Chapter Forty: For the Sake of Good People—Do It!

Who was Luo Zongwen?
He was the chief martial arts instructor of the entire army!
Even the average officer at the Command Academy might never receive his personal guidance—let alone a mere recruit.
It was as if you were a freshman in college, and suddenly, an academician from the Academy of Sciences announced he wanted to take you under his wing.
To receive the tutelage of such a master—a fool would turn it down!
Du Huaishan’s face lit up with joy. “I would be honored!”
“Hmm... You’ve been practicing martial arts for three years, so you must already have a routine and habits of your own.” Luo Zongwen nodded and mused, “The recruit training curriculum was set after discussions with several instructors. Sui’an and Zhong’ai are both outstanding students of mine. During the day, continue to train with them diligently.”
“When combat training ends in the afternoon, come directly to me. I’ll help you with stretching, massage, and offer guidance on both martial arts and the use of demon power.”
Ren Zhu’s gaze was stunned.
Who would have thought that Old Luo would accept a recruit as his student—and offer daily personal instruction?
That was a chance countless officers dreamed of!
“Thank you, Instructor Luo!”
Chang Suian and Zhou Zhong’ai hurriedly bowed and pushed Du Huaishan forward.
He immediately straightened his back, stood at attention, and called out excitedly, “Thank you, Instructor Luo! Recruit Du Huaishan, ready for your guidance from this day forward!”
Leaving Luo Zongwen’s study,
Du Huaishan still could not believe what had happened.
He’d thought after running into a Bright Society mole and being hauled off by the 73rd Brigade’s special unit for questioning, his luck couldn’t get any worse.
Yet, disaster turned to fortune.
Not only did he walk away with silver coins and Crimson Marrow Elixir from Lai Yanlong, he’d now gained a powerful mentor.
Back at the recruit training ground,
Under the instructor’s office building,
Chang Suian brushed at the dried blood on Du Huaishan’s sleeve, as if trying to clean it away. Finally he chuckled. “All right, I’ve done what I can for you. From now on, you can skip demon training and go straight to Instructor Luo.”
“Yes, sir!”
For the first time, Du Huaishan found Chang Suian’s gesture almost brotherly, as if an older brother offering advice to his kid brother.
It was clear that it was thanks to Chang Suian that Luo Zongwen had agreed to take him on.
He recalled the words spoken in the study—“no home to return to,” “help this child”—
A warm current rose from the soles of his feet to his heart.
In these turbulent times, it was the first time he truly felt cared for.
So he bent low and bowed. “Instructor Chang, Instructor Zhou, you have both shown great kindness to me. I, Du Huaishan, will not let you down!”
“All right, off you go!”
When Du Huaishan had walked away,
Zhou Zhong’ai suddenly spoke, “Suian, all your effort to help Du Huaishan—surely it isn’t just to bring him into our Reconnaissance Corps?”
Chang Suian’s lips curled in a faint smile after a moment’s thought. “I think this kid is a lot like Junjiang, especially that calm, clever mind of his.”
At the mention of “Junjiang,”
Zhou Zhong’ai stiffened, her eyes trembling, and in her mind flashed the bloody, horrific battlefield from seven years ago.
Chang Suian said nothing.
His thoughts seemed to drift with Du Huaishan’s departing figure, back to more than ten years ago—to those days of recruit training, perhaps even in this very place, when he, Zhong’ai, and Junjiang would walk together toward the training grounds, laughing and joking.
“Junjiang, with training almost over, which unit do you plan to join?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The most elite cavalry regiment, of course!”
“What about you, Zhong’ai?”
“I’ll go wherever you two go. Anyway, with you both around, this lady has nothing to fear!”
“Oh? Zhong’ai, don’t tell me you like us both. Tell me, who’s the handsomest, me or Junjiang? Hahaha...”
...
“Suian, Zhong’ai! Too many demons! The intel was wrong! Run!”
“Wait! Suian’s air tank is running low!”
“Take mine! Hurry! Don’t dawdle! My grappling skills are better than Suian’s! There’s no time!”
“Junjiang!!”
“Go! I’ll hold it off! You two, get out of here! Suian! Zhong’ai! Go—!!”
...
Beneath the instructors’ building,
Chang Suian’s crimson pupils slowly shifted, reflecting the last rays of sunset on the mountain. The wind brushed past, and a tear gathered in the corner of his eye.
Junjiang.
This late autumn—
It was especially cold...

Du Huaishan had just returned to the dormitory when a voice called out in the hallway, “Huaishan!”
It was Tan Hai.
“Great! You’re finally safe! I was about to go ask Lai the Rascal in the office! Guys, come quick—Huaishan’s back!”
Tan Hai rushed over and threw his arms around Du Huaishan.
Hearing the commotion, Wu Ming, Guo Tingyu, and Yang Anfu all squeezed out of their rooms, surrounding him excitedly. “Lai the Rascal really is amazing! It’s good you’re back!”
Du Huaishan was bewildered. He’d thought these guys were out at the Lichun Pavilion listening to music.
It turned out, seeing him taken away, they’d rushed to the instructors’ office to find Lai Yanlong—which ultimately led to him being released.
Unexpectedly, Du Huaishan’s eyes stung with emotion. “Thanks, brothers. Sorry to make you worry!”
“Hey, you’re back safe, that’s all that matters!”
“Huaishan, what did those special agents want with you?”
“Yeah, your uniform was covered in blood—what happened?”
Pressing his lips together, Du Huaishan made up a story: he’d accidentally run into the special unit on a mission and was mistaken for an accomplice; the blood was just splashed on him by accident. He had no idea what actually happened.
He lied.
Partly because Lai Yanlong had warned him to stay silent,
But also because he didn’t want Tan Hai and the others dragged into the web of moles and leaked secrets. Neither the 73rd Brigade’s special unit nor the Bright Society were powers they could contend with.

The next day,
After training, Du Huaishan collected his commendation and three bottles of Crimson Marrow Elixir from Lai Yanlong, and then received ten silver coins from the logistics department.
With money in hand, he rushed out to buy a week’s worth of chicken.
Yesterday’s events had delayed his trip to the market.
Ideally, he would have bought beef brisket.
But in the laws of Chiyu Celestial Empire, cattle were vital for labor; before the founding of the New An State, eating beef was forbidden. Now the ban had lifted, but cattle were rare and prices exorbitant.
Pork was too fatty, and expensive besides.
On balance, chicken was the best choice—high in protein, cheap, and plentiful.
Du Huaishan bought a week’s supply in one go, spending two silver coins, and brought it back to have Fatty Yang prepare smoked chicken for easy eating and storage.
“I only want the breast and legs. The rest is yours to share,” he said.
Sunday afternoon, in the mess hall,
Fatty Yang, with his godfather Zhang De’s approval, borrowed the kitchen to cook the chicken, giving the brothers a taste of his skills.
“For real? Huaishan, you’re too generous! This is such a treat!”
Wu Ming smacked his lips, licking the grease from the corner of his mouth. “The best parts are the skin and neck! Why do you only eat the breast—so dry!”
“I don’t like greasy meat...”

Du Huaishan couldn’t exactly explain that he was trying to build muscle and control fat intake. “Fatty, just use less salt on my portion, but you can use more other spices.”
“Don’t worry—just watch! I guarantee you won’t get bored even if you eat this for a month!”
Yang Anfu deftly butchered the chickens, drained the blood to save, and dunked them in boiling water to pluck the feathers. Head, neck, legs, breast, feet—each part was methodically separated.
He brushed them with his secret honey glaze and set them to smoke over a wood fire.
Soon, as the skin turned golden brown, a rich aroma filled the air.
“Wow! Fatty, your cooking is amazing!”
Tan Hai’s mouth watered.
“Heh! I’ve been wielding ladles for five years—started helping out in the kitchen with my old man when I was a kid!”
Hiss! As he spoke, Yang Anfu tossed the chicken blood, mixed with coarse flour, into a wok, stir-fried it, sprinkled on scallion slices—the scent was irresistible.
“So good! It’s like New Year’s!”
At the table, one squad member gnawed on a chicken head, eyes shining.
“My family doesn’t eat like this even at New Year’s!”
Another scooped up a huge spoonful of chicken blood, tears of joy streaming down his face.
“We have to thank Huaishan for this meal—he spent his precious allowance to buy all this chicken, and left the best parts for us. A good man! And thanks to Fatty, too—your cooking’s great! Hahaha!”
Wu Ming raised his bowl. “We can’t drink here, so let’s toast with hot water—to our two good men!”
“To good men! Cheers!”
“For our good men!”
Watching the raucous group, Du Huaishan could only laugh. They had no idea he’d just earned a ten-silver reward.
Once their bellies were full,
The members of Squad Eight linked arms, singing a few popular songs of the Chiyu Celestial Empire, drawing curious looks from the passing recruits.

Monday.
After two days of indulgence, the recruits fell from the clouds back to the eighteenth hell.
At morning roll call, four recruits were late—
And got a fierce scolding from Lai Yanlong.
Du Huaishan trained strictly according to his plan, not forgetting to keep up his dynamic vision exercises.
Until dusk.
After combat training,
Tan Hai hurried over, but Du Huaishan waved him off. “Tan Hai, you and Lao Wu stretch each other using the method I showed you.”
“Huh? Huaishan, what about you?”
“I’ve found a new teacher. I have to attend his class soon, so Tingyu, I can’t join you for demon training tonight, either.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Will you eat dinner with us?”
“No, I’m afraid I’ll be late. Gotta run!”
Bidding farewell, and with Chang Suian’s nod, Du Huaishan left first.
Among the recruits,
Xing Zhenhao, the short-haired female soldier, the girl with the braided hair, and others all noticed Du Huaishan leaving early, but were surprised to see the instructor didn’t stop him.
“Whew...”
Du Huaishan had no idea how conspicuous he’d become among the recruits.
He jogged to the Western-style building of the Command Academy, went to the entrance, and told the armed guard,
“Hello, I’m Du Huaishan, Instructor Luo’s student.”