Chapter 13

Night.

Feng Yuxiu lay on the bed, eyes open, staring at the board of the upper bunk.

Xiahou Wu's figure would still surface in his mind.

This unwillingness ignited a ball of flame that burned in his chest.

It was so hot he couldn't sleep.

He simply stood up and walked out.

"Sanduo."

Cheng Cai crouched in the corner of the wall, calling out in a low voice.

Feng Yuxiu glanced at him and walked over.

"Sit down, sit down, don't let anyone discover us!"

As he said this, he reached out to pull Feng Yuxiu's leg.

Bang!

Feng Yuxiu raised his leg and kicked out.

Immediately, Cheng Cai clutched his chest in pain and lay on the ground.

"You... this is the army, and you're still hitting people!"

Feng Yuxiu sneered, "Hitting people? You also know this is the army? If you have the ability, hit me back. What do you want with me?"

Cheng Cai rubbed his chest and said distressingly, "Don't hit me anymore. When we came, my dad and your dad both said we should look after each other."

"Are you worthy?" Feng Yuxiu said with contempt.

"That's not the point. Your temper is too hot right now; even I noticed it. Company Commander Gao Cheng has already set his sights on you. I secretly asked around during the day. After the new recruit training ends, those who perform well will stay in the elite company, the elite squad."

"Conversely, those who perform poorly will go raise pigs."

Feng Yuxiu's eyes suddenly lit up, "Feed pigs?"

"Yeah!" Cheng Cai nodded heavily, "You might be sent to some desolate mountain or wilderness, and then your future will be completely gone."

"Anyway, I've told you; you figure it out."

"Don't move, someone's coming!" Feng Yuxiu slapped the chattering Cheng Cai.

The two hid in the shadows of the wall, holding their breath.

Shi Jin was on the left, Wu Liuyi on the right.

The two were patrolling the new recruit company.

Suddenly, Wu Liuyi lunged forward onto the ground.

He performed a standard prone shooting position.

Shi Jin corrected him: "Your shoulders are dropping too fast and too heavily. Go try the sand pit over there. If you do this a few more times, your arms will be ruined."

Wu Liuyi stood up, patted off the dirt, and smiled stiffly, "If I don't train like this, how should I train? If I let those guys from the Seventh Company catch up, I might as well find a place to crash and die."

After the two left, Cheng Cai clutched his nasal bridge and sighed, "Last time you broke my nose, my dad had to pay the village barefoot doctor to set it back."

Feng Yuxiu stood up expressionlessly and walked into the distance.

"Aren't... you going to... apologize?" Cheng Cai didn't dare speak loudly, only able to look at the pitch-black distance and talk to himself.

At night, there were sentries everywhere in the military camp.

Feng Yuxiu hid in the shadows, sitting cross-legged, his chest heaving as he emitted a low growl.

He couldn't practice external martial arts now.

He couldn't afford the slightest slack in his internal martial arts.

Back then, even with a crippled leg, he could handle internal martial arts masters and external martial arts experts.

Right now, he had a complete body.

He couldn't let it fall behind.

Forging the furnace fire inside his body lasted for three hours.

Feng Yuxiu slowly opened his eyelids and gently exhaled a puff of white air.

In the scorching heat of the dog days, this breath was thicker and whiter than the breath in the coldest winter.

"That's about enough."

He stood up, thought for a moment, bent his body, and his whole body began to tremble.

The bones in his body emitted a crisp clicking sound.

The next second, Feng Yuxiu jumped up from the spot and, expressionless, performed a standard split.

Crack!

Where had the original Xu Sanduo ever done such a movement?

Just for a moment, Feng Yuxiu felt the tendons in his thighs being instantly stretched and straightened.

He stood up limping and frowned.

Practicing martial arts is like dancing; you have to open your tendons and bones from a young age.

Being a little older is fine too.

But it's painful.

It's excruciatingly painful.

"Three months, three months of new recruit training is enough for me to train this body to an entry-level!"

Saying this, he gritted his teeth and limped toward the direction of the new recruit company camp.

Early the next morning.

A group of veterans walked in eagerly, each carrying a foot-washing basin.

"Wake up, everyone. Today is your first day assigned to new recruit squads, and also the first day of the new recruit company. According to military tradition, we veterans will wash your feet."

As he said this, he placed a foot-washing basin one-on-one under each new recruit's feet.

Feng Yuxiu's pupils shrank, his gaze becoming sinister.

In '98, there was no such tradition of washing new recruits' feet.

What did this advanced, or rather non-existent, gesture mean?

Ruthless torture and training.

Although he was a martial arts fanatic, human life in his hands was just pork with a bit more toughness.

But in a place like the army.

Even a dragon has to crawl.

Therefore, he didn't excessively provoke that Company Commander.

Otherwise, in this era of '98.

He would really be beaten into a cripple.

"Sit, sit. The army is a big family. I'm a few years older than you, so you can call me 'old brother'."

The veteran's few words made the nervous new recruits reveal relaxed smiles one after another.

They sat on small stools, took off their socks, and put them in the foot-washing basins.

The veteran squatted down with a kind face and began to wash their feet by hand.

This scene made Feng Yuxiu frown.

But then he sneered, took off his shoes and socks, and swaggered them into the basin.

"Don't be nervous, the army is for enjoying," the veteran said with a smile while rubbing Feng Yuxiu's toes.

Feng Yuxiu was expressionless, "Squad Leader, wash them clean; I have some foot sweat."

The veteran's body paused, and Feng Yuxiu clearly felt his feet being gripped tightly.

"Okay, okay, I'll wash them well for you; we're all family."

The veteran smiled and washed the feet diligently.

Watching the other new recruits chatting enthusiastically with the veterans.

Feng Yuxiu mourned for a few seconds.

"Squad Leader, Squad Leader, let me wash yours."

An untimely voice broke the lively atmosphere.

Only to see Cheng Cai put on his slippers and help the bewildered veteran onto a small stool.

He skillfully took off the shoes and rubbed them, raising his head from time to time to reveal an honest smile, "Squad Leader, we're all family. You wash mine, I'll wash yours too."

A touch of softness appeared in the veteran's eyes, "Good kid, you're on the ball."

The other new recruits didn't have this foresight, all of them lowering their heads and staring at their feet in embarrassment.

After washing.

The veteran carried the water out.

Bang!

The next second, the door was kicked open by someone.

Gao Cheng kicked his way in, full of anger, "Clean up and train, damn it! I'm talking to you!"

A new recruit who didn't have time to turn around was kicked directly onto the ground.

The new recruits revealed panic, using hands and feet to hurriedly start putting on their uniforms and cleaning up.

"Hurry up! Damn it, I gave you face!"

"Hurry!"

"Hurry!"

"Hurry the hell up!"

"Bang!"

This group of new recruits was kicked out by Gao Cheng one by one.

Feng Yuxiu had already put on his clothes and rushed out.

He knew that this abnormal behavior was fundamentally wrong.

First, give them something sweet.

The days ahead would all be chili peppers.

Enough to make these naive new recruits cry!

A mere five minutes.

The new recruits stood neatly on the training ground, each holding their heads high and motionless.

"Say a few words!"

"Damn it, can you stand at ease?! Stand at ease when the Squad Leader is speaking!"

Gao Cheng pointed at the new recruits' noses and cursed.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad. Now, stand at attention!"

The neat footsteps sounded as one.

Only the breeze and the scorching atmosphere lingered.

"From now on, you are assigned to each squad leader. After three months, those who perform well stay, and those who don't, get out!"

"Start now!"

After Gao Cheng finished speaking, he gave Wu Liuyi a wink.

Thus, in the troop distribution.

Feng Yuxiu was naturally assigned to Wu Liuyi's squad.

He looked at Feng Yuxiu playfully, "Kid, you've fallen into my hands, huh."

Feng Yuxiu curled his lips, "Squad Leader, how about we practice?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the new recruit squad fell into dead silence.