Chapter 863 Assessment
The sun was shining brightly in the morning.
Outside the bamboo grove.
A group of young girls and boys emerged from various bamboo courtyards and gathered on the beach.
When Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou came out, Song Zhian and Yu Xiaoniangzi were already in the crowd.
Lu Jinghong stood beside the two women like a persistent plaster, talking to Song Zhian.
Ouyang Rong looked around and saw about thirty girls on the beach. Besides Ouyang Rong, Sha Ergou, and Lu Jinghong, there were also four boys. They all looked simple and honest, and like Sha Ergou, they were probably from fishing and farming families. They must have come here by chance.
The ages of the group ranged from ten to sixteen. For example, Song Zhian and Yu Xiaoniangzi were just reaching the age of marriage. According to Ouyang Rong's experience from his junior sister and Rong Zhen, this age group was the most suitable for cultivating Qi.
Among them, Ouyang Rong is the oldest. Not to mention that he is already over twenty, his appearance and physique in this fake body of Ashan are those of a nineteen-year-old.
Most of the girls in this group were pretty and delicate, with a lively and spirited look. However, there were also some thin and sallow-faced little girls with timid eyes, who looked like children from poor families.
Or rather, the Yue women selected by Yunmeng Jianze were mostly from poor families.
Firstly, because of the three reasons for not accepting them, and secondly, because the Wu and Yue regions had a large number of poor people, it was naturally easier for talented girls to emerge.
If it weren't for the discerning eyes of these Yue women, most of these young girls would have been lost in the mundane world.
From this perspective, becoming a Yue woman in Yunmeng Sword Marsh is indeed a path to advancement.
Ouyang Rong looked around again and found that Song Zhian, who was being frequently spoken to by Lu Jinghong, was graceful and elegant, with bright almond-shaped eyes and lips like cinnabar. She was indeed one of the most eye-catching girls in the group.
The time for Yue Nu to announce the assembly time is now very close.
Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou arrived just in time.
Song Zhian asked softly, "Brother Liu, why are you so late?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at Sha Ergou, who scratched his head with a guilty look.
Ouyang Rong got up early, but Sha Ergou almost overslept, snoring loudly. Every time Ouyang Rong went to wake him, he would mumble "I'm awake."
When Ouyang Rong passed by while washing up, he pushed open the door to check the room. He even tried to straighten up and nod his head like a pestle, trying to gain trust... But as soon as Ouyang Rong turned and left, Sha Ergou fell back down and fell asleep as fast as he could. When Ouyang Rong came back a while later, it was the same thing, and it has been delayed until now.
Ouyang Rong was speechless. His ability to fall asleep instantly and be impossible to wake up left people at a loss for words, but being able to sleep soundly was a blessing.
Normally, Sha Ergou goes to bed early and gets up early, and he's quite diligent. But last night, in order to welcome Ouyang Rong and to earn money from Madam Li, he stayed up very late, which is understandable.
However, today is the selection day that Song Zhian mentioned, which is quite important.
Song Zhian also noticed this, her eyebrows and eyes, like dark ink, shifted slightly:
"Sha Ergou, didn't you sleep well?"
Sha Ergou waved his hand: "It's nothing."
After saying that, he yawned.
Upon seeing this, Lu Jinghong shook his head, as if he felt that such a person was hopeless and couldn't be helped.
Although Song Zhian came from a humble background, she possessed the manners of a well-bred young lady and showed no disdain, taking something from her sleeve and handing it to her:
"This is a cooling balm, originally used to repel mosquitoes. Apply some under your nose to refresh yourself."
Lu Jinghong, who had initially been indifferent, immediately turned his head and said:
"To be honest, I'm also feeling quite sleepy. I'll give it a try."
Sha Ergou waved his hand sheepishly, but Ouyang Rong took it directly and handed it to him:
"Wake up."
Ouyang Rong did not use the cooling ointment. While Sha Ergou and Lu Jinghong were using the ointment, he stood silently at the back of the crowd, looking at the small island next to him.
On that small island, there was also a bamboo forest, and on the beach there, people were gathering.
It seems that the people who participated in the selection were scattered across the two islands.
As Ouyang Rong pondered, a cold-faced Yue woman arrived at the shore first on a bamboo raft.
Behind her, there were more than a dozen bamboo rafts, each with a woman dressed in Wu and Yue attire, wearing a peach wood pendant at her waist. They also looked at the newlyweds on the beach with curious eyes, and most of them had kind expressions.
The cold-faced Yue woman leading the group glanced around at everyone and said in a cold voice...
"The woman will go first and go to Peach Valley by boat, while the man will stay behind and wait."
...
Song Zhian, Yu Xiaoniangzi, and other young women went ahead.
Ouyang Rong and the other boys waited for about two hours, until near noon, before a raft returned. It was the same cold-faced Yue woman who led the group. There weren't as many rafts as there were also fewer people.
They boarded the bamboo rafts one by one, and together with the group of boys who had stayed on the neighboring island, they sailed towards the island with the peach valley that the cold-faced Yue woman had mentioned.
Sha Ergou couldn't help but yawn:
"Why do we have to wait so long?"
He was already sleepy, and the cooling balm in the morning could help him wake up, but after standing on the beach all morning and being exposed to the sun, he became even more drowsy.
The key issue is that Song Zhian isn't here, so there's no cooling balm to wake her up.
Lu Jinghong, who was also on the bamboo raft, curled her lip:
"Nonsense, they are selecting Yue women. We can't become Yue women, we only have the qualifications to enter the Bamboo Hall. The process is not as complicated as theirs, so naturally we can't go together."
Sha Ergou muttered:
"Bamboo Hall? What kind of place is this? Do they have to be selected to work here? Does it pay well? Is it a secure job?"
Lu Jinghong was speechless and turned her head away, unwilling to answer this foolish question.
Soon, the bamboo raft reached a small island deep in the mountains, where there was a secluded valley filled with peach orchards.
The cold-faced Yue woman turned around and addressed the dozen or so boys, including Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou:
"The Yue Maidens are the foundation of our sect, and we mainly recruit Yue Maidens. However, the Bamboo Hall is a slight exception. Recently, the Bamboo Hall has been deserted and short of people. The First Lady has made an exception and allowed a group of boys to be selected to fill the Bamboo Hall. The threshold for the Bamboo Hall in the past was an eighth-grade Qi Refining sword cultivator. However, you have not yet reached the Qi Refining stage, so we will make an exception and select you according to the Yue Maidens selection criteria, and you will have to pass three tests."
"The three tests are: swordsmanship aptitude, Qi cultivation foundation, and mental fortitude... In addition, according to the old rules, after entering the Bamboo Hall, there will be another test, just like the Yue Maidens who have successfully entered, which tests another very rare aptitude... But that's just a formality, no one has entered for decades. Alright, I won't say more for now, we'll talk about it after you pass the three tests and enter the Bamboo Hall."
Apart from Lu Jinghong, who confidently held his sword as if everything was expected, Sha Ergou and the group of boys looked at each other in bewilderment, clearly hearing about it for the first time as well.
Ouyang Rong also pretended to be ignorant.
Judging from the cold-faced Yue woman's demeanor and tone, these boys were clearly not valued much, and even in today's test, they were ranked behind Song Zhian and other Yue woman candidates.
It's easy to imagine that in Yunmeng Sword Marsh, the status of the Bamboo Hall was just so-so; not to be looked down upon, but it was still considered an outsider.
Ouyang Rong just didn't understand why Lady Zhi Shuang had brought him in to participate in the test at the Bamboo Hall.
Isn't it to find him a job ringing the bell and accompanying her chosen personal disciple, Aqing?
After much thought, it's highly likely that Lady Zhi Shuang has forgotten again, or perhaps the person in charge, Leng Mian Yue Nu, has made a mistake, thinking that Ouyang Rong was also brought into Jianze to participate in the selection.
Even his friends, like Song Zhian and Lu Jinghong, tacitly agreed, assuming he was the same as the boys, such as Sha Ergou…
Ouyang Rong glanced at Peach Valley behind him. A thin mist was slowly spreading through the forest, and the peach-colored flowers were faintly visible in the mist.
The long howls of some kind of animal could be heard from time to time in the forest.
"Today is the first test, to examine swordsmanship aptitude. This is the foundation for entering the Bamboo Hall of this sect. Without swordsmanship talent, no matter how good one's cultivation talent is, it is useless to enter the hall."
The cold-faced Yue woman raised her chin, and three Yue women stepped forward to distribute blue-sealed booklets to everyone, along with a wooden identity tag with their names written on it.
"Here you go. This is a beginner's guide to swordsmanship. You don't need to memorize it. Just study it for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Rely solely on your comprehension. Then enter the valley. There are some agile monkeys in the valley. Just walk through the forest as quickly as possible..."
...
Ouyang Rong obtained the manual and examined it with Sha Ergou.
The manual contains a set of simplified sword techniques, mostly illustrated to prevent illiteracy.
Ouyang Rong was no novice; after one look, he memorized it.
He looked around.
Lu Jinghong and the others were taking notes as fast as they could.
However, Sha Ergou next to him, after watching for a while, squinted his eyes slightly... as if he was about to fall asleep.
Ouyang Rong was speechless and nudged him.
"oh oh."
Sha Ergou woke up with a start and quickly buried himself in memorizing the sword technique manual. However, his flustered appearance made Ouyang Rong somewhat worried for him.
However, Ouyang Rong couldn't help him either. Soon, everyone took a wooden sword and entered Peach Valley together.
A misty fog filled the Peach Valley. There were only about ten of them, who had entered the valley from different locations. The valley was large, but there was only one exit, so they quickly became separated.
Originally intending to team up with Sha Ergou, Ouyang Rong gave up on the idea.
After walking for a short while, they heard the cries of pain from some teenagers and the laughter of monkeys not far away.
"Thump—!"
Ouyang Rong turned his head to look around, seemingly lost in thought. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he used a antelope horn to block a black stick.
The owner of the black stick seemed to be taken aback for a moment as well.
Ouyang Rong turned around and saw a gibbon, which looked twice as big as the monkeys on Mount Emei in his previous life. It had unusually long arms, was covered in black fur, but had a tuft of yellow fur on its forehead, giving it a somewhat flamboyant appearance.
“Eee-yah-yah…”
The punk-style monkey was carrying a peach wood sword, but it was dragging it around like a stick. It circled the rather strange and dull-looking young man, seemingly observing him.
At one moment, the punk-style monkey lunged forward, launching a sudden attack. Ouyang Rong countered with a backhand sword thrust, sending it flying three meters.
"babble--!"
It let out a miserable cry.
Ouyang Rong casually twirled his sword.
The punk monkey got up from the ground and jumped around wildly. The surrounding forest was filled with the smug sounds of its companions bullying the newcomers, but it was the only one who got beaten up.
How could he tolerate this? The punk monkey, in a fit of rage, snapped.
Without much thought, Ouyang Rong picked up the peach sword upside down and started chasing after the punk ape, beating him mercilessly and putting immense pressure on him.
Anyway, the thin mist concealed the view, and no one was spying on them.
How could a dignified seventh-grade Qi cultivator be afraid of this little Karami?
He was unsure whether he had any talent for swordsmanship, but Fang Shushi's seventh-grade Daoist cultivation level allowed him to have mastered the control over his muscles.
Compared to his agile movements, these flamboyant monkeys are not even half as good as him.
So I didn't use any swordsmanship techniques, and I didn't use the sword forms in the book "Introduction to Swordsmanship" much; it was just a one-sided beating.
However, after chasing and hammering the punk monkey for about ten steps, Ouyang Rong realized that he seemed to be somewhat out of place.
All around were the sounds of boys being beaten, and even Lu Jinghong's cries of pain and rage.
No, how come you guys are all so bad...
After a pause, Ouyang Rong subtly restrained himself, pretending to be evenly matched with the punk monkey.
Meanwhile, they gradually made their way towards the exit of Peach Valley.
Realizing that he was becoming "stronger and stronger with each battle," as if his potential had been unleashed, the punk monkey perked up and began to counterattack.
However, it found itself always falling behind the dull young man, and gradually became irritable.
Ouyang Rong was giving a lesson to the punk monkey when, halfway there, he kicked something and looked down to take a look.
It was a small bag that looked somewhat familiar.
When he saw the crumbs of pastry scattered at the mouth of the bag, he realized that he seemed to have seen this thing before at Yu Xiaoniangzi's place. It seemed to be a bag of pastries that Yu Danniangzi had hidden and given to her.
However, seeing the mess on the ground... Ouyang Rong's lips twitched involuntarily.
I wonder if Yu Xiaoniangzi's equipment was looted by the "Shamate Monkey" back then.
No, you secretly brought snacks to the Peach Valley Trial, right? What's the difference between that and bringing snacks into the college entrance exam in your past life?
What kind of foolish daughter is she?
In the peach grove, the screams of the boys rose and fell, but as time went on, they seemed to have learned their lesson. Their cries of pain gradually decreased, and the sounds of clubs and swords clashing increased. Some of the boys had already begun to fight the monkeys to a standstill.
Ouyang Rong was the fastest to get close to the exit.
Something was at the exit of Peach Valley. The closer one got to it, the more the monkeys in the forest gathered and attacked Ouyang Rong, but this did not hinder his progress in the slightest.
They continued at the same speed, but as they approached the exit, Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, then deliberately took two steps back, which excited the frustrated panda, making it think it had gained the upper hand.
After releasing the water near the finish line and waiting for about twenty breaths, Ouyang Rong noticed a young figure appearing not far away, obscured by mist, making it impossible to see the person clearly.
After Ouyang Rong waited for him to pass, he began to exert his strength and rushed towards the exit of Peach Valley in one go.
"Not bad, it took 109 breaths, still a bit short of 100 breaths. The second one to come out of Peach Valley, his swordsmanship is superb."
Ouyang Rong rushed out of Peach Valley and saw a huge peach tree with many mother monkeys holding their babies, which seemed to be a stronghold of the monkey troop.
The aloof Yue woman, accompanied by several other Yue women with peach-shaped pendants hanging from their waists, stood behind a peach tree and nodded slightly.
Not far from them stood a simple-looking boy with a dark complexion, panting heavily.
Ouyang Rong also pretended to be out of breath, stepped forward, and handed over the wooden plaque.
"Liu Aliang".
The cold-faced Yue woman took the wooden plaque, glanced at Ouyang Rong, and wrote it down in her notebook.
Just then, another figure in brocade robes rushed out from the rear entrance.
"Pah, what bad luck! This beast can even bite... Ouch, what a waste of ten breaths of my life! I definitely won't make it past a hundred breaths now..."
It was Lu Jinghong's voice.
The cold-faced Yue woman spoke in a cold voice:
"Third place, taking 113 breaths."
Lu Jinghong staggered out, shaking off the monkey. Just as he was about to tidy himself up and walk towards the peach tree, his gaze suddenly fell on Ouyang Rong's figure next to the cold-faced Yue Nu under the tree. His pupils contracted slightly, and his expression changed...
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
