60: A Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared

“But that’s okay, because I unconsciously got used to it and slowly developed my own life.”

“Later, after she finished junior high, she didn’t continue school. She went with relatives to work at a factory that was supposedly very far away… Her image at sixteen, with a ponytail and a shirt, remained in my memory… then gradually blurred.”

“Even later, I went to high school, got into Martial Arts University… and joined the Martial Artist United Army.”

“That was about five years ago, during my new recruit period, which was terrible. I lived with fear, ate raw meat, endured scolding, heavy training, and was bullied by older Martial Artists every three days. I was completely suppressed and in pain…”

“It was then, one day, I met her again.”

“At the time, I was helping an old Martial Artist wash clothes. She passed by, then turned back, stopped, stood there, and hesitantly called my name… She was a Martial Artist who had rotated back for recuperation that summer.”

“That’s how we met again. You can imagine the familiarity of meeting here. I almost cried then… My sister was also very excited.”

“My sister was a frontline warrior resisting the underground caves. She had many scars, even a shallow scar from shrapnel on her left cheek, but she was still very beautiful, perhaps even more beautiful, and her personality had become more cheerful.”

“I said, ‘So you didn’t go to work after all.’ She laughed and said, ‘I did at first… You timid guy, bookworm, how did you end up here too?’”,

“She said, ‘Come on, I’ll treat you… to a beer. Tell me what our village is like now.’ I really wanted to go, but I was scared and said, ‘I’m helping the old Martial Artist wash clothes.’”,

“She said, ‘Just leave it… If anyone gives you trouble, I’ll give them trouble.’ My sister said not to be afraid with her around, that she was very powerful and was now a Vice Captain.”

“That day, we talked a lot, without any reservations. We talked about the past. She told me that she had actually regretted that we weren’t close anymore back then. I told her about the village’s situation later, what our childhood friends were doing, who married whom… Suddenly, I thought of a question and asked, ‘Oh, by the way, Big Sister, are you married?’”,

“She laughed and said, ‘Didn’t you eat wedding candy? A few years ago, I went back to hold a banquet… I planned to invite you, but Auntie said you had your college entrance exam in a few days and couldn’t come. I even saved extra wedding candy for you.’”,

“I said, ‘Oh, I remember now… I ate your wedding candy.’”,

“My sister said, ‘Mm,’ then laughed and said, ‘Actually, it was a family visit leave. To reassure my parents, I found a comrade-in-arms to pretend to be a groom from out of town and marry me off.’”,

“I said, ‘Then you two…’”,

“My sister smiled and said, ‘No, it was just acting. I don’t like him.’”,

“In the time that followed, my sister often came to find me, and after training, I often bravely went to find her… She bought me clothes, helped me get familiar with everything about the underground caves, and protected me.”

“My sister fought a Martial Artist who was bothering me to protect me, and with just one clash, she won. My sister is truly strong. She said, ‘If it weren’t to take the opportunity to teach you a lesson and impart what your sister learned in actual combat, I wouldn’t have wasted the energy.’”,

“One day while chatting, my sister’s comrade-in-arms suddenly said, ‘How about you two just get together? It’s so rare to meet someone close here.’”,

“If this were outside the army, a girl would definitely be shy, right? But in the barracks, my sister wasn’t. She laughed, looked at me, and said, ‘Timid guy, university student, do you still think highly of your sister?’”,

“I nodded vigorously.”

“…”

“Not long after, my sister’s leave ended, and she had to return to the frontline of the underground cave war. The day she left, I had training and couldn’t see her off… She came to the edge of the training ground, waved to me, and then left.”

“I was waiting for her letter. Five days, ten days, half a month… Until one day, the instructor suddenly said that the regimental chief of staff was looking for me. I went, and in the office, they told me… my sister had sacrificed herself.”

“They said, ‘Her ashes will be sent back through our special channels soon. All her comrades-in-arms are gone… Nine Military Mountain, Wall of Heroes, you send your sister up there.’”,

“The Wall of Heroes at Nine Military Mountain has tens of thousands of small compartments, with photos and names not displayed outside… But for over five years, at any time, I can still clearly recall where my sister is, without counting, I just know.”

“The day after sending off the ashes, I received my sister’s letter. She said, ‘How about we have a child?’”,

“Do you know what it’s like to break down? I sat at the Wall of Heroes for a whole week, regardless of wind or rain.”

“As soon as the military leaders saw my state, they sent me back to my hometown.”

“Since then, I haven’t seen my sister’s… ashes for a very long time.”

“If any of you, after graduating from a Martial Arts University, join the military, you must go to the Wall of Heroes for me and see my sister.”

Hu Haipeng’s narration ended.

He didn’t add any principles or advice, just told the new students a true story about the love of a Martial Artist, which he had just mentioned.

At this moment, the entire hall was silent.

A heavy stone weighed on everyone’s heart.

The love of a Martial Artist… came quickly and left even faster.

Today, they might still be talking, but tomorrow, that familiar number would be permanently busy.

Jian Tong clutched Shen Bei’s arm tightly, her eyes misty with tears, clearly feeling a strong sense of empathy.

She was on the verge of crying out loud.

Shen Bei sighed softly.

The people below looked at Hu Haipeng and suddenly remembered that at the beginning of today, he had come on stage and happily said, “However, my application has just been approved by the military… I will be going to the frontline of the underground cave war.”

It turned out he was genuinely happy.

Perhaps as a much-needed psychological counselor at Martial Arts University, he had applied for five years, and now he could finally… go to the place where his sister had fought.

Hu Haipeng left first.

Next.

Principal Zhang Daoan walked onto the stage and began a standard speech.

He lifted the oppressive atmosphere and eased it a bit.

His final sentence was: “The mission of a Martial Artist is to protect the family and defend the country, never forgetting the original intention.”

Afterward, it was time for class assignments.

This class assignment involved various teachers selecting students, and students also selecting teachers.

This process was not mandatory but rather a free choice.

However, each teacher’s area of expertise differed, and their years of teaching experience also varied.

The large screen displayed the professional resumes of each teacher, which students could refer to and choose from.

Of course, it didn’t matter if students mistakenly chose the wrong teacher in a moment of confusion; they could still change.

Teachers would also offer advice based on the students’ college entrance examination attributes and their desired Martial Dao path.

Gradually, teachers and students began to confirm their class assignments.

When it was Shen Bei’s turn to go on stage.

The teachers on stage stirred.

“Shen Bei… this year’s Champion of the college entrance exam, who has their eye on him?”

“But his attributes are too mediocre. I don’t want him.”

“I specialize in the spiritual Domain. My best student, Jian Tong, has already been accepted, so Shen Bei is out.”

“A jack-of-all-trades student is really difficult to handle. With no outstanding points, his future growth potential is probably not great. How about… Teacher Professor Gu Xinrou, you haven’t recruited a single student yet, so take Shen Bei. Otherwise, you’ll become an assistant teacher.”

The teachers chattered amongst themselves.

Although Shen Bei was the Champion, almost no teachers were optimistic about his prospects.

For a Martial Artist, it was better to have all other attributes be useless but one outstanding attribute.

Being specialized in one was enough.

Professor Gu Xinrou on stage nodded slightly. She had already agreed with Shen Bei that he would definitely join her class.

Assistant teacher?

She would never be an assistant teacher in this lifetime!

However, at this moment.

A wild card appeared.

A male teacher with skeletal hands said:

“Shen Bei, right? I am Teacher Yin Hong. I have over ten years of teaching experience, and I am very optimistic about you. Come to my class, and I will tailor a Martial Artist path for you.”