7.The Qin Family's Bottomless Pit

Beep... beep... beep...

The distant sound of a whistle pierced through the air, irritating Qin Hu. With a grunt, he turned over in bed, keeping his eyes shut, and buried his head deeper into the pillow, determined to continue his rendezvous with the goddess of sleep.

Beside him, Wang Zhen suddenly shot up, startled by the sound of the whistle. He turned and saw that Qin Hu wasn't getting up, which made him panic. He quickly climbed out of bed and pushed Qin Hu. "Get up, get up! The whistle's blown!"

"What?" Qin Hu, still half-asleep, rubbed his eyes, his two large eye boogers unmoving.

He hadn't slept this soundly in a long time. It felt like he could sleep until the end of the world and never want to wake up.

Seeing Qin Hu in this state, Wang Zhen immediately became anxious. "Get up quickly, or there won't be breakfast!"

"What?" Qin Hu suddenly opened his eyes wide, instantly awake. He was terrified of missing a meal.

Wang Zhen sighed in relief when he saw Qin Hu reacting. "If you don't get up now, you'll miss out!"

"Oh, oh!" Qin Hu hurriedly agreed. Mimicking Wang Zhen's movements, he quickly dressed and dashed out of the room.

Listening to others when they said it was time to eat, Qin Hu, being new and unfamiliar with the place, knew that following Wang Zhen was his best bet.

By the time they arrived at the training ground, the other new recruits had already assembled in formation. Even Wang Ben was standing off to the side.

Wang Zhen rushed to his position, and Qin Hu, without thinking much, stepped to the back of the line, becoming the tail of the formation.

Being short wasn't his fault—he was still growing!

The others glanced curiously at these two who almost arrived late, thinking, So this is the new guy?

Wang Ben checked the time and blew his whistle. "Attention! We'll continue with the formation training... Wang Zhen!"

Wang Zhen, startled, immediately responded, "Here!"

"Qin Hu!"

"Here!" Qin Hu mimicked, trying his best to sound proper.

"Step out!" Wang Ben pointed to the side. "You two will train separately. Wang Zhen, start from the beginning and teach him."

"Yes!" Wang Zhen sighed in relief, calling Qin Hu over to the side. "Let's start with 'at attention.' Follow my commands: chest out, head up, stomach in, eyes forward…"

Qin Hu executed the posture without hesitation. "This isn't hard!"

"Don't talk!" Wang Zhen glared. "No talking in formation. If you want to speak, first shout 'report'!"

Qin Hu grumbled inwardly, "What kind of ridiculous rule is this?"

"That's the rule for formations!" Wang Zhen emphasized the word rule. "Remember everything I say; it'll be good for you!"

"Fine, I'll listen to you," Qin Hu replied.

He wasn't the kind of person to bite the hand that fed him. Since his arrival yesterday, Wang Zhen had been looking out for him, helping him in every way. Though Qin Hu didn't express it, he appreciated the gesture. After struggling for over two months in the ruins of Lan Jing, he was no longer the naïve boy he once was.

However, Qin Hu initially thought that just knowing how to stand at attention was enough. But no—there they were, marching back and forth in formation, and Wang Zhen had him standing perfectly still for over forty minutes, only allowing him to move when Wang Ben blew the whistle to signal the end of morning exercises.

Qin Hu made a face and casually kicked his legs. "Is this all you train for? The Vissen people are almost wiping everyone out, and you guys are wasting time with this nonsense. What's the point?"

Wang Zhen's eyes nearly popped out. "Are you okay?"

Qin Hu looked confused. "What's wrong? I'm fine!"

Wang Zhen mentally slapped a label on him: Monster!

Long periods of standing at attention, or military posture, was an old training method passed down from the Zuxing era. When Wang Zhen first stood for half an hour, his legs had gone stiff and numb, uncontrollable.

But Qin Hu showed no signs of discomfort at all… Wang Zhen couldn't help but ask, "You've trained before, haven't you?"

"Nope!" Qin Hu looked utterly innocent. "What, am I crazy? Why would I torture myself?"

Wang Zhen was on the brink of losing it. He had a thousand curses to say, but held them back.

On the other side, many of the others had noticed this scene and looked on with uncertainty. Only Wang Ben, with his chin in hand, appeared thoughtful. No wonder they say this kid's something special. His physical fitness—this isn't just talk!

However, this was just the beginning. When it was time for breakfast, the others saw the true horror: Qin Hu devoured four servings of breakfast all on his own. Not only did he eat a massive amount, but he even licked his plates clean, leaving them cleaner than when they were washed. And yet, he kept complaining that he wasn't full? Wang Zhen, who was sitting beside him, was mortified.

The quartermaster kept casting surprised glances at Wang Zhen, making him feel uncomfortable. It's not me eating! Why does he keep looking at me like that?

Wang Zhen couldn't help but poke Qin Hu. "Can you eat more?"

Qin Hu nodded honestly. "Yeah!"

"Oh my god!" Wang Zhen was completely in awe. "How much more?"

Qin Hu patted his stomach. "Maybe about 70% full."

Wang Zhen nearly passed out. "Four servings and you're only 70% full? Are you some kind of bottomless pit?"

Qin Hu felt a little embarrassed. "I've been starving for the last few months... Didn't you say it's unlimited?"

Wang Zhen fought back the urge to roll his eyes. "It's unlimited, but you're going way overboard. Aren't you afraid you'll burst?"

"It's fine," Qin Hu said as he stood up and stretched. "No problem!"

Wang Zhen gave up. "Forget it. Do whatever you want."

This kid really was a monster, Wang Zhen thought.

After breakfast, they continued training. But instead of standing at attention, they moved on to marching, stepping, and running.

Qin Hu's learning ability was so strong that Wang Zhen began to question reality. In just half a morning, Qin Hu was almost keeping up with the rest of the group.

Qin Hu grumbled to himself, "This isn't hard. I mean, I know how to walk! Honestly, there's no need for all this nonsense!"

Wang Zhen maintained a serious expression. "You're wrong. The army isn't about individuality. It's about unity and coordination. The purpose of formation training is to build discipline, strengthen willpower, and learn to follow orders..." He trailed off, a bit frustrated. "I forgot the rest, but formation training is more important than you think!"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Qin Hu said, though still skeptical. It's just walking in formation. How important can it be?

At that moment, Wang Ben saw that Qin Hu had learned enough and called both of them over to join the rest of the group for training.

This time, Qin Hu truly felt the difference. Before, he was training on his own, and as long as his movements were correct, he could walk however he liked. Now, he had to synchronize with the rest of the team, and everyone had to move in perfect harmony.

While others needed time to adjust and keep pace, Qin Hu adapted to the group's rhythm in no time. Even Wang Ben couldn't tell that Qin Hu had just joined yesterday.

This kid really is a monster, Wang Ben thought.