Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The heavy wooden door was pounded with fierce force.

    Inside the wooden hut, Xie Man, hiding under a tattered quilt and fast asleep, was jolted awake. He rubbed his eyes and mumbled in a sleepy voice, “Coming.”

    It was still chilly in the middle of the Revival Month.

    After putting on his ragged clothes, Xie Man grabbed the leather coat he used as a second quilt and pulled it on. Then, he opened the wooden door.

    Outside, Old Roger leaned against the wagon, a leather whip in one hand and a tobacco pipe in the other, puffing away.

    “Hurry up, it’s getting late. You’ll be punished for being late.”

    “I know.”

    Xie Man closed the door behind him, hopped onto the wagon with nimble movements, but his expression was calm.

    Roger glanced at him, said nothing, and whipped the horse with a sharp crack. The old horse let out a gruff groan, pulling the wagon slowly forward.

    Xie Man leaned against the wagon railing, took a look at the dark sky, and closed his eyes to doze.

    Based on his past experience, it would take another half hour to reach the inner castle. By the time they got there, the sky would be about to dawn.

    Xie Man was an orphan.

    According to Old Roger, he found Xie Man on a snowy day. Since he had no children of his own, he took Xie Man in and raised him.

    All these years, Old Roger had been supporting them by collecting trash for the nobles and disposing of it outside the city. He had worked hard to raise Xie Man to the age of twelve.

    Xie Man was full of gratitude for Old Roger.

    Though he knew he and Old Roger weren’t related by blood, in his heart, Old Roger was his father.

    Unbeknownst to them, the wagon had entered the inner city.

    Long-formed habits made Xie Man wake up automatically.

    From afar, he saw the towering and majestic castle, and his eyes couldn’t help but show a hint of envy and longing.

    That was where the lord and the knights lived.

    Xie Man had dreamt countless times of becoming a noble, living in a luxurious castle, enjoying a life of lavishness and superiority.

    Or becoming a powerful knight, earning the Lord’s favor, and becoming his guard, gaining the privilege of living in the castle.

    In the boy’s shallow understanding, that castle was the most beautiful place in the world.

    But deep down, he knew very well that unless his work required it, a peasant like him would never be able to set foot in that castle in his lifetime.

    However, Old Roger immediately felt hesitant.

    Were there really such pie-in-the-sky opportunities in the world?

    Wouldn’t they be tricked away and then forced to do something bad?

    Seeing Old Roger’s expression, the guard knew what he was thinking and said with a laugh, “Lord Su Nan is a legendary Wizard. The decree was issued by the lord. Do you think those two gentlemen have nothing better to do than to trick you, a poor man?”

    “If I didn’t see Little Xie Man being well-behaved, I wouldn’t bother to remind you.”

    Old Roger quickly apologized with a smile.

    Thinking about what the guard said, it made sense. The lord’s decree, how could it be fake?

    After thanking the guard, Old Roger pulled Xie Man onto the wagon.

    On the way back, Old Roger thought for a while and said to Xie Man, “When we get back after transporting the trash, you go home, wash up, change clothes, and then go to the testing center.”

    Xie Man nodded vigorously, his eyes shining.

    If he could become the apprentice of the Lord Su Nan that the guard mentioned, he would get a gold coin every month. Saving for a year or two, he could take Old Roger to the inner city, open a small shop, and no longer have to get up early and work hard cleaning trash.

    Maybe he would even have the chance to live in that castle!

    Thinking about it, Xie Man was extremely excited, wishing he could fly to the testing center right now.

    After returning from outside the city, Xie Man ran home, washed up, changed into his best set of clothes, and then went straight to the place the guard mentioned.

    The testing center was located at the boundary between the outer city and the inner city.

    In front of the temporary wooden shed, hundreds of boys and girls around Xie Man’s age were lined up in a long queue.

    Many were excitedly chatting, occasionally looking ahead in the line.

    Xie Man noticed that these people were all dressed decently, even the worst had a clean set of clothes, unlike him, wearing a white, patched-up set of clothes.

    Thinking about it, it made sense. In this era, those who could read usually came from good families.

    People like him, outliers, were rare.

    “Go to the end of the line and wait, don’t wander around.”

    A nearby soldier noticed Xie Man and told him to join the line.

    Xie Man followed orders, joining the end of the line, waiting quietly.

    (End of Chapter)