When Skyfall Manor released notice that they were recruiting talent from across the city for court positions, it caused an uproar among the citizens of Skyfall City. The idea that anyone who passed the City Lord's test would be granted a position of authority and aid in the ruling of the city was a foreign concept for most.
To some, the idea of a mere city lord creating a council and dividing his power was seen as naive and an affront to the emperor.
However, many more saw the opportunity to change their lives and raise their and their families' social status. After only a few hours, the news had spread throughout the city and was a popular topic to gossip about.
{Five Days Before the Test}
{Tongs Tavern}
The interior was lit by candles, and the sound of loud chatting filled the tavern. The smell of food, alcohol, and sweat filled the air with the unmistakable scent of life. Most nights, countless topics and tales would fill the air, but tonight, only one dominated.
"I'm telling you I ain't lying!" The tanned man said as he slammed his mug down on the wooden table to emphasize his point.
"And I'm telling you that you're full of it!" The man's heavyset companion bellowed back, perhaps taking the tanned man's tone as a challenge.
A group gathered around the pair trying to instigate a brawl.
"You don't have to take that from him!"
"Even my father doesn't talk to me like that!"
"Me personally, I wouldn't take that disrespect."
The crowd chirped on and on, hoping that a fight would take place so that they would have some entertainment. To the side there were groups exchanging money and announcing betting odds.
It wasn't until a third party chimed in that the group settled down a bit.
"Okay, guys, calm down! I was there when Lord Cao Peng announced it. Now put down the chair before I charge you for it!" The voice belonged to a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair. This woman, Tong Huan, was the waitress of this tavern as well as the owner's daughter.
However, that wasn't what caused the rambunctious men to calm down. It was their knowledge of who her fiancé was. A rumor was spread that a drunkard once grabbed her wrist, only for her fiancé to drag the man out of the tavern into the woods. Most thought the drunkard was done for until he returned to the tavern begging for forgiveness while missing his right arm. The incident caused anyone who interacts with her to do so with caution and respect.
With her intervention, the commotion gradually died down.
"Ah, Miss Tong! Sorry, sorry. I was just a little tipsy just now!" The large man was the first to backtrack and even threw his arm around the tanned man's neck.
"That's right, Miss Tong! It was just a joke!" The tan man followed suit and attempted to do the same to the larger man.
To those who were unaware of their altercation, they would look like the best of friends drinking together.
"But if it's true, could you please tell me a little more about the recruitment, Miss Tong?" The tanned man couldn't hide his curiosity. And from the number of perked ears, neither could most of the other patrons of the tavern.
"Haah, sure, sure. Give me a second to pass out the rest of the orders, and I'll share what I know." Tong Huan let out a sigh and quickly began handing out the rest of the orders. After working in the tavern her whole life, she knew that men were just as gossipy as the fairer sex.
{Three Days Before the Test}
{Martial Hall}
"HA!" The sound of over one hundred men and women shouting echoed through the wooden dojo of Skyfall City's Martial Halls. It was here that citizens of the city sent their children that showed promise in martial arts and possessed an earth root.
"TOU!" The sound of fists splitting the air rapidly continued to resonate throughout the hall.
By devouring large amounts of food and training to their limit, martial artists were capable of performing feats that many ordinary people could only dream of.
"ORA!" With a final yell, the lead instructor for this class called an end to the day of practice.
While normally the Martial Hall was one of the most imposing buildings in Skyfall City, its current state left much to be desired. That, of course, is the giant hole right next to the door where children much too young to be worried about training watch with a mixture of curiosity and awe.
A prominent vein throbbed on the lead instructor's bald head as he turned toward the "viewing window."
"Get lost, you brats!" As the instructor howled, the very air trembled, and a few more planks of wood fell, making the hole even bigger.
"Ah! Instructor Eggy is mad again!" One child yelled out as he scampered off.
"Run away! He's going to steal our hair!" Another cried out in what seemed to be genuine fear.
"Yeah, yeah, chrome dome!" The last one trailed behind the others to hurl an insult and only picked up the pace when he saw the instructor pick up a boulder twice as large as him.
The rest of the kids ran away laughing and hurling insulting phrases.
The instructor set down the boulder and let out a sigh. He then stared angrily at the two troublemakers who caused this issue, holding a plank position with even larger boulders on their backs.
"And you two! As the root cause of this fiasco, what do you have to say about your actions?"
"I admit my guilt, instructor." The young man on the right spoke calmly and seemed to be carrying out his punishment without strain. Only the sweat drenching his sleeveless vest and trousers gave anything away. Upon closer inspection, his nose seemed to have been broken and healed numerous times, leaving it slightly crooked with a scar across it. His short black hair hid his eyes from view.
"It's this Mr. Golem's fault, instructor. It's not my fault he couldn't take a joke!" The youngster on the left spoke defiantly. His arms were shaking, and his breathing came out in pants, but he refused to fall before his rival. The long hair he prided himself on was tied back and soaked with sweat.
The instructor shook his head and turned to address the rest of the room.
"Ignoring these two, Skyfall Manor has sent out representatives to spread the news that they are recruiting officials. If you are interested, then proceed to the gates of City Lord Manor in three days. You are all dismissed!" After giving this announcement, the instructor marched out of the training hall.
The once-disciplined room turned into a gathering of gossiping teenagers and young adults after the instructor left.
"Did you hear what Instructor Yao said?" One of the kids excitedly chirped.
"What? The recruitment? They probably just want to hire guards or something," an unenthusiastic youth answered back.
"No way! I heard from my dad that they are recruiting officials and paying them a huge amount of money to help govern the city!" The excitable kid replied.
The two teenagers continued to talk while walking past the two young men still holding the boulders on their backs.
"What are you going to do after training? Going to visit Miss Tong again?" the long-haired man teased despite his arms' intensified shaking.
Still composed, the man with short hair shook his head. "No, I have a shift at the guardhouse after training."
"Geez, if you keep disappointing Miss Tong someone is going to steal he—" The long-haired man quickly stopped speaking when he saw his rival's red eyes staring him down, daring him to complete his sentence. The shock caused him to almost fall and allowed the boulder to crush him. Luckily, he managed to catch himself before the worse came to pass. Looking back over, he saw his rival try to hide his grin.
"Fake nice guy," the man muttered. He shook his head before continuing the point of the earlier conversation.
"Anyway, if you've got a problem with money, maybe you should apply for the position at the City Lord's Manor. I heard the City Lord is a weakling. If you get a job there, you could probably request whatever salary you want." The long-haired man decided to end their little contest there and twisted his body, allowing the boulder to roll off.
Only after seeing the long-haired quit first did he follow suit.
"I'll think about it." The short-haired man replied simply before leaving Martial Hall through the "secondary entrance," as the other student had.
{One Day Before the Test}
{Ling Family's Farmstead}
In the dark home, the sound of pages turning echoed throughout the house. Sitting at a table bathed by candlelight sat a young man at the cusp of adulthood. His hands, stained with ink, held a book worn-down from constant use, and a stack of books sat to the side as if waiting for their turn.
From another room you could hear the sound of a woman humming and the sound of food cooking mixed together.
Suddenly, the door to the home opened, and in stepped a man in his forties. He held a farming tool over his shoulder, and his face was filled with exhaustion that blended with irritation as he saw the young man playing with his books.
The father stepped forward to say something to the boy. Perhaps yell at him for wasting his and the family's time. Perhaps to tell him that it was time to put his foolish dreams to rest. Maybe even strike the boy for not helping with the family's chores that put food on the table.
However, they did not act out a repeat of their near-constant arguments. He simply shook his head and headed to the master bedroom to change and get ready for dinner. It was as if he had simply written the boy as a bad seed. Deciding that interacting further would only waste his time.
As he turned away, he did not see the young man's hand tighten around the book or the frustration on his face. The young man closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them, the calm was back.
The young man continued to read with purpose. On the notebook before him were the words "One day remaining."
The sound of silence did not leave the home that night. It was only broken up by a tired mother's attempts at peacemaking.
{Three Hours Before the Test}
{Meng Tao's Office}
"This is GREAT!" I yelled out in frustration as I fought off sleep. Still holding the pen, I leaned my head against the table.
"Of course I could write six problem sets for six different subjects in one day! Common sense? What is that?!" I let my roars roll through the room as I gave up on hiding my frustrations.
I sat back up and gulped down another cup of tea; its effect is barely detectable anymore, but I'm sure it is the only thing keeping me somewhat sane.
"Forget it! Six problem sets! Hell no! All you are getting is four!" I point my finger at empty space and allow all my frustrations out as I shout at the void.
"Lord Meng, it is three hours until sunrise." An ever-calm voice sounded from beyond the door.
"Thank you, Maid Shi!" I blurted out and brought my attention back to the four stacks of paper before me. Drawing everything from my years at college, I blatantly plagiarized anything I could remember.
"If I had to suffer through college algebra, then the rest of you do too!" I shouted as I furiously continued to write.
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I hoped you all enjoyed today's chapter. Originally it was going to be shorter, but it sort of took on a mind of its own and ended up being one of my longer chapters.
Let me know what you liked! Let me know what you hated!
I'll see you all next time. Stay tuned!