Tang Ke wasn't difficult to approach. After placing down all his belongings in his room, he came back out and sat on the ground with Lin Xi, talking.
"You really don't know anything about the military structure of our Yunqin Empire?"
Lin Xi was curious about what kind of place the border army was, while Tang Ke was surprised by Lin Xi's complete ignorance.
"Don't assume that just because I got into the Chosen Class, I must know a lot. I already told you—I don't even know how I was recommended here. My father is just a common merchant with a few shops," Lin Xi said while rubbing his still slightly sore calves. "So forget about military structure, I don't even know which officials are higher ranked and which are lower. At most, I know the highest officer in a town is called a Town Overseer, above that is the Province Overseer, and then the Prefecture Overseer. That's it."
"Besides the military structure, all I know is that there are eight departments," Tang Ke mimicked Lin Xi, rubbing his legs to relax. Without the long blade on his back, he felt a bit uneasy and unintentionally stiff. "Our Yunqin Empire's military is divided into three major systems: the Central Province Guards, the Regional Army, and the Border Army." The tall, thin youth with a slightly hunched back spoke while organizing his thoughts, correcting Lin Xi's earlier phrasing. "Strictly speaking, 'border army' refers to the troops stationed at the empire's outermost frontier, not a specific place."
Lin Xi nodded, signaling he understood.
Tang Ke mused, "Our Yunqin Empire is built on martial strength. The military holds the greatest power. The Central Province Guards are stationed around the capital and are under the direct control of the Emperor. The Regional Army and the Border Army aren't much different in substance—only the locations where they're stationed differ."
"Is the biggest difference because the places where the Border Army is stationed are more dangerous?"
"Yes," Tang Ke said, looking at Lin Xi. "Do you know why we so-called 'border savages' mostly shave our heads and have hunched backs?"
Lin Xi stared quietly into Tang Ke's eyes and shook his head. "Honestly, I've always been curious, but I couldn't figure it out."
Tang Ke replied quietly, "Because having long hair can hinder movement and snag on things, making noise. As for the hunched backs—some are from doing hard labor since childhood, way beyond what's appropriate for their age. Others form the habit in the army—hunching makes you less of a target for sudden arrows. Border troops always suffer heavy casualties, so besides the annual conscripted soldiers, many vagrants and prisoners are sent to the front. Vagrants hope to earn merits and rise… In Yunqin, military achievements can be used to atone for crimes."
Lin Xi frowned. "So the situation in our Yunqin Empire isn't as peaceful as it seems?"
"There are three major border forces: the Biluo Border Army, the Qianxia Border Army, and the Longshe Border Army." Tang Ke explained softly, "Fifty years ago, Headmaster Zhang beheaded thirty generals of the Western Yi in a single night and forced the fifteen tribes of the Western Yi beyond the Biluo Ridge. But over the past fifty years, those tribes have become roaming bandits. Every autumn and winter, large numbers cross the ridge. Beyond their current territory lies the ancient Tangzang Kingdom. In recent years, Tangzang's soldiers and cultivators frequently appear near Biluo Ridge and clash with our forces—both sides suffer casualties, but since neither country wants full war, it's a cold standoff.
As for the Longshe Border, the Longshe Mountain Range to the east is bordered by the desolate Huaze Region, which is home to many primitive Xue Barbarians. The Qianxia Border was originally part of the Southern Mo Kingdom, but after Headmaster Zhang and Vice Headmaster Xia defeated them at Lake of Fallen Stars, we took over the Qianxia Mountains. That battle triggered a regime change—Southern Mo became the Dawu Dynasty. Over the past ten years, the Longshe Border has clashed many times with the Dawu military near the Blackwater Marsh."
"So the west, south, and east all have hidden dangers. What about the north?" Lin Xi asked. Hearing about the Longshe Border made his frown deepen—after all, his hometown of Lulin Town wasn't far from the Longshe Mountains.
"The north is covered in snowfields and blocked by the nearly impassable Climbing-Heaven Mountains, guarded by Qingluan Academy, so there's little threat there. But the other three fronts drain vast resources and manpower. The harsh terrain prevents us from pushing deep into enemy lands, so we can't completely wipe out the Western Yi raiders or the Xue Barbarians. They grow back like grass on the plains—cut down once, and they return. On the surface, our Yunqin Empire seems prosperous and peaceful, but in truth, we are being nibbled at from three sides. Just compare what the border troops receive now to what they got ten years ago—you'll see how strained we are."
"So the peace we enjoy in Lulin Town is bought by the blood of border soldiers, vagrants, and prisoners," Lin Xi said, looking at Tang Ke with admiration. "I didn't expect you to know so much and have such insight."
Tang Ke's face darkened slightly, and he shook his head. "At my age, how could I know so much? I haven't lived through it. I wouldn't dare comment on how things were ten years ago."
Lin Xi glanced toward Tang Ke's room door, thinking inexplicably of the black-sheathed long sword and the longbow within.
"My brother told me everything. His name was Liu Wuyue—not well-known, from a small academy. He taught me a lot. Without him, I wouldn't have survived, let alone made it here," Tang Ke said softly, staring at his worn-out cloth shoes.
Lin Xi nodded. "Which border army were you with?"
"Biluo Border Army. We guarded Jingtian Lake in the eastern outskirts."
"At your age, how did you end up there?" Lin Xi asked gently. "Of course, if you don't want to answer, that's totally fine."
Tang Ke shook his head slightly. "It's not a secret. Every border city has support personnel. My father prepared rations—he was a 'Grain Handler.' My mother repaired armor—she was a 'Clothier.' They both died in a nighttime bandit raid. I naturally became a member of the Biluo Border Army."
Lin Xi looked quietly at him for a moment, then said seriously, "It must have been very difficult for you to get recommended for the Qingluan Academy entrance trial from the border."
That sentence was abrupt, but both boys sitting cross-legged on the ground seemed to understand each other's emotions. Tang Ke nodded earnestly and looked hollowly at his room door. "Twice, I was the only survivor of my squad. The first time, I passed out after being shot. The second time, my brother saved me. He should've lived, but I did instead. We have a saying in the Biluo Border: surviving once is luck, surviving twice makes you cursed—a plague god. People think anyone with me will die. So they used an eastern recommendation slot to send me away."
"No wonder you insisted on keeping his sword and bow," Lin Xi said, patting Tang Ke's shoulder and falling silent.
Tang Ke stretched his legs and leaned against the corridor railing. He realized that sitting here with Lin Xi, he felt an unprecedented sense of ease. There was something calming about Lin Xi—like an invisible force that made people lower their guard. He turned to look into Lin Xi's clear eyes—no hint of ambition or greed in them.
"I thought you were going to ask me about cultivation," Tang Ke said after hesitating briefly, his voice tinged with something unspoken.
Lin Xi shook his head with a smile. "No rush. Since I'm in the academy now, they'll naturally teach me. What the academy knows about cultivation should be far better and more accurate than anything you or I know."
"You really are something else. No wonder you got into the Chosen Class." Tang Ke couldn't help but laugh. "We've been talking about me all this time. What about you? You really don't know how you were recommended?"
"Believe it or not, I believe it." Lin Xi grinned, then sighed. "I was just minding my business in Lulin Town when a girl younger than me by two years suddenly showed up, asked me a bunch of questions, and then a carriage came. They presented an order from a Province Overseer—said I had to come take the entrance trial."
Tang Ke frowned. "Must've been someone powerful who noticed you. A Province Overseer would've given the spot to their own kin otherwise."
Lin Xi laughed. "Uncle Liu, the one who brought me, told me that small folk like us shouldn't waste our brains thinking about things we'll never understand."
Tang Ke laughed too. The two young men sat in the corridor, smiling, each lost in their own thoughts.
After a long silence, Lin Xi nudged Tang Ke's arm. "Now that you're a student here, what's your plan? Still going back to the border to earn military merits?"
Tang Ke shook his head seriously. "No. I promised my brother I'd live well. I originally wanted to enter the Department of Civil Studies… He always believed that internal governance is even more important to Yunqin's future than blades on the frontier. Now that I'm in the Warfare Department, if I make it through, I plan to start as a Town Overseer."
"And you, Lin Xi?" Tang Ke turned to him. "What do you plan to do?"
"I haven't thought that far," Lin Xi said, frowning. "But if I had to say… I want to see what's on the other side of the Climbing-Heaven Mountains."