Chapter Thirty-Four: Occupying the Turtle's Head, Astonishing Everyone in the Hall; Entering Officialdom, Speaking Eloquently

  A heroic figure born with a rainbow-like aura, every move and gesture worthy of a hero; in the martial arts arena, his skills on full display, the entire audience is shocked and praises him like a great Peng.

  The Roc rises high into the sky, its back bearing the weight of the heavens as it gazes downward; around the Great Song, wolfish smoke arises, from now on shouldering wind and rain together.

  After Hong Xian's defeat, he was dismissed and expelled by Liu Du. Hong Xian was resentful and brought his family and a few loyal followers to gather in the mountains and forests, engaging in robbery and banditry.

  Yue Fei made a stunning debut and won a round of applause. Mr. Xü and Liu Duiyuan had high hopes for Yue Fei.

  "The five young heroes, since you have come to Xiangzhou to take the exam, you must not lose your manners. First, we will test your archery and horsemanship skills, then we will test your martial arts skills with weapons." Liu Duoyuan said.

  "We will follow whatever decision you make, elder brother." The five brothers stepped forward and bowed in unison.

  "All right, Lord Xu, you take the five heroes to the training grounds. I'll be there shortly and we can see together how well Old Zhou's disciples have learned their skills." said Liu Du Yuan.

  Xu Ren responded with a "yes" and took Yue Fei and others directly to the training grounds.

  Arriving at the school grounds, after a brief rest, Liu Du led several inspectors to observe the formation.

  There were also martial artists from other counties on the school grounds, and talents were abundant.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, you are all elites selected from various counties. Welcome to Xiangzhou for the martial arts competition. Before the competition begins, I would like to explain the rules to everyone. This time, we will conduct a comprehensive assessment. The competition will start with horseback archery, followed by horseback combat, and then ground combat. The overall score of each event will determine the ranking. First, let's proceed with the first event, horseback archery. Each person will ride a horse and shoot ten arrows. Those who hit the target five times or more can advance to the next round. The riding area must not exceed the limestone line. Anyone who crosses the limestone line will be considered a foul and deducted one point. Time is limited to one quarter of an hour, so please seize the opportunity. The first round of competition officially begins now. Tangyin County martial artists, get ready!" Liu Duoyuan shouted loudly from the stage.

  Tangyin County Wu Sheng rode on horseback and made preparations.

  "The competition has begun!" With a loud command from Liu Du, Tang Yin Wusheng urged his horse forward.

  The Eight Immortals cross the sea, each showing off their magical powers. Everyone was riding horses and shooting arrows at the same time, with each person's name written on their own arrow. Whoever hit the target the most, could be identified by looking at the name.

  The competition went very smoothly and the martial artists from various places all performed quite well.

  Yue Fei and others saw the martial artists from various places showing off their skills, initially they were still a bit worried, but after they finished competing, they secretly rejoiced.

  "The last group, Neihuang County Wu Sheng is ready." Liu Duiyuan announced loudly.

  Zhang Xian, Tang Huai, Wang Gui and Niu Gao were ready on horseback.

  The competition has begun, and the four brothers are showing off their skills. The people in the arena see that they are quite skilled with their bows and horses, and their performance is evenly matched, earning them endless applause.

  Yue Fei was still the last one to participate in the trial. He is both a native of Neihuang County and Tangyin County, and he didn't want to compete with his fellow brothers.

  "The last martial artist - Nieyuan County's Wu Sheng Yue Fei is on stage." Liu Duoyuan said loudly.

  Yue Fei rode his horse and made preparations.

  At Liu's command, Yue Fei cracked his whip and rode his horse around the arena in a circle. After one round, Yue Fei rode to the farthest position, suddenly drew his bow and shot ten arrows in succession, each arrow hitting the target. The crowd cheered with waves of applause.

  Liu Du announced the results of the competition, all five martial artists from Neihuang County passed, and Yue Fei ranked first.

  "Everyone, the second test is about to begin. The outcome will be determined by your martial arts skills. The top ten winners can go to Beijing to participate in the Golden Hall exam." Liu Duiyuan shouted loudly from the stage.

  Martial artists from all over heard this and came on stage one after another, eager to try their luck.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to add that each person can use any weapon they like, and the match will end as soon as someone is hit. Whoever has more lime powder on their body will be considered the loser." Liu Du added.

  After round after round of competition, the winners continue to compete and the losers wait for next time.

  Yue Fei and his four brothers from Neihuang County gradually made a name for themselves. In Yue Fei's last test, his archery and horsemanship as well as martial arts and weaponry were all ranked first.

  Liu Du saw that Yue Fei's ability was very strong, and he liked him very much in his heart. He called Yue Fei to come forward and asked: "Yue Fei, is your ancestral home Neihuang County?"

  "I report to Your Excellency, my ancestor's residence was in Tongyin County, Yonghe Township, Xiaotie Village. Only because at the age of seven, our hometown suffered a flood and had no harvest; later we also encountered a plague, and my father left this world. My mother sold our ancestral property to bury my father, and brought me along begging all the way to Neihuang County, Qilin Village. Mr. Wang took pity on us mother and son, and took us in. Not long after, I had the good fortune of meeting Master Zhou Tong. He took me as his adopted son, settled down at Wangjiazhuang, teaching my brothers and me literacy and martial arts."

  "So you are all disciples of Zhou Tong. No wonder you're proficient in archery, horseback riding, and martial arts. I've always admired Master Zhou Tong, but unfortunately, we've never met. Do you know where your master is now? Is he still in Qilin Village?" Liu Duiyuan asked.

  "Last autumn, our family's teacher had already passed away," said Yue Fei.

  "Alas, what a pity! I missed the opportunity to meet him. Master Zhou Dang has always been upright and just, worrying about the country and its people all his life. The imperial court invited him several times to take office, but he refused every time. He didn't want to be associated with corrupt officials, truly admirable. Liu Duoyuan had always respected Master Zhou Dang deeply, only having heard of his name, not having met him in person."

  "Yue Fei, I see you're quite skilled with your bow and horse, and your spear technique is unique. This time, you took the top spot in the exam. I intend to appoint you as the commander of the central army, what do you think?" asked Liu.

  "Thanks for your appreciation, General. What virtues or abilities does Yue Fei have to take on this heavy responsibility? Please reconsider." Yue Fei politely declined.

  "Yue Fei, Mr. Liu appreciates you, that's your good fortune, don't you thank Mr. Liu for his recognition? You're young and taking on this important task, that's the honor of the Yue family, and also the honor of my Tongyin County." Xu Ren advised.

  Yue Fei saw Mr. Xu speak like this and felt that it was quite reasonable, so he could only temporarily agree.

  "Yue Fei thanked the adults for their kindness, but said that he and his four brothers had made a vow to share good fortune and bad together, through life and death, never to be separated. If I abandon them now, would I not become an unkind and unjust person? Please, sir, understand my humble heart." Yue Fei spoke sincerely.

  Liu Du saw that Yue Fei's decision to leave had been made, and it was not good to persuade him to stay. He could only instruct Xu Ren, the head of Tangyin County, to go to Yue Fei's hometown to investigate the situation, rebuild a house for the Yue family, and welcome Yue Fei's name back to his hometown.

  Yue Fei was moved to tears by Liu's words.

  "Sir, would you be so kind as to bestow a few books upon my brothers, that they may enter the capital and participate in the imperial examination? If they succeed in obtaining honors, they will be able to return home with glory," said Yue Fei.

  "This is natural, you brothers wait for a moment." Liu Du said and went to fetch the book.

  The five brothers took the certificate and thanked Liu Du Yuan and Xu Xianzhu again, then rode their horses back to Neihuang County with laughter.