Volume Two: The Youth of a Thousand Faces, Truth in Guise Chapter Twenty-Five: Accustomed to Life and Death

Starlight glittered in the sky, the night stretching cloudless for miles. A gentle breeze brushed the balcony where father and son sat side by side on a rocking chair—neither reclining, both tense in their own way. Eddie was unaccustomed to such relaxation, while Huo Ye felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

“Dad, why do you want me to go on a blind date?” Huo Ye finally voiced his question. To be forced into matchmaking at such a young age would make anyone resistant, but the shadow Eddie had cast over Huo Ye’s heart was too deep. He had felt his father’s gaze then, and instantly lost his nerve.

When he was young, Eddie, knowing Huo Ye was unafraid of pain, had arranged a grueling course of training for him—a living hell, to put it simply: if he didn’t train to the brink of death, he would train as if death was the only end.

Though Huo Ye felt awe for Eddie, he understood his father meant well, and held no grudge. Yet tonight’s events crossed a line. Huo Ye sensed it was time to push back against his father's sovereignty.

“Not dating is fine, but not marrying is out of the question.” Eddie’s words were brief and absolute.

Huo Ye understood his father’s meaning. A wounded heart does not heal easily; for two years, his parents hadn’t tried to persuade him otherwise. Yet he knew he couldn’t remain unmarried forever, couldn’t live his life alone.

Still, Huo Ye had his own principles. “If there’s no affection, and marriage is the only goal, won’t that marriage be a failure?”

Eddie fell silent. Reasoning wasn’t his strength, nor was he one to argue for the sake of it. His son was right, and there was no need to contradict him. But as a father, he felt compelled to advise Huo Ye, so he asked, “Do you know what is most important for a regimental commander?”

Huo Ye hesitated, unsure why his father had changed the subject, but he tried to answer anyway. “Outstanding strength?”

“No.”

“Brilliant strategy?”

“Wrong.”

“Oratory that wins hearts?”

“Not that, either.”

“Dad, could you just tell me?” Huo Ye could no longer hold back.

Eddie took a deep breath, as if exhaling a weight from his chest. “It’s being accustomed to life and death.”

Huo Ye fell silent. He knew his father spoke the truth—the merciful cannot command troops. As a regimental commander, if one hesitated over the fate of a few soldiers, one might end up sacrificing many lives at a critical moment or even losing the war.

His father had led for so many years, carrying the will and last wishes of countless fallen comrades. Surely, he had long since understood this lesson.

Huo Ye had yet to become accustomed to life and death; the road ahead was still long.

The gloom that had haunted Huo Ye for two years seemed to be pierced by a ray of dawn. It did not dispel the shadows, but offered the hope of seeing the sun again.

Huo Ye leaned back, lying in the deck chair, gazing at the star-studded sky. He clicked his tongue and, after a while, said, “Fine, I’ll go on the blind date. But let me be clear: if I don’t like her, no one can force me to marry.”

“Alright,” Eddie replied, rising and heading back into the apartment. At dawn, their hunting regiment would be setting off for camp; it was time to rest.

Huo Ye reached up to rub the cross at his chest, his feelings a complex mix. Perhaps, he thought, when he was ready to tuck away this cross, he would finally have let go.

Eddie returned to the last empty room of the apartment where they were staying for the night.

Vivian was seated on the bed, reading. Huo Ye’s love of literature was almost entirely thanks to her influence. As Vivian liked to say, it was lucky their son took after her in temperament—otherwise, she doubted there was another woman in the world with her patience.

Seeing Eddie return, Vivian closed her book and asked, “Did he agree?”

“He did.”

“You didn’t force him, did you?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Really!” Eddie was beginning to lose patience.

Vivian smiled. “That’s good, then.”

That night, Huo Ye quietly slipped out of the house and made his way to 27 East River Road.

He stared at the shuttered storefront and, without hesitation, began pounding on the door.

Bang, bang, bang! No answer. “Old Ke, open up.”

Bang, bang, bang! Still nothing. “Old Ke, open the door or I’ll take it down!”

Bang, bang, bang!

“Old Ke, I’ll buy you drinks—enough to satisfy you!” The rolling door finally creaked upward and opened.

Ke Zhen appeared, and, seeing Huo Ye’s somber face, shamelessly asked, “Where’s the booze?”

“Inside,” Huo Ye replied, striding straight into the parking lot.

He casually took a blanket from the storage box and spread it on the ground, then pulled out several bottles of fine liquor worth thousands, along with a heap of snacks—all things he’d just picked up on the street.

Ke Zhen couldn’t help but smack his lips in amazement. This was the life of the privileged—his storage box was so spacious. While others barely had room for their gear and supplies, this one stuffed it full of all sorts of odds and ends. This new student of his was nothing like that mud-legged Eddie of years past. Hmph, one day he’d have to get back at Eddie for all the trouble he’d caused—through this kid, if need be.

He made up his mind.

The two sat on the floor. Ke Zhen tore off a chicken leg and bit into it, juices running down his chin as he chewed. “So, what brings you here to drink with me all of a sudden?”

“Nothing much. I’ve got something on my mind, but I don’t feel like talking about it. Just wanted someone to drink with. My old man never touches alcohol, and you’re the only one nearby I know who’d be up for it,” Huo Ye replied.

“Drinking’s good. Drowning your sorrows in liquor is a fine tradition passed down for millennia,” Ke Zhen said.

“To drown your sorrows with wine only deepens them. It’s not a good habit, but once in a while doesn’t matter,” Huo Ye said, munching peanuts and taking a swig.

Ke Zhen continued, “By the way, I’ve got good news. This round’s proficiency exams—excluding freshmen—you ranked first in the academy.”

“Really? That’s nice,” Huo Ye responded offhandedly, seemingly indifferent to the results.

“I watched your battle footage before,” Ke Zhen went on. “Your leg was broken, but it grew back. Is that another individual power of yours? You never mentioned it before.”

Huo Ye propped up his leg. “That? Those are my subgrade stem cells. As long as I have enough energy, no matter the injury, I can recover. Of course, the faster I heal, the more energy it consumes.”

“Sounds like your subgrade stem cells are pretty versatile. Any other functions?” Ke Zhen asked.

Huo Ye thought for a moment. “Not at the moment. But the assessment report said that, with the right applications, I could use them for several different powers. Maybe I can develop new uses.”

“Then let’s try developing them,” Ke Zhen suggested. “You’ve studied with your father for years—your powers are already well defined. There’s not much point in me teaching you the basics. But if we can diversify your abilities, that’s the fastest way to boost your strength in the short term.”

“Sure, do you have any ideas?” Huo Ye asked, knowing Ke Zhen would.

Ke Zhen considered for a few seconds. “I once had a student whose power was… an incredible appetite.”

“How is that a special power? Sounds like he just ate a lot,” Huo Ye said, skeptical.

“No, you don’t understand. He could consume more than his own body weight. His power allowed him to digest food rapidly and store massive amounts of energy in his cells. Before a mission, he’d gorge himself, then go a whole month without eating, saving rations in the wasteland.”

Ke Zhen explained, “If you could store as much energy as he did, your recovery would skyrocket. Then, even in the face of a disaster stronger than you, you might be able to outlast it, using your recovery to turn its advantage against it. Imagine turning the tables on a calamity with the very trait that makes it dangerous!”

Huo Ye watched Ke Zhen’s excited expression and, for some reason, an absurd image flashed through his mind—himself and some ultimate being trading blows like fools, one punch after another, until one of them finally couldn’t get up. How bizarre. No, too bizarre.