At around 3 a.m on the next morning, Han Yin yanked Yunchang up from his sleep.

“Get up! We need to leave early; no time to waste.”

“Alright, alright. Geez, why the rush?”

“With that mess of hair, there’s no way you’re getting accepted for training. Go get a quick haircut.”

“It's 3 in the morning dang it! No barbershop would be open.”

“Good point you made there. So, what else are you suggesting?”

Yunchang’s mind flashed with an idea.

“How about you cut it for me?”

Han Yin moved closer, smirking. “It’s better for you to do it yourself. Only you would know what you want. If I do it for you, I'm afraid you might not like it.”

“I’ll leave it like this unless it’s you who cuts it. Either way, there is no way I’m doing it myself. How’s that for an answer?”

"This brat—who does he think he is? Having an above average looking face and some of the cheapest tricks in gambling, sure, I'll give him that, but that attitude could make even a saint lose her patience," Han Yin thought to herself.

“Fine. Sit down please. I don’t have all day.”

“Sure, no problemo.”

Yunchang sat, satisfied, but as soon as he leaned back into the comfy chair, he fell asleep again, which only annoyed Han Yin further.

Thirty minutes later:

“Wake up; I’m done. So, what do you think?”

“Thanks, I—” Yunchang finally looked in the mirror, horrified at what he’s witnessing.

“My hair! Did you just give me a Shaolin monk's buzz cut? It”

“There’s still hair, isn’t there?”

“Yeah, measly millimeters. Why even bother? Just shave everything else along with my eyebrows too at this point”

“It will grow back, alright. Stop whining like a baby. Pack up; we’re running late.”

"This bitch," Yunchang thought, "I thought she was an angel sent from heaven, but she’s worse than any demon out there! I won’t dare mess with her again; lesson learned!"

Han Yin then led Yunchang to the military camp at the outskirts of Heilongjiang, near Mongolia.

“Here, you’ll join Battalion 1128. I’ll observe you for a week to see if you’re even suited for any position. I bet you couldn't hurt a fly, let alone do anything worthwhile. Keep your head low, humble yourself, and you may have a chance to live for another day.”

Yunchang, his face hot with indignation, couldn’t muster a comeback, eventually, he stopped talking. Han Yin then handed him a metal bar and told him to improvise as “they are running on a tight budget so not every soldier gets his own rifle or even a bow and arrows”. This only aggravated him further.

“This bitch is really fucking with me, and not the way I would want her to”—throwing me into the battlefield with nothing but a piece of metal. She clearly wants me dead, eaten alive by those disgusting demons. But to think about it, she disgusts me more than any of them”

But on closer inspection, Yunchang noticed the bar was much lighter than a regular one, pure white with no impurities. Realizing its potential, he spent most of the next three days sharpening it into a fine blade. Once the edge was nearly complete, he heated it in a forge for twenty hours, then crafted a handle, marking the birth of his legendary Steel Blade—a weapon yet unknown, forged by a draft dodger.

“Good thing old man taught me a thing or two back then. This blade is sharp. Now, if I just observe the soldiers training here, I should be able to get by without much trouble.”

The next day, Battalion 1128 received orders for the front line to repel a demon invasion into China. To Yunchang’s surprise, he was sent to battle only three days into service. Near the combat zone, noticing the heat, the commander ordered the troops to camp in the shady woods, setting up a tight formation.

When Yunchang saw where the troops had pitched their camp, he shook his head and hurried to the commander.

“You’re making our men camp in the woods? Don’t you realize how dangerous this can be?”

“Huh, Why is that?”

“If the enemy burns down the forest, we are all cooked alive”

“Hmm, I see, you are quite sharp as a rookie. What would you suggest then?”

“We should retreat to the banks of the Heilong River and set up camp there.”

“Are you insane? You want us to give up fifty miles of land? Absolutely not!”

“Better to lose fifty miles and save seventy behind it. It’s about the bigger picture. If we stay here, we are already digging our own graves.”

“Fine. I’ll report it to my superiors.”

“There’s no time. It’s a life and death situation. We must act immediately.”

After his fruitless attempt in convincing the commander, Yunchang shared the situation with three new friends he’d made over the past three days: Guotai, the grandson of a revolutionary soldier, drafted by his father to uphold family tradition, known for his knack for teasing superiors and, thus, held no rank despite his ten years in service; Juan Hong, a bookworm with noodle arms but a good sense of humor that made him well-liked by everyone, that alone kept him alive until now; and Yong Kang, a somewhat chubby and sluggish guy but a quick thinker to make up for it while also being the group’s unofficial cook. These four young men spent their nights gambling and their days training in swordplay, as they became brothers.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“So what’s the plan, Yunchang?” asked Kang.

“I’ve done my part. The rest is up to them.”

“If the demons come, I won’t be able to run fast enough. We better do something!”

“Oh, shut up, Kang. All you ever do is worry,” said Guotai. “But if they don’t listen, do we just sit here and wait to die? Maybe we should all just run away.”

“Watch your mouth, Guotai,” warned Juan Hong. “Desertion is a death sentence. Demons up front, enemies behind—we’re basically caught between a rock and a hard place.”

“Forget it, Juan Hong,” said Yunchang. “If we die tomorrow, who cares, it’s best to just savour the moment. Now, I’m starving. Kang, grill us some fish, and I’ll go grab some vegetables. Let’s eat.”

Eventually, the commander reported the idea to headquarters.

“What’s your opinion, ma’am?”

“Hmm? Do as he pleases.”

“But if he fails…”

“If he dies on the battlefield, he dies an honorable death. If he comes back alive, we’ll handle it through military justice.”

The commander relayed the orders, and the troops pulled back to the banks of the Heilong River. Hearing the news, Yunchang and his friends quickly packed and retreated with the rest of the men. Later, the commander summoned Yunchang to discuss the battle plan.

“We need to ambush the enemy’s main base beyond the Dead Forest if we’re to hold out for the long term.”

“Give me 5,000 soldiers, and I’ll lead a swift assault. Victory is certain.”

The commander didn’t fully trust Yunchang—how could an ambush on demons be that simple? But as Yunchang pushed further, the commander finally relented, granting him 500 rookies as a final offer, with the order to “do as he pleases.” So Even if Mr Shepherd here leads all his flocks to the slaughter, which is likely the case, the army as a whole won’t suffer too much loss because of him.

Dissatisfied but still determined, Yunchang decided to push through with the plan, he took his three friends along with him to guide the 500 soldiers, reminding Kang to stay alert to check surroundings, Guotai to keep an eye on Juan Hong and everyone else, and Juan Hong to stay close to protection.

To carry out the ambush, Yunchang and his men needed to cross the Dead Forest.

“Be cautious here,” warned Guotai. “Demons often hide and ambush from within these trees.”

“Got any tricks to get the men through safely?” asked Yunchang.

“Crossing isn’t that hard,” replied Guotai. “But the ambush itself won’t be easy. We’ll need to position ourselves deep in the woods without letting them know the location of our camp. Only then should we initiate”

Yunchang nodded and began leading the men forward, but after a couple of hundred meters, dozens of four-legged, dark-skinned demons leapt from the trees, ambushing his troops. The soldiers were shaken; Yunchang himself felt a shiver of fear as one demon lunged at him. He shut his eyes and swung his newly forged sword wildly, decapitating it within several strikes. Amazed, he thought, "The material she gave me isn’t ordinary at all. This blade, as if I’m holding some sort of legendary weapon. Or, is it that I’m way stronger than I thought?"

“Kill them all at once, do not even let one escape!”–Yunchang screamed.

With renewed confidence, Yunchang charged head on into combat along with the rest of the army. The rookies, despite their crushing advantage in quantity, seem to be struggling a lot. While Guotai and Kang, being the more seasoned fighters, handled themselves with ease. Guotai had to shield Juan Hong several times, as Juan Hong wasn’t much for close combat. Once the demons were dealt with, Yunchang, noticing no casualties and only minor injuries among his men, led them further into the forest.

Ten minutes later, they encountered a demon division of around 30-40 creatures, their screeches echoing through the woods, causing the troops to tremble.

“Let me handle this,” said Juan Hong, stepping forward. Before the demons could charge, Juan Hong took out a bizarre looking weapon somewhat resembling a rifle and aimed. The bullets flew through the air, piercing through the skull of each demon, swiftly tearing their bodies apart. Blood and gore splatter across the lush greenery, painting the forest red. His comrades couldn't help but marvel at the weapon.

“All the time we’ve been using swords, bows and cranky rifles that only shoot one bullet at a time, you,ve been hiding this?” asked Kang.

“Hiding? More like putting it to use at the right moment. This is my father’s weapon, meant only for killing demons after all.”

“How exactly does it work?”

“If the target is a demon, it’ll fire non-stop. Against humans, it won’t shoot at all.”

“How does it know the difference?”

“It’s a weapon from my family’s demon-hunting brigade, apparently a ‘holy gun,’ though I don’t really buy it. My father served then, using this same gun, but he died in the battle with the ‘Toxic Demons.’”

The group fell silent, sympathy written on their faces. Only after all demons had been killed, Yunchang finally broke the ice and asked, “So, Juan Hong, what’s a ‘Toxic Demon’? I’ve never heard of it.”

“I’m not sure myself. I’d guess it’s something with potent poison based on the name, probably deadlier than benzene, though I don’t know to what extent. What I do know is that these weak demons are way easier to kill”.

Right before the sun sets, Yong Kang managed to find a place for the entire army to set up camp, right out in the middle of a grass field.

“Really? This is what you want to show us? There's little coverage here”. Guotai said

“No no, Kang is spot on with this one, the forest is their home, not ours, we are merely guests. It's better to rest knowing that we can always see where they’re coming from and when they’re coming. Yunchang replied.

After a while, Yunchang’s army had completed settling in. And just like daily procedures, when one man is at rest, another has to stay and guard.

“Before we eat or sleep, everyone, take one of these charms,” said Kang, handing out small talismans to the group.

“A charm?”

“Yeah, don’t you know? Typical rookie. They keep ghosts away. Wear this at night, and ghosts can’t touch you while you are asleep.”

“Got anything to kill them?” Yunchang asked, intrigued.

"Rub it on your sword for about five minutes, and once that’s done, your blade will be able to slice through any ghosts or jiangshis around here. But don’t worry too much. Later tonight, Juan Hong will spread the talismans around to set up a barrier around our sleeping area, so no ghosts will be able to get close anyway."

“What about the others? They are also rookies, most of them would not have access to this or know about anything in advance.”

Hearing the words that just came out of Yunchang's mouth, Guotai had enough, Yunchang needed to be called out for his carelessness.

“You still fail to see that you are the one at fault here? you got all of these rookies separated from the main army and dragged into who knows where fighting who knows what and the worst part, following a leader just as clueless as they are.”

Yunchang was stunned for a moment as he processed what he just heard there before speaking up again.

“Huh, can't say you didn't have a point there, buuuuuut…c’mon, say it”

Guotai sighs. “But luckily, no one got injured badly, up until now…Though, honestly, I must say, I quite enjoy it actually. Leading an army, altogether with my brothers instead of just sitting around waiting for orders from those bureaucrats who never fought a day in their scummy life. For once in my life I feel that I actually matter. Maybe this is the start of something big, or just like you said, even if we all die, who cares, just live for the moment.

“Wow, Guotai, that shit was deep man”. Juan Hong added.

“Well, all of this deep thinking has got my tummy rumbling, I say we stop thinking and start eating”.