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墨書 Inktalez
In the Lan Prefecture, at the base of the He Family Army, the atmosphere inside the Kitchen was tense.
"I say, are you trying to fool me?" Lou Yu gritted his teeth, suppressing the twitch at his brow as he grabbed Ye Chen by the collar at the back of his neck. With his other hand, he angrily pointed at the stove that was belching out black smoke. "Look at this black smoke! It hasn’t even caught fire after so long, and you still claim to be the Firestarter of the Canteen?"
Ye Chen bit his lip and shrank his head back. "I just got here yesterday, and I'm... um, not very familiar with the job."
"What job? I don’t care! I’m taking you straight to the cell and giving you a few dozen lashes. Let’s see if you’re still so stubborn then." As he spoke, Lou Yu dragged Ye Chen towards the exit.
With his collar choking him, Ye Chen struggled to catch his breath, clutching at his shirt. "Sir, why don’t you believe me? I really am—"
Suddenly, the tent of the Canteen was flung open.
Wang Xiangzi had heard the commotion from the Kitchen and came to check it out. To his surprise, he found Ye Chen being dragged along the ground by Lou Yu in the middle of the night. He paused for a moment, tilting his head as he watched them.
"What are you doing?"
Lou Yu replied, "You came at just the right time. Take a look—this is one of your Canteen people?"
At this, Wang Xiangzi blinked rapidly and then focused on Ye Chen.
Ye Chen let go of his grip and smiled at Wang Xiangzi. "Chef."
Wang Xiangzi was speechless.
"He is one of our Canteen people. You’ve worried General Xiao Lou for nothing."
"I told you I’m from the Canteen! Why don’t you hurry up and let me go?" Ye Chen exclaimed, but suddenly felt something was off. As he looked up and made eye contact with Lou Yu, the latter finally released him.
Lying on the ground, Ye Chen rubbed his neck. "You’re a general?"
Lou Yu scoffed and turned his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Hmph."
Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Wang Xiangzi shot a glare at Ye Chen before turning to Lou Yu and asking, "Is General Xiao Lou hungry again?"
Lou Yu nodded slightly.
"Alright then, I'll go make something for General Xiao Lou. What kind of noodles do you want today, Diced Chili or Blade-Carved?"
"Diced Chili," Lou Yu replied.
"Got it, no problem. I'll make that for you right away." Wang Xiangzi turned towards the stove, not forgetting to kick Ye Chen as he passed. "What are you still doing standing there? Get up and help."
"Oh," Ye Chen responded.
With Chef Wang's assistance this time, Ye Chen finally learned how to start a fire at the stove.
It turned out this was quite a skill; one had to consider the wind direction to get the fire going. He had just been trying to light it against the wind, which caused a backdraft that prevented the fire from igniting, leaving the vent beneath the stove even darker.
"Thank you for cooking."
Holding a bowl of Chopped Chili Noodles, Ye Chen squatted by the stove, his eyes sparkling with delight.
Chef Wang was truly a great person; he still had noodles to eat.
After taking a few bites, the coldness that had enveloped Ye Chen was instantly chased away by the spiciness of the chili, warming him up completely.
Chef Wang rolled his eyes. "You brat, causing so much trouble just one day after arriving. It's lucky that General Xiao Lou discovered you today; if it were someone else, you'd either be dead or in serious trouble. Stay away from General He's accounts in the future; otherwise, you might not even know how you ended up in trouble one day."
"I got it, I got it."
After what happened tonight, Ye Chen could no longer be unaware of Chef Wang's true nature; he was indeed a classic example of someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He shook his head as he slurped the noodles in his bowl, responding in a muffled voice.
"Hmph, if you keep sneaking around near General He's quarters when there's nothing going on, don't say it's someone else; I won't let you off either," Lou Yu said, having finished two bowls, the oil from the noodles glistening on his thin lips.
Ye Chen rolled his eyes. "Got it, General Xiao Lou."
Once General Xiao Lou left, Ye Chen began to inquire about him from Wang Xiangzi.
Although General Xiao Lou was three or four years older than Ye Chen, he was significantly larger in stature. They were both young men still growing; with their appetites, it was easy to get hungry. Military life was physically demanding, and it was common for young men to go hungry. One night, when General Xiao Lou could no longer bear his hunger and came to the Canteen looking for food, Chef Wang had made an agreement with him to prepare special meals whenever he had the time.
That was why General Xiao Lou had chosen not to send Ye Chen to the brig immediately but instead brought him to the Kitchen for a meal. In other circumstances, with strict military discipline in place, there was no doubt that anyone else would have been sent to the brig for a beating first.
After finishing his meal, Ye Chen smacked his lips and returned to the Canteen tent to continue sleeping. It wasn't until dawn broke that he was awakened by Shuanzi.
"Ye Chen, get up! We're going to see General He."
At the mention of General He’s name, Ye Chen instantly became alert, quickly dressing and following Fu Gui out.
Fu Gui led the way while Ye Chen, Shuanzi, and Li Yun followed behind. Fu Gui was older and appeared more robust than them, giving the impression of a father taking his sons out for a stroll.
As they walked along, several soldiers they encountered teased Fu Gui: "Fu Gui, how many sons did they give you at the Canteen this time?"
Fu Gui had a good temper and laughed as he replied, "Of course! These are our new recruits at the Canteen. You want to be a dad? No one’s claiming you yet!"
They all laughed heartily. After some light banter, Fu Gui led them toward the square where soldiers were practicing their morning drills.
Before they got close, Ye Chen and the others could already hear powerful Submissive ts in unison from afar.
As they approached, Ye Chen peeked out from behind Fu Gui. In front of them was a neatly organized formation of soldiers holding long spears and executing movements like thrusts, jabs, and parries. The soldiers moved with precision and confidence; their feet struck the ground with authority, showcasing a well-trained army.
"Wow, these are the elite soldiers under General He. We really can't compare," Shuanzi exclaimed, his eyes wide as he stood in place, lost in thought.
Fu Gui smiled and said, "These soldiers have been with General He for five or six years, so of course they are much stronger than us. One day, we will be just as powerful."
Li Yun's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really, Brother Fu Gui?"
"Of course! I was once just like you when I first entered the Military Camp. But look at me now; I've grown so tall! In a couple of years, I'll be assigned out of the Canteen and will be able to charge into battle on the front lines."
"That's great! By then, we can also take up such long spears and fight like them. Just saying it feels so impressive! When I go back home, I’ll definitely brag to Gouwa and the others."
"Hey, Brother Fu Gui, where is General He? I can't see him anywhere," Ye Chen said, standing on his tiptoes and peering through the gaps in the formation, trying to catch a glimpse of General He among the figures on the wooden platform.
"You mean General He?" Seeing Ye Chen's eager expression, Fu Gui understood his admiration for General He and wanted to see what he looked like.
So Fu Gui pointed to one of the figures and said, "That’s General He; the one in golden armor is him."
"Where? I want to see too!" Shuanzi followed Fu Gui's direction.
Ye Chen squinted his eyes and finally discerned a figure.
In the bright light of day, the golden armor shone brilliantly, radiating a dazzling cross of light.
It turned out to be He Mu Ming.
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