The Taming of the Ruffian Hero

Chapter 9 (Pining Lin Wenxi to the Ground) Adding Fuel to the Fire to Initiate a Farce

Zhao Yuan abruptly pulled onto the drapery in a moment of panic. Pitch-black darkness shrouded the inside of the tent. He immediately turned on the light.

The people outside would want nothing more than to break into the tent and see what was going on. However, they were afraid that the delicate Lin Wenxi would easily collapse. Thus, all of them transformed into the young imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty, searching for crevices in the tent or pushing open the draped door ever so slightly. Unfortunately, even though it was Wang Xiang who helped Lin Wenxi build the tent, Lin Wenxi had many nuisances helping him reinforce the tent. The tent was built so tightly sealed that not even wind could enter.

Inside the tent, Lin Wenxi also heard the commotion outside. He said nothing but kept his hands over his eyes.

“Hey, even if it’s a girl who saw me like this, I don’t think she’ll have such a big reaction? Haven’t you gone nude in your upper half?” Zhao Yuan asked self-assuredly.

Lin Wenxi continued to cover his eyes and ignored him.

“If you don’t open your eyes, I’ll be taking my pants off.” Zhao Yuan grinned. He leaned forward and tried to pull away Lin Wenxi’s hands that were covering his eyes. Lin Wenxi once again cried out in alarm. He chided Zhao Yuan in a strained voice, saying, “Scram!” The people outside the tent roared with laughter.

“Hey! Is there any reason left in this world? Do you know what this is? The rabbit that you let off just now excreted on my body! If I don’t enter your tent and let you smell the stink, I... I’ll be wronging myself!” Zhao Yuan brought his chest closer to Lin Wenxi as he spoke. Lin Wenxi panicked when he smelled the exceptional smell but dared not to yell. He could only suppress his hatred and say, “What will it take for you to go out?”

“Wipe it clean for me. Seeing as I’m deprived of a meal of rabbit meat and stinking of piss, shouldn’t you take some responsibility?” Zhao Yuan’s chest came even closer to Lin Wenxi.

Lin Wenxi expressed his unwillingness.

A clamor rose outside the tent and Wang Xiang was eventually selected as the representative. He was already opening the tent that he built from the outside when the tide of people pushed him in, causing him to stagger and fall forward. Right then, Zhao Yuan was in the press-up position with both hands supporting his body, restraining himself from approaching Lin Wenxi yet not really approaching him. Unexpectedly, with the weight of several people on him, Zhao Yuan lay flat on Lin Wenxi’s body with a muffled thud.

Lin Wenxi felt as if the entire sky had darkened before his eyes.

Everyone soon recovered their senses and scattered one after another. Zhao Yuan climbed up from the ground with great difficulty. Lin Wenxi was so badly crushed under all that weight that he was nearly suffocating. When he saw a slurry, gooey stain on his spotlessly white shirt, he silently sent everyone out and closed the tent door.

Outside the door, everyone’s attention was drawn to Zhao Yuan’s muscles—his two plank-like, sturdy pectoral muscles that were like armor, six protruding abdominal muscles that were so well-contoured that they looked as if they were engraved onto his body, and flexed muscles on his arms. His physique wasn’t on the large side but just looked like Michelangelo’s David. Its masculine disposition was visible from inside out, making it look like a valiant warrior. Zhao Yuan’s bronze-colored skin was like the burning sun. In a flash, the girls cried out in surprise and drooled over him, unable to control themselves. During the military training, the dorm strictly prohibited the exposure of chests. Thus, not even Wang Xiang saw Zhao Yuan’s beautiful masculinity. He couldn’t stop himself from pumping his fist at Zhao Yuan’s chest. “So you have this sort of inner beauty!”

Under everyone’s intense gazes, Chen Wanxin leisurely walked up to Zhao Yuan and willfully wiped the stain on his chest. She left him with several napkins for him to complete the cleaning and then gracefully walked away while everyone watched enviously. Zheng Kai burned with jealousy and took off his jacket on the spot. He stood in front of Zhao Yuan and showed off his own refined bicipital muscles. He said in a rough voice, “Mine aren’t inferior to yours!”

Zheng Kai’s physique was simply superb. His every muscle was like a finely cut piece of art. Unfortunately, his muscles were a little too big. The girls felt a little intimidated by them instead. Though there were sounds of admiration, it was still no match for the affection they felt for Zhao Yuan.

“Alright, alright. You’re just like a shaved orangutan. What’s there to look at?” Chen Wanxin curled her lips. Zheng Kai immediately hung his head dispiritedly and put on his clothes. He then aimed for stripping Wang Xiang’s clothes, but the latter nimbly dodged left and right and caused Zheng Kai to chase him round and round. Just as they were bickering, Lin Wenxi opened the door to his tent. He had already changed into a beige-colored jacket and tossed the sullied jacket to Zhao Yuan. He said in a low voice, “Wash it!”

“Wash it? How do I wash it?” Zhao Yuan was troubled. They didn’t carry much water with them and clothes were usually washed at the supply point, where they could instantly dry them. Zhao Yuan gave it some thought. He searched for a point on the map and then hastily ran off without another word.

“Say, isn’t it the same to wash the jacket when we’re at the supply point? Why must you ask him to wash it now? You can’t even dry it.” Chen Wanxin was secretly fuming.

Lin Wenxi didn’t even spare her a glance and returned to his tent without replying.

“What a freak,” Chen Wanxin said indignantly.

“Maybe that’s the only clothing he has. See how he changes his clothes only once a day,” Shu Xiaoman said with a laugh.

“Show me your elbows,” Chen Wanxin said.

Shu Xiaoman raised her hand in confusion. Zhang An’an was already covering her mouth to stifle her laughter.

“You elbows didn’t turn to the opposite direction! How can your words be so unpleasing to the ear!?!” Chen Wanxin said coolly. Shu Xiaoman couldn’t help laughing involuntarily.

The several leaders of the girls’ squad had already set off while Chen Wanxin waited anxiously in place. By then, most of the tents had already been dismantled. When it was almost noon, Zhao Yuan returned from far away in high spirits while holding Lin Wenxi’s clean clothes in both hands. In the beginning, Lin Wenxi was regretting his decision to send Zhao Yuan away and delay everyone’s time. When he saw Zhao Yuan panting in exhaustion as he ran over, he lowered his head and silently looked at Zhao Yuan’s hair that had gotten drenched from the fog and dew of the mountain. There were also many bloody stains on his calves after getting scratched by gods knew what. His new injuries overlapped with old ones. Moreover, he must have put in quite some effort into capturing the rabbits yesterday. Lin Wenxi returned to his tent and when he came out, he handed Zhao Yuan some Folium Callicarpa Pedunculata to stop his bleeding.

“You recognize Folium Callicarpa Pedunculata?” Zhao Yuan was astonished.

“Hm.” Lin Wenxi’s expression turned a little disappointed. In his memories, there seemed to be a childhood playmate who taught him how to distinguish Folium Callicarpa Pedunculata. The playmate also knew how to capture rabbits. However, it was such a far away time. Everything that was worth being engraved into his memory was cut away by the blade of never once seeing each other again.

“Then I’ll be enjoying your favor! Help me paste it on.” He lifted his ankle.

Lin Wenxi couldn’t help but say, “You’re really asking for a beating.”

Zhao Yuan laughed heartily and immediately urged everyone else to set off. He pointed at the map, saying that he had found a stream that could lead them directly down the mountain.

The girls of the same dorm hastily gathered to come up with a countermeasure. Zhao Yuan’s impressive action would certainly draw great appreciation from Lin Wenxi. They discussed what they should do next.

Shu Xiaoman suddenly lifted her head. “Sister Wanxin, why do you look a little unhappy?”

Zhang An’an laughed wickedly. “Looks like someone has put herself in someone else’s shoes.”

While the two girls pestered her, Chen Wanxin looked longingly at the dismantled tents of the guys of Dorm No. 216. She didn’t know where they had gone. Several military instructors were carefully inspecting if the bonfire they left behind had completely stopped burning lest an accident occurred.

Since the guys and girls were competing for a different set of ranking, the guys had been taking good care of Chen Wanxin and the others. They had long surpassed other girls while Zhao Yuan and the rest had been delayed a great deal due to their food and drink issues. No wonder they would so hastily run far away.

This proved that the guys of Dorm No. 216 weren’t just good at capturing rabbits.