Chapter 251: Chapter 248:

Walking some distance, Yang Hua quietly nudged Geng Wei, whispering, “Look at that guy’s face, hey, it’s turned the color of pig liver from anger!”

Geng Wei had already noticed Captain Han’s expression but kept a straight face, glaring at Yang Hua, “Stop blabbering nonsense! You grew up in the mountains, so why don’t you go check the road ahead?”

Just as Geng Wei, who had served for years in coastal defense, was familiar with the seashore terrain, Yang Hua, having grown up in the mountains, was familiar with the mountain terrain and topography, allowing him to accurately judge the terrain and select a safer and quicker route.

Additionally, they didn’t bring much food. They had dry rations during the forced march at noon, and would need to find dinner along the way.

Yang Hua agreed and walked ahead, grumbling as he left, “Captain Han’s such a petty old man, I heard him jokingly call our company commander a woman, all wishy-washy when we set out!”

After speaking, Yang Hua strode quickly to the front of the team, leaving Geng Wei’s face blackened amidst the team.

This coward dares to say such things in front of him, why didn’t he fight back when hearing that nonsense? What’s wrong with a woman being a company commander? If you can become a company commander, it shows you have the capability. If you’re not happy with it, just try taking over!

Full of petty schemes and cowardice, this coward is even worse than a woman! What a tough guy!

Ling Chengyan didn’t know what these two were saying. She was walking at the front of the team, constantly watching the soldiers behind, reminding those cutting the way with machetes and sticks to be cautious of branches and rocks. The Taihang Mountain is lush with vegetation, and though not as dense with snakes and insects as the south, there are still many venomous snakes, especially a local snake called a ’pit viper,’ dirt-yellow with black patterns, coiled in branches or lurking on rocks, its color is deceptive; a careless touch or step can lead to an attack.

Yang Hua caught up from behind, taking the stick from Ling Chengyan’s hand and swiping at the surrounding bushes, saying, “Nowadays, there aren’t many large beasts in the mountains anymore. A decade or two ago, there were tigers and bears, more leopards and wolves. In winter, wolf packs would even descend the mountain to carry off villagers’ children.”

Ling Chengyan quietly listened to him while casually scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, she spotted a narrow rock seam amidst stacked mountains and paused, turning to walk toward it.

“… Leopards are fierce too. If you encounter one, climbing a tree is useless; they climb faster than humans… Company commander?” Yang Hua was saying when he saw Ling Chengyan leaving the team to walk aside, quickly chasing after her with the stick, “Company commander, I’ll carry the stick for you.”

He meant to say he would sweep away grass for her to avoid encountering snakes, but halfway through, he remembered she might just be taking a break, so he changed his tune.

Ling Chengyan had already looked at the half-meter wide rock seam and returned, waving her hand to signal there was no need, continuing to follow the team and asking proactively, “Not many large beasts, but what about wild boars? Are they numerous?”

Wild boars aren’t considered fierce beasts but are a favorite prey of hunters. However, they are sturdy creatures, especially large boars, weighing four to five hundred pounds, with long tusks that make them formidable in collisions and bites.

An old hunter proverb goes: solitary boar, pack wolves, indicating that a lone wild boar is as dangerous as a pack of wolves.

They rank the danger of wild beasts: one boar, two bears, three tigers, meaning hunters regard encountering wild boars and bears in the forest as more dangerous than tigers.

Hearing the company commander ask about wild boars, Yang Hua was momentarily stunned, instinctively replying, “Wild boars are numerous, not so much this season, but come late summer or early autumn when the crops ripen, wild boars will descend to ravage the fields… Company commander, was the mark you saw a wild boar’s footprint?”

Ling Chengyan nodded, saying, “Yes, there were wild boar hoofprints, and other animal tracks too. That rock seam is a beast path.”

“Beast path!” Yang Hua repeated, then showed a joyful expression, “If wild boars come, they’re delivering meat to us!”

For this training exercise, everyone was fully armed and carried tools. Not just a couple of boars; even a whole herd wouldn’t stand a chance!

Ling Chengyan glanced at him, saying indifferently, “With so many people marching, the beasts will avoid us from afar.”

A single statement made Yang Hua’s face droop, his hope to eat meat dashed.

The group climbed the mountain ridge and then set up camp on a sparsely wooded and open slope behind the ridge.

The campsite was near a water source; following the order to set up camp, the soldiers quickly divided tasks: some went to fetch water, some pitched tents, and others began cleaning the wild fruits, yams, and other foods gathered along the way…

Ling Chengyan led Geng Wei and Yang Hua to a protruding rock, using binoculars to survey the terrain.

Even in the dim light, the binoculars allowed them to see Zhegu Ridge opposite. The mountain top had two smooth boulders resembling partridges, easy to recognize.

The guys drawing water returned, calling out loudly, “There are fish in the creek, and snails too. Need more people here.”

Worried about insufficient food, Yang Hua perked up, reported to Ling Chengyan, and hurriedly followed.

An hour later, the group catching fish returned, chatting and laughing. They didn’t catch many fish, but gathered two or thirty pounds of snails and many mountain frogs. Crucially, they found a sheltered spot by the creek, dug a smokeless cooking pit, and brought back cooked food.

Ling Chengyan looked at Yang Hua, who grinned sheepishly, and said nothing, turning her gaze away.

For this outdoor training, they were instructed not to light fires for cooking to avoid exposing their position, so they only had limited seasonings, just salt and ginger. One spicy foodie soldier contributed a bag of chili powder… The cooking was quite rough, but surprisingly the taste was good, and everyone ate contentedly.

After eating, they cleaned up, burying the food scraps in pits.

While they were busy, the sentry responsible for guarding issued a bird call warning, one short followed by two long calls, indicating the approach of an unknown enemy.

Everyone stopped their work and grabbed their weapons.

Yang Hua, feeling somewhat resigned, whispered to Geng Wei, “I’ll stay and tidy up. You follow them.”

Upon hearing the warning, he was initially excited, thinking it was wild boars or other beasts but realized it was people—dark night, windy forest depths, who else could come? Surely, it must be other squads participating in the training.

Moreover, it’s likely that it’s the team led by Captain Han from the Yu Province, that guy full of petty thoughts, always nitpicking, Yang Hua certainly didn’t want to join in and feel annoyed.

Ling Chengyan heard clearly what the two were saying but ignored them, heading directly toward the warning direction. Geng Wei kicked Yang Hua and quickly followed.

Unexpectedly, the approaching group was not only the Yu Province training squad but also included four strangers.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep