Gou Liang moved forward and bowed down to Zhang Lian, his heart racing. With a calm voice, he responded, "Your Highness, you summoned me," despite his fear.
Zhang Lian gave a nod. "Yes, Gou Liang. I've known nobody with martial arts skills here but you, and you've saved my life before."
"I need someone like you to choose the guards from this group"—pointing to those standing in the line—"and the next people who will arrive in the city as it is getting rebuilt. You will be the chief guard."
She looked at the lines that were starting to appear behind the wooden boards as she talked. "Place yourself next to the Martial Arts board and start making your choice."
Remember to treat everyone equally; don't favor anyone above others. You have to act fast since the Cultivator's are observing. After choosing, write down their names and, for the time being, return them back to labor work. When the entire city is rebuilt, we'll need their assistance."
With a glance, Gou Liang observed the group of cultivators standing far away from the mortal group. They had angry looks on their faces, obviously annoyed that they were wasting time on this.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he firmly nodded. Then he turned and made his way quickly to the Martial Arts board, where the majority of people were grouped.
With four or five lengthy lines, each containing a thousand people, the Martial Arts area was in fact the most crowded.
Gou Liang stood tall in front of the crowd, his eyes scanning the lines with a calm eye.
He started by calling forward individuals in groups of three, asking them to demonstrate basic martial skills—whether it be their stance, speed, or strength. He moved quickly, His voice was clear as he gave instructions, his confidence growing.
He watched them, noting their names who got selected, quickly forming opinions on who could be a good fit for the position.
Promising individuals were requested to move aside so that an assistant who had been summoned in to assist could write down their names.
The other lines were forming in the meantime, but none of them were as lengthy or as crowded as the one for martial arts. For example, the doctor's line was significantly shorter, with only a handful of individuals standing there, largely some young men.
People stepped up in each category, ready to compete for chances to become nobility, with a hope.
Some people hesitated, unsure of where they belonged, as the crowd swiftly divided into lines according to the classifications. But when the lines grew longer, they decided quickly and joined the one that most seemed to fit.
Taking in the sight, Zhang Lian saw how many individuals were in the Martial Arts line.
Next, she turned where cultivator's were standing observing from the sidelines. Her voice carried over the group as she questioned, "Does any cultivator want to examine them?"
She stated, "Using them in accordance with their abilities rather than just using everyone as a worker might be more fruitful."
She said, "take cooking as an example - Rather than cooking in small groups or working in a disorganized manner, we should give particular duties to people who are most qualified for them."
The cultivators exchanged glances, clearly not thrilled about a mortal telling them how things should be managed.
But they couldn't deny the logic in her words. The city would need more than just a strength to rebuild; it would require organization and proper allocation of skill.
Additionally, a large number of the new people arriving from the surrounding cities would be more of villagers with low skill levels, but if they could be used well, the process would move more quickly.
Feng Yu, one of the cultivators, moved ahead from the others. Wearing the robes of the Jade Serpent Sect, he possessed a commanding posture that made him an impressive figure.
His left cheek scar gave him a frightening appearance. His long black hair was pulled back into a topknot, and a jade pendant, signifying his position in the sect, hung from his waist.
"With a deep voice, Feng Yu answered, "I'll give it a try." He moved to the cooking area, flexing his muscles slightly to demonstrate his strength. "I like to eat good food, so this could be interesting."
Zhang Lian instantly identified him. She was extremely grateful to Feng Yu, the cultivator who had told her uncle about her. She was happy to see him take up the work and nodded in agreement.
When Feng Yu reached the area, the people were waiting anxiously. "All right," he declared in a firm tone. "My major objective is to see who can cook well and in huge amounts, rather than to determine who creates the best dish.
I will select 100-200 people from 1000's of you, and one of you will be selected to serve as the group leader." The pressure mounted on the cooks.
A cultivator evaluating their abilities wasn't something that happened often, and Feng Yu's.
Without wasting any time, Feng Yu reached into his storage bag and began pulling out large slabs of meat, along with various spices.
The meat was from a demonic beast, much larger and tougher than any ordinary animal. The flesh was dark, almost black, with thick fibers running through it. The meat was marbled with streaks of deep red fat, and it exuded a powerful, almost wild aroma that filled the air.
"This is demonic beast meat," Feng Yu explained as he placed the meat on the large wooden table in front of the people. "It's tougher than what you're used to, but that's part of the test."
"You'll need to cut and cook this meat well enough, as you will cook for tens of thousands of people in the future. Show me you can handle this."
Feng Yu watched them closely, his sharp eyes noting their techniques and how they managed under pressure.
Lots of people went back to their place of accommodation to get the proper utensils and returned and quickly started cooking.
The mood darkened as the cooks went to work.
....
Zhang Lian noticed the short line of people waiting at the literature area. This group, in comparison to the others, consisted of people who appeared frail and exhausted.
Their lean body suggested they had been working hard as workers, like everyone else, and their clothes were worn and soiled.
They had hoped for an opportunity to work on something more in line with their abilities and intelligence, but they had received the same treatment from the cultivators as everyone else.
Zhang Lian said to them, "You will all compete among yourselves." "The opportunity to escape manual labor in the city will be granted to the top three.
You will start by discussing the history or previous policies of the kingdom. Having studied the kingdom's history and customs, I'll be keeping an eye on the contestants to see who will win, but after choosing experts in medicine." The scholars glanced, their eyes brightening slightly at the opportunity to showcase their knowledge.
When she arrived, there were only three young people standing in the medication area. Unlike the literary group, these people didn't give it much thought because they knew there wouldn't be many of them and they would undoubtedly be chosen.
Zhang Lian asked them. "So, the medicine group comprises only the three of you?"
The trio nodded, and one of them moved forward to give an explanation. The majority of physicians wished to stay in their villages. I arrived because I thought this would be an opportunity, but we soon found that cultivators can easily heal others with their spells, so no use of our medicine ability.
Many of us left, especially the older ones who couldn't take the labor, since our talents weren't needed. We young people made the decision to stay in the hopes of rising later on as workers or doctors."
Zhang Lian gave a sympathetic nod. "I see," She approached the medicine board and drew a clean cross across it using a piece of coal.
"We'll choose this category later on. You can go for the time being." The three young doctors had despair on their faces.
Their bodies had already suffered enough from the backbreaking labor that they had intended to avoid. One of them seemed as though he would like to speak, his eyes briefly locking with Zhang Lian's, but he looked away as soon as he remembered that she was the queen.
All they could do was turn and bow politely, walking away with broken hearts.
Taking a deep breath, she made her way back to the literary section, where the discussion was already well underway.
She could hear the experts fervently debating the history and past policies of the kingdom as she drew closer, their voices rising and falling with passion.
She moved in closer, making herself felt to everyone around her. The experts debated even more forcefully, determined to prove themselves, knowing that the queen herself was listening.
Zhang Lian paid close attention, listening to their arguments clearly. She wasn't the best at everything, but she knew enough to distinguish between those who were merely making an empty impression and those who truly understood the subject.
Zhang Lian started to notice major differences between the participants as the debate went on. While some were impassioned but shallow, others were knowledgeable and well-spoken.
Some time later..
It has been a long time since the selection process started. Cultivators had taken away the people who were not selected. There were now only a few people left in each group.
Having begun with the largest number of participants, the Martial Arts group was the first to finish because each person assisted in choosing the next participants.
The Cooking area has advanced at a rapid pace as well. More cultivator's had joined in, bringing more examiners.Together, they had almost finished the cooking selection as well.
On the other hand, the Literature group had taken longer. There were now just four contestants left in the debate, and they were all trying their best to come in top 3.
Zhang Lian was finally relieved when the tournament came to an end since she had gotten tired of seeing the debate go on. There were only three scholars left. After a tiring and disheartened last person had just given up, only the remaining three were left.
Zhang Lian clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Finally," she said, a hint of impatience in her voice. "You three will be helping me draft policies from now on. Go and rest—tomorrow will be a busy day."
The three selected scholars nodded, obviously happy with their achievement and relieved.
The loser, meanwhile, stood aside with his shoulders hunched over in defeat. His face was deeply engraved with the lines of age and hard effort, and he looked clearly fatigued.
These men, who were 25–40 years old, were in the middle of a world where the average lifespan for mortals was 60–80 years.
This was the last chance for many of them to accomplish something noteworthy, and the defeated man carried a heavy burden of regret at losing the chance to rise to the status of nobility.
Zhang Lian felt it was time to go home as she was starting to feel a little tired. Taking some leftover food from the cooking competition, she started her way back to her temporary residence. The cat, with its orange eyes, beside her said."Nya, when are you going to get a man?" the cat asked, its teasing tone.
With a sly smile, Zhang Lian responded, rolling her eyes, "Don't worry. We'll take care of these things after the cultivators depart. I'm not rushing."
Cat then said, can't you have babies with one of the cultivators instead. They have spiritual roots, so you could have babies with spiritual roots with higher chances."
Zhang Lian shook her head. "No". "It will be my first time and I will not allow them to take control of my body. I will be in charge."
Additionally, if it hurts too much or I don't like them." With cold eyes, she made a quick, slicing motion across her neck with her palm. "They won't live to see another day."
"But this can't be done with Cultivator's, so let them go first."
The cat looked at her and said you were a man in your past life, but this life is different. You're a woman now, with all the hormones and sensitivities of a woman. You might even enjoy it if you give it a try."
As Zhang Lian imagined a man's penis inside of her, her expression darkened. She was disgusted by the idea and became angry and frustrated. She struck without thinking, giving the cat a slap.
"The cat, surprised by the unexpected attack, exclaimed, "Aha!"
Zhnag Lian whispered to herself more than to the cat, "I'll figure it out when the time comes." "But it's not happening like that."
The cat, rubbing its cheek with a paw, decided to abandon the matter, knowing that pursuing more would only make Zhang Lian angry. Walking in silence for the remainder of the day, they were both lost in their thoughts about the day's events and the decisions that lay ahead of them...