Chapter 41 – Daydreaming

Mu Nanjin nodded absentmindedly. “Alright.”

Captain Liu rolled his eyes and barked, “First row, leftmost man, step forward and state your name!”

The first shadow guard on the left of the front row took a step out and reported loudly, “Wei Jinzhu.”

“Wei Jinzhu,” Mu Nanjin repeated softly, studying him from head to toe.

【Estimated height: 181 cm, neck circumference: 40, chest: 95, upper arm: 28, shoulder width: 44, waist: 80. Hmm… well-built. Too bad he’s wearing pants, I can’t see his hip or thigh measurements.】

Everyone: “…”

What, do you actually want to check his lower body too?!

Captain Liu rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Wei Jinzhu grew increasingly uncomfortable under the intense gaze of this little girl. Just as his embarrassment peaked, he suddenly heard Mu Nanjin’s thoughts again.

【Wei Jinzhu, Eighth-Rank martial artist. He has an elderly mother and an unmarried younger sister at home. His mother is gravely ill, and his younger sister takes care of her. But his monthly salary of fifty taels isn’t enough to cover medical expenses. Most of it goes to the physician’s consultation fee, and the medicine is ridiculously expensive!】

【What about the Imperial Physicians? Are they all dead? The Emperor keeps so many of them around, what, just to treat those pampered concubines who faint over a stomachache?】

【And the imperial storerooms are overflowing with herbs, some even rotting from neglect. Rather than distributing them to those in need, they just toss them out. Unbelievable.】

Kan Chaoyan quietly noted down every word she said.

Captain Liu spoke up, “Mu Nanjin, have you made your choice?”

Mu Nanjin nodded. “Yes. Wei Jinzhu can stay by His Majesty’s side.”

【Wei Jinzhu is honest and dependable. If danger arises, he’ll risk his life to protect the Emperor. Having someone like him nearby will give His Majesty peace of mind.】

Kan Chaoyan nodded approvingly. “Wei Jinzhu, change into your formal attire and wait in the Imperial Garden.”

“Yes, sir.”

Wei Jinzhu turned and left.

After that, the other shadow guards reported their names one by one.

Most of them were orphans raised by the palace and had absolute loyalty to the Emperor, so they were all selected to remain and were sent to wait in the Imperial Garden as well.

Once all the shadow guards were gone, Mu Nanjin couldn’t help feeling a little downhearted.

【All the muscle men are gone. Now it’s just two old men wrapped up tight like dumplings. Boring.】

Captain Liu’s jaw tightened; he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to punch someone.

Kan Chaoyan ignored her inner monologue and said, “Mu girl, there’s still another group for you to select.”

“Where are they?”

Mu Nanjin glanced around eagerly.

【Another batch of muscle men? Fantastic.】

“I’ve already sent someone to fetch them. They’ll be here in about a cup of tea’s time.”

Mu Nanjin clasped her hands together inwardly.

【Please let the next group include a few handsome ones.】

Captain Liu snorted coldly. Keep dreaming in broad daylight.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a group of middle-aged men and elderly people, both men and women, entered the training field one after another.

Every one of them possessed formidable strength, at least at the Fifth-Rank Grandmaster level.

Kan Chaoyan clasped his hands respectfully. “Honored seniors, thank you for coming. Today’s test is the final one, those who pass will receive rank and reward directly from His Majesty.”

Ever since the assassination attempt at Jingtuo Temple, the Emperor had been restless and increasingly paranoid about the lack of powerful experts around him. He had secretly ordered his men to recruit masters from the martial world to serve him.

However, the ones standing before them now were all top-tier Grandmasters. Arrogant and unrestrained, they believed no one could rival them, and thus were impossible to control. That was why Kan Chaoyan wanted Mu Nanjin’s help to discern which of them were truly loyal.

But Mu Nanjin’s gaze wasn’t on those seasoned masters at all.

Her eyes were glued to the handsome young man walking at the very end of the group.