Chapter 68: New Year's Eve

“Thank you, Du Huaishan. From now on, I’ll strive to become someone like you!”

In that instant, as Lin Sizhi finished speaking, her eyes seemed to shimmer with light.

In truth, Du Huaishan’s actions were neither meant to be sentimental nor to move Lin Sizhi. He merely recalled the last words Luo Zongwen had said to him the previous night. He was using the same method to awaken someone else.

After all, when you’ve nearly been devoured alive by a demon, if you don’t adjust your mindset, it’s all too easy to be left with lasting psychological scars.

If memory served him right, Lin Sizhi had once mentioned that she too came from Xintun. That explained the note. For someone who had just survived a demon massacre and had been bullied by seasoned soldiers, Du Huaishan’s courage to be the first to stand up against those veterans had indeed given Lin Sizhi—and many other new recruits with similar experiences—the courage to keep fighting.

The troops lined up neatly.

Chang Suian wore a somber expression, and even Zhou Zhong’ai, who was usually in good spirits, kept his head down. As instructors, they were the most grief-stricken by yesterday’s tragedy.

After a few words to comfort the trainees, Chang Suian took out a small notebook and began reorganizing the teams. Many squads had lost members at Qingshi Mountain the day before. Those with severe losses were disbanded and merged into other teams.

Du Huaishan’s squad received a new member—a dark-skinned, freckled female soldier named Jiang Qian, apparently from the 39th Training Squad.

Her story was rather tragic: she was the sole survivor of her entire team.

“We will now announce the results of the field training assessment. First place: 8th Training Squad. Second place: 1st Training Squad. Third place…”

Although there had been an accident during the Qingshi Mountain assessment, the team results remained unchanged. As expected, Du Huaishan’s 8th Training Squad ranked first, and each member received an extra bottle of Crimson Marrow Elixir as a reward.

This meant their integration progress would advance faster than the others.

The attack by the Aberrants had made everyone recognize the vast difference between themselves and the demons. Now, encouraged by the rewards, many trainees quickly cast aside their sadness and reignited their fighting spirit, throwing themselves into training with renewed vigor.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

Du Huaishan’s weight increased by another 1.8 kilograms.

Soon enough, the year’s end arrived.

Blue Star’s culture and technology were much like Earth’s. They too celebrated the Spring Festival.

As New Year’s Eve drew near, the entire Martial Academy was adorned with decorations; red lanterns hung on both sides of snow-covered dormitory doors, and red paper couplets with black ink were pasted up. It truly felt like the New Year.

The canteen was the busiest place at this time.

Since yesterday, Zhang De had been in the kitchen preparing dumplings; after training, Yang the Fatty, Du Huaishan, and others joined in to help.

It was tradition at the Martial Academy: everyone celebrated New Year’s Eve together.

That’s right. Not only the new recruits and veterans, but even officers from the Command Academy would join in. Everyone would gather on the same training field, light a bonfire in the center, chat, sing, dance, and eat dumplings together.

On this night, it was also the only day alcohol was permitted on campus.

Of course, though drinking was allowed outside the school, the New Recruit Handbook stipulated that only half a squad could leave at once. So if a group of brothers wanted to drink and celebrate together, tonight was their only chance.

“Whoa! Look at those officers in wool greatcoats from the Command Academy. Those epaulets, nameplates, and all those stars on their chests—so dashing!”

“I heard that each bronze star means they’ve slain a demon. That guy with three stars on his left chest must have killed three!”

“Look! That one’s got five stars!”

“If one day I can be like them, I’ll die content!”

...

Evening fell on the new recruits’ training ground.

Since it was New Year’s Eve, there were no requirements for armor. Everyone dressed in whatever made them look best.

Many senior officers took the opportunity to don ceremonial dress uniforms usually reserved for formal occasions. The most notable distinction between these and standard uniforms was the detailed display of rank, medals, and the stars recording their demon-slaying achievements.

Among them, a first-level spirit beast meant a bronze star; a first-level brute meant a silver star; a “national calamity” level was a gold star.

To put it bluntly, it was a way to show off—much like hanging your house deed and car keys around your neck in modern times.

But most of the officers present wore only bronze stars, and not many at that—just one or two. Occasionally, a flash of silver appeared, and invariably, it belonged to a high-ranking battalion or regimental officer, whose mere presence would draw gasps and envy from both new and veteran soldiers alike.

By rights, after his promotion to Warrant Officer, Du Huaishan should have had a set of officer’s dress uniform too. However, the appointment had just been issued, and the logistics department hadn’t had time to tailor it yet.

“Du Huaishan, we’ve been looking everywhere for you, and here you are sneaking dumplings!”

At the edge of the training field, Du Huaishan and his companions were gathered around the big pot where the dumplings were boiling.

He didn’t even need to turn around. That booming voice could only belong to Li Anqi.

Sure enough, Li Anqi, with her arm around Lin Sizhi and trailed by Xu Yuan and the rest of the 8th Training Squad, walked over.

“What do you mean sneaking? We’re helping Uncle Zhang wrap dumplings, don’t you get it?” Wu Mingbai flashed his rolling pin for emphasis.

Li Anqi slyly snatched a freshly boiled dumpling and popped it into her mouth, only to burn herself, her lips instantly puckering like a goldfish. “Hiss—hot, hot!”

Tan Hai laughed. “Serves you right for being greedy!”

Li Anqi’s boisterous nature was something everyone was used to teasing by now.

Du Huaishan couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Du Huaishan, you’re laughing? Come here, I need to talk to you!”

Li Anqi stamped her foot in mock anger.

“Talk to me?”

Du Huaishan set down his rolling pin.

“It’s me,” Xu Yuan stepped forward, feet apart, one in front of the other, smoothly twisting her waist into a stretching pose. “I want to ask you again about that wrestling technique for controlling force. I think it’s really useful for maintaining stability in actual combat!”

With Du Huaishan’s growing prowess, many in the squad had begun seeking his advice. Xu Yuan was no exception; she often traded insights from her own study of Bagua footwork for Du Huaishan’s core force techniques.

“No problem,” said Du Huaishan, stepping forward and reaching for Xu Yuan’s arm, but noticing his hands were dusted with flour, he patted them clean. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, go ahead,” Xu Yuan replied coolly, unconcerned.

“My apologies, then.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Du Huaishan slid into Xu Yuan’s guard in a flash, his hands snaking around her arms and shoulders, his back pressing against hers, and his hips giving her abdomen a gentle nudge.

“Focus on using your thighs and glutes. The front thigh muscles should be tight. It’s actually a lot like Instructor Chang’s three-point stance—you need to stabilize your hips. The difference is, I add a twist and an outward push, which can not only break the enemy’s balance, but also reinforce your own moving center of gravity.”

As he spoke, Du Huaishan gave a few more gentle hip thrusts.

With each one, Xu Yuan’s entire body wobbled—evidence her balance had been broken.

She focused intently on his technique.

Li Anqi, Lin Sizhi, and the others crowded around, observing carefully. Such a good learning opportunity could not be missed.

A few passersby, seeing their “strange” actions, stopped to watch. After all, on New Year’s Eve, who would expect these two to be practicing power techniques? Most assumed it was a young man and woman, a little tipsy, flirting in the heat of the moment. The presence of two beautiful women looking on made it all the more “impressive.”

“Tsk, tsk, these new recruits… they really don’t care about appearances anymore…”

A group of officers from the Command Academy strolled by, catching sight of the scene next to the boiler. One, a wiry but imposing man, made a casual remark.

His words caught the attention of a striking, clean-cut female officer in the group, who glanced over, then suddenly let out a surprised “Oh!” and walked over on her own initiative.

It was clear that among these officers, she held considerable status. As soon as she moved, the others followed.

“Watch out, I’m going to move now,” Du Huaishan warned after demonstrating the hip and leg force several times. In the next instant, his waist and back exploded with power; his body twisted like a coiled spring. Crack! Xu Yuan was thrown cleanly over his shoulder.

“Beautiful!” someone in the crowd exclaimed.

At last, everyone realized the two had been sparring, not flirting.

“Du Huaishan?”

Li Anqi and the others looked up to see a completely unfamiliar, strikingly beautiful female officer. She appeared to be from the Command Academy.

Her companions were somewhat taken aback, unable to imagine why she would know a new recruit and even go out of her way to greet him. Could they be relatives?

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Du Huaishan pulled Xu Yuan to her feet, then turned toward the voice. When he saw the woman, he was surprised. “Lieutenant Ren, it’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it has.” Ren Zhu smiled gently.

Ever since Luo Zongwen agreed to accept Du Huaishan as a student, his evenings had been devoted solely to targeted training, with no time for visitors. That was why he hadn’t seen her in so long.

Who would have thought that in less than four months, Du Huaishan would be a completely different person? His black-red eyes brimmed with alertness and killing intent. His athletic build was streamlined and powerful, not bulky, with muscles like those of a predatory cat. He might not draw the eye like a bodybuilder, but his fascia clung tightly to muscle and bone—a sign of low body fat—giving him a striking appearance.

“Ren Zhu, who’s this?” asked the wiry officer, unable to hold back. He was Ren Zhu’s classmate at the Command Academy, named Nie Renjie.

“This is Du Huaishan, Instructor Luo’s student. I happened to be present the day he became a disciple,” Ren Zhu replied, her voice pleasant to the ear.

The other officers were visibly stunned. Luo Zongwen, such a famous powerhouse, had actually taken a new recruit as a student? Even they hadn’t had such a chance!

A trace of envy flickered in Nie Renjie’s eyes. Looking at Xu Yuan, whom Du Huaishan had just helped up—herself a striking beauty with a rare, icy temperament—his jealousy deepened.

“It’s rare for Instructor Luo to teach someone personally, but from what I just saw, your technique could use work. Don’t squander this golden opportunity. You should cultivate a sense of urgency; many are waiting for their chance,” Nie Renjie said, seemingly offering advice, but in truth, it was a veiled barb.

He was covertly suggesting Du Huaishan was “wasting his seat.”

The irony was plain: anyone could see that Du Huaishan’s throw had been executed flawlessly.

Ren Zhu’s smile faded, as if she too felt Nie Renjie’s words were inappropriate. She was about to speak when Tan Hai and Wu Ming, busy making dumplings, couldn’t stand it anymore. Hearing their brother insulted, they shot back at once: “Sir, you needn’t worry yourself. Our Huaishan was chosen by Instructor Luo for good reason.”

Nie Renjie clearly caught the implication: if he hadn’t been chosen, there was a reason for that.

To have a new recruit insult him in this roundabout way—how could he save face?

His expression darkened. “So you know to call me ‘sir,’ but if I haven’t given permission, what right have you to speak?”

“Ha! The thing is, your rank is the same as our Huaishan, so there’s no need for formalities!” Wu Ming burst out laughing.

It turned out Nie Renjie, though an acting platoon leader, held the same rank as Du Huaishan: Warrant Officer.

At these words, not just the officers but even Ren Zhu herself was startled.

Du Huaishan had been promoted to Warrant Officer?

Du Huaishan could tell that this wiry officer had taken a dislike to him. Not bothering to wonder why, he nodded to Ren Zhu. “Lieutenant Ren, if there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to making dumplings.”

“I should be the one apologizing. Well… let’s talk again some other time,” Ren Zhu replied graciously, knowing that Nie Renjie was the cause of the trouble. She didn’t much like him either, but they’d been assigned to the same training team and had to see each other daily—there was no avoiding it.

Her apology only made Nie Renjie feel all the more humiliated. To be a full decade older than Du Huaishan, yet hold the same rank as a new recruit—wasn’t that just saying he wasn’t as good as a rookie?

And all the while, Du Huaishan hadn’t spoken a single word to him, not even glanced his way.

Well! You’ve got guts!

With all the high-ranking staff of the Martial Academy nearby, Nie Renjie didn’t dare cause a scene. His face went from red to white; veins stood out on his forehead as he glared hatefully at Du Huaishan before stalking off in fury.

All of this was observed from afar by Cai Zhizhong, who was watching the excitement.

…

“That guy’s really annoying!” Li Anqi muttered. “But Wu, your comeback just now was spot on!”

“That’s because Huaishan’s earned it,” Xu Yuan said, coming to stand beside Du Huaishan and looking toward the direction the officers had gone. “Be careful. That one’s not going to let this go easily.”

“Don’t worry. Ignore him,” Du Huaishan replied. He didn’t believe the man would dare make a move at the Martial Academy; even if he tried something outside, with his Shadowstep technique, Du Huaishan was confident he could protect himself.

Li Anqi, meanwhile, suddenly widened her eyes as if she’d discovered something amazing.

“Xu Yuan, this is the first time I’ve heard you say so much at once. Are you… worried about Du Huaishan?”