Main Text, Chapter Ninety-Five: Never Abandon, Never Give Up, Part One

Why take this mission?

Jiang An had long since expected that someone would ask. He smiled faintly.

“There are many clever people in this world. Above all, never underestimate your enemy. It is undeniable that some people, after investigating and analyzing me, have pinned down certain traits of my personality: I hate trouble, but I am not afraid of it; I do things as I please, and so on. So they adjusted the mission until it suited my appetite. They did not hide their intentions either, because they knew the chance of my accepting it was very high. And if I refused, they would have a backup plan anyway. So I did as they wished and took the mission. But as for the outcome, it will not unfold the way they arranged. The reward, I intend to claim it.”

Ouyang Shi could feel Jiang An’s confidence. Then, from the side, Song Han suddenly said, “All right, you two head to Emerald Peak. I’m going to Golden Flame Peak to see an old friend. By the way, I’ll keep an eye on Wan Shuang and her mother. I’ll make sure they remain perfectly safe.”

With that, Song Han parted ways with Jiang An. Watching his retreating figure, Jiang An thought inwardly that this bargain of a father-in-law was no simple man either; he had actually seen another reason why Jiang An had accepted the mission.

That was right. Song Wanshuang and her mother were Jiang An’s weakness. So Jiang An would rather go beyond the borders as his enemies wished, climb the blades and descend into fire, drawing all the pressure onto himself, than remain in the country and force his enemies to use even more vicious methods, putting Song Wanshuang and Xi Xi in danger. In the end, he was still not strong enough.

What was more, the higher-ups of the villa had actually acquiesced to certain people’s petty maneuvers. Such an attitude was highly subtle indeed.

Nearly two thousand years of struggle had given Jiang An a heart clear as crystal, able to see through many things at a glance. After thinking for a moment, he asked Ouyang Shi, “Friend Ouyang, does the villa’s treasury hold a large supply of spirit stones?”

“I don’t know about the other treasures, but the stock of spirit stones is not very large. As you know, the spiritual energy on Earth has long become too thin to nurture spirit stones. Add to that the enormous daily consumption of the Black Tortoise Radiant Array, and the stones are only just enough. If Brother Jiang needs a large quantity of spirit stones, there is only one place to obtain them: the source-energy dimension.”

When Jiang An heard this, he was somewhat surprised. Even some local factions and the military in Lincheng could possess spirit stones, yet the villa claimed its reserve was not very large. Could it be...?

He suddenly understood. Daoist Blade Desert had once said that spirit stones were remnants of a spirit vein discovered many years ago. That was nothing but a lie. It was clearly a grand falsehood woven by the world of masters to conceal the existence of source-energy humans and the source-energy dimension from the world at large!

The source-energy dimension, then? Jiang An suddenly felt a surge of anticipation.

...

This damned jungle!

Wen Wan lifted her head and looked up. Dense treetops layered over one another, blocking out the sky. Through the gaps, she could faintly see a great mass of dark clouds gathering, as though rain were about to fall.

Nearly a month had passed, had it not? From initial excitement to present numbness, she had grown a great deal. She just did not know whether she could still return safely this time. The New Year was almost here; if anything unfortunate happened, what would become of her family?

Rustle, rustle.

Lost in thought, she heard a faint sound and instinctively drew her pistol, aiming at the bushes. In the next moment, a familiar face appeared.

“Snake, you’re back,” Wen Wan said, putting away the gun.

It was Snake, still graceful in figure and beautiful in face, though exhaustion could not be hidden from her expression. She held up the things in her hands and smiled. “Not bad luck at all. I brought down a few wild animals, and I even dug up a hibernating snake. It looks like rain is coming soon. That’s good too. It’ll be colder, yes, but the rain will wash away our scent and traces. We can light a fire tonight. We can’t go on without hot food anymore. Even if we can endure it, the wounded can’t.”

“All right, I’ll start the fire right away,” Wen Wan nodded.

“No need, I’ll do it!” Another set of footsteps sounded in the woods. Three men also came carrying game. The one in front said, “Rat, you just take care of the wounded. I’m best at starting fires.”

“Fine, then I’ll go keep watch inside.”

Facing this man, Wen Wan felt somewhat awkward. She turned and went into the crude shelter made from branches, leaves, and tarpaulin.

“Hey, Thunder God, so you’re good at starting fires? Too bad your cooking isn’t up to much. Look at how you’ve scared our Rat.”

“Your efforts still need work, comrade.”

The two men beside Thunder God were none other than Sheep and Monkey, and they were teasing him with grins.

The man called Thunder God had a handsome, upright face and paid no mind to their mockery. “I just like Rat. What’s wrong with that? Beauty suits a tough guy, right? Still, I’m curious: does your Divine Dragon Squad really have no one who likes her? Rat is the prettiest female soldier I’ve ever seen.”

“She is pretty enough, but that tomboy personality—only you would like it.”

“She’s like our little sister. If you saw her every day, you’d probably feel she was just ordinary. Of course, Snake here—I never get tired of looking at her.”

As Sheep spoke, he suddenly felt a killing intent. Turning around, he saw Snake, who was deftly skinning and boning a large snake, glance at him with a smile that was not quite a smile. He immediately gave an awkward laugh. “Haha, just kidding. Back to work, back to work!”

Seeing this, Thunder God chuckled, which only infuriated Sheep further. Sheep kicked him and said, “What are you laughing at? What’s so funny? Careful, or I won’t teach you the body-tempering technique anymore! It’d be best if Rat beat you black and blue.”

Thunder God quickly suppressed his laughter. “Don’t, I was wrong, little brother!”

“Shh! Keep your voices down. Don’t disturb the master and the wounded. Hurry up and work so the others can come back to a hot meal!” Snake said in dissatisfaction.

The three burly men immediately fell silent and obediently got to work.

Their words outside made Wen Wan’s cheeks burn. Grinding her teeth, she muttered, “Those shameless old lechers, I’ll rip their mouths apart!”

“Whose mouths are you going to rip apart?”

A weak voice sounded.

Wen Wan was overjoyed. Seeing Rat Snake lying in the sickbed smiling at her, she almost burst into tears. “Brother, you’re finally awake!”

Rat Snake’s face was devoid of blood, and his lips were dry and cracked, yet even so he did not let his smile fade. “Silly girl! If you cry, I won’t let you go on missions with me anymore. You should go back and hurry up and find someone to marry.”

“Who said I was crying? What a joke.” Wen Wan naturally refused to admit it, huffing, “It’s you, though. You nearly lost your life. How am I supposed to explain this when we go back?”

“What explanation is needed? To be wrapped in a horse’s hide in death—that is a soldier’s honor!” Rat Snake’s voice was very low, yet it carried solemnity. After speaking, his expression darkened a little. “If we had arrived sooner, our three brothers, Lotus Root, Kudzu Root, and Goldthread, would not have sacrificed themselves. We can’t even bring their bodies back. I hate this so much!”

Wen Wan could feel the intensity of Rat Snake’s anger and self-reproach, and hurriedly comforted him. “Don’t get too worked up. Be careful you don’t tear your wounds open again!”

Rat Snake closed his eyes and let out a long breath. When he opened them again, he had regained his composure. “How are Tiger and Gentian?”

Wen Wan glanced back at the other two beds. Her tone grew somber. “Their injuries are worse. They still haven’t woken up. Especially Gentian—both his legs were blown off. Even if he survives...”

Rat Snake clenched his teeth.

“Brother, do you think we can make it back safely? It’s been so long,” Wen Wan asked cautiously.

“We can, for sure!” Rat Snake said with absolute certainty. “I’ve been through worse than this. Don’t worry. We’re getting closer and closer to the border. The nation will not abandon us. Reinforcements will arrive soon. Hold on, little sister!”

“Mm!” Wen Wan nodded hard.

Rat Snake smiled again, and the determination in that smile grew even firmer. Even if I die, I will make sure you get home safely!

Half an hour later, night blanketed the earth.

Cold, fine rain drizzled down, striking the dense leaves and weaving a quiet symphony, soothing to the ear. Yet beyond the darkness, how many dangers were drawing near, leaving not a moment for anyone to relax?

One birdcall after another rang out in relay through the mountain woods. It was a signal.

Between the four crude tree huts, a small awning had been erected from tarpaulin and cut wet branches to shield them from wind and rain, preventing the two campfires from being extinguished. Above the fires sat two small pots in which chunks of meat were steadily boiling, releasing a rich, appetizing aroma.

Shadows flickered in constant motion, and before long, the people had gathered around the flames.

“The food tonight is pretty good. At last we can have something hot.”

“Eating dry rations and chewing raw meat every day has left my mouth so bland I can barely taste anything.”

“If there were birds to eat, that’d be fine too.”

The members of the Divine Dragon Squad and the Divine Square Squad exchanged familiar banter; it was the only form of entertainment during their tense battles.

“Let me see. Aside from the injured Rat, Tiger, and Gentian, and the sentries Rabbit, Horse, Rooster, and Pig, everyone’s here. Where’s Master Yun? Not coming out?” Ox asked. Every army needed someone to give orders. With the two squads acting together, Rat, as team leader, was naturally the commander. But now that he was injured, Ox was the one in command.

“Master Yun is still recovering from his injuries. We’ve brought the food in to him. By the way, Rat is awake now and is using the Sky-Piercing Body-Tempering Technique to recover faster,” Dog replied.

“Good. Then everyone dig in. Afterward, switch out the four sentries.”

At Ox’s command, everyone began sharing the rare meal. In truth, it was merely meat boiled in plain water with a little edible wild greens added, plus some salt.

They could no longer expect much. Nearly a month of fighting had exhausted all their supplies. Fortunately, each of them was a soldier elite among elites, and surviving in the wild was a trifle.

“Rat, eat more. Come on, take mine.”

Wen Wan was sipping hot soup when a figure leaned over beside her. It was Thunder God, smiling broadly.

“Oh!”

The comrades around them immediately let out their usual wicked jeers.

Wen Wan quickly pulled back her hand and glared at Thunder God. “What are you doing? I’m full. I don’t want yours.”

Thunder God did not mind in the slightest, still grinning. “It’s nothing. I just want to bribe you—bribe you a little—so you’ll teach me a couple more moves?”

“Can’t you find someone else?”

“They all say your Sky-Piercing Body-Tempering Technique has improved the fastest, so of course I have to come to the best one.”

“The best one is our instructor. Go find him.”

“I would like to, but I don’t have the chance right now.”

Watching the two of them banter, everyone else curved their lips into knowing smiles. That boy Thunder God was stubbornly relentless in chasing girls; at this rate, Wen Wan might well fall for him before long.

That night, before sleeping, they held a meeting.