Northwest, a field base.

The supply truck drove for nearly two hours before arriving. The surrounding yellow sand gradually disappeared, replaced by a lush and exceptionally dense forest.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Wen Ci’s face.

She hadn’t expected to find a primeval forest in the Northwest.

The quiet surroundings were filled with the low chirping of birds. The supply truck driver, Xiao Yu, walked to the back of the truck. "Doctor Yu, the trail ahead isn’t wide enough for the truck. We’ll have to walk three kilometers."

Yu Qing nodded. "Understood."

No roads had been built through the primeval forest, so the supplies had to be carried by hand to the encampment. It was almost seven o’clock, and the sky was gradually growing dark.

Even on a bright, sunny day, the primeval forest felt chilly and damp.

The temperature dropped sharply. Wen Ci took a military greatcoat from her luggage and draped it over her shoulders. Yu Qing did the same.

Wen Ci’s greatcoat was Huo Jingyuan’s.

Yu Qing’s was standard military issue.

She was a long-term contract doctor for the Northwest military, enjoying even better benefits than the soldiers. In addition to her hospital-issued white coat, she also had a female-cut training uniform, a service uniform, and a military greatcoat.

At this point, the soldiers marching on foot hadn’t arrived yet. Only a few logistics personnel were moving supplies. Three kilometers wasn’t far, but it wasn’t a short walk in a primeval forest either.

It took Wen Ci and Yu Qing forty minutes to reach the encampment. This primeval forest was used as a training ground by the Northwest Military Region, and soldiers were stationed here year-round.

After they finished setting up their tent, Wen Ci heard the earth-shaking sound of marching feet. Over a thousand people were participating in the Devil’s Week training, and the noise stirred up half the forest.

Wen Ci was starving.

The humidity in the primeval forest was a bit heavy.

As the sky darkened completely, Yu Qing collected two quilts from logistics, shivering as she said, "There’s no food on the first night in the primeval forest. Let’s go back to the tent and rest for now."

Wen Ci nodded. "Okay."

The small tent accommodated the two of them. Tucked tightly under the quilts, they instantly felt much warmer. Through the tent flap, they could see the yellow glow of a kerosene lamp outside.

"Wen Ci, have you ever seen an acupuncture point chart?" Yu Qing asked.

Wen Ci replied, "I have."

"The humidity is heavy here. I brought a set of needles with me. I plan to give us both a treatment to get rid of the dampness."

When things were slow at the hospital, Wen Ci often buried herself in medical texts and acupuncture charts. She had a formidable memory and could remember anything she read after seeing it just once.

-

「The next day.」

The two of them had barely slept all night.

There was the sound of whistles for predawn assembly and the unified, defiant shouts of the soldiers.

Wen Ci yawned. When she stepped out of the tent, she saw the entire primeval forest shrouded in a thick fog. A single ray of sunlight pierced through the mist and landed on her back, making it seem like a fairyland on earth.

Yu Qing emerged from the tent soon after, smacking her lips. "There’s not much to do on the first day. Let’s go get some steamed buns from logistics, then head back to the barracks tent for a nap."

The first day, they slept in a temporary tent.

For the next few days, they would sleep in a barracks tent made of thicker fabric.

Having not eaten all night, Wen Ci found the plain steamed bun to be exceptionally fragrant as she chewed. A sign had been set up outside their barracks tent, on which two words were written in a fluid, powerful script: "Medical Post."

Wen Ci raised an eyebrow. "This calligraphy is quite good."

Yu Qing, still chewing on her steamed bun, let her gaze fall on the sign. She walked closer to examine the script and said, "This looks like the handwriting of someone from the Northwest Youth Committee."

A table was set up at the entrance of the barracks tent with a medical kit on top. The sun rose slowly, the thick fog gradually dispersed, and the two of them sat down in their chairs.

The encampment was some distance from the Devil’s Week training grounds. They could only faintly hear the soldiers’ shouted slogans carrying from afar.

·

「Meanwhile, in the family compound.」

Watching the military trucks drive into the barracks one after another, a few of the older women gathered together, chatting. "The Military Art performance tour... will we be able to see it?"

"Of course! The family compound here in the Northwest Military Region was just renovated this year. I reckon that for next year’s Military Art tour, our compound will have to send someone to perform on stage too."

"Us country women getting on stage? Won’t we just make a fool of ourselves?!"

Xiang Qin, who was sitting in a corner knitting a sweater, heard everyone’s anxiety about next year’s Military Art tour. Remembering that Wen Ci was about to perform, she spoke up slowly.

"Don’t worry. Next year, we can just have Mr. Huo’s wife represent our compound. This year, she’s performing the Water Sleeve Dance."

"Mr. Huo’s wife is an opera singer?"

"No, she just knows the basics."

"I once saw a Water Sleeve Dance performance in the provincial capital. The costumes they wore were so beautiful, especially with those long, flowing sleeves."

Listening to the buzzing discussion, Zhao Dongmei dug her nails into her own flesh. She lowered her head, a grim shadow flashing in her eyes. ’I can’t let that little girl steal the spotlight.’

A dark thought began to form in Zhao Dongmei’s mind.

-

「A week later.」

Wen Ci sat outside the barracks tent, her eyes lifeless. The past few days had been pure torture. It was impossible to sleep, with the bugle sounding at two or three in the morning.

The intensity and frequency of the training were staggering.

The eliminated soldiers had already returned to the military region, leaving only a few logistics personnel at the encampment to pack things up. When Yu Qing saw one of the logistics soldiers, her eyes lit up.

"Is it about to be over?"

"Yep. You all can go back tonight."

At these words, it was as if Wen Ci’s and Yu Qing’s souls had returned to their bodies. A visible light returned to their eyes, which welled up with tears, on the very verge of overflowing.

Due to an unexpected situation this month, they weren’t allowed to leave the Northwest Military Region at will. The food during Devil’s Week was exceptionally bad, consisting of small animals freshly caught in the forest.

Fortunately, there was the instant ramen Wen Ci had brought...

Yu Qing asked curiously, "Who’s in first place for Devil’s Week?"

"Don’t know. Right now, there are still five of them holding out in the water prison."

The final special training for Devil’s Week was escape and evasion endurance. The soldiers had to stand firm in a water prison dressed only in thin clothes. Whoever could endure the longest in the dim, ice-cold water would be the winner.

The logistics soldier continued, "Anyway, I’m betting on Captain Qin Jin."

"Qin Jin?" Wen Ci’s brow furrowed slightly. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it at the moment. "So, do we need to wait by the water prison?"

"No need. Other people will be there to carry the stretchers."

The soldiers who had lasted in the water prison this long were already starting to lose consciousness. They now needed to break through their own limits and transcend themselves.

The bright sun gradually sank in the west. The surrounding barracks tents were nearly all dismantled. Wen Ci and Yu Qing shouldered their medical kits, ready to walk out of the primeval forest.

Wen Ci breathed in the fresh air, a smile playing on her lips and her eyebrows raised in delight. It was obvious she was in a good mood. "We can finally go back and get a good, comfortable night’s sleep!"

She hadn’t seen Huo Jingyuan once since stepping into this forest.

After not seeing him for a week, Wen Ci found herself missing him, strangely enough.

Yu Qing let out a soft sigh and said, puzzled, "I remember when we came three months ago, we saw your Living Yama all the time. How come we haven’t seen him even once this month?"

She had eagerly volunteered for this assignment ahead of Su Wanqing, precisely to deny Su Wanqing the chance she wanted to be ’alone’ with Huo Jingyuan.

’I didn’t think I wouldn’t even get to see the Living Yama’s face this time. If I’d known, I would’ve just let Su Wanqing have this chance to suffer instead.’