Night Battle at Xiong Pass (Part 1)

Brother! Can I go train in your space now?

Mm-hm, okay.

The final Void passage appeared.

At last, Cai'er entered the Void World simulation battle that I had created.

Mo Yi said, "Young Miss is here again."

Cai'er said, "Mm-hm, yes. We're training today."

Mo Yi said, "There's no need to tell me, Young Miss. I already know. Master notified me."

Cai'er said, "Mm-hm, then let's begin."

Mo Yi said, "Then please forgive my offense, Young Miss."

Afterward, she underwent eighty-nine days of training in the Void Simulation Battlefield before finally making her breakthrough. She had not reached her peak yet, but she was close.

The eighty-nine days in my Starry Sky Simulation Battlefield were equivalent to eight or nine minutes outside.

How was it? You learned a lot this time, didn't you, little sister?

Mm-hm, I did, Brother. Then can I help you now?

Not yet. Although the battlefield I created in that Void Battlefield was a real battlefield, there wasn't much danger. Outside, though, it's different. You still need to train diligently and gain more experience on the battlefield.

The next place you and your team will fight in is Xiong Pass.

At that moment, Yuanyuan came out.

Cai'er asked him in shock, "Hey, how did you get out?"

Yuanyuan said, "Gurgle gurgle gurgle gurgle, gurgle gurgle."

Ah, ah, I understand, I understand.

Then take him out to play, little sister.

Okay~~

Brother, mm-hm.

After playing for a while, ...

The meeting was brief. Once Sheng Lingxin finished speaking, ten officers entered from outside. They were the commanders of the ten infantry battalions, and each led a newly promoted Demon Hunt Squad away to report to their respective camps. Since they had already arrived here, they could not waste even a moment.

As she watched Long Haochen and Cai'er's Soldier Grade One Demon Hunt Squad leave, Lan Yanyu excitedly tried to rise, only for Sheng Lingxin to pull her back. Sheng Lingxin shook his head at her with a stern expression. Lan Yanyu's beautiful eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Long Haochen and the others were assigned to Infantry Battalion One. Its commander was a middle-aged officer who looked somewhat like Gao Yingjie.

"Everyone, you are all elites of the Alliance. I am deeply honored that you can temporarily join our First Battalion. I am Zhang Hairong, commander of the First Battalion."

After leaving the meeting hall, Battalion Commander Zhang introduced himself as he led them toward the barracks.

Interacting with others was naturally Long Haochen's responsibility. Smiling slightly, Long Haochen said, "Battalion Commander Zhang, you are too polite. The warriors of Demon Expelling City are all heroes who defend their homes and country. It should be our honor to join the First Battalion. From now on, we are soldiers under your command. Please give us any orders you wish. On behalf of Soldier Grade One Demon Hunt Squad, I guarantee that although we are not soldiers, we will obey all orders and submit to all command."

Hearing Long Haochen's words, Zhang Hairong felt immensely pleased. He had never expected this boy, who looked barely more than a teenager, to be so worldly and tactful.

The Demon Hunt Squads were something every Temple Alliance warrior aspired to join, but Zhang Hairong had not been very enthusiastic about these Demon Hunt Squads temporarily joining the military. Though each of these favored youths possessed at least fourth-step cultivation, could he really command them?

After all, Zhang Hairong himself was only a fourth-step warrior. If these elites disobeyed orders and acted on their own on the battlefield, not only would they be of no help, they might even cause him plenty of trouble.

Although Sheng Lingxin had said that these Demon Hunt Squad elites were to be treated as ordinary soldiers, could they really do that? Every Demon Hunt Squad was precious to the Temple Alliance. If anything happened to them, he could not bear that responsibility. Sheng Lingxin had privately instructed battalion commanders like him long ago that, under any circumstances, the safety of these elites had to take priority.

Zhang Hairong's mood had worsened even further when he saw the ten Soldier Grade One Demon Hunt Squads he would be leading. Aside from that bald fellow, who appeared a little older, the others probably were not even twenty yet. Some of the youngest did not seem to be eighteen. Heaven knew how they had become members of Demon Hunt Squads. Achieving fame at a young age was not necessarily a good thing; it often came with arrogance.

Yet just as he was worrying, Long Haochen's words were like a cup of steaming tea in the bitter cold of winter, making him feel warm all over.

For a soldier, obeying orders and following command was the foremost duty. Not only had Long Haochen, this young squad leader, spoken politely, he had also resolved Zhang Hairong's greatest concern. Zhang Hairong was immediately overjoyed, and he could not help secretly praising him. As expected of an elite! Look at that awareness.

Of course, Long Haochen had not come up with those words himself. Gao Yingjie had instructed him the previous day on what to do after joining the military. He had also explained several important matters about military life. Even without Gao Yingjie's reminder, Long Haochen would have tried his best to do well, but what he had just said would undoubtedly make it easier for him to integrate into the new collective of Infantry Battalion One.

Zhang Hairong laughed heartily. "Squad Leader Long, you're being too polite. Old Zhang is a rough man, so I won't waste time on formalities. From now on, I'll have to trouble you all to temporarily serve as my personal guards. Your duty is to follow me into battle and kill the enemy."

Sima Xian could not help asking, "Battalion Commander, if we follow you, will we get to fight?"

Zhang Hairong puffed out his chest and thumped his solid pectorals. "You asked the right question. In our First Battalion, from me on down, there isn't a single coward. If you want the brothers under your command to risk their lives with you, then the first thing you must do is lead from the front. Rest assured, if you follow me, you will always be charging at the very front, facing the strongest enemies."

Hearing this, everyone could not help feeling deep respect. Zhang Hairong's meaning was clear: once battle began, he would be the first to charge forward. As the commander of a battalion of over a thousand infantrymen, he could still bravely lead the charge. How could his soldiers not be willing to fight to the death for him?

"Yes." Long Haochen gave Zhang Hairong a not particularly standard military salute. The others followed his example, though their movements were even less standard.

Infantry Battalion One was stationed not far from the East City Gate. The demon race was powerful and possessed formidable military strength. In a head-on battle, humanity had almost no chance. Therefore, for many years, humanity had primarily relied on defense. And in defensive warfare, infantry was naturally the most important force.

Zhang Hairong assigned them a barracks room for ten people. The distinction between men and women seemed not to apply here. Due to the special nature of Demon Hunt Squads, they were not issued standard military equipment, but each of them received a clean infantry uniform.

There were no women's uniforms here. Wang Yuanyuan was better off, since she was tall and imposing. But when the uniforms were worn by Cai'er and Chen Yinger, they were truly rather amusing.

At this time, Chen Yinger revealed another side of herself. The girl actually carried a sewing kit with her. She simply cut and resewed her own uniform and Cai'er's. In just half an hour, the two uniforms barely managed to fit them.

"I never expected this, Yinger. You've got that skill too. No wonder Yang Wenzhao can't stop thinking about you." Lin Xin said in surprise.

Chen Yinger said proudly, "Of course. This young lady knows plenty more tricks than that. And don't mention that Yang Wenzhao guy to me. I can't be bothered to hear his name."

Lin Xin chuckled. "Fine, we won't mention him. Come on, time to hand out the medicine." As he spoke, several porcelain bottles appeared in his hand, and everyone actually received two bottles.

Sima Xian gave him a thumbs-up. "That line of yours, 'Brother has medicine,' really wasn't just talk. You've got the goods. So what are these this time?" Lin Xin chuckled. "The white bottles contain Spirit Returning Pills. Haochen came up with that name. The yellow bottles contain Great Strength Pills. Spirit Returning Pills can restore two hundred spiritual power in a short time—about five to ten seconds. Everyone's absorption capacity differs, so calculate the timing yourselves the first time you take one. Great Strength Pills can increase External Spiritual Power by five hundred points for twenty breaths. I improved these, so they work better than before. Unfortunately, I don't have the materials to refine Spirit Burst Pills. Otherwise, I'd give you some of those too."

Long Haochen said, "I still haven't used the Spirit Burst Pills you gave me last time. There are ten in all. Let's distribute them first. One more safeguard means a better chance of surviving on the battlefield."

Lin Xin had really gone all out this time. Everyone received three Spirit Returning Pills and three of the protective pills he called Great Strength Pills. Together with the Spirit Burst Pill Long Haochen gave each person, their medicinal supplies alone probably surpassed those of all the other nine newly formed Demon Hunt Squads combined.

Han Yu laughed. "Who says we can't manage without a priest? Brother Lin's role as a Magical Pharmacist is even greater than a priest's."

Lin Xin chuckled. "Brother has medicine. Naturally, I can't just say that for nothing. Old Han, you'd better hold the rear! Don't let the enemy screw me from behind."

Wang Yuanyuan glared at him. "Brother Medicine, watch your language."

"Fine, fine." Lin Xin stood and stretched. "I'm going to wash my handsome face. Sigh, whenever I want to find someone to admire, I just look in the mirror."

"Pah, shameless." Wang Yuanyuan could not help laughing at his words.

The Barracks were naturally furnished very simply. There were ten beds, with a crude wooden cabinet beside each one. Naturally, the men were on one side and the women on the other. Although Wang Yuanyuan and Chen Yinger were both quite dissatisfied about sharing the same Barracks, it was only for three months. They could endure it.

Just as they were simply arranging their bedding, they witnessed a shocking scene.

Cai'er inserted her Green Bamboo Staff into the gap at the head of a bed and dragged it over to Long Haochen's bedside. Though she could not see, the two beds were pushed together perfectly.

This... was far too blatant, wasn't it? And right in front of so many people... Forget them—even Long Haochen, despite loving Cai'er dearly, could not help feeling embarrassed and at a loss for what to do.

Sima Xian looked at Han Yu beside him and whispered, "No way, right? Are the captain and vice-captain planning to give us a live performance tonight?"

Hehe, after my intervention, she no longer wanted to push the two beds together with his that much. And she probably wouldn't be in the mood to talk to him either.