Chapter 205: First Volume, Chapter 205: Devil Training

First Volume, Chapter 205: Devil Training

At these words, everyone present was filled with emotion.

All doubts toward Qin Feng vanished instantly.

The exhausted guards, supported by their comrades, slowly rose to their feet and reformed into a strict, orderly line; though still utterly drained, their eyes had grown resolute.

Qin Feng waved his hand casually, signaling the guards they could return to rest.

Qin Xiaofu placed the charcoal stove before Qin Feng, then fetched fresh meat, sliced it into small pieces, and threaded them onto bamboo skewers as Qin Feng instructed.

Qin Feng placed the meat skewers over the charcoal to roast slowly, sprinkled on seasonings, handed a few each to Xu Mo and Ning Hu, and the three ate hungrily while planning their next "soldier-tricking scheme."

After about one Envoy, Qin Feng, with a skewer in his mouth, mumbled: "Enough. Ning Hu, go wake up all the guards and make them run another lap."

Ning Hu was stunned by Qin Feng's cruelty: "Didn't they just finish running? If you train them this hard, what if you break them?"

Qin Feng waved his hand dismissively, grinning wickedly: "Human potential exceeds your imagination—they won't break. I'm going to push them to the brink, leaving them not a single moment to slack off, until their responses become reflexive, then I'll reduce the load."

Ning Hu pondered this, then rushed off with Xu Mo toward the makeshift barracks, followed immediately by a chorus of pig-like screams.

The guards, who had just slept one Envoy, were herded up like ducks, cursing as they trudged reluctantly toward the City Wall.

That entire night, no one got proper rest.

After running three full laps, only when dawn arrived and Qin Feng, the mastermind behind it all, collapsed into sleep did the guards finally get to rest.

To train the new recruits, Qin Feng moved into the Training Ground and lived there full-time.

For the first three days, they did nothing but devise ways to torment the three hundred guards.

The guards' initial resentment turned to anger, then despair, and finally numbness.

When Qin Feng sent Ning Hu to launch another midnight surprise drill, no guard cursed anymore—they simply sprang up and threw themselves into training with mechanical obedience.

Once everyone began accepting this hellish, brutal training, its effectiveness surged dramatically.

On the fourth night, all three hundred guards could complete the basic endurance run around the city within half a Envoy.

Running became routine; by total distance, they ran nearly fifty kilometers daily.

Once the three hundred guards fully adapted to the running drills, the difficulty escalated—from lightly equipped to weighted, with the load gradually increasing.

As Lu Ming led the craftsmen to gradually transform the Training Ground into a camp and constructed numerous training facilities according to Qin Feng's blueprints, running became one of the mandatory disciplines.

Various extreme physical training drills began alternating in sequence…

Meanwhile, the Book Bureau was fully completed.

Under the relentless efforts of printers and binders, the first thousand copies of Mingyue Zhuan were successfully put on sale; five sales points were selected, and some books were delivered to Qingya Pavilion for Elder Sister Shen Qingci to sell on consignment.

The daily training of the three hundred guards was now entirely handed over to Ning Hu and Xu Mo.

Qin Feng took time off and finally left the barracks to visit Qingya Pavilion.

Shen Qingci, who hadn't seen Qin Feng in a while, broke character by not sneering at him; instead, she coldly poured him a cup of chilled tea and feigned reproach:

"You finally remember to come back? I thought you'd live in the barracks for the rest of your life. You heartless thing—you've been gone for so many days and didn't even bother to send word."

Though scolded by Shen Qingci, Qin Feng felt warmth in his heart.

Of these four elder sisters at home, aside from the third sister he'd never met, Elder Sister Shen Qingci had a sharp tongue but a tender heart, Second Sister Liu Hongyan doted on him unconditionally, and Fourth Sister, though aloof and uninterested in such matters, would stand shoulder to shoulder with the family the moment danger arose.

To have family who care—how fortunate is that in this life?

Qin Feng held the chilled tea, grinning foolishly: "Elder Sister, are you missing me?"

Shen Qingci's cheeks flushed red; she glared at him: "You damn brat—you get a little leeway and think you can run wild? Who's missing you?"

Qin Feng shrugged, took a large gulp of tea, exhaled deeply, and sighed with pleasure: "If you're not missing me, why did you prepare chilled tea the moment you heard I was coming?"

Shen Qingci's eyes flashed, her heart pounding wildly; without explanation, she snatched up the paperweight and swung it toward Qin Feng's head.

Qin Feng was startled—if it landed, he'd either pass out on the spot or wake up with a massive lump.

In a flash, he slammed down the tea cup, leapt up, and hid behind Lin Quqi, shouting: "Everyone, look! Shen Qingci is trying to murder her future husband!"

Shen Qingci, already thin-skinned, was utterly mortified by Qin Feng's claim of "future husband"; she shrieked: "You—you're talking nonsense! I'm your elder sister!"

"So what if I'm your elder sister?" Qin Feng used Lin Quqi as a shield, wearing an air of utter certainty: "I said I'd care for my sisters for life—but I can't let them turn into old maids. So I'll marry them all, and then I can care for them properly!"

Shen Qingci trembled with rage, her cheeks crimson as if bleeding; she shouted at Lin Quqi: "Move aside! I'm going to break this insolent brat's legs today!"

Lin Quqi, caught between them, was utterly flustered.

Not only did these two share no blood relation, but even among cousins, marriage was permitted in Shedynasty.

But even if there were no taboos, one couldn't say such things so bluntly in front of outsiders!

Lin Quqi was now trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Qin Feng circled behind Lin Quqi, dodging Shen Qingci's swings, and shouted even louder: "Elder Sister, spare me! Don't you fear becoming a widow forever?"

Shen Qingci was furious, yet powerless against this rascal—and today was the launch day of Mingyue Zhuan, with many literati from Jingzhong expected to arrive.

If they overheard Qin Feng's nonsense, how could she ever face them again?

To silence him, Shen Qingci reluctantly gave up, threw the paperweight back on the table, and snapped: "Stop screaming—I won't hit you!"

Qin Feng sighed in relief, patted his chest, and grinned: "I knew you couldn't bring yourself to hit me."

Shen Qingci rolled her eyes, thinking: What sin did I commit in my past life to be stuck with such a shameless brother?