Chapter 163

Since they had already decided to go ask the elders for advice, there was no need to keep worrying about the present problem. So, after Ba Ke Er repositioned the Dragon Egg in the guest room and came back, the couple simply washed up and went to sleep.

Although they were worried about the Dragon Egg, the couple slept restlessly, often waking from their dreams.

It was another early morning; before dawn, Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er jumped out of bed, didn't bother making breakfast, and just casually ate some of the stored provisions from Zhang Fan's Yu pan zhi.

They hadn't even finished breakfast when they hurriedly took the Dragon Egg to Lei Ya's house. Only after asking Dier did they learn that, indeed, during incubation the Dragon Egg gradually grows larger.

However, this only applies to female Dragon Eggs; male Dragon Eggs show no change in size from incubation until hatching, remaining the same size throughout. This, then, is the simplest—though also the most foolish—way to tell male from female.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er, the couple, felt the anxiety that had gripped them all night finally settle.

Zhang Fan also began to feel happy—this is a female baby! Just like him, she has only a human form! How wonderful! Females are originally the rarest in the Beastmen tribe, and now our family has gained a female baby—what a joyous thing!

After bidding farewell to the adorable Dragon Egg and their parents, Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er parted ways, each heading in a different direction.

When Zhang Fan arrived at the Tribe Center Square with his Bow and Arrow slung over his shoulder, the members of the Female Guard Team had already assembled. As soon as he stepped onto the platform, after counting the numbers, he gave the order for everyone to lie down and begin doing push-ups in time with his flute.

At the first sound of Zhang Fan's flute, the female members of the Guard Team on the Tribe Center Square unhesitatingly lowered their bodies and then pushed back up.

Next, Zhang Fan blew the flute twenty times in succession, and the females below did twenty push-ups in sync with the notes. He stepped down from the platform, saw the females already glistening with sweat, and said:

Please rise! Rest in place for one minute, move your bodies, then continue after one minute!

As soon as Zhang Fan's words fell, the females rose one by one and began to move their limbs.

Soon, the minute Zhang Fan had mentioned passed, and upon hearing the flute, the females reflexively lowered themselves and began the first push-up of the second set.

Seeing everyone so eager and proactive, Zhang Fan felt a faint smile creep into his eyes, but he kept his expression perfectly composed; to the female guards, his face at that moment was merely the icy visage of the iron-faced instructor.

Zhang Fan also intentionally shortened the intervals between the subsequent nineteen flute notes. The females certainly noticed, and although each harbored doubts, no one would discuss it with those around them without first filing a report.

Moreover, no one would dare ask Zhang Fan about this, for at this point, aside from these female guard team members, no one else could better comprehend the terror of Zhang Fan.

Soon, the second set of twenty push-ups was finished; Zhang Fan once again ordered everyone to rise and move. After about half a minute, he gave another command: shouldering their bows and arrows, they were to run around the Tribe Center Square!

But this time was different: previously, whenever running, Zhang Fan would always tell them how long or how many laps to run; this time, he gave no indication at all, simply urging them to run.

Although everyone was puzzled and wanted to ask Zhang Fan how many laps they were to run, their inner fear overcame their curiosity, so at that moment no one stepped forward to pose the question.

Seeing the females' obedience made Zhang Fan even happier. 'Obey orders, follow commands'—that's ironclad discipline! He hadn't expected that this ragtag troop, trained by his half‑qualified instructor self, could actually achieve it.

At that moment, Zhang Fan couldn't help shouting in his heart: 'I did it! I am the iron‑faced instructor—Zhang Fan!'

Yet on the surface he showed nothing—no hint in his gestures or gaze—making it impossible for anyone to read his thoughts.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Fan realized he had never taught them a slogan! He began to feel uneasy. After all, he came from the Celestial Dynasty; even if he had never enlisted, he had undergone multiple military drills and watched countless military dramas—he was a 'talent'!

How could his unit lack a proper slogan? He stopped, nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up: 'Right! Let's use this as the slogan!'

Thinking this, Zhang Fan took out his Short Flute and blew it. The females, who had been running silently, all stopped at the sound of his flute and stood still in place.

Seeing that the females had noticed the flute, Zhang Fan cleared his throat, stood on the platform, and said: 'I think our Female Guard Team still needs a loud slogan! I just happened to think of one that I feel is quite catchy. Listen, everyone, and see what you think.'

Upon hearing Zhang Fan say that, the females became interested, all looking at him with eager eyes.

"Heaven Lion Female Guard Team, crush the foreign tribes without crying fatigue! We fear neither bloodshed nor tears; for victory we have no fear!"

As soon as Zhang Fan finished speaking, the females began to murmur the slogan quietly, heads bowed. At first only one or two joined in, but the volume grew, and soon the entire Female Guard Team was chanting it.

Seeing this, the iron‑faced instructor mask on Zhang Fan's face cracked, gradually revealing a broad smile. Fortunately, the females were far enough away that they couldn't make out his expression at that moment.

After laughing a while, Zhang Fan retracted his smile, put the iron‑faced instructor mask back on, and blew his Short Flute once again.

"Now please keep running, but remember to shout the slogan while you run—understood?"

Upon Zhang Fan's words, the females all nodded, saying: 'Understood, Instructor!'

At the next blast of the flute, the females took off running again, and the sound of their synchronized footsteps was accompanied by that loud slogan.

"Heaven Lion Female Guard Team, crush the foreign tribes without crying fatigue! We fear neither bloodshed nor tears; for victory we have no fear!"

Hearing the loud, orderly slogan drifting from the edge of the Tribe Center Square, Zhang Fan felt even more that he was leading troops rather than merely playing around. Consequently, he became more determined than ever to forge the finest Female Guard Team possible.

Those slogan cries were now spreading, bit by bit on the wind, throughout the entire Heaven Lion Tribe.

The people left behind in the tribe, upon hearing that neat, uniform slogan, couldn't help but stop in their tracks, close their eyes, and begin to listen.

At this moment, in one of the courtyards, a toddler female rubbing her sleepy eyes stumbled over to an elderly female with her eyes closed, tugged at her pant leg, lifted her head, and asked indistinctly:

"Grandfather, what is that sound?"

The elderly female felt the weight on her pant leg, lowered her head, smiled at the little female, and said: 'Angya, did you hear that clearly? This is the voice of our females! It symbolizes the voice of our females!'

The elderly female's words echoed in the little female's ears; although the toddler didn't yet grasp their meaning, no one imagined that this young female would, in the near future, become the youngest commander ever of the Heaven Lion Tribe's Female Guard Team since its founding.

Of course, that's a story for later; for now we turn our gaze back to the training grounds at the Tribe Center Square.

The females had already run around the Tribe Center Square no fewer than twenty laps; now many were slowing from exhaustion, yet a few still maintained their speed.

For example: Nuoya, Hong, and Li Si, plus a few females whose names Zhang Fan could not yet recall. Seeing them, Zhang Fan's face gradually showed a relieved smile; he composed himself, then took out his Short Flute and blew it.

"Please, after finishing this lap, return to the original spot and gather! Quick, quick, quick! Those lagging members, I want to tell you this: falling behind means punishment! To avoid my wrath, please be sensible~!"

That slightly rising inflection, together with the preceding words, subtly conveyed a hint of danger. At this moment, Zhang Fan also deliberately displayed a twisted expression that hinted at sinister cruelty.

Seeing Zhang Fan like that, everyone's hearts jolted, breaking out in cold sweat, their spines chilled. They feared they would suffer Zhang Fan's dreaded, inhumane punishment that made even the mere mention of his name cause terror.

Thus, all members of the Guard Team quickened their pace, beginning to sprint madly toward the finish line.

Zhang Fan didn't have to wait long before the females ran back to the finish line; but since he had spoken, he had to follow through—otherwise the authority he had painstakingly established would collapse.

So, Zhang Fan silently pondered how to make everyone remember this lesson. After thinking it over, he decided to have the lagging few members lie on the ground and do eight sets of eight‑count push‑ups.

As for the others, Zhang Fan let them disperse and rest first. Although this seemed unfair to everyone, Zhang Fan believed that the world inherently holds no fairness.

Look! Beastmen males always possess limitless strength and have three different forms they can shift between at will. Meanwhile, females, from the moment they are born, are destined to spend their lives relying on Beastmen males for survival.

Because they lack beast forms and possess only the frail human shape, their lives are almost entirely spent within the tribe. Zhang Fan's purpose in proposing to form a Female Guard Team is precisely to change this situation!

He wants everyone to know that even as delicate, weak‑bodied females, after receiving unified training they can muster combat power on par with Beastmen males!

He wants the females to use their own strength to shed the label of the weak and become the strong ones on the Beastmen Planet!