Xu Ming carried Wu Yanhan into the tent, fetched a bucket of water, poured the bottle of medicine into the bucket, and let him soak his feet.
Looking at those tender, fair little feet, Xu Ming thought it was a real pity that Wu Yanhan didn't just become a little "pretty boy."
Before long, Li Han, Xiong Haizhi, and the others returned to the tent.
Out of the 484 tent members, a total of seven had passed, while three had failed the assessment.
With a 50% elimination rate, having seven out of ten people pass was still a pretty decent result.
For the three who were eliminated, they had to decide that very day—would they join another military unit, or would they leave the Wuguo army system entirely and return home to farm?
In the end, one person chose to leave the army, planning to go home and help with work or perhaps become a household guard.
The other two opted to transfer to other units, hoping they could one day return to Blood Asura Battalion.
Xu Ming didn't say much about their choices; he could only wish them a bright future.
Alcohol was forbidden in the camp.
However, Li Han somehow managed to get hold of a jar of wine to send the three off.
Once those three left, their beds were vacated, and the entire tent felt noticeably quieter.
Including Xu Ming, everyone felt a bit uncomfortable.
No matter what, they had lived, eaten, and trained together for a year. Feelings had undeniably grown among them.
"Why the hell is it so dead in here?"
Wang Meng entered the tent, looking at the seven silent men.
"Get the hell up! Seven grown men moping around like a bunch of women—what is this? They're still alive and walking! What are you going to do when your comrades actually die one day? Cry and wail like little babies?
You should be grateful they've left Blood Asura Battalion. Their chances of surviving are much better than you dumb bastards'.
Now get out and assemble!"
After being scolded, Xu Ming and the others felt that Wang Meng's words made some sense.
They were sending people off now, but someday, it might be others sending them off.
Adjusting their moods, Xu Ming and the other seven stepped outside the tent.
"Starting today, you are officially part of Blood Asura Battalion."
Outside the tent, Wang Meng's gaze swept over Xu Ming and the others.
"Blood Asura Battalion isn't just about being a traditional military force, fighting on the battlefield. You'll also carry out all kinds of missions to squeeze every last bit of value out of you worthless dogs.
Starting tomorrow, you'll be split into five-person squads. The team lists are out.
Xu Ming, Wu Yanhan, Xiong Haizhi, Guang Yin, and Li Han—you five are now a squad, and I will continue to oversee your training.
Lu Ren and Yuan Hua, you've been reassigned to Tent 25. Now pack your things and get over there to report!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lu Ren and Yuan Hua responded loudly. They went back to the tent to pack their belongings, said goodbye to Xu Ming and the others, and ran off toward Tent 25.
"The five of you dogs! Welcome to Blood Asura Battalion."
Wang Meng looked at Xu Ming's group.
"I don't have many expectations for you lot—just hurry up and reach the Heroic Soul stage. Three years from now, there will be a selection in Blood Asura Battalion for three people to enter the Rootless Secret Realm.
If anyone hasn't reached the Heroic Soul stage by then, I'll kick their asses so hard they won't sit straight for a week! Do you hear me?"
"Yes, sir! Instructor!" Xu Ming and the others shouted in unison.
"Good! That's the spirit!"
Wang Meng nodded.
"Now, I will assign your group's first mission. According to a letter from the magistrate of Xinping County in Jiangnan Prefecture, there have been too many magical beasts near the villages surrounding Xinping County lately, and they've become extremely aggressive. Your task is to investigate the cause and eliminate these magical beasts.
Li Han, you're fifteen, the oldest among them. This time, you'll be the team leader.
You bastards! Make sure you come back alive! Do you hear me?"
Xu Ming and the others: "Yes, Instructor!"
---
"Brother... Brother, Mother said the government announced recently that there are many magical beasts, so we shouldn't wander too far," said a little girl with a ponytail as she called out to her brother running ahead of her outside Ping'an Village in Xinping County, Jiangnan Prefecture of the Wu Kingdom.
"It's fine," the boy turned back and waved to his sister. "The government always issues these warnings, don't they? It's just to scare people."
"But... but I heard that this time, it's really serious," the little girl said, somewhat anxious.
"Alright, alright, are you coming with me or not? If not, I'll go by myself. You can head back on your own," the boy said impatiently, finding his sister overly nagging.
"I..."
Just as she hesitated, her brother had already walked ahead.
"Brother... Wait for me... Wait for me! I... I'm scared to go back alone," she exclaimed.
The little girl hugged herself, glanced around nervously, and hurried to catch up with her brother.
The two siblings kept climbing the mountain as the sun tilted further westward.
"I found it!"
Two quarters of an hour later, the boy led his sister to a patch of blue flowers.
Seeing the beautiful field of flowers, the girl's eyes lit up.
"Let's gather as many as we can. Mother loves tea made from these flowers. If we give this to her as a birthday gift, she'll be so happy," the boy said cheerfully.
"Mm-hmm," the little girl nodded.
They filled their two bamboo baskets, and as the sun neared the horizon, the boy led his sister back down the mountain.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a beast's growl echoed through the forest, startling flocks of birds into flight.
The boy noticed what looked like a small pit in the shrubbery next to the flower field. He quickly pushed aside the bushes and pulled his sister into the pit, smearing mud all over themselves.
Magical beasts dashed past the boy and girl, seemingly responding to some call, racing madly forward.
The girl clung tightly to her brother.
When the beast stampede had passed, the girl lifted her head and looked at her brother. "Brother, that seems to be the direction of our village."
"Don't say that. There are four directions, east, south, west, and north. These beasts just happened to head west," her brother replied, trying to reassure her. "It's getting late. Let's head back."
"Okay."
The boy pulled his sister out of the pit and headed toward the village. But as they walked, their expressions grew increasingly grim.
On the way back, the path to the village had been flattened by the beasts. Trees were knocked over one after another.
As they approached the village, the boy faintly saw firelight and heard the occasional roar of beasts.
"Brother..." the girl whispered, looking at him.
"You stay here. I'll go check it out! Don't come over, no matter what. Do you hear me?"
"Brother, I... Brother!"
Before the little girl could finish speaking, the boy dashed toward the direction of the village.
The closer he got to the village, the clearer the roars of beasts became, accompanied by the thick stench of blood in the air.
"Mother... Mother!"
The boy ran faster and faster, his heart pounding.
When he finally reached the village entrance, he froze in place, stunned by the scene before him.
One grotesque magical beast after another rampaged through the village, tearing apart and devouring the villagers. Severed limbs and corpses littered the ground like discarded trash, and the earth was stained red with blood.
At that moment, a towering bear, three meters tall, turned around. Its paws were shaped like tiger claws, and three forked, scorpion-like tails swayed behind it.
On the bear's back stood a man.
The bear lumbered step by step toward the boy. Paralyzed by fear, the boy's legs trembled uncontrollably, rendering him unable to move.
Standing before the boy, the man on the bear's back gazed down at him with lifeless, hollow eyes.
"Cough, cough..." The man coughed a few times, his expression filled with remorse. "I'm sorry... I'm truly sorry."
As the man's voice faded, the magical beast raised its massive paw and brought it down with a powerful strike.
When the paw lifted again, the boy had already been reduced to a mangled pile of flesh.
The man turned his gaze to the village engulfed in flames. "I'm sorry... I'm truly sorry."