Finally, they returned to the Lingzhou General's Manor. When Hong Shuwen got off his horse, he loudly shouted that they were home. Then, Hong Shuwen's eyes widened. A large group of small fries were sneakily hiding in the empty space on the right side of the General's Manor where the stone lion was. Hong Shuwen's family was wealthy. With one glance, he could see that these people were pretending to be Jianghu heroes and had come to the General's Manor to scam a living. If they weren't wearing gray mouse fur or raccoon fur, they were exceptionally new. They were all the most worthless types of fur. Among them, there were two people whose fur was exactly the same. It was clear that they were trying to make themselves look good, but unfortunately, they were in the same shop and had bought leather clothes that were currently being sold at a low price. Hong Shuwen moved closer and casually looked around. Among the twenty to thirty men, he did not find a single one with the demeanor of an expert. This made Hong Shuwen, who was prejudiced against Jianghu people, feel very bored. Just as he was about to turn around, His Royal Highness was already standing shoulder to shoulder with him. Hong Shuwen hurriedly took a step back without leaving a trace. Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "Heroes, who has the strength of a fourth level, please step forward."
There were nine levels of martial artists. Fourth level was a large dividing line. To be able to reach the fourth level, one could be considered an expert in a province. In a county, one could practically do whatever they wanted. In a small place where martial arts were not strong, one could establish a sect. Not to mention becoming rich, at the very least, one could become a tyrant. Hong Shuwen made a sound of surprise. He originally thought that it would be lucky if there were two or three fourth level experts among this group of half-baked heroes. He did not expect that there would be fourteen or fifteen people walking out at once. Hsu Fengnian saw a man whose eyes were wandering. He threw a look at Hong Shuwen who was next to him. Hong Shuwen took a few steps forward. His murderous aura was immediately awe-inspiring. He leaped up, pressed his hands on the hilts of the two Beiliang Sabers at his waist, and slammed his knee into the man's chest. The man who was caught off guard was about to receive a heavy blow when a skinny old man who had not stepped forward slid a few steps forward. The soles of his shoes were less than an inch off the ground. He pushed away the man who wanted to make up the numbers with one hand and put his other hand on Hong Shuwen's knee and pressed it down. Hong Shuwen, who was falling down, sneered. The saber in his right hand suddenly slid out of its scabbard. The light was so dazzling that many of the onlookers subconsciously squinted their eyes. Unfortunately, most of them could not see the saber of this young retainer from the General's Residence. They could only vaguely see the shabby old man bending sideways, clenching his fists, and punching towards the chest of Hong Shuwen who had not yet landed on the ground. The old man's fists whistled like a gust of wind. Hong Shuwen raised his arm to block and slid back five or six steps on the ground. He stabbed the saber in his right hand into the ground and forcibly stopped himself. Shaking his left wrist, Hong Shuwen turned his head to look at His Royal Highness with a smile. His eyes were asking if he could use his full strength. Hsu Fengnian shook his head and smiled. "Other than this old gentleman, who else is a third level expert? Step forward openly. Beiliang said that I like to kidnap women. Since none of you are as pretty as flowers and jade, there is no need to worry. "
A few fourth level experts in their prime grinned. His Royal Highness was a straightforward person. Some of the men who had tried to bluff their way through also took a few steps back.
Other than the old man from the Yang family from Licang County who was proficient in long fists and cannons, there were two other tall and sturdy men who were skilled in external martial arts. They stepped forward and announced themselves. Hsu Fengnian nodded with a smile in his eyes. Then, he gently raised his chin and called out to the crowd behind him, "Brother, you clearly have the strength of a second level expert. Since you are already here, why are you not willing to show yourself? Could it be that you want me to open the door for you before you are willing to come in?"
The crowd parted. Only then did the crowd notice a middle-aged man in ragged clothes. He was crouched against the wall and reeked of alcohol. There were several wine gourds of different sizes scattered around his feet. When he raised his head, the scars on his face made him look like a ghost.
This ugly man seemed to have damaged his throat from years of drinking too much. He hoarsely said, "May I ask if Your Highness has truly entered Northern Mang alone, carried two heads, and retreated unscathed?"
Hsu Fengnian smiled. Everyone felt their eyes blur and then they heard a loud explosion. After the dust rose up, they saw His Royal Highness standing at the foot of the collapsed wall and clapping his hands.
The drunkard who was pushed into the wall by His Royal Highness sat on the ground with a calm expression.
Many people found it strange that the Crown Prince was so polite to everyone except for this Rank Two master, who should have been worshipped highly, to be so merciless. There were some Jianghu people with bad eyesight who felt that His Highness hired someone to act. If not, if that drunkard was really at Master Realm, why would he be forced back into the wall so easily. The few Grade-3 Experts saw through the rough situation and were shocked to the extreme. Hsu Fengnian turned around and smiled at everyone, "Everyone is a guest. No matter if you want to enter or not, everyone will be given three hundred silver."
He then instructed the three White Horse followers, "Tianguan, Yanru, the two of you go and collect the silver from the steward. Then, have the steward help the brothers who have entered the residence find a place to stay. Shuwen, later on, take the righteous men to find the best restaurant in the city for a meal. If you spend too little money, I will not forgive you."
The men who weren't able to enter the Lingzhou General's Manor looked at the people who entered and were filled with envy. Hsu Fengnian wasn't in a rush to leave. He just stood on the streets and chatted with these people who weren't even Grade Four. He asked them where they were from, what sect they were from, and whether or not they were planning to join the army. Regardless of whether these people had slandered Xu Fengnian in private in the past, when His Highness was standing in front of them, they all felt uneasy. Those who were lucky enough to speak two or three sentences in front of them almost blushed. They were extremely flattered. The gray-haired young man in front of them was the future local emperor of Northern Liang. He had hundreds of thousands of soldiers in his hands. When he talked about it with his family members, especially his brothers in the underworld, they would be so shocked that their eyeballs would fall to the ground. Some people couldn't help but be confused. They all said that His Royal Highness was not just tyrannical in Beiliang. In reality, he was tyrannical everywhere. For example, on the Guangling River, he relied on the old Sword God to fight against the thousands of cavalry of Prince Guangling Zhao Yi. Such a high and mighty figure, why did they feel that he did not put on any airs when chatting with them? On the contrary, he was unbelievably amiable and approachable. If they did not think about his illustrious identity and his outstanding appearance, just based on his attire and manner of speech, it seemed that he was not much different from a well-off scholar from a small county.
A group of carriages and horses that could be said to be extravagant rushed towards the Lingzhou General's Manor. This made the gatekeeper of the Administrator's Manor, who was already prepared to welcome important guests, feel a bit depressed. Coincidentally, someone lifted the curtain and looked toward the Li Manor. The gatekeeper looked over and shivered. He slapped his head and quickly ran toward the back of the manor. Damn, the mortal enemy that had fought with his master for half his life in Hwangnam County had actually appeared in the capital of Lingzhou. In the past, when the officials of the sixth rank and above in the seven counties of Lingzhou needed to rush to the Administrator's Manor to discuss important matters, the person sitting in the carriage would always use illness as an excuse to not come out. Hsu Fengnian heard the unusually loud sound of horse hooves and turned his head. Seeing the three carriages in a row, he understood. In the end, he told the good men of the jianghu who were not able to become retainers of the Lingzhou General's Manor. The general idea was that there were two paths they could take. One was to join the army. As long as they passed the test, it would be easy for them to become a squad leader. The other path was even easier. The various yamens of Lingzhou were in urgent need of a large number of jianghu men with great martial arts. They would come out of the mountains to temporarily take up a position that was not considered to be an official. It was similar to the military and penal departments that were directly under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate. It could be considered getting rid of evil and bringing peace to the people. In the future, as long as they had some achievements and showed real merit, the Lingzhou government would definitely give them priority in promoting them. When everyone heard that it was only the Lingzhou government that wanted them and not going to the border to fight for their lives, they felt relieved. Many of the men who were passionate about fame all had smiles on their faces. They looked at each other and saw the eagerness in each other's eyes.
After Hsu Fengnian calmly finished talking about the important matters, he smiled and told them to eat and drink well. Furthermore, if they really became part of the Lingzhou government in the future, they were welcome to be guests in the General's Manor.
Hsu Fengnian turned around and slowly walked towards the three carriages. After the owners of the carriages walked down, they all walked faster. When they were five steps away, the three scholars of different ages knelt down at the same time.
"Hwangnam County's Wang Xihua greets His Royal Highness."
"Hwangnam County's Wang Zhenlu greets His Royal Highness."
"Hwangnam County's Wang Lvting greets His Royal Highness."
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