Chapter 370: Chapter 318: We Will Grant Him the World’s Greatest Reward!
Although Xiao Mo was punished by having to run several laps around the camp,
he had, one way or another, solidified his position in the "bunkhouse."
To Xiao Mo, it was perfectly normal for someone like Zhao Wei to be in the Iron Tiger Army.
After all, the Iron Tiger Army recruited from all over the Qin Kingdom. As long as a person had a clean background and a certain amount of talent, they had a chance of being selected.
What’s more, these guys had only arrived at the camp about ten days before him.
It would take further discipline to grind away their thuggish attitudes.
Now that Xiao Mo was the leader of the Twelve Earthly Branches bunkhouse, the others were all exceedingly respectful whenever they saw him.
Xiao Mo had them introduce themselves. After all, he ought to get to know his "roommates."
Of the nine, three were sons of farmers, one was a carpenter’s son, three were from merchant families, one’s father was a County Magistrate, and another’s father even held a position in the Imperial Court.
The sons of commoners were sent to the Iron Tiger Army’s camp through a screening process held in each county and commandery once every four years.
These two sons of officials had also come through the screening, but it was their fathers who had signed them up before they were chosen.
"You all came here voluntarily?"
Xiao Mo asked them with great interest.
’In all my lifetimes, this is my first taste of military life. I suppose that makes them my comrades-in-arms.’
Although their first meeting hadn’t been very friendly, the atmosphere in the "bunkhouse" was actually quite good now.
"Brother Xiao, who would voluntarily come to this godforsaken place?"
The one who spoke was Xu Yongsheng, who came from a merchant family.
"My family is the wealthiest in the county seat. What couldn’t I get if I wanted it? Brother Xiao, you’re still young, so you might not get it, but back in the day, I’d hang around the brothels every day. Man, that was true happiness.
As for me, I just wanted to live the happy-go-lucky life of a young master every day.
But who knows what got into my old man? He insisted on sending me here. Said if I didn’t come, he’d cut off my allowance. Isn’t that worse than killing me?
So what could I do?"
"Tell me about it."
A youth named Qu Weize, the son of a County Magistrate, chimed in.
"I only have a little talent for the Martial Dao, and I just planned to practice a few moves for fun. Who knew my father would actually send me here? I told him I didn’t want to go, but he threatened to disown me... Brother Xiao, tell me, did I have a choice?"
"I’m doin’ alright, I guess," a youth named Hei Daniu said with a chuckle. "My folks are farmers, and I’m naturally strong. Pa always said I was prime material for a farmer, but I don’t want to spend my whole life in the fields, so here I am."
"Same here."
A young man named Li Dadan spoke up.
"I don’t want to farm my whole life either, so I came to the camp. I also heard they teach you how to read and write in the Iron Tiger Army. You might even become a high-ranking official someday."
Once the ice was broken, the others also shared whether or not they had come to the Iron Tiger Army voluntarily and what their reasons were.
"What about you, Brother Scar? Why did you come to the Iron Tiger Army?"
Xiao Mo turned to the former leader of the Twelve Earthly Branches.
"Brother Xiao, please, don’t tease me."
Zhao Wei said with a laugh. Even though Xiao Mo was the youngest of them all, he had already thoroughly beaten them, including Zhao Wei himself, into submission.
"My old man’s a butcher. Back home, I was just a good-for-nothing loafer, hanging around with a bad crowd all day. My dad couldn’t stand to see me waste my life, so he sent me here.
At first, I really didn’t want to come.
I even got into a fight with him over it. He couldn’t win, and he ended up accidentally falling and breaking his leg.
While I was taking care of him, I suddenly started thinking—’I can’t just keep drifting through life like this.’
If I kept on like that, I’d either end up a butcher like my old man or join a city gang and start shaking people down for protection money.
But I didn’t want to do either of those things.
So, here I am in the Iron Tiger Army.
I figured, if I can make it out of here alive, maybe I can even become a minor officer. That would make the old man proud."
Xiao Mo listened to their stories, nodding along without making any judgments.
"What about you, Brother Xiao?" the man with the scar, Zhao Wei, asked in confusion. "You’re so strong, reaching the Cave Mansion Realm at your age. You could be a prized disciple in any Sect you choose. Why would you come to a place like this?"
In his eyes, while the Iron Tiger Army was a fine choice, joining a Sect would offer boundless opportunities with far less risk to one’s life.
"Heh. Me? I’m from the Xiao Mansion, but I’m just the son of a concubine," Xiao Mo said candidly. "I don’t know why I was chosen for the Iron Tiger Army either. But, since I’m here, I’m here. And the Iron Tiger Army really isn’t bad. It suits me."
"The Xiao Mansion, you mean the Xiao Mansion of Prince Zhenbei?" Ye Yujian said excitedly.
"I’ve heard of them too! Prince Zhenbei’s Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry is incredibly famous!"
"Isn’t that the truth? I hear the selection for the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry is every bit as difficult as the Iron Tiger Army’s."
Everyone started chiming in at once.
"Huh? That’s strange. Brother Xiao, then why didn’t you join the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry?" Ye Yujian asked curiously.
"You fool," Brother Scar, Zhao Wei, said, slapping Ye Yujian on the back of the head. "The Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry may be good, but what’s in it for Brother Xiao? Here, he can be free. Why would he go there just to put up with crap from the other young masters of his own mansion?"
