Yan Liqiang felt dizzy until he left the Governor's Mansion. Yesterday, he bravely stood up for justice at the city gate. In just one day, he made enemies with the Shatu people in Pingxi County City and suddenly became a personal soldier of the Governor of Pingxi County. This experience was like a roller coaster, sometimes in the abyss and sometimes in the clouds. He even felt a sense of unreality as if he was in a dream.
He pinched the badge of the governor's personal soldier hidden in his arms. The cold and hard touch of the iron badge finally made his fluttering heart slowly fall from the clouds and return to the shaking two-wheeled carriage.
"Two of the governor's personal soldiers were outstanding warriors who were selected to be advanced warriors at the Pingxi County Martial Arts Museum that year. Today, the governor chose you to be his personal soldier, which is like giving you a talisman. This opportunity is hard-won. I didn't expect that you would encounter such an opportunity when I brought you to the governor's mansion today. But you must not be complacent, you must grasp it well, and work harder to strive to be advanced to a warrior as soon as possible. Only in this way, you will not be in vain for the governor's love and appreciation for you!" Shi Changfeng instructed Yan Liqiang in the car.
"I know, thank you for reminding me, teacher!"
"Well, every student who enters the National Martial Arts Hall can study there for up to six years. After six years, no matter whether they advance to a warrior or not, they must leave the hall. You are fourteen years old now, still a teenager. As a personal soldier of the governor, you can still ride horses for the governor, and no one will say anything. If you can't advance to a warrior within six years, do you think you can still ride horses for the governor after you turn twenty?"
Yan Liqiang shook his head. "Of course not. If that time comes, even if the governor doesn't say anything, I won't have the face to continue doing this as a soldier beside the governor!"
"It's good that you know!" Shi Changfeng nodded, his face becoming serious. "Besides, the Shatu people are unruly, cunning and vicious. If they really want to seek revenge on you, even if they know you are the governor's personal soldier, they probably won't dare to do it. At most, they will be more careful and make it harder for others to catch you. They will not give you the opportunity to complain to the governor. The National Martial Arts Museum and the governor can't send people to protect you at any time, so everything depends on you..."
Yan Liqiang's heart suddenly trembled, "Teacher, do you think those Shatu people dare to kill people openly in Pingxi City?"
"You have seen the Shatu people at the city gate. Pingxi County is such a big city. Every year, the criminal arrest office in Pingxi City receives countless cases of missing persons. If you disappear inexplicably one day, who can find the cause? So, don't forget what you said just now. Only those who are constantly striving for self-improvement are qualified to cover up the trouble."
Yan Liqiang nodded solemnly.
"Also, this is a reminder from me. In the National Martial Arts Hall, if you feel that you are not strong enough, you should not let too many people know your identity as the commander-in-chief's personal soldier unless it is necessary. You should know that there are all kinds of people entering the National Martial Arts Hall, and sometimes it is inevitable that there are good and bad people. Not everyone is happy to see others who are better than themselves. Jealousy can often make people become terrible..."
"I understand. From now on, except when I go to the governor's house or when it is necessary, I will not show off my identity!"
"Well, a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Your status as the top three in Qinghe County is already very eye-catching. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to be a little low-key!"
"Teacher, I have a question, I wonder if I can ask..."
"go ahead?"
"This time, the Pingxi County National Martial Arts Museum has recruited so many people at once, and those with talent in archery are also allowed to be specially recruited. Are they preparing for war?"
Shi Changfeng stared at Yan Liqiang for more than ten seconds before he nodded slowly. "You are indeed very sensitive. The Han Empire and the Silver Continent are indeed becoming more and more unstable. Last year, we almost had a fight with the Shamans in the north. Although we didn't fight in the end, the Shamans have just threatened to destroy the country and will definitely not stop. I guess they may strike again after they have completely digested the Silla Kingdom. The Black Jie tribe in the west has been making more and more frequent moves in the past year. The Black Jie cavalry has been invading the border between Ganzhou and Fengzhou more and more times. This is not a good sign, so Fengzhou and Ganzhou have both increased the enrollment of the National Martial Arts Academy this year..."
"Can't we take the initiative to attack them? Can't we just wait for them to attack us?" Yan Liqiang deliberately asked a question that was very suitable for a teenager of his age.
Shi Changfeng smiled bitterly, shook his head, and sighed, "Many things are not as simple as you think. As the saying goes, you must first stabilize the country before you can resist foreign aggression. There are many disturbances in the Han Empire right now, and it is not something that can be explained in one sentence. When you grow up, perhaps you will slowly understand. If it were a hundred years ago, even if the Shamans and the Black Jies had ten times the courage, they would not dare to show their teeth to us. But now, the situation is a little different. Now, it is best for you to focus on cultivation. It is useless to know other things now..."
While chatting with Shi Changfeng, the carriage finally arrived outside the National Martial Arts Museum of Pingxi County.
"Just get off the car and report according to the procedures. I won't go down with you. I still have to report to Director Long about your work today..."
"Okay, teacher, take care!"
After bidding farewell to Shi Changfeng, Yan Liqiang took his luggage and jumped off Shi Changfeng's carriage neatly.
The driver of the carriage shook the reins, and the carriage went straight away from a side road. Yan Liqiang stood in front of the gate of the National Martial Arts Museum, looking up at the magnificent gate of Pingxi County National Martial Arts Museum, which was more than three meters high.
The gate of the National Martial Arts Museum is at the foot of a mountain, with red walls and green glazed tiles. Looking around, the mountain is lush and green, with pines and cypresses everywhere. The antique Chinese buildings are hidden among the trees. From the outside, it looks like a forest park or a high-end holiday villa. Apart from anything else, the fact that it occupies such a place in Pingxi City and is quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle is enough to illustrate the status and awesomeness of the National Martial Arts Museum.
The vermilion door of Pingxi County Martial Arts Hall was open. There was a table at the door. In front of the table was a not-so-long line of people. In the line were young people between the ages of fourteen and eighteen or nineteen. They seemed to be the students who came to report today.
Yan Liqiang walked over and consciously stood at the end of the line.
In less than ten minutes, it was Yan Liqiang's turn.
"Name? Where are you from?" The receptionist at the door didn't even raise his head, but just asked two questions mechanically.
"Yan Liqiang, from Qinghe County!"
After Yan Liqiang finished speaking, the man quickly flipped through the list in front of him and found Yan Liqiang's name in the blink of an eye.
"Qinghe County, first among the top three, Yan Liqiang?" When the man saw the record on the roster, he raised his head in surprise, looked at Yan Liqiang twice, and his attitude suddenly became much better. "Well, leave your handprint here!" The man handed over a box of red ink.
Yan Liqiang was not unfamiliar with this procedure, and he simply left a fingerprint behind his name. The man looked at the fingerprint left by Yan Liqiang now, compared it with the one left by Yan Liqiang before, nodded, and then handed the book to an old man next to him. The old man quickly glanced at the two fingerprints, signed a few words on the back, and returned the book to the man in front. Then he took out a metal identity card the size of half a palm from the drawer and handed it to Yan Liqiang, "This card is your certificate for entering and leaving the National Martial Arts Museum in the future. Don't lose it. If you lose it, you can get a replacement for 10 taels of gold. On September 1st, the National Martial Arts Museum will officially start classes. The time and place of each month's classes can be seen in the course bulletin board in front. During these three days, you can find a place to settle down in Pingxi City..."
Receiving that badge meant that the report was completed. Everything was simpler than Yan Liqiang had imagined. There was only one class per week at the martial arts hall, and the students had to arrange the rest of the time by themselves. The hall did not arrange accommodation or meals, and the students had to handle everything by themselves. In six years, those who became dragons would soar into the sky, while those who became snakes would burrow into the grass. Everyone had to accept their fate.
Yan Liqiang was still in a daze when a voice suddenly sounded behind him, "Yan Liqiang..."
Yan Liqiang turned around and saw Shi Dafeng jumping down from a rhinoceros horse, waving at him excitedly...
(End of this chapter)