The Taming of the Ruffian Hero

Zheng Kai was rushing toward the top of the hill with Wang Xiang tied on his back and Lin Wenxi tied to his front. The rope had to sustain the weight of the three boys, and the blue veins on Zheng Kai’s arms had all stood out. The dry twig in Zheng Kai’s mouth nearly got chewed through. Despite these, Zheng Kai continued to rush toward the top.

“Zheng Kai, go back down!” Zhao Yuan shouted.

Zheng Kai spat out the dry twig and retorted, “Zhao Yuan how can you outshine me today?” The twig rolled on the cliff for some time and then fell down silently. Zhao Yuan felt that his heart sank together with the twig.

“Zheng Kai, are you stupid? You get upset, so you put three people’s lives in danger. Wenxi... Wang Xiang... are you alright?” Zhao Yuan broke out in a cold sweat and tried his best to catch up with Zheng Kai, planning to help him out when there was a need. 𝐟𝓇ℯ𝐞𝚠𝚎𝒃𝑛𝒐ѵe𝚕.co𝚖

“Zhao Yuan, I’m fine,” Lin Wenxi said with difficulty. f𝑟𝑒ewe𝚋𝚗૦𝐯e𝘭.c𝗼𝓂

“I’m, I’m fine...” Wang Xiang was too frightened to speak clearly now.

“Zhao Yuan, if I were you...” Zheng Kai panted and said, “I would go down to fetch Xiaoman. Who knows what will happen to her when she’s alone in this wild hill? Besides, even if something happens to us, what can you do? Are you planning to fall down the hill together with us?”

Wang Xiang nearly cried upon hearing that.

Zhao Yuan knew that he could do nothing up here now, so he tried his best to slide down the cliff as fast as possible. When he left, he heard Lin Wenxi say, “Zhao Yuan, be careful.” His heart ached.

The moment he landed on the ground, he immediately carried Shu Xiaoman on his back and began to climb up. Shu Xiaoman told him what had happened just now.

“When Zheng Kai came down, he immediately tied Wang Xiang to his back and said that he had to take the two boys up first. He said that he would leave me for you as I was lighter than the boys. Wang Xiang and Lin Wenxi could hardly agree with what he said. Lin Wenxi even tried to run away from Zheng Kai, but Zheng Kai quickly caught up with him after chasing him for some time with Wang Xiang on his back. He tied Lin Wenxi to his front the moment he caught him. Wang Xiang tried to escape at that time and bit Zheng Kai’s shoulder. Zheng Kai slapped him on the butt, making him cry.

“Zheng Kai said, ‘I’m a Green Fields Military Academy graduate. How can I be outshone by someone else?’ He spat and roared with anger before he climbed the cliff again.”

No one knew that Lin Wenxi was actually filled with awe upon hearing that Zheng Kai was a Green Fields Military Academy graduate. Years ago, when Lin Wenxi had been transferred from a village school to a school in the city, his father Lin Ziwei had planned to send him to the Green Fields Military Academy. Upon knowing that, his mother Huang Xiya was extremely worried. She cried so hard that she fell ill. Because of his mother, his father finally gave up this plan. After that, his father often asked his subordinate Hong Xuan, a Green Fields Military Academy graduate, to take Lin Wenxi to swim or ride a bike. As such, Lin Wenxi was quite healthy and strong, although he looked thin. When he heard about the dreadful training methods of the Green Fields Military Academy from Hong Xuan, he felt really grateful for his mother.

Green Fields Military Academy was located on the outskirts of another small city. With the rushing Yangtze River in the front of it and a high cliff at the back of it, it was strategically located and remained mysterious to the outsiders. No student could escape from this academy, and every year, some of its students would commit suicide by jumping into the river as they could hardly bear the torture anymore. Despite that, this academy stood there for years and had strict requirements of admission. It only recruited 13-year-old boys who passed all the exams, physical abilities tests and health and background checks, and it never recruited bad-looking ones.

After three years, the students who passed all the tests would continue to study in the academy for three more years, and those who failed to pass the tests would be transferred to the other high schools. As students of the academy could only return home once a year, most parents would not choose to send their sons to the academy unless they were too busy to take care of them. Some people would also send the orphaned boys of their families to the academy. Hong Xuan’s father died during his childhood. When he was 13, he left his mother to study in the Green Fields Military Academy. After that, he became Lin Ziwei’s bodyguard and driver. Hong Xuan said that he himself had been among the top students of the academy.

Since meeting Zhu Zilin last night, Lin Wenxi became interested in people’s backgrounds. He was just interested in them and never told this to anyone. He was interested in Zhao Yuan again and wondered while climbing the cliff, “The most distinguishing feature of Zhao Yuan is his good looks. He’s handsome and unique. He really stands out from the crowd. He’s probably not so strong as Zheng Kai, but sometimes he can defeat him in a fight. It’s said that he used to practice kung fu. He has the qualities a good leader should have. He’s clear-minded and calm, no matter what happens. He seems to have grown up in the countryside since he knows how to catch hares and fish and how to cook in the wilderness without a lot of the modern conveniences. He’s also able to recognize medical herbs. But strangely, he looks more like a child from a well-off family than a person from the countryside. He’s bold but not rude. His manner is bright, and he never uses any filthy language. He’s well-principled and good at concealing his real feelings. As for Wang Xiang, he must be loaded. Zhang An’an and Shu Xiaoman, I can’t figure them out. Chen Wanxin is pampered and...I don’t know.” After thinking for some time, Lin Wenxi was surprised to find out that he seemed to be more interested in the boys and did not know much about girls. He mocked himself in his heart for a while and smiled. It was uneasy and sometimes scary to climb the cliff, but most of the time, Lin Wenxi felt quite secure.

Zhao Yuan had also heard of the Green Fields Military Academy. If it had not been for his father, he would have gone to study in the academy a long time ago. He was also interested in Zheng Kai’s past and wondered, “Zheng Kai must’ve deliberately hidden his strength during the military training. He probably knows more than the military instructors do. He knows how to build and row a bamboo raft and how to climb rocks. He must be well-trained. Did he study in the Green Fields Military Academy for three years or six years? No wonder Jifu University accepts him. He’s indeed talented. “However, he doesn’t seem to be interested in military or political stuff. He seems to like biology very much. If so, why did he choose to study in the Green Fields Military Academy? Zheng Kai’s story must be long and interesting.

“As Wenxi is tied to Zheng Kai’s front, his back might be scratched by the rocks sometimes.” With this in mind, Zhao Yuan suddenly felt energetic. He climbed up with both his hands and feet as fast as he could. He was eager to meet Lin Wenxi again. He wanted to make sure that he was safe.

At this moment, Lin Wenxi felt quite unsteady and awkward. He felt that he was pushed up by Zheng Kai instead of being dragged up by him. Zheng Kai exerted himself to push Lin Wenxi up while panting heavily, and Lin Wenxi was nervous upon hearing his pants. Suddenly, Lin Wenxi felt his body sink and heard some broken rocks fall down. It was because Zheng Kai had gotten a sore arm and nearly missed his footing just now. He quickly regained his footing, grabbed the rope tightly with one hand and supported Lin Wenxi with the other hand. He also put one of his knees on the rock to keep his balance. When Lin Wenxi turned to look at Zheng Kai, he was stunned. Blue veins stood out on Zheng Kai’s arms, which had already been smeared by blood. Blood was oozing out from the wounds on his knee and dying the rock red. Despite that, he still gripped the rope with his teeth and continued to support Lin Wenxi with one of his hands.

“I can climb the cliff by myself,” Lin Wenxi said pleadingly to Zheng Kai. He believed that he could climb up on his own as it was not far away from the top now. Besides, he really did not want to be pushed up like this.

“Relax, we won’t die,” Zheng Kai replied with difficulty. Suddenly, something flickered within his eyes. He started to climb the cliff again and quickly reached the top. The three of them collapsed to the ground the moment they arrived. Zheng Kai was covered all over with scratches and bruises, especially his arms and knees, but he felt quite pleased as he thought that he had protected Lin Wenxi well. When he turned to look at Lin Wenxi, he was surprised to see that Lin Wenxi was covered with lots of scratches and bruises too. He thought, “As Wang Xiang screamed all the way to the top of the hill, I thought that he probably got badly wounded and scared. But Lin Wenxi is clearly worse wounded than him. How come Lin Wenxi never made a sound? He just kept looking at me worriedly.

“I was really desperate just now and had this outbreak of strength. I used to think gleefully that I would never have to take some hell-like physical training or military drill anymore after graduating from the Green Fields Military Academy. I never expected that I would do this again and even get someone innocent into trouble.” With this in mind, Zheng Kai chuckled and said to Lin Wenxi, “I’m sorry.”