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Chapter 22: Touring the Barracks

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When Kyu Cao and Li Ling turned, they saw both De Pong and the rooster coming their direction. The one who'd spoken, was the rooster.

"Instructor Cuo Ding," Li Ling respectfully greeted with a bow.

Instructor Cuo Ding had a rather average build, but his coat of feathers was anything but that. While the colors were neutral and subdued, the feathers curled upward like petals from an ostentatious flower, giving the rooster a rather puffed yet extravagant appearance.

Cuo Ding nodded to the snake girl with the air of a superior praising, then turned to the cat, who was staring straight back inexpressively.

"Young Master, this is Instructor Cuo Ding from the Medic Division. He is the vice-chief of the barrack's infirmary," De Pong introduced, though his serious demeanor actually indicated his reluctance.

"Greetings," the cat said with a small nod of acknowledgement.

"And he is Young Master Kyu Cao. He's accompanying us today as a guest."

Cuo Ding pointedly stared at the cat, really dissatisfied with this junior who didn't show his elders their proper respect.

"A guest? Then is he not an apprentice?"

The way the rooster talked could be said to be somewhat exaggerated, the same for his mannerisms that, although minute, couldn't get rid of the feeling that he might be trying a little too much to act refined.

This was something that always made De Pong want to roll his eyes. "The Young Master is an extremely talented individual. Not only is he already well proficient in pellet confection, but he's also proficient in many other areas. He's already giving us a lot of face visiting our humble infirmary to study."

Despite being humbling words, the dog spoke as if gloating. He knew this one's personality rather well, so he knew that something he could boast over in front of the rooster would be having such a good sapling.

The cock believed himself after all, an excellent teacher worthy of many geniuses.

So like dangling candy in front of a kid, he wanted to tease the pedant snob.

But how could Cuo Ding not know what the dog was trying to do? So he only glanced at the fatty disdainfully. Still, though somewhat doubtful, his interest was a bit piqued.

"You know each other?" Cuo ding directed this question to Li Ling, who nodded back obediently.

"Yes, we met by chance, and spent some time together."

Cuo Ding nodded, before immediately asking another question by ultra sound transmission. "And how is he? Is not he a trainee in the army?"

Li Ling didn't feel too good offering information about Kyu Cao, but could not deny the instructor. "We only spent a little time together, but at least we indeed got the impression that he is truly talented. We do not believe he's entered the army."

Hearing such response, Cuo Ding was pleased, but didn't show it on his face. The dog was, after all, glancing in his direction with some mockery in his eyes, as if urging him to try and talk to the cat.

Cuo Ding could deduce more or less what this meant, but now that his student had confirmed the fat dumpling's words, he now was truly interested on this cat.

Since it seemed he was good at Aphotecy, then it meant the cat would have a good chance of ending under his tutelage, and he could then teach him as it should be.

"I see, such coincidence, must be destiny. It seems the Young Master have come to take a look right, could it be that the Young Master is interested in the army?" Cuo Ding spoke politely, but also with the airs of a great personage.

"As expected, a greedy clown," De Pong sneered inwardly. The cock really couldn't ignore a good seed that might potentially go his way. The rooster was truly too eager to be the teacher of a probably future acclaimed hero.

Kyu Cao silently pondered for a moment, before facing the rooster and speaking briefly. "A bit."

De Pong's expression froze, while Cuo Ding's chest rose slightly with excitement.

The rooster quickly calmed down, and the fabulous atmosphere around him increased. "Then, what does the Young Master says about touring a bit our military grounds? You two are acquaintances, right? She could be the Young Master's guide and take you to take a look around. I am sure it will worth the Young Master's time."

"All right."

"Good!" Cuo Ding said, praising the cat's decision with a nod. "Li Ling, you can excuse yourself and take the Young Master for a tour." Then he added covertly, "make sure he sees the merits of our medic team well."

"Li Ling understands," Li Ling bowed in acknowledgement. And while she was not too keen on leading Senior Cao in like this, she also couldn't deny a bit of looking forward to if he would join the army with them. Maybe even in the same division as her.

"Mister Pong, it seems I will be staying here for a while. Please do not stay behind for me, I will return by myself later." Kyu Cao then turned toward Li Ling, and she understandingly nodded before curving her long body in direction to the small door to the barracks. Then the two began to walk.

"So is Kyu, Senior Cao's second name?"

"Yes."

"Young Ma- but, no, Young Master..." Everything happened so fast, that De Pong could only mumble incoherent as the Young Master and the snake girl crossed the door on the wall and disappeared from his sights.

"Hmph," Cuo Ding smiled smugly and victoriously. "That's how it should be. Only in the army will the rough precious gems get polished and shine brilliantly. Buried away at the infirmary, it truly would have been a waste."

"You!" Brought back by the rooster's words, De Pong truly wanted to strangle this cock. "Do you know what you've done? Who is he?"

Cuo Ding looked at the dog oddly, rather disgusted of this one's exaggerated reaction. "Are you not reacting a little much? Don't you have some of that funny face left?"

"Exaggerated? Don't you know what would happen if something were to occur to him? What would happen to me? To us?!"

Finally suspicious, Cuo Ding eyed the dog. "What do you mean?"

What the dog was nervous about, Cuo Ding knew it.

The trainees' barracks were a naturally hot-headed and competitive place.

While most of the commoner trainees wouldn't dare to bother someone who was evidently a noble like the Young Master Kyu Cao, that wouldn't certainly be the case for the other nobles.

Especially the most bratty ones; they might want to pick a fight for wherever ridiculous reason.

However, this possibility was already too farfetched, so Cuo Ding couldn't find the dog's anxiousness reasonable.

As for De Pong, he wanted to pull out his triangular ears. How could he casually speak about the Young Master's status, when that alone would raise a lot of forbidden questions.

He faced the rooster with a serious expression, though with his creased fur the effect was a little diminished. "Let's just put it like this. It would only be needed for a single strand of fur from him to be harmed for us to become damsels for the night."

Finally, Cuo Ding's face gained a somber expression.

Of course, becoming damsels was an analogy. But it meant that behind the cat there was someone truly powerful. Powerful enough to suppress the two of them greatly without even the need to harm them.

So indeed, they would be quite, metaphorically, fucked up in the future.

It seemed the cat's background was more unordinary than he'd thought.

"So what now? You sure can't be thinking I go and stop them, do you?" said the rooster haughtily. If he did that, what face would be left for him in front of his juniors.

"We can only follow them closely. Young Master Cao wouldn't stop now anyways, so we can only shadow them and make sure nothing happens."

Cuo Ding stared at the dog incredulous, not believing his ears.

He was supposed to sneakily follow a junior? He, a respected instructor?

"Stop curling your feathers, let's go," De Pong decidedly spoke out, then he began to walk toward the door.

"Hmph," at this point, Cuo Ding could only snort disdainfully. Truly shameless, this dog. He better make sure to push all the blame on him if something does happen.

The other side of the red wall was a vastly different picture than that of the military residences.

The edifices looked robust and sturdy, and were not as numerous, giving the place a spacious yet strict atmosphere.

Theriopes in various red suits of armor abounded the place, some standing unmoving like statues in orderly positions, some going somewhere with big strides, and some actually taking it easy and conversing with their peers.

In general, the feeling Kyu Cao got was akin to seeing a school of red fishes, disorderly yet orderly at the same time, and giving out a strange pressure.

Of course, the pressure of the soldiers was more vigorous and dangerous, a smell of dirt and musk floated in the air.

This wasn't what he'd been expecting either.

As Kyu Cao and Li Ling walked, some of the more idle soldiers turned their way, before quickly losing interest and returning to their own business.

Li Ling led the cat without stopping, or conversing much.

When Instructor Cuo Ding talked about a tour, Li Ling knew he meant the trainees' barracks. There was no way two juniors alone could go snooping around the senior soldiers' area. That was just asking for unnecessary trouble.

After a while, the two arrived to an area where the atmosphere perceptibly seemed to change, becoming more rowdy and immature, if that made sense.

Kyu Cao began to see young trainees and novice soldiers walking around with a more relaxed and unbridled manner, compared to the adult soldiers. Li Ling too became more at ease once they entered the trainees' area, and she halted her slithering for a moment to place herself next to Kyu Cao.

"Senior Cao, we've arrived to the trainees' barracks. This is where all the recruits and some of the youngest new soldiers stay and train."

"Un," Kyu Cao nodded in understanding. Facilities wise, it wasn't really different from the previous area, though it lacked some of the bigger structures he saw shortly after coming out from the walls. Those must've been the administrative buildings. "What exactly does one do in the army?"

"What exactly?" Li Ling found herself briefly stumped, as this question was not one many asked.

When one thought of entering the army, one would think of training, servicing the Empire, and risking one's life in battle; earning some gold, maybe doing well enough to fly to skies and become a powerful and renowned figure. That would be enough of a prospect for most.

But to elaborate how they spent their days here, Li Ling considered it for a moment before responding. "To be honest, being in the army is not as harsh as it might sound. We actually spend most of our time training our martial arts or cultivating, or doing whatever we want, not much different from a sect. But I guess we differ in that we have to do military exercises and practice joint formations. I think that's the biggest difference."

"Is that so? So most of your time is spent training?" Kyu Cao thought it actually sounded quite leisured.

"Yes. After all, once the peaceful days are over and we enter the battlefield, strength will be the most important factor to whether we return alive." These words, Li Ling said them more solemnly.

Going to war was not a game, nor was it as majestic and righteous as portrayed in stories.

It was a field blooming with flowers of blood and gore, and where one might not even leave a corpse behind.

So it was actually like that, Kyu Cao finally comprehended.

He too didn't dare to underestimate the matter of war, especially as a member of the Bloodstripe Clan.

Indeed, only by increasing their strength, would these youths have a better chance of surviving the battlefield and maybe obtain the glory they sought.

As they passed by, the trainees turned in their direction and stared curiously, less reserved than the adults.

It was a given, seeing as how amongst these many youths wearing brown and red armors, Kyu Cao stood out like white among black with his extravagant long robe the color of jade.

Ignoring the impolite stares and getting rid of her previous somber expression, Li Ling turned to the cat with a mild smile, pretty like a reserved flower. "Is there something Senior Kyu Cao is curious about? It would be better if I were to take Senior to sight see somewhere he might find interesting."

Hearing this question, Kyu Cao considered it seriously. It was a rare chance that he got to explore the military barracks, and with a guide at that, so it was better if he made the best use of it.

"Where does the trainees... spar?" He was actually going to say train, but changed it, because what he was the most curious about right now, was fighting. So, he thought seeing others sparing would let him glean something.

Li Ling knew this cat was actually a novice when it came to battles, so her line of thought ended being similar to his, and she agreed understandingly.

She quickly altered their course in direction to the sparring rings, and advanced under the many eyes of the other trainees, some of whom after taking a second glance at the cat, rapidly turned and ran somewhere.

"So in the end nothing?"

"Yes. Not even in the entire residential area are hints of him. It would seem this cat is not even part of the army. My guess would be that he's actually residing in another of the quarters. It's probable he's a guest of sorts."

"Hmph, how troublesome."

Hearing his subordinate's report, Bon Sa mood turned sour.

He'd mobilized a bit of his theriope resources to find information about that cat, but so far it had resulted useless.

Indeed, nobody in the whole military quarter seemed to know about him.

However, searching in the other quarters would be difficult.

He was here as a recruit, and not as a guest, so even if he was a direct descendant of the Goldcloud Clan, one of the Great Clans of the Wave Breaking Empire, his freedom of movement was quite restrained.

"What about the trainees who were with him back then?"

"Nothing so far. It's probable they had only met by coincidence and then decided to team up."

That sounded about right, thought Bon Sa. He didn't get the feeling that the cat and those four were truly close, so it was not surprising if they had no further contact since then.

"What would you suggest then?" Bon Sa looked at the cold-faced, black buck in front him, wanting to hear something constructive.

"We can only be patient. As long as he still remains within the state, we should be able to get some information from the other quarters," Ku Ro replied coolly.

"Tch." Hearing this, Bon Sa only clicked his tongue in annoyance. To be patient, was he the sort of theriope who waited patiently to repay a debt? Debts were better collected as soon as possible.

It was at this moment that a knocking sound was heard, loudly echoing in the quiet room.

"Enter," said Bon Sa impatiently.

Entering, appeared another monkey, though this one's aura and demeanor couldn't simply be compared to Bon Sa's, indicating that this was only a commoner trainee of the army.

This monkey youth immediately bowed in Bon Sa's direction, and then spoke respectfully. "Young Master, this one brings important good news. The cat that the Young Master has been searching for has appeared."

"He has?!" Bon Sa's face immediately lit up with delighted surprise, and a smile full of sharp white teeth appeared. "Good! Where?"

"Right here, in the trainees' barracks. We have just received word that he's just arrived. He seems to be led by a snake female that's showing him around."

"Right here?! Showing him around?" Bon Sa repeated a bit taken aback. All this time he'd been searching for him yet found nothing, and now this cat just came knocking at the door? It was kind of ridiculous.

"Maybe he's indeed not part of the army yet, and had actually just come recently," Ku Ro speculated from the side, receiving a nod from Bon Sa shortly after.

"That might be so, but that doesn't matter right now. We are seizing this opportunity! Ku Ro, we are going."

"I understand," the black buck bowed.

Bon Sa rose from his seat and proceeded forward with momentum, Ku Ro following just behind, and tailed by that briefly flustered monkey trainee.

It was finally the time to settle the score.