CHAPTER 1347: CHAPTER 1348: JUST COULDN’T MAKE IT OUT

Xiao Changyi remained expressionless, as though all of this had nothing to do with him.

The ten female soldiers stood at attention in perfect military posture. While others mocked them, they showed no visible reaction, yet deep down, all ten of them were brimming with determination, resolved to give the male soldiers a stunning performance next.

Opposite the ten female soldiers stood the ten male soldiers competing against them, among whom were Qi Gaoda and Qi Weimeng. Since Qi Weimeng was short, he stood at the head of the male soldiers’ lineup, while Qi Gaoda, being the tallest, stood at the end of their lineup.

Du Aya, the tallest among the female soldiers, also stood at the end of her team. As such, Du Aya faced Qi Gaoda directly across from her, but Du Aya didn’t think much of it. To her, it was simply standing face-to-face. Qi Gaoda, however, clearly felt otherwise.

Even before Qi Gaoda fully made his way across to stand opposite Du Aya, his face was already flushed red.

Qi Weimeng caught sight of his elder brother blushing out of the corner of his eye and was startled yet again, nearly stumbling. Curse it all—why was his towering, mighty, imposingly strong elder brother blushing again?!

The leaders of the third battalion—Liu Buli, Qi Tengfei, and Xu Shangong—were also present, standing next to An Jing and her group.

Qi Tengfei’s gaze momentarily landed on his second son, Qi Weimeng, and immediately afterwards, he hastily averted his eyes.

Damned it, his second son was simply too short. He didn’t even want to admit that was his kid!

Luckily, his second son was at least competent, skilled enough to carve out a spot for himself in the army. That knowledge gave him a sliver of comfort in his heart.

Involuntarily, his gaze shifted to his giant-like eldest son, Qi Gaoda. Qi Tengfei nodded in satisfaction, his aged eyes filled with pride. Now *that* looked like his son!

Seeing some commanders among the male soldiers competing against the female soldiers, An Jing remarked with a smile, "General Liu, General Xu, General Qi, you think so highly of us female soldiers that you’ve sent such powerful contenders to compete with us."

Without waiting for them to respond, An Jing added, "Even if we female soldiers lose, there’s nothing to be ashamed of."

Implied in her words was another meaning entirely: if *you* lose, that would be quite disgraceful—do you realize that?

Liu Buli, Xu Shangong, and Qi Tengfei failed to pick up on An Jing’s hidden implication. They truly believed that An Jing was simply giving them reassurance in advance, so that if the female soldiers lost, it wouldn’t be too humiliating for them.

Because of An Jing’s remarks, the observing soldiers and the ten participating male soldiers became even more certain that the female soldiers stood no chance of winning.

Nevertheless, Xu Shangong quickly chimed in, throwing An Jing and Xiao Changyi a thick layer of praise: "Instructor An is too modest. These female soldiers are personally trained by both the Prince and Instructor An. They must be extraordinary—we wouldn’t dare pit ordinary soldiers against them."

An Jing simply smiled again.

Xu Shangong and the others found themselves inexplicably unnerved by her smile.

Once An Jing saw that the time was about right, she began explaining the competition rules. After finishing her explanation, she glanced at a nearby soldier, who immediately blew a horn to signal the start of the match.

The ten female soldiers and ten male soldiers promptly began their weighted march, heading out of the military camp.

An Jing, Xiao Changyi, Ye Zhi, Meng Zhuqing, Liu Buli, Xu Shangong, Qi Tengfei, along with a few other leaders, rode on horseback while both groups of soldiers marched alongside them. The route of the competition included additional cavalry patrols for oversight.

Due to differences in physical endurance, some marched faster while others lagged behind. An Jing, Xiao Changyi, and the others accompanied the fastest participants as they made their way to the finish line first.