Immortality begins in Goose City

Chapter 87 Today the red tassel is in hand, when will the azure dragon be bound?

The ocean shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight, rolling everywhere, making a continuous tinkling sound like rain.

Everyone lowered their heads, their eyes fixed on the ocean.

The sounds of swallowing saliva rose and fell.

Although the servants had received several dollars in rewards these past few days because of Huang Shujian's generosity, they had never seen so many silver dollars piled up together.

There must be several hundred of them, right?

The other people were even more stunned; they had never seen so much money in their lives.

Huang Shujian was in no hurry. He waited quietly until everyone had firmly imprinted those silver lights in their eyes and engraved them in their hearts.

After waiting for about half a cup of tea's time, he finally spoke:

"One yuan for everyone who came today."

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

After a brief silence, cheers erupted from the audience.

"Thank you, young master!"

"Long live the young master!"

Several young servants couldn't help but shout out.

The people were so excited that their faces turned red. Some even wanted to bend down and pick up the silver dollars at their feet, but they held back when they saw Wu Zhichong's glare.

Huang Shujian raised his hand.

The cheers gradually subsided.

"But," he continued, "the twelve who can stay today..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over every face in the audience.

"Divide all the remaining silver dollars equally."

These words are like a red-hot iron being thrown into cold water.

With a soft "plop," it boiled over.

Everyone gasped in shock.

All the remaining oceans?

The amount that was just poured out must be at least four or five hundred yuan.

Even after deducting the 48 yuan gift, there's still over 400 yuan left.

If it's divided among twelve people, each person can get more than thirty yuan!

For an average family, the annual expenses are only a dozen or so yuan.

Thirty-odd yuan is enough to buy three acres of land, enough to build two tiled houses, enough to get a wife and still have some left over!

Everyone's eyes turned red, and their breathing became labored.

One of them clenched his fist, his eyes sharpening.

Wu Zhichong sighed inwardly as he looked at the reactions of the audience.

The young master played his hand brilliantly, easily controlling everyone. From now on, without any whipping, these people will do their utmost to perform.

Huang Shujian walked back to the armchair and sat down, nodding to Wu Zhichong.

Wu Zhichong understood, strode to the front of the stage, and shouted:

"Listen up, everyone! The selection rules..."

His voice was loud and clear, like the ringing of a bell:

"First, we'll draw lots to determine the pairings! The competition will be a contest of both martial arts and marksmanship!"

"Secondly, one point for a win! Zero points for a loss! Half a point for a draw!"

"Third, if you have any special abilities, speak up now! Superhuman strength, photographic memory, or any unique skill—these will all earn you points! But they have to be real. If you try to lie, get out of here!"

After he finished speaking, he took out a stack of slips of paper from his pocket, on which numbers were written.

"Now, draw lots!"

The crowd stirred.

Several servants carried in two tables. On one table, they placed paper and pens to record the scores. On the other table, they placed several guns: old-fashioned rifles, Hanyang rifles, and two Mauser pistols. Several boxes of ammunition were piled up next to them.

"start!"

Wu Zhichong gave an order.

……

The selection process continued until the sun began to set.

The dust on the drill ground was soaked with sweat, and the air was filled with the smells of sweat, gunpowder, and blood...

Some of the men who were beaten badly had bruises on their faces and blood at the corners of their mouths, but they all gritted their teeth and stood there without crying out in pain.

Huang Shujian held the final ranking list and glanced at the names on the paper.

The first place goes to Ma Yongzhen, who opened six orifices and hit eight out of ten. The second place goes to Zhao Long, who opened five orifices and hit seven out of ten.

Third… Huang Shujian paused for a moment.

Liu Kaishan, female, has four orifices open and hits five out of ten targets. Zhao Long's brother, Zhang Hu, has five orifices open and hits five out of ten targets, but only ranks fourth. He can't beat Liu Kaishan.

This Liu Kaishan was ugly, with a broad back and thick waist, and a face covered in black hair, like a wild boar. But he was extremely good at wrestling, and he made Zhang Hu look very bad.

Then, sort them in order, and continue downwards.

Huang Shujian stood up and walked to the edge of the platform.

The forty-eight people in the audience were all staring at him expectantly. Some were panting heavily, some were clutching their wounds, but no one sat down. They all stood and waited for the result.

"Those whose names are called, step forward."

Huang Shujian spoke, his voice not loud, but everyone could hear him clearly.

"Ma Yongzhen."

"Zhao Long".

"Liu Kaishan".

"Zhang Hu".

He read out all twelve names in one breath. As he read each one, someone in the audience stepped forward, their face first showing tension, then surprise, and finally ecstasy.

Those who weren't called on had their eyes dim, but no one dared to complain.

Everyone saw the competition just now; those ranked higher were indeed stronger than them.

"The twelve people I just read out," Huang Shujian said, "from today onwards, stay and form a demon-catching team. Team name: Red Tassel."

With the red tassel in hand today, when will I be able to bind the azure dragon?

After the others had received a silver dollar and left, Huang Shujian's gaze swept over the remaining twelve faces.

"Let me tell you this in advance."

"Following me is dangerous; you might get hurt, you might lose your life."

These words were spoken very bluntly, and the twelve people in the audience all looked a little more serious, but no one backed down.

"But there's plenty of money."

"Each person receives five silver dollars per month, with an additional bonus upon completion of the task."

Ten silver dollars!

A collective gasp rippled through the audience. An ordinary guard only earned one or two silver dollars a month, and ten dollars was more than the head guard's salary.

"And one more thing," Huang Shujian added, "starting tomorrow, you can bring your family members to see Hu Wan."

"He will arrange suitable positions for your family members in the Huang family, such as farming, raising horses, or doing odd jobs. Wages will be paid according to the Huang family's rules."

Upon hearing this, everyone's breathing quickened.

The whole family is going to the Huang family's house!

What does this mean in Goose City?

It means that from now on, we will have food to eat, clothes to wear, a place to live, and will not be bullied.

The Huang family is the king of Goose City. Getting into the Huang family is like having the most powerful backer, which is even more enviable than working in the county government!

The twelve people were so excited that their faces turned red.

Ma Yongzhen's eyes were red. His parents died early, and he only had a younger sister who washed clothes for others. The copper coins she earned were not enough to eat, so he joined the Black Tiger Gang to fight for his life and earn a living. Now, his sister can enter the Huang family...

"Thank you, young master!" Ma Yongzhen was the first to kneel down.

The other eleven people also knelt down, their voices filled with emotion: "Thank you, young master!"

Huang Shujian raised his hand to signal them to get up, then he walked over to the pile of silver dollars and began to distribute the money.

After everyone had happily put away their silver dollars, Huang Shujian stood in the middle of the room and stretched his wrists.

"You've been fighting for most of the day, your fighting spirit is high, and I bet some of you haven't had enough yet, have you?"

These words came as a surprise, and the twelve people looked at each other, wondering what their young master meant.

"Alright," Huang Shujian said, "I'll give you all a chance. Everyone take turns coming up and fighting me. Whoever can defeat me..."

"I'll give you another hundred silver dollars."

Upon hearing this, all twelve people were stunned.

Fight the young master?

If you win, you can get another hundred dollars?

Many people's eyes flickered. They knew that Huang Shujian practiced martial arts, but they had no idea how strong he was.

During the selection process, Huang Shujian sat on the platform and watched without lifting a finger.

Moreover, the young master is young, only in his early twenties. Among these people, the youngest, Ma Yongzhen, is twenty-two, and the oldest is thirty. They have been practicing martial arts for no less than the young master.

Perhaps... there's a chance?

Some people were eager to try, but hesitated... What if they injured the young master and ruined their future?

Only Ma Yongzhen, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Long kept their heads down and did not react.