Volume 4, Chapter 6 – Dirty Tricks

When they assembled for the night hunt, almost every disciple looked completely at a loss. Dragging their feet about getting dressed was one thing, but some people could not even be bothered to bring the issued wooden swords and had actually come down in slippers.

Clearly, they thought this sudden assembly was not much different from a surprise inspection during military drills. Someone would come look them over, then send them back.

Only a very small number who had gotten a heads-up had properly put on their clothes and gear, with boots, wooden swords, phones and the rest all in order. Among them were Liu Yong, Dongzi, and Zhu Sheng, the little trio that had just formed.

It was worth noting that Zhu Sheng and Dongzi had slept, so they did not look sleepy at all. Liu Yong, on the other hand, had it rough. He might be fully geared up, but just standing there he had already yawned three times.

There was no way around it. For reasons everyone knew, yawns were contagious. Whenever he saw someone else yawn, he could hardly stop himself.

After a while, someone finally came to inspect this batch of new disciples.

It was a short youth in black close-fitting combat clothes, a sword on his back as he walked down the steps. Judging from his face, he looked younger than most of the newcomers.

When he arrived, he did not speak right away. He only swept a cold gaze back and forth through their ranks, and only when some people were starting to feel deeply uneasy did he ask, “Who here lost family members in the demon disaster before? Step out.”

What kind of question was that?

There was some stir in the ranks, but once the boldest took the lead and stepped forward, others followed in dribs and drabs. In the end, more than half of them were out in front.

The youth’s eyes moved over the faces of those who had stepped out, gaze so deep it was as if he meant to carve their features into his memory.

Judging from his expression alone, he did not seem satisfied. Even though this group was dressed more properly and had all brought their wooden swords, plenty of them still looked drowsy, obviously not understanding why there had to be an assembly after dinner.

That dissatisfaction only eased when his eyes fell on Liu Yong’s trio. He finally gave a slight nod, but still did not say much to them. He only paced back and forth, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

Being able to cow a whole group of new disciples into silence without saying more than a couple of sentences — that took some serious presence.

Liu Yong had seen plenty of class monitors and student leaders back in school, and most of them could not manage this. At first he had been curious who the other boy was, but when he looked more carefully at that young face, he suddenly realized there were only a few youths in the dojo who could have that kind of authority.

Coupled with that decisive temperament, it was not hard to pin down the answer. This had to be the “Flash Sword” Lian Feng they had talked about earlier.

An inner-sect disciple — and he was not even wearing the iconic white training robes. He really meant to take people out.

It was not that Liu Yong liked to overthink things, but standing around with nothing to do, he had to rely on idle thoughts to fend off the waves of sleepiness crashing over him.

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After some more waiting, another group finally came down the steps, led by a pale, refined young man. The few behind him were dressed in casual clothes as well, each holding a long sword properly in hand.

Liu Yong spotted Senior Sister Hu from earlier among them, and adding in Lian Feng, that made four men and two women in total.

“Senior Brother First.” Lian Feng only smiled once he saw them descend. After greeting him, he went straight to the point with a hint of complaint. “This squad…”

Xu Shu raised a hand to stop him. “Let’s not talk about that.”

In the few months since, Maozhou’s situation had gotten steadily better. The disciples with both talent and sense of duty had long since been called up for earlier squads. Xu Shu felt they should all have expected things to be like this.

Still, he could understand Lian Feng’s grumbling. One glance over the group showed that nearly a third of the disciples were not even carrying swords. Their sense of crisis was far too weak.

What was there to say?

You could only say that the rumors going around in private were not completely baseless — that the dojo turned a blind eye to people blocking the mountain gate and selling tickets during the enrollment season because it had its eyes on the background resources that came with those disciples.

There was some truth in that.

After all, there were no more systematic support programs now. Even the Sword Dao Association had lost most of its functions. Shenming Sword Dao was shouldering a heavy burden, and nothing could be done without money.

“You all, pick some.” Xu Shu sighed inwardly and motioned for the other senior brothers and sisters to select their people.

Ma Yue and Chen Shi shared a look, mischief tugging at the corners of their mouths.

Xu Shu always insisted on being the good guy. He always had. Work no one else wanted, he took. Disciples no one wanted to bring, he brought. He never complained, but after spending so much time together and growing attached, they were not about to let their senior brother be the one to take the loss every time.

So once everyone had picked their own people, Xu Shu was surprised to find that there were still a few “quick-witted disciples” left waiting.

You little brats.

After a few months as Senior Brother First, Xu Shu’s mindset was no longer as soft as before. He shot a glare at the ones smothering their laughter, then strode to the front of the crowd and began explaining the details of the night hunt.

As he laid out the reasons one by one, the new disciples all reacted differently.

Some nodded in agreement.

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Some looked resentful.

But for the most part, they at least seemed to understand. Some even got excited when they heard that a few squads might draw patrol missions outside the city, thinking they would get to personally take part in demon-slaying and upholding the Dao.

If only it were that easy.

Liu Yong had already heard “inside information” from Zhu Sheng. He knew that for the new disciples, tonight’s night hunt was mostly a formality. Most patrol routes would stay within the urban stretch of the Zhen’nan Circuit, and even the unlucky ones would only draw the outskirts.

And beyond the outskirts, there was still the Zhen’nan Army.

With the Inspectorate’s patrol squads and the older students already out on duty, there was not much work left for the newcomers at all. Anyone eager to slay demons would probably go home disappointed.

While he was still thinking it over, the squads finally set out.

Perhaps to avoid suspicion, the three of them were not picked by Senior Sister Hu, nor did Senior Sister Chen choose them. Instead, they were left to Xu Shu.

There were hundreds of new disciples, and more than a few inner-sect disciples leading squads, so Xu Shu’s team ended up with fewer than ten people even after adding Liu Yong’s trio. The size looked nicely compact.

“You’ve just entered the Dao. You haven’t started cultivating the Shenming Qi-Refining Formula yet, and you haven’t been taken to see the Demon-Breeding Ancestral Ground, so tonight you’re only doing patrol work.”

Senior Brother First was indeed as the rumors said: gentle and refined, with endless patience for new disciples, explaining various things to watch out for all along the way.

The upside was that it made it very easy for the newcomers to warm to him.

The downside was that there was not much aura of authority from someone in a leading position.

Sure enough, two female disciples had already started cozying up to him, stepping out of their original places in the line to flank Xu Shu on either side, chattering at him in sweet voices.

“Senior Brother First, are you the strongest among all the senior brothers?”

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother, I heard you once slew fifty-eight demons all by yourself in a single day. Is that true?”

“Will we get to see you slay demons and exorcise evil tonight?”

“My father says that if Shenming Dojo keeps on developing, it’ll become a giant in Nanqi. What do you think about that, Senior Brother?”

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Noisy and annoying.

One glance and Liu Yong could tell the two girls were from wealthy families. Their wooden swords had clearly been fetched from upstairs later, and even their hairstyles were done in elaborate styles.

So, knowing everyone had to wear the same clothes, they could only make a fuss with their hair?

Senior Brother First would never like gaudy types like you.

They had not known each other long, but Liu Yong already had a very good impression of Xu Shu. He instinctively stood on Xu Shu’s side in his mind, feeling that his senior brother would not look twice at those two vulgar women.

And Xu Shu did not let him down. After answering a few questions at the start, he hardened his expression and ordered the two girls back into formation.

Naturally, they were not happy. It was only because Xu Shu looked like the kind of good-natured person who never lost his temper. If it had been Lian Feng leading, they would never have dared.

Xu Shu only smiled at that and said nothing more.

This senior brother was good in every respect, but his temperament was perhaps too soft.

That, at least, left Liu Yong a little disappointed. He liked Xu Shu, but he also wanted him to live up to his position.

“Just wait and see.”

Zhu Sheng’s voice came from behind.

“Senior Brother First has plenty of dirty tricks.”

Really?

Liu Yong glanced at Xu Shu’s clean, gentle face and could not help feeling doubtful.

Soon, Xu Shu led them out to patrol the outskirts of the town.

There were far fewer people here. Most of the buildings were resettlement housing, and at night people could hardly bear to waste money on lighting. The alleys were pitch black.

Xu Shu then ordered everyone not to speak, and this experience was a considerable challenge even for alley-regulars like Liu Yong and Dongzi.

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They knew that darkness itself was not scary — what was scary was darkness and silence together.

If it was one of those long alleys, dark and quiet and narrow, it had that claustrophobic sense of being shut in, and walking through could scare you half to death.

In the past, when they walked alleys, they always made a point of talking about something, to put a bit of human presence in the dark. Now they were strictly forbidden to speak.

So the only sound in the shadows was the rustling of footsteps. It was genuinely unnerving.

Xu Shu even deliberately chose long alleys for them to walk. After several passes, most of the new disciples had wilted, including those two female disciples.

“This is why I keep stressing that you must maintain formation.”

Xu Shu only smiled at the sight, and when they finally emerged onto the street, he spoke to explain.

“Even though tonight’s mission is light, there’s always a chance you’ll encounter real combat.”

“When that happens, the enemy usually has two choices. One is to deal with the squad leader first — the one in my position. The other is to pick off the softest targets and use the first wave of ambush to cause casualties.”

“You two are the least capable in this team. Instead of moving into the middle where it’s safest, you stuck to my side the whole time. You mustn’t do that again.”

They said that people could not be taught by words alone, but a single lesson from experience would do the job. Fear was clearly the best teacher. The two girls nodded quickly, their faces now slightly pale.

Well now.

Liu Yong looked at Xu Shu in a new light.

This Senior Brother First really did have a bit of dirty water in him.

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① In Great Yu, students start doing military drills from the very first stages of schooling, and the intensity is not low. The better the school, the more seriously they take it.