A Generation of Military Counsellor—Chapter 29: Strong Elite Soldiers Part 2

Hi sorry for the long updates,

I have been really busy with the real life so does Remy. Anyway, Enjoy!

Cheers,

Nutty

P.S. I have been quite annoyed by the fact that my translation had been copied into other sites for profits. I have known this for quite awhile. I know it is unprofessional to be annoyed — since I also did not have a permission to translate the novel from the original author — but it really makes me lose half of my motivation to translate. I am still sorting my feelings about it. I know it is irrational, but nevertheless, I still feel disappointed.

The men clothed in black on the high stage suddenly moved. This time, they surrounded Gu Yun. As Gu Yun struggled to deal with them, her chest wound began to hurt again. The vigorous movement from earlier (attacking the enemy) reopened her wound. She could feel the warm blood gradually oozing out. Every heart contraction made her break out in cold sweat. Even so, Gu Yun did not dare to show a hint of pain on her face. These people were trained assassins. If they saw she had a wound on her chest, they would specifically target her chest and she would lose!

Su Yan slapped his big thigh and smiled brightly, “Well played!” Bing Liang’s foresight was definitely good! Su Yan watched with joy, but Gu Yun wanted to swear. Did they think they were watching a monkey show?! With a tearing pain and heart full of anger, Gu Yun’s attack became more ruthless.

“This baby girl is not bad! Not bad!” Su Quan smiled until his eyes disappeared. Her sword movement was very special. There were no fancy moves yet it remained elegant. Every stroke was fast, accurate, and ruthless. In addition, Bing Liang was also very cooperative. Excellent!

Su Quan and Su Yan’s full attention were on Gu Yun. They did not pay attention to anything else. After Su Ling who was below the high stage saw Gu Yun’s actions, his facial expression changed dramatically. The so-called men-in-black who were holding him back were almost killed by his sword swing! It was murderous scene! Su Qing whispered, “What happened to Ling?”

Seeing the attacks from all directions and Gu Yun gradually weakening, Su Ren replied, “She has a stab wound over her heart. The wound must have just reopened. You figure out what happened.”

What? Ruthlessly slapping Su Ren’s head, Su Yan cursed, “Bad boy! Why didn’t you say it earlier?!” He only knew that her health was not good. So, it was because she was injured.

If I said it earlier, you wouldn’t test her? Su Ren declined to comment. Su Yan quickly released Su Ren and Su Yu’s acupoint. The bulky body quickly joined the fight. At the same time, Su Yu and Su Ren also attacked. Soon, the victory was determined.

It hurts! Gu Yun held her chest. She could feel the wetness under her hand. The sight before her eyes became blurry. If it wasn’t because of Bing Liang supporting her, she would have fallen to the ground. Gu Yun closed her eyes, hoping the waves of pain would go away.

When the night breeze, that should’ve not been too cold, blew on her body, she felt extremely cold. Gu Yun’s body involuntarily trembled. The next moment, she fell into a warm embrace.

“Mo Er! What happened to you?” The anxious breath blew on her face. Her ears captured a familiar voice. It was him, Su Ling. Gu Yun didn’t answer him. Only her brows tightened. The bleeding chest frightened Su Ling. He quickly said, “I will bring you home!” Hugging her waist, Su Ling prepared to carry her.

Gu Yun suddenly held his sleeve tightly. With a struggle, she whispered, “Wait.” The pain this time was not as bad as when she was stabbed. She could still bear it. Those soldiers would come back soon. Tonight’s selection could not stop!

Wait for what? Su Ling thought that her pain was so overbearing that she could not move. Still, he didn’t dare to pull her. Su Quan patted Su Ling’s shoulder and answered, “Ling, you need to release her. Let the clan leader feel her pulse.”

Su Ling prepared to glare at them. Who were the ones who watched without lifting a finger to help and made her wound more serious? The little girl’s face was as pale as paper. Her breath was messy.

Su Yan started to worry. To the prickly Su Ling, he said, “Okay, okay. Now, we treat her like a precious jewel, okay? Release her!”

Su Qing went to Gu Yun’s side. Su Ling thought it over. Finally, he gently lifted her wrist in front of Su Qing.

Feeling the artery from Gu Yun’s wrist, Su Qing’s expression quickly changed. This child had a heart injury! She was fighting so hard previously. Looking back, none of them actually lifted a finger.

Su Qing didn’t speak for a long time. Su Ling’s patience was running low, “How is she?” Placing her hand back, Su Qing replied, “There were no injuries to the heart’s blood vessel, but she suffered a bit pain from a superficial injury.”

Just because it was a superficial injury, it shouldn’t hurt? Gu Yun barely passed the initial pain wave. She opened her eyes when she heard the provoking words. She was just about to blow up, when Su Qing held her wrist, lifting her left-hand high. He placed his palm against hers. The warm feeling from the physical contact annoyed Gu Yun. She wanted to remove the contact. Weirdly, she couldn’t move her palm regardless of how hard she used her strength. It was like there was a magnet that made her unable to take her hand off. At that moment, a surge of warmth suddenly flew from his palm. Gu Yun was surprised. She blankly looked at the slender old man. His gaze was peaceful, so was his breath. What, what was actually happening?

Gu Yun faintly could feel the direction of the warm flow. It flowed through her arm toward her chest. The previously throbbing pain in her heart was encircled by warmness, making it not so unbearable anymore.

Su Ling’s anxious heart calmed slightly. Using energy to protect the heart blood vessel was not a skill that everyone could possess. If the skill was not high enough and the person forced the energy in, it would save no one and even hurt both people (the patient and the healer). The clan leader agreed to help him, Su Ling was naturally happy to cooperate.

“General, what should we do to these people?” Below the high stage, Han Shu had captured alive invaders and waited for the next order.

“Put them in the dark room.” Su Ling replied. Then, to Su Ren who was standing behind him, he said, “I will leave these people to you. You must find out who employed them!”

“Yes.” These people’s martial arts were not usual and their target was Qing Mo. Su Ren already had some idea of where to start the investigation. Su Ren led out the soldiers and the men-in-black.

Su Qing slowly took back his hand.

With the palm removed, the warm feeling also dissipated. Her chest wound was still very painful, but just as he said — it was only a superficial pain. The throbbing pain had reduced a lot. This was simply amazing! Was this that so-called neigong (literal translation is internal energy, but I don’t like the sound of it, so I just put the pinyin). With a heart full of questions, Gu Yun silently observed the old man. He was smiling back at her, not avoid her gaze. She kept keenly observing him, yet it wasn’t effective. He was only smiling, nothing strange!

Su Quan’s beaming face came forward. With concern, he smiled, “Girl, do you feel better? Is it still hurting?” Gu Yun was stupefied and instinctively stepped back.

“Su Yu, why are you still standing there?! Fetch a doctor!” Su Yan loudly roared, making Gu Yun jump slightly.

“Oh.” Su Yu quickly walked out of the high stage. He looked back at the crowd that surrounded Gu Yun. Big Brother’s hand was still possessively embracing her waist. His heart felt a bit sour (Jealous. Chinese idiom for jealousy is eating vinegar). In the end, she would be his sister-in-law and could only be his sister-in-law. Silently taking his gaze off, Su Yu quickly left.

Su Yan, who yelled at Su Yu seconds ago, suddenly held Gu Yun’s hand. With endless gentleness and smiles, he coaxed, “Why didn’t you say that you were unwell? Do you still feel uncomfortable? Tell Uncle Yan.”

“Stop!”  Gu Yun could feel a strange chill from her feet crawling up. At first, it was pain from the heart. Now, even her head started to ache! Could you imagine an old man as big as a mountain asking you with such warmness and gentleness? The most important thing was just a moment ago, he didn’t even lift a finger when he saw her dying. Gu Yun forcefully withdrew her hand with clear dislike on her face, she said, “You better stay away from me!”

Su Yan was puzzled and asked, “Why?”

“I’ll get goosebumps.” She always respected elderly people. However, dealing with this eccentric old man was a huge challenge for her recuperation. Su Yan stood there awkwardly, but he didn’t dare yell at Gu Yun. He just glared at Su Ling.

Cannot live because of one’s own devil act*. Su Ling ignored his glare. Seeing that Gu Yun’s face was better, Su Ling said, “What exercises are not done yet? Let Han Shu do it. I will take you back to redress the wound.”

* (I think it means Su Ling cannot be responsible for Su Yuan’s act, or something similar.)

“I…” Gu Yun still wanted to say things, but seeing Su Ling’s resolute face, she wisely shut up.

Looking up at the dark sky, Gu Yun said to Han Shu, “After the group comes back, let them jump into the pit and run again. This time, eliminate thirty people. After they’ve done it, repeat it and eliminate forty people. Keep going until I come back.”

“Why?” He didn’t have anything against the way she selected people, but what was the point of letting the soldiers to continue running? Was it simply to eliminate more people?

Gu Yun coldly answered, “Do you need me to explain the reason right now?”

Su Yan impatiently said, “Just do what this girl asks you to do. Why do you have so many questions? Redressing the wound is the pressing matter!”

“Do as she says!”

“Sir, yes, sir.” Su Ling had ordered it. Han Shu was not very satisfied but didn’t dare to say any further. He just obeyed the order.

Gu Yun was just about to turn her body when an arm encircled her waist and her feet dangled. She was being carried by Su Ling. Gu Yun uneasily said, “Let me down. I am still able to walk.”

“Cannot.” Su Ling simply ignored her. With a long stride, he went towards Yi Tian Court.

The three elders looked at each other, then they looked at the ‘abandoned’ Bing Liang. Smiles formed on those three faces.

“Put me down!” She was really uncomfortable being carried by other people.

“If you still move around, I will hit your acupoints!” How could he not know previously that women belonged to loach genus? (Translator notes: basically saying women wriggle like a loach)

“You dare?” Although she said it like that, Gu Yun no longer wriggled. Su Ling was a boor. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t hit her acupoints.

With the person on his arm calming down, Su Ling’s mood became better. He smiled, “Do I have something to be afraid of, Mo Er?”

Mo Er? Gu Yun’s strong heart suddenly clumped. The cold air made all of her hairs stand up. Gu Yun solemnly said, “Su Po (it was not a typo, she changes his name from Ling to Po to ridicule him. Po means rude and unreasonable), there is a thing that we should discuss carefully.”

Su Ling mannerly replied, “Just say it.”

“Do not call me Mo Er. I don’t like it.” Truthfully speaking, it was disgusting! It would be better if Su Ling didn’t use such a sickening nickname. She absolutely could not compromise like Qing. Her heart could not stand the stimulation.

Fortunately, Su Ling remained silent temporarily and then asked, “Then, what do you want me to call you?”

Call me Gu Yun! However, she could not tell him to. After thinking, Gu Yun replied, “Call me Qing Mo.”

Su Ling frowned, “Must I include your surname when I call you?” Truthfully, he also felt a little awkward when he called her Mo Er. However, he did not want to call her Qing Mo like the others.

What was wrong with including the surname? Gu Yun did not understand why Su Ling minded it. Anyway, she absolutely could not accept being called Mo Er. After hesitating for a moment, Gu Yun finally said, “Just call me… Yun.”

Yun? Su Ling questioningly looked at her. Gu Yun randomly explained, “It is my nickname. My elder sisters also call me that.” She needed to discuss it with Qing on how to call her, so later when people heard it, they could explain it.

So, it was like that. “Yun…” Did the name mean carefree and independent?* She had heard countless of people calling her ‘Yun’ and never felt anything special. Yet, tonight, when she heard the low deep voice warmly call out this word, it was like a feather tickling her heart, very ticklish. It was really weird.

*(It was actually a complicated proverb, I think. Yun basically means cloud. The literal meaning of the proverb is (cloud) disperses and forms as it wishes, independently moving.)

Slightly raising her head, she saw Su Ling’s steadfast face very close to her own. He was not as outstandingly handsome as Lou Xi Yan. His face looked serious all day, especially those eagle-like eyes. Every time he looked at people, people would feel like they were being swept into a deep pool.

Su Ling could feel Gu Yun’s investigating gaze. Slightly lowering his head, he would see gem-like eyes staring at him. Su Ling’s heart suddenly tightened. Was she looking at him? Suddenly meeting those pair of black eyes, Gu Yun awkwardly withdrew her line of sight and moved her head slightly to the side, pretending nothing happened.

Su Ling looked at the uncomfortable woman in his embrace. His mouth unconsciously formed a light smile. His pace had not completely stopped, yet his arms tightened again and again.

Both were silent all the way. Soon, they entered Yi Tian Court. A physician who had been waiting there quickly greeted them, “This low official greets General Su.”

Su Ling passed the physician and carried Gu Yun to the inner room. He put her on the bed, pulling a thin blanket over her. He then looked again at the physician and said, “Her wound may have reopened. Quickly treat her!”

The physician quickly replied, “Yes.” Although this Miss Qing did not have any status nor a rank, one of her sisters was his majesty’s favourite concubine and the other was Lou Minister’s beloved wife. Looking at the General’s nervous look, she would most likely become the madam of General Manor. He could not afford to offend her.

Su Ling went out of the room. Noticing Su Yu who was just about to leave, Su Ling quickly said, “Yu, go to the Xing Bu Department and notify Dan Yu Lan to send a person to look over Ao Jie.” Ao Jie would be punished in the next five days and the things that happened tonight were too suspiciously coincidental!

“Okay.” Su Yu replied shortly and quickly left like he was trying to escape from Su Ling. Sitting on a stone chair, Su Ling recalled Su Yu’s previous ‘escape’ act. He was slightly puzzled. He did not know why Su Yu acted in such a way.

The silence did not last long. Su Yan’s tall bulky figure appeared in Yi Tian Court but Su Ling did not even glance at him.

Knowing that he was wrong, Su Yan sat opposite of Su Ling and loudly said, “It is not like I knew she was wounded. Moreover, she still had that much energy to flirtatiously banter with you, who would have guessed (that she was injured).” Su Ling didn’t look at him at all, reluctant to respond to his nonsense.

Su Yan did not mind and kept talking, “Ling, Bing Liang’s taste was not bad. You selected a good match.”

Under the dark of the night, Su Yan could not see Su Ling’s face clearly. He could only hear Su Ling’s deep chilly voice saying, “I do not want to let her know about Bing Liang’s matter.”

Su Yan smiled indifferently, “Okay, okay. Then, I will not say it.” The girl that Bing Liang chose possessed high martial arts skills and she was also very beautiful. In addition, Su Ling was rarely this satisfied. It was really a big happy news. Su Yan was paying lip service, he did not put this matter at heart.

 

The light of dawn penetrated through the dense foliage, motley fell on the land. Light and shadow gently swayed as the wind breezed through. This courtyard did not have any autumn desolation scenery, yet Su Ling was not in the mood to appreciate the atmosphere. His patience was almost run out by the time the door was finally opened.

Su Ling quickly approached and asked, “How is she?”

The physician wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied, “Please rest assured, General Su. Miss Qing’s injury is not too serious. As long as she rests well and her wound does not reopen, she will be alright.” Su Ling nodded his head. He was about to enter the room when the physician hesitantly said, “Miss Qing asked you not to go in first.”

“Why?” Su Ling glared at him. The physician quickly shook his head and said, “This subject do not know. This subject will go and boil some medicine first.” Finished speaking, the physician did not wait for Su Ling’s reply but quickly bowed and retreated.

Su Ling glared at the closed door, not understanding what Gu Yun was up to. He grabbed the door handle and stood there for a long time.

It was fortunate that Gu Yun did not let him wait for very long. The door was once again opened. Inside the room, there was Gu Yun dressed in a black robe. Contrasted with the black clothing, her pale skin looked even paler. Her pair of eyes looked really sharp. He must admit the valiant and formidable-looking her was really beautiful, but why would she dress like that?

“Where are you going?” Seeing her dress up, Su Ling’s heart had a bad premonition.

Surely, Gu Yun calmly replied, “To the drill grounds.”

Su Ling gritted his teeth and said, “The conversation about the competition ends now.” He once again felt that letting her train the soldiers was a huge mistake. Now, he could be sure, in the future, she would spend most of her time training soldiers.

“No way.” This time, Gu Yun persevered until the end, “If the following exam does not get tested, tonight’s hard work will be in vain!” Did he really think that she let the soldiers running all night just for fun?

Su Ling took a deep breath and patiently he said, “You can tell Han Shu about the test and let him do it. This way, he can also similarly select the people you want.”

Gu Yun shook her head, “He cannot do it.”

“Why?”

With the provoking smile, she answered, “He does not know the kind of soldiers that I am looking for.”

Seeing the knot in Su Ling’s forehead getting tighter, Gu Yun lightly smiled, “You also think it is really peculiar that I let them run all night, right?”

It was definitely peculiar. He once asked her how would she select the soldier and she just kept smiling without giving him an answer. This piqued his curiosity. Seeing tonight’s selection, there was nothing really special except for the ‘feather shooting’. What was she actually planning to do?

Exiting the gate and standing side by side with him, she made a welcome gesture. Lightheartedly, she said, “Let’s go and see it together. You will know then for sure.”

Her rarely playful expression looked really cute. If she didn’t ask to go to the drill fields, he would be more than happy to comply her request.

Su Ling made a cold face and stared at her. Gu Yun helplessly chuckled and said, “Do not worry. Your family’s old man was quite good. I am now feeling better than I did this morning.” She never knew that neigong (internal energy) could be so powerful. She had always trained her martial arts which was more practical and efficient in attacking. She had never really come into contact with the martial arts that emphasised on qi (internal energy). Next time, she would find the white-bearded man to research about it.

Under the sunlight, her face was still looking quite ill, but she still looked much better than the days before. If now he wanted to force her to sleep, she would not listen to him. It was better to follow her wish and ensure that she would not get too tired. Su Ling sighed and finally compromised, “Well, okay. However, you cannot force yourself. If you feel unwell, you are to rest immediately.”

Gu Yun heartily replied, “You just need to worry about your soldiers.”  She really had the ability to make people curious. Su Ling felt funny and shook his head. Nevermind, just let her be.

By the time the two made it back to the field, the sun had completely come out. Under the blazing sun, inside the huge pit, a group of ‘clay’ people crowded inside. No one climbed out. Everyone’s expression was stupefied and tired.

With both arms folded in front of her chest, Gu Yun faintly smiled and asked, “What are you guys doing?”

Han Shu glanced at her. With a strange tone, he replied, “Following your instruction, going through mud pool!” What did she think they were doing?! Running all night, these people almost turned numb because if the torture.

Feeling sorry? Such a magnanimous temperament. Gu Yun’s lips formed a smile, “Just come out now.”

Hearing her voice, the soldiers who had been running until they went numb turned and looked at her. With their faces covered in mud, Gu Yun was almost unable to distinguish each of them.

Gu Yun smiled at them. The people in the mud pool didn’t have that much ability to be polite (to reply her smile). Every single one of them glared their tiger-like eyes at Gu Yun. They could not wait to climb up and bite her. They had to climb this muddy pit for a night while she looked very cheerful and rested!

The power of resentment was indeed great. Those soldiers who looked like they could not climb the pit anymore minutes ago, now very quickly climbed out of the pit. The morning sunshine shone upon them. The slight white fog could be faintly seen. It was visible how cold the water in the pit was.

Gu Yun seemed to be enjoying their hatred lined stares. Light-heartedly she said, “Take off the sandbag and go line up over there.” Even if they glared until they went blind, Gu Yun remained unaffected by their stares.

No matter how dissatisfied they were, the soldiers could only obey the order. Although they could now remove the sandbag, the soldiers did not feel very light. Their clothes and hair were covered in mud. The clothes on their body had been wet then dry, dry then wet again. Automatically, their bodies had experienced alternating cold and hot. The mud and clothes were pasted on their body. It was sticky and icy cold. They did not even have the strength to raise their hand to rub (the mud off). Now, the only thing that pushed them to survive was their willpower.

Everyone jogged and lined up at the other side of the drill field. Gu Yun succinctly said, “Last night, one hundred people were eliminated. Surviving this far proves that your physical well-being is great. You can now rest for an incense time (5 mins)***. This will be the last test, I hope you all can pass.”

After being tortured all night, they all had expected Gu Yun would not let them go so easily. Therefore, when she said there would be one more test, no one was surprised. They just wanted to rest now. Just as Gu Yun finished talking, many soldiers had thrown their bottom on the ground, sitting down. More people were actually lying down as though their hands and legs were not theirs anymore.

Gu Yun smiled but did not say anything. Just let the ones who sat sit, and the ones who lain lay down.

“Yu Shi Jun.”

Yu Shi Jun quickly replied, “Yes.”

“Have the things been readied?”

“Yes, they are ready.”

“Give it to them.”

“Yes.”

Soon, near everyone’s feet was a crossbow. Many people reluctantly sat up and started to investigate the weapon in their hand. However, more people were too tired and were very reluctant to move even an inch.

Gu Yun silently watched the group of soldiers who laid down while Yu Shi Jun commanded the crowd to move to the middle field.

Su Ling curiously asked, “What do you want to do?”

Gu Yun smiled mysteriously, “You will know in a while.”

Now, in the middle of the field, there were small tables. Taking the small table as the centre, there were eight target boards. There were a total of 10 tables in this field which meant there were 80 target boards.

In seconds, everything was ready. Gu Yun shouted, “Line up!”

Even if all the bones in their body were so tired that it might fall apart anytime, even if they wanted to sleep for a long time, as a soldier, they needed to obey the rules under any circumstances. Using a speed two times slower than usual, these elite soldiers lined up. Gu Yun did not blame them, however, with an emotionless voice she said, “Put your crossbow by your feet. Without my order, no one should be allowed to touch it!”

Most of the soldiers already had their crossbow by their feet. Only a few of them needed to put it down. Gu Yun waited until all of them stood up, then continued, “The next test will examine your proficiency in using the crossbow, the ability to differentiate directions, and hand-eye coordination. You will see that there are 10 bolts on each table. On each bolt’s tail, there is a number 1 through 10. You need to shoot the bolt in the same order. Surrounding each table, there are 8 target boards: east, south, west, north, southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest boards. I will randomly shout out the directions, you need to follow the direction I said. The moment I finish speaking, you need to finish shooting all the arrows.”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Regardless of whether they really understood it or not, Gu Yun did not plan to repeat the instruction. She said, “Ten people in the group, who want to try it first?”

“Me.”

Gu Yun just finished speaking when Ge Jing Yun came forward.

“Me.” Luo Yan was the next one to speak.

“Me.”

“Me.”

Very quickly, they had ten people. The Su Army had never had a lack of courageous soldiers. She knew this fact. Her gaze fell on Leng Xiao and Liu Xing. They didn’t volunteer to come first. Leng Xiao was a cautious and calculating person while Liu Xing was a sharp but petty-minded boy. She predicted that Leng Xiao would be in the second group while Liu Xing would be in the last group to participate.

The first group quickly picked up the crossbow by their feet and jogged to the tables where the bolts were placed. Gu Yun squinted and looked to the gradually rising sun and said, “Face the east!” The ten people immediately turned to the direction of the rising sun.

“Ready.” Under Gu Yun’s order, the ten people quickly grabbed their first bolts and loaded them on the crossbow.  

“West.” The moment she finished the order, the bolts were shot towards the west side.  No one failed in this first trial.

“Northwest.” Gu Yun shouted the next target almost straight away. This time the shooting time was not uniform. Some were quicker and some were slower. The directions were also different.

“South, southeast, northeast, southwest, west, south, northwest, northeast.”

Gu Yun’s orders were becoming faster. The time between orders was barely enough to pick a bolt. Even if they shot the wrong way, they didn’t even have time to react before the next order was already instructed. Su Ling seemed to have an idea of why Gu Yun let them run all night. At this moment, they were in their most tired state. To be able to quickly differentiate direction in their current state, they did not only need strong willpower but they also need to be a quick thinker. She was even more hateful by choosing a crossbow as their test tool. Putting a short bolt* on a crossbow required more energy than putting an arrow on a bow.

* (this is just to make it clear that the bolts used for a crossbow are different than arrows for a bow.)

The ten directions were said, but there were several bolts on the table that had not been shot. After the shooting was completed, there was a soldier by the group who took a score of the shooting session, it was a little bit confusing with ten bolts. If the bolts had not been numbered, it would have been really hard to keep a proper record.

Very quickly, the results were out…

“Five out of seven were correct.”

“Eight out of nine were correct.”

“All were correct.”

“Three of six were correct.”

“All were correct.”

“Five of seven were correct.”

“Eight of eight were correct.”

“All were correct.”

“One out of eight were correct.”

Only one? Was only the first arrow correct? Gu Yun was slightly angry, and with a cold voice she said, “For people who got everything correct, go to the right side and line up.”

“Yes.”

There were only three people who got the perfect score: Ge Jing Yun, Luo Yan and the lofty man. Gu Yun did not fully focus on them. Her eyes were fixed on the soldier on the far right. He did not have a robust physique, and his head was slightly bent down. His complexion was slightly dark. There was nothing that really stood out from him. Gu Yun stared at him for a very long time, yet this person never looked up.  

Gu Yun’s clear voice was heard, “The person from the right side, what is your name?”

Gu Yun had asked this question for an extensive period of time when this person just gradually raised his head. Gu Yun finally could look clearly at his face. He was about 30 years old. He looked very ordinary. If she needed to say something special about him, it would be his eyes. His eyes were very clear. Right, clear. In this elite division, she had seen too many hot-blooded, brave, bold, resolute, or aloof eyes. Yet, this is the first time she saw calm selfless eyes. However, she believed that this was only an appearance. If he was really selfless and without greed, he would not come this far.

After meeting Gu Yun’s gaze for some time, the man slightly bowed his head again and replied, “Shi Hu.”

“You also pass.”

Once this announcement was made, not only was the man surprised, but the other people began to whisper too. After a long time, he said, “Yes.”

“The others can go back to the camp.”

When Gu Yun had finished speaking, the rest of the six people stood still in their places, not moving. Gu Yun’s expression did not change, but she began to feel irritated. With a clear stiff voice, she asked, “Do you have anything to say?”

After a torturous night, no one wanted to be eliminated. After all, it was not easy to come to this point. The soldier who stood in the middle finally broke the silence and said, “My crossbow was not calibrated. That is why I shot at the wrong direction, if…”

“Everyone’s crossbow is the same. Why did some people get the full scores? Why were some people still able to shoot the target without any mistakes?” Gu Yun’s cold voice interrupted him. Her icy eyes quickly swept the entire ground. There were still many exhausted soldiers who had not participated in the test, so without slightest pity, she continued, “As a soldier, your weapon is your life. When you handle a weapon, you should immediately assess the condition. Yet, what did you do at that time? If you cannot control a weapon, what will you be able to control?”

“Anyone else has any objections?” The seven men who previously cried protesting were now quieted. The five who were eliminated before silently left the grounds. The only person who still stood there was staring at Shi Hu. He angrily asked, “I do not have any objection toward the people who made all the shots, but why can Shi Hu stay?”

Gu Yun was no longer angry this time. She looked at Shi Hu and said, “Shi Hu, tell him why you can stay.”

Shi Hu looked up, meeting Gu Yun’s smiling eyes. His heart secretly sighed, this Miss Qing did not only have a good trick to train people, her pair of eyes were really sharp*. Lightly coughing, Shi Hu answered, “I also did not check my crossbow, so I did not know that it was faulty. However, after the first shot, I discovered this problem, so at the second shot, I quickly measured the deviation between my actual hit with the bull-eye. I took the deviation into account when firing the next shots.”

* (direct translation is toxic, but to my understanding, it means it is too sharp that it became disadvantageous to other people)

Shi Hu was talking humbly. Gu Yun did not put him on spot again. With a calm but slightly provoking tone, she asked, “Who amongst you can discover the problem, calculate deviation, and then shoot correctly? I will let him stay.”

“Are there any more questions?”

There was silence.

“Answer.”  She knew that they were very stubborn, but she would let them know what was allegiance very soon!

“No!”

No matter if they really did not have any question or just were afraid to ask, this kind of orderly, loud, and clear answer was what Gu Yun wanted.

“Continue.”

Under the sunlight, Gu Yun’s face was slightly red. It required a lot of stamina to speak that loud. Su Ling whispered, “Just rest for a bit, let Yu Shi Jun shout the directions.”

Every time she shouted, it could stretch the wound. Gu Yun had indeed started to feel the discomfort. She did not pretend to be strong anymore. She just nodded and replied, “Ok.”

Su Ling waved to Yu Shi Jun. Yu Shi Jun quickly stepped forward and shouted, “Next group! Who wants to try?”

As expected, Leng Xiao was the first one to stand. Soon, the next group was ready.

“Ready!” Yu Shi Jun was at the front, shouting the order. Gu Yun’s focus was completely on the competition. Su Ling suddenly stood up and waved to Han Shu.

Han Shu walked to Su Ling. Su Ling asked, “Who is this Shi Hu?”

Han Shu thought for a long time, then vaguely said, “He was originally a team leader in the archer cavalry camp**. Three years ago, when we fought with Northern Qi, he led 500 people to ambush the enemy line. From what it seems, because he secretly altered the execution of the plan, the operation failed. He received 100 flogs and was transferred to the kitchen. Since Miss Qing said that all of the 30,000 soldiers needed to participate, he could have a chance of coming back. I did not think that he could pass.” Not all people who had been in the kitchen for three years can have such a skill.

** (? I do not know the correct military term. Sorry.)

Standing in the middle of soldiers, Shi Jun could not be detected. This person could conceal his presence really well. After thinking deeply, Su Ling said, “Go and check out what happened that year.”

“Yes.”

Gu Yun looked at Su Ling and smiled, “Why the sudden interest in him?”

Su Ling did not deny, “He’s very interesting, but if not because of you, I would not know there was such a person in the kitchen.” No wonder she said that Han Shu did not know what kind of person she wanted. When the ten people did the test at the same time, she obviously had noticed Shi Hu’s calculation capability from the very beginning. Or should he say that she had observed all of them the moment the crossbow was distributed?

Gu Yun’s eyebrow raised, “Do you want to snatch a person from me?”

Seeing her unhappy face, Su Ling laughed.

Gu Yun rolled her eyes, since when he could laugh that happily?

Very soon, 200 more people had finished the test. Yu Shi Jun ran towards the two and reported, “The test had finished, there are still ….”

“A hundred and thirty-eight people.” Not waiting Yu Shi Jun to finish his sentence, Gu Yun murmured, “Why there are still so many people?”

Unexpectedly, while she and the general were talking, she was still able to keep track with the test and how many people passing the test. Hearing Gu Yun’s murmur, Yu Shi Jun’s eyes widened. Picking 138 out 30,000 people are still a lot?

Gu Yun passed the sluggish Yu Shi Jun and walked towards the one-hundred and more soldiers. She was just standing in front of them and the tough men became very nervous. She would not have the next test ready, right? They had not been eating or drinking since yesterday noon. Let alone sleeping. What was she going to do?

Facing the nervous and grief-stricken faces, Gu Yun smiled, “Don’t be so nervous. Today’s test has finished.”

Finished? Although it was not expected, everyone secretly sighed in relief.

“However…” Gu Yun just said this one word, but everyone’s heart was already in their throat again! Gu Yun did not make them antsy for too long. She ‘kindheartedly’ continued, “I only want a hundred people. Because all of you are exceptionally good, it is really hard for me to eliminate any of you. Therefore, all of you can follow the training. In the future, in every training session, there will be a test. All of you have 100 points. The 20 worst performing soldiers in every session will get their score deducted by 10 points. If you do not have any points left, you need to leave. Do you understand?”

There would be a test in every training session? It looked like the torture before was just the beginning.

“Understood!” Perhaps it was to vent their anger or maybe they mourned for their foreseeable future, but the reply was very loud.

Gu Yun satisfyingly nodded, “Dismissed.”

After spending a night running around, all of their limbs felt heavy. They had blister all over their feet. Their body was repeatedly ‘washed’ by the muddy water. Now, after the sun had dried it, mud was plastered onto their bodies. It was like wearing a tight armour. The flowing sweat left a muddy mark. When they were all nervous, they did not feel anything. Now, when they relaxed, they would love to just lay down motionless on the ground. Dragging their tired bodies, every one of them looked like an elderly lady, slowly walking home.

Gu Yun looked around. Just in time to see Han Shu’s strange smile.

“What are you smiling at?”

Han Shu quickly masked his smile. With a straight face, he asked, “Do you know what the new soldiers you trained call you behind your back?”

Gu Yun looked at him indifferently. Han Shu answered, “Cold-blooded trainer.”

Gu Yun snorted, she thought that those rascals would come up with an interesting name, so it was just like that.

“However, from this time onward, they will not call you as such.”

Gu Yun showed great interest. Yu Shi Jun who stood beside her curiously asked, “Why?”

“Because there is a more suitable name.”

“What is it?”

Han Shu glances at Gu Yun and laughingly said, “Female Yaksha!”

Female yaksha? “Han Shu, you are dead!” Gu Yun grabbed a small dagger and threw it at Han Shu. Han Shu was running while covering his head with his hands.

Su Ling laughed and quickly chased Gu Yun. On the drill ground, there was cursing sound, strange noise, continuous laugh sound. Su Ren, the only one who stood at the gate, looked dignified.

**In Ancient Chinese time system, one day is 12 Shi Cheng (2 hours). One Shi Cheng has 4 Ke (30 Mins). 1 Ke has 3 Zhan Cha (10 mins). 1 Zhan Cha has 2 Zhu Xiang/ incense time (5mins). To my knowledge, some of the terms are still used today but they have a different meaning, for example, Xiao Shi from Shi Cheng is now 1 hour and Ke is now 15 mins instead of 30 mins.