination was held to select scholars, and for the common people, it was as lively as a year-end party.
The martial artists who were once high and mighty are now competing and fighting on the same stage. The martial spirit of this world is extremely strong, so people naturally have to come and watch. If one or two candidates die in the examination hall, that will be the talk of the town for a year.
Long ropes were strung around the area, and about a hundred soldiers stood scattered among the crowd to maintain order.
On either side of the loess field, two wooden platforms were erected, one high and one low.
The wooden platform at the top was rather small, with a row of armchairs on it. Four or five officials in various robes were already seated there. In the center were two people: an elderly gentleman dressed as a civil official with three strands of beard, who was the chief examiner and the provincial education commissioner.
The other person, dressed in military robes but without armor, was the deputy general Chai, who had quelled the chaos of the "Heavy Sky Bandits," and was the deputy examiner for this occasion.
The examiner was not skilled in martial arts; his only responsibility was to oversee and ensure the process went smoothly.
The one truly in charge was this Deputy General Chai. In addition, among the officials was a fat old man wearing a bear-patterned robe and a black eye patch, who was none other than Long Yiyan.
He was a fifth-rank military officer who taught martial arts and was also one of the examiners for this exam.
In addition, there were dozens of constables running around, acting as henchmen and laborers.
At this moment, there were more than a dozen archery targets standing in the field, and in the distance, candidates were drawing their bows and nocking arrows.
With a whooshing sound.
Some people's arrows landed on the target, some aimed east but hit west, and some even hit other people's targets.
Some people shot arrows in rapid succession, hitting the target with every single one, even piercing the bullseye.
The crowd surrounding the area thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle, occasionally expressing regret or cheering loudly, creating quite a lively atmosphere.
Opposite the officials' high platform, across the entire area, was another low wooden platform. This platform was extremely large, several dozen feet in circumference, and was arranged in a stepped pattern. It was bustling with people, men, women, young and old, all craning their necks to watch with great tension.
The people above were mostly dressed in rich attire, and many were valiant warriors. There were also many women and young ladies with maids, their faces covered by round fans, all staring intently into the arena with gleaming eyes.
There was a narrow opening under the platform, where several soldiers maintained order. Anyone who wanted to sit on the platform and watch the show had to pay one or two taels of silver. Clearly, this was the VIP platform.
The gentlemen really took scientific expeditions to a whole new level.
The civil service examinations for scholars and those who passed the provincial examinations were held in the closed examination hall, where outsiders were not allowed to enter. The military examinations for scholars and those who passed the provincial examinations were very strict in the early years of the dynasty and the common people were not allowed to watch. Later, the exception was made, and the examinations became a means for the government to make money and settle accounts.
In short, it's free to stand and watch, but the view isn't great. Everyone's main goal is to participate, soak up the atmosphere, and be a good backdrop.
Although it costs money to sit and watch, the view is wide and clear, allowing you to empathize and feel the tension. Many people are also whispering and discussing something loudly.
It was so noisy in the venue that you couldn't hear anything if you spoke too softly.
"Master Zhu... Zhu Tong has achieved two top grades and one intermediate grade in the imperial examinations. It seems that he's almost certain to succeed in this exam..." Dad Xiong Shan said loudly, turning to the side.
Master Zhu was beaming, and he said modestly.
"It's too early to say it's a sure thing; there's always someone stronger."
"Si Lang is also good, with two matches in the top tier and one match in the middle tier."
Zhu Tong, the grandson of Master Zhu, also participated in this martial arts examination. He had already mastered the Copper Skin Martial Arts and was full of confidence. His goal was to be among the top ten, or even the top three.
Li Erhu, standing beside him, looked on with envy, his eyes shining.
"Xiongshan, this is what a true man should be like. I wonder when we will be able to stand on this field and compete with all kinds of experts."
Xiong Shan looked troubled.
"Sigh, I think having a baby is a bit too early now."
"I haven't been sleeping well at night lately, and my martial arts training has fallen behind."
"Hey? Da Niu, why are you all sweaty?"
Wang Daniu opened his palm and saw a bamboo tag, sticky and covered in sweat, with the number 3 engraved on it. He cursed loudly.
"That damn Ma Qianli, I knew he was unreliable!"
"He must have gone out drinking with Long Yiyan again last night until his legs were sore!"
"He only got two second-tier finishes in the sword-wielding and stone-picking competition, and only managed a mid-tier finish in the horse archery competition, yet he boasted that he would definitely get into the top ten!"
"I staked ten taels of silver on him!"
It turned out that there were people on the platform who had set up a betting pool and were accepting bets on the outcome and rankings.
Xiong Shan immediately leaned over and, upon seeing the cards in Wang Daniu's hand, exclaimed in surprise.
"Huh? Why is it number 3? Didn't you buy number 4?"
Wang Daniu scratched his head, his face crestfallen, and muttered under his breath, "I bought Fourth Brother's stock, but I only bought ten taels. I'm breaking even here, which is a loss."
Li Erhu laughed loudly, "What's so difficult about that? If you bet ten taels of silver on Fourth Brother now, you'll make a profit in the end, won't you?"
Wang Daniu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly got up and left.
In a corner of the stands.
Mr. Zhou, Mrs. Yao, Sister Yang, and Sister Yang sat together. The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, surrounded one person with respectful expressions. This person was none other than Mrs. Yao's elder brother, Yao Luchang.
This was a strong and muscular man who had cultivated himself into a bronze-skinned martial artist for many years. He served as the head镖师 (chief镖师) of a镖局 (镖局, a type of security escort agency) and was considered a powerful backer of the Zhou family's oil shop.
Sister Yang and Fifth Sister stood head to head, their faces full of tension.
"Little Five, has Fourth Brother played three games in a row?" The eldest sister's handkerchief was soaked with sweat.
"Don't worry, big sister," Yang Wumei said excitedly, her face flushed. "I asked Brother Da Niu, and he got first place in all three matches. As long as he gets second place or higher in archery and performs normally in actual combat, he'll definitely hit the target. Maybe he can even make it into the top ten."
"You're right, aren't you, Kuroko?" She looked down at her feet.
Hei Zi immediately barked twice in response. It turned out that she had brought the dog out with her. Fortunately, the soldiers saw that she was young and did not charge the dog any money.
Sister Yang breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softening slightly. She murmured to herself, "Mom and Dad, can you see this from heaven? Fourth son has made something of himself!"
the other side.
Grandma Yao whispered in her eldest brother's ear.
"How did that guy do on the exam, brother?"
"Is it possible to win?"
"How do I compare to you?"
People who were once like cats and dogs, who were so down on their luck that they had to beg, are now standing in the examination hall.
Even a lowly concubine like Sister Yang is now living in the main house and wearing fine silks, which makes her very uncomfortable and vaguely feel that her status is threatened.
Master Zhou also perked up, thinking that if Yang Silang passed the imperial examination at the county level, he would also feel proud. It was a pity that he would pass the military examination at the provincial level.
A scholar with the title of Xiucai (a degree in the imperial examination system) can be exempted from taxes and corvée labor, but not by much, and one cannot use one's own shop to entrust it to another.
Yao Luzhang gave a bitter smile.
"Is it possible to win?"
"Even if we remove the 'cannot be removed' part, the ranking might still be quite high!"
"He can wield a hundred-pound broadsword, lift a six-hundred-pound stone lock, and hit the target seven out of ten times in mounted archery and nine out of ten times in foot archery. I am far inferior to him."
"Brother-in-law, there is a law in our dynasty that allows commoners to take another wife, who will have the same status as the principal wife."
"Have you considered making that eldest daughter a secondary wife?"
Manager Zhou: "???"
Grandma Yao immediately cried out in grievance, "Brother, how can you be so biased towards outsiders?"
Is this silly girl that Daya bought on equal footing with her?
She doesn't want it!