NOVEL WEB Chapter 54: The Army Medic Reports
Outside the city, ten miles to the northeast, a vast military camp sprawled for several miles, stationed firmly in place.
At the brink of noon, columns of smoke rose high into the sky, and as they reached a hundred meters, the cold northern winds swept them into swirls that danced southward as one.
At the entrance of the camp, a stout man with a square jaw, clad in armor and exuding an air of steadfastness, marched forward with a determined stride.
Trailing closely behind him was Ling Yi, dressed in a simple light blue robe, carrying a bundle and a wooden box on his back.
It wasn’t long before the two figures stood, one behind the other, in front of a large, spacious tent.
“Brother Ling, please wait here while I report to the General,” the square-jawed man turned and said to Ling Yi.
Ling Yi maintained a warm smile throughout, nodding gently, “Thank you for the trouble, Captain Jiang.”
Jiang Yuan nodded back at Ling Yi, then turned to the soldiers standing guard at the tent entrance and asked, “Is the General in?”
Before the guards could reply, a deep voice resonated from within the tent, “Is that you, Jiang Yuan? Come right in.”
“Yes, General!”
Even through the tent’s flaps, upon hearing this voice, Jiang Yuan immediately squared his shoulders, stood straight, and replied loudly.
Without hesitation, he lifted his hand to push aside the thick curtain and stepped into the tent.
As Jiang Yuan entered, Ling Yi, standing four or five meters outside, gave a gentle smile to the two guards on either side and patiently waited.
The guards stared at Ling Yi's smile, momentarily taken aback, before nodding almost imperceptibly in response.
Ling Yi lowered his gaze, his mind as calm as a still pond, his senses keen. Although his eyes did not roam around, his acute hearing and smell gave him an initial impression of the grand military camp.
At that moment, a soft yet distinct conversation reached Ling Yi's ears.
The dialogue took place five meters away, behind the thick drapery of the tent, another ten meters off, between a standing and a seated figure.
Standing was Captain Jiang Yuan who had just entered, while sitting, naturally, was the commander of this camp, one of the five generals of the Waterwood Duchy, Marquis Song Yao, known as 'Pine Cedar'!
"A young chap who just broke through as a spirit master, with a useless martial spirit like 'Blue Silver Grass', and you personally brought him here? Tell me, what’s so special about him?" Song Yao remained seated on his grand chair, his gaze piercing as he looked up at Jiang Yuan, yet it felt as if he was looking down, the pressure in his eyes intense.
Under the gaze of his superior, Jiang Yuan wasted no words, pulling a letter from his chest, holding it with both hands before him, and bowing slightly in offering.
Song Yao's eyes glimmered at the sight, and with a mere wave of his hand, the letter appeared to be grasped by an invisible force, moving directly in front of him.
"Marquis Song Yao of Cedar Pine, with the martial soul 'Thousand Ice Cedar Sword', level sixty-nine agility attack system Soul Emperor!"
Glancing at the letter's cover, Song Yao raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh? A recommendation from that old man Fu Shan? Let me see...”
With that, he opened the letter and began to read.
After skimming through it quickly, Song Yao placed the letter on the table in front of him, clicking his tongue in wonder.
“Hey~ this kid's interesting. His first spirit skill has the ability to heal injuries, and he's actually a highly skilled blacksmith who can forge weapons up to five hundred times. Fascinating, truly fascinating—”
Coming from an established soul master family, Song Yao's ancestors once followed the grandfather of Duke Shui Mu to the northeastern corner of this continent, where they were granted land in the Shui Mu Principality by the Heaven Dou Empire.
Although he invested much of his early years in martial soul cultivation, his advancement slowed down over time. Subsequently, he inherited his uncle's marquis title, becoming one of the five generals of the principality, overseeing over forty thousand troops in the north, and encountered an array of different figures.
Among these figures were the old aristocrats and soul master families of the capital, the local powerhouses, the bosses of 'Cold Wind City', and various opportunists and strivers from the lower ranks trying to climb upward.
A letter in hand, Ling Yi's image in Song Yao’s mind leaned towards that of an opportunist seeking privileges and special treatment.
Nevertheless, now nearing sixty, Song Yao had moved past disdain and irritation towards such opportunism, instead becoming accustomed to it.
Glancing at the letter held pinched between two fingers, he casually pushed it forward with a nonchalant, "He’s not worth my time. Go ahead and take the lad to report at logistics."
"Put him down for both the medic corps and the engineering battalion, give him a proper spot on the roster, so next time I see that old rascal Fu Shan, he can’t say I’ve disrespected him."
"Understood, sir!" Jiang Yuan responded to Song Yao’s command, ignoring his last muttered sentence. His right hand fisted and struck his upper left chest, a sound of metal rang, synchronizing with his resolute breath.
With a dismissive wave of his hand, Song Yao signaled the end of the discussion and picked up a nearby document to review.
With the aroma of a large pot meal prepared by the cooking crew wafting through the air, Ling Yi accompanied Jiang Yuan to both the medic and engineering camps, getting his details logged.
After careful consideration, Ling Yi chose a vacant tent in the medic camp as his quarters.
Sincerely thanking Captain Jiang Yuan, he watched the officer’s brisk departure before joining several companions from the medic camp heading to the dining area.
Two fist-sized corn buns, a bowl of mixed vegetables, potatoes, and kelp stew seasoned with only salt, with ample portions including the broth and water.
Seated on wooden stumps spaced about a meter apart, Ling Yi and a few others lowered their heads as they ate the food in their hands.
Unlike the rank and file soldiers in the distance who held two distinct portions of mushy grains, the stew in the hands of Ling Yi and his companions contained delightful additions like egg flowers, shrimp, minced meat, and, notably, a chicken leg each.
Amidst envious glances cast their way from afar, Ling Yi leisurely ate while gradually turning his head to take in his surroundings, as if acclimating to his new environment.
"Mr. Ling~"
Beside him, a lanky young man’s gaze flickered over the round metal badge on Ling Yi’s chest, then noted his observant demeanor. With a cheerful opening, he said, "Technically, a Soul Master of your caliber could be dining at the smaller canteen where exclusive dishes are prepared. There’s no need for someone like you to be eating the standard fare with us regular folks..."
The young man spoke while keenly observing Ling Yi’s facial expression.
Including the young man, there were four other members at the medic camp with Ling Yi, consisting of one elder and three younger individuals.
But unlike Ling Yi, these four were either ordinary people without soul power or low-level soul masters with power equivalent to tiers two or three, indistinguishable from ordinary people.
(End of chapter)
(End of Chapter)
