Chapter 35: Poor Physical Aptitude
One hundred men formed a squad, setting off in sequence.
The vast procession circling the military camp at the foot of the mountain was quite a spectacular sight. Though everyone grumbled and complained, no one actually slacked off. The instructor in charge of He Yan's squad was named Liang Ping, who was just as ruthless and merciless as Chief Instructor Shen. With a shout of "Form up quickly and move out!" he gave the order, and the group began their weighted long-distance run.
With the heavy sandbag strapped to her back, He Yan felt as if she were carrying a boulder that threatened to topple her frail frame. Since becoming the young lady of the He family, she had accompanied He Yun Sheng daily to chop firewood in the mountains. While this had strengthened her weak constitution somewhat—making her sturdier than most girls her age—Xiao Jue's brutal training methods were still too much for her.
The old He Yan could have handled this. The current He Yan? Not so easily.
People kept overtaking her left and right. Most of those who enlisted were tall, robust men, and even those who weren’t as imposing were usually from poor families, accustomed to hard labor. Though running laps with sandbags was exhausting, they managed just fine. Few were as frail as He Yan—those who were had mostly perished on the journey to Liang Province. In terms of physical aptitude, He Yan was undoubtedly the weakest at the Liangzhou Garrison beneath White Moon Mountain.
The brothers Shitou and Xiao Mai ran swiftly. Having hunted in the mountains, they were used to chasing prey and carrying their kills over long distances, so this was nothing to them. Hong Shan, being slightly older, was panting after just one lap. Wiping sweat from his brow, he muttered, "Ugh, this is inhuman."
When he received no response from He Yan, he glanced back and saw that she had fallen more than ten paces behind. Slowing his pace slightly, he waited for her to catch up before asking, "A-He, can you keep going? You don’t look so good."
He Yan’s face was pale, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead and chin before disappearing into her clothes. Strapped with that sandbag, she looked no different from the children sold by their parents to work as laborers on the docks of the capital—a pitiful sight.
"I’m fine, Brother Shan. Don’t worry about me. Go ahead—I’ll just take it slow at the back," she replied with a smile. "You can rest in the shed once you finish. No need to wait for me."
"Maybe you should tell the instructor," Hong Shan suggested hesitantly, lowering his voice when he saw no one was paying attention. "Or just skip a few laps in secret. No one will notice."
"I know what I’m doing," He Yan chuckled. "Go on ahead, Brother Shan. We’ll meet up later."
Only after repeatedly confirming that He Yan didn’t need help did Hong Shan finally jog off with his sandbag. He Yan scratched her head and sighed helplessly.
Tell the instructor she couldn’t do it? Impossible. Once you entered the military, you had to push through no matter what. Skip laps in secret? No way. Even if no one seemed to be watching, the instructors were sharp, and hidden overseers lurked along the route. Getting caught skipping laps meant violating military discipline—punishable by a public beating. She knew this well from her days as a general. Now that she was a recruit, she wasn’t about to walk into that trap.
Still… she wiped the sweat dripping into her eyes and glared at the golden sun blazing overhead.
It was so damn hot!
...
Meanwhile, someone emerged from the garrison.Cheng Lisu fanned himself with a folding fan, gazing at the distant peaks shrouded in mist, and exclaimed cheerfully, "The scenery here is simply marvelous, ten thousand times more beautiful than the capital! Uncle truly has excellent taste!"
Xiao Jue followed behind him, clad in a black and gold robe embroidered with cloud patterns, a long sword hanging diagonally at his waist. His eyes sparkled like stars, his lips as red as cinnabar, exuding an air of effortless grace and striking beauty. He looked like a noble youth who had wandered here by chance, adding a touch of brilliance to this desolate land.
"They're running laps, tsk tsk tsk," Cheng Lisu shook his head. "If I had to do that, I definitely wouldn't last even a quarter of an hour."
"Then go back," came the icy retort.
"Ah, what did you say? The wind's too loud, I can't hear... Uncle, look who's coming?" Cheng Lisu clumsily changed the subject.
The newcomer was Instructor Shen Han. He stopped before the two and saluted Xiao Jue. "Commander."
"How are the new recruits?" Xiao Jue asked.
"They seem decent. A few might be struggling, but they'll probably improve with training," Shen Han replied.
"What's up with that guy over there?" Cheng Lisu pointed into the distance. "Looks like he's about to collapse from running."
On the long track, a short and slender young man was running—if it could even be called running, as his pace was painfully slow. He had fallen far behind the rest of the group. In fact, he looked so frail that the sandbag on his back seemed heavier than he was.
"That's one of Liang Ping's recruits. He's on his fourth lap."
"Fourth lap?" Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow.
The others had already started their seventh lap, yet this one was only on his fourth, lagging far behind. Xiao Jue remarked coolly, "Hopelessly untalented."
Cheng Lisu and Shen Han exchanged glances but said nothing. If Xiao Jue deemed someone "hopelessly untalented," then they truly were—unfit for the battlefield.
"Being untalented isn't the end of the world," Cheng Lisu suddenly brightened. "He could always be a cook. Maybe he's got a knack for cooking."
The subject of this hopeful speculation, He Yan herself, was currently running to the point of speechlessness. The sandbag on her back was unbearably heavy, but she had no choice but to press on. She knew all too well that this physical training was just the beginning. Soon, skill-based training would be added—such as crossbows, blades, and archery.
But if she couldn't even endure the physical training, she wouldn't qualify for skill training and would be relegated to kitchen duty.
She had no intention of becoming a cook.
Near the shade canopy, Hong Shan finished his final lap and finally found Xiao Mai and Shitou resting under the canopy. He plopped down beside them.
Xiao Mai glanced around and asked, "Where's Brother He? Still not back yet?"
"Don't know, haven't seen him," Hong Shan replied, a hint of worry in his voice. "You think the kid gave up and didn't finish?"
"Didn't you tell Brother He to secretly skip a couple of laps?" Xiao Mai whispered. "No one would've noticed anyway."
"I told him ages ago! The kid's as stubborn as a mule—wouldn't listen to me. What could I do?" Hong Shan threw up his hands.
As they spoke, Shitou suddenly said, "He's here."Following his gaze, the group saw a young man slowly running along the forest path in the distance. The sandbag strapped to his back was disproportionately large for his frame. His hair was soaked into dripping strands, sweat beads rolling down his forehead to his chin before disappearing into the dirt beneath his feet. As he passed near the pavilion, he didn't even glance their way, continuing forward to begin another lap.
"He's still going to run..." Xiao Mai murmured.
He Yan didn't stop.
(End of Chapter)
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