Chapter 364: 337 Inspecting the Grounds

Early in the morning, Tang Zhao emerged from the main camp to inspect the examination grounds, which spanned a radius of one hundred li.

The choice of the examination grounds was quite interesting; the main terrain was as flat as a plain, suitable for galloping horses, yet it contained several canyons, a patch of Di Ku, and a dried-up riverbed—all of which were crucial strategic locations and natural checkpoints. Within them, various mechanism tasks had been set up, along with enemies played by Talisman Puppets and soldiers.

One of the checkpoints involved five soldiers blocking the path, allowing only groups of five to proceed, requiring them to battle a standard squad of five soldiers; this was naturally a test of team combat. It was said that the examination process ahead also included a ten-person squad checkpoint, so the requirements for teamwork were quite significant.

There was even treasure hidden in that patch of caves. As long as one captured the "bandits" entrenched in the area, it could be found.

It was real treasure; Tang Zhao saw a precious Dharma Artifact among them, as well as several rare materials produced only at the Qianxian, all of which were of a level suitable for Sword Casting. The price of these materials, if measured in Origin Stones, would be in the hundreds, and if calculated in gold and silver, it would likely be tens of thousands.

This was all the work of the New Sharp Battalion; whatever could be obtained could be taken away directly.

It was said that such items were hidden in other places as well, though they were primarily intended for passing the checkpoints.

Because when every student entered to clear the checkpoints, they could only bring one One Yuan Heavy Art Tool, just like when they arrived at the examination grounds, along with the battle robe to protect themselves; no other equipment was allowed.

This was fine in the safe zone, but it was not enough in the Qianxian examination grounds, so encountering these items and taking them to assist in clearing the checkpoints was a common practice in previous years' examinations.

But the key was that these items were not reclaimed after the examination.

Finding them meant earning them.

In this regard, the New Sharp Battalion was truly generous; although they set up very torturous examination segments, the surprises were truly spot-on, and even if one failed, obtaining the items meant one did not return empty-handed.

It was much better than the Jing'an Division last year.

The Jing'an Division not only didn't give gifts, but also made the students work for nothing—one part of last year's exam was testing interrogation skills, where students had to interrogate some stubborn enemies hiding information and pry their mouths open.

It turned out later that those were indeed enemies captured by the Jing'an Division, mostly die-hards or those of little value, not worth the official personnel spending manpower to interrogate, so they were thrown to the students to question. If they could get information out, great; if not, there was no loss.

It was just a case of "hitting the tree to see if any dates fall."

Tang Zhao inspected all the examination grounds, checked that the items were intact and the procedures were normal, and had a chat with the "NPCs" played by the soldiers, praising their dedication and also marveling at the Central Army's precision in selecting people.

Some of the bandits' appearances were such that if you said they weren't bandits, no one would believe you.

Leaving the mountain stronghold, Tang Zhao saw various Fierce Beasts and Phantoms again.

The Fierce Beasts only knew how to charge blindly and were not worth mentioning, but among the Phantoms, there were some that performed exceptionally well, including "Beast Charms" that combined with Fierce Beasts, greatly enhancing their power; Tang Zhao estimated they could cause the students quite a bit of trouble.

As for the Phantom he had made eye contact with earlier and felt was unusual, he observed it specifically; it was a very rare "Puppet Charm." After it went out, it captured a Talisman Puppet on the spot and drove it to capture other Talisman Puppets; one led to two, two to three, and soon it gathered great momentum.

It looked like something big was about to happen.

He hesitated for a moment but did not intervene.

This was part of the examination; it had been said that the students would face real Phantoms, and these were already weakened ones.

The performance of this Phantom had not yet exceeded the norm. The reason to intervene was not sufficient.

He wanted to see what kind of tricks these conscious Phantoms could come up with.

The Puppet Charm was the type Tang Zhao found easiest to handle; he was confident.

Tang Zhao inspected all locations, matched them with the maps and plans, and ensured they were firmly in his mind before following Captain Zhao and Li Lei to visit "Red Stone Village."

Red Stone Village was on a platform between two giant boulders, surrounded by cliffs on all sides; the rocks of the cliffs were deep red, living up to the name Red Stone Village.

The village's terrain was particularly perilous, requiring one to climb up a nearly vertical path on the cliff face; this was all to guard against Fierce Beasts and other unknown disasters, and it was also the norm for civilian villages in the Suiyu.

Presumably, many examinees who had traveled a long journey to reach this place and saw the cliffs lost the desire to climb.

Actually, missing it didn't matter; it was nothing more than losing the last supply point.

When Tang Zhao climbed the mountain, he saw narrow platforms chiseled into the rock walls, which had actually been reclaimed into terraced fields planted with heat- and drought-resistant crops, and he couldn't help but marvel at human diligence and resilience.

Entering the village, he saw two or three stone houses, housing about a hundred people. Unexpectedly, the village was not very poor; most of the stone houses were built neatly and exquisitely, the village was clean, the paths were well-connected, and there was even a spacious ancestral hall.

The village chief was about forty years old and was very polite to Tang Zhao, inviting him to sit behind the ancestral hall and serving food; there were no vegetables, only a dish of cold-tossed cactus, while the meat dishes included stewed fox meat and roasted rabbit.

Tang Zhao naturally ate some politely, and during the meal, the village chief spoke of the examination, saying: "Sword Guest, rest assured, as long as anyone is willing to climb up to see us, our village will give them something. The village has had surplus grain these years."

What this village chief said was no different from the common people of the Human World, perhaps with a bit of an accent, but communication was no problem. For instance, Li Lei's speech was already the official language of the army, and one could basically not hear an accent. It seemed the village had been under the protection of Moyun City for generations and had been completely assimilated.

Tang Zhao smiled and said: "It's not easy for the folks at home. Whatever you give out, the Central Army will naturally reimburse you for it, so don't be polite with them."

Hearing this, the village chief instead grabbed him and said: "Sword Guest, don't think we are some poor village or small household that has nothing. Come and see."

He pulled Tang Zhao to the cliff and pointed to a crimson vine on the rock wall, saying: "Do you see that 'Blood Dance Vine'? It is exceptionally effective for stopping bleeding and replenishing blood; it cannot grow anywhere else, and this is the village's industry. Every year, people from Moyun City come to collect it, and the price they give is very high; our hundred or so people have no worries about food or clothing."

Tang Zhao nodded repeatedly, and the village chief wanted to cut one for him to take away on the spot; Tang Zhao could not refuse and had to accept it with a smile.

Just as they were chatting about the local specialty, Li Lei hurried over and winked at him from the side. Seeing this, the village chief hurriedly said: "Sword Guest, you are busy with official business, I will take my leave first."

Li Lei hurriedly said: "Uncle Gao, don't go—I was the one winking at you."

The village chief was slightly embarrassed and said: "You child, the Sword Guest is not an outsider, why are you being so secretive? Quickly, just say it here."

Tang Zhao couldn't help but want to get up and leave, but the village chief held him back and said: "Don't go, don't go, what secrets could we have?"

Li Lei rubbed his nose and said: "Village Chief, that person in your ancestral hall..."

The village chief suddenly realized and said: "Oh, oh, you're asking about that young man staying temporarily? He's just passing through. He ran up to our cliff, and it's our village's rule that everyone who comes is a guest, so we can't drive them away. Seeing that he looked pitiful, we let him stay in the ancestral hall for a few days."

Li Lei said anxiously: "No, how could you let him stay in the ancestral hall?"

The village chief said: "Should I have let him stay at your house?"

Li Lei was stunned, and the village chief said: "Actually, I thought about that at first. You are away from home all year round, so your house is empty, right? It would be fine for someone to stay there. It's just that your door was locked, and I was embarrassed to break the door..."

"Is that the point?"

Li Lei was so angry that his accent came out, and he said anxiously: "The exam is about to start, this is a major event for Moyun City, and it's very important as I've told you. How can you just let people in at a time like this? And besides the people from Moyun City, who among the outsiders who can get here is a pushover? Who knows if they aren't spies from the Eternal Night Court or the Non-Dual Moon..."

The village chief said: "What kind of time is this? Isn't it the same as usual? The Colonel treats us the same as usual, and usually, we can't turn guests away. Besides, the person came from Moyun City and has travel papers, so they must be one of our own without a doubt. What is there to say about one of our own?"

Li Lei sneered: "One of our own? One of our own my foot. I can tell at a glance that he's an outsider from who knows where. Hiding his head and showing his tail, there must be something strange..."

Seeing that both sides were about to argue, Tang Zhao mediated: "Wait a moment, I wonder what kind of person has come to the village? Why don't I go take a look?"

The village chief said: "Fine, the Sword Guest will surely be fine. Anyway, he only said not to let a woman find him..."

Tang Zhao said in surprise: "A woman?"

The village chief looked around to see no one was there and said: "Sword Guest, don't tell anyone else. This is a private matter of his, and I promised not to tell others."

Tang Zhao didn't know why a thought flashed through his mind: he definitely hadn't only told one "other" person.

The village chief continued: "It's like this, a young YoungMaster who escaped from Moyun City has come to our village. It is said that he ran away to avoid a marriage."

Tang Zhao widened his eyes, not expecting that such an ancient excuse was still being used.

"I asked him if he was forced to marry an ugly girl? He said no, the one forcing him is actually quite handsome. But her temperament is cruel and overbearing, she is simply not human. Both of her previous husbands died unnatural deaths within a year or so. She also likes to hunt for beautiful young men. She has sisters who are equally vicious, chasing him until he has no path to the sky and no door to the earth. Therefore, he begged me that if I saw a beautiful woman, I must not reveal his whereabouts."

"However, Sword Guest sir, although you are also handsome, you are not a woman, so I suppose it is fine to tell you."

Tang Zhao thought to himself: So it can be told as long as it is not a beautiful woman? It seems the news of his arrival here is not very easy to keep secret.

But escaping a marriage or something... it is just not believable at all.

In a small city like Moyun City, there are hardly any ordinary residents; they are all soldiers and their families, with at most a few business people, and there are no great family forces to speak of, let alone any family marriage-escape drama. Tang Zhao leaned toward what Li Lei said, there must be something strange.

"I must see what is so strange."

Following the village head to the side room of the ancestral hall, he saw the doors tightly shut in broad daylight, looking like they were refusing visitors.

That village head was truly unreserved, pushing the door open and walking right in.

He saw that in a narrow room, a young man was sitting on the bed, bored to death.

Tang Zhao entered the room, and the youth happened to turn his head and see Tang Zhao; as they looked at each other, the man jumped up suddenly and said happily, "Haha, my savior has arrived!"