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month record rogue 5 5 1
Several youths crowd around the door to the Yumen Guard and Battalion, insistent on seeing the Grandmaster, but the watchman refuses them entry. The leader of the youngsters turns his head to see a stand recruiting for the army. 'Perfect!' He shouts in joy, and the whole lot of them rush to the stand.
The watchman sends someone to inform the recruitment stand about the youths and why they're here. After the official in charge meets with them, he also tries his best to dissuade them.
The group's leader still won't give up. 'The flier says you're looking for anyone healthy and over fourteen. Why won't you accept us?'
The soldiers have never seen anyone so determined to meet the Grandmaster before. For many years, the Grandmaster has led troops all across the nation to suppress dissent and banditry, no doubt spawning a grudge or two. If these were the children of those grudgebearers, then obviously they can't be allowed to run amok. However, the official's careful eyes notice that on the forms, they have all listed the same nearby village's Guard and Battalion as their address. How strange is that? If they are telling the truth, does that mean they're all army brats? If so, they could have just sent in a request, why come all the way here? The official of Yumen's Guard and Battalion asks them doubtfully: 'Did your parents ask you to come here? Where are they?'
He never expected that, at the mention of 'parents', the children would look to the barracks behind him as one, straighten their backs, and say: 'What's with the questions? We don't want to get in through our connections!' 'We want to enlist using our own skills! Let us join already!'
Connections? Could they... have some relation to the Grandmaster? The official guesses at their age, and observes their appearances a little closer, but still cannot be certain. He dares not ask too many questions either, so for the time being, he decides to allow them to take the test.
Out of the group, two manage to pass the preliminary examinations, while the rest say nothing more and quietly prepare to leave. Amazed at how they're actually following the rules, the official chases after them. Those who failed stop with tears in their eyes, their chests puffed out and their heads held high. At first, they refuse to speak of the Grandmaster, fearing others would assume they were trying to use his name to make things easier for them, but after some calming candied pastries, they finally begin to open up.
'If it wasn't for the Grandmaster, I would've died in that well back then. When he saw me all dripping wet, he even gave me his coat to warm me up. I... *sniff*! I'm still not strong enough... Next year, I'm definitely getting in!'
'Bandits killed my ma and pa, and locked me up in the burdenbeast sty. They forced me to serve them. When they heard the army was coming, they set fire to the house and ran away... It was the Grandmaster who pulled me out of the fire and took me to the Guard and Battalion.'
And so, the official learns that every child here had been saved by the Grandmaster, and had been fostered at the nearby Guard and Battalion. Of course this was the case. How could he possibly have misunderstood things that badly?
'Aside from the Grandmaster, Auntie Liu also treated us nicely. And Three-Legged Qin, he might be fierce, but he's actually not a bad person—'
'Three-Legged Qin? Qin Shuoliang? With the crutches?' The official is amazed to hear a familiar name. Further questioning reveals that the ones at the barracks in charge of raising these orphans are all soldiers who had been medically discharged. No doubt an opportunity the Grandmaster had prepared for his old comrades-in-arms. Hardly surprising from him.
'It's been many years since the Grandmaster last saw us. But that's a good thing, because ever since those guys in mandarin robes visited us, someone's come over with food and supplies every month. He doesn't have to use his own money to feed us anymore. We heard that the border garrisons desperately need more men, so we wanted to ask him to enlist us. But since we found the recruitment stand, we don't need to bother him with that either. He's helped so many before, so how could we possibly expect him to remember them all? All we want is to be under his command, protecting people like us.' Having spoken, the youths turn and leave.
In the boot camp, the two who passed the examination stare fervently across the room at the man who had saved their lives. Although they had only seen him a few times during their childhood, they'd heard countless tales of him as they grew up. At some point, them determined to become like him. Suddenly, the pair senses the Grandmaster looking back at them—astonished, then relieved, giving them a nod of greeting from afar.
The two youths are rooted to the ground in shock.
He really... does remember us.
