Chapter 644: Lousy Idea
「The following morning.」
Uh… well, in this pitch-black blizzard, there wasn’t much difference between day and night. People were left with only the concept of time.
Rong Taotao took a nice, long hot shower. Feeling refreshed, he walked out of the bathroom, haphazardly drying his hair with a towel in one hand and carrying the drowned rat—his Cloud Dog—in the other.
The Cloud Dog wasn’t very big in its physical form to begin with. After taking a bath with its master, its once fluffy, snow-white fur was now soaking wet, making it look even smaller…
Gao Lingwei was sitting at the desk, texting on her phone. When she saw Rong Taotao and the Cloud Dog come out, she immediately leaned over and held out her hand to him.
“Yip~” The Cloud Dog only felt itself being passed into a pair of cool hands and couldn’t help but whimper.
Gao Lingwei placed the little guy on the desk, where a towel was already laid out. Clearly, she had been prepared.
The Cloud Dog was then completely wrapped in the towel, unable to see anything. It was rubbed until its head spun and the world turned upside down, leaving it to do nothing but let out a series of frantic “yips.”
“What did Coach Xia say?” Rong Taotao asked as he dried his hair, walking over to his bed and plopping down.
“He said it’s fine, but he also said we might be disappointed when we go visit Xiao Ziru.”
“Disappointed?”
“Mhm,” Gao Lingwei said. “Coach Xia meant that while Xiao Ziru is indeed awake, his mental state isn’t good. He doesn’t talk much and tends to just stare into space.”
Rong Taotao nodded silently. “Let’s go see him anyway. If he needs any special treatment, my Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon can help him recall memories of his hometown or something.”
Hearing this, Gao Lingwei’s expression turned serious. “When we get there, let’s hear the doctor’s assessment first. You absolutely must not rashly show him any images. Xiao Ziru’s power is plain for all to see. Coupled with his mental instability, it would be very dangerous if he were to be agitated further.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t be that reckless.” Rong Taotao smiled, waved his hand dismissively, and started changing his clothes.
Gao Lingwei turned her head away, only to realize that while she had been talking to Rong Taotao, her hands had never stopped moving. Almost unconsciously, she had been drying the Cloud Dog’s body the entire time.
She hurriedly put the towel down on the desk. The moment she unwrapped it, the Cloud Dog inside shook its head dizzily. It swayed and then collapsed limply onto the towel.
Gao Lingwei felt a pang of guilt. She reached out a finger and gently poked the Cloud Dog’s nose. “Are you okay?”
“Whimper~”
…
Ten-odd minutes later, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei stood at the main entrance of the soldiers’ medical center.
The building was massive, resembling a large hospital in civilian society, and stood four stories tall.
The saying, “You don’t know how many sick people there are until you go to a hospital,” applied here as well.
After all, this was Wan’an Pass, the very front line. Wild Snow Realm Soul Beasts were constantly attacking the city wall. Although they weren’t organized or large-scale, it was common for soldiers to get injured.
Besides the City Wall Defense Army, Rong Taotao also saw people from other units. He figured that carrying out missions in this pitch-black blizzard would dramatically increase the level of danger.
Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei naturally drew people’s attention. The soldiers stationed here might not have time to watch things like the Outer League or national competitions, but the arm patches on Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s camouflage uniforms clearly displayed the large character for “Cyan.”
The name of the Cyan Mountain Army was already well-known, and what’s more, over the past two months, this remnant force had shown signs of a resurgence, accomplishing several major feats.
A month ago, when the Cyan Mountain Army and the Twelfth Squad were on a joint mission thirty kilometers outside Wan’an Pass, they had encountered a Soul Beast Army. Due to the unique nature of this incident, which included a touch of the legendary, almost every soldier in Wan’an Pass knew about this mission.
And just a few days ago, the Cyan Mountain Army and the team of teachers from Pine Soul had brought back someone incredible.
The famous Smoke of the Pine Soul Four Rites, the former representative of Pine Soul Soul Martial University stationed at Wan’an Pass, had finally been brought back after wandering the wilderness for many years…
This, too, was a major event!
Although the soldiers belonged to different units with different tasks, and might not even know each other, they had shared weal and woe in these dark and difficult times. The camaraderie among the comrades of the Snow Burning Army was beyond doubt.
The return of a comrade who had been missing for many years… News like this was incredibly inspiring.
It wasn’t hard to see that the Snow Burning Army’s two recent missions shared a common link.
Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao.
The two parties the Cyan Mountain Army had cooperated with were the Twelfth Squad and Pine Soul Soul Martial University. And both of these factions could be considered Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s… hm, home bases?
Naturally, Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao received a great deal of attention.
Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei clearly noticed the intense gazes as well and couldn’t help but quicken their pace.
The two quickly entered an elevator, where a middle-aged soldier on crutches was already standing.
The middle-aged soldier was also a bit stunned by their appearance, his gaze lingering on them for a long time.
When the elevator reached the second floor, the man limped out on his crutches. But just before the doors closed, he turned around, gave them a sincere smile, and said, “Good job.”
CLICK.
The elevator doors closed, and it continued its ascent.
Leaving the stunned duo behind…
Watching the elevator’s floor numbers change, Rong Taotao couldn’t help but remark with emotion, “This world can be pretty kind to us after all.”
He didn’t even know that soldier’s name.
Gao Lingwei said softly, “The Snow Burning Army is a threshold. Once you cross it, everyone becomes a comrade who lives and dies together. Under such circumstances, kindness is a given. More and more people will come to recognize us.”
“Recognition?” Rong Taotao looked at Gao Lingwei in surprise. ‘Recognition? Does she need something like that?’
But Gao Lingwei just nodded lightly. “Mhm…”
If she only wanted to be a soldier, she naturally wouldn’t care about such things. But in her heart, she had already shouldered the banner of the Cyan Mountain Army, so factors like recognition and influence were things she very much needed.
As they spoke, the elevator stopped on the fourth floor.
The two of them walked out. Compared to the first floor, it was much quieter here—a good place to recuperate in peace.
Following a soldier’s directions, the two of them wound their way through the huge floor and finally arrived in front of a private room.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK~ Rong Taotao knocked gently on the door.
“Come in.”
Rong Taotao pushed the door open, only to be hit in the face by a blast of cold air that made him shiver.
“Whoa~” Rong Taotao couldn’t help but grimace. In his line of sight, Xia Fangran was lying on a hospital bed, playing on his phone.
And by the distant windowsill, a tall figure stood at the open window, gazing out at the vast, dark night, letting the cold wind and snow beat against his face.
‘No wonder the room is this cold. It’s the dead of winter, and the wind is bone-chilling. Why is the window open?’
Gao Lingwei quickly closed the door to prevent the cold air inside from flooding into the hallway…
Rong Taotao looked at Xia Fangran with a strange expression. “What’s up, Coach Xia? Haven’t seen you in a few days, and now you’re sick too? Which one of you is keeping the other company?”
“Keep your voice down.” Xia Fangran lowered his voice, his expression turning slightly stern.
Rong Taotao nodded apologetically and turned to look at the tall figure standing by the window.
Xiao Ziru was motionless, blocking the draft, like a wooden mannequin.
“This…” Rong Taotao gestured toward Xiao Ziru’s back and looked at Xia Fangran.
Xia Fangran shrugged helplessly. “The doctor said that as long as he doesn’t leave the room, he can do whatever makes him comfortable. It’s conducive to his mental stability.”
‘Man, it really had to be you, Xia Fangran, to watch over him. If it were anyone else with a lower-level Soul Technique, wouldn’t they have been frozen stupid?’
Xia Fangran sat up and also looked at Xiao Ziru’s figure, looking rather helpless. He said, “He said a couple of things to me yesterday, but today he hasn’t said a single word.”
Rong Taotao asked curiously in a low voice, “What did he say?”
Hearing this, Xia Fangran scratched his head in frustration. “He apologized a couple of times, then went silent. His cognitive functions are still okay, though. Things like washing up, eating his three meals, and sleeping are all fairly normal.”
Rong Taotao nodded lightly and sighed as he looked at the silent back.
‘Now *this* is what you call a true brooding artist!’
‘Blocking the draft, getting showered with snow, gazing up at the pitch-black blizzard…’
“Oh, right.” Xia Fangran suddenly beckoned to Rong Taotao.
“Hm?” Rong Taotao walked over, only to hear Xia Fangran whisper, “I actually just thought of something. Go get me a couple packs of cigarettes.”
Rong Taotao: “Huh?”
‘Get a couple packs of cigarettes? What for? For Xiao Ziru?’
There was a reason Xiao Ziru was known as Smoke of the Pine Soul Four Rites, just like there was a reason Li Lie was called “Wine” and Si Huan Nian was called “Sugar.”
Rong Taotao’s expression was a little strange. Looking at the patient standing by the window, he whispered, “Smoking… uh, is bad for your health.”
Xia Fangran: “…”
‘I never would have thought a phrase like that would come out of Rong Taotao’s mouth!’
‘Do I need you to lecture me about this?’
‘Isn’t it written on every cigarette pack? Am I blind?’
Xia Fangran gave Rong Taotao an annoyed look and gestured toward Xiao Ziru by the window. “His life was just pulled back from the brink, and you’re talking to me about physical health? Besides, do people in our line of work look like the type to live long, healthy lives?”
Rong Taotao: ???
Although Xia Fangran’s words weren’t pleasant to hear, and even carried a hint of a curse, he wasn’t wrong. At least for Rong Taotao, a new member of the Cyan Mountain Army, that was the reality of the situation.
The Cyan Mountain Army of the past had been reduced to just two squads, a mere six people. Even if you included the survivors who had been transferred away, based on the legion’s original numbers, the Cyan Mountain Army had suffered immense casualties.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were “living for today, with no guarantee of tomorrow.”
Even now, they were all stationed at the Third Wall, living the most dangerous of lives. And compared to the City Wall Guard Army, the Cyan Mountain Army’s level of danger was even higher.
The fact that Rong Taotao had already participated in two major battles in less than two months since joining the Cyan Mountain Army was the best proof.
But even though Rong Taotao’s life had become this dangerous, compared to Xiao Ziru’s, it absolutely paled in comparison…
Xia Fangran said, “I know Old Xiao too well. Now that he’s back, it’s only a matter of time before he starts smoking again. For a guy like him who lives with his head on the line, if you were to advise him to live a healthy life and not smoke, he’d tell you straight up to light a couple extra for him when you visit his grave next year.”
Rong Taotao: “…”
‘Damn you, Xia Fangran! I’m still just a kid! Can’t you just paint me a pretty picture and describe a wonderful future?’
‘What do you mean, *we* live with our heads on the line?’
‘I’ve still got my Huilian! Even if my head falls off, it can be sewn back on!’
Xia Fangran said, “Hurry up and go. Help him find his old way of life. Maybe he’ll recover faster.”
“Alright.” Rong Taotao was very reluctant. He agreed verbally but turned to look at Gao Lingwei.
Gao Lingwei said, “Captain Han smells of smoke, but I’ve never personally seen him smoking.”
“Okay, I’ll go ask him then.” Rong Taotao stood up and headed for the door…