Chapter 887 The Swordholder's Talent Assessment? (Seeking monthly votes or 2)
Inside the Dripping Water Cave, at the entrance of a passageway.
While Ouyang Rong was deep in thought, Xi Qi was actually secretly observing him.
She couldn't hide the curiosity in her eyes as she looked at the young man in the felt hat who had failed to be selected for the Bamboo Hall.
What is this person's background, and why did the female ruler above make an exception for him and help him find a job in the Sword Swamp?
Although the unseen queen in the Queen's Palace did not directly open the back door for him to enter the Bamboo Hall, nor did she interfere with the list of candidates prepared by the Six Queens and the Peach Hall.
However, this matter is ultimately somewhat dishonorable and not suitable for being brought to the forefront.
You should know that if this had happened back when the Three Queens were still in Jianze, the Caotang, which upheld justice, would have reacted strongly. The Yue women who enforced the law would have stood up for justice and retorted, even if it was the Queen's decree.
So this time, even Uncle Tang didn't personally step in, but instead handed it over to her, who has a relatively gentle personality, instead of to Senior Sister Yuan, who has a straightforward personality.
Moreover, Xi Qi is very perceptive and noticed a detail in this matter.
Uncle Tang received the oral decree from the Queen's Palace early in the morning. The Queen who issued the decree did not appear, nor was it stated whether it was an order from a single Queen or a joint decision by all the Queens.
There weren't even any physical documents or orders; it was just a casual verbal order.
Clearly, the Queen, who neither revealed her face nor her birth order, was also somewhat embarrassed to open this door.
There was also a degree of avoidance of suspicion.
However, Uncle Tang is of high seniority in the Sword Swamp and is familiar with the ways of the various female rulers. Perhaps he could tell which female ruler this edict came from by her verbal tic and habit. He just didn't say much to these stewards and Yue women.
Xi Qi didn't dare to ask any more questions, because judging from the serious look on Tang Shishu's face when he received the imperial edict, this female ruler must be of great importance, one of the minor ladies in charge of the female ruler's palace.
Hmm, first we should rule out the magnanimous First Lady... Could it be the Second Lady? Or perhaps the Fifth Lady, who is pure and abstinent yet wields immense power? If not, could it be that young mistress who is rumored to have returned to Sword Swamp but has yet to appear?
The more Xi Qi thought about it, the more curious she became.
Seeing the bewildered and troubled look on the taciturn young man's face, she suppressed her curiosity and casually said:
"Can you read?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
Xi Qi seemed to realize what had happened and asked a pointless question, so she added:
"Excuse me, may I ask..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly said:
"I know some arithmetic, and I can also... read palms. I learned it from the abbot when I used to ring the bell at a temple... The abbot liked to hold matchmaking fairs, which collected a lot of money and needed manpower, so I went to help out."
"You can do arithmetic?"
Xi Qi asked, glancing at him more closely, but completely ignoring the question about palm reading.
"Um."
Ouyang Rong remained calm. In any case, this matter had already been leaked once at the Red Dust Inn, and it couldn't be hidden if investigated closely. So he simply took the initiative to bring it up today and smooth things over.
Unexpectedly, Xi Qi shook her head directly:
"That's a good skill, but we probably don't need it here. There aren't many useful positions, but they are all very important, and they are all under the jurisdiction of the Second Lady. But there will be no shortage of people there, and the Second Lady doesn't like other people interfering with the things she is in charge of."
"That's one thing, and the second thing is... I'm not afraid to laugh at you, but as the Yue Nu of Taotang, I don't have much authority and can't arrange for you to go there. Even my uncle might not be able to help... You'll understand once you've stayed in Jianze for a while."
Ouyang Rong was somewhat surprised by Xi Qi's frankness. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice:
“Senior Sister Xi, I can wait. I’ll go up when the bell rings. Besides that, I can do any kind of physical labor. I can be a handyman, and you don’t need to provide meals.”
Upon hearing this, Xi Qi hesitated slightly.
In fact, if it were just a routine chores, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths; she could have simply delegated the task to someone else.
But today's matter was entrusted to me by the Queen above.
Although she didn't know exactly who it was, Xi Qi was clear that Uncle Tang's entrustment of this matter to her indicated that he valued it, even though Uncle Tang was trying to avoid suspicion.
Making an exception for Liu Aliang is somewhat unconventional, and the Queen herself shouldn't show her face. However, if these Yue women from the subordinate departments can handle this unconventional matter with decorum and dignity for the Queen, she will naturally remember their consideration...
The emotionally intelligent Xi Qi pondered for a moment:
"Forget about those dirty and tiring menial jobs, Liu Aliang. I've seen your results from the three tests. You have the potential to enter the Bamboo Hall, but your bone age results weren't ideal, which is a pity. It would be a waste of your talent to do manual labor."
"Moreover, most of the Yue women in our sect are self-reliant and do not need servants to serve them. Those who are not Yue women who can stay in Jianze, apart from the sword cultivators of the Bamboo Hall, are key laborers involved in food, clothing, housing, transportation, errands, and boating. They must be loyal and reliable people with clean backgrounds. They are usually employed for many years, such as some of the old ladies in charge of logistics."
"Furthermore, the Queen's Palace stipulates that Yue women must treat laborers as family members and will not allow the kind of animalistic treatment of servants that is common among the powerful families down the mountain..."
"Therefore, there will be no restrictions on laborers observing and learning, or practicing Qi in private. However, there are few laborers with the perseverance to learn Qi cultivation on their own, but I think you can give it a try. After all, compared to them, you are still very young, and you might achieve great things later in life..."
Just then, a series of rapid footsteps came from the passageway in front of them.
The young women and boys who participated in the "fourth test" have returned.
Xi Qi stepped aside, turned around, and walked around the platform, heading towards another passageway inside the Dripping Water Cave.
Ouyang Rong followed.
Xi Qi walked away without turning her head, speaking softly and gently:
"Alright, I have a general understanding of your situation. I'll go and find you some work, preferably something close to our Peach Hall or Cloud Dream Book Pavilion, so you can get involved in Qi Refining or easily ask for help... I noticed that among this batch of selected candidates, you seem to have met some young ladies and Bamboo Hall friends. They're all around the same age, so it'll be convenient for you to meet up..."
Ouyang Rong, who was walking behind, raised his eyebrows slightly.
I glanced at Xi Qi's back a couple more times.
Why does the Yue woman in Yunmeng Sword Marsh seem so humane?
Except for Lady Zhi Shuang.
Ouyang Rong silently recited the words in his mind. At that moment, a commotion of noise from the crowd came from behind.
The main force returned to Drip Cave.
Xi Qi chatted with Ouyang Rong for a few more minutes, then left him behind while she went about her business.
Ouyang Rong stopped and looked back at the noisy crowd surging into the hall, preparing to look for A Qing's figure, but after taking only a few steps, he was stopped by someone.
"Brother Liu!"
Among the crowd, the sharp-eyed Yu Xiaoniangzi immediately spotted the dull young man and the moving food box. Song Zhian, Lu Jinghong, and Sha Ergou followed behind, walking forward without saying a word.
Ouyang Rong noticed a hint of joy on the two women's faces, especially on Song Zhian, whose usually calm and composed face now showed an uncontrollable smile.
Meanwhile, the other young women around them were also talking about something with great interest; some were delighted, while others were disappointed.
As Ouyang Rong passed by, he vaguely heard words such as "Autumn Hall," "Thatched Hall," "Peach Hall," and "Cool Valley."
In addition, he keenly noticed that everyone, including his four companions, had a waist tag hanging from their waists, only the material was different.
Song Zhian, Yu Mili, and other young women wore peach-shaped pendants around their waists, similar to the style of most Yue women's pendants seen before.
This should symbolize her becoming a formal Yue Maiden of Yunmeng Sword Marsh; all that's missing is the Wu attire and her sword.
Lu Jinghong and Sha Ergou wore bamboo plaques made of completely different materials, which was easy to understand; they were sword cultivators from the Bamboo Hall, distinguishing them from Yue Nu.
Ouyang Rong asked, "Have you finished your assessment?"
Lady Yu immediately replied:
"The exams are all over, and even the identity tokens have been distributed. Also, the branch offices for this batch of new Yue women have been assigned. Haha, Brother Liu, guess where Sister Song was assigned? You'd never guess..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head; he hadn't even fully figured out the functions of the various branches within the Yunmeng Sword Marsh yet.
"Let's talk about Brother Liu first."
Song Zhian stepped forward, interrupting Yu Xiaoniangzi's boastful words, and asked seriously with her pretty face:
"Brother Liu, what does Senior Sister Xi want with you? Could there be another unexpected turn of events?"
Ouyang Rong quieted down, glanced at the worried expressions on Song Zhian, Sha Ergou, and Yu Mili's faces, and Lu Jinghong also looked at him with a puzzled expression, so he roughly told her what Xi Qi had just said.
However, the details of the Queen's decree were not mentioned. It was only said that Taotang was preparing to keep him working in Jianze as a laborer.
Song Zhian and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Jinghong's face brightened, and he no longer had any doubts. He simply assumed that Jian Ze was redistributing and utilizing those who were not selected, and he was also happy for him.
Regardless, the five-person group remained intact, only their status changed, with Brother Liu feeling regretful for being a step down.
But at least we can see each other often. As for what might happen due to the difference in status... let's talk about that later.
Apart from the more mature and calm Song Zhian, the others still had a youthful spirit, focusing on the present and not thinking too much.
Lady Yu stared intently at the food box in Ouyang Rong's hand, nodding like a chick pecking at rice, and said happily:
"Okay, okay, with Brother Liu around and living nearby, we can eat delicious food every day, right, Brother Liu..."
She clearly wanted to eat right there.
Unfortunately, Ouyang Rong seemed oblivious, turning to ask Sha Ergou, whose face was beaming with undisguised joy:
"Ergou, Young Master Lu, how's it going on your end? I see you've received your waist tokens too."
Sha Ergou paused for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"When we came out of that dark room, we were only given a bamboo token, nothing else, unlike Sister Song and the others... Brother Liu, that test was strange. It took us to a dark room with several very strict and cold senior sisters. We had to make a strange sword on a stone platform move without being allowed to touch it..."
"Isn't this nonsense? How can you make a sword move without touching it with your hands and feet? By shouting? Anyway, I just stared blankly for a long time and came out confused. I don't know how the others were."
Lu Jinghong curled her lip and said sarcastically:
"Otherwise, what else do you want? We're just stuck here staring blankly. This wasn't designed for us to begin with. If I'm not mistaken, the talent it tests might involve the legendary Swordholder's Severed Meridian... but very few people possess such a rare talent."
His expression turned serious:
"I asked around privately, and it's been a long time since anyone triggered this level. It's just that the Queen's Palace attaches great importance to this matter, which is why they test newcomers year after year."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the passageway without making a sound.
Is the assessment testing the swordsman's talent?
Lu Jinghong turned to Song Zhian and said:
"Congratulations, Miss Song, on finding a good place and leaving Peach Hall ahead of schedule. Although you are not a direct disciple of the Queen, unlike Miss Liu or Miss Chen, it is still an important hall under the Queen's management. You are now under the Queen's command. In the future, it is not impossible that the Queen will take you as a disciple if she sees your hard work and finds you pleasing to the eye. I have heard that there are precedents for this."
Song Zhian shook her head: "Young Master Lu, you're too kind. It was just luck. It's a pity that Mili wasn't very lucky today..."
Yu Mili waved her hand dismissively:
"Let's go with Taotang then. Everyone's here, it's not just me. Only Sister Song and your group, the most outstanding ones, were selected first. That's because of Sister Song's ability..."
"Anyway, I can choose another branch in the future, there will still be opportunities. I will work hard then and try to be in the same branch as Sister Song. Hehe, actually, a branch close to Brother Liu's work place is also fine."
Everyone: ...
Ouyang Rong listened silently, glancing at Song Zhian.
Without being asked in detail, he roughly understood what was going on.
Song Zhian noticed his gaze, misunderstood something, and turned her head to explain softly:
"That assessment was just a formality. After it was over, no one could make that strange sword in the secret room react, including Liu Qing and Chen Jiaxin."
"However, the important thing is that after the assessment, the Six Ladies were waiting for us in the hall outside the secret room. They also brought senior disciples from various halls and gave us peach tokens and Wu clothing..."
"They also selected a small group of new Yue women to take with them; they should be suitable for each hall, to bring fresh blood to each hall..."
"As for the remaining Yue women, they will stay in Peach Hall for the next year until they reach the ninth-grade Qi Refining cultivation level mentioned by their senior sisters. Then they will be selected again and will have another opportunity to go to a better or more suitable hall..."
Ouyang Rong nodded slowly:
"I see. What about Er Gou? What did Zhu Tang say?"
Lu Jinghong shook his head:
"Today is the assignment day for the new Yue women, which doesn't involve our Bamboo Hall. Also, there's another reason: many senior members from the Bamboo Hall haven't come; they're a bit lazy. We'll have to go to the Bamboo Hall ourselves. Senior Sister Yuan told us to wait patiently, get our bamboo tokens first, and complete the entry procedures..."
After explaining, Lu Jinghong, who was selected as the number one male student from the Bamboo Hall, looked indignant.
He didn't receive the attention he expected today, spending the entire event in the audience seats, and he sounded somewhat complaining:
"It feels like all of us who enter the Zhutang family are raised by stepmothers."
(End of this chapter)
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