novelraw Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Huishui County.
It was a city capable of housing several hundred thousand people, tightly enclosed by city walls six to seven meters high, giving off an impression of solidity and security.
Following Instructor Yu, Su Wangchuan arrived at the city gate of Huishui County. Two squads of armored guards stood at the entrance, checking the identification of everyone entering the city one by one.
Instructor Yu was a government constable and passed through without obstruction.
Su Wangchuan took out his Household Registration Proof from Blackstone Village—a wooden plaque.
The guard sized him up and asked,
“From Blackstone Village. What are you coming to the county seat for?”
Following what Instructor Yu had taught him earlier, Su Wangchuan replied,
“I heard the Yulong Gang is recruiting. I came to try my luck.”
“You’re a Quasi-Martial Artist?”The guard looked at him more carefully.
Su Wangchuan nodded.
“I’m also the blacksmith from Blackstone Village. I have some strength.”
The guard needed to confirm that Su Wangchuan had a concrete destination and would not become a potential hazard inside the city. After learning that he was a Quasi-Martial Artist, the guard thought for a moment and warned him,
“Go report to the Yulong Gang as soon as possible. If they take you in, register your household status there. If they don’t want you… then go back to where you came from.”
With that, he returned the wooden plaque and waved him through.
Su Wangchuan gained a deeper understanding of Huishui County’s management.
The security was tight.
He did not know whether this was because the Six Gates Constable Captain was still in Huishui County.
Once inside the city, he felt an immediate sense of openness.
The county seat was paved with flat stone slabs. Buildings lined both sides of the streets in orderly rows, stretching into the distance. Crowds flowed through the streets, and a chaotic mix of sounds rushed toward him.
Children chased each other and pelted snowballs everywhere.
Many people carried firewood and game on their shoulders, shouting as they sold their goods along the street.
Restaurants and shops on both sides also used their own methods to attract customers.
For a brief moment, Su Wangchuan experienced a strong sense of disorientation again.
Was this really a game world?
Every person, every scene, every line of dialogue felt so natural and logically consistent.
Occasionally, burly martial artists carrying blades passed by. Their gazes, movements, and the instinctive distancing and reverence shown by the people around them were no different from the real world.
Instructor Yu led the horse ahead, guiding Su Wangchuan across the city until they reached the river docks, where he stopped.
At the docks, a group of lightly clothed dock laborers were lining up in front of a grandly built hall.
Instructor Yu lifted his chin toward it and said,
“That is the Yulong Gang’s main hall.”
“The Yulong Gang has been recruiting intensively these past few days. The gang’s subordinate members all believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for advancement, so everyone wants to give it a try.”
“I’ll keep an eye on your things. Take your Household Registration Proof and go sign up.”
Su Wangchuan nodded and turned to walk over.
Everything that needed to be said had already been explained clearly by Instructor Yu on the way.
The Yulong Gang’s recruitment tests followed the old three standards: lifting stone locks, wielding a saber, and archery.
Pass any one of the three, and you could enter the Yulong Gang as a dock laborer, gaining the status of a dock disciple.
Pass two, and you would be recognized as a Quasi-Martial Artist, becoming an inner disciple of the Yulong Gang.
If you passed all three, it meant you were approaching the strength of a martial artist and could receive a position at the main hall.
Among the group of muscular dock laborers, the sudden presence of a fair-skinned young man stood out sharply. Members of the Yulong Gang could not help casting scrutinizing looks his way, with traces of wariness and hostility in their eyes.
However, with people watching from the hall, no one dared to act out of line.
Su Wangchuan did not care. He walked up to the registration table.
“Hello, I’d like to sign up.”
“Where are you from?”
The man behind the table, around thirty years old with sharp eyes, examined Su Wangchuan and asked, “Do you have a sponsor?”
“I’m from Blackstone Village. I know your Yulong Gang’s Brother Lin Xun.”
“Old Lin, huh.”
Hearing that Su Wangchuan knew Lin Xun, the man’s expression immediately softened.
“He did go to Blackstone Village quite often some time ago. What’s your name? What’s your relationship with him?”
“My name is Wangchuan. This is my Household Registration Proof. Brother Lin Xun saw me forging in Blackstone Village and wanted to give me a chance. He suggested I join the Yulong Gang to forge weapons for the brothers, so I came.”
Su Wangchuan’s phrasing naturally came from Instructor Yu’s guidance.
“All right!”
“Since you’re someone Old Lin recommended, go line up.”
After registering his name and background, the man handed him a numbered tag.
“When it’s your turn, just say you’re the blacksmith Old Lin introduced. He’ll make sure to take care of you.”
“Thank you, brother.”
Su Wangchuan cupped his fists, accepted the tag, and went to the back of the line.
The evaluations ahead moved quickly.
Most of the dock laborers chose to attempt lifting stone locks or wielding a saber, hoping to earn recognition as Quasi-Martial Artists.
The stone locks were easy enough to lift, but their saber techniques were a mess. It was obvious they had not mastered 《Basic Saber Technique》 and were simply hacking wildly with brute force.
After only a few swings, they were shouted away and chased off.
The man responsible for evaluation at the main hall was a middle-aged man around forty. His posture was upright, his gaze sharp, and thick calluses covered the tiger’s mouths of his hands—clear signs of a martial artist.
At this moment, his expression was dark.
He had watched so many people, yet not a single Quasi-Martial Artist had appeared.
The next young man nearly chopped himself while swinging the saber and was promptly thrown out.
The middle-aged martial artist’s facial muscles twitched. His five fingers slowly clenched into a fist, joints popping one after another. His gaze swept over the line, releasing an indescribable pressure that pressed down on the dock laborers behind.
“Without mastering any saber techniques, you dare come here to fool me? Believe it or not, I’ll crush your bird eggs!”
The explosive shout frightened several people in the line so badly that their faces went pale. They quietly slipped away, giving up on the assessment.
Soon, it was Su Wangchuan’s turn.
Holding the numbered tag with both hands, he said,
“I was recommended by Brother Lin Xun, here to work as a blacksmith for your esteemed gang.”
The middle-aged martial artist paused and looked him up and down.
“Go try the stone locks over there.”
Although he was not familiar with blacksmiths, a qualified blacksmith had to possess solid strength. He could not be weaker than these dock laborers.
Su Wangchuan complied and walked over.
Each stone lock weighed fifty jin. As long as one could grasp one in each hand and hold them with arms fully extended for two breaths, the test was passed.
Back when Su Wangchuan had first entered 《spirit realm》 with only eight points of Strength, this would have been nearly impossible.
But now, with fifteen points of Strength, he lifted the two stone locks with ease. Under the middle-aged martial artist’s watchful gaze, he calmly held them for the required two breaths.
The middle-aged martial artist nodded slightly.
“First trial, passed.”
“Do you know how to wield a saber?”
“No.”
Su Wangchuan shook his head.
He had no intention of becoming a frontline enforcer for the Yulong Gang so quickly.
Instructor Yu’s plan was to pass just the first trial.
The middle-aged martial artist stepped forward and grabbed Su Wangchuan’s arm, sneering.
“Hmph. With such a solid foundation, you’re clearly already at Quasi-Martial Artist level, yet you claim you only know how to forge iron? Do you think I’d believe that?”
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