Battle Above the Vault of Heaven

A gentle breeze stirred through the mountain woods; the mountain path stretched pale and white, foliage swaying along its borders. Crickets and katydids chattered in the bushes. Flying insects darted across the trail from the grass, occasionally landing on someone by mistake, and, lucky not to be slapped dead, hastily chirped before springing away... The sword tassel made of cloth strips fluttered gently behind her shoulder. "I'm slightly stronger! Ha, of the three of us, I'm slightly stronger! Well done, Rusty Sister!" In any case, the internal circulation kept her from feeling overly hot. Shen Yixiu skipped down the mountain with light, brisk steps; had the wind blown any harder, her entire suit of iron armor might have floated into the air. This cold, rigid iron armor often made people forget her age and how she had grown up; in truth, she was still more than three months away from turning eighteen. "Legion Commander," Wen Jifei called out after a while, having recovered somewhat. He crept over, saluted, and asked in a low voice. Chen Buer turned his head and gave him an expressionless look. Inwardly, he thought: *You still dare come over here? It was you, you bastard, who just made me capsize in a tiny ditch—not only losing face, but suffering heavy losses.* Chen Buer had actually known beforehand that Wen Jifei was a Dice, but old age brings forgetfulness. Add to that the spur-of-the-moment nature of the challenge and the crowd of people, and he had clean forgotten it. And so, he had capsized. "Legion Commander, do you believe in luck? From everything I've heard and seen, luck seems to play a crucial part in many decisive battles. So it never hurts to bring along someone who's super lucky..." "Not bringing you." The kid seemed to be angling for a Legion Saber Insignia too. What was going on? Did he think Chen Buer's insignias were unsellable cabbages being handed out on the street for free?! *This is getting out of hand. It's supposed to be a supreme honor.* Chen Buer was caught between laughter and tears, yet also felt gratified, even as he kept his face stern. Wen Jifei had no choice but to shut his mouth. After returning to the garrison station, Chen Buer did not leave immediately. He had the mess hall prepare dinner for a few extra people, then conducted a routine inspection of the grounds. However, the squad garrison was only so big, and he finished touring it in no time. Checking his watch, he saw there was still a bit of time before dinner... He needed some pastime. Chen Buer stopped, turned around, and asked with a grin, "Who's the best chess player around here? Chinese chess, that is—I don't know how to play Go." Even though he was a legion commander, Chen Buer was still an old soldier. Frontline Azure garrisons were forbidden from drinking alcohol most of the time, so the only pastimes left were usually playing chess and cards. At the legion commander's question, nearly everyone present—including officers like Lao Jian, Milla, and Qin Guowen—slowly turned their eyes in unison toward someone in the back... Wen Jifei. *Why is it him again?!* Afraid of taking another tumble at this guy's hands, Chen Buer glanced at Wen Jifei, decisively turned back, and switched his question: "What about cards then? Poker, mahjong?" Yet those gazes remained fixed on Wen Jifei, without shifting in the slightest. In all of these games, Wen Jifei was an invincible existence in Squad 1777. Chen Buer didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Legion Commander, do you believe in gambling luck?" Under the scrutiny of the crowd, Wen Jifei gave a thievish grin and said, "Honestly, a lot of the time, winning or losing is just taking a gamble..." "I do. My gambling luck, for instance, has always been very good." He believed it because Chen Buer had gambled himself, more than once, wagering his very life. But he shook his head after that, chuckled, and said, "Still, it's a definite no." The old man actually liked people with good gambling luck. But he couldn't convince himself to bring a Dice onto a battlefield where survival was one in ten. Because for Wen Jifei, it would be ten out of ten dead—zero chance of survival. "If you won't give it, so be it." Turned down, Wen Jifei stepped back, muttering under his breath with a grin. He had only been taking a shot in the dark, testing the waters while sounding out Chen Buer's temperament. ………… Naturally, Han Qingyu and the others couldn't sit at the head table during dinner. The youngsters had given up their seats, eating quickly while standing with bowls in hand. With nothing to do after the meal, aside from Wen Jifei who stayed behind to play cards, the others returned early to the outpost. As usual, they sat along the edge of the roof, basking in the sunset, gazing down at the village below, and chatting idly. On this summer evening, a gentle dusk breeze blew, bathing them in golden light. Mangmang Mangmang was acting like a normal cat for once, curled up asleep at the roof's edge, paying no attention to anyone. The little black dog Bu Mang was a big dog now, but relying on having been a mighty hero of great merit, he remained mischievous, constantly frolicking behind them, sniffing this person and nuzzling that one. Wu Xu threw him some bones gathered from the dinner table to keep him away from the roof's edge. Yet the shameless scamp clamped the bone in his jaws and trotted right back to the edge anyway. Wu Xu had no choice but to snatch the bone back and toss it downstairs onto the open ground before the outpost entrance, warning him rather helplessly, "Mang is a cat. She can fly. You can't." Bu Mang dashed downstairs after the bone. Like this, in less than an hour, the sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs. Looking back, they saw Wen Jifei had returned. "Why are you back so soon? Didn't you play longer with the legion commander?" He Tangtang asked. "The legion commander wouldn't let me play anymore, haha! Your bro here won six hands in a row—and three of them were winning off the old man's discards!" He knew how to treat different people and act accordingly; Wen Jifei knew his limits. He and Qingzi had spent plenty of time getting a read on the legion commander's temperament. Having said his piece, he found a spot to sit down with a chuckle, then turned to Han Qingyu: "Right, the old staff officer told me something just now." "Huh? Something to do with me?" Plague-Chicken Fei nodded. "He said that after the 101 incident, your bounty over in the City of Iniquity changed again. The money went down—only 5 million Huaxia currency left—but the metal blocks jumped to nine, a whole threefold increase. It's probably to tempt top experts into making a move..." "Mm." In the eyes of the experts lurking in this backstage world, source energy was undoubtedly more important than money. "Why are you just saying 'mm'?" "I'm also kind of tempted to kill myself. Nine blocks! But not quite as tempted as before. Maybe because I've tasted wealth now," Han Qingyu said with a smile. Everyone laughed along with him. Not long after, Bu Mang barked a few times, followed by more footsteps echoing downstairs, sounding like more than one person. Who could it be? When people were at the outpost, the door was usually left open. The group turned their heads and waited a moment. Soon, Chen Buer, the old staff officer, and Lao Jian emerged from the top of the stairs. They hurriedly prepared to stand up. "Stay seated, no need to get up." Chen Buer waved his hand. Constantly saluting back and forth was exhausting to him. With that, he stood there and looked around in all directions. "The scenery here is quite nice. Very poetic." Supporting his lower back, the old staff officer looked at the sunset glow on the horizon, the distant mountains, the earthen cliff nearby, and the village below. He stretched and remarked with an appreciative smile. "Yeah, there's even an ox over there." What Chen Buer saw were terraced fields. Not far away, between two terraces, an old farmer carried a bundle of fresh straw over his shoulder, holding a lead rope as he carefully led an ox down the hillside. Seeing this, they didn't usher the visitors indoors either. Han Qingyu and the others cleared some space so the legion commander and his two companions could sit down. "I'll go brew some tea," Liu Shiheng said, getting up. "No need, my stomach is already full of it." Chen Buer waved his hand dismissively and continued watching the village below with keen interest. "Qingzi, I suddenly really want to laugh," Rusty Sister whispered in Han Qingyu's ear, struggling hard to hold back her giggles. Completely bewildered, Han Qingyu whispered back, "Why?" "I was just thinking... what if by sheer coincidence, the bone Wu Xu threw down for Bu Mang just now had landed right on the legion commander's head..." "..." Han Qingyu couldn't help picturing the scene, and he began stifling his laughter too. Down in the village, the old ox was returned to its pen. In the courtyard, the old farmer hurriedly drew water to wash his face and hands, then splashed a basin of water over his feet, changed into clean clothes, and headed out. Only a sliver of sunset glow lingered on the horizon. The village lights had just flickered on, and red radiance shone from an old house... People arrived from all directions, streaming into the courtyard of the old residence. Once the crowd gathered and a long string of firecrackers crackled and popped, the festive and lively atmosphere burst forth. The running banquet was set up right in the courtyard. From afar, they could see servers carrying platters of food from table to table, and hear the lively chatter of voices. "Big Baldy is taking a wife today—marrying a girl from the far end of the village." He Tangtang introduced the scene to the legion commander using their squad's nickname for the villager. In truth, the groom had only shaved his head for a brief period early that spring, and his hair had already grown back. "Oh? You know him?" Chen Buer seemed especially interested in the ordinary people and affairs of the village. "We do. Not very well, but we greet each other whenever we cross paths," Lao Jian chimed in as squad leader, giving a brief overview of the village and its residents. "Then how come none of them invited you to the wedding feast?" The old man wore a proud, showy expression as he boasted, "Back when I herded sheep and guarded the grasslands, whenever local herders got married, they'd always invite me with open arms." "Isn't that just because there were so few people on the grasslands to begin with? That's why they were so welcoming," Wen Jifei piped up. "..." Chen Buer was amused and exasperated all at once. He rarely had moments this relaxed, so he actually quite liked the kid—though that didn't stop him from also really wanting to beat him up. "We have a lot of people here—dozens of us. The village is poor, and if we all went to eat at the banquet, they wouldn't be allowed to accept red envelopes from us soldiers. They couldn't afford it," Wen Jifei continued. "Inviting us wouldn't be appropriate either... That tradition probably started back when conventional troops were stationed here. The villagers have always been very proper, never intruding on the garrison grounds," Lao Jian hurried to add. Chen Buer nodded, but his eyes never left the courtyard. He seemed to genuinely love such rustic wedding celebrations. "Still, they always bring peanuts, melon seeds, rice cakes, and candy down below..." Pointing toward the earthen cliff down below, Han Qingyu chimed in as well. They had experienced this several times. Usually, when a family in the village celebrated a happy occasion, they would take a finely woven little bamboo basket, fill it with refreshments, stand beneath the cliff, and warmly call up to them to come down and take it. Unable to decline, the squad had no choice but to accept, and would occasionally buy produce or goods from the villagers in return. "Oh? Did they bring any today?" Chen Buer turned and asked. "Yes, I'll go get it." Han Qingyu went downstairs and brought up a small bamboo basket. It wasn't large, filled with candies, peanuts, and homemade rice cakes stamped with red dye. Chen Buer and the old staff officer each took a piece of rice cake and bit into it. "Fragrant," Chen Buer said after taking a bite. "Mm, delicious," agreed the old staff officer. And so they chewed slowly, their gazes still resting upon the people and the lights in the village—watching those ordinary, blissfully unaware folks, and their simplest, most grounded lives. "And so, if that battle must truly be fought someday, I hope... it can be fought above the vault of heaven." Having finished the piece of rice cake, Chen Buer brushed the crumbs from his hands, shifted his gaze upward from the banquet in the courtyard, and looked toward the distant heavens as he spoke.