Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System-Chapter 92: Posture

Guo Wei stood at the window, watching Xu Haizhou’s party disappear into the distance. Then, with a faint, unreadable smile, he told Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu to return to their rooms and rest. They needed an early start the next day to reach South City by the morning after.

The next morning, the innkeeper prepared fine food and wine to treat the three of them.

Xu Haizhou’s exclamation of Guo Wei’s name and his subsequent retreat had made the innkeeper realize that the renowned Master Guo of Baiyang County was staying in his establishment.

Guo Wei had successfully trained three Martial Arts Scholars.

One of them, Yang Shaorong, had even passed the Imperial Examination to become a Military Scholar and was now a Captain in the Governor’s Mansion. Guo Wei’s reputation carried considerable weight for miles around.

The innkeeper wanted to waive the fees for their rooms and meals, but Guo Wei refused. In the end, he only accepted a bag of dry rations that the innkeeper had prepared for them.

HYAH!

The three of them rode onward.

Chu Lingguang’s Little Red Horse and Hei Hu’s Mountain Pass Peak would both be tested on Mounted Archery and Lance skills. With the examination so close, Guo Wei didn’t dare to push the pace.

They stopped to rest after every leg of the journey, giving both men and horses ample time to recover their Qi Power. Along the way, he explained various things that had happened in previous years’ Daoist Examinations.

He also explained the examiners’ preferences to the two of them.

He especially focused on the content of each subject and how to achieve a high score.

That day, the three of them crossed Dingyuan County, stopping to rest in Fishing Town at dusk. From there, another fifty li north would take them to South City for the Daoist Examination.

Fishing Town was a necessary stop for candidates from the six or seven southern counties, including Baiyang, Qinghe, and Dingyuan. Although the Daoist Examination was still three days away, there were already forty to fifty groups of candidates and Martial Artists resting in town, all planning to set out for South City the next morning.

When the groups met, they would nod politely to each other. No conflicts broke out. Everyone concealed their auras, afraid of revealing their trump cards before the examination.

Even when they sat down together for tea or wine, they would just exchange empty flattery, each person acting humbly.

"Master Guo, did that disciple of yours, the one they call the ’future Martial Arts Scholar,’ come to take the Daoist Examination?"

Of course, not everyone was so amicable.

Take Nie Maocheng of Fishing Town, for example. He had run a Martial Arts Hall here for over thirty years and had produced two Martial Arts Scholars. Fellow members of the Jianghu who passed through would usually pay him a visit.

This time, with masters from various counties stopping in Fishing Town with their disciples, the Nie Family’s Martial Arts Hall was bustling with visitors. As the local host, Nie Maocheng had specially booked an entire tavern to receive those who came to call on him.

During a past Provincial Examination, Yang Shaorong had knocked Nie Maocheng’s top disciple off the list. In the years since, because they lived nearly two days’ journey apart, Guo Wei and Nie Maocheng had almost no contact.

But they still kept tabs on each other, especially on the strength of each other’s disciples.

Chu Lingguang’s title of "future Martial Arts Scholar" could be hidden from other masters, but not from Nie Maocheng and Tie Zhennan. Guo Wei had originally thought that if he didn’t greet Nie Maocheng and just stayed in a small tavern, he wouldn’t be discovered.

He never expected that Nie Maocheng had been waiting for him and had come to find him personally.

He felt a pang of regret. ’I shouldn’t have stopped in Fishing Town.’

He saw that Nie Maocheng was followed by a group of other masters. ’He’s deliberately trying to spread Chu Lingguang’s name and turn everyone against him.’

However, the "future Martial Arts Scholar" title had already been stripped from him by Teng Qingshan and Lin Yuanfu. Guo Wei was prepared. He said, "Lin Guang, Hei Hu, greet Master Nie."

"Greetings, Master Nie," Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu said in unison, cupping their fists.

"Lin Guang, remember this: Master Nie is no simple character. Teng Qingshan and Lin Yuanfu, the two who defeated you a month ago, both once trained at Master Nie’s Martial Arts Hall. If you could be called a ’future Martial Arts Scholar,’ then each of Master Nie’s disciples could claim the title of ’future Military Scholar.’"

Guo Wei said meaningfully.

Nie Maocheng’s expression froze.

The moment he saw Guo Wei impassively instruct his disciples to greet him, Nie Maocheng knew this was not going to go his way. And just as he’d feared, with a deft move like something out of Tai Chi, Guo Wei had tossed the problem right back at him.

But he was a veteran of the Jianghu and recovered quickly. He laughed and said, "Master Guo, you flatter me. Among all of us here, it seems only one of your disciples has passed and become a Military Scholar. I see these two disciples of yours have an extraordinary bearing, much like Yang Shaorong back in the day."

"Alas," Guo Wei sighed, "Shaorong was young and reckless back then. He injured your top disciple during the Provincial Examination, and I’ve felt guilty about it every time I’ve thought of it these past years. I wonder, how is that disciple of yours doing these days?"

Since Nie Maocheng was clearly looking for trouble, he didn’t need to be polite anymore.

"He is now General Chang Chun’s Deputy. You needn’t worry, Master Guo," Nie Maocheng said with a cold snort.

"Masters," Guo Wei said, turning to the group behind Nie Maocheng and cupping his hands. "My disciple is arrogant by nature and made a fool of himself a month ago. I didn’t realize you all took it to heart, so thank you for your concern. This is a good opportunity for him to learn his lesson and understand that there’s always someone better out there."

"Victory and defeat are common in a warrior’s life. Master Guo, you’re being too serious."

"To feel shame and then fight harder—Master Guo’s disciple is no simple character."

"Master Guo’s fame is widespread. We were just curious and came over to say hello."

...

The masters all said, cupping their hands in return.

Guo Wei had taken the initiative to open his own wounds and air his "family’s shame" in public, which earned him the admiration of the other masters. Plus, since none of them had any personal conflicts with him, and he was taking such a humble stance, how could they dare to belittle him?

Not only had Nie Maocheng failed to make Chu Lingguang a public target, he had inadvertently caused the other masters to instruct their disciples not to underestimate him. They were told that if they encountered him in the examination, they should avoid him if at all possible.

The potential unleashed by someone who has just been humiliated is often the most terrifying.

Seeing Guo Wei bonding with the other masters, Nie Maocheng was inwardly displeased. On the surface, however, he maintained a magnanimous expression, merely stating that he had come to invite Guo Wei to the tavern he had booked so they could all travel together the next day.

Guo Wei politely refused. He had deliberately chosen a small tavern to avoid conflict with Nie Maocheng. Firstly, it was unnecessary, and secondly, he was afraid Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu would be targeted.

So, when he later went out drinking with those masters, he made sure to sincerely praise their disciples whenever he saw them, complimenting them on being so sensible. Then, he would launch into a tirade about Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu, acting as though he feared this Daoist Examination would ruin his reputation in his old age and that he regretted ever taking them as disciples.

Hearing his complaints and recalling the recent fiasco involving Chu Lingguang, the other masters were mostly convinced. They warned their disciples to be wary of Chu Lingguang, but also gave them specific instructions not to target him.

For one, it was to give Guo Wei face.

For another, kicking a man when he was down would earn them a bad reputation.

The next morning, Guo Wei, Chu Lingguang, and Hei Hu set off for South City, traveling together with the Martial Artists from the various regions. They finally entered South City around noon.

Chu Lingguang was captivated by the city walls of South City. They towered over thirty meters high and snaked across the landscape like a great dragon lying prone, stretching on as far as the eye could see.

The county seats he had seen all had walls, but they were typically made of rammed earth and no more than ten meters tall. He had never seen anything like South City’s walls—over thirty meters high, built from massive bluestone bricks, and guarded by soldiers and their steeds. It was a first for him since he’d transmigrated.

He finally understood why the Daoist Examination for more than a dozen nearby counties was held in South City.