Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 633 - 632

"You still won’t admit it, I wouldn’t really make things difficult for you, why are you so timid? You were quite imposing when facing General Zhu, even insisting on competing with him, and now look what happened, you lost."

"There’s no shame in being less skilled; I’ve always given my all in every competition," Deputy General Chen feigned ignorance and was about to speak again when he sneezed violently.

"Are you cold from just now?" Tian Peng asked.

After all, he was just a mortal, braving the cold of winter in this desolate place, shirtless for even a short while, even he might not withstand it.

Deputy General Chen waved his hand, "Ah, it’s nothing, nothing at all. How can I call myself a man of the northwest if I can’t handle a bit of cold after all these years?"

After Tian Peng’s desire for revenge had passed, he felt somewhat guilty. He thought about his Silken Pouch, wondering if he had anything that could help withstand the cold.

He couldn’t think of anything at the moment, but there was the nuts candy he had bought from Li Mutuo, something substantial that should help endure the cold.

"Right, on my way here I met a merchant from Tibet, and I bought some of their local delicacies from him. He said this stuff helps withstand the cold, Deputy General Chen, wait here, I’ll go fetch it," said Tian Peng. After bidding the Great General farewell with cupped hands, he headed towards his own camp.

"You could have a soldier fetch it," Deputy General Chen suggested, but Tian Peng had already left, probably not hearing him.

"He’s quite the honest man," said the Great General. "Now that you’re here in the camp and have witnessed his strength, let’s avoid incidents like today’s in the future. We’re all here to guard the northwest borders, not to engage in petty schemes, you all understand this, right?"

Deputy General Chen, along with Deputy Commandant Zhang and Tribune Zhao, admitted their fault to the Great General, thus bringing the matter to a close.

Tian Peng ran into the tent and took out twenty pounds of nuts candy from his Silken Pouch to distribute to the soldiers, then took out an additional five pounds for the officers. After dividing the candy, Tian Peng brought it to the training ground.

"This is called nuts candy, it’s packed with nuts, very substantial and tastes good. Indeed, it seems to help withstand the cold, much like dried meat does," Tian Peng explained.

"I wanted to buy it all, but the Tibetan wouldn’t sell it all to me, so I could only get half. This is for the soldiers, and this is for the Great General and all the Deputy Generals, Colonels, and Deputy Commandants. Everyone, try some."

"Zhu, you just got here for the post, and you’ve already brought us gifts," the Great General teased. "I really did not expect you to be such a forthright person. Now I’m afraid their guilt towards you will only grow heavier."

Tian Peng felt a bit embarrassed by the teasing. It was just a small thing he had prepared, nothing significant, and simply said, "Let the soldiers have a taste. It’s not often they get to enjoy candy on the frontier; they must be craving it."

The Great General waved his hand, and a soldier took the nuts candy from Tian Peng and started distributing it to the other soldiers.

The officers also received their share of nuts candy. The Great General took a bite, and the taste of various nuts mixed with honey and malt sugar slowly released as he chewed.

The rich, fragrant flavor of the nuts was different from that of meat fat; the nut oil carried the pleasant aroma of the nuts themselves, making it thick and rich in flavor.

Frontier soldiers regularly ate dried meat, which was mostly lean and thus dry and tough in texture, and the taste was solely that of air-dried meat. But dried meat was for staving off hunger, whereas nuts candy replenished their energy.

"Hmm, this nuts candy really tastes good, and with so many nuts inside, it must have been expensive, right?" the Great General remarked.

"Not expensive. I received a good sum as the martial arts champion, and I don’t need much at the frontier, so it was perfect to exchange it for these goods," Tian Peng replied nonchalantly.

"Zhu, look at you. You bought us gifts before even meeting us. We haven’t really welcomed you properly and even tried to intimidate you upon arrival," said the Great General.

Looking at Tian Peng, the Great General reflected that although the soldiers present were all around twenty years old, there was something quite different about this Zhu Ganglie.

He could have chosen to stay in Chang’an, to live a peaceful life and find a leisurely position, but he still chose to come to this arduous place in the northwest.

In his heart, he must have harbored ambitions; the more the Great General thought about it, the more he felt that they had treated him unfairly.

"Great General, don’t overthink it. I actually have quite a few flaws myself," Tian Peng said with a smile, joking. "I was thinking of buttering you up first, so that when my flaws do emerge, you won’t be too harsh on me."

The Great General said nothing, but patted Tian Peng on the shoulder and then called the soldiers to eat.

The dinner that night was still very rich, and seeing the soldiers devouring their food, Tian Peng guessed that the meal was probably made specially to welcome him.

Watching the bonfires lit around him and hearing the loud laughter of the soldiers, Tian Peng’s chest swelled with emotion and excitement.

Indeed, this was the place that suited him best, and his decision had not been wrong.

Filled with excitement, Tian Peng spent the night in the barracks and got up very early the next morning. After getting up, he went outside to wash up.

Because it was quite cold, the water they used was frozen and then thawed and heated. Tian Peng, protected by his Spiritual Power, naturally did not feel the cold.

He went out to wash up wearing only a thin garment, and didn’t even notice when the splashing water landed on his clothes. While washing, he suddenly felt a slap on his shoulder.

Tian Peng looked up to see Deputy General Chen.

"General Zhu, the vigor of youth indeed," remarked Deputy General Chen. "You came out to wash up so early in the morning wearing so little?"

Tian Peng wiped the water off his face and replied, "What’s the matter? Yesterday, you stood on the martial arts platform for half a day with your upper body bare, and no one said anything to you."

Deputy General Chen was momentarily speechless. "Alright then, just hurry back after you finish washing. You’ve just arrived in the northwest. You can’t be showing off your strength like this. If you fall ill, you really will have to rely on yourself to get through it."

Deputy General Chen spoke earnestly; in this land of bitter cold, hardly any medicinal herbs could grow.

The army doctor’s supply of medicinal herbs was brought from Chang’an, and they were only used in truly urgent situations. Otherwise, they were saved for when they were really needed.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Deputy General Chen," Tian Peng said.

He had indeed been careless. When he woke up that morning, he was still groggy and had forgotten the kind of environment he was in.

This wouldn’t do; if he didn’t even feel the cold, it could arouse suspicion.

With this in mind, Tian Peng slightly reduced the amount of Spiritual Power he was using to keep warm, and immediately felt the chill.

The cold stimulated his mind to greater alertness. This was not bad, after all. Since he was to live as a mortal, he couldn’t afford to live too comfortably.

After washing up, Tian Peng dressed and joined the soldiers for morning exercises, then ate breakfast and prepared to begin the morning’s training.

The breakfast was very basic — just soup and a staple food. Having moved around a bit in the morning had whet his appetite, and although the food was not delicious, it was not bad either.