Chapter Nineteen - Being Recruited
Xu Yi sat quietly, absorbing the knowledge imparted by Teacher Zhou, as if he was a sponge in water.
Teacher Zhou glanced at Xu Yi and smiled, before he continued. “It is fair to say that techniques are a perfect combination of strength and speed. During the thousands of years of history, masters in Wu Dao have developed exquisite techniques, that would enhance or even surpass the power of strength and speed.”
“What you just mentioned is theoretically true. The strength of one ox is approximately the power of a cultivator at the peak state. In a real fight, however, if you can properly use techniques, then it isn’t impossible to reach three-oxen strength at the same peak state. Perhaps this is a little bit too difficult for you to comprehend. Let me give you an example. Have you ever seen the cargo ships, that pass by our village, in the river? No matter how heavy the goods they carry are, it takes them little effort to load them on or off. Do you know why? It is due to the pulleys, which are installed along the mast. With these pulleys, it’s possible to lift goods that far outweigh its own weight. In this case, techniques in Wu Dao are analogous to these pulleys, they both increase efficiency. In conclusion, strength is the basis while techniques are the tools. A solid basis with advanced tools is the perfect combination!”
A peal of applause burst out following Teacher Zhou’s intelligent remarks.
Xu Yi felt enlightened, as if beholding the sun blazing through the clouded sky. Teacher Zhou must’ve been a master in Wu Dao, or else he wouldn’t be able to spontaneously deliver such a comprehensive speech.
When Xu Yi was about to raise another question, someone else in the classroom stood up. It had become obvious that Teacher Zhou was a kind of pundit in the realm of Wu Dao, hence they all desired to seize this golden opportunity to clear up their doubts regarding Wu Dao.
One after another raised their hands, as if there was a race going on in the classroom. Where originally it seemed like Xu Yi would be able to ask freely, now he had to fight with his classmates to be able to raise his own questions. Within one quarter of an hour, Teacher Zhou had answered all the questions from the other students. Eventually, Teacher Zhou snatched the wine kettle and left the classroom, without saying a word.
Looking at the back of Teacher Zhou, Xu Yi was actually a little bit disappointed, as he was still left with a variety of urgent unanswered questions. He remained in the classroom and started meditating, as a solemn expression covered his face.
Soon, dusk was about to arrive, the leaves of the bamboo trees outside the window were rustling in the wind. Xu Yi suddenly turned around, as he felt a whiff of fresh air coming through the window; he realised that all his classmates had already left.
Xu Yi stood up and was about to leave as well, when someone knocked on the classroom door. The man in plain clothing, who had tested Xu Yi before he was allowed to enter the Lecture Room, entered and smiled at Xu Yi, “Hey brother, I was waiting for you out in the hall, but the other students said that you were still in the classroom.”
“What’s up?” Xu Yi asked, as he was rather curious.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got some good news for you. Oh, by the way, where are you from, I mean, what is your hometown?” The man in plain clothing kept smiling, as if Xu Yi was his friend.
“I can’t wait to hear the good news, please just tell me.” Xu Yi intentionally avoided the hometown question. Even though he looked calm on the outside, he was actually terrified of being recognised.
If Xu Yi revealed his name and hometown, it was like committing suicide, as he thought that the Zhou Family would be ceaselessly searching for him. The Zhou Family was so influential that it’d be easy for them to find Xu Yi, once someone provided them any clues about Xu Yi’s whereabouts.
“Hey, you don’t have to worry. I generally know what happened to you. Elder Mu rescued you three days ago, and you’ve since stayed with his family.” The man in plain clothing said kindly.
“General Gu, you can read my mind.” Xu Yi replied with pretended happiness, as he was preparing for the worst.
“Ok, I really don’t have much time or interest in knowing your personal details, I am here to invite you to join the Plain Clothing Unit in Hibiscus Town.” General Gu replied.
“Plain Clothing Unit? Sorry, I don’t understand you.” Xu Yi said, as he was rather confused.
General Gu stared at Xu Yi for a couple of seconds. He then remembered that Xu Yi was not a local and that he was most likely not familiar with this town quite yet. So he tried to explain: “The Plain Clothing Unit is a group of people who are responsible for safeguarding our town. You know, in our country, apart from the national forces, there are various local guards. Among them, they’re categorised into five ranks, which are represented by the clothing they wear – gold, purple, black, white and green. The Gold Clothing Unit works for the Empire; Purple Clothing Unit works for vassal states; Black Clothing Unit works for states and prefectures; White Clothing Unit works for provincial governments.”
“Hibiscus Town is affiliated to the White Horse County, which is a humble place. That’s why we wear plain clothing, as we belong to none of the afore mentioned rankings. Actually, I’m the leader of our Hibiscus town’s Unit. Today, I was rather impressed by your abilities in the test and I know you’re someone carrying great potential. We sincerely hope that you’d be willing to join us!”
Xu Yi slightly relaxed, as he understood that this man had nothing to do with the Zhou Family. If he joined their group, they’d most likely not further investigate his background. Moreover, since the Unit was an official organisation, they’d keep every employee’s personal file. If Xu Yi submitted a false name, they would keep it as his official name. This was an expedient way to hide himself from the Zhou Family.
Thinking it over for a little bit, Xu Yi decided that it was in his best interest to take this man up on his offer, so he replied with a positive yes. “I’d be honored to become a part of your Unit!”
General Gu burst out in laughter. He was overjoyed, as his Unit had been undermanned for a long time. Now, a new member with great abilities and potential would join and fill the gap.
“Brother, I swear that you won’t regret your decision. Let me introduce myself, I am Gu Jianming.” He introduced himself as he patted Xu Yi on the back, expressing his excitement.
Originally, General Gu considered Xu Yi to be a man with some strength, as he had passed the test. However, at that time, he didn’t have any plans on dragging him into his Unit. That was, until the end of class, when everyone was discussing Xu Yi and the questions he had posed. General Gu quickly learned from the other students what questions Xu Yi had raised in class. As he heard what these questions were, he realised that Xu Yi was someone with a bright future in Wu Dao, as no average Joe [1] would ask such questions.
Currently, Xu Yi had only taken a single step in Wu Dao, which was the perfect time to recruit him as a member of their Unit. When Xu Yi would grow stronger, General Gu would no longer be able to interest this talent in joining his Unit.
Actually, General Gu had investigated Xu Yi before throwing this olive branch at Xu Yi. As a local official, it was rather easy for him to pry into an outsider. After finding out that Xu Yi was saved by Elder Mu, he was almost certain that Xu Yi must have been through a fierce revengeful fight. This, however, wasn’t news worthy, as revenge fights were carried out left and right in this mortal world.
After all, though General Gu had no intention to delve into Xu Yi’s previous life, he did notice Xu Yi’s unwillingness to reveal his identity. This was why he told Xu Yi not to worry about any identity problems. Only by seizing this weakness, had he successfully persuaded Xu Yi into joining his Unit.
………
[1]: an average Joe here, means someone who’ll never amount to anything in his/her cultivation in Wu Dao.