The free-for-all among the youths erupted with furious momentum, without the slightest warning.
It didn't even need a reason.
Xu Yao firmly kept Liu Zhen's words in mind: do not fall!
And very quickly, he realized a hard truth: anyone who went down never got back up. Foes and allies alike were trampled, kicked, and pummeled beneath a chaotic tangle of boots, knocked unconscious in an instant and dragged or booted straight out of the fray.
Every pair of eyes blazed with ferocity, lit by a burning hunger for power and a future.
They were like a pack of beasts.
*Trample the others down, and I can rise!*
*Trample everyone down, and my spot is secure!*
This battle, senseless though it appeared, was their contest for the true starting line of their lives.
Like beings struggling through a mire, trapped in a muck as thick and unyielding as glue, they fought and clawed. Whoever remained standing at the end would gain a better chance to reach the shore, a real chance to drag themselves from the quagmire and stand tall on dry ground as a true human being.
None of them knew for certain whether this fight would actually matter, but they knew that winning offered one more possibility.
And they fought for that possibility.
They gave it their all.
Xu Yao calmed his nerves, weaving through the battlefield with steady, measured movements. Dull aches and sharp jolts flared across his body as blows landed on him. In a melee this dense, emerging unscathed was impossible. All he could do was grit his teeth, endure the hits, and strike back—driving the others back, bringing them down. Only by taking them out could he keep himself safe!
"Don't hit me, don't hit me!" Xu Yao cried out with an honest, harmless look, even as his hands and feet lashed out with brutal, heavy speed against every opponent in reach...
It had to be said that the earnest, simple impression Xu Yao initially gave people worked wonders in the opening stages of the brawl.
Yet as the fight dragged on, many of those he had felled glared in stunned fury and began screaming in outrage, "Get him! That bastard fights dirty... He's going straight for the groin!"
Quite a few shouted through tears of sheer agony, yelling that he had to be beaten bloody!
*You looked so honest and simple! I only meant to knock you down and leave it at that, but the second I charged, I took a boot between the legs...*
Robbed of all will to resist in a split second, they had collapsed into the trampling feet and been eliminated as a matter of course.
*It's enough to make a man spit blood!*
High in the boughs of a distant tree, screened by the foliage, Lord Liu and Lord Wang of the county yamen were watching the brawl unfold.
The two were tasked with overseeing the safety of the fight. After all, these were hot-blooded youngsters who had little sense of restraint. If real fury took hold, it wouldn't be surprising if someone ended up dead.
Yet as they watched, their expressions turned exceedingly colorful.
"Which squad is that little scoundrel from? He's underhanded as hell!"
Lord Liu pointed toward Xu Yao in the crowd. His choice of words was hardly polite—he didn't even bother calling him "that kid," jumping straight to "that little scoundrel."
"That's Chen Chong's treasure from the First Brigade. You've seen him before."
Lord Wang sighed. "I swear, those old soldier ruffians can never raise an honest soul. When I saw the boy last time, how earnest and well-behaved he was—he even draped a coat over a corpse! Good grief, it's only been a few days, and look at what he's become..."
Lord Liu rolled his eyes. "You think that can be taught? Damn it, his nature is underhanded to the bone, and ruthless to boot. Can't you see it?"
"Now, now, let's not go that far."
Lord Wang shook his head vigorously. "'Underhanded and ruthless' might be laying it on a bit thick, but 'shameless' is spot on."
"He's shameless as hell! Look at that innocent face—tsk, tsk! Feigning surprise and acting harmless while kicking groins, locking throats, and gouging eyes..."
Lord Liu let out a breath. "Still, this kid should be able to make the cut."
*Thud!*
Xu Yao dodged a fist and two kicks. Bracing himself to take a glancing blow on the outer curve of his hip and thigh, he whipped his leg backward in an overhead hook kick—swift, vicious, and wickedly angled. With a bloodcurdling shriek, the young man to his left rolled on the ground, face contorted in agony as his hands clamped between his legs...
He had guarded his front, never expecting a heel to loop around from behind his backside...
The corners of both county officials' eyes twitched in unison. A sudden phantom chill breezed between their own thighs.
"Every single one of the five he's put down so far... kicked right there... And with that innocent look on his face the whole time..."
"Lord Wang, this Xu Yao..."
Lord Liu's brow twitched as he lowered his voice. "If he truly manages to become a warrior, see if you can petition to keep him here in Black Mountain. We desperately need someone with this kind of vicious, lowdown streak."
Lord Wang frowned. "I'm afraid that won't be easy. Postings are almost always rotated across jurisdictions. When the time comes, I'll give it a try. But Lord Wu at the prefectural office... he's stubborn as a mule and thoroughly difficult to deal with."
"Then you can be the one to give it a shot when the time comes."
Lord Liu breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll leave the matter to you."
Lord Wang was utterly flabbergasted. "...How... how does it fall on me? What about you?"
"I'm the deputy."
Lord Liu wore a look of calm detachment. "This isn't within my remit."
"..."
Lord Wang suddenly had a powerful urge to punch him in the face.
***
Indoors.
"I have bad news for you all."
Li Keshi cleared his throat, surveying the twelve brigade captains before him. "The rules have changed. Previously, certain Mountain Protection Brigades had guaranteed recommendation quotas. But this year, Lord Gu handed down word that the southeast is scrapping that policy entirely. The capable rise, the mediocre fall. Your county will only take the top fifty. That's why I called this meeting to make things crystal clear."
"No guaranteed spots?!"
Chen Chong instantly panicked, slamming his hand on the table as he shot to his feet. "Lord Li, now that it's my nephew's turn, the guaranteed quota is gone? Who am I supposed to take this up with? Is someone targeting me?!"
"Third Sister, cut your damn nonsense! Targeting you? Are you even worthy of that?! And who do you think you're calling yourself 'father' in front of?!"
Li Keshi erupted in fury, slamming the table in return. "You think it's just your nephew? My brother-in-law is in this year's batch too! I already promised my wife I'd secure him a spot! The wine they brought has already been drunk, and the silver they gave is already spent, only for the rules to change! Now I'm the one who can't explain myself—he still has to fight for it like everyone else! If he doesn't make the cut, tough luck! Who am I supposed to take this up with? I don't even dare go home right now! Your sister-in-law's face is drawn longer than a donkey's... Don't you think an old bachelor like you has it far easier than me?"
"Hahahahaha..."
The room burst into roaring laughter, though once the chuckles died down, every face was steeped in worry.
Chen Chong and two other brigade captains looked especially grim, for they had held recommendation privileges. The other two had settled their selections more than two years ago. Now the policy had flipped out of nowhere, invalidating every reserved quota in their hands and leaving the youngsters to rely purely on their own strength to scrap and claw their way through!
The sudden turn of events caught them completely off guard, leaving every single one of them thoroughly at a loss.
Lord Li's brother-in-law had only come of age this year, so he had merely been swept up in the timing. But what about the rest of them? They had spent the gifts they took two years ago, and now they were being told the spots were gone?
"How many have registered in Black Mountain County?" the captains asked anxiously.
If the applicant numbers were small, there was still some hope.
Everyone looked at him with bated breath.
"All the departments, the yamens, the prominent families, the sects, and the jianghu crowd have all found ways to register. Wang Lie told me that over three thousand have signed up so far, and this is only the beginning. By the time he gets back, there'll surely be more."
Li Keshi let out a heavy sigh. "In the end, your Black Mountain County will probably see around ten thousand applicants. One selected out of every two hundred!"
Eyes widened and jaws dropped across the room as a collective gasp of cold air was drawn.
"One in two hundred?!"
Chen Chong cursed at the top of his lungs. "How the hell can so many people be fighting over a single rice bowl? It's absurd! The world is vast, so why can't they do something else? Why does every single one of them have to sharpen their heads and squeeze into the Demon Suppression Bureau? Is a job with such terrifying danger, such a high mortality rate, and such brutal accountability—where your whole family can get beheaded at the drop of a hat—really that damn enticing?!"
"That's just Black Mountain County. I'm only telling you because I'm here today, but across the entire Qi'an Prefecture..."
Li Keshi was so burdened with worry that he could barely stomach food. "Registrations will likely exceed three hundred thousand. Yet the total intake will be under two thousand men. That still comes out to about one in two hundred. In the more populous counties and prefectures, it'll be one in three hundred, or even one in four hundred!"
"And then you have all those sects muscling their way in."
"Lord Gu suddenly ordered an end to all nepotism and favoritism this year. It's truly going to cost lives."
Plagued by distress, Li Keshi tugged at his hair in fistfuls. "In years past, everyone was allowed to reserve a portion internally. Why this year... why did it have to be cut off so cleanly across the board?"
Chapter 45