Chapter 191 Barracks Musings

Huo Chao looked Chen Mu up and down, his gaze lingering on the young man's face before he said in a muffled, gruff voice:

"You're the Squad Leader from Yunmeng, right?"

"Yes."

"Once you're here, it doesn't matter if you were a Squad Leader or whatever before; you're a Demon Hunting Soldier now. The demons in the Prefecture are far fiercer than those in the counties you're used to. Don't bring your old habits here, and obey Squad Leader Bai in everything."

"If you die or get crippled, the Division provides compensation, but don't expect anyone to help you collect your corpse."

Having said that, he patted Bai Junyi on the shoulder.

"I'm handing him over to you. Explain the rules clearly to him. It hasn't been peaceful outside the city lately; there might be work soon."

Bai Junyi nodded. "Rest assured, General Squad Leader."

Huo Chao glanced at Chen Mu one more time, said nothing else, turned, and strode away. The official who had guided him also quietly withdrew.

Only then did Bai Junyi look at Chen Mu. His expression was gentler than Huo Chao's, but his gaze was more scrutinizing.

"Chen Mu?"

"Yes."

"Come in and meet your future colleagues."

Chen Mu followed Bai Junyi to the side of the main hall. The room was not large, with a few wooden chairs on either side and a simple wooden table in the middle. Six or seven people, both men and women, were gathered there, some sitting and some standing. Hearing the commotion, their gazes fell upon Chen Mu in unison.

These people were all very young; the oldest looked to be in their early thirties, while the youngest might only be eighteen or nineteen. They wore uniform black official robes, but their temperaments varied—some had rebellious eyes, some looked curious, and others just gave a cold glance before looking away.

Bai Junyi clapped his hands.

"Listen up, everyone. This is Chen Mu, transferred from the Yunmeng Demon Suppression Division. He'll be in our team from now on. Chen Mu, these are your brothers and sisters in our team."

He pointed to a man with a stubbly beard and sharp eyes leaning near the door. "This is Lu Dachuan, a veteran of the team. His swordsmanship is excellent."

He then pointed to a young man with a slightly pale complexion and unusually long, slender fingers. "This is Feng Qing, skilled with bows and crossbows, and he has sharp eyes."

Next was a sturdy, reticent youth. "Shi Yong, he's strong and carries the shield."

"This is Shen Suning, who is well-versed in medicine and wields a soft whip skillfully."

"Ji Xiang, she is agile and excels at light-body techniques."

Bai Junyi also briefly introduced the others one by one, a mix of veterans who had served for many years and a few newly recruited greenhorns.

Chen Mu cupped his hands and bowed to everyone.

"I am Chen Mu. I'm new here, so please guide me."

The reactions varied. Lu Dachuan grinned, acknowledging the greeting. Feng Qing nodded and gave a muffled "Hm." Others raised their hands lazily, while some unabashedly looked Chen Mu over.

Bai Junyi took note of everyone's reactions, unsurprised, but his tone turned serious.

"Upon entering the Demon Suppression Division, the first priority is to obey orders and watch out for one another. Cultivate on your own during ordinary times, but act in unison when there is a mission. You must not leave your post without authorization, you must not retreat in the face of battle, and you must certainly not engage in internal strife. Violators will be severely punished."

He paused, then continued.

"Our team recently lost two brothers while out on a mission, so everyone is in a bad mood. Please understand. Since you're here, you're one of us now. In the future, as we live on the edge of the blade, we must look out for each other."

"Yes."

Bai Junyi nodded and pointed to a row of side rooms on the west side of the courtyard.

"Those are the barracks for the Demon Hunting Division. Team C occupies the two rooms on the east end. Pick an empty bunk yourself. Go to the General Affairs Division's logistics department to collect your bedding and supplies. The rooms on the west end are the female dorms; don't go wandering around their doors for no reason."

Having said that, he said no more, turned, and left. The others returned to their respective places, occasionally glancing at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu's expression remained calm as he shouldered his pack and walked toward the side rooms.

Hanging above the lintels of the two rooms on the east end were wooden plaques reading "Team C, Room 1" and "Team C, Room 2." Chen Mu pushed open the door to Room 1, and a smell of sweat, foot odor, and mildew rushed to meet him.

Inside the room, there was a communal bed with five bunks side by side. Two were currently empty. On the other three bunks, the bedding was messy, and miscellaneous items like shoes, socks, and sweat towels were scattered under the beds. There were a few wooden chests piled in the corner, and the windowsill was covered in dust.

Chen Mu placed his worn pack on the empty bunk by the window. That spot was right against the wall. The thick paper pasted over the window lattice had two holes in it, through which he could glimpse a corner of the training ground outside.

Just as he was about to tidy up, the wooden door creaked open, and a head poked in.

The person looked to be about the same age as Chen Mu, around eighteen or nineteen, with fair skin, bright black eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a likable smile.

He was wearing a slightly oversized black official robe, with the sleeves rolled up twice, revealing his thin wrists.

"Hey, you're the new guy?"

The youth had a loud, clear voice. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"I just went to the training ground to watch them practice their Dao, and when I came back, I heard the team had recruited a new person. My name is Ling Xiaoning; I only arrived at the beginning of last month. We're basically back-to-back."

He spoke quickly and moved nimbly. While talking, he had already walked up to Chen Mu's bunk, curiously looking him over.

Chen Mu looked up at him and nodded.

"Chen Mu."

Ling Xiaoning's mouth curved up, and he plopped down onto the empty bunk next to him, swinging his legs.

"I know, I know. Squad Leader Bai just mentioned you, saying you're a Squad Leader transferred up from Yunmeng."

After saying this, he leaned in toward Chen Mu, looking quite gossipy, and lowered his voice.

"Yunmeng, huh? I heard there was a huge demon disaster there a while ago, and even the County Magistrate died in the line of duty. Were you there for it?"

"Yes."

After hearing this, Ling Xiaoning's eyes lit up even more.

"That's amazing! I heard that place is really wicked, with cat demons, Ghostly Creatures, and fox demons taking turns. Since you were able to transfer to the Prefecture in one piece, you must have real skills."

Chen Mu glanced at him, didn't take the bait, and continued to organize his pack, leaning his Dao against the head of the bed.

Ling Xiaoning didn't mind Chen Mu's coldness; instead, he leaned in even closer with great interest.

"When I first arrived, I didn't know anything and just aimlessly followed Brother Lu and the others around. Now that you're settled in, how about I show you around? Where the dining hall is, where the latrines are, where you can get hot water—these things are all very important."

Chen Mu paused for a moment. After thinking about it, he realized he did need to get these trivial matters sorted out.

"I'd appreciate it."

Ling Xiaoning slapped his thigh and stood up.

"Why be so polite? Let's go! First, I'll take you to get your bedding and pillows. These public ones in the barracks are hard and damp; you need to get a new set. Then we'll go to the dining hall to learn the way. It's not mealtime yet, but the cook, Old Zhao, is a good guy; we can get a bowl of hot soup first..."

The two left the barracks and crossed the training ground. The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling. Several teams were still training on the ground, and the sounds of shouting and weapons clashing were endless.

Ling Xiaoning pointed things out as they walked, chattering away non-stop.

"That over there is the barracks for Team A. Their team is the strongest, and their captain is a ruthless man named Qin Zheng. I hear he has already reached the Heart-Awakening Realm and is the best of our Demon Suppression Division's younger generation."

He gave a thumbs-up, his eyes full of admiration.

"But he's very arrogant and usually doesn't pay much attention to us newcomers."

"Team B is to the west. The captain is a woman named Zhu Hongyu. She uses twin blades and is also very formidable. As for our Team C... hehe, Squad Leader Bai is a pretty good guy, it's just that he lost some brothers recently, so he's in a bad mood."

Chen Mu listened quietly, committing all this information to memory.