Chapter 206: In a Fit of Rage (2)

The young soldiers on the boat hurriedly rowed over. They finally understood why they had to wait in the center to save people. Ten laps, and having to tie sandbags to their bodies—my god, this way of training troops was too crazy!

The drowning soldier looked very young, just over twenty. Because he was saved in time, he hadn't swallowed much water, but he kept clutching his leg, his face full of pain.

One soldier rowed the boat to the bank, while another hurriedly helped him rub his leg. Leg cramps while swimming were considered normal; usually, if someone got a cramp, rubbing it would make it better. But this soldier's leg remained as hard as a rock even after being rubbed for a long time, and his expression grew increasingly painful. The young soldier bit his lower lip hard, not daring to cry out, but his twisted face repeatedly showed the pain.

Gu Yun walked up to the young soldier and said to Yu Shijun in a low voice, "Move aside."

Yu Shijun looked back at Gu Yun, released his hand, and took a step back.

"Hold his shoulders."

Yu Shijun grabbed the young soldier's shoulders. Gu Yun raised her foot and kicked the sole of his foot hard, each strike making a thumping sound. Not satisfied after kicking, she even stepped on his lower leg with her foot, moving back and forth. The young soldier's face turned even paler.

The soldiers on the bank stared straight at Gu Yun. Those who knew understood she was relaxing the young soldier's muscles; those who didn't might think she was trying to cripple his leg.

Their muscles had been tense all day, repeating the single motion of kicking, and combined with the icy river water, the muscles in his feet were likely as hard as stone. Rubbing wouldn't disperse it; she could only use kicks. Gu Yun ignored the scorching gazes behind her. After kicking and stepping for a while, she half-squatted, gripped his foot with her hand, and slowly pressed it toward his body, while her other hand vigorously kneaded his lower leg. Su Ling watched them and walked over with a slight frown. Because of his approach, the young soldier held his breath in tension. The stiff muscles slowly relaxed. Gu Yun asked in a low voice, "How is it?"

The young soldier snapped out of it under Su Ling's powerful aura. He moved the foot that had been cramping painfully just moments ago, which now felt much better, and replied somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm fine." Perhaps this General's wife only looked stern; after all, being a woman, she was always sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

The sentiment in his heart was shattered by Gu Yun's next words.

Gu Yun stood up and said coldly, "If you're fine, get up and do frog jumps."

Still have to do frog jumps? His leg was still hurting! Gu Yun looked at him coldly. The young soldier cursed Gu Yun fiercely in his heart, but could only reply, "Yes," with his mouth. He took back his previous words; this woman was simply cold-blooded!

The young soldier rubbed his leg while following the soldiers who had been jumping for a long time, struggling to jump one step at a time.

On the sunny afternoon, by the beautiful Bishui River, soaked, robust men lined up, jumping arduously on the bank like frogs. And in the river, which should have been rippling with green waves, one struggling figure after another looked particularly jarring. The small boats guarding the fishing net occasionally fished out a few soldiers who had exhausted their strength. The scene was tragic.

Su Ling crossed his arms over his chest and said with a solemn expression, "Are you sure that after training like this for a month, there will still be a hundred people left?" Judging by her style this afternoon, the morning's weapon practice must have been equally brutal, otherwise they wouldn't have collapsed to sleep the moment they hit the ground. With the first day already this harsh, after a month, there probably wouldn't be more than fifty people who hadn't had their hundred points deducted by her.

Gu Yun remained unmoved, her low voice sounding cold and heartless. "Those who cannot persist to the end prove they are fundamentally incapable of handling future missions. If not a single one remains, this unit will be disbanded. I don't want to have to collect their corpses!"

Su Ling's heart jolted. He turned his head to look at her; her eyes, fixed on the lake, were incredibly focused and exceptionally firm.

The first group finally finished their ten laps, with fewer than six remaining. They were still sprawled on the bank, unable to move, when Gu Yun said, "Second group! Move out." The situation for the following groups was not much better than the first. Not many could complete ten laps, while the line of frog-jumping soldiers on the bank grew longer and longer. Liu Xing, at the very front, was almost crying; every time he jumped, his hands had to support the ground, his face flushed to the color of a pig's liver, and it was unclear if the water on his face was sweat or tears.

Gu Yun looked back at them and shouted sternly, "No stopping! Keep jumping!" Gu Yun's voice sounded like a demonic incantation at this moment. The soldiers cursed her every time they jumped; perhaps that was the reason they could still persist.

The sun gradually sank in the west, and the seven groups finally finished competing. "Stop." At Gu Yun's command, a long line of people collapsed along the riverbank.

The last group secretly rejoiced, but unfortunately, Gu Yun had no intention of letting them off. "The last two groups who had points deducted will frog-jump back to the camp later. If you can't finish, another ten points will be deducted."

Ignoring all the sharp glares, Gu Yun shouted, "Fall in."

This was the slowest assembly in history; some people were even crawling three steps for every one they walked to get back into formation. The posture that was usually upright was now hunched like an old man's. Gu Yun didn't criticize their standing posture anymore, but said to Yu Shijun beside her, "Keep a good record of who had ten points deducted. Once their points are gone, let them leave immediately."

Yu Shijun replied helplessly, "Yes." He very much doubted whether these people could train tomorrow.

"Fall in and return to camp. Wait for me in the barracks in half an hour."

Still not over? Everyone was on the verge of a breakdown. What else did she want?

Gu Yun met the pairs of shocked, hateful, and tearful eyes and replied, "Those who want to quit don't have to come."

Quitting on the first day—how would they ever show their faces in the barracks again! They wished they could tear Gu Yun into pieces, yet they had no choice but to obey her orders. These famous generals who had once galloped across the battlefield felt so stifled and humiliated!

Gu Yun raised her brows slightly and said, "Still not moving? Half an hour is not very long."

This woman was too arrogant! They wanted to move fast, but their legs felt like they were broken and kept shaking. Even with Su Ling present, in their extreme exhaustion, they had no strength to put on a show of imposing power. The hundred-plus men who had come full of vigor now could only drag their two legs, slowly inching toward the camp, with a line of "frogs" accompanying them along the way.

Su Ling's eagle eyes narrowed. Watching the elite soldiers moving slower than an old lady, he said earnestly, "Han Shu was wrong. After a month, they definitely won't call you a 'Mother Yaksha'; they will say directly that you aren't a woman at all!" He thought she was already cold on normal days, but he hadn't expected that during training, she would be completely heartless and cruel.

Knowing he wouldn't say anything nice, Gu Yun rolled her eyes at him. "Boring!" She didn't get on Su Ling's horse, but walked alone toward the General's Mansion in the sunset. Five li—she could walk it in half an hour. She didn't want to be too close to Su Ling right now; she needed some time to think.

Su Ling didn't force her to mount either, leading the horse behind her. Watching the slender back before him and thinking of her actions just now, his doubts grew heavier. She was undoubtedly Qing Mo, but why would a daughter of a wealthy family be so well-versed in the art of training troops, and possess so many strange yet useful training methods? And Qing Ling—facing a corpse with such calm, as if it were the most ordinary thing, and her precision in performing autopsies was something even Dan Yulan had to admire. In the deep palace, there were countless women with both talent and beauty. Qingfeng, a woman with a ruined face, went from a palace maid without rank to one of the Four Consorts—the Qing Consort—in less than a year. The means and strategies involved were not something an ordinary woman would possess.

Were the rumors in the marketplace about the three Qing sisters a misunderstanding by the world, or was it intentional on their part? Both were lost in their own thoughts. As they were about to reach the General's Mansion, they saw Su Yu coming out from the mansion from afar. Just as Gu Yun was about to greet him, Su Yu suddenly turned his head and walked quickly in the opposite direction.

Gu Yun closed her mouth in confusion. Su Yu had clearly seen them; why did he have to walk away so hurriedly? Gu Yun asked in a low voice, "Has Su Yu been very busy lately?"

Su Ling's expression darkened slightly. He didn't say anything, just nodded.

So that was it. Gu Yun didn't take it to heart. The two entered the mansion together. Gu Yun prepared to go straight through the drill ground to the barracks, but was called out when passing the courtyard in front of the flower hall.

"Girl!" Su Yan walked out of the flower hall carrying a bowl of something, followed by the smiling Su Quan and the leisurely strolling Su Qing. Rushing to Gu Yun, Su Yan excitedly presented the item in his hands to Gu Yun, as if offering a treasure. "Girl, you're back! I've stewed soup for you again. This time it's Lingzhi Old Turtle Soup."

That bowl of pitch-black stuff was Lingzhi Old Turtle Soup? Gu Yun didn't even think about it and replied directly, "I'm not drinking it."

Su Quan, who had followed, had a face like a Maitreya Buddha that bloomed with a smile. "I told you, she doesn't like those things of yours. After eating my Great Replenishment Pill, she doesn't need those soups of yours at all!"

"Stop your nagging."

The two started arguing again. Gu Yun rubbed her forehead with a headache. Would these two die if they didn't argue for a day? Just as she intended to bypass the two and leave, Su Qing raised a smile as light as a breeze and said, "Let me take your pulse."

Gu Yun's lifted foot paused. The internal energy Su Qing had displayed last time had amazed her, and she had gained more favor and trust for him. Not only that, but the fact that he could remain calm and composed in front of two chattering old men made her truly admire him. Gu Yun didn't dodge; she raised her left hand and extended it toward him.

Su Qing took Gu Yun's pulse. Su Ling glared at the two old men who were still bickering, and they stopped grumbling.

Su Qing's fingers stayed on Gu Yun's wrist for only a moment before he withdrew them. He said, "There's no major problem with your body. Pay attention to rest, nourish your body more, and you'll be jumping around in a month."

Su Yan hurriedly took the opportunity to offer the soup bowl in his hand and said, "See, you still need to nourish your body! Quick, quick, drink the soup."

Gu Yun ignored him, stared at Su Qing's calm and breezy smile, and pressed, "Can I start doing some physical recovery exercises now?"

Su Qing stroked his white beard and laughed, "You can, but don't be too impatient." Under Su Ling's glare, Su Qing continued to smile naturally, completely ignoring his arrow-like gaze. Looking at the thick soup in Su Yan's hand, Su Qing said pointedly, "Drinking some soup that is beneficial to your body won't hurt you. And that Great Replenishment Pill—if you eat it, you can recover even faster." Besides the injuries she had sustained this time, her body had more serious internal injuries. Judging by her pulse, her body was not robust. It was likely that this girl was strong-willed and forced heavy burdens on her body regardless of whether it could take it. Fortunately, Bing Lian had been by her side, protecting her with its thousand-year essence, which allowed her small frame to possess its current strength. But if this continued for long without proper care and replenishment of vitality, she feared her essence would be depleted in the future.

If she could restore her body to its previous state, she didn't care what she drank. Gu Yun took the bowl of pitch-black soup and drank it in one gulp. It wasn't bitter, but it definitely didn't taste good either. Gu Yun drank the soup obediently. The happiest person was Su Yan, who laughed joyfully, "Great! I'll stew it for you again tomorrow!" She was too thin; during this period, he must raise her to be white and plump.

Su Quan didn't like Su Yan's smug look and said sarcastically, "It's already dark, let's eat first. Can medicinal soup be eaten as a meal?"

The two of them were over a hundred years old combined, yet they still liked to bicker. Gu Yun shook her head with amusement and said, "You guys eat, I'm going to the barracks." Those guys who needed a lesson still didn't know how to follow a schedule; she would make sure they had a memorable experience.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 207 =====