In the depths of winter, the north wind howled, and snow lay three feet deep. In the Ice Bone Camp, within the training grounds south of Snow Rime City, the border general, General Tuthis, ordered Zhou Fugui and 352 other men to strip off all their clothes, leaving only a loincloth to cover their shame.
Bodies of various shapes and colors were thus exposed to the biting cold, trembling violently, with only a select few exceptions, such as Zhou Fugui and Xue Wentai.
Among the 352 naked men, Zhou Fugui's skin was the fairest, almost as white as the snow itself.
Tuthis dismounted, long whip in hand, and walked before the line of stark naked men, scrutinizing each one. He then frowned, appearing somewhat displeased.
“Were you bathed in milk or goat's milk since childhood?” Tuthis asked, prodding Zhou Fugui’s body with his whip tip.
His physique was indeed strong, a material worth cultivating, but he was too pale, Tuthis mused inwardly.
All the naked burly men wanted to laugh at the question but dared not. They could only suppress their laughter with all their might, their faces turning red with the effort, which paradoxically made them feel less cold.
Zhou Fugui’s buttocks, in particular, were the fairest… The man standing behind him found his gaze drawn to them.
Tuthis's skin was a bronze hue, giving him an exceptionally robust appearance.
“General, may I speak?” Zhou Fugui asked, his face blushing with embarrassment.
“Granted!” Tuthis replied.
“Our bodies and skin are gifts from our parents. Does being fair or not have anything to do with training soldiers?” Zhou Fugui said, his face still red.
“It does!” Tuthis replied. “If you lie in the snow, you won’t be easily spotted by enemy scouts.”
The naked men again wanted to laugh but dared not, continuing to suppress their mirth.
“So fair and tender, like a young maiden!” Tuthis chided Zhou Fugui. He then remounted his horse and pointed to some men in the formation, saying, “You, you, and you, step forward and return to the city!”
Tuthis selected twenty-three men, all of whom were relatively weak or otherwise unsatisfactory.
The twenty-three eliminated men were led back to Snow Rime City. Of course, they were not conscripted as laborers, and could be assigned to other barracks.
Thus, out of the original 352 men, only 329 remained before the training even began.
“Follow me into the camp!” Tuthis waved his hand.
The naked burly men then formed an orderly line and followed Tuthis into the training grounds.
“Ice Bone Camp’s First Training: Ice Cave Survival!” Tuthis led Zhou Fugui and the others to a river. Two holes had already been dug in the ice, beneath which lay the frigid river water. The distance between the two holes was about seven or eight *zhang*. Tuthis pointed to the ice holes and said, “Jump into this ice hole, swim to shore at the ice hole over there, and you can drink and eat meat upon reaching the shore!”
The remaining 329 burly men exchanged shocked glances.
In the midst of winter, the river was, of course, bone-chillingly cold. Not only could one freeze to death by jumping into the water, but the underwater currents alone were enough to claim a life.
Beneath the ice holes, the river appeared relatively calm, but there were undoubtedly undertows. Once a person leaped into the water, the undertow could drag them anywhere. If an exit couldn’t be found, they would surely suffocate in the icy water.
The harshness of the Ice Bone Camp training was evident. Even Zhou Fugui, who had seen much of the world, was greatly daunted by this suicidal training.
“When the third drum sounds, everyone must jump into the ice hole!” Tuthis commanded coldly, ignoring the astonished looks on everyone’s faces.
Tuthis had already given Zhou Fugui and the others an opportunity to leave if they were unwilling. Therefore, there was no room for regret now; his orders must be strictly followed. Everyone must jump into the ice hole, or face severe punishment.
“Commander Tuthis…” As Tuthis raised his right hand, preparing to signal his subordinates to beat the drums, Zhou Fugui spoke.
“What is it now?” Tuthis asked irritably upon seeing this.
Indeed, a verbose fellow. Hmph, if it weren't for… Now I’ll make you wish you were dead, Tuthis thought angrily.
“The weather is cold, and the river water is bone-chilling. We need to prepare, otherwise, you’ll get cramps or freeze to death when you enter the water,” Zhou Fugui replied.
“What do you want to prepare?” Tuthis asked.
Zhou Fugui didn’t answer. He stepped out of the line, turned to face the crowd, and said, “Brothers, follow me. There are only benefits and no harm. Whether you trust me is up to you!”
“Sway left, sway right, let’s all exercise together!” Zhou Fugui then ignored everyone and began to sing, moving his neck, shoulder, waist, hip, elbow, and wrist joints as he sang.
In such cold weather and icy water, warming up before entering the water was essential, otherwise, one would surely get cramps, sprains, or become stiff from the cold. Any of these, beneath the ice, would lead to certain death.
“Sway left, sway right, let’s all exercise together!”
“Hahahaha!”
Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, Xue Wentai, and others were half-believing, half-doubting, but they still followed Zhou Fugui in shaking their heads and twisting their waists. As for the others, some believed and followed suit, while others watched with amusement as they twisted their heads and their bottoms.
“Are you done?” At first, Tuthis simply allowed Zhou Fugui to lead the men in their strange movements. After a while, Tuthis could no longer bear it and asked.
“Done,” Zhou Fugui said, feeling a slight sheen of sweat on his skin.
“Beat the drum!” Tuthis waved his hand.
“Wait a moment!” Zhou Fugui said again.
“What do you want now?” Tuthis asked angrily.
Though Tuthis didn't dare to do anything drastic to Zhou Fugui, a good beating was certainly within his power.
“The last step!” Zhou Fugui said obsequiously.
“Mancang, Dacheng, Wentai, watch closely how to swim forward!” Zhou Fugui said, then lay down on the ice and made a few swimming motions.
Zhou Fugui’s movements were exceptionally comical, drawing boisterous laughter from the crowd.
They were all landlubbers from the north; how could they know how to swim? Thus, to prevent his fellow villagers and friends, Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, and Xue Wentai, from drowning, Zhou Fugui disregarded the laughter and demonstrated some simple swimming strokes.
Although it was a pipe dream to teach them to swim in such a short time, a hurried effort was better than none. At a critical moment, it might just save their lives.
“Beat the drum!” Tuthis ordered when Zhou Fugui had finished his demonstration.
“Dong… Dong… Dong…”
As the first set of urgent drumbeats sounded, the soldiers tied thick ropes around the men about to enter the water. In case of crisis, the ropes could be used to pull them out, though anyone pulled out would be eliminated.
Despite these precautions, entering the ice holes, diving underwater, and surfacing from another ice hole remained extremely perilous.
After the first drum roll, the eyes of the naked men and Tuthis himself fell upon Zhou Fugui.
Before the drumming, Zhou Fugui had made quite a fuss. Who else but him would be the first to enter the water?
“Haha!”
Zhou Fugui let out a hearty laugh, ran to the ice hole, took a deep breath, pushed off with his feet, and leaped into the air. Twisting his body in mid-air, head down, heels up, he plunged into the ice hole with a “plop.”
Zhou Fugui’s entry into the water was exceptionally graceful, like a white fish, earning him waves of applause. Even Tuthis nodded in approval.
The frigid wind on the river surface was piercing. Upon entering the water, the cold was not as intense; in fact, it was somewhat comfortable.
Before diving in, Zhou Fugui had already determined his direction. He used his hands and feet underwater, rapidly swimming towards the exit where light was visible.
Seven or eight *zhang* was neither far nor near. It depended on one’s swimming ability. For someone with excellent water skills, this distance would be covered in the blink of an eye.
“Splash!” Zhou Fugui broke the surface, emerged from the ice hole, and stood steadily on the ice, once again drawing applause from the crowd.
Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, and Zhou Fugui’s fellow villagers stared with their mouths agape.
They were all from Luoming Township, Luoyan Village in Youzhou. Xu Mancang was Zhou Fugui’s childhood friend and knew him inside out. When had Zhou Fugui learned to swim? And he seemed to be an excellent swimmer!
Earlier, when Zhou Fugui had taught them the preparatory movements, Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, and the others had been half-believing. Seeing Zhou Fugui pass the test so easily, their confidence surged.
“Captain Zhou, what excellent swimming!” a soldier said with a smile, handing Zhou Fugui a leather pouch filled with wine.
“Thank you!” Zhou Fugui accepted the pouch, noticing the soldier’s peculiar smile. Though a little puzzled, he didn’t ask. After taking a large swig of strong liquor, he felt a warmth spread through his body.
Zhou Fugui then sat down on the ice to rest, feeling a chill on his backside. His loincloth had disappeared at some point. Zhou Fugui was now truly naked…
Fortunately, a soldier handed him a fur robe to ward off the cold, which also served as a covering.
“I have arrived!”
The stout monk from Guanzhong, seeing Zhou Fugui gulping down wine, felt his stomach rumble with desire. With a roar, he leaped headfirst into the ice hole, splashing water several feet high.
While Zhou Fugui had passed with ease, the stout monk Xue Wentai was not so fortunate. After diving underwater, there was no movement from Xue Wentai for a long time. Tuthis ordered the rope to be pulled, but it seemed caught on something and wouldn’t budge.
“Not good!” Zhou Fugui, standing on the bank, shouted inwardly. He then threw off his fur robe and leaped naked into the ice hole.
The stout monk Xue Wentai didn’t know how to swim. If he encountered any trouble underwater, he wouldn't be able to break free, Zhou Fugui thought as he dived deeper.