Master of Nine Stars

The next morning, at the foot of an old residential building.

Fu Tiance looked at the three university students before him and couldn’t help but nod to himself in approval.

’Very good, their Essence, Qi, and Spirit are impressive,’ he thought. ’Every single one of them is a genius from Pine Soul Soul Martial University, and they’re even from the Junior Class. That makes them the geniuses among geniuses!’

’I’ll use this opportunity, and Sheep’s relationship with Rong Taotao, to pull all these little rascals into our squad. Heh heh... I’ll make the first move. The other squads won’t stand a chance of snatching them from me.’

Rong Taotao felt a shiver of unease. There was something about Captain Fu’s gaze... It was far too blatant...

Nearby, his sister-in-law Yang Chunxi was saying goodbye to his brother, Rong Yang. Even with the captain standing right there, Yang Chunxi didn’t seem to care, whispering softly to Rong Yang. Finally, she even leaned forward and gently planted a kiss on Rong Yang’s cheek.

Rong Yang’s face flushed slightly as he rejoined the group.

"Taotao," Yang Chunxi suddenly called out, waving him over.

"Hm?" Rong Taotao hurried over. A gentle smile spread across Yang Chunxi’s face as she reached out to fix his collar, buttoning the very top of his down jacket. "Stay close to your brother," she said softly. "Don’t be reckless if something happens. Be good, understand?"

"Mhm," Rong Taotao nodded repeatedly, then saw Yang Chunxi pick up a backpack from the ground.

She said, "It’s full of candy and chocolate bars, and a few tubes of toothpaste. Remember to keep this backpack with you. If you run out of snacks, ask the captain for more. Don’t be embarrassed—it’s a necessity for your body."

"Mhm..."

"Go on. I’ll be waiting for you at the university. Come back safe, okay?"

Rong Taotao picked up the backpack and walked back, only to be met with Gao Lingwei’s faintly teasing gaze.

"Don’t you worry, Sis. When Taotao starts school, I’ll have Sheep escort him there personally. You can inspect both brothers then—I guarantee they won’t be missing any arms or legs, haha." Fu Tiance laughed heartily and summoned his Lifebound Soul Beast—a Snow Night Shock.

With the exception of Rong Taotao, the others quickly summoned their Lifebound Soul Beasts as well. Every single one was a Snow Night Shock.

Well, of course, Lu Mang’s was a mutated Snow Night Shock. It was pure black and clearly a size larger than the others’—very cool...

"Let’s go!" With a command from Fu Tiance, the five of them set off on their four mounts.

Behind them, Yang Chunxi stood in a beige trench coat in front of the old residential building. Her beautiful eyes quietly watched them ride away until their figures disappeared completely. Only then did a trace of worry finally surface on her gently smiling face.

"Sigh..." Yang Chunxi shook her head with a sense of helplessness and turned back into the building.

’These days of being separated aren’t easy,’ she thought. ’If I can, after Rong Taotao graduates from university in four years, maybe I’ll apply to join the Snow Burning army too. At least then I could be by Rong Yang’s side every day.’

Under Fu Tiance’s lead, the group quickly left Songbai Town, heading straight north toward the First Wall.

When they left the town, the checkpoint procedures went very smoothly thanks to Fu Tiance’s status.

Rong Taotao watched with envy, especially that ID Captain Fu presented. It looked really cool, didn’t it?

As the Snow Night Shocks galloped through the wilderness, Rong Taotao held back as long as he could, but finally gave in. He poked his head out from behind Gao Lingwei. "Captain Fu?"

"What’s up?"

"That ID of yours, can I see it?"

"Oh?" An idea sparked in Fu Tiance’s mind. He pulled the ID from his pocket and tossed it over. "You like this thing, huh? Haha, not just anyone can have one of these. You’ll have to wait until you join the squad to get one."

Gao Lingwei easily caught the palm-sized black leather wallet. From the outside, it looked completely ordinary.

Flipping it open vertically, the outline of a badge came into view. The badge was shield-shaped, much like an inverted triangular Kite Shield, but with smoothed-off top corners.

On this Kite Shield backplate was a large character for "Snow," embossed in dark gold, occupying the top half of the wallet’s interior.

The bottom half held Fu Tiance’s personal information card.

"Let me see, let me see," Rong Taotao said, leaning forward and resting his chin on Gao Lingwei’s shoulder to get a better look.

Gao Lingwei raised her hand, holding the ID up to her side.

Rong Taotao said, "Wait, that doesn’t seem like the black wallet you showed earlier?"

Fu Tiance replied, "Mhm. This is the real ID for me and your brother. The one I used at the checkpoint wasn’t fake, exactly, but it’s not on the same level as this one."

’He showed them the best one right off the bat?’

Rong Taotao studied it for a long while before breaking into a grin. "Holy crap. Regiment-level, Colonel? Then why does everyone call you Captain Fu?"

Fu Tiance was more than happy to pique Rong Taotao’s interest in enlisting. He slowed his Snow Night Shock and pulled up alongside them. "The squad’s structure is different. My rank is my rank, and my title is my title.

"Besides, I’m not the kind of regimental officer you’re imagining. I have very few soldiers under my command—only ten people, including me. The other squads all jokingly call us a ’ragtag little regiment,’ haha, but every single one of them is green with envy. You know why?"

Rong Taotao blinked. "Why?"

Fu Tiance declared with considerable bravado, "Because all my men are elite soldiers! One of my guys is worth an entire battalion of theirs. Pick any one of them and send them to another squad, and they’d have to be worshiped like a Great God."

As he spoke, Fu Tiance deliberately turned to Rong Yang. "I’m not wrong, am I?"

Rong Yang nodded in agreement. Though he usually had a gentle demeanor, when it came to his own squad, he was fiercely proud and admitted it without hesitation.

"If you’re named after the Zodiac, shouldn’t there be twelve of you?" Rong Taotao asked curiously.

"Haha!" Fu Tiance seemed even more delighted. "Last year, two old comrades honorably retired to enjoy their lives back home. That left the code names Xu Dog and Pig vacant."

Gao Lingwei: "..."

’Those code names... Well, I guess they’re about on par with Ugly Ox and Rooster.’

It was difficult for these kids to understand at the moment. For an elite unit like the Twelve Zodiacs, being able to retire safely was an incredible blessing, a fact whose significance was lost on them, and so they couldn’t grasp why Fu Tiance was so happy.

Rong Taotao asked, puzzled, "Old comrades retiring? Your squad is interesting. Are the code names assigned by age, from back to front?"

"Soldiers come and go, but the barracks stand firm." Fu Tiance shook his head. "By the time the Twelfth Squad came under my command, it was already on its fourth generation.

"Xu Dog and Pig were veteran soldiers left over from the third generation. With their retirement, the current Twelfth Squad is now composed entirely of fourth-generation members.

"So? Are you interested? I can save one for you. You want Pig or Dog?"

Rong Taotao: "..."

Fu Tiance leaned over and whispered, "They say being born in the year of the Pig is good. A life of smooth sailing, with no worries about food or clothing. It’s a sign of good fortune."

Rong Taotao: ???

’You’re a Colonel, for crying out loud! A bona fide regimental captain! Why are you telling my fortune?’

Fu Tiance clearly noticed Rong Taotao’s astonishment and shrugged with a smile. "That’s what the old folks say."

Rong Taotao pursed his lips. "I like the Dragon. The golden, five-clawed kind."

"Oho?" Fu Tiance cursed with a laugh. "Not much skill to show for it yet, but you’ve got a lot of nerve. You’re not even in the squad and you already want to take my spot?"

Rong Taotao chuckled. "Tiger is good too. It’s imposing~"

Fu Tiance raised an eyebrow. "The Vice-Captain, huh... Mm, that could work. If you’re set on enlisting, I’ll go home and brush up on my military strategy, see how I can get Yin Hu to give up his code name for you."

Everyone: "..."

Rong Taotao was stunned!

’Is this Captain Fu reliable at all?’

’The way he talks is hilarious. To oust a member, he actually has to go and consult his books on military strategy...’

"What about you?" Fu Tiance asked, looking at Gao Lingwei.

Gao Lingwei wore the signature smile of an ice queen—perfect, yet tinged with a faint sense of distance. "Let’s talk about it after graduation."

"Hmm..." Fu Tiance mumbled, pondering. Although he was in his mid-thirties, he’d spent his years messing around in a small team, and he was somewhat lacking in certain social graces.

Comparatively, Fu Tiance preferred dealing with men, especially the straightforward and hearty types. At least interacting with them wasn’t exhausting.

Women, on the other hand...

’Hmph. So much trouble.’

Rong Taotao reached out, took the ID from Gao Lingwei’s hand, and glanced one last time at the unit designation "Snow Burning · Twelve" before asking, "With this, can I pass through the Third Wall?"

Hearing this, Rong Yang, who had been silent all this time, turned his head to look at Rong Taotao.

The smile on Fu Tiance’s face faded slightly. Seeing the serious look in Rong Taotao’s eyes, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Strictly speaking, no.

"It allows you free passage in and out of Songbai Town, Songjiang Soul City, and most areas of the Snow Realm, but it is not a pass to go through the three walls.

"Our area of operation changes depending on the mission objective. If the target is outside the Third Wall, then yes, we can go there. But if the target is at the Second Wall, then our operational range is limited to the Second Wall. It has nothing to do with the ID."

Although Fu Tiance was eager for Rong Taotao to join the squad, when it came to critical issues, he spoke clearly, without a hint of deception or misdirection.

After he finished speaking, Fu Tiance patted Rong Taotao’s shoulder gently. "The New Year was just a few days ago. You’re only sixteen, and you’ve just been accepted into university. Don’t be impatient.

"You and I both know that every one of us who comes to this wind-swept, snow-battered Snow Realm has our own goals. The sad part is, tens of thousands of Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists have died on the path to chasing those goals.

"Life has to be taken one step at a time. Taotao, you have to take it one step at a time."

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together. He was genuinely surprised to hear such solemn words from Captain Fu, who up until now had been boisterous, humorous, and even a bit unreliable.

"Yeah, thank you." Rong Taotao handed the ID back to Fu Tiance and nodded lightly, but still added stubbornly in a low voice, "I was just asking casually."

"Heh." Fu Tiance smiled again and said no more, turning to gaze at the vast, white expanse ahead.

Rong Taotao leaned forward, resting his cheek against Gao Lingwei’s back. He looked at Fu Tiance beside them and asked, "Does the Twelfth Squad allow dating?"

Fu Tiance: ???

"What kind of question is that? Don’t you have a sister-in-law?"

"That’s not it." Rong Taotao’s hand clutched the corner of Gao Lingwei’s jacket. "I mean, don’t companies and corporations forbid relationships between coworkers?"

"You’re a handful, you know that?" Fu Tiance said with a strange look on his face. "I have to supply you with candy, I have to supply you with chocolate, I have to supply you with toothpaste, and now I have to let you date, too?"

"Hey, Captain Fu, you’re mistaken!" Rong Taotao piped up. "Special talent requires special treatment!

"Besides, do you think I want to eat candy and chocolate? It’s my Lotus that wants to eat! I’m eating on imperial orders!

"If I really join your squad after graduation, you should be secretly thanking your lucky stars!

"Seriously, I don’t even need to wait four years to graduate. Right now, as a mere Little Soul Warrior holding two lotus petals, if I just stood at the gates of the Snow Burning army’s main base and shouted that I wanted to enlist, you think there wouldn’t be squads fighting over me?

"I’d just march right in, and you’d see if anyone would even dare to stop me..."

Fu Tiance: "..."

...

Third update, 12.17.20.