Chapter 27: Wealth in the remote mountains brings distant relatives |
“The martial exams span four days in total. Today is the first day, which only assesses martial prowess. After today’s assessment, I’ll go meet him.” Wei Hong said to herself.
Like Li Tongshi’s initial thoughts, an ordinary male relative from the maternal family was insignificant to Wei Hong, but a maternal relative with the potential to succeed in the martial exams was quite different.
“As for the matters of the past. A simple apology will suffice.” Wei Hong’s eyes flickered slightly.
She had risen from among Lord Huang's numerous concubines to become a favored wife with a son, relying not only on her beauty but also on her shrewdness. She was confident that by offering Wei Tu substantial benefits, he would not only forget any past grievances but would also be sincerely grateful and firmly attached to her.
Of course, Wei Hong had no regrets about her past decisions.
Abandoning the useless when necessary and seeking advantage from the Wei family was a necessary strategy to improve her own position within the Huang household.
Without such measures, she would have ended up like those foolish concubines who, due to losses incurred by supporting their maternal families, were scorned and utterly defeated by their husbands.
…….
Regarding Wei Hong's thoughts,
He was surprised to see that his second aunt, Wei Hong, was seated among the gentry.
After reading the note, Wei Tu pondered for a moment before rolling it up and tucking it inside the coarse cloth belt he wore.
The note was simple, asking him to wait in the square after the exam and not to leave. It would be best if he could visit the Huang residence.
"Wealth in the remote mountains brings distant relatives." Wei Tu thought of this saying.
Nonetheless, he felt grateful towards Wei Hong. If not for her help back then, he would have found it extremely difficult to obtain a complete copy of the ‘Turtle Breathing Technique’ three years ago.
Without the ‘Turtle Breathing Technique,’ it would have been much harder for him to stand here today. He might have needed much more time to leave the Li residence, become a civilian, and eventually become a martial artist.
Soon.
The second segment of the martial prowess examination–swordsmanship–began.
The gentry focused most of their attention on Wei Tu, the dark horse in the county martial exams.
Swords and blades are extensions of punches and kicks. A martial artist skilled with a blade is generally expected to have good skills in hand-to-hand combat as well and proficiency in hand-to-hand combat usually requires a good teacher and a lineage of instruction.
This was a great opportunity for them to probe into the background of this dark horse, Wei Tu.
The martial examiners also looked at Wei Tu with anticipation, hoping that this martial artist who could lift the five hundred-pound stone lock would shine in this segment of the examination.
In literary exams, there are hidden rules involving mentors, headmasters, and teachers. The examiners also have a mentor-student relationship with the candidates.
The martial exams were similar in this regard. If Wei Tu were to win first place, the examiner would also stand to gain fame and benefits from it.
However… The examiner was soon somewhat dumbfounded.
Wei Tu’s swordplay, though fierce and impressive, was noticeably mediocre compared to the previous candidates. In other words… it was somewhat lacking.
"It seems he lacks good mentorship. It's a pity such a physique is wasted; he has natural strength." the examiner thought to himself, shaking his head.
After a moment's contemplation, the examiner announced, "Wei Tu, Grade B+ for swordsmanship."
Considering Wei Tu's earlier impressive results, the examiner, with a touch of personal bias, adjusted Wei Tu's score from grade B to grade B+.
"What a pity. I had hoped Qing’an County could produce another martial expert, but it turns out he is merely extraordinarily strong." On the high platform, County Magistrate Chen shook his head upon witnessing this.
While a martial artist with extraordinary strength is rare, it had little impact on his career or on Qing County.
It was not something he needed to place additional importance on.
At the same time, the gentry in the audience, having seen the results of Wei Tu's swordsmanship test, finally felt a sense of relief and let out a sigh.
“Not having refined sword skills indicates a lack of good mentorship. As for the other subjects, they need not worry about Wei Tu overshadowing their own sons and nephews.”
“Grade B+?” Hearing this result, Wei Tu was not disappointed but rather felt a sense of satisfaction.
He had only been taught the ‘Tiger-Crane Dual Form Fist’ in mid-October of the previous year, and he had learned the corresponding sword techniques even later. He had roughly practiced for just two months.
To achieve a ‘B+’ in the swordsmanship test within two months showed his exceptional talent.
Wei Tu left the arena, waiting for the next test.
Soon after, the third and final test of martial prowess, the ‘Drawing a heavy bow,’ began.
This test assessed strength and the foundation of martial arts. Without enough strength, one could not pull the heavy bow.
A weak martial arts foundation means that even if one has enough strength, it’s hard to use it effectively in drawing the bow. If the strength is not evenly distributed, the bow cannot be drawn fully.
With his refined health-preserving techniques, Wei Tu had no weak points in his strength. During the test, he drew a four-stone bow nine times with each arm and finished with the most challenging ‘rear-draw’.
In this test, Wei Tu successfully achieved a ‘Grade A’.
As for a ‘Grade A+’…That required drawing a five-stone bow.
A five-stone bow equates to 500 pounds of strength. Given that lifting 500 pounds of stone was still strenuous for him, drawing a five-stone bow and performing various difficult movements was even more challenging.
To handle a five-stone bow effortlessly, one would need at least 600 to 700 pounds of strength.
After the three tests, the spectators dispersed, and the officials left the stage, with the constable guards holding "silence" and "clear the way" signs.
Soon, only the visiting gentry remained in the square at the City God Temple. The martial artists participating in the test also left in small groups to reunite with their families.
Before long, only Wei Tu was left standing alone at his former position.
Fortunately, Wei Hong did not make him wait long. She arrived with a plump middle-aged man and two or three blue-clad servants.
“Wei Ge’er...” As she approached within about thirty steps, Wei Hong quickened her pace, her face lighting up with a smile as she warmly greeted Wei Tu.
“Second Aunt.” Wei Tu, slightly reserved, bowed and responded. He had always been uncomfortable with exaggerated politeness.
Whether with Li Yaozu or now with Wei Hong, he found such insincerity unappealing.
However, he was different now. With his established position in Qing’an County, he no longer needed to force himself to be overly courteous. Handling matters as usual was sufficient.
Gratitude and propriety were separate matters, and Wei Tu was clear about this distinction.
Wei Hong paid little attention to Wei Tu’s reaction. She gave him a meaningful glance and pointed to the plump middle-aged man beside her, saying, “Wei Ge’er, this is your uncle. Address him properly. Later, come by the Huang residence for a visit. Your uncle and I will celebrate your success. After all...in this county, I am your only relative.”
She spoke quickly, with her words clearly enunciated, and her face took on an expression of pity, as if she were sympathizing with Wei Tu's past misfortunes.