<h4>Chapter 22: ck Armored Guards</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Henyee Trantions <strong>Editor: </strong>Henyee Trantions


    Afternoon.


    Xu Ning began to head back to the Tao Vige with the cut leopard fur.


    He was walking towards the Tao Vige.


    Xu Ning saw that group of people on horses, galloping out of the Tao Vige.


    They were dressed in ck armor and ck clothes, with swords and long knives tied to their waists.


    Looking at them from a distance, their movements were uniform and coordinated, and their horses moved at the same speed.


    It gave off a strong oppressive vibe.


    “Are they… the ck Armored Guards?”


    .


    Xu Ning looked confused.


    Last time when he followed Tao Yungang into the city to escort the carriages, he caught a glimpse of the ck Armored Guards.


    This was why Xu Ning was able to recognize them.


    “What are the ck Armored Guards doing at the Tao Vige?”


    His predecessor had lived in the Tao Vige for several years, but he had never seen the ck Armored Guards visiting.


    “Could it be that something big happened recently?”


    Xu Ning had some guesses in his heart, but he did not draw any conclusions.


    Soon, he reached the gate at the entrance of the Tao Vige.


    They were guards from the vige that patrolled around the entrance.


    “Xu Ning, you’re back. What did you bring back this time?”


    As soon as Xu Ning walked over, a big man with a beard greeted him with a smile.


    Xu Ning left the vige every other day, so the guards at the entrance were well aware of who he was. Not to mention the story about him helping Tao Yungang and defeating Zhan Sandao, more and more people had begun recognizing him.


    “I brought back a piece of leopard skin.”


    Xu Ning responded with a smile. “It’s just a pity that I shot a few holes in the leopard skin with my arrows.”


    “That’s not bad, much better than us guards standing around here all day.”


    The guardughed as he spoke with a tony of envy.


    Most of the Tao Vige’s guards were ordinary people, only a few people had external and internal skills.


    Their daily work consisted of looking intimidating, so their ie was rather low.


    “By the way, just now I saw a group of peopleing out of the vige, and they looked like the ck Armored Guards?”


    Xu Ning asked.


    “Yes, it was the ck Armored Guards.”


    The guard said, “We were all surprised when they came. We haven’t seen the ck Armored Guards before. They said they wanted to see the n Head, and we didn’t dare to refuse.”


    “What were the ck Armored Guards doing in the vige?”


    Xu Ning asked.


    “This I don’t know…”


    The guard shook his head.


    “Hmm…”


    When Xu Ning heard this, he did not ask any more questions.


    After some more small talk, Xu Ning went to the hunting store in the vige and sold the leopard coat.


    …


    Old n church.


    Nearly ten people were sitting in the hall.


    They did not look young, even the youngest had some gray hairs on his head.


    Everyone seemed to give off their own aura. They were obviously martial arts masters.


    These people were the highest decision-making members of the Tao Vige, the n elders of the Tao family.


    “Everyone is here?”


    Sitting at the front was a spirited old man.


    Although it was winter, he was still wearing a thin shirt. His exposed forearms were packed with muscle.


    He was the contemporary n Head of the Tao Vige, Tao Jingxing.


    “All here.”


    The n elders sitting below were on high alert, with their eyes all turned towards Tao Jingxing.


    “I called everyone here today to tell you all something.”


    Tao Jingxing’s voice was not loud, but he had an overwhelming aura. “Just now the ck Armored Guards Captain Xia Yuanxing came to the vige to meet with me.”


    “Xia Yuanxing?”


    When the n elders heard the words, some were surprised, while some were calm.


    Obviously, some people already knew that the ck Armored Guards hade by, while others did not have a clue.


    “n Head, what is Xia Yuanxing doing here?”


    Tao Jinglu was the one that spoke.


    He had previously given Xu Ning and others the Spring Breeze Tactic cultivation technique.


    Everyone heard Tao Jinglu’s question.


    Although some people knew that the ck Armored Guards hade here, Xia Yuanxing only met with Tao Jingxing alone. They did not know the specific content of the meeting.


    Tao Jingxing didn’t answer immediately. He rubbed his fingers and paused before speaking, “Xia Yuanxing said that the ck Armored Guards is going to select talents from the Tao Vige.”


    ‘Selecting talents from the Tao Vige?’


    “Um…”


    All of the n elders were surprised when they heard this.


    They looked at each other before looking at Tao Jingxing again.


    “n Head, the ck Armored Guards never recruit people from our local area? Why did they suddenly change their mind?”


    The one who spoke was a bald old man with a white beard on his chin.


    Everyone agreed with the bald old man’s words.


    After the copse of the previous dynasty, each state capital fought with each other. There were disputes between the state capitals, sects, and families.


    Finally, 30 years ago, the Source Faction quickly rose up and became the true leader of State Feiyun.


    Subsequently, the Source Faction established the ck Armored Guards in Yunying City, the state capital. They were dispatched to various ces in the State Feiyun to control the jurisdiction of various ces, and became the de facto ruler.


    During the 30 years, the ck Armored Guards in Kangyun County had changed members, but new members were all sent from abroad, with none of the locals being recruited.


    Everyone knew the reason for this.


    After ending the chaos in State Feiyun and achieving unification, in order to maintain independence, the ck Armored Guards always drew a clear boundary with local and state.


    They were a veteran force in Kangyun County. The Tao Vige had always been guarded by the ck Armored Guards.


    However, there was an understanding between the two. The ck Armored Guards never bullied the Tao Vige, but if there was an order, the Tao Vige would obey quietly.


    This was not only true for the Tao Vige, but also the Song Vige and the Tan Vige, the other two big viges in Kangyun County.


    However, the bnce between the two in the past 30 years was broken because of what Tao Jingxing had said.


    If someone in the Tao Vige entered the ck Armored Guards, then the boundary between the two would be diluted, and the ck Armored Guards would formally merge with the local forces.


    “When Xia Yuanxing informed me of this, I also felt shocked.”


    Tao Jingxing exined, “Xia Yuanxing didn’t say the reason directly. He just said that the situation is unstable, and it is inconvenient to recruit new guards. So, now is the time for them to find local talent.”


    “n Head, what are the selection criteria for the ck Armored Guards this time? How many people will be selected?”


    A gray-haired old woman asked.


    She had a wrinkled face and looked quite old, but her eyes shined with brilliance and astuteness.


    This old woman’s name was Tao Jingfang. She was the oldest person of the Tao Vige and the only female n elder.


    She did not get married all her life. She had dedicated her life to the Tao Vige.


    “Sister Jingfang.”


    Even the n Head Tao Jingxing was polite to Tao Jingfang. “Xia Yuanxing said that they want to select 20 people in the Tao Vige. The selection criteria are broad: the best young men between 14 and 18 years old would be selected into the ck Armored Guards.”


    “The best young men between 14 and 18 years old?”


    Tao Jingfang’s expression changed a little. “This is poaching the young backbones of the Tao Vige.”


    “How could we let this happen?”


    Tao Jinglu quickly said, “If we send our talents to the ck Armored Guards, what about the Tao Vige? The future of our Tao Vige lies in these young people.”


    Tao Jinglu’s remarks aroused the support of all the n elders present.


    Faced with the emotional elders, Tao Jingxing furrowed his eyebrows and said, “Silence!”


    Suddenly, the noisy old n church quieted down instantly.


    Tao Jingxing’s majesty and power as the n Head was clear.


    After seeing that everyone’s emotions calmed down, Tao Jingxing’s tone became calm again. “Everyone, I understand your concerns. At first, after Xia Yuanxing said this, I was also angry.”


    “But he made a promise to me afterwards.” Tao Jingxing continued, “Xia Yuanxing said, after entering the ck Armored Guards, they would enjoy the right to stay in Kangyun County forever. Moreover, when the selected person reaches 40 years of age, they could make their own decision on whether to stay in the ck Armored Guards or return to the Tao Vige.”


    “That’s better!”


    After hearing Tao Jingxing’s follow-up exnation, all of the n elders were intrigued.


    Although the young people in the vige would join the ck Armored Guards, they would not leave the local area—they would stay in Kangyun County.


    Moreover, after reaching 40 years of age, the selected candidates could decide to stay or leave. If they ever returned to the Tao Vige, they could still be the backbone of the Tao Vige and lead the way to the future.


    Now it seemed like sending talents from the Tao Vige to the ck Armored Guards was reasonable.