Chapter Twenty-Two: Mission Complete

In the world of martial arts, those who have mastered techniques involving the legs are indeed capable of feats similar to what Feng Yisheng had just demonstrated. Thus, when Feng Yisheng kicked that monstrous beast—so large it resembled a bull—flying through the air, no one felt particularly astonished. Yet, to strike such an enormous, impervious creature dead with a single punch filled everyone present with deep respect; soldiers have always admired strength.

When Jiang Ming instructed a soldier to approach the monster’s corpse and, after a thorough inspection, confirmed its death, their admiration for Feng Yisheng only grew. Such a man was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Jiang Ming, in particular, thought to himself that this young man was far from an ordinary martial artist—he must have surpassed the third realm of the innate stage, perhaps even reached the level of a grandmaster.

…

In China, grandmasters were not entirely unheard of, but almost every one of them was advanced in age. For someone as young as Feng Yisheng to be a grandmaster naturally aroused Jiang Ming’s suspicion.

“Young hero, what extraordinary strength you possess!” Jiang Ming, initially stunned, came to his senses and couldn’t help but praise him.

…

Recalling the video he had seen at the garrison, Jiang Ming began to suspect that Feng Yisheng was a practitioner of the Daoist arts. In these nine days, the special operations team had scoured every corner of Mount Tai, yet not a single person had been found. For Feng Yisheng to suddenly appear here was inexplicable. Jiang Ming began to doubt he was merely a grandmaster.

No matter how skilled a grandmaster, their movements could still be tracked. Over a thousand members of the special ops team had searched the mountain for eight days without seeing a soul. While grandmasters were said to be able to fly, they were also typically elderly, and the renowned grandmasters of China were famously reclusive.

Jiang Ming, himself an elite in the central military region’s special forces, was born into a martial family. Though he had joined the army out of necessity, at nearly twenty-four years old, he had only just brushed against the threshold of the second acquired stage.

Thus, Jiang Ming believed this youth who had saved them was likely a Daoist cultivator—though it could also be an old man who, after taking some miraculous elixir, retained a youthful appearance and was now trying to fool them.

Hmph! As if I’d believe you—a sly old fox up to no good.

…

The other eighteen soldiers, seeing their squad leader address an outsider as “young hero” with such earnestness, couldn’t help but mutter inwardly about his chronic case of web-novel-induced adolescent syndrome.

This really needed treatment!

“You’d better just call me Feng Yisheng,” Feng Yisheng said, feeling somewhat awkward at being called “young hero.”

“So, young hero, you’re a doctor as well? My apologies for not realizing,” Jiang Ming replied with utmost sincerity.

Seeing Jiang Ming’s earnest expression, Feng Yisheng realized he wasn’t being mocked and explained, “My name is Feng Yisheng—‘Yisheng’ as in ‘a lifetime.’”

“Oh! I see… So you’re Young Hero Feng. I’m Jiang Ming. Thank you for saving our lives.” Jiang Ming appeared to have suddenly understood.

Feng Yisheng noticed that Jiang Ming remained fixated on the title “young hero,” so he ignored him and turned to the others. Seeing that they were all in military uniform, he asked another, “So you’re all soldiers?”

“Yes, young hero, all twenty of us are soldiers here on a mission in Mount Tai. Where do you come from?” Jiang Ming quickly interjected.

“I’m from Changnan City in Xijiang Province,” Feng Yisheng replied, realizing that Jiang Ming was the leader among the soldiers.

“Are you here to sightsee on Mount Tai?” Jiang Ming asked, though his heart was full of suspicion. Mount Tai was over a thousand kilometers from Changnan, and for nine days the mountain had been closed and thoroughly searched—how could Feng Yisheng have appeared here now without being seen?

This confirmed it—he must be a Daoist cultivator!

“I…” Feng Yisheng had intended to deny it, but, having seen no one else on Mount Tai over the past nine days, and now confronted by this small military unit, he sensed something extraordinary had happened. So he simply agreed, “Yes.”

“Then have you lost your way, young hero?” Jiang Ming asked, noting the slight pause before Feng Yisheng’s answer, which only solidified his belief that the youth was a cultivator.

“Yes,” Feng Yisheng replied, having decided that whatever the soldier asked, he would just agree, fearing that otherwise Jiang Ming would come up with even stranger titles for him.

“Come, we’ll escort you out of the mountain, young hero. Please, don’t be in a rush,” Jiang Ming said respectfully.

…

After responding to Feng Yisheng, Jiang Ming, satisfied that the monster was dead and their mission complete, turned to the remaining eighteen soldiers, now wearing expressions of deep grief.

All eighteen were visibly mourning—the loss of a comrade with whom they had shared so many days and nights was a heavy blow. Jiang Ming’s own heart was wracked with sorrow, but he forced himself to stand firm and shouted, “Bring Ye Fan’s body back. Dashan and Xiao Luo, carry this beast’s corpse as well.”

Taking out his radio, Jiang Ming announced, “Attention, everyone! The threat has been neutralized! All personnel are to exit the mountain immediately and regroup at the entrance to the scenic area.”

With that, the group of twenty-one began to make their way out of the mountain along the route the soldiers had used in their search.

On the way, Feng Yisheng discovered that Jiang Ming was quite the chatterbox, asking about everything under the sun, showing none of the grief one might expect from someone who had just lost a fellow soldier. What Feng Yisheng didn’t realize was that, after confirming he was just an ordinary high school student, Jiang Ming’s gaze had only grown more fervent…

Though the day was cool, Jiang Ming’s eyes made Feng Yisheng feel even more chilled.

…

Half an hour later, at the entrance to Mount Tai’s 5A scenic area.

Ten squads in total—aside from Jiang Ming’s squad, which had one casualty and one seriously injured, all others had arrived intact.

From the radio communication earlier, everyone at the entrance, including the other nine squads, knew that there had been one fatality and one injury.

Though the casualties were light, everyone’s face showed grief; the death of even a single member was a great loss to the special forces. While the mission was a success and the monster destroyed, the sacrifice left a bitter aftertaste. To lose even one man was unacceptable for them.

At the entrance to Mount Tai, over seven hundred people stood in orderly formation, with the battalion commander at the front.

As Xiao Cheng and Lin Yan carried Ye Fan’s body out of the mountain and reached the entrance, the commander shouted, “Salute!”

Nearly a thousand people, including the two hundred who had entered the mountain, snapped to attention and saluted as one.

Feng Yisheng, following behind Jiang Ming’s squad, took in the scene before him. In all his life, he had never witnessed a moment so sacred.