Chapter 141: A Brutal Confrontation

"All artisan examinees and brave warriors, listen closely to the rules! Each bout will consist of two examinees against one warrior. When your names are called, you must enter the arena and stand in your respective defensive and offensive zones within ten drumbeats. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" The shout from the ninety-nine brave warriors was uniform and imposing, drowning out the twice-as-numerous examinees. Many warriors secretly scoffed: why were the examinees always called before them? Their own rankings today were earned through hard-won strength, archery, and horsemanship—real skills. As for this bunch of examinees? They only needed to forge iron or chop wood to stand here! Bah!

The roaming inspector stretched his neck and continued to shout, "The examinee team is permitted to remain on the defensive at all times. If a warrior does not attack for over half a quarter-hour, they will be disqualified!"

"We need this rule? Hahaha!" The disheveled Wang Tian led the jeering.

Roars and mocking howls erupted from the warriors' ranks, but they could not drown out Sima Chong's scolding: "Wang Tian! That rule is there precisely because of a coward like you!"

Wang Tian bared his teeth, reached past Huan Zhen, and jabbed two fingers upward, a provocative gesture as if to poke Sima Chong in the nostrils.

The military clerk felt a headache coming on: "Silence!"

The head of the local district, prepared for this, stood under the drum, snatched the mallet from the drummer, and struck it once. The warriors fell silent.

The inspector continued: "Each bout is divided into three rounds. If one side shouts 'I surrender,' the other side must cease attacking immediately. Winning two out of three rounds secures victory! Examinees, take note: both of you must call out 'I surrender' to stop the fight; otherwise, the warrior may continue the assault. Do the examinees understand?"

"Understood." This was too bullying! Why was this rule only directed at the examinees?

Someone from the warriors' ranks jumped out and shouted at the examinees: "You lot had better surrender quickly, or I'll beat your mouths so swollen you won't be able to speak at all!"

After inciting a wave of jeers, he jumped back into his spot.

The military clerk rubbed his temples in distress. This troublemaker was from the Shanyin He clan. Although the Grand Tutor He had passed away, his influence remained, and with so many of the He clan serving as officials, he was not someone a lowly county clerk dared to provoke.

Boom! The district head struck the drum again.

The inspector: "The bouts begin now! First group of examinees, Hu Lielie and Jiang You. Brave warrior, Sima Zhou."

The two examinees immediately entered the defensive zone. Hu Lielie was the top blacksmith, while Jiang You was the last-ranked carpenter. Hu Lielie’s weapon was a caltrop, while Jiang You held a wooden shield; the right side of the shield was detachable, connected by mortise and tenon, forming a wooden club once removed.

However, Sima Zhou did not enter the arena. The warriors grew noisy again. Shouldn't Sima Chong, ranked second, have gone first? Last night, Sima Chong and Huan Zhen had swapped their order; the news had spread quickly among the crowd without any announcement.

County Magistrate Huan finally arrived, escorted by two physicians and twenty inspectors armed with punishment rods. He walked straight to the drum, struck it with all his might, and roared angrily: "First match, the warrior refuses to fight! Disqualified! Clerks, take heed: record everyone who is making noise from this moment on! How can those who cannot even keep their mouths shut, who possess ears but refuse to follow the rules, serve as soldiers? Are they fit to be soldiers? Anyone caught shouting, gossiping, or daring to insult the dignity of our officials will receive twenty lashes to the mouth, and then be stripped of their status as a local soldier! Do not fear if they die from the beating; the county office will handle the burial!"

The entire arena fell into a terrifying silence.

Not a single warrior dared to make a sound; even those with buckteeth pressed their upper lips down tightly, fearing the clerks might mistake them for whispering. Even the surrounding spectators were gripped by fear and silence. Wang Tian’s buttocks ached the moment he saw Magistrate Huan, and he felt incredibly lucky to be short, hidden behind Huan Zhen and Sima Chong.

Magistrate Huan scanned the surroundings in a single breath and ordered the inspector who had been calling names: "Announce the second group!"

It was over. Sima Zhou’s face turned ghastly. He had been disqualified just like that—it was so unjust! Yet, he dared not appeal.

The examiner led the stunned Hu Lielie and his partner back to their ranks.

The inspector: "Second group of examinees... warrior... enter the arena."

Magistrate Huan tossed the drum mallet to the district head: "Anyone who does not reach their designated zone within ten drumbeats will be considered as refusing to fight!"

The magistrate left as hurriedly as he had arrived, but he left the physicians and the punishment-wielding clerks behind.

Amidst the drumbeats, Huan Zhen glanced at the two physicians. They had been sent by his father last year—one specialized in trauma and the other in bone-setting.

In the ensuing bouts, the warriors vented all their pent-up frustration on the artisan examinees.

There was no rule forbidding speech during the bouts. The carpenter Li Jia was kicked flying along with his shield; no sooner had he hit the ground than his opponent was upon him, slapping his face while sneering: "Hurry up and shout, you idiot! How can I stop if you don't call out?"

His blacksmith teammate rushed over, screaming, but the warrior lifted Li Jia’s body and swept the blacksmith off his feet with it. The blacksmith hit the back of his head on the ground and shouted, "I surrender!" But Li Jia still didn't have the chance to speak! Each of the warrior's slaps was perfectly timed; the moment Li Jia started to say "I sur—," the word "render" was slapped back into his throat.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot..." Only when the man grew tired and bored did he let go.

Another group. The blacksmith examinee threw iron pellets repeatedly, but out of sheer terror, not one landed near the warrior. The opponent strode over, snatched the pellets from the air, and smashed them into the blacksmith's face. The carpenter teammate held up his shield to block the warrior, crying out, "We surrender, we surrender!"

The blacksmith lay on the ground, convulsing, unable to speak. The warrior pinned the shield with one hand and dragged the carpenter by his hair, throwing him aside. The carpenter could not get back up, and the district head shouted "Stop," putting an end to the torture. As the warrior left the arena, he spat on the blacksmith.

Every artisan examinee had tears of humiliation or terror in their eyes, including Wang Ge. So this was the Grand Bout—far bloodier and more brutal than they had imagined! But why? Why force artisans to compete in martial prowess against warriors? Why not let the warriors compete against the artisans in craftsmanship?

Beyond the bottomless humiliation of the artisans, what purpose did this bout serve?

The spectators in the distance could no longer bear to watch, and the young students from the Nanshan Academy were pale with shock.

The tears in Bian Zi’s eyes were not born of cowardice. She whispered to her friend, Sima Nandi: "My grandfather, my uncle, and my father often return home with wounds; I only ever saw them after they had been bandaged. When they fight against villains, is it this brutal? I... I have sometimes been disobedient and made them angry. I will never be so immature again, never."

The tears in Xie Ju’s eyes were of regret and self-reflection: Father always bears wounds, too. I always hoped for him to cherish me, understand me, and dote on me, but when he is injured out there, does he not also hope for me to cherish him, understand him, and dote on him?

The remaining artisan examinees no longer acted foolishly. The warriors were not ordinary local soldiers; they were the best among them. To pit their own weaknesses against the warriors' strengths was to court humiliation, and perhaps even suffer permanent injury, ruining their lives.

Surrender, surrender.

Surrender, surrender.

Surrender...

The artisan examinees all surrendered the moment they entered the arena. Even so, two warriors seized the opportunity to throw their bronze blades; fortunately, they did not strike anyone.

However, this vengeful, torturous fighting style eased significantly by the time the seventieth-ranked warriors took their turns. Once the sixtieth-ranked warriors entered the arena, they simply waited quietly for the examinees to surrender without uttering any insults.

Group after group passed quickly.

Finally, it was Wang Tian’s turn to enter; he was the third-ranked warrior. The examinee surrendered.

Huan Zhen entered; he was the top-ranked warrior and had swapped his match order with Sima Chong. The examinee surrendered.

Without waiting for the inspector to finish the announcement, Sima Chong grabbed his blade and ran into the arena, his nostrils flared with excitement: "Examinee Wang Ge! Come and fight me at once!"

The young students watching looked at each other in bewilderment: Wang Ge? Was that their fellow student, Wang Ge?

Sima Nandi gasped: This is bad! Third Uncle, don't you dare do something stupid!