Chapter 36: Narrow Road for Enemies
Sixth lap, seventh lap...
By the time He Yan finished the final lap, she looked as though she had been fished out of water.
Xiao Mai trotted over and handed her a water flask. "Brother He, drink some quickly."
He Yan tilted her head back and gulped it down.
As she drank, Instructor Liang walked past, giving her a once-over before shaking his head and leaving. His gaze made it abundantly clear that He Yan was only fit to be a kitchen soldier.
"Why did you run all of them?" Hong Shan said. "You're too stubborn. I saw others skipping laps—they're smarter than you!"
Too exhausted to speak, He Yan only replied, "I don’t want to be a kitchen soldier."
"What’s wrong with being a kitchen soldier? Don’t look down on them—they might outlive all of us!" Hong Shan scoffed.
"I think so too," Xiao Mai chimed in, eyes shining with longing. "If I were a kitchen soldier, I could cook for everyone and make lots of delicious food!"
He Yan: "...If you want to cook, you should’ve become a chef, not enlisted."
Xiao Mai pouted and turned to Shitou. "Big Brother made me come."
What kind of people are these? He Yan lamented inwardly, sighing to the heavens.
She was utterly drained, her legs trembling beneath her. Hong Shan and Xiao Mai supported her on either side as they walked, sighing, "It’s only the first day. How long can you keep this up?"
As long as I can, He Yan thought.
The day passed in exhaustion. Chief Instructor Shen was merciless—those soldiers who had skipped laps or slacked off at noon were dragged out and publicly beaten with military rods. Their wails were louder than roosters, serving as a warning to the rest. By afternoon training, no one dared to slack off again.
Just as He Yan had expected, the first half-month was purely physical training: weighted runs, standing under the scorching sun, and drills. Only after two weeks would they begin skill training, and once that reached a certain level, they would be assigned to different battalions.
In her past life, He Yan had been in the vanguard battalion, and she still wanted to join it now. The problem was, with Xiao Jue’s training methods, she might be eliminated before even making it there. Her current physical strength was her greatest weakness.
She pondered this as she sipped her gruel.
The gruel was thick, mixed with wild vegetables, berries, and beans. Breakfast was half a peck of rice, dinner a third of a peck of millet, occasionally supplemented with dough lumps. On good days, there might be soup noodles or even meat.
But for now, it was just gruel.
Normally bland, but after today’s exhaustion, even this tasted heavenly. The dining area was nearly silent, everyone too busy devouring their meals to speak.
"Some wine would be nice," Hong Shan mused, smacking his lips. "Now I understand why people say not to enlist unless you’re desperate. This is no life for humans!"
"I miss hunting," Xiao Mai whined, pouting at Shitou. "Big Brother, I want roasted rabbit."
Shitou: "...Wait a few days."
He Yan nearly laughed. A few days? Even a month wouldn’t grant them hunting opportunities. Deserting the camp meant becoming a fugitive—and fugitives were executed.
After dinner, everyone headed to wash up. Hong Shan hesitated before asking, "A-He, are you really not going?"After a day of sun exposure and sweating, her entire body was sticky with the smell of sweat. The river was already packed with people, crowded like dumplings in a pot. Hong Shan said, "Don't be afraid. I'll hold you—guaranteed you won't fall in."
He Yan hesitated. "Forget it, Shan-ge. I'll wait until late at night and just fetch a few buckets of water to rinse off in the shallows."
"Alright then," Hong Shan didn't press further. "You rest first."
Only after Hong Shan and the others left did He Yan finally relax.
This was one of the most inconvenient aspects of military life—ordinary soldiers had no private quarters in the garrison, nor separate tents in the field, making bathing a major problem. She had once lived cautiously, always on guard at night to avoid exposing herself. But later, as she gradually rose through the ranks—first to deputy general, then to commander—she gained her own private tent and room, and these issues vanished.
Who would have thought that starting over would mean retracing the same difficult path?
He Yan lay on the bed to rest for a while. Only when the men who had gone to the river to bathe had all returned and settled down, and Hong Shan's snores began to sound beside her, did she wake up. She glanced at the moon outside the window, estimating it was already midnight, then climbed out of bed, stepped over Xiao Mai, rolled up some clean clothes, and quietly slipped out the door.
Outside the Liangzhou Garrison, the wilderness was vast under a bright, silvery moon. Perhaps because this was the borderlands, the moonlight here felt different from that in the capital. He Yan tiptoed her way to the river.
The river encircling the garrison lay at the foot of White Moon Mountain, and its name was rather poetic—Five Deer River. Legend had it that one night, a fisherman living by the river returned home by boat late and saw a plainly dressed fairy maiden riding a five-colored deer across the water, hence the name.
Large boulders lined the riverbank. He Yan found one, placed her clean clothes behind it to keep them dry, then took off her outer robe and waded in.
She hadn’t lied to Hong Shan—after nearly drowning in the pond at the Xu residence, she had developed a fear of deep water. Unless absolutely necessary, she avoided rivers. Even now, she only dared to stay in the shallows.
The cool river water was refreshing in the summer heat, and the breeze carried a crisp freshness. He Yan wiped her face, feeling the exhaustion from carrying sandbags all afternoon wash away. Every part of her body felt soothed and at ease. Here, the moon shone cold as frost over the boundless wilderness and the broad river, a sight both majestic and elegant.
"White Moon Mountain, Five Deer River..." He Yan murmured softly. The names were as refined as the scenery. Gazing at the silvery moon, she thought to herself, All that’s missing is a fairy maiden in plain robes. If a fisherman passed by now, who knows—maybe I’d become the ‘beautiful fairy’ of legend.
The thought amused her, and she chuckled to herself.
"Who's there?" A voice rang out in the silence—unfamiliar yet familiar.
He Yan nearly swallowed a mouthful of river water.
No way… Someone’s still here at this hour?
The footsteps paused briefly, then began moving toward her. Stunned, He Yan quickly ducked behind a large boulder in front of her. Since she was already in the shallows, close to the bank, she could see the newcomer clearly.It was a young man dressed in a deep blue robe embroidered with cranes, the elegant birds seeming ready to take flight. His appearance was equally striking—handsome and refined, with features as exquisite as a painting. The long sword at his waist gleamed like ice under the moonlight, lending his expression an even colder edge.
This exceptionally handsome youth was none other than the Right Army Commander, Xiao Jue.
He Yan took in the man's face and inwardly groaned.
Of all the rotten luck.
(End of Chapter)
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