Entering the Camp, A New Look

"Sir, this is the tally of our hunt for today."

Deep within Nanshan, a group of more than twenty people had gathered along a forest path. One of them was speaking to a figure seated upon a boulder, holding a large quantity of severed beast ears in his hands.

He placed the beast ears down, piling them before the company until they formed a mound nearly as high as a small hill.

"In total, we have slain seventy-one fierce beasts, twenty-eight elite demon soldiers, and four demon generals. Yesterday, we engaged in a fierce battle with a demon commander, though we only managed to sever one of his paws."

Xiao Xiong, holding a ledger to tally the pile of beast ears on the ground, addressed Tao Fengming, who sat nearby.

Tao Fengming's condition over the past two days seemed somewhat poor; he was plagued by a persistent cough, and his demeanor appeared rather listless. Even his normally towering frame had grown noticeably hunched.

Just as Song Mu handed over a cup of warm tea, Tao Fengming reached out to take it while speaking to the assembled group.

"Not bad. It has been merely half a month since we set out from the Prefecture Academy, and we have essentially fulfilled our mission for this expedition."

With that, Tao Fengming coughed twice more. Song Mu stepped forward hurriedly, but Tao Fengming merely waved a hand, drained the tea from the flask, and spoke to the company once again.

"Next, we shall proceed to the Guangzhou military camp to rendezvous with the first batch of academy students, and from there, map out our next course of action."

Seeing Tao Fengming's condition as he spoke, Xiao Xiong and the other provincial graduates wore expressions of deep concern, though they nodded repeatedly in agreement. Xiao Xiong urged him:

"Sir, we ought to set off early tomorrow then. Your health at present does not seem quite right."

Tao Fengming nodded and called out to Song Mu. Song Mu hurried to his side, helped pack up the supplies, and once again handed Tao Fengming a bundle of dried meat.

Tao Fengming reached out to take it, but his movements faltered mid-motion, wearing an expression of hesitation before waving his hand away—a gesture he had never made before.

Taken aback by this, Song Mu awkwardly withdrew his hand, a look of worry creeping onto his face.

Ever since they had departed from Shaozhou Prefecture, Tao Fengming's state of mind and body had seemed somewhat amiss, and seeing him like this now made Song Mu increasingly uneasy.

Could he have sustained some hidden injury back in the city of Shaozhou Prefecture?

"Master, you..."

Song Mu wanted to press the matter, but Tao Fengming merely waved him off, signaling the group to move forward. With no other choice, the company immediately resumed their journey, pressing onward toward the south.

After marching another few tens of li, they would reach a military encampment within Guangzhou Prefecture—the southernmost outpost of the Southern Frontier battlefield.

Along the way, Song Mu repeatedly stepped forward to offer support, but Tao Fengming stubbornly insisted on walking by himself. Picking up the pace through the mountains, the group hurried along and finally arrived at a stretch of flat terrain by the dawn of the second day.

This was a rare sight in Yuezhou: a broad plain, bordered by a major tributary of a great river that, over countless years, had left behind a flat and fertile expanse.

Autumn was now deep, and the crops here had long since been harvested, leaving behind only neat patterns of empty paddies and field paths.

Refugees and yamen runners were no longer to be seen along the official road; instead, there were only soldiers clad in heavy armor and wielding sharp weapons. They too moved with hurried purpose—some columns marching toward the military camp, while others rushed out from within.

When Song Mu and his companions appeared on the official road, military scouts quickly stepped forward to screen them. After verifying the identities of each academy student one by one, they were directed to a holding area where Song Mu and the others waited briefly before someone finally arrived to receive them.

Song Mu recognized the person sent to greet them: it was Ge Long, the very same student who had struck up a conversation with Song Mu and the others at the academy dining hall on their first day.

"Sir, respected instructors, fellow scholars, Ge Long has come to escort you all into the academy encampment."

Built with sturdy, sinewy muscles, Ge Long stepped forward and cupped his fists in greeting to the crowd.

Song Mu and the others looked him over. Xiao Xiong walked up with a wide smile, and the two strapping men—seemingly acquainted from before—even puffed out their chests and bumped shoulders in camaraderie.

"Well met, Ge Long. You look even more vigorous and fierce than before. No doubt you are well-assured of passing next year's provincial examinations?" Xiao Xiong asked heartily.

Ge Long smiled, a look of resolute confidence on his face.

"After experiencing this campaign, success should be well within my grasp."

Laughing heartily, the two men did not forget to guide the group forward. Ge Long walked beside Tao Fengming, briefing him on the current situation of the camp, while Song Mu, walking close by, heard every word clearly.

"We cannot enter the main military camp at present; it is under a complete state of lockdown, and only soldiers are permitted to pass through."

"However, many academy students from other provinces have also come here to hunt. The generals of the encampment have designated a plot of land at the southeastern corner for us to use as a campsite."

"Although we are still some distance away from Nanwu City, demon beasts frequently raid this area. Our current mission is to venture out on hunts alongside the military columns."

"Truth be told, the war in the Southern Frontier has grown extremely critical. I heard that upwards of a hundred thousand troops are now stationed at Nanwu City. Not long ago, a major battle was fought at Xiang Commandery, and it was only with the assistance of twenty-seven presented scholars that we managed to gain the upper hand."

As Ge Long spoke while leading the way, the gravity of the news left the group momentarily stunned. Several minor scholars stepped forward to inquire about the specifics, and Ge Long answered them point by point without concealment.

"Senior Brother Ge, I wonder if there are any fish-demons in the river channels around here?"

At that moment, a voice broke the silence. Song Mu looked over and saw Xue Kaiwen. The young man had kept a very low profile over the past few days—perhaps humbled by his earlier embarrassments—and now spoke in a subdued, cautious tone.

Hearing this, Ge Long smiled and replied:

"Ah, Junior Brother Xue. Naturally, there are demons in the great river, though encountering a fish-demon is largely a matter of luck."

"However, Yuezhou abounds in wetlands and rivers, making fish-demons plentiful, and sea-demons have also been swarming in. On our next hunt, we will take you along to try your luck."

Profusely grateful, Xue Kaiwen bowed and stepped back. As he retreated, his gaze happened to meet Song Mu's. He froze for a moment, offered a tight, polite smile, and then melted back into the moving ranks of the procession.

Stepping forward, Song Mu gradually caught sight of the encampment in the distance.

It was a small hill rising amidst the plains, upon which several buildings had been constructed—evidently the site of a former village.

However, the perimeter of this village had now been enclosed by multiple layers of wooden fences, from which hung the skulls of various demon beasts.

Fearsome and grotesque demon remains were a common sight here. In the fields not far from where Song Mu and his companions walked, people were busy burning the corpses of slain demons.

Once these demonic entities perished, their rotting carcasses would release massive amounts of pathogens. Burying them on the spot left endless hidden troubles, so most were consigned to the flames.

Guided by Ge Long, Song Mu and the others finally reached the camp, where numerous students from the Jizhou Prefecture Academy came out to greet them.

Many of them were unfamiliar faces to Song Mu, but they exchanged cordial greetings one by one.

Accompanying them was Shang Zhuliang, a fellow presented scholar from the prefecture city, who also stepped forward to exchange pleasantries with Tao Fengming. However, Tao Fengming's condition remained poor, and after a brief exchange, the two parted ways as Ge Long arranged quarters for the new arrivals.

The arrival of Song Mu's group seemed to stir the village encampment once more, drawing curious gazes from all around. Song Mu looked up and noticed many figures in scholar robes watching them intently.

Most of them were minor scholars, though provincial graduates were not in short supply.

Speaking in a medley of different regional accents, they murmured among themselves, and some even walked over to converse with the students from Jizhou Prefecture Academy.

Carrying a bundle of firewood past them, Ge Long noticed Song Mu gazing into the distance and paused to speak.

"Song Mu, I didn't expect you to make the trip as well."

"A pleasure to see you, Senior Brother Ge," Song Mu replied, pulling his gaze back from afar. Sensing what had caught Song Mu's attention, Ge Long followed his line of sight and remarked:

"Most of the scholars here are from Jiangnan West and Fujian provinces, along with a contingent from the Sichuan region."

With that, Ge Long pointed toward someone reading a book on the steps of a distant house and said to Song Mu:

"That person is the top scorer of the Fuzhou Prefecture examinations this year; his name seems to be Xing Zhengyang."

"Since you are both top scorers of your respective prefectures, he will likely come over to pay his respects once he realizes you have arrived."