Captain, Sign Me Up!

Facing the tigress's roar, both father and son hung their heads. In the end, completely lacking loyalty, Xu Yao abandoned his father to bear the brunt of his mother's bombardment, tossing out a quick "If I'm late again I'll get fired!" before beating a hasty retreat. After the Ning siblings departed, the Mountain Guard Compound grew completely peaceful. Over the course of several consecutive missions, they only encountered twin mountain demons and wood spirits once, and everyone was thoroughly prepared, carrying seven lengths of rope every time. Ever since that torrential downpour, incidents had occurred for several days straight, but once those days passed, sightings of mountain demons and wood spirits became infrequent, eventually tapering to once every three to five days, or even seven to eight days. The intervals stretched longer and longer, and peace seemed to return. The men eventually reduced their ropes from seven bundles back down to three; after all, lugging seven heavy bundles over hundreds of li of mountain paths was miserable work. Even so, not a single squad dared carry just one rope anymore... Everyone had truly been frightened out of their wits. Gradually, the autumn winds began to blow, under high skies and pale clouds. Brigade Captain Chen Chong clearly breathed half a sigh of relief. If they could hold out for two more months, the year would essentially pass in peace. Outwardly, however, he grew even stricter and tenser, demanding that missions be executed with greater urgency and decisive vigor. Normally, one squad remained at the compound on duty, while the rest fanned out to patrol the mountains. "Disturb the wild beasts as much as you can and drive them back into the deep forest! The wider the perimeter, the better. Push it all the way out to the two-hundred-li border, form an outward arc with the other brigades, and keep expanding!" "Everyone has toiled hard all year. Now that winter is coming, let the struggling common folk around here enjoy a peaceful winter." Every day, morning, noon, and evening, Xu Yao did his exercises faithfully, cultivating the Purple Mansion Qi Circulation Art, and only went on missions when assigned. Whenever a squad called on him, he went; if they didn't, he no longer asked to go. Demon peaches and ghost apricots were certainly good things, but when the others could manage on their own, he couldn't hog them every time. The other men had families too, with elderly parents and young children to support. Besides, whenever those mountain demon tree roots were brought back, they all had to pass through his hands to be registered, archived, and credited with merit points before being turned over to higher authorities. Thus, while the pure qi was not as abundant as when freshly dug up and absorbed on the mountain, it was still a considerable amount. After completing his cultivation exercises each day, he would return home and work tirelessly on repairs. Cartload after cartload of timber was hauled back from the mountain forest, and he chopped wood ceaselessly until the firewood formed little mountains. He replaced their home's wicker gate with a sturdy wooden door, and built the low wall blocking the ravine higher, sturdier, and thicker. The path leading in and out of their house was completely renovated. The mountain path leading down to the stream was painstakingly regraded, widened, and fitted with more steps. The original three hundred or so steps were expanded to a full five hundred. Each step was smoothed out, its sharp edges polished round, and solid hardwood railings were installed along both sides of the path. Xu Yao had only one goal: even if his parents lost their footing and tumbled all the way down to the river at the bottom, they wouldn't be hurt. As for channeling water down from the mountain into their house, he had considered it, but didn't dare. Once a water channel was dug, another torrential rain would ruin their home... He tackled these tasks bit by bit, feeling calm and content. With constant cultivation and physical labor, Xu Yao's cultivation base progressed step by step. He grew fond of, and even captivated by, the sensation of cultivating, becoming more and more diligent. Sometimes, while practicing on the hilltop where Ning Weiyu had taught him, he could faintly hear Ning Wuxia's laughter echoing in his ears. Whenever that happened, he would involuntarily zone out for a while. He thought of the vast wonders far away, the scenery at the edge of the world... He recalled Ning Weiyu's words: "Big Fatty, you must step out into the world and see it for yourself!" "This world is magnificent!" Xu Yao didn't notice it himself, but whenever he thought of this, the gaze he cast into the distance would unconsciously turn deep and profound. Like an autumn pool of deep water. Within that deep pool, a graceful silhouette seemed to sway, smiling charmingly, as beautiful as a celestial maiden. After absorbing pure qi into his eyes another dozen or so times, Xu Yao began to notice more and more dead skin flaking off his body each day. The sensation of circulating qi from the Purple Mansion Qi Circulation Art grew increasingly distinct within him. When he gripped the boulder on the mountain peak that he used to test his hand strength, his five fingers could now leave distinct impressions in the stone. A full-strength punch against a tree trunk would send wood chips flying. Channeling his full strength into a single saber slash, he could cleanly sever an iron pine as thick as a rice bowl with a smooth, even cut. Then he discovered that the more he cultivated, the more his skin seemed to change. His original wheaten, bronzed complexion was gradually fading. It was growing fairer. Furthermore, he had grown taller by two fingers' breadth. Where he had stood around 1.8 meters before, he was now nearly 1.82 meters tall. Though still smaller than burly, bear-like men like Liu Zhen, Xu Yao was already very satisfied. He felt his current height was just right; he couldn't get any taller. This conclusion came mainly from observing the men who had wives: the height difference between husbands and wives was simply too vast. Sturdy women who were considered broad-shouldered and thickset in the mountain village looked like fragile, petite birds beside those hulking brutes. Xu Yao felt that if he grew any taller, strolling down the street with a wife would look like a grown man leading a little girl by the hand... Yet every time the thought of finding a wife crossed his mind, he couldn't help but sigh, though he didn't even know why. Xu Yao had changed immensely. Every morning after his cultivation, when he ran laps with the burly men, he could keep up completely, and on several occasions he even ran ahead of them. Chen Chong flew into a rage at the men: "Disgraceful! You can't even outrun a scrawny bean sprout!" This infuriated the hulking men. Howling in frustration, they surged past him again, leaving him in the dust. In the mornings, he practiced hand-to-hand combat with them, and in the afternoons, he practiced saber techniques. His progress was astounding. Movements his body previously couldn't execute properly were now effortless. While wielding the saber, he even gained insights of his own, making subtle adaptations. Every day, he felt his blood and qi surging like a torrent. The sensation of growing stronger by the day brought him immense joy. "Get more sun!" Chen Chong instructed him. "Sunbathe whenever you have free time!" "Understood." Xu Yao understood that the brigade captain was telling him to keep a low profile, and he obediently complied. Life proceeded peacefully and methodically. One night, as Xu Yao circulated his qi, something suddenly seemed to break through. His body felt abruptly weightless, and his consciousness was jarred out of that selfless, meditative state. When he opened his eyes, the pitch-black room appeared as clear as broad daylight; every tiny detail was visible. At the same time, thunder rumbled in his belly. A surge of foul, counterflowing qi rushed up, completely uncontrollable. He opened his mouth, and with a wet spat, coughed up a clump of thick phlegm. Immediately afterward, he clearly felt sweat pouring from his body. Touching it, he found it faintly dark and slightly foul-smelling. Taking a deep breath, he savored the sublime lightness and ease coursing through his chest and abdomen, and focused on circulating the art. He continued until the index finger of his right hand grew faintly warm, as if a burst of power were about to pierce through the fingertip, accompanied by a swelling ache in his meridians. He hastily stopped. Dashing out of the house, he took a bath in the little river below the cliff. The autumn night water was chilly, but he didn't feel the cold in the slightest; even after stepping out, steam rose from his body. "I must have truly crossed the threshold into the martial Physical Cultivation Realm." Recalling Ning Weiyu's words, a contented smile finally broke across his face. He had previously worried whether he could ever enter the realm, but today he had finally succeeded—and far sooner than he had anticipated. "The pure qi absorbed by my eyes provides an enormous boost to my cultivation!" He was thrilled beyond measure. When he arrived at the compound for duty the next morning, it was already mid-autumn, and mountain demons and wood spirits were noticeably scarcer. The demon-catching compass had not budged in a long time, leaving the bear-like men with nothing to do but sweat through training every day. Upon reaching the compound, Xu Yao was surprised to find that there were no morning laps today. The brigade captain had gathered everyone early. Chen Chong's expression was grave. Surprise and suspicion arose in everyone's hearts: had something happened? "We won't be training today. First, there are a few matters to address," Chen Chong said. "The first is good news. Last time, when Young Master Ning and his sister came looking for something, our brigade assisted them well. After returning, they expressed their gratitude and provided compensation to our Southeast Circuit Demon Suppression Hall. Now that the higher-ups have calculated the figures, the silver has finally reached our brigade—and quite a hefty sum at that. Shortly, it will be distributed to everyone according to regulations." He added, "It's enough to keep everyone comfortable for a few years. It's a substantial amount this time." Joy immediately lit up every face. More reward silver—splendid! "They also prepared a separate gift specifically for Xu Yao. I'll hand it over to you shortly," Chen Chong said, looking at Xu Yao. "Yes, sir." Xu Yao nodded. Remembering Ning Wuxia's parting words—"I'll send things back for you"—a warm feeling welled up in his chest. He wondered what the girl had sent him, feeling an odd sense of anticipation. "The second matter is also good news," Chen Chong continued. "The date for the triennial Demon Suppression Warrior promotion has just been finalized. It's earlier than usual this year and will take place this November. Each county has fifty slots. The criteria: reaching the Physical Cultivation Realm with minor completion of Iron Skin, Bronze Skin capable of withstanding a blade, unblocked dual qi and blood, ten Grade-A merits, an unblemished record, and a clean family background. After passing the examination, candidates will undergo an interview with the prefectural office to confirm eligibility, be entered into the roster, receive a warrior medallion, and have their status registered in the Demon Suppression Bureau." At this, the crowd below grew unusually quiet. "Everyone else in our brigade has already consumed Lion-Tiger Pills, and our ranks are already equivalent to Demon Suppression Warriors. At present, the only person in our brigade eligible to apply is Xu Yao." A light flared in Xu Yao's eyes. "Captain, sign me up!"