Year 350 of the Jianhong Calendar.
Beihe City, Grand Han Prefecture.
The rich aroma of dinner met Lin Jie the moment he stepped through the door. He tossed his school bag aside, headed straight for the dining table, and snagged a piece of red braised pork, popping it into his mouth.
Chewing, he squinted at the hazy figure of his father in the kitchen. “Dad, can we have soup tomorrow? I’m getting tired of meat every day.”
“Stop being picky. You’re lucky to have food on the table,” Lin Tian’s voice grumbled from the kitchen. “Besides, you’re eighteen now. When are you going to learn to take care of yourself? I’ve been both father and mother to you all these years. It’s about time I got a break.”
With his mouth full of pork, Lin Jie grinned. “Dad, you’re practically a professional chef. I’d offer to help, but anything I cook is basically poison.”
“Heh.” Lin Tian just smirked. Lin Jie was all talk. The kid had never so much as boiled an egg. At one-point-nine meters tall and built like a bull, Lin Tian looked ridiculous in an apron far too small for his powerful frame. The sight had always bothered Lin Jie, and today was no exception.
Shaking his head, Lin Jie complained, “Dad, can’t you get a bigger apron? It’s not like we can’t afford it.”
“What do you know?” Lin Tian brushed the question aside. He set the last dish on the table and sat down, still wearing the apron. “Eat. We have to save every coin we can. This apron is still new, anyway—”
“Dad, you’ve been saying that for the past three years.”
Lin Jie rolled his eyes. It was one thing to call it new three years ago, he thought, but to keep saying it now was just shameless. Lin Tian ignored his son’s remark and dug into his food.
Lin Jie was used to his father’s ways. He sat and began to eat, too. After a moment, he sighed. “Dad, are things heating up on the front line again? I saw a military recruitment truck downstairs on my way home. Looks like they’re recruiting in the neighborhood. I wonder who’s signing up—”
At that, Lin Tian stopped eating. He set down his bowl and chopsticks, his expression turning solemn. “It is every man’s duty to protect his home and defend his country. Listen to yourself. Are you saying it’s a bad thing to be a soldier?”
“Not at all!” Lin Jie backpedaled instantly. His father was a retired soldier; it was a sensitive topic. He had no desire to feel the sting of a hand the size of a bear’s paw. Lin Tian just snorted and went back to his meal.
Then, Lin Tian spoke again, his voice dropping to a grim tone. “Jie, the front line is in turmoil. The armies have been recruiting over and over. They’re constantly taking in new soldiers and recalling veterans.”
Lin Jie paused mid-bite and looked up. A frown creased his brow. “Dad, that doesn’t have anything to do with us, right? You’ve been retired for eighteen years, and I just became an adult. I’m applying for the high academies. They won’t come for us.”
“Eighteen years…” Lin Tian sighed. “Yes, it has been eighteen years. In that time, the Demon Slaying Corps has recalled retired veterans five times. Once I hit fifty, I’ll be too old for them to call back. The last four times, you were too young. I was worried, so I didn’t answer.”
The color drained from Lin Jie’s face. “Dad, our family has an exemption! The policy allows it!”
“Yes, the policy allows it!” Lin Tian’s grin was unsettling. He looked straight at his son. “That’s why I haven’t answered the calls. Four recalls in eighteen years, and I ignored every one! But now, my son is finally an adult! He’s eighteen!”
“Dad!” Lin Jie’s expression was grim. “What are you trying to say?”
“You know what I’m trying to say.” A look of satisfaction, almost pride, spread across Lin Tian’s face. “Your dad might seem useless now, but eighteen years ago, I was a platoon leader with thirty men under my command. Your mom was about to give birth, so I took leave and came home. Who knew she would… leave us, just like that? You were a newborn, and there was no one else to take care of you. I couldn’t go back. I was forced to retire.”
A bitter smile twisted Lin Tian’s lips. “When I left, not one of my comrades came to see me off. It wasn’t that they wanted me gone—they were afraid that if they came, I wouldn’t have the heart to leave. It’s been eighteen years. Not one of them has contacted me. They’re scared I won’t be able to resist going back. Even in my dreams, I see them, yelling at me to go home and take care of my baby. Of my thirty brothers, nine died on the battlefield the year after I left. Not one of the survivors has left the army. Do you know what the other twenty-one are doing? They’re still out there, fighting!”
His eyes glistened. “I was selfish. I didn’t dare ask about them. I ignored the last four recalls. But this time… Jie, if I’m going to die, I’d rather die as a soldier on the battlefield. I don’t want to die of old age behind the lines!”
Lin Jie fell silent. He’d always known his father missed the army, missed his old comrades. But he had always assumed eighteen years was long enough to let the past go. Today, he learned that for his father, the past was still painfully present.
“Dad…” Lin Jie’s face was pale as he tried to reason with him. “The front line is a mess. The casualty rates are only getting higher. They’ve had to issue five recalls in eighteen years—that’s one every three or four years. You were a soldier; you know what that means. I’m not married, I haven’t even gotten into a high academy yet, you don’t have a grandchild…”
Lin Tian grinned. “That’s fine. I’ll be waiting for all of it! What, you think I’m going to throw my life away? No! I’m going to win!”
“Enough of that, kid! Eat your meal!” Lin Tian cut him off, mumbling as he shoveled rice into his mouth. “After tonight, you’re on your own for food. If you can’t cook, eat out. Use the money on my card; you know the password. They’re waiting for me downstairs. I have to go soon. Remember to mail me when you pass your academy exam. I’ll read your letters when I have time. You’re going to a cultural research academy. Your old man is damn proud of you, you know that? You’re a shoo-in. Your teacher told me that as long as nothing goes wrong, you’re guaranteed a spot. A real talent in the Lin family, at last! Sometimes I wonder how you got that brain. Way too smart. I used to wonder if you were really my son. Good thing you look just like I did when I was young.”
Though his stomach was in knots, Lin Jie couldn’t stop himself from challenging the last part. “Dad, are you sure I look like your younger self?”
“What kind of stupid question is that? Of course you do!” Lin Tian looked up, his rough-hewn face breaking into a wide grin. “Go ask the neighbors if you don’t believe me!”
Lin Jie was speechless. He knew his father was just changing the subject. He brought it back. “Dad, do you have to go? I’m not looking down on you, but it’s been eighteen years. You haven’t been cultivating much. You’re still at the ninth-stage Mighty Force Realm. How much help can you be on the battlefield?”
“Who are you looking down on?” Lin Tian bristled. “So what if I’m only at the ninth-stage Mighty Force Realm? Wars aren’t won on strength alone. Anything can happen on the battlefield. I’ll have you know, when I was only a seventh-stage Profound Vigor cultivator, I killed an Boundless Vigor Realm expert.”
Lin Jie’s heart ached. He’d heard that story a hundred times and never knew if it was true, but after so many years, he suspected it probably was. Still, he didn’t want his father to go. The front line was chaos. Every year, countless soldiers died, and the situation was only getting worse. His father was nearly fifty. Lin Jie couldn’t bear to imagine a man that age returning to the battlefield.
“Shut up!” Lin Tian interrupted his thoughts. He stood, gathering the empty dishes with a scrape. His expression was grave. “I’ve already signed up. If I don’t report, I’m a deserter. It’s one thing to ignore the recall, but now… you know the penalty for desertion. Execution.”
“Dad, couldn’t you have waited for me to get home? Couldn’t you have talked to me before you signed?”
The realization made Lin Jie furious, but he knew it was a fury born of helplessness. His father was right. The recall order wasn't compulsory for a veteran who had served his time and earned his retirement. But once you signed the papers, you were a soldier again. Failure to report was desertion.
“What was there to talk about?” Lin Tian said dismissively. “Don’t worry. I won’t die. And if I do, you’ll get a hefty compensation. Don’t forget to claim it. It’ll be enough for you to get a wife and raise a child. See? Your old man has it all planned out.”
He untied the small apron, picked up a backpack that was already packed and waiting by the door, and slung it over his shoulder as if he were just leaving for a short trip. “Do well on your exam. People like you, supporting humanity from behind the lines, you’re just as important. Make our Lin family proud at the cultural research academy. A cultural research academy… yes, I’ll have to tell everyone when I get back to the army. My son got into a cultural research academy. That’s a hell of a lot more impressive than their kids. It’s a pity I won’t be here to see your acceptance letter. Make sure you take a picture of it and mail it to me. I’ll need proof, or those bastards will think I’m just bragging.”
“Dad!” Lin Jie shot to his feet, panic seizing him as his father turned to leave. He was really going. For eighteen years, his father had been a constant in his life. He wasn’t ready for this.
“You’re a man now. Don’t cry like a baby,” Lin Tian grinned, though his eyes were bright. “If you were still a child, I wouldn’t go. But because you’re an adult, I have to. When I left eighteen years ago, there were kids your age in my platoon. Jie, do you know? I dream of them. Crying in my dreams, begging me to kill all those animals. I regret not sending you to the Garrison Family Quarters back then. At least someone would have looked after you, and I could have stayed in the army.”
His voice broke. “This is the fifth recall. For the last four, I had my bags packed each time. But then I’d look at you, and I’d selfishly stay. I couldn’t leave you. This is the fifth time! Will there even be a next one for me? I’ll be over fifty by then. The Demon Slaying Corps won’t take me! It’s time. The Myriad Realms Battlefield is waiting. You just watch. I’ll kill a few Boundless Vigor Realm experts this time, and I’ll bring back proof. Then you won’t be able to doubt me anymore.”
With a final wave, Lin Tian walked away. For the first time in his eighteen years, Lin Jie saw his father look truly carefree, truly heroic. And he hated it.
“I told you to cut the crap.”
Standing in the doorway, Lin Jie clenched his teeth and shouted after him, “If you don’t come back, I’ll marry into another family! I’ll change my surname and let the Lin family line die with you! If you don’t care, then go! I swear I’ll do it!”
“I—” Lin Tian staggered to a halt, almost turning around to scream curses at his son. A sudden, violent urge to stay, to beat the boy senseless, rose in him. He knew Lin Jie. The kid would actually do it. After all this time, the Lin family had finally produced a son with real talent. He couldn’t stand the thought of that talent marrying into someone else’s family, bearing someone else’s name.