Chapter 307: Chapter 305: Journey to the Capital for the Imperial Exam

The next day, Ling Chengyan once again bid farewell to her family and comrades, embarking on the journey to pursue her studies, boarding a train heading north towards the Capital.

Watching the trees, fields, and villages outside the window recede, Ling Chengyan silently mused: she was like an ancient scholar heading to Beijing for the imperial examination.

She didn’t consider being recommended for admission as a guarantee of success. To her, enrollment was just the beginning; the subsequent courses would be a continuous test. If she couldn’t keep up with the curriculum, even if she wasn’t dismissed, this ’mission’ would be a failure.

She would not allow such a thing to happen.

By the time she reached Beijing, it was already past six in the evening. Ling Chengyan, carrying her luggage, alighted from the train and saw two comrades waiting with a sign: “Reception for Special Admission Class Freshmen of XX Academy.”

Ling Chengyan smiled slightly and approached them.

The two waiting were momentarily stunned, and the shorter one instinctively glanced at the list in his hand. Upon seeing one name marked with “(female),” he quickly looked up with a broad smile and greeted, “You’re Ling Chengyan, Captain Ling, right?”

Ling Chengyan nodded with a smile, and the two immediately reached to take her luggage. The taller one added, “Captain Ling, please wait a moment. In twenty minutes, two more will arrive. Once we’ve picked them up, we’ll head back to the school.”

Ling Chengyan naturally had no objections, standing calmly behind them.

The two were very young, clearly ordinary students who had gained entrance through exams, displaying a youthful inexperience. The look in their eyes when they glanced at Ling Chengyan held both admiration and curiosity.

The shorter soldier broke the silence with a smile, “Captain Ling, what’s your military branch?”

Ling Chengyan: “Special training.”

The smiles on the faces of the two young recruits became more serious, and their gaze at Ling Chengyan gained an additional layer of respect.

The special training soldiers, selected from the best across regions, showed strong tactical and combat abilities during missions.

The taller soldier hesitantly asked, “For Captain Ling, a female soldier, to become a Special Training Captain, you must have been practicing martial arts from a young age?”

Ling Chengyan smiled and nodded, acknowledging the assumption.

The two young men exchanged glances, their eyes brightening further.

Then, the two young men introduced their names, ages, and fields of study to Ling Chengyan. After a brief conversation, Zhao Junfeng (the shorter one) eagerly suggested, “Captain Ling, could you teach us a few moves?”

Xiang Hui (the taller one) also chimed in with a laugh, “We don’t need to be as skilled as you. Just teach us a few moves so we can handle three or five opponents.”

Ling Chengyan chuckled, “Martial arts require personal talent, a naturally gifted body, and starting practice from a young age… You two are too old.”

Zhao Junfeng and Xiang Hui’s enthusiasm fizzled out, and they slumped dejectedly.

Fortunately, another train arrived, and two uniformed soldiers disembarked. The awaited pair had arrived.

“Ling Chengyan?” Someone recognized her immediately upon leaving the train and greeted her with a smile.

“Zhang Yuanhong, long time no see.” Ling Chengyan was surprised to encounter someone familiar but still responded with a smile.

The last encounter with Zhang Yuanhong was in the provincial capital. Although he was driving a military vehicle, he was in civilian clothes at the time, and Ling Chengyan assumed he just had relatives in the military. She didn’t expect he had joined the army and was now attending school with her in Beijing. It was a delightful coincidence.

With Zhang Yuanhong’s introduction, she was also introduced to Tian Kai from Su Province, and the five of them exited the station together.

Outside, a military truck was waiting. Four people who had arrived earlier were already waiting on the truck for over an hour.

With everyone accounted for, the truck rumbled out of the station, speeding along, leaving the bright city lights and bustling streets behind until it finally stopped at a large compound in the suburbs.

“We’re here. This is our school. It was newly built last year and we’ve been here for less than a year.” Xiang Hui introduced, inviting the seven people, carrying bedding and luggage, to enter.

The male students went directly to the male dormitory, led upstairs by Xiang Hui to find their rooms. Zhao Junfeng continued walking with Ling Chengyan, leading her to a small building while explaining: “This is the faculty building. Since there are few female students at our academy, a few dormitories have been allocated here for female students.”

The five-story building housed Ling Chengyan’s dormitory on the third floor, which was originally occupied by a female staff member from the student logistics department. With Ling Chengyan moving in, the room was shared by two people. The room was equipped with beds, wardrobes, and desks and chairs.

Ling Chengyan surveyed the roughly ten-square-meter dormitory, noting one single bed neatly made with military precision, as expected of a standard army dormitory.

After thanking Zhao Junfeng for accompanying her, Ling Chengyan carried her bedding to the vacant bed, unfolded it, and then unpacked and organized her clothing and personal items.

While she was tidying up, the door opened, and in walked a young woman around twenty-four or twenty-five years old.

The young woman had her hair in a low ponytail and wore a red long-sleeved dress instead of a uniform. Her bangs were slightly curled, a sign of a perm, and she had fair skin and large eyes, exuding femininity.

Seeing Ling Chengyan upon entering, the young woman was slightly surprised but quickly smiled and greeted, “Are you the new student? I’m Qi Yanli, I used to live here. I work in the school’s logistics department.”

Ling Chengyan extended her hand, “From Huicheng, Eastern Province, Ling Chengyan.”

It was already after nine in the evening, and there was no food left in the cafeteria, so Ling Chengyan took out some food she brought with her, planning to make do with it for dinner.

She invited Qi Yanli, “Have some with me. I brought some from home.”

Seeing the various foods Ling Chengyan had laid out, Qi Yanli curiously approached, “Are those pancakes? I’ve heard the most famous thing from Eastern Province is pancakes with green onions.”

Ling Chengyan laughed, knowing that although Eastern Province is famous for its Shandong cuisine, the pancakes with green onions left the deepest impression on outsiders. She had encountered this perception on previous missions when people from other provinces would immediately ask about it upon learning she was from Eastern Province.

Ling Chengyan briefly explained the food of Eastern Province while setting out the dishes she brought, inviting Qi Yanli to try.

The food included snacks prepared by Ling Family’s sisters-in-law, and also by Wang Liansheng, consisting of long-lasting items like dried meat and shrimp.

Qi Yanli picked up a fried shrimp, took a crisp bite, and chewed while mumbling, “Delicious, truly delicious, even better than the fried shrimp sold at Wudaokou.”

Ling Chengyan smiled, “If you like it, have more. These are made from fresh shrimp and won’t keep long.”

However, Qi Yanli showed restraint, eating only one shrimp before stopping. She fetched her thermos and poured Ling Chengyan a cup of hot water, “I noticed you didn’t bring a thermos?”

Ling Chengyan nodded, swallowed the food in her mouth, and said, “Carrying it along the journey was inconvenient. I planned to buy one upon arrival. It seems I won’t have time today; I’ll get one tomorrow when I have a chance to go out.”

Qi Yanli waved her hand, “No need, no need. New students can get whatever’s lacking from the campus store. We have all these items, and they’re cheaper than outside.”

While eating, Qi Yanli also introduced many aspects of the school to Ling Chengyan, such as which cafeteria had better food, and when the bathhouse was open, among other details. Ling Chengyan listened quietly, keeping it all in mind.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep