The Thirtieth Section: United in Adversity

  The last punishment from the Cow Demon King had exhausted Yun Ye's entire body. His 15-year-old body was already on the verge of collapse under the intense military training, and he had fallen to the ground several times, deciding not to get up again. But for some reason, he struggled to get up and continued to run forward, his legs numb, his lower abdomen cramping, his lungs seemingly on fire, and his heart feeling like it was going to jump out of his throat.

  Was he a masochist? Watching the soldiers from the Programmers' Camp, including Cheng Yaoguang, Niu Jinda, and Man Ying, made him feel like they were playing a realistic game. The pain from falling was real, the blood was real, and the sweat dripping down their chins was real.

  He had always hoped to temper his body through intense training, but it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake off the memories of his past. They became clearer and clearer, from his first memories as a child to the time he accidentally reached out for something by the water's edge. Even his deceased father was still vivid in his mind.

  The more he tried to forget, the more he remembered. The sorrow of life was that one couldn't escape their memories. According to legend, the spirits of the dead had to drink a bowl of Meng Po soup on Naihe Bridge to forget their past lives. Yun Ye's spirit skipped this process, so he couldn't enjoy his food, sleep soundly, laugh wholeheartedly, or cry sincerely. It was as if he had brought this suffering upon himself.

  The heavens gave you something, but they also took something away - what a fair deal! These were the thoughts that ran through Yun Ye's mind as he lay on the ground after running 20 laps, looking like a philosopher.

  With great difficulty, he turned over and gazed up at the azure sky. The clouds were as white as cotton. If not for a young boy's face appearing before him, Yun Ye thought he could merge into the blue sky and white clouds.

  "Clouds are shining?"

  "Li Chengqian?"

  "Do you know Gulong?"

  "If you weren't the emperor's son, you wouldn't be so arrogant." Someone got angry, but it wasn't Li Chengqian. It was indeed true that "the emperor is not in a hurry, and the eunuchs are anxious to death". Li Chengqian seemed very excited, squatting down beside Yun Ye with his head lowered, carefully examining him. Finally, there was someone who spoke to him on an equal footing, which made him very curious.

  "Is this a strategy for training soldiers that you came up with? And also the salt production, iron forging, and is it true that the Emperor has a powerful military tool made by you as well? This time I've come to see if the potato field really yields 15 stones per mu."

  "I'm barely holding on now, Your Highness, help me out, move back a bit and don't block my view of the blue sky and white clouds."

  "Cheng Qian doesn't see anything strange, this kid is tired out of his wits." Li Huai Ren feared the crown prince would blame him, and hastily explained.

  "General Huairen, you are also a military officer, how can you be so incompetent?" Li Chengqian didn't mind Yun Ye's attitude. His father had repeatedly warned him before he came that he must not use his power to bully others. Moreover, only capable people could ignore the nobles, and those who were incapable would rely on flattery and sycophancy to rise through the ranks and get rich. He had received this kind of education countless times since he was old enough to understand things.

  "Your Highness, let me rest for a while before I give you a detailed explanation of what happened." Li Huairan also didn't have the energy to say any more unnecessary words. At this time, hundreds of personal soldiers rushed up, and two men carried the crowd of military officers to the rear account.

  Li Chengqian followed and saw a row of wooden barrels emitting steam, with the soldiers quickly stripping off their clothes, leaving only a pair of shorts to get into the barrels. Suddenly, all sorts of strange noises and cries erupted, the water was scalding hot, and the medicinal herbs were very potent, causing irritation to those with wounds. Li Chengqian was startled, thinking he had entered a slaughterhouse, but after the military doctor's explanation, he understood the reason. His eyes gleamed with hope.

  Yun Heng was in the nearby barrel, making strange noises while sneaking glances at Li Chengqian. Normal males couldn't resist strong competitive games, let alone Li Chengqian who grew up in a high-walled courtyard, yearning for his father's heroic battles but raised among women, inevitably lacking masculine energy. Today, seeing two hundred men exhausted and defeated by his own elite right-wing five hundred men, he was already smitten. As for the pain in between, it was ignored.

  Yun Heng knew that as a man, there were four great iron rules: since they couldn't go whoring together, they might as well carry guns together. Luring Li Chengqian to whore would get him beheaded by his father, but luring him to participate in training would surely not incur Li Er's wrath.

  "Your Highness, special forces training is cruel and unbearable, it's a kind of sublimation for the spirit and body, with the power to transform decay into magic. Only the most tenacious and excellent soldiers in the crowd can persist. Once they persist, they are called kings of soldiers in the army. They remain calm when attacked, adapt to changing situations, fight bravely even in desperate situations, and have no fear of death. They are killing machines, only living for survival on the battlefield, using every means necessary for victory. I see that Your Highness has a brave spirit, this momentum can be stirred up but not dissipated. Tomorrow, I will wait for Your Highness at the martial arts arena." Li Chengqian's excited hands were shaking slightly, completely ignoring the sympathetic glances of the surrounding crowd.

  Li Chengqian had some regrets, but it was too late. The Cow Demon King wasn't called for nothing, the ten newly added strong right-hand men, plus the crown prince, were mixed in with the large group and ran circles with heavy loads for ten miles. Considering the crown prince's young age, he didn't add any weight, his equipment was already over his head, it was okay at first but the last five miles were almost crawling back, luckily Li Huairan and Changsun Chong thought of their brotherly love and accompanied him on a slow run, giving the crown prince some confidence.

  "I'm exhausted, big brother, cousin, you don't have to accompany me, or else you'll go hungry." Seeing others starting to eat in the distance while still running laps, after all, a child's conscience is still there.

  "What's the point of saying that, it's only right to run with spirit. You're much stronger than Little Yan was when he first started training. He had to crawl back to the finish line, and we two weren't much better on our first try." Li Chengqian's worried mocking voice was gone, replaced by encouraging words. The crown prince had accompanied him in his training, and now he was exhausted to the point of being unrecognizable. Yesterday's dissatisfaction from their fight had long since dissipated.

  Qi stood by the side of the track cheering on the crown prince. When Li Chengqian finally crawled to the finish line, he was lifted up and tossed into the air amidst cheers from the crowd. Qi cheered along with them. Li Chengqian couldn't take it anymore - although he was the last one to return to the finish line, he had still completed today's training, proving that he had the qualifications to participate in the training.

  In the midst of the cheers, tears and snot flowed freely. This was his first time earning others' recognition through his own strength, rather than relying on his father's prestige. As he rose and fell, Cheng Yaojin, Niu Jinda, and other generals smiled and nodded their heads, feeling a surge of pride.

  Today I may be last place, but in the future, I will definitely become first place."

  Gobbling down the food, the usual unappetizing meal was exceptionally delicious today. After intense exercise, replenishing protein was a must, and the tenderly cooked beef and mutton became essential. Anyway, they had captured plenty of cattle and sheep, enough for these people to eat their fill. Li Chengqian finally understood why they looked so terrible after eating yesterday. He believed his current appearance wouldn't be much better.

  He was stripped naked, without shorts, his bare buttocks were soaked in a wooden barrel, and he let out a loud cry with everyone else.