Chapter 7

Wang Qi and his adoptive father worked hard through the night, finally managing to skin over a dozen wolf hides before dawn.

Both of them were skilled with knives, so the skinning process was quite swift.

Afterward, they took a stick to string up the dead wolves and carried them along the mountain path they had come from, one in front and one behind, with over a dozen dead wolves in tow.

Neither of them looked particularly exhausted. After all, Wang Dashan had been practicing physical cultivation for thirty years, and this level of labor was manageable for him.

As for Wang Qi, the warm internal energy within him was inexhaustible, giving him seemingly endless strength and energy.

He estimated that the combined weight of the wolf carcasses was probably around six to seven hundred kilograms, yet the two of them carried them with ease, moving swiftly.

On the way there, they had walked and stopped frequently, but on the way back, they hurried along and finally made it out of the forest and back to their small house in the afternoon.

However, after dropping off the wolf hides, they did not stay but carried the wolf carcasses into the village together...

They immediately became the most welcome people in the small, unnamed village.

In the past, although they occasionally shared some game with the villagers when they had a good hunt, this time the scale of over a dozen wolves was unprecedented, almost like a festival.

In fact, Wang Qi was not the only one from Wang Village who had volunteered.

Since the next batch of recruits would be sent to the north with much poorer conditions, all the eligible young men in the village had decided to try their luck in the county.

Taking advantage of the Wang Dashan family's successful hunt, everyone brought out some of the vegetables and side dishes they had grown, and organized a farewell feast.

Everyone ate heartily during the feast, bidding farewell to their loved ones.

In this world... being recruited into the army usually meant a permanent farewell to one's family.

Leaving home young and returning old, if at all, was a common scenario, and even that was considered a good end.

How many truly achieved success and returned in glory? Most likely, they would end up as a handful of yellow earth in the northern frontier.

The old village chief, after a few more drinks, began to call out the names of the young men in the village...

"Big Dog, you're the oldest, remember to take care of your fellow villagers."

"Second Dog, you're always the most aggressive, but in the army, you can't act recklessly; you'll face military law..."

"Doggy, you're too honest, I'm afraid you'll be taken advantage of."

"Little Second Dog, you're still a kid, and you're leaving home..."

"Little Dog Egg, I don't know if I'll be around to see you bring a wife home..."

The old village chief grew more and more emotional... the Wang family in the village were all relatives and neighbors, and the absence of any one of them would leave a void... but now, so many young men were leaving at once.

Finally, he called out Wang Qi's name.

"Qi, I'm not worried about you the most. Seeing how you can make Dashan, who is so rough, serve you so well, I know you'll be fine... I only ask that if any of the village children are with you, you look after them for the sake of our village."

Wang Qi breathed a huge sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly, grateful that the old village chief didn't use his childhood nickname: Dog Qi.

He didn't know what the old village chief was thinking, but he always gave the village children nicknames with the character 'dog.'

Eleven young men from the village, with Wang Qi leading the 'Ten Dogs,' were the volunteers from Wang Village in the mountains of Langya County.

He and these 'Dogs' were treated with great respect by the entire village, receiving new clothes made by the village women, local specialties from their families, and a defensive iron sword forged by the village blacksmith for each of them.

All of this was funded by the village. They had even considered providing armor for each of them, but the village clearly couldn't afford it.

Since those who brought their own equipment to the army would receive preferential treatment, the families in the village had gone to great lengths for their children.

Thus, with the heartfelt blessings of the villagers, Wang Qi and the 'Ten Dogs' set off for the county.

Wang Dashan did not come along, claiming he needed to deal with the wolf hides and even missed the farewell.

But Wang Qi was worried... he thought Wang Dashan might not get a good price for the wolf hides and was concerned about him being alone.

He even thought about the young widow in the village who seemed to be quite shy around Wang Dashan, perhaps they could be matched...

With these concerns, he set off with his companions.

...

Wang Qi and his group had to walk another fifty to sixty miles from the mountains to reach the nearby county.

They were young and quick on their feet, hoping to reach Jiqiu County before nightfall.

On the way, the 'Dogs' kept their distance from Wang Qi.

Perhaps it was due to his mature demeanor from a young age, or the lingering scent of blood from the wolf hunt... the others chatted and laughed, but Wang Qi was alone.

Fortunately, he didn't need anyone's company and instead focused on analyzing the recruitment situation.

He thought the village elders were too optimistic.

The first round of recruitment offered good conditions, but the recruiting officers would undoubtedly have high standards... it wasn't just a matter of who wanted to volunteer, but whether they would be selected.

Wang Qi certainly didn't want to consider the second round of recruitment to the northern border, so he needed to carefully consider how to showcase his abilities.

Wang Dashan had told him not to stand out too much, but he needed to make a good impression.

Moreover, as a mountain hunter, he needed to present himself in a way that matched his 'occupation.'

As he thought, they walked, and as the sky grew dark, they finally reached Jiqiu County just before the city gates closed.

However, they did not enter the county directly because curfew would soon be in effect, and they didn't have enough money to stay at an inn.

So they decided to find a place in the wilderness to spend the night... after all, they were mountain villagers and didn't have many qualms about it...

Wang Qi, however, was resistant.

Although it was early autumn, the mosquitoes were still abundant... in such conditions, he preferred to use his savings to stay at an inn in the city!

So, once again, he stood out from his companions, rushing into the city before the gates closed after everyone had settled down.

The guards at the city gate recognized him as a recruit from his attire and let him through after checking his travel permit.

Wang Qi then found a relatively clean inn in the city and checked in, spending nearly half of his savings...

Despite his usual frugality, he had a certain 'standard' for his quality of life that others found hard to understand.