The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 2 Opportunity
After racking his brains to no avail, Han Qing simply gave up on thinking about it.

In the afternoon.

He continued sharpening his knife, while Grandpa Fang lay leisurely in the sun on a rattan chair by the courtyard gate, with two boys whispering to each other as they sharpened their knives.

"Sigh, when will this end? Skinny Monkey couldn't stay in the end. I have half a year left. Will I still have a chance?" the boy on the left said.

"What's the rush? As long as you can master martial arts, like Yang Ban Tou, who can break huge rocks with his bare hands, even if you don't become a minor official in the government, your future will be bright," said the boy on the right.

"Nonsense! If you don't become a minor official, where will you learn martial arts? Martial arts schools cost a lot of money, can you afford it?" the boy on the left cursed.

“I saw that Master Fang’s room has a lot of books, and there might be martial arts manuals among them. If you can gain his favor, he might reward you with one.” The boy on the right lowered his voice.

"What's the difference between wanting his favor and daydreaming?" the boy on the left stared wide-eyed.

Han Qing listened to the conversation between the two and his heart stirred slightly. He didn't even dare to think about asking Master Fang for martial arts skills, but he might have a chance if he asked for a few ordinary books.

The effect of the Sage's Scripture in suppressing murderous intent is weakening, but other books may still be useful.

Just as they were pondering, a loud shout came from the courtyard gate. The voice was like thunder, full of energy, and made the young men's eardrums hurt.

"gather!"

More than thirty teenagers stopped what they were doing and hurriedly gathered in the courtyard.

Master Fang followed a burly man with a thick beard to the front of the crowd. This man was strong and fierce, with thick hair, even on his arms, making him look like a bear from a distance.

This man is Yang Wu, the head of the yamen's police squad. He holds a very high position in the yamen and is highly skilled in martial arts.

"Three days ago, a notorious flower thief roamed into my Baiyun County. The government sent people to arrest him, but they failed and more than ten people were killed or injured. You bastards have been waiting for this for so long, now your chance has come."

According to the rules of the yamen, I will select three of you to learn the method of entering the yamen and compete with the servants of the other departments. Whether you can become a new official in the third shift depends on your aptitude and comprehension! Yang Wu shouted loudly.

Many of the teenagers looked excited; no matter what, they had finally gotten their chance.

"One more thing, remember this face. He is the notorious womanizer known as Yin Yang Scholar. I will reward anyone who can provide clues!"

As Yang Wu spoke, he held up a portrait and waved it in front of everyone. The portrait depicted a young man with a long face and a black mole at the corner of his left eye.

"Old Fang, I'll come back tomorrow to ask you for the person." Yang Wu said this and turned to leave.

Old Fang glanced at the thirty-odd teenagers and waved his hand: "Go do what you're supposed to do. I know who will be chosen."

The boys scattered in a flurry, their eyes filled with longing. Han Qing was no exception; he had waited three years for this opportunity and was determined not to miss it.

Before dawn, Han Qing got up to feed the horses. As a servant, his main job was to sharpen knives, but he also had to do other odd jobs. Occasionally, someone would get sick and not be able to finish their work, so others would have to step in.

Halfway through feeding the horses, a groggy, overweight boy rushed out of the next room, ran to the outhouse to urinate, and came out to see Han Qing feeding the horses alone. He stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

"Dumb guy, getting up this early every day? Aren't you tired?" The boy yawned, a bright green jade pendant hanging from his waist, which was very eye-catching in the moonlight.

Han Qing glanced at him but didn't say anything. This man was named Luo Ying, a member of the wealthy Luo family in Baiyun County. He had only arrived half a year ago and slept until dawn every day. Master Fang turned a blind eye to this.

Han Qing understood that there must be something fishy going on behind the scenes. He was also envious; who would want to work so hard if they could have an easier life?

However, despite his envy, he wouldn't complain; he just wanted to do his own thing and live his own life well.

"Forget it, I'm going to sleep. Dumb, some things can't be achieved just by trying." Luo Ying yawned and turned to leave.

Han Qing frowned, vaguely guessing what was going on.

The next day at noon, Yang Wu arrived again, and more than thirty teenagers gathered and stood in two rows.

"Those whose names are heard, step forward! Luo Ying! Song Hui! Liu Buxiu!"

The three stepped forward, but none of them showed much joy, as if they had known the outcome beforehand.

Han Qing felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn't jealous of others, but he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"Forget it, perhaps this was never meant to be a path!" Han Qing closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly calmed down. Master Fang glanced around and saw the reactions of the many teenagers, especially lingering on Han Qing for a while, and sighed silently in his heart.

It appears that he was choosing the people, but in reality, the personnel had already been decided internally. In the past, he still had the decision-making power over one or two people, but this time he had none.

If he had the opportunity, he would definitely give it to Han Qing; he had seen Han Qing's hard work over the past three years.

"The three of you will go to the Minglu Hall of the yamen the day after tomorrow, where I will teach you martial arts together," Yang Wu said loudly.

"Yes!" the three responded in unison.

"Let's disperse!" Yang Wu waved his hand.

"Hey, Yang, come in, I'll treat you to a drink!" Fang Ye suddenly said.

"Old Fang, since you've already spoken, how can I refuse? Let's go!" Yang Wu said in a deep voice.

As the two entered the house, Old Fang did not rush to fetch wine. Instead, he turned around and asked, "Chief Yang, there is a young man in this courtyard who has performed extremely diligently over the past three years. I hope you can add another spot. Otherwise, it will be difficult to convince everyone. If word gets out, I'm afraid no one will come to my courtyard to work as a servant anymore."

Yang Wu frowned: "Old Fang, what you said makes some sense. I can add another spot, but he has to fight for it himself."

"What does Chief Yang want to do?" Old Fang asked.

“A few days ago, a butcher named Shen San in the yamen died by accident. No one wants this vacant position for the time being. I can let him give it a try and see if he has the guts to kill someone,” Yang the yamen leader pondered.

Axemen, who specialize in beheading, have a mediocre status in the government office and their salaries are not much higher than those of other minor officials, so they are not well-liked.

"Alright, let him give it a try!" Old Fang said.

Yang Wu immediately went out and loudly announced to the group of youths, "The yamen is about to execute a death row inmate. If any of you dare to kill someone, I'll add another spot!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Qing stood up.

"Lord Yang, I'll go!"

The other teenagers all looked hesitant. From childhood to adulthood, many of them had only ever killed chickens. Suddenly asking them to kill someone was something most people couldn't accept, and it was a huge test of their courage.

But Han Qing is different. Even if he didn't have a strange illness, he would still give it his all.

He didn't want to kill anyone, but he also didn't want to slink away from the government office in disgrace, wasting his parents' large sum of money. He felt guilty, so he would fight for every opportunity. As the saying goes, he had no choice.

"Is it him?" Yang Wu whispered.

"It's him," Master Fang replied in a low voice.

"Good courage, decisiveness. What's your name?" Yang Wu asked loudly.

"Han Qing!!"

"Come with me!"

"it is good!"

Han Qing put down the knife in his hand and followed Yang Wu out of the small courtyard, where the boys were talking amongst themselves.

"That mute guy is too ruthless!"

"This spot should have been given to him!"

"Sigh, I regret it. I should have stood up."

"Don't make me laugh. If your legs don't go weak when you see a dead body, I'll change my surname to yours!"

"Go away, who do you think you are?"

(End of this chapter)