Chapter 20: The Grueling Training Camp
"Ah~~~ Soaking in a hot spring after training is such a luxury~," Xiao Ning said, leaning lazily against the edge of the spring, visibly enjoying himself.
Then, he turned to Xiao Yan with a mischievous grin.
"Hey~ Cousin, about those beauties we saw at Ning spring pavilion last time—how about them?"
"Uh…"
Xiao Yan froze slightly, recalling the image of the stunning women surrounding him. His face turned a little red as he replied awkwardly, "They… they were fine, I guess."
"See? Once the training camp is over and the annual age ceremony is done, I'll take you there again! This time, you'll truly enjoy yourself~," Xiao Ning said, laughing and patting Xiao Yan on the shoulder.
The other boys looked at Xiao Ning as if he were crazy, while Xiao Yan could only shake his head in exasperation at this cousin of his.
Does this guy not realize how clearly everyone can hear him?
"Xiao Ning!!! If you dare take Cousin Xiao Yan to a place like that again, I'll break your bones!"
As expected, Xiao Mei's furious shout came from the other side of the partition. Following that, Xiao Xun'er's icy voice, though not as loud, carried an undeniable chill.
"Cousin Xiao Ning, forcing Xiao Yan ge ge into things he doesn't want to do isn't very nice. Do you need me to remind you of that?"
Xiao Ning was used to Xiao Mei's loud voice, but Xiao Xun'er's icy tone sent a shiver down his spine—even though they were in the hot spring.
"I-I get it! I was joking! Don't take it seriously!" Xiao Ning hastily explained, then quickly shut his mouth and changed the topic, turning to Xiao Yan again.
"So… where are we sleeping tonight?"
"The weather's warm. We'll just gather some leaves and dry grass to make a bed on the ground," Xiao Yan said, gazing up at the star-filled sky with a light smile. "But when it gets colder later, we'll have to set up tents. We'll deal with that then."
"What?! We're sleeping here too?" Xiao Mei's surprised voice came from the other side of the partition.
"Cousin Xiao Yan! There are so many bugs in the mountains!"
"I know," Xiao Yan replied calmly.
"Then why…"
"Just don't withdraw your Dou Qi while sleeping," Xiao Yan said nonchalantly.
"…"
Xiao Yan's answer left not only Xiao Mei but everyone else speechless.
It became clear to them that this was indeed a training camp, where even sleep wouldn't come easy.
Of course, they could choose to withdraw their Dou Qi, but they'd have to endure the consequences the next day. The mountain bugs were far nastier than they had imagined.
"What's there to fear? We're members of the Xiao Clan! A few bugs are nothing!" Xiao Ning declared, clenching his fist. His words stirred the boys, who all chimed in.
"That's right!"
"Xiao Clan members fear nothing!"
"So what if we keep Dou Qi active while sleeping? We'll tough it out!"
In contrast, the girls remained silent.
After soaking in the hot spring, Xiao Mei led the girls in pleading with Xiao Yan to reconsider. However, they couldn't sway his decision and had no choice but to gather leaves and grass to sleep on the ground.
In the tranquil forest, the group endured their first night of training camp.
---
The next morning, as sunlight filtered through the trees, Xiao Yan clapped his hands to wake everyone.
Groggily, they got up. Both boys and girls glanced at each other in silence.
Other than Xiao Yan, the boys all had swollen red marks from bug bites on their faces. Their expressions were twisted in discomfort from the itchiness.
Though they had intended to keep their Dou Qi active all night, their exhaustion from the previous day's training and the hot spring soak made them fall into an unconscious sleep, naturally withdrawing their Dou Qi.
The result was their current sorry state.
On a normal day, Xiao Mei would have been the first to laugh at the boys. However, she didn't have the energy to mock them now, as the girls hadn't fared much better.
While they avoided bug bites by keeping their Dou Qi active, the constant vigilance left them sleepless. Even Xiao Xun'er had dark circles under her eyes.
As girls, they cared more about their appearance than the boys did. The thought of waking up with bug bites was unbearable, making their sleepless night the lesser evil.
Xiao Yan clapped his hands again, cheerfully calling out, "Wash your faces and get ready for breakfast. Once we're done eating, training starts!"
"Yes…"
Unlike their enthusiastic response yesterday, the group replied sluggishly, the excitement of their first day long gone.
Under Xiao Yan's urging, they began preparing breakfast, boiling water to make porridge. After eating, they started the day's training.
"Uh… Cousin Xiao Yan…"
During training, Xiao Mei hesitantly approached Xiao Yan, who raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's up?"
"Can I… go home to get something?"
"What for?"
"Bug repellent… or something…"
"Nope~," Xiao Yan replied with a smile before she could finish. His answer left Xiao Mei and even Xiao Xun'er dejected.
Though Xiao Yan was usually kind and thoughtful, he was utterly unyielding when it came to serious matters.
"Bear with it. I told you yesterday this is training, not playtime," Xiao Yan said, patting Xiao Mei's head gently. She nodded and focused on training.
Watching this, Yao Chen was surprised.
(Xiao Yan, I thought you'd agree to her request.)
(Why?) Xiao Yan asked in return.
(You seem to spoil these kids a lot.)
(Only when appropriate. Spoiling them at the wrong time would harm them. I don't want my leniency to cause them greater trouble in the future.) Xiao Yan's expression grew serious as he watched the Xiao Clan disciples training.
(I said yesterday this is training, not playtime. Training must follow strict standards—no room for indulgence.)
Yao Chen was silent for a moment, then said, (Xiao Yan… These kids are lucky to have you as their leader.)
Xiao Yan paused briefly before smiling softly. (I hope so~.)
(End of the Chapter)
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