Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 590 - 589: The Hardship Behind the Martial Arts Exam
Hearing this, Chai Wei felt he was very right, but he still needed to make his position clear.
"Zhu, no matter what attitude His Majesty has towards you, I think you are a person worth befriending. Besides, in this martial examination, you will definitely be the martial arts champion. I truly admire you."
"Really?" Tian Peng said with a smile, "Then I’ll take that as an early congratulation."
After conversing for a while, it was soon Chai Wei’s turn to take the exam.
The candidate he drew seemed to have average aptitude, showed great respect to Chai Wei, and even begged Chai Wei for mercy.
"Young master, could you please go easy on me during the match? My strength is far too weak to compete with you, I’m just here to participate. Please show me mercy."
Chai Wei was not as patient with strangers as he was with Tian Peng, and even felt annoyed when the man begged him for mercy.
"The exam hasn’t started and you’re already begging for mercy. Are you going to surrender to the enemy before the battle even commences when you’re on the battlefield?"
The young master’s face changed, and he quickly responded, "Can you equate the exam with other matters? Being on the battlefield is one thing, taking an exam is another. The two cannot be equated."
"Why not?" Chai Wei snorted coldly, "Although the rules of the exam are not that tight, if you become complacent because of this, that would be unacceptable."
"However, you are fortunate to have been born at this time, If you were to resist passively later on, I’m afraid things wouldn’t be so easy."
The young master, not understanding what Chai Wei meant, quickly asked, "Young master, what are you talking about? What do you mean by being born at the right time? Isn’t the martial examination always like this? Are you actually taking it seriously?"
"It’s like this now, but it won’t be in the future," said Chai Wei.
Although the young master did not fully understand Chai Wei’s meaning, since the young master wanted a serious opponent, he could at least act the part.
The next moment, with a more solemn expression, he said, "Young master, I understand you want a serious opponent, and I will fight with all my might."
Chai Wei found it boring to explain so much to such a person. Then he glanced in Tian Peng’s direction and sighed inwardly.
Indeed, it was someone like Zhu who truly matched what he was looking for as an opponent. Alas, he would have to wait several more years.
Although the young master became earnest, he ultimately lost to Chai Wei.
Chai Wei’s horsemanship was quite remarkable, and no matter whom he faced, he always attacked first.
Even though this easily exposed his own weaknesses, not everyone could see them.
In the face of absolute strength, even if one discovers the opponent’s weakness, one may not be able to bring them down.
Unsurprisingly, Chai Wei won, and the official struck the copper drum and announced, "The young master wins!"
The young master dismounted, smiled at Chai Wei, and said, "Young master, you are truly formidable. I knew I could never beat you, and see, I have lost quickly."
"It’s one thing that your strength is below mine, but your conviction is also weaker. Your loss was inevitable."
High on his horse, Chai Wei looked down on the young master. Before the match had even started, he had admitted his defeat, so winning the match felt utterly meaningless to Chai Wei.
Leaving the examination field, the young master made his way to the spectator stands.
Indeed, Zhu Ganglie just smiled and said one sentence upon his return. He had won the match, yet in front of the person he admired, he couldn’t even garner a word of congratulations.
The reason was simple; that person wasn’t here to compete. He was just going through the motions.
After the young master’s competition, it was Tian Peng’s turn.
Tian Peng mounted his horse, entered the arena, and before a pot of tea could cool, he had already left the field.
Even the examiners and candidates who knew he would win admired him greatly. They knew he was powerful, but they didn’t realize he was this formidable.
Tian Peng returned to the spectator’s platform, "I’m utterly uninterested, there’s not even a bit of joy in the competition."
"Indeed," Chai Wei also commented.
The two sat down, and Chai Wei’s servant, who initially looked down on Tian Peng, had always followed Chai Wei and had witnessed Zhu Ganglie’s prowess as well.
With Zhu Ganglie being so capable, he truly lived up to the young master’s and the Lord’s attitudes towards him.
The servant timely served tea to both of them.
"I guess once the examination is over and you’re granted an official post, the Emperor’s first task for you would be to reform the examination system," said Chai Wei.
Tian Peng shrugged. "Who knows, but whatever task the Emperor gives me, I’ll do it."
"What if he lets you change the martial examination system? How would you alter it?" Chai Wei asked.
Drinking a sip of his tea, Tian Peng replied, "I don’t know. Even if I really take office, the Emperor may not necessarily assign this task to me. I’d rather not think too much about it."
"What if?" Chai Wei pressed, "After all, no one knows what will happen, and it’s just sharing thoughts, it should count for nothing, right?"
"You’re right," Tian Peng nodded, having never considered the issue. However, upon a bit of contemplation, he realized the system was actually quite easy to amend.
"First, I would change the rules of the martial arts examination. If the examination is truly open to everyone, it cannot be limited to horsemanship, as not every household owns horses," Tian Peng said.
"True, the current exams are all related to equestrian skills," Chai Wei added. "But since one must be a Military Officer, horsemanship is essential. If one can’t even ride a horse, doesn’t it seem a bit unqualified to be a Military Officer?"
Chai Wei’s considerations were, of course, also thought of by Tian Peng.
If one is to be an officer in Chang’an City, horsemanship needn’t be too exquisite, but it’s still essential.
These skills can be learned after the martial exam, or candidates could be given a few extra days to practice for free after registering.
Tian Peng shared his thoughts with Chai Wei, who expressed his agreement upon hearing them.
"Zhu truly thinks everything through, I could never have come up with that," he said.
"I was originally a commoner, naturally, I can consider the situation of the commoners," Tian Peng stated.
After the first round of testing was complete, the individual competitions continued and, after a full day, the second day of exams was concluded too.
Tian Peng still left the testing grounds in Chai Wei’s carriage. When he boarded the carriage, people didn’t dare to speak, only staring at him with envy and jealousy, wishing he’d fall off as he climbed aboard.
But who was Tian Peng? A man who could lift ten men with one hand, he wouldn’t fail to climb aboard a carriage just because of their jealousy.
Inside the Lord Mansion, he actually had a good life. Although it wasn’t as comfortable as in Bianjing, the Lord and the Princess were very approachable, not slighting him for being a commoner at all. Consequently, the servants of the mansion looked at him in a different light too.
Tian Peng was not unaware of why they treated him so well, all because of his own strength and martial prowess which made them respect him.
However, this also proved that they only valued ability, not considering one’s wealth, for if one were weak and had no substantial backing, where would the confidence come from to expect others to regard them differently?
