Ruan Shu clung to her grandfather’s neck. Watching the brutal, bloody battle between the fierce star beasts, she didn’t feel afraid. Objectively, the fight carried a certain powerful, violent aesthetic.
After watching for a while, she even began to admire it, in a way.
Ruan He and the others doted on Ruan Shu, but precisely because of this love, they wanted her to adapt to this world. She might not need to be powerful, but she had to adapt; only then could she blend in with them, integrate into their race.
Her resilience surprised Ruan Xiao and the others. The war she had faced had allowed her to glimpse a brutal corner of this world, and though she had been injured, she didn’t let that experience make her fearful. Instead, she quickly recovered, and her mindset became even stronger than before.
So they brought her here to witness a real fight.
The two sides, in their star-beast forms, fought until they were covered in blood. The battle ended when one side exhausted its strength and collapsed. Immediately, medics rushed in to administer injections, treat the wounds, and take them away.
Star beasts have remarkable vitality, and combined with the advanced medical technology of this era, as long as they were still breathing, they could often be brought back from the brink of death if treated in time. This resilience was why they dared to fight so fiercely, holding nothing back.
Pain was inevitable, but you got used to it. After all, on a real battlefield, lives were at stake.
As Ruan He held Ruan Shu, he explained a lot to her as they watched the star beasts fight.
“Our race is practically a warrior race. Even the most ordinary schools conduct military training daily. Even if they lack strong Jingshen, they must still develop physical strength.”
Ruan Shu, who had neither: “…”
Ruan He glanced at his granddaughter with a hint of worry.
At this moment, the little vine seized the chance to assert its presence. Why worry? If its little master wasn’t skilled in anything else, she still had it by her side.
Ruan He and the others looked at the mutated plant wrapped around Shushu’s wrist as it wriggled for attention. Their expressions…were a bit complicated.
Ruan Shu patted the little vine, thinking, ‘So I’m just lucky to have picked up a mutated plant, and even luckier that it likes me?’
“Ahem…”
Ruan He redirected Ruan Shu’s attention. “Whether carnivorous or herbivorous, all star beasts undergo annual evaluations and selections while in school. That includes the Qiming Star School you’ll attend in the future. Even non-military schools select outstanding students within a quota to participate in the annual live-broadcast combat academy competition, which serves as the most important exam. All graduates of military academies must participate.
This year’s Beast God Festival will feature a match where students are transported to a planet used as the competition field. If they fail to intervene in time, the students could die in the field. This year, your third brother will also participate.”
Ruan Shu’s fingers tightened around her grandfather’s shoulder. “Will…will that…”
She couldn’t finish her question. Danger was certain; her grandfather had just said that if help didn’t come in time, some students could die in the competition field.
Ruan He patted her head. “It’s something he has to face, just as everyone else does. When you grow up, you’ll also go through a real combat drill within your school. While it won’t be life-threatening, you’ll get hurt and witness more brutality.”
Ruan Fengsi, with his hands in his pockets, added, “So we can’t protect you from everything, making sure you never know anything. That would only harm you. Shushu, you don’t have to be powerful, but you must adapt to our environment, okay?”
Ruan Shu pressed her lips together and nodded. “Mm, I understand.”
She didn’t complain or resist. She only knew that her father and grandfather wouldn’t hurt her, so she would work hard—hard to adapt to this world.
As Ruan Shu and her grandfathers watched the soldiers’ various training exercises, the soldiers were also stealing glances at her.
After all, being the Marshal’s daughter made her a curiosity to everyone.
Of course, the main reason for their curiosity was Marshal Ruan Xiao’s obvious change in attitude toward her, sparking interest among many. They all wondered what kind of daughter could melt their icy, unyielding Marshal’s heart. And when they saw her, they couldn’t help but think the same thing—if they had such a beautiful, sweet daughter, they’d surely want to protect her too. They’d give her the stars if she wanted, or the moon if she asked.
In the afternoon, they went to the canteen for a meal. As training ended, the same soldiers who had been at each other’s throats a moment ago now walked together, arm in arm. Though they were still sporting fresh wounds, they shrugged it off—it didn’t even warrant medicine. They’d heal in a few days. This was the fierce resilience of a warrior people.
Ruan Shu followed beside her father and grandfathers. Soft, small, and pale, she looked like a little dumpling, surrounded by towering men in camouflage, all of whom were over two meters tall. Standing there, she resembled a delicate glutinous rice ball among a pile of coarse bread rolls.
Everyone passing by greeted Ruan Xiao and Ruan He with a military salute, their eyes inevitably drifting to the tiny dumpling at their side.
Ruan Shu pursed her lips. Though her courage had grown, facing such a crowd staring at her felt uncomfortable.
Sensing her discomfort, Ruan Xiao gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and lifted her into his arms.
“What would you like to eat?”
“Fish,” Ruan Shu replied instantly, her eyes darting to the dishes in the serving trays.
Her large, blue eyes fixated on the server behind the counter, fascinated by the man’s sturdy frame—he was the biggest person she’d seen here, even with a beer belly!
While she studied the middle-aged man, he noticed her gaze.
Caught in the act, Ruan Shu’s little ears turned red, and she shyly hid her face against her father’s shoulder.
“Haha… Marshal, this is your daughter? She’s truly adorable!”
His voice was booming, so loud that Ruan Shu felt the vibrations, but his hearty demeanor wasn’t unpleasant at all. He was fully geared up with a special mask, so he didn’t worry about anything falling into the food as he spoke.
Ruan Shu managed a shy but polite smile, her cheeks still slightly pink.
With enthusiasm, the uncle loaded a generous portion of fish onto her plate.
“If you want anything else, just tell Uncle—I’ll get it for you!”
Ruan Shu’s eyes went wide as she waved her hands, “It’s enough, it’s enough. This fish is so big; Shushu can’t finish it all.”
The serving uncle looked at her in mild astonishment.
“Why eat so little?”
Ruan Shu explained in a soft, sweet voice, “My tummy is small; I can’t eat too much.”
Ruan Xiao and the others watched with smiles as Ruan Shu interacted with the server. Although her voice was still quiet, this was already a big step forward for her.
“Well, if you’re so small, then you’d better eat more to grow big,” he said, adding a few more pieces of meat to her plate.
Then, he picked out the biggest, most delicious fruit and a few more varieties to give her.
Ruan Shu held onto the fruit while the older brothers helped carry her plate because it was too heavy for her to lift on her own.
Ruan Shu: “…”
What an enthusiastic canteen uncle—his hands didn’t even shake as he piled it all on!