While the Empire was massively amassing troops on its northwestern border, the Martial Arts Academy remained remarkably calm. Students attended classes on time every day, each day bringing new insights, and the professors' lectures were always eye-opening. Perhaps their teaching methods were somewhat unconventional, but their understanding of the essence of things was often incisive. They were using their life experiences to open a window to the students' previously unexplored world.
Many of the professors had served as advisors to generals and participated in numerous wars. In their later years, these individuals were invited by the Martial Arts Academy to become professors, using real-life examples to recount the harrowing battles they had witnessed. The accounts from these firsthand witnesses differed greatly from what the students had heard before. They were more detailed, more realistic, and allowed the students to understand the true meaning of war more profoundly.
Listening to the professors describe the scenes of carnage, some students would even turn pale with fascination. This generation had never experienced war. Without someone explaining it to them, they couldn't imagine the full scope of war—not just the bloodshed, passion, struggle, and glory, but also death, pain, tears, and defeat.
Occasionally, someone would remember that the boy named Fang Jie hadn't appeared in the martial arts academy's classrooms for a long time. Life is inherently self-centered; even if there was past envy or jealousy, when someone disappeared from sight for so long, their influence became negligible.
When he was absent, people initially speculated about what he was doing.
As time went on, people gradually returned to their self-centered lives. The desire to compare remained, and sometimes, thinking of that boy, they wondered what special treatment he was enjoying in the back mountains? Was it individual instruction from the martial arts academy professors, or personal guidance from a great cultivator?
But these weren't the main themes of the students' lives. They knew war was about to begin. Most even prayed that the Sui Dynasty wouldn't end its conquest of the Northwest so quickly, giving them some opportunity to experience the battlefield. They prayed that the border generals wouldn't claim all the credit for themselves, leaving some of the glory of conquest for them as well.
No one doubted that the Empire wouldn't achieve a glorious victory in this battle, just like all the wars that had been remembered. In everyone's mind, every war the Empire waged was a new rise; what could any enemy do but tremble before the Empire's powerful army? Even the Mongol Yuan, hailed as the most powerful empire in the world.
The Mongols had a million iron cavalry, but so what? The Empire's army was invincible. The Shang Kingdom, which also boasted a million soldiers, wasn't it crushed to dust by the Sui army?
Glory belonged only to the Sui soldiers.
As they walked out of the classroom, Marilyn and a female student walked hand in hand, exchanging a few words. Their relationship seemed as unbreakable as a fortress.
However, before they climbed that mountain called Half Moon, the two were hostile to each other, attacking each other, to the point of being unable to coexist. Although they were in the same class, the two seemed like fire and water, incompatible. Backbiting became a habit, and sarcastic remarks upon meeting were as natural as greetings.
Their current close relationship made others wonder if their past memories were a dream.
The other girl was named Niu Miao.
She was the only daughter of Niu Huilun, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, spoiled and willful. She was known for her arrogance in Chang'an, and her acquaintances were all wealthy young men. She frequently appeared at various gatherings, even daring to enter brothels to drink and mingle with these gentlemen. Therefore, she earned the ironic nickname, Niu Huahua (Niu Flower).
The two women, hand in hand, walked out of the classroom. Neither was particularly beautiful, but they were undoubtedly a sight to behold. Especially in a class of twenty-eight students, the sight of only two women was all the more precious.
This class once had thirty-two students.
The competition at Banyue Mountain, which seemed ordinary to them, became a nightmare that kept many awake at night. Including Marilyn and Niu Miao. Later, Yuan Chengshi and the others who arrived to help witnessed Fang rescuing Marilyn, and also saw the bodies of Liu Shuang and the others lying on the ground.
For some reason, after returning, something seemed to have changed among the students, hiding the previous antagonism and hatred.
"Still thinking about him?"
Niu Miao asked, looking at Marilyn's somewhat dazed eyes.
Marilyn's face flushed slightly, and she shook her head: "No… today is the forty-ninth day after Liu Shuang and the others."
Niu Miao paused, then nodded: "Let's go buy some paper money."
Marilyn hummed in agreement: "The elders say that after a person dies, their ghost stays in the mortal world for forty-nine days because they are attached to this world and can't bear to leave their loved ones. So the law enforcement in the underworld will grant them special mercy, allowing them to return one last time on the forty-ninth day to see those they can't let go of. After forty-nine days, they will be reincarnated." "..."
Niu Miao's eyes reddened slightly. "Liu Shuang is a despicable fellow... He spied on me while I was showering more than once. If Yuan Chengshi hadn't shown me kindness first, he definitely would have tried every means to possess me, right? I once said I would kill him, but that was just an angry outburst... I despise him; he's despicable, lewd, and treacherous—he has all the most hateful qualities in a man."
"But he died with pride. He died standing before all his classmates."
Hearing this, Marilyn's heart stirred, and her blush deepened.
That day, he too had stood before her.
"Get lost!"
"Do you know how awful your name is?"
"What can you do besides distract me? Why don't you just run away?"
"Kill him, stab his heart with a knife."
"You look much better now."
Niu Miao tugged at her hand: "What are you thinking? You little vixen, all lovey-dovey, you're obviously about to get horny. But speaking of which, neither of our surnames is good, one's a cow, the other a horse…both are destined to be ridden."
"Ugh!"
Mallylian rolled her eyes at Niu Miao, subconsciously glancing towards the back mountain.
"I told you you were in heat."
Niu Miao laughed: "A hero saving a damsel in distress…how romantic."
"I just want to know, is he alright now?"
Mallylian murmured, her eyes darting around.
...
...
Fang Jie is not alright.
Very alright!
Just as Mallylian and Niu Miao were walking hand in hand, he lay on the cold, hard stone floor, panting like a dog. His body was already soaked with sweat, all his strength seemingly drained away. He tried to struggle to his feet, but his arms could only barely support his upper body.
Beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped from his forehead, quickly soaking a patch of bluestone.
"Is that all?"
Professor Qiu Yu, standing not far away with her arms crossed, said coldly, her tone full of sarcasm. To test Fang Jie's physical limits, she hadn't let him stop for two whole days and nights. This spacious stone chamber had become a training ground, complete with stone locks and weapons. The torture instruments on the walls had been removed and replaced with four huge maps. Military books and strategies were piled up on the stone bed and floor. To allow him to see clearly, the dim oil lamp in the chamber had been replaced by dozens of torches.
She stood there for two days and two nights, watching the boy gradually grow weaker and weaker. "Go lift another 300-pound stone weight."
The commanding voice was cold and ruthless, the white eyes never leaving Fang Jie's body. Those white eyes seemed to penetrate Fang Jie's skin, seeing the changes in his muscles and internal organs. Staring intently like this required immense mental and spiritual energy; after two days and two nights, Fang Jie was exhausted like a dead dog, and how could she possibly be relaxed? Sweat had already soaked through her clothes, so much so that her loose professor's robe clung tightly to her body.
"The thing a man hates to hear the most… is a woman saying she's not good enough!"
The stubborn young man looked at Qiu Yu's shapely figure, pursing his lips, a hint of undisguised greed in his eyes. Qiu Yu wasn't exactly a beauty, but her figure was undeniably alluring. Her body, hidden beneath her loose professor's robe, was now almost completely exposed, appearing exceptionally captivating in the firelight.
As for Fang Jie's disgusted gaze, Qiu Yu simply ignored it. She seemed unconcerned by Fang Jie's probing gaze upon her; perhaps a woman as powerful as her had long since transcended the differences of gender.
Fang Jie took a deep breath, then stood up and swayed towards the 300-pound stone lock. He bent down, attempting to lift the lock—a weight he used to lift easily. But having been completely drained of strength, even walking was extremely difficult for him; how could he possibly lift it easily?
"Still no use," Qiu Yu said coldly.
"With your current strength, let alone compared to Luo Yao, even I could easily crush you into pieces. With this much ability, what is there for you to be proud of?"
The young man not far away was silent for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed and lifted the stone lock: "A woman's provocation is indeed the greatest motivation for a man to show off."
He sighed, then gritted his teeth and slowly raised the stone lock to his chest. Because it was so difficult, his expression was particularly ferocious. The muscles in his neck were taut, and his lips were almost bitten raw. Just when it seemed utterly impossible for him to raise the stone lock even an inch higher, a glint of red light flashed in his eyes.
"Up!"
The boy roared, slowly raising the stone lock above his head!
He turned to Qiu Yu, a disheveled yet smug smile on his face, and said, "Beautiful lady, do you think I can do it?"
Qiu Yu's lips curled into a sneer, seemingly dismissive.
But at that moment, Fang Jie, exhausted from his exertion, could no longer support his arms, and the 300-pound stone lock fell from above, crashing straight down on his head. Fang Jie didn't even have the strength to dodge; he merely tilted his head slightly, but that tiny attempt was utterly futile.
From the moment the stone lock fell to the moment it struck his head, it took less than a second.
However, a second later, the stone lock was embedded in the wall with a thud, fragments flying everywhere. Qiu Yu, who had been standing not far away, appeared before Fang Jie. With a flick of her sleeve, she swept away the stone lock and flew off, crashing into the wall. Her other arm caught Fang Jie's waist, preventing him from falling.
She leaned down slightly, looking at the boy who was almost unconscious, while he barely supported himself with her arm.
"Something's wrong," Fang Jie said breathlessly after a while.
"Something's wrong?"
Qiu Yu asked, "What's wrong?"
Fang Jie's lips curled into a wicked smile. He squinted at Qiu Yu's eye roll and said seriously, "The posture's wrong… You should be lying in my strong arms."
Thump!
Qiu Yu released him.
The boy fell heavily to the ground, wincing in pain.