Chapter 254: Yingyang Commandant
Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
The two little eunuchs beside Eunuch Liu stared at Yan Liqiang with their widened eyes. One of their jaws dropped in surprise. The other one was rubbing his eyes as though he couldn’t believe that the kite’s broken string had anything to do with the arrow Yan Liqiang released.
If he could break such a fine kite line over this distance, then wouldn’t ending the lives of others be as easy as turning his hand over?
The two little eunuchs were rather doubtful, but Eunuch Liu could see everything clearly with his eyesight.
Yan Liqiang put away his bow after making the shot, then cupped his fist to Eunuch Liu. “Thank you!”
Eunuch Liu started clapping and let out a few hearty laughs, seemingly very pleased. “Not bad, not bad! As expected of the Third Heavenly Realm in archery! Although there are also people who have attained the Third Heavenly Realm in archery among the Imperial Cavalry Unit, very few of them possess such eyesight and arm strength! I guess you are right to come here. Deer Villa used to be a place for His Majesty to practice his bowmans.h.i.+p back in the days. As a sovereign, His Majesty highly favored battlefield techniques…” While speaking, Eunuch Liu turned his head to the side and looked at one of the little eunuchs. “Little Chun, go inside and bring me the box Eunuch An delivered yesterday.”
“Right away!” The little eunuch by the name of Little Chun jogged into the house upon receiving his order. In just the blink of an eye, he came out with a wooden box of about a square foot in length. Eunuch Liu gave him a look, and Little Chun immediately presented the wooden box before Yan Liqiang and handed it over to him.
“Eunuch Liu, this is…”
“Hohoho, you will know once you open it…”
Yan Liqiang opened the wooden box. Inside was a set of crimson attire. It appeared to be the uniform worn by officers of the Imperial Cavalry Unit. There were also boots, a belt, and other things in there. A palm-sized bronze metalpaiza 1 was placed on top of the uniform set. There was an image of a soaring falcon on that paiza. The words ‘Imperial Cavalry Unit’ were inscribed to the left of that falcon. On the right side of the paiza were the words: ‘Yingyang Commandant’.
As expected, Yan Liqiang immediately understood after taking a look at the attire and the paiza. Although Yan Liqiang was already mentally prepared, he still couldn’t help but feel a little excited when he saw that paiza for real.
“Thank you, Eunuch Liu…!” Yan Liqiang bowed deeply to the old eunuch who was looking at him through his squinched eyes.
“No need to thank me, this is a gesture of good will from Eunuch Xue. Besides, according to the military rules, you can be considered a distinguished individual for attaining the Third Heavenly Layer in archery. In addition to your military exploits in eliminating those Blackwind Bandits when you escorted Lord Sun on his journey, it is perfectly reasonable for you to be appointed as a Yingyang Commandant. From the moment you put on this attire, you will be an officer of the Imperial Cavalry Unit. Keep in mind that the Imperial Cavalry Unit serves the Emperor. We will listen to only His Majesty and not anyone else. Understand?” Eunuch Liu gave Yan Liqiang a meaningful glance.
“Rest a.s.sured, Eunuch Liu. The many hards.h.i.+ps and tribulations I experienced when escorting Lord Sun on his return journey all the way from Gan Province to the Imperial Capital allowed me to clearly identify which side I am on…”
Eunuch Liu was very satisfied with Yan Liqiang’s answer. “From now on, you shall be appointed as the superintendent of the archery range at Deer Villa. The duty of the archery range’s superintendent is easy. You will be responsible for patrolling Deer Villa’s archery range. Outsiders are not allowed to enter the villa. His Majesty also rarely visits this place since he started reigning. Therefore, this should be an easy job. If you get bored inside Deer Villa, you are allowed change into plain clothes and wander around the Imperial Capital occasionally. How does this position sound to you?”
Yan Liqiang simply couldn’t ask for more. To put it bluntly, this position was basically equal to getting paid for doing nothing. He just needed to stroll around the villa every day to fulfill his duties. He would have lots of time to cultivate or do whatever he wanted to do. If he landed a job like this in the government sector back in his previous life, he’d probably be smiling even in his dreams.
“I will obey Eunuch Liu’s arrangements!” Yan Liqiang immediately responded in an obedient manner.
“Good, do your job well. If you have free time, you might as well spend it on your cultivation. With skills, you will not need to worry about your future…”
“Yes, I will definitely not let you down, Eunuch Liu!”
“Little Li, show Commandant Yan around. It is his first time at Deer Villa so he is not informed of the rules here. You may brief him!” After Eunuch Liu’s instructions, he turned to Yan Liqiang again. “You may ask Little Li if you have any questions!”
“There is one more thing, Eunuch Liu…”
“What is it?”
“I have a dog that followed me all the way to the Imperial Capital from Gan Province. This dog seems to understand humans particularly well and has even made several contributions during the journey. It exposed some hidden Blackwind Bandits and also saved me from danger before. I was going to bring it in, but the guard at the entrance wouldn’t let me. Hence, I would like to ask Eunuch Liu for your approval to let me bring my dog in here. I can promise you that my dog will never cause any trouble inside Deer Villa!”
“What a dog! It actually followed you all the way from Gan Province to the Imperial Capital?!” The old eunuch had a look of surprise on his face. He wouldn’t find it strange if Yan Liqiang told him that someone had followed him here. But if it was a dog, then that was quite a story.
Yan Liqiang nodded.
“How rare for a dog to be this loyal, for it to have followed you all the way here over thousands of li. Just let the guard know that I have given you the permission to bring this dog inside Deer Villa. He is not allowed to make things difficult for you!”
“Thank you, Eunuch Liu!”
“In this world, there are many people who are even worse than dogs. They have even forgotten how to write the words ‘loyalty’ and ‘righteousness’. How can I possibly bring myself to make things difficult for such a loyal dog?” Eunuch Liu sighed.
Seeing that the old eunuch had laid back down on the recliner again, Yan Liqiang didn’t bother him any further. He took the wooden box and left the small courtyard where Eunuch Liu and the eunuch called Little Li were at.
“How should I address you, Little Eunuch?” Not long after they exited the courtyard, Yan Liqiang spoke up with a smile. Although Little Li seemed to be at a lower position, it was never Yan Liqiang’s habit to scorn or look down on people like him. He was instead even more respectful to them.
“Oh, I dare not accept Commandant Yan addressing me this way. You may just call me Little Li…” Little Li was startled as he hurriedly waved his hands at Yan Liqiang. It was important to note that Yan Liqiang’s current position was simply far superior to his.
“Don’t worry about it. We are both children from poor families. We have been fated to cross paths here. Let’s look out for each other from now on!”
Yan Liqiang’s words seemed to have struck a chord with Little Li, cheering him up all of a sudden…