Chapter 324 “The New Ye Huang Yu”

After seeing that handsome soldier waltzing over to his location, the officer known as Chen Zhong promptly showed a face like he’s seen a ghost.

He still hasn’t forgotten the first encounter he had with this handsome Ye Huang (Ling Yue’s mother).

Chen Zhong and Ye Huang are both squad leaders of the Tiger Wolf Army stationed in the Northwest. Unlike Chen Zhong though who had been part of the military for over eight years, his peer had only arrived here four months ago under the recommendation of a friend of the general.

Though it’s true she came at a recommendation, General Tiger Wolf didn’t exactly give her any special treatment either. In fact, the general only used the old rules and tasked her to go retrieve ten animal hides as a form of initiation.

Whether it be new recruits or veterans of another army, they must all independently retrieve ten animal skins with their own ability. That’s the tradition.

The reasoning? It’s because the Tiger Wolf Army was the sharpest spear in Da Xia while also being the army with the highest death rate out of any other battalion.

Without exceedingly good skills, not only will the individual cause their own death in times of crisis, they will also drag their own teammates down. That’s why there’s such a harsh condition for entry, it’s to prove their worth and that they are capable of staying.

Back when Ye Huang first got the strange order, she didn’t say anything, only a silent nod before leaving the base camp on her own.

For those who were bored or idle at the time, what better way was there than to place a bet to kill some time?!

Some were betting the new handsome soldier wouldn’t come back because of fear. Some say she will die on the mission out in the barren plains. But all the conjecture and speculations were broken a day later. Coming back with a full haul, Ye Huang had returned with over ten animal skins. No more, no less.

But that’s not the most astounding part of this story, it’s where the arrow had landed. Without exception, every kill was through the eye socket. That’s when the soldiers of the Tiger Wolf Army learned that this new handsome boy known as Ye Haung was a master marksman.

Since then onward, Ye Huang was placed in the Fourth Squad of the Tiger Wolf Army due to her marksmanship.

In the Tiger Wolf Army, veterans bullying the new recruits are already a common practice. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the feministic soldiers would warrant a certain level of teasing from their peers. That was exactly what happened to Ye Huang Yu.

Back when Chen Zhong – captain of the First Squad – first lay eyes on this woman in her disguise for the first time, he did what any man would do when they are deprived of the female sex for so long – he shot a few teasing words out.

But who would’ve guessed, the tender looking Ye Huang would actually pull out her bow without a single word and shot an arrow at Chen Zhong’s front teeth.

Because of the precise aim and unbelievable judgement of strength, the arrow was so firmly lodged in there that the man couldn’t pry it out no matter what. By the end of that day, nearly the entire camp was laughing their heads off.

Following that small incident, plus making a name for herself, the soldier known as Ye Huang was able to rapidly rise in the ranks through the following months.

In the Tiger Wolf Army, hunting and killing wild spirit beasts are one of the things a soldier can do to accumulate merit points. For that reason, Ye Huang would always be the first to rush out for the kill in every battle.

To this day, the number of animals to fall under her bow had already reached a whopping number of five hundred. In terms of points, that’s a staggering number which was difficult to calculate. On top of that, it’s even rumored that she would likely be promoted at the coming military conference.

“Pull the prey up, we’re leaving.” Under her order, the soldiers of the Fourth Squad did as told with fluent motion and left the premise.

Because of the poor soil quality in the open plains here, it’s difficult to grow edible crops for the army. Meaning while this wolf here was their prey, it’s also their food source.

So how did Ye Huang Yu end up here of all places? Well that would have to go back to four months ago. After the woman broke through to the Dan realm and realized she can no longer move forward, she quickly came in front of her mentor Marquis Wu and kneeled there, pleading to be sent over to the Northwest.

In order to have a breakthrough, there’s only really two ways go about it. One was to infuse oneself with knowledge and long years of self-training, while the other was through experiencing life threatening battles over and over again.

The first method was of course out of the question. She can’t wait that long.

So the next best option would be the second method.

After a long while of silence, Marquis Wu finally handed the kneeling woman a bow and a manual.

“This bow is called Peacekeeper, it’s a weapon I used when I was young. And the technique inside this manual is called Three Style Bowshot, it’s one of my namesake martial arts in my possesion. Because of the short timeframe we had together, the knowledge I could give you is limited. But with this bow and skill, I hope you can achieve something great in the Northwest. Here’s a recommendation letter. Give this to the general of the Tiger Wolf Army, he will take you in.” With everything done, Marquis Wu waves the woman to go, satisfying Ye Huang Yu’s demand in the process.

The bow had a long history that far exceeded even Marquis Wu in his years. This was a black grade artifact of the highest quality, more powerful than most in its class. As for that Three Style Bowshot manual, it’s a sixth grade martial technique specifically meant for the bow weapon.

Following three heavy kowtows, Ye Huang Yu didn’t look back and left the capital. Half a month later, she finally arrives at the Northwest while mastering her bow along the way.

However, no matter the preparation she did prior to entering the military, in the end she was still very much frightened by the whole situation in the first ten days.

She remembers it clearly her first bite of wolf meat. It was hard and had an awkward texture, very unpalatable.

Then there’s the bathing situation. In the base camp, it’s common for the soldiers to share a single bath location, forcing the poor woman to wait until the midst of night where no one else was awake.

To make matters worse, the sleeping arrangements were very poor. Crammed together in a huge bed, it’s very easy for some of the partially naked men to roll around and bump into another in their sleep. To her defense, Ye Huang Yu would never try to touch those manly parts unless her dear life depended on it. It’s all their fault!

Finally, after ten days of this harsh living environment, the disguised woman finally became accustomed to everything. Although the military life was boring, it’s also simple. Something she hasn’t experienced for a very long time.

Now to the present, her skin had become much darker due to the tan on her skin. And because of the harsh environment, her tenderness was replaced with a ruggedness different from the other men. Still feministic in some way, there’s a strong sturdy aura to her demeanor now.

Well, that’s kind of what happens when one nearly dies and had to survive by covering themselves with the animal’s corpse for days on end while consuming the rotting flesh.

Fortunately everything was paying off. From her initial breakthrough, she’s now at the comfortable level of the Big Dan stage. Even so, this wasn’t the main important thing here. What’s important was her personality, it’s changing. Though gradual and slow, a sense of bloodthirst could clearly be made out in her eyes now.

Note: Small Dan is the initial stage, Big Dan is the later stage of the Dan realm.

The Tiger Wolf Army was divided into ten squads, each consisting of around a hundred people. In total, there’s about a thousand people all in all. In terms of numbers though, this battalion was definitely inferior to the other armies stationed in the Northwest.

Yet, it was precisely this small army that managed to withhold the mouth to the Northwestern Plains at the worst of the worst.

“Captain, the wind is blowing.” The soldier carrying the wolf’s corpse shouts.

“Yes, it’s getting windy.” Ye Huang Yu’s pupil heavily shrunk in.

Within the whistling of the wind, there’s also the mix cries of various animals in there.

Making a sensitive frown, Ye Huang Yu had a higher than normal perception to the wild animals here. Maybe it’s due to her interaction with Little Squeak in the past, but her instincts haven’t failed her yet. And right now, it’s telling her the activity of the wild animals are getting much more active. A bad sign in times like these.