Chapter 264 - The Final Victors!
Huo Zhenyu did not let his guard down just because Ling Lan's punch seemed feather-light as he had already suffered a loss from the previous attack, so he was even more cautious this time. In addition, Ling Lan's warning had given him sufficient time for preparation, so instead of considering it as Ling Lan taking the initiative to attack, it would be better called a mutual attack.
Reason being, Huo Zhenyu, who had prepared in advance, had chosen to attack to defend and directly used his strongest attack to confront Ling Lan's punch.
When experts exchanged blows, they did not require hundreds or even over thousands of blows like those in the lower realms — very often, one or two moves could determine the victor. Huo Zhenyu understood this and believed the opponent did too. Therefore, this move of the opponent was definitely not as simple as it seemed and was instead an earth-shaking punch.
Huo Zhenyu naturally would not hold back anymore — letting his Qi sink into his dantian 1 , he shouted: "Ultimate Overlord Punch!"
Following his shout, Huo Zhenyu's right hand clenched into a fist and moved fiercely to clash against Ling Lan's.
This move completely reflected Huo Zhenyu's style — vigorous, bold and powerful. Before his fist met with Ling Lan's, the explosive sound of his punch tearing through the air caused the expressions of the many spectators to change. Even though they were not directly facing this attack, they could feel the terrifying power it contained.
Ling Lan's countenance changed faintly and she suddenly increased the strength in her punch from 70 to 90 percent. Only such a terrifying and overbearing punch was befitting of someone who had the identity of the military academy's number one combatant. A hint of seriousness emerged in Ling Lan's thoughts as she did not dare to belittle the opponent.
With a bang, the two powerful fists collided and Ling Lan could sense that the opponent's strength was very solid, and he was absolutely not someone she could defeat by using either just the one or two parts of her strength behind the One-Inch Punch.
The moment Huo Zhenyu came into contact with Ling Lan's fist, he felt a force similar to roaring waves transmitted through his fist. Although it was powerful, it was still within the scope he could withstand. However, before he was able to relax, he sensed another new force overlaying on the original attack surging towards him once again.
Huo Zhenyu's expression subtly changed as he groaned and frantically circulated his inner Qi-Jin to withstand the immense overlaying force once again. The strong point of this Ultimate Overlord Punch was that, before exceeding his limits, he could resist the opponent's attack no matter how powerful it was.
At this moment, Huo Zhenyu rejoiced at his initial decision to use his most powerful move instead of another finishing blow. Otherwise, the sudden addition of this overlaying power would have injured him.
However, Huo Zhenyu was only at ease for a few breaths' time, as very soon, he felt another new force emerging, which was once again overlaid on the original force, nearly overcoming him. Could it be that he was about to lose?
"No!" Unwilling to be defeated, Huo Zhenyu looked up to the skies and howled wildly. His eyes were wide open and filled with fury, his face thoroughly red. At the same time, his entire right hand suddenly bulged...
With a tearing sound, Huo Zhenyu's right sleeve became torn as pieces of cloth fell onto the ground one by one, revealing a sturdy arm with bulging muscles and veins that swelled up.
In order to resist Ling Lan's third wave of One-Inch Punch, Huo Zhenyu had utilized the extreme limit of his Ultimate Overlord Punch. He sincerely hoped that this was the opponent's last attack, or else he would be meeting his defeat.
A light flickered in Ling Lan's eyes and her originally fair complexion flushed red. She let out a grunt, and using third wave of One-Inch Punch which was about to disappear as a foundation, another, fourth layer of force emerged out of nowhere...
The force behind this attack was too powerful, encompassing the accumulated force of the previous three waves. When Huo Zhenyu sensed the fourth wave incoming, his complexion suddenly paled because the energy in his body was already being used to the extreme limit and he did not have any excess energy to withstand this fourth strike...
Several squelching pops rang out, and the skin on Huo Zhenyu's arms suddenly split open like a sieve with countless holes, and the sounds of bones cracking could also be heard as blood spurted out from various sections of his arm.
Huo Zhenyu's arm had been crippled because of this fourth strike, but the attack did not stop here; shortly afterwards, Huo Zhenyu was sent flying into the air as a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out from his mouth with a spitting sound.
Seeing this, Ling Lan withdrew her fist and her brows furrowed as the red flush on her face faded and turned pale in an instant. Apparently, she had lacked the capacity for a fourth One-Inch Punch but had forcefully executed it anyway and caused a backlash, thus suffering from a slight internal injury.
This time around, Ling Lan had learnt a lesson, that she should not belittle any opponent when duelling and should go all-out regardless of who the opponent was. Otherwise, it would be very easy for the opponent to overturn the match.
"Since when have I become so conceited and complacent?" Ling Lan could not help but scorn herself. Her originally prudent personality had been progressively disappearing ever since she found out that her father Ling Xiao was not dead — this was not an ideal situation.
Seems like it was not a good thing to have a solid backing! Ling Lan decided to go on as before and act as if Ling Xiao had been "sacrificed" as this would be more beneficial for her growth.
On her end, Ling Lan was self-analysing her own mentality, deciding to rely on herself to continue growing in the future. Meanwhile, Huo Zhenyu had spat out a mouthful of blood in mid-air, allowing him to breathe easier. He then flipped over and landed on the ground, but as his inner Qi-Jin had been depleted completely, he did not manage stand firm after landing and retreated three to four steps in succession before stabilizing himself.
All the cadets watching the match surged to their feet in a stupefied uproar. They had not expected that the powerful Boss Huo could not even withstand a punch from the opponent. Everyone felt that their worldview had been overturned, thinking, who the hell was this mysterious young man? To actually be able to defeat the number one combatant of the military academy when he had just entered the academy?
Huo Zhenyu raised his head with great difficulty and looked at the slender young man who had a calm expression as before. If not for his firm will, he most likely would not have been able to remain standing.
Seeing Ling Lan retract his right hand, Huo Zhenyu noticed that the opponent's arms appeared to be trembling uncontrollably. It could be seen that the opponent using such a powerful finishing blow was not without any repercussions, and this comforted him a little. At the very least, the opponent was not completely invulnerable.
If the opponent had not been injured in the slightest … Huo Zhenyu could not help but smile bitterly on the inside. He believed that his confidence would have been directly shattered by the opponent, and then he would have become doubtful of himself, wondering whether the five years of bitter training he had spent had been a mere joke...
Even so, his confidence had still suffered a blow and was on the verge of crumbling apart. Huo Zhenyu was aware that in order to build up his confidence once again and forget the traumatic experience the opponent had brought him, he would perhaps have to spend a very long period of time recuperating.
At this moment, Colonel Tang Yu looked towards Huo Zhenyu and asked loudly, "Huo Zhenyu, can you continue fighting?" Perhaps the spectators were unable to clearly tell Huo Zhenyu's condition, but as the closest observer, Colonel Tang Yu was clear that Huo Zhenyu was already reaching his limits and would not be able to continue battling for long.
Having heard what was said, Huo Zhenyu smiled bitterly. He straightforwardly raised his hands and said, "Referee, I admit my loss for this match." His strongest move had been defeated and his body was near to falling apart, so he did not know what he could use to continue fighting.
In a serious tone, Ling Lan said, "Many thanks!"
What Ling Lan said was not a conventional greeting or words just for show. She was genuinely thankful that Huo Zhenyu's full-strength attack had allowed her to realize the problem with her mentality, and this was more important than winning the match. If she had not discovered this and waited until the day she arrived on the battlefield, this sort of mentality could have caused her death no matter how strong she was.
Huo Zhenyu's reply did not go against Colonel Tang Yu's expectations. He looked at Ling Lan as if thinking of something, and announced loudly, "New Cadet Regiment vs Leiting Mecha Clan, the fifth match, New Cadet Regiment 1st-year Ling Lan wins. The match score is 3-2. The New Cadet Regiment are the final victors of this fight!"
Following this announcement, all the members of the New Cadet Regiment leapt up and cheered enthusiastically. Evidently, everyone was cheering for Boss Lan as Ling Lan had used this match's victory to establish the New Cadet Regiment's unparalleled position so that no one could contend against them.
Wu Jiong, who was seated below, did not feel regret upon hearing the cheers, but instead waved his arms and shouted for joy along with the other members. Multiple past experiences had made him understand that though he might be able to lead an extremely powerful team, he was incapable of making them into a winning team that would triumph in every battle. Reason being, he lacked Ling Lan's boldness and aggressiveness, and even in terms of mentality, he was unable to be like Ling Lan who could always remain unperturbed regardless of any difficulty he encountered.
"Haha, we've truly won…" Several of the team leaders beside Gao Jinyun revealed dazed, silly smiles after witnessing the result. Even though they had been convinced by Gao Jinyun to continue following Boss Lan, they were nevertheless stunned after witnessing Boss Lan defeat the military academy's number one combatant and emerge victorious in this wagered fight; the shock of this outcome was too huge.
Gao Jinyun laughed proudly to his heart's content. "Hahaha, I'm sure you're all aware now of Boss Lan's prowess … Leiting wanting to absorb the New Cadet Regiment is a dream as long as Boss Lan is here!"
One of the leaders took a deep breath and finally calmed down. Then, in admiration, he said, "Leader Gao, you're right. We shall follow you unquestioningly in the future."
Currently, these leaders were secretly rejoicing that they had been convinced by Gao Jinyun because of their close relationship with him and had patiently waited for the result. This moment proved they had made the right move; they could not help but feel sorry for those few leaders who had not had the resolve to stay and had sought out alternative options. As Gao Jinyun mentioned, there was only one opportunity — grabbing it meant grabbing it, while missing it meant that you had truly missed the opportunity.
"Let's go, we shall go and welcome Boss Lan!" Gao Jinyun looked at the members of the New Cadet Regiment rushing forth to the stage and suggested excitedly.
"Alright!" The several leaders answered loudly one by one. At this moment, they indeed wanted to enjoy this hard-earned joyous occasion with everyone in the New Cadet Regiment. This was a victory belonging to them, and represented that the New Cadet Regiment had truly established themselves in the military academy.
1. Similar to an energy center in our body, located near our lower belly. It is important for exercise techniques, e.g. Qigong, Martial Arts and such.
Chapter 265 - A Hypocritical Person
The New Cadet Regiment's joy was set off in contrast with Leiting's gloomy expressions as they were still in disbelief, unconvinced that Leiting would ultimately lose this battle… Heaven knows how long it had been since Leiting last tasted defeat. However, the battle this time had given them a taste of it and this feeling was absolutely unpleasant.
Lin Zhidong looked at the elevated stage, which was almost totally surrounded by the New Cadet Regiment, with an unsightly expression. He knew that the ensuing period of time belonged to the victor's celebration and there was no longer any place for Leiting to stay. In any case, he did not wish remain and continue to see Leiting losing face.
Another matter which he had to consider thoroughly was how to give Regiment Commander Qiao an explanation … The defeat this time would definitely deal an unprecedented blow on Leiting's prestige as the opponent they had lost to were the new cadets who had just enrolled in the military academy.
Lin Zhidong could already imagine the Thunder King's rocketing fury and his body could not help but tremble. Soon after, Lin Zhidong calmed down and gnashed his teeth in frustration as he said, "Let's go!"
Following his words, the members of the Leiting Mecha Clan who felt ashamed to continue staying here soon left the battle hall. Of course, while they were leaving, they heard numerous cadets making loud booing sounds, among them the cadets from the New Cadet Regiment and also cadets from other factions. Also among them were supporters who were fond of Leiting but were currently disappointed in them.
Many senior cadets of the various influential factions were incapable of accepting the fact that Leiting had lost to the New Cadet Regiment; their feelings were directly reflected in their booing.
The deeper the love, the more profound the hate when love turns into hate. This sort of feeling was present within them and no matter what, Leiting losing this match had indeed disappointed many cadets.
Before Lin Zhidong left the battle stadium, he could not help but turn around and look at the stern, young man standing in the middle of the elevated stage accepting the New Cadet Regiment members' enthusiastic cheers. His dignified appearance resembled that of a general returning in victory and even more like a king who had opened up a new territory and was enjoying the supportive cheers of his subjects …
Actually, Lin Zhidong had misunderstood. Ling Lan's default was an ice-cold expression [T/C (ryu): Yep, it's her trademark face by now.]; she would still maintain this look even when being cursed at. In short, Ling Lan's cool and aloof expression in this situation was indeed extremely aggravating …
"Don't be too complacent … Leiting will definitely return this grudge!" Lin Zhidong's expression was chilly as he sniffed one last time before he turned and left this combat hall that had embarrassed him so.
********
As the members of the New Cadet Regiment rushed towards the elevated stage, Huo Zhenyu, as one of the participants of the fight, left the stage in loneliness. Other than a few of his team members, no one paid any attention to his actions as the former king of combat.
At present, everyone's attention was gathered on Ling Lan who was in the middle of the elevated stage. He was the leading role in this battle, and the newly emerged king of combat in the military academy!
Of course, Huo Zhenyu saw the people from Leiting leaving with their tail between their legs and also heard the sounds of booing which had spread throughout the battle stadium. Sadness shrouded his heart; it was his lack of strength that caused this result.
At this moment, one of his team members saw his state and hastily said, "Boss Huo, let's head to the treatment centre. Your injuries are very severe …"
Hearing the other's words, Huo Zhenyu gently patted his own right arm which had gone totally numb and said indifferently, "It's just a small injury and is of no importance. Unfortunately, I've lost and caused Leiting to lose this wagered fight …"
"How is this a small injury? Boss Huo, you still have to participate in the division assessments in a month's time." That team member was anxious, as this was related to Boss Huo's future growth.
"That's right, Boss Huo, you had best head to the treatment centre for treatment!" The other team members urged.
Huo Zhenyu no longer refused; he headed towards the treatment centre with a few team members.
On the way, one of the team members spoke with dissatisfaction. "Boss Huo, those leaders of the current Leiting are going too far, to think that not even one came to see you … If we had known earlier, Boss Huo shouldn't have agreed to participate in this fight."
"Forget it, in any case, I am still Leiting's former leader and I can't reject a request of theirs when they come looking for me." Huo Zhenyu smiled bitterly. Even if he had passed Leiting to Qiao Ting, he was still unable to reject them when Leiting was in need of help.
"Merely, it's unfortunate for Nie Feng-ming as he will definitely have to be absent for the examination a month later. He had always been anxiously longing to enlist for the 23rd Division," said another team member with regret on his face. According to the news sent over by the team members who had accompanied him to the treatment centre, Nie Feng-ming had to receive treatment for ten months before he could completely recover. That was to say, he would definitely miss this year's examination.
Huo Zhenyu went silent for a moment before saying with a heavy heart, "I've let down Feng-ming."
"No, it was Ling Lan. His attack was too ruthless," one of the members spoke as his face revealed hatred.
The few of them had formed a small mecha team in the military academy and had grown up together during these five years, and had long become brothers of different surnames with bonds no inferior to biological brothers. With Nie Feng-ming's current situation, they could not help but hate Ling Lan who had heavily injured him.
"Rest assured, I will not forget about this grudge," said Huo Zhenyu coldly.
Even though they were aware that Nie Feng-ming was partly to blame for receiving such a serious injury, but in terms of feelings, Huo Zhenyu was unable to accept his own brother landing in such a miserable condition ...
Regarding how they treated their brothers and comrades, Huo Zhenyu's and Ling Lan's mentality were more or less the same. Even if the fault was on their side, they were intolerant of outsiders taking actions!
"I've decided to apply for enlistment to the 23rd Division in a month's time and wait for Nie Feng-ming's return. Inevitably, there will be a day when we'll run into Ling Lan, and at that time, it'll be time for us to pay back what we received today."
Huo Zhenyu revealed his decision and caused the team members around him to be astonished; they knew that Boss Huo's original target was the 1st Division as his idol was the Federation's First Marshal, while the 23rd Division's commander Ling Xiao was Nie Feng-ming's idol. This was also the reason Nie Feng-ming had chosen to enter the 23rd Division's enlistment examination.
"Since Boss Huo is going to enter the 23rd Division examination, I shall follow him too!"
"I'll enter the 23rd Division too."
"Me too!"
The other team members, who were originally hesitant whether to follow Boss Huo or enter the division of their own idols, no longer had any apprehensions due to Boss Huo changing his mind and so declared their determination to follow his lead.
Huo Zhenyu did not speak but merely smiled. This was the only thing he could do for Nie Feng-ming, by setting a foundation for him before he entered the division. Once he joined them, their small team would once again gather and fight together to obtain the highest achievements. Following that, they would then find Ling Lan and return their bitter hatred of today.
********
Currently within the cabin, after Li Shiyu witnessed the result and saw the new cadets rushing towards the arena all at once, he turned towards Yun Xiu and said, "Let's go."
Upon hearing that, Yun Xiu was in shock as he said, "What? We're leaving right now?"
The number of cadets leaving the arena was the highest right now and in previous times, Li Shiyu would usually wait for an hour and a half for the majority of the crowd to leave before he left. However, why was he anxious to leave this time?
"I have to head to the treatment centre and look at that foolish little brother of mine, to see if he's still able to move …" explained Li Shiyu.
"Ah, so you were the type who would show love and respect as what good brothers should?" Yun Xiu did not believe the explanation Li Shiyu gave in the slightest.
Li Shiyu immediately shot a glare at Yun Xiu. Of course he would show love and respect as what good brothers would, but that was reserved for his older cousin.
Seeing Li Shiyu's stern gaze, Yun Xiu hastily raised his hands in surrender, indicating that he would not say anything else and obediently follow Li Shiyu to leave the cabin.
In Wuji's cabin, Zhao Jun yawned, and to those beside him he asked, "The fight has ended, are you all intending to stay here?"
Han Yu's expression was somewhat gloomy as he said, "I want to watch the replay. You can leave first if you're not interested."
The New Cadet Regiment was unexpectedly strong and caused Han Yu to feel threatened. In particular, the majority of the cadets in the New Cadet Regiment belonged to the Central Scout Academy's faction and so he could not help but be concerned whether they would join the Doha faction.
At the same time, Wei Ji nodded and said, "I would also like to watch the replay. All of you can do as you wish."
Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng stealthily exchanged a glance before Zhao Jun spoke up to say, "I'm not interested. We'll talk about it after they become expert mecha operators. Lanfeng, what about you, are you leaving together or would you like to stay?"
Li Lanfeng shrugged his shoulders in a relaxed manner. "It's as what you said, after they become an expert in mecha piloting during their second year, perhaps I will be interested. To invest effort in thinking about them right now is somewhat not worth it."
Hearing his words, Zhao Jun smiled. "In that case, let's leave together."
Li Lanfeng stood and replied, "Alright, let's leave together." He then said to Han Yu and Wei Ji, "It's fine to attach some importance to them, but the Thunder King will certainly be the number one person who wishes to dispose of the New Cadet Regiment." His words implied that it was too early for Wuji to be apprehensive towards the New Cadet Regiment; it would be more suitable after the New Cadet Regiment had weathered Thunder King Qiao Ting's fury.
Han Yu and Wei Ji smiled in response, and only after Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng left did Han Yu put away his smile as he snorted coldly. "Does he truly think he's Wuji's strategist?"
Li Lanfeng's attitude of being superior in all aspects caused Han Yu to be increasingly discontented with him. Unknowingly, he started disliking Li Lanfeng more and more, but in the past, he had definitely felt that Li Lanfeng was a good person. However, why does he seem so pretentious right now?
Wei Ji replied unenthusiastically, "There's nothing to be done. Two years ago, we had indeed relied on many of his schemes, so although he isn't our official strategist, everyone in Wuji considers him as one." After speaking, Wei Ji could not help but look towards Han Yu. "I don't know why you do not see eye to eye with Li Lanfeng. I feel that he doesn't have huge ambitions and has been diligent regarding Wuji's affairs …"
Han Yu furrowed his brows. "Actually, it was from last year that I started to always feel that something's slightly off with Li Lanfeng. Right now, the more I see him, the more I feel that there's a problem with him. Don't you feel that his smile is very fake?"
Wei Ji smiled bitterly and shook his head. He truly did not see anything wrong with Li Lanfeng. If not for Han Yu being extremely discontented with Li Lanfeng, he really did not wish to fall out with the other. After all, the relationship between the four of them had been very good in the past.
Han Yu looked towards Zhou Ya and Wang Hui. "What do you think?"
Wang Hui followed Wei Ji in shaking his head, expressing that he could not identify what wrong there was with Li Lanfeng.
Chapter 266 - The Li Family Brothers!
Zhou Ya was silent for a moment, before saying measuredly, "Senior Li's smile is indeed very warm and genial, but I become nervous whenever he smiles. Maybe it's because it's my first time interacting with Senior Li, so I'm unused to him ..." Zhou Ya's expression seemed somewhat conflicted.
Before Zhou Ya had finished speaking, Han Yu was already clapping his hands together and saying, "See! Zhou Ya feels the same way I do ..."
These words made Zhou Ya smile wryly. Actually, he himself could not say why he was nervous around Li Lanfeng, but it was definitely not like Han Yu was saying, that Li Lanfeng's smile was very fake. Li Lanfeng was obviously a kind and gentle senior — why was Regiment Commander Han Yu so against the other?
Of course, no matter how doubtful Zhou Ya was, he would not say anything, because the antagonism and strife within the upper ranks usually did not have much reason to it. Oftentimes, just for the sake of an extra share of power, one party would push another party into hell ... while this current situation was just a blatant dislike so far.
However, Zhou Ya did not mind this situation. Han Yu's behaviour was in large part helping him clear out a path to become Wuji's military adviser. It should be known that within Wuji, Li Lanfeng was the publicly acknowledged strategist of the mecha clan, holding extremely high esteem among its members. Without Han Yu's help, relying on himself, he might have to wait until Li Lanfeng graduates and leaves the academy before he would be able to take on the role of adviser.
As an ambitious person, Zhou Ya did not want to dawdle within the military academy for 2 to 3 years. He yearned to ascend the skies in one step, craving the chance to display his full abilities, and desired the respect and admiration of the clan members.
And so, Zhou Ya kept his silence, as if tacitly agreeing with Han Yu that he too felt something off about Li Lanfeng ...
********
Having left the Wuji box, Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng did not know what was happening inside the box. They walked till the end of the hallway, where they happened to bump into the Li Shiyu and Yun Xiu who had also departed from their box.
When the four met, they were all startled ...
A trace of confusion appeared silently on Li Shiyu's handsome face. This masked youth before his eyes, who was radiating such a warm and gentle aura, seemed somewhat familiar ...
Li Lanfeng was the quickest to regain his bearings. He smiled and gave the other side a cadet's salute, and then said, "Li Shiyu, dux of the military medical research specialization, I've heard such great things about you 1 ."
"Erm, hello, have I met you somewhere before?" Li Shiyu's brow creased and he could not help but ask.
"Well, no, but I've seen you before!" said Li Lanfeng with a smile.
"Oh? When?" Li Shiyu pursued the question. His memory had always been good — this person across from him had such a strange sense of familiarity, he just could not believe that he really had not met him before.
Smilingly, Li Lanfeng was about to answer when Zhao Jun beside him asked with a quirked brow, "Lanfeng, so this is the so-called direct descendant of your Li family? That genius Li Shiyu you mentioned?"
Li Shiyu jolted at these words, blurting out, "You're a Li family descendant too?"
Li Lanfeng nodded and said, "Yes, but I'm just a branch descendant. However, I was previously lucky enough to be in the same school as Young Master Mulan. It's just that Young Master Mulan dropped out later due to illness, and I've not seen him since then ... I wonder how Young Master Mulan is now. Is he well?" asked Li Lanfeng with a face filled with concern.
Hearing this, Li Shiyu's mood dipped. "Cousin Brother Mulan's body is indeed not well." However, very quickly, Li Shiyu rallied and said confidently, "However, I believe Cousin Brother Mulan will definitely get better."
A strange light flashed through Li Lanfeng's eyes, and he nodded and said, "Yes, Young Master Mulan will definitely get better."
Li Lanfeng's words put Li Shiyu in a good mood instantly. Within the Li family clan, this was the first time he had heard another Li family member willing to believe that his eldest cousin brother would recover. This made Li Shiyu extremely grateful, naturally feeling a sense of kinship with Li Lanfeng.
"You're going back?" Li Lanfeng continued to ask.
Before Li Shiyu could respond, Yun Xiu had piped up from beside him, "We're going to go see Shiyu's younger brother 1 , that Li Yingjie who fought second for the New Cadet Regiment."
A trace of surprise rose on Li Lanfeng's face. "So Young Master Shiyu is also planning to go see Young Master Yingjie ... I was just prepared to go check on Young Master Yingjie's condition myself. Why don't we go together?"
Zhao Jun cast a thoughtful glance at Li Lanfeng — mind you, when they had stepped out of the box, the other had not mentioned anything of the sort. However, he had always respected Li Lanfeng's decisions, so he quietly played along.
Li Shiyu hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. Based off the other's good will towards his eldest cousin brother alone, he could not refuse the other 1 .
Just like that, the four of them hurried to the treatment centre. The moment they entered its doors, they could see that the large hall had been split into two factions, each staking out one corner, dutifully ignoring the other.
These people were very easy to tell apart. One side was all dressed in the green freshmen uniform, so it was obvious they were first years. Meanwhile, on the other side, there was green and also blue, but the age difference clearly marked them as upper year students. It went without saying that these two factions were respectively the people from the New Cadet Regiment and the Leiting Mecha Clan.
The moment Li Shiyu's group of four stepped into the treatment centre, they drew the gazes of everyone inside. After all, three of them were dressed in the blue uniform of the elite, while Li Shiyu was even dressed in the white uniform of a dux. This colour would draw attention no matter where he went.
However, the first years of the New Cadet Regiment very quickly averted their eyes. The age of the four newcomers clearly marked them as seniors; the members of the New Cadet Regiment did not think that these people were here for them. After all, they did not know such impressive seniors, so these people could only be from the Leiting Mecha Clan.
On the other hand, those from the Leiting Mecha Clan were in a state of confusion. Several sharp-eyed people had noticed Li Lanfeng and Zhao Jun, who they knew were from the Wuji faction. Moreover, Li Shiyu was also an influential figure within the school. The Leiting Mecha Clan may dare to offend everyone and anyone, but they would never dare to offend any student from the military medical research specialization. This was because, in future, those people were very likely to be the ones responsible for their lives ... no one wanted to gamble with their lives.
The treatment centre fell under the jurisdiction of the military medical research department. Seeing the dux of the department in charge of them personally here at the scene, the staff were instantly nervous. One of the leaders of the staff in the treatment centre came forwards to ask, "Dux Li, may I know what instructions you have for visiting us at this time?"
Please don't let there have been any mistakes in the treatment plans submitted by the treatment centre ... a layer of sweat formed on the forehead of the team leader. If that was truly the case, that meant that they might very likely lose their jobs here at the military academy, be dismissed from service, and be sent back to their homes ... Mind you, in the Federation, the social status and treatment of military personnel were of the highest calibre — the workers really did not want to lose the honour of being a soldier.
"I heard that in this wagered fight, many people were injured, and the injuries were very serious, so I specially came over to take a look." Li Shiyu's words let the team leader of the treatment centre instantly release a sigh of relief.
"Can you give me an overview of the patients' current conditions?" Li Shiyu continued.
The team leader of the treatment centre quickly said, "Yes, Dux Li, please come this way ..." He led Li Shiyu over to the healing pods of one of the upper years, and then continued to say, "This student's condition is especially severe. The bones of his entire body display different degrees of breakage, but strangely enough, such wide-scale traumatic impact did not deal any fatal injury to the inner organs. It's clear to see that the one who did this has extremely precise control on his application of strength. When we first saw it, we were all extremely stunned and awed by it. Even though the opponent had shown mercy, not dealing any fatal injury, for this patient to fully recover in less than ten months is impossible."
The team leader peeked carefully at Li Shiyu, then said softly, "Unless we take out the special medicinal agents the military medical research specialization has developed, then perhaps the time could be shortened."
Li Shiyu merely nodded but said nothing. He naturally knew how the other had been injured — that youth had brought it all on himself. Thus, he had no interest whatsoever in helping him. Besides, the other was also the adversary of his younger cousin's party. Regardless of how much he looked down on that jerk of a cousin of his, he would not allow others to bully a member of their Li family ...
The team leader saw Li Shiyu keeping silent, and sighed softly, but said nothing further. After all, the special medicinal agents of the military medical research department were extremely precious. He had only brought it up earlier to try his luck — if Li Shiyu had truly been moved to help, then it would have been a blessing upon this patient.
The team leader then led Li Shiyu's group of four to another healing pod. This healing pod held a first year. The surrounding youths saw them approach and all revealed stern and nervous expressions as they stared at them, as if on guard against any sign of intended harm to their companion.
Seeing this, Li Lanfeng nodded mentally. This New Cadet Regiment was more united than he had imagined — it looks like they really could not be underestimated.
The team leader pointed at the healing pod and said to Li Shiyu, "This is a first year student. Multiple wound-sites on his internal organs and meridians ... it can be said that he was pretty much half dead, but his body's regenerative ability is extraordinarily strong. In tandem with the recovery agents here, he should be back to normal in three months."
Li Shiyu approached and took a look, and found that the one lying in the healing pod was that tenacious youth who had fought after Li Yingjie. That brutal match had stirred even him ... he had initially thought that the youth's wounds would take at least half a year to heal, but surprisingly, he would be okay after just three months. It looked like this youth's physical constitution was truly exceptional.
The team leader then pointed at the healing pod next to this one and said, "That one is also a first year student. His injuries are also very severe — his left scapula 1 is shattered — he won't be recovered till 2 or 3 months later."
Li Shiyu walked closer to see, and as expected, it was Li Yingjie. He was lying in the healing pod with a tortured expression of pain, and Li Shiyu could hear some vague moaning coming from him. In contrast, the other first year student beside him who was injured much worse was able to tolerate the pain stoically without any change in his expression.
Li Shiyu was instantly in a bad mood. He sniffed coldly and said, "Just a minor injury and you're behaving so disgracefully. You're really losing the face of the Li family."
Li Yingjie heard a familiar voice coming from outside the healing pod and forced his eyes open, only to become instantly wide-eyed with shock. He stared at Li Shiyu — hells, why was his second elder cousin brother 1 here?
Back when Li Shiyu had gone against his grandfather's orders, choosing to give up on his identity as inheritor, even though Li Yingjie did not know the full story, he had heard a thing or two about it. Still, he just could not figure out why this incomprehensible second elder cousin brother of his would appear within the military academy, and wearing the white uniform he admired so much to boot. This meant that Li Shiyu was definitely the dux of one of the specializations, and this was no easy feat.
Even the proud Li Yingjie had already given up on his goal of becoming dux, because Li Yingjie knew that the dux of their year's mecha specialization would be none other than Boss Ling Lan.
1. 久仰你的大名: The original phrase translates more literally to 'I've long looked up to your great name', referring to admiring someone's good reputation from afar. It's a little awkward to use as it is though, hence this final more natural sounding version. :p
2. The author uses the term for 'younger brother' here, but Li Shiyu is actually cousins with Li Yingjie.
3. T/C: Aww, Shiyu's such a softie.
4. i.e. shoulder blade
5. It's such a mouthful, but I felt it necessary to show the relationship between the cousins. It is very common in Chinese culture to call their relatives by the title of their relation. For example, my dad has 8 brothers. When I meet my uncles, I don't ever call them by name. Instead, I call them by relation; for example, 'second elder uncle' and 'seventh younger uncle'. My dad's the 6th boy, hence the 7th uncle has to be called younger uncle. It took me a while to remember everyone and the rules of address. Reunions are a blast. xP In any case, I'll shorten this to just 'cousin brother' later on when appropriate now the full relation has already been mentioned.
Chapter 267 - Transferal of Treatment!
Li Yingjie was still secretly wondering what the heck was going on when Li Shiyu said to the staff member monitoring Li Yingjie's healing pod, "Help me open up this healing pod!"
"This ..." The staff member looked dubiously at his team leader, not daring to obey immediately. Even though Li Shiyu was the dux of the military medical research specialization, thus being like half a leader to them, this matter was related to the treatment of a student, so the staff member did not dare to move recklessly.
Seeing this, the team leader hurried to explain, "Dux Li, this student is currently undergoing treatment. If we interrupt the process now, it might affect the final recovery time."
At these words, Li Shiyu raised his right hand and turned on his communicator to carefully enter some information, then said, "Don't worry. I've already requested to take on Li Yingjie's treatment from the military academy. Very soon, you all should receive the transfer procedure request here."
As the dux of the military medical research specialization, Li Shiyu had the right to request primary responsibility over the care of any patient. Of course, the military academy would still hold responsibility over the two students. The administration would keep track of the entire treatment process, circumventing any possible harm that could occur to either of the involved parties. Either side that committed any fault would be strictly punished by the military academy.
Hearing Li Shiyu's explanation, the team leader relaxed. Very quickly, the team leader received the transfer order, and so instructed the staff member to stop the treatment process of the healing pod and open the pod.
This out of the ordinary event drew the concern of the other first years waiting in the treatment centre. They all gathered close, and upon seeing the healing pod suddenly being opened, their expressions changed. One of the students was Xie Yi, who had accompanied Li Yingjie here for treatment under Ling Lan's orders. Enraged, he asked, "What do you all think you're doing? Don't you know that interrupting treatment will affect his recovery?"
The team leader rushed to explain, "This student will be transferred to the Military Medical Research Centre for treatment. You all can relax. The treatment and medicinal agents there are several times better than those we have here. Not only will his injuries not be affected, he might even be able to recover even earlier."
Xie Yi peered dubiously at Li Shiyu and the others — would these people who were obviously seniors be so kind and benevolent? Xie Yi could not be blamed for overthinking things. After all, they had just had a confrontation with the seniors of Leiting. According to the update they had received from a member who had rushed over from the arena, Boss Lan had just defeated the top fighter of Leiting, officially winning the wagered fight. It could not be excluded that the people of Leiting might turn to anger from their shame, and take the opportunity to do something underhanded while they still had not received direct orders from those in the upper ranks.
Seeing this, Li Lanfeng smiled and explained, "We're from the Wuji Mecha Clan, and this is Dux Li from the military medical research specialization. If you understand how our military academy is run, you'll know that the military medical research specialization is never involved in the conflicts among the various factions."
As military doctors were the holy ones who treated the sick and healed the wounded, they needed to treat all patients objectively without any bias. Thus, whether it was within the military academy or within the actual military, military doctors were absolutely not allowed to be involved in any conflicts among the various factions. This was because once a military doctor was involved, they could not guarantee that their heart would remain pure. Especially on the battlefield, if a doctor hesitated or wavered due to their patient being from a different faction, it could result in a death, and this was something the military could not condone.
From the start, Xie Yi was a news-gatherer, a busybody — he knew what the senior across him had said was not wrong. If the other was really from the military doctor specialization, he could certainly relax, for the other would definitely not do anything bad to Li Yingjie. As such, he acquiesced, but he still kept a close watch on Li Shiyu and his group. The moment he detected anything odd, he would make sure to prevent them at first notice from harming Li Yingjie.
At this time, Xie Yi was still rather simple and naive, not knowing that military doctors were people too. They experienced the full gamut of emotions just like any other person, and especially towards those particular people whom they loved and hated in equal measure, even if they would treat them dutifully, they would still find all manner of ways to 'torment' the other. And despite how these torments were actually also beneficial to the patient, it went without question that there was not a single patient who would be willing to accept such treatment if they had been given a choice.
As the healing pod was completely opened, the healing fluid inside the pod was suctioned out at the same time. Very soon, Li Yingjie's body was revealed, and several seconds later, the uniform he was wearing was blown dry — it was as if he had never been immersed in healing fluid.
At this moment, Li Yingjie finally found the chance to speak. He asked, "Second elder cousin brother, why are you here?"
"Hmph, why can't I be here?" Li Shiyu harrumphed coldly. Facing Li Yingjie, he did not have the same patience he had when dealing with his eldest cousin brother. He found this brat here annoying no matter how he looked at him.
Li Yingjie was instantly left speechless. He found that he was indeed a great idiot for asking this question. Li Shiyu being here, dressed in the uniform of a dux no less, naturally meant he was a student of this military academy. And being able to be a student of the First Men's Military Academy, of course meant he had passed the admissions tests. Could his brain have been injured when he had been struck previously?
"Fine, that was a stupid question. I should ask, what are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me?" Li Yingjie stared unhappily at Li Shiyu. His relationship with his second elder cousin brother was not very good; he would not be so self-deluded to think that his cousin was here to be chummy with him.
"At least you are self-aware, wise enough to know you're a joke. Yes, I'm here to lecture you. Performing so terribly on the stage, you've really disgraced our Li family," scolded Li Shiyu, disappointed. Even though Li Shiyu had rejected the position of Li family inheritor, this did not mean he did not acknowledge that he was of the Li family. Thus, seeing Li Yingjie perform so badly, he was extremely dissatisfied.
Li Yingjie rolled his eyes at these words. How could he have forgotten that his cousin brother had an inherently venomous tongue 1 ? Whenever they met, his cousin brother would critique him till it seemed as if he were worthless. Of course, he had not wanted to just take it, constantly looking for a way to fight back. But unfortunately, the other was older than him by quite a few years, and relied on his advantage of the extra years of strength and knowledge of combat skills to suppress Li Yingjie. Thus, he had failed many times in his attempts to object, never having found a chance to turn the tables till now.
Originally, four years ago was a very good chance for him to turn the tables, but Li Shiyu had unfortunately become at odds with grandfather because he had rejected the position of inheritor, subsequently moving out of the Li family mansion. This caused Li Yingjie to no longer have the chance to meet the other to attempt bringing his revolt to the final stages ...
Li Shiyu paid no mind to whether Li Yingjie would be disgruntled by his words, instead continuing to instruct, "Later, follow me to the Military Medical Research Centre. After this, your injuries will be my responsibility."
"That's not necessary. Since I can be healed here too, why should I go there?" retorted Li Yingjie haughtily. He did not want to owe this annoying second elder cousin brother anything, and would rather suffer a little more here.
At these words, Li Shiyu's face darkened and he leaned in close, bending over to pat Li Yingjie's still immobile face within the healing pod, and said lowly, "My taking over your treatment, is already a fact. So, just give up."
Li Shiyu's dark face made the warning bells in Li Yingjie's heart blare loudly — could it be that his cousin brother was shifting his venom from his tongue to his hands 1 instead? He struggled desperately, trying to speak. Right then, an icy voice suddenly rang out from the main doors of the treatment centre. Despite the size of the treatment centre and how many people there were inside, this voice seemed to ring out by everyone's ears, clear and coherent.
"I would like to know, what in the world is going on?" From the doorway, this question signalled the entrance of a coldly dashing youth radiating a cold aura as he slowly walked into the treatment centre.
For some reason, the moment he entered the treatment centre, the entire centre's temperature seemed to drop by several degrees. Some people even felt an invisible pressure descend upon them. The initially somewhat raucous noise was abruptly silenced, and everyone's eyes were drawn and held by this youth.
It turned out that Ling Lan who had won the arena fight had arrived, and behind her were quite a few of the team leaders of the New Cadet Regiment.
Li Yingjie's initially grumpy expression instantly brightened when he heard this voice. He turned his head to look over and shouted out, "Boss Lan!"
This behaviour of Li Yingjie's made Li Shiyu's face change minutely, and the gaze of Li Lanfeng, who had been observing Li Yingjie all this while, flashed briefly. Li Lanfeng lifted his head to look in Ling Lan's direction, and his gaze became extremely solemn.
"Li Yingjie!" Li Shiyu could not hold back an angry bellow. His voice was raised quite a few decibels — it was clear to see how much rage was contained behind it. Li Shiyu was extremely dissatisfied with how easily Li Yingjie had acknowledged another as his boss, and was also sad on behalf of his eldest cousin brother. This was because he felt that only Li Mulan should be the boss of them Li family brothers. And Li Yingjie, this great big dumbass, had actually given this honourable title of their eldest cousin brother to someone else — this was something he could not forgive.
Li Shiyu's furious roar did not cow Li Yingjie, who instead had an expression filled with stubborn recalcitrance on his face. Li Yingjie was exactly like this. He was someone who, if he does not acknowledge you, no matter how much you pressure him, he would still refuse to submit. However, if you could gain his heartfelt deference, one cold glance would be enough to freeze him in his place. Right now, this personality of Li Yingjie's was out in full force, which just made Li Shiyu's rage flare even higher.
If it could be said that meeting his eldest cousin brother made Li Shiyu want to draw close instinctively, wanting to protect the other, then meeting Li Yingjie was completely the other way round. All of Li Shiyu's initial praiseworthy good temperament would completely disappear, only leaving behind roars of anger and a venomous tongue ... not once could they co-exist peacefully.
Li Shiyu and Li Yingjie glared at each other. On one side, Li Lanfeng's expression shifted minutely, but just as he was about intervene and mediate, a glacial voice rang out extremely close to him, "Why isn't my party member being treated? Can you explain this?"
Apparently, Ling Lan had already arrived by the healing pod of Li Yingjie, and was speaking directly to the staff member in charge of treating Li Yingjie.
Perhaps because she had just come straight from combat, there was still a trace of killing intent on Ling Lan's body. This intimidating aura actually made the staff member break out in cold sweat all across his forehead, unable to reply for a moment.
"Hm?" Ling Lan quirked an eyebrow, her freezing gaze driving a bolt of chill into the staff member's heart. He quickly replied, "I'm sorry, he ... he's been transferred to the Military Medical Research Centre."
"Transferred to the Military Medical Research Centre?" Ling Lan's brow furrowed, unsure what this meant. Xie Yi dashed up to her side and explained the entire chain of events to Ling Lan. Ling Lan nodded as she listened, finally getting the picture.
Once Xie Yi was done speaking, he retreated. Only then did Ling Lan turn her attention to Li Shiyu's group of four, and Li Shiyu's group instantly felt a wave of invisible pressure crashing onto them.
Li Lanfeng's gaze began to flicker once more, because he had sensed a familiar energy ... perhaps the other was really like him. This was the very first time he had ever sensed the presence of kin — his heart could not help but pound for several beats.
1. The Chinese version of 'sharp tongue'. I would have translated it directly into 'sharp tongue', but there's a phrase later on in this chapter that only really works if I keep this as 'venomous tongue'. Anyhow, having a sharp/venomous tongue means a person is given to using cutting, harsh, or critical language.
2. And there, this is the phrase. The more proper English version 'from being sharp-tongued to having murderous hands' just doesn't have the same impact and beautiful parallelism. Li Yingjie is wondering if his cousin brother has decided to take action and really harm/kill him instead of cutting at him with words like usual.
Chapter 268 - Are You Threatening Me?
Li Lanfeng's control over his emotions was undoubtedly excellent — in the blink of an eye, he had regained his composure. He continued to observe indifferently from the sidelines, but mentally made a note to try and find out more about the other to aid his future plans.
Ling Lan swept her gaze contemplatively over the four youths, and her gaze finally landed on Li Shiyu. Xie Yi had mentioned very clearly that this dux was the one who had pushed this decision through, so she said to him, "Are you the one who requested to transfer my man into the Military Medical Research Centre?"
In spite of his displeasure, Li Shiyu's good upbringing still made him nod in response, indicating that Ling Lan was right.
At that, Ling Lan raised an eyebrow and said, "I recall that, a request like that still requires the agreement of the patient being treated." After finding out about the situation, Little Four had instantly looked up all the related regulations on transferral of treatment cases. Thus, Ling Lan was now extremely clear on all the rules and procedures associated with the process — there were plenty of loopholes for her to play with ...
Li Shiyu's expression darkened, but he still replied, "I'm the dux of the military medical research specialization. As long as any patient is within the treatment centre, I have the right to designate them as my patient without requiring the other's approval." That said, he did not forget to throw a fierce glare in Li Yingjie's direction ...
The moment Li Shiyu said this, the senior year students all nodded in agreement, while the 1st year freshmen stared at one another, uncertain whether the military academy really had this rule.
Li Yingjie was rather bewildered by Li Shiyu's glare — when and how had he offended his second elder cousin brother now? Initially already irritated, he became even more disgruntled. His anger spiked, but still he held back, only expressing it by returning an equally scathing glare to indicate his displeasure.
Although every time Li Yingjie encountered Li Shiyu they were like primed firecrackers — ready to explode at the slightest provocation — over these many years, Li Yingjie actually knew that his cousin brother would never hurt him. Otherwise, having the full upper hand over him all these years, Li Shiyu would not have just mocked and taunted and snarked at him with words. From the time they were little till now, there had been plenty of chances for Li Shiyu to be ruthless and do away with him completely ...
This was also why Li Yingjie had not rebutted his cousin's words, merely glaring back — he did not want to put Li Shiyu on the spot 1 .
"Furthermore, Li Yingjie is my younger cousin. As his elder cousin, giving a hand to treat him is an obligation. I can ensure that he fully recovers in almost half the time." Of course, this was based on the prerequisite that Li Yingjie had to endure through the intense agony of his body being modified and improved by the medical agents ... Li Yingjie would probably remember the experience for the rest of his life. A subtle smile appeared on Li Shiyu's lips.
These words of Li Shiyu moved all of the first year students; even those members who had still been wary of Li Shiyu cast away their doubts at this time. Li Yingjie himself was convinced, but just as he was about to say he was willing, an ice-cold gaze swept over to look at him, instantly freezing him in place along with those words which were already at the tip of his tongue.
How terrifying! Compared to Boss Lan's cold gaze, his elder cousin's glares were really all too harmless. Li Yingjie swallowed the acceptance he had been about to utter, hurriedly ducking his head and pretending that he did not know anything.
Li Yingjie resolutely chose Boss Lan's side. Offending his elder cousin would just cause him to be cut by the other's venomous tongue a few times or at most incur a few minor scrapes, but if he made Boss Lan unhappy ... Li Yingjie shuddered internally. He still remembered that not too long ago in the combat hall, he had seen Qi Long in a terrible state, crawling and staggering out with the last of his strength from a combat room. Qi Long's opponent that day had been Boss Lan ...
Out of curiosity over Qi Long's sorry state, Li Yingjie had asked Xie Yi, who was on friendly terms with everyone in the regiment, about it. Xie Yi had told him then that Qi Long had accidentally offended Boss Lan, so Boss Lan had decided to spar with Qi Long for a week 1 ...
And sure enough, for that entire week, Qi Long had crawled out so pitifully from the combat room every single day. Li Yingjie absolutely did not want to become the second Qi Long, so he was determined to follow Boss Lan's lead.
Obtaining Li Yingjie's cooperation, Ling Lan retracted her gaze in satisfacton. She, who had originally had a relatively so-so impression of Li Shiyu, was now looking at Li Shiyu with sparkling eyes, just like a starving fox setting its eyes on a piece of premium-grade marbled meat ... um, no, an extremely good collaboration partner.
With regards to the three people who had been heavily injured in the arena fights, Ling Lan was extremely distressed and concerned. This was because she knew very well that missing too many of the physical conditioning classes would affect their final physical conditioning results. Even if the New Cadet Regiment managed to establish their foothold within the military academy as a result of this wagered fight, if the three boys could not pass the school assessment in the end due to their injuries here, Ling Lan felt that it was rather not worth it.
This was also why she had rushed over here to the treatment centre after accepting a simple round of congratulations from the members of the New Cadet Regiment. She wanted to know the conditions of the three and their final recovery prognoses 1 . Along the way, having discovered the treatment estimations, Little Four had told her the time needed for the three boys to recover. Luo Lang would require one month, Li Yingjie two and a half months, while Qi Long would need a whole three months ... undoubtedly, the treatment time for all three of them were extremely long. This would be very disadvantageous to them in the following physical conditioning courses.
Although Ling Lan had tried asking Little Four to find a solution, Little Four's answer was that there was no way. This made Ling Lan extremely unhappy. Therefore, the moment she had entered the treatment centre to find some seniors facing off against Li Yingjie and the others, Ling Lan's mood had become even worse, causing the cold air around her to become even colder by several degrees ...
But her luck was unexpectedly great! Here she was worrying about her three followers' conditions, when someone had voluntarily walked up to her front door to offer a solution. Even in her overwhelming joy, Ling Lan had begun to work the little abacus inside her mind 1 , calculating how best to use the other to obtain the best benefits for her followers.
Ling Lan held this strange stare on Li Shiyu for a few seconds — under this creepy gaze, the initially calm and composed Li Shiyu actually found cold sweat breaking out along his back, as if he had stepped into some sort of trap ...
The corner of Ling Lan's lips quirked up, and she suddenly opened her mouth to say, "Unfortunately, he already has a clan!" And then Ling Lan, who had initially been five paces away, was suddenly right by Li Shiyu. She pressed down on Li Shiyu's shoulder with one hand and leaned in close to say softly by his ear, "Regarding the procedures and regulations on transferral of treatment, I know no less than you ..."
Li Shiyu's expression changed, but before he could say anything, Ling Lan was already back in her original position, just as if she had never moved at all. This scene caused everyone in the treatment centre to be stupefied, also causing the eyes of Li Lanfeng, who had been standing next to Li Shiyu, to narrow.
"Li Yingjie, are you willing to go with me?" Li Shiyu swiftly regained his composure, and turned his head to ask Li Yingjie. Now the key was Li Yingjie's answer. If Li Yingjie agreed, there would be no problem.
Li Yingjie had long made up his mind. Hearing Li Shiyu's question, he responded without even having to think, "I'll listen to whatever Boss Lan decides."
"Have you forgotten that you are a Li family descendant?!" Li Yingjie's reply made Li Shiyu livid once more. When had this arrogant and annoying brat become so submissive?
"No, he is still a descendant of your Li family, but he is also one of my clan members," Ling Lan interrupted to say, "You know very well that I have the right to decide everything for him."
"You ..." Li Shiyu was instantly left at a loss for words, because Ling Lan was right. Once a student joined a clan, that student would no longer be solely representing himself. Instead, he now represented the clan as well, which also meant that there were some things that Li Yingjie could no longer decide for himself.
Li Lanfeng quickly stepped in to defuse the awkward scene. "Actually, everyone here is just trying to do the best for Young Master Yingjie. Regiment Commander Ling, Young Master Shiyu is the dux of the military medical research specialization. Speaking reasonably, only Young Master Shiyu has the right to use the best medicinal agents to treat Young Master Yingjie. Thus, letting Young Master Shiyu take charge of treatment, Young Master Yingjie has everything to gain and nothing to lose."
Li Lanfeng did not wish for the two sides to fall out and become adversaries. If possible, he still wanted to collaborate with Ling Lan. Moreover, he too was worried about Li Yingjie's injuries, and he also really did not want to hurt Li Shiyu's compassionate heart filled with brotherly love ...
"I know. However, I still have two clan members who are very gravely injured. I wonder if Dux Li would be willing to lend a hand?" Ling Lan did not want to draw things out with the other either, so she directly put forward her request.
"You think ultra-effective medical agents are that easy to obtain?" Li Shiyu's expression was very dark. "If Li Yingjie were not my younger cousin, I would never have offered."
"What a good big brother!" Ling Lan lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Li Shiyu, a half-smile on her face, as if she had seen through Li Shiyu's inner thoughts. This made Li Shiyu feel somewhat flustered instantly, unsure whether he had misconstrued what the other intended ...
"What if I want you to treat all three of them no matter what?"
"Are you threatening me?" Li Shiyu's eyes narrowed, a faint air of danger beginning to emanate from his body.
The military medical students belonged to the neutral factions within the military academy; no individual or faction dared to offend them. After all, no one could tell whether they would ever be injured and fall into the other's hands. No one would play a fool with their life.
"If you want to think so, you can!" responded Ling Lan evenly, "This would depend on how much you, as a good elder brother, are willing to do for your younger brother."
Li Shiyu clenched his teeth so hard he almost shattered them. Who could have known that the boss Li Yingjie had acknowledged would be so shameless, actually using Li Yingjie as a bargaining chip to threaten him? He said resentfully to Li Yingjie, "This is the boss you want to follow? One who, for the sake of others, would be willing to sacrifice you?"
Li Yingjie's complexion shifted slightly, but very quickly returned to normal. He said, "They are my brothers too. For brothers, a little sacrifice is worth it. Besides, it's not like I can't be healed. It'll just take a little longer, just as if you had never appeared ..." The connotation of these words was that he would just pretend that Li Shiyu had never showed up, that he was willing to either share the blessing or suffer together with his brothers.
These words moved the people of the New Cadet Regiment. Han Jijyun, Lin Zhong-qing, Xie Yi, and the others all began to look at Li Yingjie with new eyes.
Frankly, Li Yingjie's reputation within the New Cadet Regiment had never been very good. After all, his character was already deeply rooted — his arrogant tone and haughty manner were rather irritating. But now, they were seeing Li Yingjie in a new light. Apparently, that annoying and arrogant punk was not a selfish person — he was in fact willing to sacrifice himself for his brothers. All this had just been hidden below that pompous appearance, unknown by others.
Hearing Li Yingjie's reply, Li Shiyu was so angry that he almost blurted out 1 : You can bloody go live and die as you like! I don't want to treat you anymore!
1. 下不了台: Original here is literally 'he did not want Li Shiyu to be unable to get off the stage (with grace)'. It feeds into the whole concept of leaving some face for someone, not pushing them to the brink.
2. T/C: Qi Long probably loved it though. :p
3. This is the plural form of 'prognosis'.
4. i.e. calculate, plot, and scheme.
5. T/C: Key word being 'almost', people, he does not actually say this.
Chapter 269 - A Twenty-four Filial Exemplars Dad!
However, his eldest cousin brother Li Mulan's words surfaced within his mind. He had said before that Li Yingjie was not a bad person at heart, only being steered towards the wrong tracks by some people within the Li family. If possible, his eldest cousin brother still hoped that Li Shiyu could help Li Yingjie out, pulling him back onto the right path ...
And now, this situation was proving his eldest cousin brother right. Someone who was willing to sacrifice himself for his brothers — how bad could his heart really be? Perhaps this was an opportunity. If he could improve his relationship with Li Yingjie through this matter, perhaps he would be able to accomplish what his eldest cousin brother had wished for ...
Still, just thinking about this forced buy one get two free deal, Li Shiyu felt depressed. Just as he had mentioned previously, those ultra-effective medical agents were not things you could just pick up randomly. Even if he was the dux, requesting special restricted medical agents for three people was still a considerable challenge, requiring him to pull some strings ... honestly speaking, he did not really want to use up those connections at this time, because this was a safety line he had been keeping in reserve for his eldest cousin brother.
"Of course, if you can heal them completely within a short period of time, we, the New Cadet Regiment, including myself, will owe you one. You can call on this favour any time you like." Ling Lan was not purely pushing for Li Shiyu's help with threats; at the same time, she was also offering the price she was willing to pay. She did not want Li Yingjie to really lose this opportunity for enhanced treatment. "Of course, your request must be something we the New Cadet Regiment are able to fulfil."
"New Cadet Regiment?" A thought flashed through Li Shiyu's mind, but he soon sneered and said, "Do you really think you can guarantee the New Cadet Regiment will continue to exist?"
Ling Lan replied calmly, "There will be no problems for at least two years' time. You can choose for us to repay this favour within these two years. Of course, if the New Cadet Regiment no longer exists by the time you submit your request, I, Ling Lan's promise still stands. You can come find me." For the sake of the future of these followers of hers, Ling Lan felt that paying this price was worth it.
Li Shiyu fell silent, contemplating whether this deal would be worth it. Right then, Li Lanfeng spoke up, "Young Master Shiyu, I believe Young Master Mulan would also agree that you should treat Young Master Yingjie and his friends ..."
Li Lanfeng sighed softly, his gaze a little unfocused, and as if speaking to himself, but also as if reminding Li Shiyu, he said, "You should know, this has always been something Young Master Mulan admires ..."
Li Shiyu's heart throbbed, and holding back that surge of sour-ache in his heart, he said loudly, "Alright, I agree." That said, he pushed forth two more requests for transferral of treatment on his communicator. Several seconds later, the notifications for approval came through once more.
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, the tension in Ling Lan's heart eased and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. Very quickly, the staff members had used stretchers to send the three patients to the Military Medical Research Centre. Li Shiyu and Yun Xiu bade hurried goodbyes and left as well. After all, the injuries of the three were all rather severe — they needed to hurry back to the Military Medical Research Centre and carry out their new treatment plans.
While the treatment centre was bustling with activity, Ling Lan led her posse to depart, and as she left, she coincidentally passed by Li Lanfeng's side. Ling Lan swept a disinterested glance at Li Lanfeng, and then they brushed by each other and went their separate ways ...
This was Ling Lan and Li Lanfeng's first meeting. There was no conversation, no interaction between the both of them. Li Lanfeng might perhaps have retained a deep impression of Ling Lan, considering the possibility of a collaboration, but Ling Lan only felt that this man was pretty decent, helping her out by speaking in her favour at that critical moment ... that was all!
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Meanwhile, on the distant planet Southcrest, where the headquarters of the 23rd Division was stationed, there were currently over a hundred different things still waiting to be done. Lacking high-ranking officers within his division, the commander of the 23rd Division, Ling Xiao, not only had to fight and haggle with the other army division commanders to appropriate talent from their forces, he also had to work hard to smooth over those messes his own daughter was making ... such as that ship takeover incident!
Speaking of that day, Ling Xiao had been in a video conference meeting with several commanders of the other divisions. The agenda of the meeting was naturally to request support from the brother divisions in the form of high-ranking officers. Of course, these few commanders were all part of the First Marshal's faction. Thus, they were willing to help support the establishment of an allied division within the same faction. However, Ling Xiao's appetite was truly too much — all the candidates he chose were among the most exceptional officers within their divisions. This made the commanders somewhat unhappy, but they could not reject outright, and thus began these wrangling and fruitless negotiations ...
In reality, this was just Ling Xiao testing the waters by throwing out an exorbitant price — he was actually waiting for the other side to bargain with him and provide a more reasonable counter-offer 1 . Only this way would he be able to know what the baselines of the other commanders were. Of course, in order to obtain more talented people, Ling Xiao had already set his mind to grind it out with them. Mind you, to swiftly establish a mature army division, large numbers of excellent military officers were absolutely indispensable to form the backbone of the division. Once the skeleton structure was built up, filling it up with flesh and blood would be a much easier task.
This was just the first step. Ling Xiao had also sent out transfer requests for some of the still surviving members of his original team in the 7th Division. Whether it would succeed would still depend on whether the current commander of the 7th Division was willing to let them go, as well as whether those old subordinates of his would be willing to relocate here to work under him again.
However, just as the meeting had been going along swimmingly, a notification had popped up on Ling Xiao's communicator. After bending his head to glance at it, the initially smiling Ling Xiao had suddenly become serious, and the muscles of his face had even seemed a little stiff, as if he had received some great shock ...
Ling Xiao suppressed his emotions, extremely apologetic as he set a new appointment to meet with the various commanders again later on, and then he hurriedly ended the teleconference.
This behaviour of Ling Xiao's made the commanders feel somewhat uneasy, all of them wondering whether Ling Xiao had encountered some difficulty — had they went overboard in their bargaining, pushing the price down too low, thus making Ling Xiao sad 1 ? After all, Ling Xiao was still a young man who had just turned 40 years old. Ahem ahem, compared to those typical commanders who were at least 60 to 70 years old, he was indeed rather young ...
They reckoned Ling Xiao must be finding it tough — the 23rd Division sounded great in name, giving the impression that it was a regular army division, fully equipped with the various troops and facilities associated with the running of a proper division, but it was actually just an empty husk right now. The division was lacking in both manpower and equipment — everything depended on Ling Xiao himself to gather resources and seek out good staff. Those of the other military factions were all watching coldly from the side-lines, just waiting for Ling Xiao to fail. If they of the same faction did not help out, who else would come forward to help Ling Xiao?
With that thought, what mental imbalance they originally still had settled down. It was actually just giving up a few more military officers after all — Ling Xiao's request was still quite reasonable — if each division transferred one or two exceptional officers from each troop type over, it actually would not affect the various army divisions much. Even though those officers were indeed quite outstanding, there were still a lot of other outstanding officers within their ranks; they would not miss one or two ...
The commanders discussed things over in private, and ultimately decided it was better to give Ling Xiao a little face. If Ling Xiao did well, they would be well off too. Thus, when Ling Xiao reopened negotiations with them once more, the commanders had become extremely generous. Basically, whatever Ling Xiao wanted, as long as it was not too unreasonable, they would agree. This made Ling Xiao exceedingly shocked and pleased. After all, every additional competent officer was a boon to the division. This meant that he would be able to train up even more excellent troops in-house, so the 23rd Division would be able to become battle-ready as swiftly as possible.
However, in reality, those commanders were all mistaken. Ling Xiao had not encountered any great trouble, nor had he become depressed over their haggling behaviour. The reason Ling Xiao's face had become so grim was because he had been petrified by the news about his daughter ...
The fact that the First Men's Military Academy had an entrance exam was known to him. After all, he too had lived through it. He had not told Ling Lan about it because he wanted to see how Ling Lan would react — you could consider this a test a father was setting for his daughter 1 .
At most, Ling Xiao had thought that Ling Lan would lead her team to observe the proceedings coldly from the side-lines. That was what he had chosen to do when he had gone through the test in the past. Ling Xiao believed that based on the capabilities of his daughter and those companions of hers, obtaining the respect of the examiner-soldiers would be no problem ... but he would never have imagined that his daughter would be so wildly audacious that she would actually band the students on the ship together to assume control of the ship. And even more unexpectedly, she had actually bloody succeeded ...
Seeing this news, Ling Xiao chose to end his conference as soon as he could, and then ran off to laugh unreservedly at the heavens!
At this moment, he could no longer maintain his trademark composed smile. He was no longer that always smiling national idol Ling Xiao, the elegant and dashing General Ling Xiao — he was only a crazed dad taking pride in his daughter ... this was his daughter! Godd*mmit, this was his daughter! Well, alright, that was all Ling Xiao could think about. He was so proud of his baby daughter — as expected of a child of his, daring to do things even he had not dared to do ...
However, after his wild bout of laughter, Ling Xiao began to frown and fret. This lass was still smart enough to know that some of the things she did had been a little overboard, and could cause the soldiers who were testing them to be punished. Thus, knowing that she had made a mess, his daughter had sent word to her old man to help settle things for her. According to Ling Lan, having held the empty title of 'father' for sixteen years, it was about time for him to do something to live up to it ...
What an unfilial daughter! Although Ling Xiao was muttering about how unfilial Ling Lan was on the surface, he was actually very pleased in his heart, because this was the first time Ling Lan had personally asked him for help to clean up her mess. Even though her tone was not that wonderful, Ling Xiao knew that this was Ling Lan taking the first step — she was actively trying to accept him as a father ...
Understanding the deeper meaning behind this news from Ling Lan, Ling Xiao was instantly filled with motivation. He immediately passed on the task of recruiting and stealing talent over to his assistant, and then eagerly went off to clean up the mess his daughter had made.
He first used his rank as general to brush aside the punishment order for the ship's captain, and then he requested a transfer order from military headquarters to bring in the spaceship and its entire crew, including the captain, into the 23rd Division. And after that, he immediately contacted the principal of the military academy to seal off all the results of the entrance exams this time, keeping it unannounced ... Ling Xiao knew very well that once it was publicized, Ling Lan's exceptional performance would draw the attention of military headquarters, including that of the various major army divisions. This was something he absolutely would not allow.
Having done all this, Ling Xiao was still somewhat uneasy. After all, far away here at planet Southcrest 1 , it was very difficult for him to be on top of the latest news from the First Academy 2 . Therefore, he decided to personally go and check up on Ling Lan — only after he ensured there was no danger to his daughter would he be able to continue working on establishing the 23rd Division without worry.
The reason why this sort of idea would occur to Ling Xiao was that not long after this, the 5th year senior cadets would be facing their first round of application assessments for enlistment into the various army divisions, and their 23rd Division would join this assessment system of the military academies for the first time. As one of the army divisions which would be accepting cadets, he, as the commander, would have to dispatch an assessment team to assess those students who applied for enlistment to the 23rd Division.
Thus, Ling Xiao decided that this time, he would lead the team personally, though of course the assessment tasks would be delegated to his subordinate officers. His main mission would be to go check on and care for that peerlessly adorable baby girl of his ...
Ling Lan? Adorable? Only a Twenty-four Filial Exemplars dad would consider a daughter with as much cool-ruthless-dominant swag as Ling Lan to be a peerlessly adorable girl ... it can only be said that when it came to Ling Lan, Ling Xiao's judgement just could not be trusted.
1. 漫天叫价,落地还钱: Sigh, the Chinese version is so much more elegant. Just eight words, with sweet parallelism to boot. Literally 'calling a price as high as the skies, waiting for a down-to-earth price'. But the literal English version just sounds tacky here in context, and would require more elaboration anyway, so this. :3
2. T/C: The thought process of these commanders is just too cute here. :3
3. T/C: Only in this universe and in Ling Xiao's strange world view would this be any kind of reasonable test for one's own daughter. =.=
4. 南羽星: Literal form -- 'planet South Feather'; pinyin form -- 'planet Nanyu'. 'Crest' can refer to 'a tuft of feathers on an animal's head', hence the final translated form 'Southcrest'.
5. shortened form of the First Men's Military Academy.