Xue Wentai, the great monk of Guanzhong, has indeed had an accident!
Zhou Fugui leaped into the ice pit and quickly submerged himself. Under the faint light, he saw Xue Wentai, with a rope tied around his waist, flailing his limbs and struggling desperately in the water. The rope, however, was entangled around a stalagmite of ice.
*Don't struggle wildly, you brute, or we'll both perish.*
Of course, underwater, Zhou Fugui couldn't shout, but he roared in his mind.
While roaring internally, Zhou Fugui quickly swam behind Xue Wentai and delivered a powerful punch, knocking him unconscious.
Xue Wentai's desperate struggle meant that if he wasn't knocked out, he would have grabbed Zhou Fugui, dragging them both to the bottom of the river to die.
On land, Zhou Fugui's punch might not have knocked out Xue Wentai, nor would it have necessarily hit him. But at this moment, Xue Wentai was already semi-conscious, hence being knocked out by Zhou Fugui's punch and floating in the water. Zhou Fugui grabbed the rope around his waist with one hand and paddled with the other, desperately dragging him towards the exit.
"Splash!" Fortunately, Xue Wentai was large and had a lot of buoyancy. Zhou Fugui barely managed to drag him out of the water. Even so, Zhou Fugui was so exhausted his face turned ashen and he nearly spat blood. After being pulled out of the ice pit by soldiers, he collapsed onto the ice, gasping for air.
Xue Wentai's eyes rolled back, his life and death uncertain.
After catching his breath, Zhou Fugui immediately began artificial respiration, fearing that Xue Wentai might die.
"Pfft!" Xue Wentai coughed up some icy water, sat up, and cursed, "You scoundrel, you almost suffocated me!"
Everyone rejoiced at this sight. The great monk of Guanzhong, Xue Wentai, could curse, which meant he was alive and without serious injury.
"You saved me?" Xue Wentai then turned to Zhou Fugui and asked.
"What do you think?" Zhou Fugui retorted, rolling his eyes.
Xue Wentai nodded and said no more.
Gratitude is often unspoken for great kindness. This was the second time Zhou Fugui had saved Xue Wentai's life, making further thanks redundant.
Tutis watched this all coldly, allowing Zhou Fugui to rescue the man without intervening.
"Beat the drum!" Tutis then waved his hand and ordered loudly.
"Boom... Boom... Boom..."
The second drumbeat sounded, forcing a crowd of naked burly men to leap into the ice pit, with continuous "plop" sounds, like dumplings being dropped into water.
"Watch out for the ice stalagmites underwater!" Zhou Fugui shouted weakly to the crowd.
If anyone else got entangled by the underwater ice stalagmites, Zhou Fugui would have no strength left to save them. Besides, with over three hundred people, even if Zhou Fugui were to die of exhaustion, he couldn't save more than a few.
Fortunately, with Xue Wentai's preceding experience and Zhou Fugui's warning, coupled with Zhou Fugui's preparations before entering the water, most of the burly men who leaped into the water managed to swim ashore. Only twenty-one were unable to swim across and were dragged ashore by ropes. These men not only coughed blood and suffered internal injuries from holding their breath but also lost their qualification to continue training and were sent back to Xue Lin City. Thus, out of three hundred and twenty-nine, only three hundred and eight remained.
The Hundred and Eight Heroes of Liangshan Marsh, and the Three Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Ice Bone Camp in Xue Lin City. However, how many of these three hundred and eight would persevere until the end remained to be seen!
"Zhou Fugui was the first to pass the ice pit trial and saved one person." Tutis then looked at the exhausted men sitting on the ground and announced, "Therefore, Zhou Fugui is appointed as Captain. You shall obey his every command without defiance. However, you may challenge him periodically. Whoever wins will be the Captain of the Ice Bone Camp!"
Captain? Challenges? Zhou Fugui almost swore upon hearing this.
Tutis's words, while seemingly elevating Zhou Fugui, actually placed him on the spot. A captainship certainly had many benefits, such as commanding subordinates and receiving preferential treatment in food and drink. But this so-called Captain of the Ice Bone Camp would also become a target, bringing Zhou Fugui endless trouble. Fortunately, there was a mention of periodic challenges, but the interval was unknown – was it a day or two, a month or two?
...
"Run! Run fast! Get moving!"
"Are you not full? If you don't put in more effort, you won't be allowed to eat tonight!"
Hundreds of strong, strapping men were engaged in an activity called "breaking through the pass" in the biting cold wind. "Breaking through the pass" was an extremely strenuous physical training exercise. In pairs, they carried a "pass wood" and charged up a slope. The pass wood weighed sixty to seventy catties and was about a zhang in length.
It wasn't difficult for two men to carry a sixty to seventy catty pass wood; the challenge lay in sprinting uphill while carrying it. A moment's carelessness or a lack of strength would cause the pass wood to roll, injuring the person, much like being hit by a rolling log or boulder.
The men were bare-chested, their dark skin glistening with sweat under the sun. Carrying the pass wood, they sprinted up the snowy slope, their steps crunching on the soft snow. Tutis and others, mounted on horses, shouted orders and whipped those who fell behind.
Willpower, physical strength, and combat were essential training subjects. Zhou Fugui understood this clearly. Therefore, he and Yang Xinhong carried a pass wood, gritted their teeth, and ran up the snowy slope. A flag was planted at the summit, and reaching it signified completion.
Zhou Fugui and Yang Xinhong were positioned towards the front, with four or five pairs ahead of them. The pair that won would receive a reward, while those who came last would naturally be punished. Thus, everyone scrambled up the slope, desperately running, fearing falling behind, or at least not being last.
"Mancang, put in more effort!" Zhou Fugui said to Yang Xinhong, sweat pouring down his face.
"Alright, Brother Fugui," Yang Xinhong replied, also panting heavily like Zhou Fugui, but still holding on.
Carrying the pass wood, the two men ran with exceptional speed, gradually overtaking many pairs. Only one pair remained ahead of them: Tuoba Hai and Fang Dangye, both Dangxiang people.
Tuoba Hai and Fang Dangye, relying on their strength and martial skills, were already dissatisfied with the fair-skinned Zhou Fugui being the Captain of the Ice Bone Camp. Seeing Zhou Fugui and Yang Xinhong about to catch up, Tuoba Hai exchanged a glance with Fang Dangye. He feigned a slip, released his grip, and the pass wood rolled down the slope with a "rumble," hurtling towards Zhou Fugui and Yang Xinhong.
Zhou Fugui and Yang Xinhong, caught off guard, were knocked to the ground by the pass wood and rolled down the slope. By the time they got up, they had naturally fallen to last place.
"No dinner tonight, and clean the stables," Tutis said coldly, riding his horse to within range of Zhou Fugui and Yang Xinhong.
"General..." Yang Xinhong was enraged and about to argue, but Zhou Fugui tugged his sleeve, signaling him to say no more.
The training in the Ice Bone Camp was exceptionally harsh and unforgiving. What was the point of saying more?
"Congratulations, you've won first place!" Zhou Fugui then walked up to Tuoba Hai and Fang Dangye and said coldly.
"Not at all, not at all. How could my brother and I compare to Captain Zhou? Captain Zhou is a general of the court, with both literary and martial skills, unparalleled by ordinary people," Tuoba Hai said with a smile.
Hearing this, Fang Dangye and the others burst into laughter.
Tuoba Hai's sarcasm was evident. So what if he was a general? He was still treated like a convict and ended up cleaning stables, a thankless task.
"You villain, how dare you speak to my brother like that?" Before Zhou Fugui could speak, Xu Mancang, who was beside him, roared angrily.
"What did I say to him? Is it wrong to praise him?" Tuoba Hai said triumphantly. "A brute, do you want to fight? We are not afraid of you."
Zhou Fugui's group had less than thirty men.
"Bang!" Before Xu Mancang could make a move, the ferocious monk of Guanzhong, Xue Wentai, landed a punch on Tuoba Hai's nose, drawing blood.
Tuoba Hai, taken by surprise, threw his head back, and a stream of blood spurted out, forming an elegant arc in the air.
For the benefactor who had saved his life twice, Xue Wentai could not tolerate anyone humiliating him; he would fight to the death.
"Good, good, well fought! You dog, you're seeking death!" Tuoba Hai was instantly enraged and lunged at Xue Wentai, grappling with him. Tuoba Hai's companions also joined the fray.
"Brothers, side by side!" Xu Mancang, seeing Xue Wentai about to be overwhelmed, shouted loudly.
Hearing this, Yang Xinhong was the first to charge forward, punching and knocking down one of the opponents.
Tutis watched the scene with a cold, expressionless face, seemingly enjoying the brawl.
"Everyone stop! Those who disobey will be punished!" Zhou Fugui, seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, used his authority as Captain and roared.
Regardless, Zhou Fugui was, after all, the Captain of the Ice Bone Camp for now and still held some power. Thus, the men reluctantly stopped fighting, though both sides still glared at each other.
"Tuoba Hai, is it?" Zhou Fugui said, walking up to Tuoba Hai. "Schemes and tricks can only bring temporary advantage, not last long. Being exposed only brings harm and no benefit!"
After speaking, Zhou Fugui turned and left, preparing to go and clean the stables.
"A small lack of patience can ruin a great plan. Taking a step back opens up vast possibilities." Zhou Fugui was no longer the impulsive youth he once was.
Tuoba Hai and Fang Dangye merely wanted to win first place and used despicable means. Why should Zhou Fugui fight them to the death over this?
As Li Qing had said, even Han Xin endured the humiliation of crawling between men's legs. How could Zhou Fugui not endure such a minor insult? Throughout history, all great achievers were remarkably patient individuals, able to endure temporary anger to preserve their lives, thus having the opportunity for future revenge.
As a person grows older, they mature. With age comes a deeper understanding of many things, though a few exceptions exist.
Endurance is an extremely painful matter.
"Return to camp!" Tutis glanced at Zhou Fugui and then waved his hand, giving the order.