Chapter 13: As Long as One is a Monk, One Must Ring the Bell

"Many thanks, my lord, this humble one understands." Chen Mo cupped his hands in thanks, unable to keep from feeling joyful inside.

His long-standing efforts had not been in vain after all; passing the selection to become a Personal Soldier for General Sun was, if not a leap to the heavens, at least an extremely rare opportunity.

"No need to call me 'my lord'; from now on, you and I are comrades-in-arms. My name is Mo Hu; just call me Fifth Brother like the other brothers do." Mo Hu was all smiles, his attitude kind.

Chen Mo would also be a Personal Soldier from now on, his status not much different from his own, and with such strength, he would surely make a name for himself.

Since he was showing goodwill toward him now, and it cost him nothing, why bother keeping a cold face and pushing people a thousand miles away?

"This younger brother Chen Mo pays his respects to Fifth Brother." Chen Mo cupped his hands and bowed.

"Before I came, the General gave orders: every soldier who can directly become a Personal Soldier is to be issued five taels of silver as a settling-in allowance. Keep this money safe."

Mo Hu took a large five-tael silver ingot from his Huai and stuffed it into Chen Mo's hand.

"Don't spend this money recklessly; go buy two sets of decent clothes and shoes. Although the Personal Soldier camp issues uniforms, you can't always wear a uniform." Mo Hu glanced at Chen Mo's attire and instructed him carefully.

Clothes and shoes were not cheap, and any spare money Chen Mo had went toward food, so he was still wearing old clothes and broken shoes.

"This younger brother understands." Chen Mo's smile was somewhat constrained; if he had a choice, he would of course want to dress better, but the crux of the problem was that he had no money.

Fortunately, with these five taels of silver, he could buy two sets of clothes and shoes tomorrow. The weather was getting colder, and he really did need to buy some thick garments.

"Alright, go rest first." Mo Hu waved his hand.

Chen Mo walked to the side to rest. The few people who had previously lifted the two-hundred-jin stone wheel saw him coming and hurriedly stepped aside, clearing a space for him.

Ma Cai gave him a thumbs-up from afar. He was truly quite astonished that Chen Mo could lift a three-hundred-jin stone wheel; after all, he had never known before that Chen Mo had this trick up his sleeve.

But he was also happy that Chen Mo could become a Personal Soldier.

For one, the two of them had a decent relationship, and for another, since Chen Mo had also become a Personal Soldier, the two of them could stick together in the Personal Soldier camp later on, which was certainly a good thing.

Several more soldiers attempted to lift the two-hundred-jin stone wheel, but most ended in failure. One by one they left, and soon it was Ma Cai's turn.

Although he was confident he could lift it, he could not hide his nervousness at this moment, but in the end, he still skillfully lifted the two-hundred-jin stone wheel.

He had not learned martial arts in any formal way, but fortunately, his natural physique was not bad, and he had tempered his strength for a period of time, so this was not difficult for him.

After lifting the two-hundred-jin stone wheel, he stepped toward the three-hundred-jin stone wheel. He knew there was a high probability he could not lift it, but he still wanted to try.

He could feel that many people had focused their gaze on him.

But if you couldn't lift it, you couldn't lift it; even if he gritted his teeth, it was no use.

He did not dare to force it; if he didn't lift it, so be it, but if he strained himself by using too much force, that would be a huge loss.

Seeing that Ma Cai failed to lift it, the crowd lost interest and stopped looking at him.

Seeing this, Mo Hu could not help but sigh softly. Originally, he had thought he was so lucky this time to have encountered two people with natural great strength.

It seemed he had been too whimsical; to encounter one was already good fortune, so how could it be possible to encounter two in a row?

"Brother Mo." Ma Cai, however, felt no disappointment; he had known from the start that it was unlikely he could lift it.

The reason he went to lift it was mainly with the mindset that there was no harm in trying.

The others, hearing him address Chen Mo so familiarly, could not help but reveal looks of curiosity and envy in their eyes.

Chen Mo was already a Personal Soldier for General Sun, while they still had to pass through layers of selection and assessment.

Without a doubt, knowing a Personal Soldier would certainly be helpful for the upcoming selection they had to undergo.

It was just that they were not really familiar with Chen Mo, and even if they wanted to curry favor now, it was not that easy.

Some who had seen Chen Mo a few times before felt regret; had they known he had such ability, they should have associated with him more before, rather than now, when they couldn't even find a way to open their mouths to curry favor.

The assessment on the Drill Ground was still ongoing, and in the end, besides Chen Mo, seventeen others passed the assessment.

But among these people, how many could successfully pass the other assessments until they truly became Personal Soldiers was hard to say.

Even Ma Cai did not dare to guarantee that he would definitely succeed; he could only say that under equal conditions, his probability of being selected was higher than others.

"All of you are to camp here in this military barracks. The day after tomorrow at the hour of the Dragon, Chen Mo will lead you to assemble on the Drill Ground. Those who are late will not be waited for." Mo Hu looked at the soldiers who had passed the selection and ordered loudly with a cold face.

Everyone answered in unison, not daring to say otherwise.

"Fifth Brother still has some things to do. You rest here for a day; I will take you to the Personal Soldier camp the day after tomorrow."

When Mo Hu spoke to Chen Mo, his attitude appeared much more amiable.

Besides the fact that Chen Mo was a Personal Soldier just like him, the most important thing was that he would be responsible for training Ma Cai and the others later, so he certainly couldn't give them a good face now.

"Brother, please go ahead, this younger brother understands." Chen Mo cupped his hands and respectfully saw Mo Hu and the other two Personal Soldiers off as they rode away.

"If you all have matters to attend to, feel free to go handle them. Pack up whatever you need to take with you, and come here to assemble at the hour of the Rabbit the day after tomorrow."

Chen Mo looked at the remaining soldiers; he had no intention of restraining or managing these people.

Since these people were willing to participate in the selection, they must all want to become General Sun's Personal Soldiers. Now that they had passed the selection, they would certainly come the day after tomorrow, so he didn't need to worry about it.

If someone really encountered an accident and couldn't make it, that was their own bad luck; they couldn't blame anyone else.

However, he still required these people to arrive early, for no other reason than that if they arrived early, they could wait for Mo Hu.

And if Mo Hu arrived early, he obviously wouldn't wait for them.

"We understand." The crowd responded in twos and threes, having no objections to this.

The crowd dispersed, and Chen Mo and Ma Cai walked toward the Stable together.

Inside the Stable, Ding Bao and He Maguan were busy working away with a huff and a puff. Seeing the two of them arrive, their expressions seemed to have an indescribable strangeness.

It was no longer as familiar as before, but rather a mix of strangeness and constraint.

"Let's get to work." Chen Mo called out and picked up a shovel from the side.

"Leave this work to us; you are now General Sun's subordinates, how can we let you do the work?" He Maguan hurriedly blocked him.

Reasonably speaking, ever since Chen Mo lifted the three-hundred-jin stone wheel, he was already a Personal Soldier for General Sun, so this work should not fall to him.

"Old sir, what are you saying? As long as one is a monk, one must ring the bell for that day. We haven't left yet, so we can't just watch you work," Chen Mo said.

Ever since he arrived at this military camp, He Maguan had treated him well and taken care of him a lot.

Chen Mo was not the type to turn his back on people just because he had gotten a little better off; he was definitely not the kind of person who didn't repay kindness.

Seeing Chen Mo go to work, even though Ma Cai wanted to go back and rest, he didn't dare say so and could only walk to the side and start working as well.

He Maguan sighed softly, feeling increasingly satisfied with Chen Mo in his heart; even though Chen Mo was now a Personal Soldier for Sun Jiangjun, he still treated him, this old Horse Official, with the utmost respect.

If one were to bestow kindness upon a person like this, one would surely be repaid.

It was just a pity that he understood Chen Mo could no longer inherit his craft, and he would have to find a way to find another apprentice.

(End of this chapter)