Xiao Jing was indeed terrified. Facing the cold, hard eyes of Shen Chengfeng, she suddenly wondered if he had read her thoughts.
She felt exposed and stripped bare as if all her secrets had been laid out in the open.
"Here are the military supplies for each of you. Collect them before you head back to your dormitory and rest for the day. Fall in tomorrow at five o'clock in the morning." Mu Xichi ordered the noncommissioned officers to hand out the supplies individually.
As Xiao Jing carried the heavy load in her arms and trailed behind the group, she could sense a sharp pair of eyes staring intently at her from time to time. Instinctively, she turned around, but there was no one behind.
Two people usually shared each dormitory room. However, each of the participants was allowed a place of their own. Fortunately for Jing Qing, she had a room all to herself once again.
With a smile on her face, she tidied her belongings and lay on the bed without changing clothes, eager to embark on her trip to dreamland.
Knock knock knock. A rhythmic rapping sound suddenly echoed throughout the empty room.
Xiao Jing opened her eyes groggily and saw two bright eyes staring at her unblinkingly in the dark. Her heart skipped a beat, and she nearly wet her pants.
"You're finally awake?" The man's booming voice hit Xiao Jing's eardrums like the sound of a midnight gong.
She blinked her eyes in disbelief and patted her chest to calm her palpitating heart. She summoned her courage to take a closer look at the person in front of her. It was indeed her elusively nimble and agile oldest brother, Xiao Yu.
Xiao Jing swallowed nervously. Her brother had always been a man of few words. His sudden appearance, given the current circumstances, didn't seem like a simple visit to her.
"I was in the area handling some matters. I heard from Xiao Ye that you had moved over here and came to check on you." Xiao Yu's voice was loud and resonant. He took off his military cap and laid it flat on the desk.
Xiao Jing nodded her head and greeted him, "Oldest… Oldest Brother."
"How are you adjusting to life in the military camp?"
Xiao Jing hesitated for a moment. If she said that she wasn't accustomed to it yet, was her brother, the frank and straightforward General Xiao Yu, going to give her a taste of his fists? How many of her bones would remain intact if his fist connected with her face?
Xiao Yu retrieved a bottle from his pocket and left it on the table. He spoke again, "It'll be a very challenging task for you to remain in the Special Forces and gain a firm foothold here given your petite stature. These pills were specially concocted by our family doctor using dozens of precious herbs. Take one when you're exhausted. It'll help you to regain your strength for the next day."
Xiao Jing glanced at the bottle that her brother had silently placed on the table, and suddenly felt moved. She couldn't remember her Oldest Brother ever saying so many words to her. The number of interactions that she could remember with Xiao Yu could be counted with a single hand.
"I've stayed long enough. I should go now to prevent any misunderstandings from arising among the outsiders." Xiao Yu picked up his military cap and stood up. His posture was ramrod straight and meticulous.
Xiao Jing hastened to scramble out of bed. She quickly stood at attention and performed a military salute towards his departing back.
"Righteous people do not do things in secret. I never expected the famous General Shen Chengfeng to resort to eavesdropping on conversations." Upon stepping out of the door, Xiao Yu closed the iron door behind him. The very next moment, he reached out to remove his military cap and tossed it towards a spot in the dark corner.
Shen Chengfeng raised his hand to block the hat that was flying directly towards him and caught it. He looked at the army emblem on the cap and spoke in his usual, frosty tone. "It's been two years since we last met, and I see that you've gotten more talkative than before.
"We were previously unable to determine who the stronger opponent between the two of us was. Now that two years have passed, why don't we try again and see who will emerge the winner?" With that, the man assumed an aggressive posture, and with lightning reflexes, began to throw his punches without a moment's break in between.
Shen Chengfeng leaped down from the third floor, and as he landed on the ground with both feet, he pulled out a pistol and shot without hesitation at the person following behind.
In a match between maestros, every second counted. Xiao Yu shook his body, and a blade shot out of his hand.
"Ping!" The blade connected with the bullet before bouncing off and embedding itself so deeply inside a pile of wood that only its handle was visible.
"Wooo…" the alarm was triggered, and the siren rang out.
Xiao Yu frowned. It was evident that he had no intention to stay.
Mu Xichi was the first person to rush out of the dormitory. He was still dressed in his pajama pants, and one of his slippers had disappeared somewhere during his dash over. He hurried over to the yard and exclaimed in panic, "What's going on?"
Immediately after, the group of newcomers who had just entered the camp trickled in one after the other. Was there a sudden mission to be assigned?
Shen Chengfeng stood with his hands behind his back and scrutinized the group of people that had taken at least 30 seconds to assemble in the yard. They were all disheveled-looking and had no image to speak of. His tone was somber as he spoke, "Based on this performance, how can any of you think yourself qualified?"
Mu Xichi smiled bitterly. Even he had fallen fast asleep. What more could he expect from the group of recruits?
"There's one more." Shen Chengfeng's eyes narrowed on Xiao Jing, who was only just arriving.
Xiao Jing was neatly attired. Even her belt was buckled. She was the only person in the group of shirtless men who was dressed correctly.
Shen Chengfeng walked over to her and raked down her body with his eyes. "A hundred push-ups for the last person. The rest of you are dismissed," he ordered as he turned around.
Everyone disbanded immediately; no one wanted to linger for a moment longer than necessary.
Xiao Jing stood alone in the courtyard as dark clouds loomed overhead in her mind.
"Do you have any objections?" Shen Chengfeng opened his mouth to ask when he saw that she had not moved.
Xiao Jing shook her head and got down on the ground to start doing her push-ups. Her arms were skinny, and under the moonlight, she looked even frailer.
Shen Chengfeng stared down from above at the lean figure below. He was bewildered. Although the Xiao family was one of the four major families in the empire and controlled a quarter of the empire's military, they were rumored to be ungrateful and heartless. Some rumors even went as far as to say that they acted only in their own interests.
Xiao Yu was the oldest brother and was famously known in the army as a cold-blooded general whose mere presence could terrify anyone and cause him to break out in cold sweat without him even having to utter a word.
However, this particular individual had suddenly encroached into his territory today, and all for the sake of the most obscure individual in the Xiao family–the fourth son.
Was it really as Xiao Ye had said? Was there was something special about Xiao Jing?
Shen Chengfeng pulled his thoughts together. His curiosity was suddenly piqued!