Chapter 901: Blood Guard (Part 2)

“It was given to me by an elder.”

Wang Chen replied calmly, though he felt quite uneasy inside.

As the saying goes, the King of Hell is easy to meet, but the little devils are hard to deal with. The gatekeeper, like a petty official, was clearly being difficult, and his demeanor suggested he had ulterior motives.

Wang Chen knew all too well that at this moment, if he offered a generous bribe, things would likely go smoothly.

But he could afford it; his only concern was whether the other party would accept it!

“Tell me a name then.”

Seeing Wang Chen’s apparent “ignorance,” the gatekeeper’s expression darkened further: “Perhaps I know him!”

Wang Chen said, “Zhang Weiran.”

“Zhang Weiran?”

The gatekeeper clearly recognized the name, pausing for a moment before sneering, “He’s just a Xiaoqi…”

“What is your relationship with Zhang Weiran?”

At that moment, a gruff voice suddenly came from the side.

Wang Chen turned to see a burly man clad in a flying fish uniform standing at the entrance, his piercing gaze fixed on him.

The gatekeeper was immediately alarmed and quickly bowed, stammering, “Lord Baihu…”

The burly man extended his hand, “Hand it over.”

The gatekeeper dared not delay, hastily placing the copper token into the man’s palm before retreating nervously to the side.

The burly man glanced at the copper token and then turned his attention to Wang Chen.

Wang Chen clasped his fists respectfully, “I am Ling Zhiyuan, a junior, here to pay my respects to Lord Baihu!”

He explained, “Zhang Weiran is a close friend of my father; he recommended me to come to Jiangyuan and enlist in the Blood Guard.”

The burly man asked, “Zhang Weiran’s junior? By your accent, you must be from Jingnan, correct?”

Wang Chen nodded, “I hail from the Anyang Ling family in Jingnan.”

Having decided to join the Blood Guard, he knew better than to conceal his background; doing so would only invite trouble.

“Anyang City?”

The burly man narrowed his eyes, “You don’t strike me as someone from an ordinary family. Why come all the way here to enlist?”

Anyang City had its own Da Wei Yamen, so it puzzled him that Wang Chen would choose to travel so far.

Wang Chen sighed, “My family has faced some difficulties; my father met with an unfortunate fate, and I had no choice but to come to Anyang to seek an opportunity.”

“I see!”

The burly man, being a perceptive individual, understood immediately.

A hint of sympathy flickered in his eyes as he regarded Wang Chen, “How old are you, and what is your cultivation level?”

Wang Chen replied, “I am fifteen years old and have recently reached the martial master level.”

“Fifteen?”

The burly man’s eyes widened to the size of copper bells. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Though Wang Chen’s appearance and demeanor were youthful, he didn’t look like a fifteen-year-old boy at all.

Wang Chen shook his head firmly, “I wouldn’t dare!”

“I thought as much.”

The burly man pondered for a moment, convinced that Wang Chen wouldn’t dare to speak carelessly about such matters—it would be too easy to verify.

“Normally, you’d need to come here in five days for the assessment.”

He stroked his chin and continued, “But since you have a recommendation from Zhang Weiran, you can skip the assessment. Come to the Da Wei Yamen tomorrow morning at the hour of Chen!”

“Sir!”

At this, the gatekeeper couldn’t help but interject, “That’s against the rules!”

Rules are made by people, and he was resentful that Wang Chen could so easily secure a spot in the Blood Guard. The thought of Wang Chen donning the flying fish uniform the next day filled him with envy.

In his impulsiveness, he spoke out.

Slap!

A heavy blow landed on his face, and half of it quickly swelled and turned red.

“Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?”

The burly man glared with malice at the insolent gatekeeper and barked, “Don’t think just because your sister is close with Baihu Chen that you can strut around here at the Da Wei Yamen!”

“Get out!”

The gatekeeper covered his face and fled in panic.

“Pah!”

The burly man spat disdainfully, then turned to Wang Chen. “Don’t mind that scum. Just come tomorrow and mention my name.”

“My name is Wei Zhengxiong.”

“So it’s Lord Wei…”

Wang Chen bowed again, “Thank you for your support, sir!”

“No need for formalities.”

Wei Zhengxiong shook his head, “With your talent, who knows? Someday I might need you to look after me.”

He spoke sincerely.

Wang Chen’s promotion to martial master level at the age of fifteen was remarkable, even for someone from a powerful family.

If not for the troubles at home, the Blood Guard would never have had the chance to recruit such talent!

Wei Zhengxiong was confident in his decision. Even if the Lord of the Guards were present, he would still break the rules.

Wang Chen replied humbly, “You flatter me, sir.”

Wei Zhengxiong chuckled and patted Wang Chen on the shoulder.

He changed his mind, “Here’s what we’ll do. Since Zhang Weiran is a friend of mine, you’ll stay at my place tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the Da Wei Yamen to handle the paperwork.”

The more Wei Zhengxiong looked at Wang Chen, the more pleased he became.

Wang Chen hesitated, “This… it’s too much trouble, sir.”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

Wei Zhengxiong slung an arm around Wang Chen’s shoulder, “Let’s go now!”

Wang Chen felt both amused and embarrassed, but he couldn’t refuse the enthusiastic Baihu, so he followed him home.

Wei Zhengxiong’s residence wasn’t far from the Da Wei Yamen—a modest yet elegant courtyard with front and rear sections. While it wasn’t a grand estate, it was far from ordinary.

Wei Zhengxiong’s wife was gentle and dignified. When she saw Wang Chen, whom her husband had brought home, she was momentarily stunned.

“Madam, let me introduce you.”

Wei Zhengxiong smiled, “This is my nephew, Wang Chen. Due to some troubles at home, he’s come to seek refuge with me in Jiangyuan. Please have someone prepare a guest room; he’ll stay here for a few days.”

Wang Chen bowed and said, “Greetings, Aunt.”

“Ah.”

Madam Wei gasped lightly, as if waking from a dream, her cheeks flushing lightly. “No need for such formality.”

Wang Chen couldn’t help but rub his nose, inwardly amused.

Madam Wei’s fluster was clearly due to his appearance!

And more trouble was yet to come.

Wei Zhengxiong had one wife and three concubines, with two sons and five daughters. The eldest daughter was around fifteen or sixteen, and the youngest was seven or eight. He called them all over to introduce themselves to Wang Chen.

Despite Wei Zhengxiong’s burly build, his wife and concubines were all strikingly beautiful, and his daughters had inherited their fine genes, each one lovely and charming.

When the girls saw Wang Chen, their eyes sparkled with delight.

Wang Chen was soon surrounded by sweet voices calling “Brother” and the delightful feminine fragrance, feeling as if he had stepped into a grand garden like Jia Baoyu.

Wei Zhengxiong saw no issue with this and seemed rather pleased.

This made Wang Chen regret coming with him. If he got entangled, it would be hard to extricate himself later!

After an awkward dinner, he spent the night at the Wei household.

The next morning, Wei Zhengxiong called Wang Chen to the front courtyard.

The Baihu of the Blood Guard, dressed in a sturdy outfit, said to him, “Attack me with all your strength!”