NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: Chapter 20 Everyone Dies Together
He hadn't come over for three days.
The atmosphere among the guardian house servants at the martial arts ground had subtly changed.
It wasn't that there were fewer people, or that no one was practicing the Eight-Form Method.
Instead, the spirits of most people were low, devoid of that rising hope...
Except for a few who were rubbing their hands eagerly, ready to try.
Most had their heads bowed and eyes downcast, standing silently aside.
A few were gathered around some loudly laughing protectors, joking with them in an ingratiating manner.
"Could this be … they have given up?"
By the side of the martial arts ground, Zhou Ping'an stood near several large trees holding swaying heavy sandbags, and he could vaguely guess what was happening by looking at these people.
"Brother Zhou seems to be in great spirits," Tang Lin'er, always unpredictable, just appeared out of nowhere.
He glanced at Zhou Ping'an, his gaze somewhat uncertain.
That wasn't right, when he saw him three days ago, his face was pale, his expression defeated, and his legs shaky, as if he were seriously ill.
After a few days of not seeing him, he appeared robust and spirited.
His eyes, dark as lacquer, made it so one couldn't look away.
"Isn't this a trial? I took a few days off, slept, ate, and rested...
To recuperate before the test, sharpening the axe does not hinder the chopping of wood."
Zhou Ping'an laughed and said, "Never mind me, the protectorate leader himself has come, and some high-ranking guardians are here to watch. It's the perfect opportunity to shine in front of others, why then is everyone so listless?"
"It's because they have realized the gap and lost their fighting spirit.
Everyone knows their own capabilities. Even without a trial test, one could roughly guess.
Rather than fight desperately only to end up disheveled, it's better to train hard and put their hopes in earning merits..."
Speaking of earning merits,
Tang Lin'er's voice drifted slightly.
Zhou Ping'an guessed that he must be hinting at "building good relations."
However, he hadn't noticed before, but Tang Lin'er seemed slightly taller and more robust than when they first met.
His thick eyebrows furled in a way that added a vigorous flair to his persona.
When he said "those people have lost their fighting spirit," he certainly didn't include himself.
'He must have accomplished a great feat under the protectorate leader and received some benefits.'
'Also, I wonder if his quiet mention the other day of coaxing the Baicao Hall was true?'
If so, his methods really are quite wild...'
...
The two were conversing intermittently.
Then they saw a square-faced young man, flattered by those around him, walking over. He looked curiously at Zhou Ping'an and smiled, saying:
"Isn't this First-Rank Guardian Brother Zhou? You rarely come by, so this time you must be very confident of mastering the Chopping Wave Knife..."
Before Zhou Ping'an could reply, Tang Lin'er chuckled beside him.
"This is Huang Yushen, a Second-Class House Guardian, also one of the five who passed the ten moves challenge of Wei Dazui the other day. Despite his polite laughter, he quite resents your position as a First-Rank Guardian."
Tang Lin'er pointed to a few other robust young men who glanced over surreptitiously, and indeed, there was a subtle hint of hostility.
'So that's how it is.'
"Brother Zhou might not know this, but on the day of selection, only three people actually defeated Wei Dazui.
One is Fang Tielin, another is Wang Jizu, and the third is you...
From the Lin Family, including Wei Dazui, we currently have only four First-Rank Guardians.
Originally, there were three more, but they died in the last encounter with the Red Lotus Bandit Army."
It seemed that before he even came to this world, the Red Lotus Army had already tested and clashed with multiple powers within Qingyang City, with casualties on all sides.
No wonder when he first met Lady Lin the Third in Green Veil and Ghost Mask, she was brandishing a sword on horseback, leading the charge, her murderous intent palpable.
She must have been seeing red.
"Did you know? I also heard that Wei Dazui had enough merits to be promoted as a high-ranking guardian unexpectedly.
However, this time, during the selection of the guardians, he showed severe flaws, and his promotion proposal was directly rejected by the Third Miss."
"These past few days, he has been painstakingly guiding these people in the Gentle Water Eight Stances, also wanting to cultivate a few talented newcomers to prove his worth."
Tang Lin'er's face wore a smirk that was not quite a smile.
Every word he uttered seemed sincere, as if he was just providing information, but every single word was also a stab in the back.
After all, once he had spoken,
Zhou Ping'an felt that the gaze of several leading Protectors in the circle all became unnatural.
Though Wei Dazui didn't turn around to look, his dark face somehow appeared even more somber by three degrees.
"Fang and Wang, the two Offerings, defeating Wei Dazui, would be a story worth singing about; yet your scheming victory over him is surely an accident too ghastly to witness."
Only now did the questionable nature of Tang Lin'er's character begin to show a bit; it was somewhat vile.
Zhou Ping'an laughed, "I actually think, Brother Tang, that your sword technique, targeting vital points directly, is the one that truly captivates people's hearts."
Come on, let's all die together.
If you're going to make me a target of hatred, I'll throw dirt on you…
We're friends, after all, no need for courtesies.
With these words, in an instant, most people turned their heads to look at Tang Lin'er as if they were reminded of his undignified scrambling and targeting below the belt.
As for looking at Zhou Ping'an, it was just simple resentment, thinking the lad had just fluked it...
Just waiting for an opportunity to knock him down and expose him for what he is.
Looking at Tang Lin'er then, it was disdain, displeasure, and shame at being associated with him.
Moreover, they stealthily clenched their legs together, feeling a chill behind...
"I'm really scared."
Tang Lin'er pulled a smile, completely indifferent to the gaze of the Guardian House Servants.
'With him offending people like this, could it be he no longer wishes to make a living or pass the trials?'
Zhou Ping'an glanced at Tang Lin'er, noting that although his words pierced like needles, challenging in tone, his eyes remained undisturbed and calm.
'Right, he has climbed up higher, hasn't he? He believes he doesn't need to care about these Guardian House Servants who haven't passed the Gentle Water Posture trials.
Even Wei Dazui isn't much in his eyes; this is him wanting to vent out the frustrations he suffered under Wei Dazui's scolding.'
Zhou Ping'an, witnessing this scene akin to toxic competitiveness, suddenly wanted to say nothing.
Let's see who's who.
Show everyone what you're made of.
...
"Zhao Xiaohe, step forward."
Upon hearing Wei Dazui's booming voice,
a nimble, tall man with long arms reaching below his knees jogged forward.
He first saluted the Protectorate Leader and several Offerings, then bowed deeply to Wei Dazui and assumed his stance, ready to take on the challenge.
There weren't actually any explicit barriers.
It was just about dealing with ten large sandbags hanging from the branches of camphor trees around.
The sandbags varied; the heaviest were about a hundred pound each, the lightest a few dozen pounds.
Once set in motion, they would sway back and forth unpredictably.
And the testee was required to walk a circle on twenty-four footprints on the ground, not missing any print. Each footprint represented a Stance Method, and they had to maintain each stance for two breaths' time, no rushing, only slow movements allowed.
Zhao Xiaohe, a student trained by Wei Dazui himself, was the first confident young man to step forward.
Even though the swaying sandbags disturbed his footing causing his body to shake violently, he ultimately maintained his stance integrity and forcefully completed the Gentle Water Eight Stances three times.
It's said that once one achieves minor mastery in the Gentle Water Eight Stance Method, one roots oneself firmly and understands the method of using flowing water to diffuse force.
Normally, untrained strong men, even several at a time, whether pulling, dragging, kicking, or striking, cannot disperse the Pile Stance.
The meaning is that one might be hurt or even die, but the stance must not break.
In Zhao Xiaohe's case, through twenty-four steps, not only was he stable, but whenever a heavy sandbag hit him, there was a visible movement of lowering his shoulders to diffuse the force.
Where his legs planted firmly, there was both relaxation and steadiness.
He was very talented.
That's all one can say.
Before inheriting any Superior Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques, relying merely on some rough methods to withstand ten mild attacks from Wei Dazui is no small feat.