Chapter 630: One Person Is a World (Part 2)

Cheng Border thought it over and over. Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao had both spoken up. Although they were the youngest and had been in the army for the shortest time, their words carried the most weight.

Under the expectant gazes of his comrades, Cheng Border said in a low voice, “Alright. I’ll go request permission from my superiors.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhi’s face lit up with joy.

‘Oh my god! Are we finally getting a mission!?’

The Cyan Mountain Army was full of Great Gods, but there were still differences between one Great God and another.

Without a doubt, the siblings Xie Zhi and Xie Ru were undeniable, once-in-a-generation geniuses!

Back then, for the two of them to have joined the Cyan Mountain Army at such a young age, did one even need to question their strength and potential?

And it was talents like these who had dedicated their youth to the slowly dying Cyan Mountain Army, bitterly waiting for a dawn that seemed almost impossible to appear.

In that instant, it was as if Xie Zhi saw the clouds part to reveal the sun!

In that instant, as Xie Zhi looked at Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei, his eyes even started to well up with tears…

‘So, you two really are here to save us!’

Few in this world could understand his feelings. Coincidentally, everyone in this room could!

Xie Zhi threw an arm around Rong Taotao’s shoulders and shook him hard. He was so excited he was nearly speechless; no words could be said, but everything was understood.

“Hiss…” Rong Taotao grimaced, sucking in a sharp breath. “Ow, ow, ow…”

“Ah.” Xie Zhi was startled and quickly let go.

Rong Taotao rubbed his shoulder, giving Xie Zhi a resentful look. ‘Jeez,’ he thought, ‘I’ll have to find a chance to strip his clothes off and see if he’s hiding nothing but muscle under there.’

‘This big guy didn’t get his size for nothing. He almost crushed me…’

A smile finally appeared on Cheng Border’s face. The “deathly-still” members of the Cyan Mountain Army in the room seemed to have suddenly come back to life. In his eyes, such a scene was truly beautiful.

“I’ll go request permission from my superiors now. Yiyu, you go talk to the Frost Beauty again. Get every single piece of information you can out of her, no matter how small.” With that, Cheng Border stood up.

At his side, Rong Taotao spoke up, “Captain Cheng, may I contact Principal Mei of Songjiang Soul Martial University?”

Cheng Border paused, stunned. “What?”

Rong Taotao said, “Xiao Ziru is a teacher at Songjiang Soul Martial University, after all. The Snow Burning Army and Songjiang Soul Martial have a long history of cooperation and a tradition of carrying out joint missions. Our Cyan Mountain Army…”

Rong Taotao glanced at the people in the room. “There are eight of us in total, which is more than enough for a search and rescue team. But we could also get a few experts from Songjiang Soul Martial University to conduct a joint operation.

“Ultimately, the one we’re rescuing is Xiao Ziru of the Pine Soul Four Rites.”

Cheng Border said, “Our squad has enough people, but if the mission is confirmed, we can’t rule out the possibility of our superiors sending additional soldiers as reinforcements…”

Rong Taotao replied, “If you put it that way, then I’m even more inclined to find the team of teachers from Songjiang Soul Martial. Xia Fangran, Li Lie, Si Huan Nian, Yang Chunxi. Two of the Erji, two of the Four Rites. I find them easy to work with.”

Cheng Border: ???

It wasn’t just Cheng Border who was stunned; everyone else in the room was completely bewildered as well.

‘You’re just a student from the Junior Class, yet you’re rattling off the names of one famous teacher after another and then saying you “find them easy to work with”?’

‘Are you the teacher, or are they?’

Gao Lingwei also noticed the strange atmosphere in the room and spoke up. “Coach Si Huan Nian also possesses a Lotus Petal, and it’s a defensive one. It could greatly reduce our casualties.”

“Alright!” Cheng Border nodded emphatically. At that moment, he understood something.

‘On paper, I’m the captain, the highest-ranking commander left in the Cyan Mountain Army. But in reality, all I need to do is provide good support for Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei!’

‘After all, those two are the ones who can lead the brothers to rebuild the Cyan Mountain Army!’

His heart filled with emotion, Cheng Border walked briskly out the door with complex feelings.

Rong Taotao also left the room immediately and returned to his own dorm. He found his charging phone on the desk and directly dialed Principal Mei Hongyu’s number.

‘I asked for the Little Souls, and you said no.’

‘Now I’m asking for the Pine Soul teacher dream team. Will you say no this time?’

BEEP… BEEP…

“Yes,” came Mei Hongyu’s hoarse voice from the other end of the line.

“Good evening, Principal Mei!” Rong Taotao said with a chuckle, greeting him.

Mei Hongyu rasped, “It is.”

On his end of the line, Rong Taotao could already picture that old, bark-like face. Every time he heard the old principal’s voice, his heart ached. That hoarse tone was truly grating to the ears.

Rong Taotao began, “Principal Mei, Ling Wei and I have been stationed at the Third Wall…”

Mei Hongyu cut him off abruptly, quite ruthless. “The matter of the Little Souls is off the table.”

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together. “We’ve received news about Xiao Ziru.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, Four Rites·Xiao Ziru of the Pine Soul,” Rong Taotao said in a low voice. “The same Xiao Ziru who once appeared outside Hundred Corps Pass with a Frost Beauty.”

Mei Hongyu: “Where is he?”

Rong Taotao: “Outside the three walls.”

Mei Hongyu suddenly laughed, his voice full of helplessness. “We couldn’t even find him outside Hundred Corps Pass, let alone outside Wan’an Pass.”

To hear the old principal—who in his mind was always so domineering and terrifyingly powerful—speak with such a tone made Rong Taotao’s heart ache.

‘Yes,’ he thought, ‘we are all Soul Martial Artists who have put down roots in the Snow Realm, who have spent our lives bitterly defending the north. When it comes to our comrades, to those who share our beliefs, who wouldn’t want a good end for each other?’

‘Unfortunately, Xiao Ziru fell into a trap.’

‘His Heart Soul is being controlled by an incredibly powerful and bizarre Soul Beast. It’s a fate worse than death.’

‘What could be more tragic than this?’

‘For a teacher to burn out like a candle, for a soldier to die in battle—even in death, there is a sense of purpose.’

‘This world has been far too cruel to Xiao Ziru…’

Rong Taotao suddenly spoke, his voice firm. “Because back then, outside Hundred Corps Pass, there was no Gao Lingwei, no Snowball Cat, and no Snow Soul Banner of our Cyan Mountain Army that can freeze a blizzard in place.”

Hearing this, the other end of the line fell silent.

After a long moment, the hoarse voice came again. “Next time, say such things to me after you’ve completed the mission.”

Rong Taotao: “I’m saying it now because I need people.”

Mei Hongyu: “What people?”

Rong Taotao: “Coach Xia, Coach Li, Coach Si, and Coach Yang.”

Mei Hongyu said hoarsely, “It seems arresting Mi Tu, Feng Zi, and the Red-clothed Merchant has given you a lot of confidence.”

But Rong Taotao replied, “You were the one who taught us Little Souls: ‘One must remember the sky-high ambitions of youth, having once vowed to be first-class in the world.’

“Every minute, every second, every opportunity—I don’t want to let a single one slip by.”

Once again, the line went silent.

After a long wait, Rong Taotao said softly, “Thank you, Principal Mei.”

Mei Hongyu’s tone was unfriendly. “I haven’t agreed yet.”

Rong Taotao, however, reached up and scooped the Cloud Dog from his head, cradling it in his arms. He lowered his head, gently stroking its fur, and chuckled softly. “But what if you do?”

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

A dial tone buzzed in his ear.

At the doorway, Gao Lingwei stood with her arms crossed, leaning casually against the frame as she watched Rong Taotao, who was sitting inside.

Although she couldn’t hear Principal Mei Hongyu’s words, she could guess a lot from Rong Taotao’s responses.

‘He’s grown up a lot. He even dares to talk back to Principal Mei now.’

‘Even though he ended it with a joking tone, still using his youth as a shield, his words before that were very firm.’

People always say that time changes a person, but that’s just an illusion.

What changes a person is never time, but experience.

It’s the stories of success and moments of heartbreak that one goes through as time passes.

In fact, for Rong Taotao, it was all very simple.

He had no personal relationship with Xiao Ziru; they had never even exchanged a single word.

He just wanted to bring a Warrior home. He didn’t want to let that spot of Red Makeup in the Pine Forest wait bitterly year after year.

In the northern Snow Realm, his was not the only broken family.

In a way, Rong Taotao was no different from the person in the Pine Forest. They were both people waiting bitterly.

If Rong Taotao was fortunate enough to bring Xiao Ziru back,

then in the future…

would he be fortunate enough to stand at the feet of the Frost Giant, look up at that towering figure, and say to her…

“Come home with me”?

…

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