Chapter 16 - Entering The Camp

In the afternoon, Shen Leng continued practicing and studying, as usual. On the surface, it seemed as though there were no changes in his emotions. However, Mr. Shen was very well-aware than he felt worse than Shen Cha Yan.

When arguing, Shen Cha Yan said that it was not as though they were no other solutions for this matter. If the three of them left immediately, she did not believe that Mu Xiaofeng’s people would be able to comb the entire country to look for them.

Nonetheless, Shen Leng still insisted on joining the Navy, and thus, Shen Cha Yan did not know how else to retort.

In truth, Shen Leng wanted to say that if he were to escape upon encountering such problems, he would not be able to grow into a real man.

When it was nearing nightfall, Shen Leng started to prepare dinner. Shen Cha Yan spent the entire afternoon in her room, refusing to leave. Mr. Shen sat in the yard, glancing over at the house from time to time. Ultimately, he did not say a word.

In the afternoon, Mr. Shen went out again. Shen Leng knew that he went to look for General Zhuang once more. Everything that needed to be prepared seemed to be done.

At this moment, Shen Cha Yan suddenly rushed out of the house. Unexpectedly, she had a smile on her face. “Quick, take a look. Do you think this is ok?”

The young vain girl took a good amount of dirt on the floor and smeared it all over her face, making it look dark and dirty. She excitedly placed her hands on her waist and stood there, waiting to be acknowledged. “Do I look like a man?”

Mr. Shen shook his head. “You cannot go.”

Shen Cha Yan flew into a rage immediately, as though she was about to explode. “Why!”

“You’re a girl.”

Mr. Shen said earnestly, “Even if you made yourself look ugly, or even if you cut your face, you’re still a girl. Girls face a lot of inconvenience in military camps. There are a lot of unexpected inconveniences that you have not thought about. Shen Leng can’t possibly spend his entire day thinking about how to protect you, right?”

“I can protect myself.”

Shen Cha Yan was unwilling to yield an inch.

“Even then, you’re still not allowed to go.”

Mr. Shen’s voice started to sound cold. “If you insist on going, I will take you back to Huaiyuan city right now. If you don’t go, we can still live here in this Daoist temple. Every month, the people in the Navy are able to take a few days off to go home. I had inquired earlier; it is different from the other military forces. This is because a huge portion of the personnel consists of the local fishermen who got recruited into the Navy. Hence, they have special treatment.”

Shen Cha Yan continued to stand there with her hands on her waist. Her chest heaved forcefully, as tears streamed down her face, mixing with some of the dirt as they got washed off, making her look less pretty.

Mr. Shen added, “You should look forward to seeing Leng rise the ranks. Once he becomes a Class A Fifth pin General, he would be able to bring his wife and…”

He could not bring himself to complete his sentence. He was too embarrassed. After all, he regarded himself as a senior of good moral standing and virtue…

Shen Cha Yan stared blankly for a brief moment and spat in disgust, before turning around and running back to her room.

Shen Leng walked over to Mr. Shen and said in a lowered voice, “I’m leaving tonight.”

It seemed as though Mr. Shen had expected his. He simply nodded his head. “I’ll send you off.”

Shen Cha Yan did not take her dinner. The two of them gave up after calling her name a few times. After nightfall, Mr. Shen went to check on Shen Cha Yan and saw that she had already fallen asleep on her bed. Thereafter, the both of them left the Daoist temple.

The moment they closed the door, Shen Cha Yan sat upright abruptly. Tears continued streaming down her face.

As it turned out, she was not as strong as she thought. She was never once willing to admit that she was any less than a man. But at this moment, she felt that Shen Leng was a lot more determined and ferocious than her.

As they made their way, Shen Leng, who was carrying a bundle of personal effects, walked as he spoke, “Actually, I don’t think she’s able to fall asleep.”

Mr. Shen nodded. “I know, she was not sleeping the entire time.”

“She did not stop me.”

Shen Leng sounded somewhat disappointed. But at the same time, he was glad. It was rather contradictory.

“She’s sensible.”

　　

Mr. Shen’s response was simple, but at the same time, it pierced Shen Leng’s heart.

“A woman who cares is allowed to not be sensible, right, Mr. Shen?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Shen stopped in his tracks. He patted Shen Leng on the shoulder. “The precondition is that you must have the ability to allow her to be unbridled and not sensible.”

　

Shen Leng nodded. “I will remember this.”

Mr. Shen had never stopped them, and neither did he interfere. The two fella had never engaged in any sweet talk - one bullied the other, and the other took joy in being bullied, without feeling tired. What ought to happen would naturally happen.

The reason why Mr. Shen did not stop them, and even accepted it, was because he felt that nobody else in this world, apart from Leng, could match up to Little Cha. And nobody else in this world, apart from Little Cha, could match up to Leng.

“Sir, please head back. I’m afraid something will happen to her.”

Shen Leng stood by the riverbank. “The boat will only be here come daybreak.”

Mr. Shen grunted, before turning around and walking off. After he took a few steps, he turned his head around and said, “If you can’t tolerate anymore, it’s alright if you create a bloodbath. I will take you out of there, and we will elope far, far away.”

Shen Leng laughed, “How’s that possible? I’m sensible too.”

Mr. Shen’s heart ached a little. He did not dare to linger for long, and hurriedly made his way home.”

When he got back to the Daoist temple, he noticed there was light in the kitchen. Mr. Shen quickly walked in and saw that Shen Cha Yan had finished the wine he had hidden earlier on. The young girl was reclining her back against the wall. When she saw Mr. Shen, she laughed foolishly to herself. “Sir, no...father, I am so upset. Hehehehe…”

After daybreak, Shen Leng got onto the boat and got to the other side of the Nanping River. They lived on the southern part of the Nanping River, whereas the Navy’s camp was located along the northern riverbank. It took at least two hours for him to get there. On his way there, Shen Leng ate some food. He thought to himself how he had to make sure nothing bad will happen. He even found an underbrush and squatted there for a while…

When he arrived right outside the Navy’s camp, Shen Leng adjusted his clothes and made sure it was tidy. He planned to get some information from the soldiers who were guarding outside the camp. He was somewhat nervous. After all, the military camp was a strict and solemn place. However, he was only nervous - not scared.

“Shen Leng?”

As he was thinking to himself, a young man wearing a black leather armor walked out from within the camp. This man looked like he was twenty three or four years old. He had a square face shape, thick brows and big eyes. He looked like a firm and determined yet magnanimous person. Because he was very muscular, it gave the illusion that he was somewhat plump. However, he did not look obese at all. He looked like the type of men who would reveal his defined muscles when he removed his clothes.

He walked up to Shen Leng. “I am the squadron leader of the garrison in the Navy, Yang Qibao. I was instructed to escort you in.”

Shen Leng cupped his fist, “Thank you.”

Yang Qibao laughed and said in a lowered voice, “We salute by cupping our fists too, but our posture is slightly different from yours. Your way of doing it is the same as that of gangsters. Pay close attention later.”

That statement made Shen Leng feel closer to him. Shen Leng felt that he was very lucky.

Yang Qibao was truly a magnanimous and earnest person. He was recruited into the Navy right from the beginning. He was from a poor family and hence, he had always felt somewhat inferior. If not for the fact that the Navy the authority to recruit in an unconventional manner, he might not have had the chance to change his fate.

Initially, he was in the garrison. The garrison soldiers were originally Zhuang Yong’s direct subordinates and were transferred over to the Navy with him. Thereafter, in order to subdue the arrogant soldiers that were transferred over from all over the country, Zhuang Yong specially selected sixty people from humble families to form the garrison.

Another reason was that... Yang Qibao was initially assigned to be under Mu Xiaofeng as he was a courageous soldier on the battlefield. There were several occasions where Mu Xiaofeng took credit for his work. Yang Qibao swallowed his anger and did not do anything about it. Mu Xiaofeng was the son of the Great Scholar, whereas on the other hand, he was only but a mere fisherman’s son. There was nothing he could do.

After Zhuang Yong found out about this, he was afraid that this might force a brave soldier like Yang Qibao to succumb and go to the dark side, hence, he immediately assigned him a new role as the squadron leader of the garrison. Even though he would not be a military official, at the very least he did not have to deal with Mu Xiaofeng’s tyranny.

According to the military system of Great Ning, a commander, leading 120 people, would be a Seventh pin military official. Above that would be a military officer - a Sixth pin military official, who was in charge of three commanders and their troops. Anything above a military officer would be categorized more meticulously.

As for the troops under each commander, they were split into a squadron of five or ten. The person leading each squadron was known as the squadron leader.

“The general is a very lenient person. He is also very refined. You don’t have to be scared. When I first entered the camp, I was extremely afraid - I was afraid of everything. Thereafter, I found out that the general is a fair person, and the discipline here is very strict and impartial. So you don’t have to be afraid.”

Yang Qibao laughed, making him seem more down-to-earth.

Shen Leng felt that he was somewhat similar to his good friend back in Yulin town, Chen Ran. They were good people - the kind where you can tell at one glance. However, they were different in the sense that Chen Ren had a carefree personality, whereas Yang Qibao behaved more humbly.

After they got to the main tent in the center of the camp, Yang Qibao told Shen Leng to wait outside, while he went in to report. Moments later, he walked out and tapped Shen Leng on the shoulder, before saying in a lowered voice, “The general wants you to go in. Don’t be afraid. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Shen Leng smiled out of gratitude. He took a deep breath and walked into the tent.

Zhuang Yong was sitting behind a table with his head lowered, writing something. He did not lift his head; he simply used his writing brush to point to a stool within the large tent. “Sit down and let’s talk.”

Shen Leng stood upright, “It’s better for me to stand and talk.

Zhuang Yong smiled and put down his writing brush. He thought about how this child had good manners; even though he knew of the relationship between him and his unreliable sir, he did not show any disrespect at all.

“Within the military camp, you might have to suffer more than you did when you were with Shen Xiaosong.”

Zhuang Yong added, “I did not expect you to come here so soon. Is it because of Mu Xiaofeng?”

Shen Leng answered, “Yes.”

Zhuang Yong grunted. “Why don’t I arrange for you to join the garrison. You will be under Yang Qibao’s wing, the one who brought you in earlier.”

“Does the garrison engage in direct combat?”

“No, unless the soldiers in the front line die.”

“Then I don’t want to.”

Shen Leng continued, “I want to go to the place that allows me to fight directly with water bandits - the troops that are always placed right at the very front.”

Zhuang Yong narrowed his eyes. “So will you will be led by Mu Xiaofeng.”

Shen Leng stared blankly for a brief moment before answering, “There’s no harm in going.”

“Hahahaha, very well!”

Zhuang Yong laughed heartily. “You are rather lofty - this is what a soldier should be. Very well… but everything has to be done according to the rules. You need to undergo a boot camp for new recruits. After seven days, you will have to go through an evaluation via a martial arts competition. You will be evaluated once a month. If you fail three times in a row, you will be expelled. After you have passed, you will officially become a soldier of the Navy. Do you agree to this?”

“Yes, I do.”

Shen Leng’s reply was extremely simple. He did not beat about the bush at all.

Zhuang Yong gestured with his hand. “Run along. Qibao will bring you there to report for duty, and bring you some clothes and clean linen.”

“Yes, sir.”

Shen Leng turned around and walked away. He was still standing tall and straight.

“Oh right, one more thing. Did Shen Xiaosong give you the iron plate?”

“Yes. Sir had secretly placed it inside my bundle, but I secretly returned it to him,” answered Shen Len. as he stood at the door.

Zhuang Yong shook his head slightly, thinking about something. “You may go now.”

Shen Leng felt that since the iron plate could save one’s life, naturally, he would want to give something that powerful to Master Cha.

After he walked out of the main tent in the center of the camp, he followed Yang Qibao to the barracks of new recruits. One of the soldiers, who accompanied Mu Xiaofeng to wash his horse by the river back then, happened to pass by and saw Shen Leng. He was in a daze for a while before he turned around and ran towards Mu Xiaofeng’s barracks.

Shen Leng saw him from his peripheral vision. He recognized him immediately, and smiled slightly.