Master of Nine Stars

Rong Taotao waved and hurried off.

The path to the public restroom led past the offices of many squad members, including Captain Chenlong’s. Most of the Twelfth Squad members were gone, likely out on missions, and as for Chenlong...

His door was also wide open. Rong Taotao subconsciously glanced inside and couldn’t help but crack a grin.

He finally knew who Da Wei had learned her habits from.

Like captain, like subordinate!

Fu Tiance was also sitting behind his desk, his legs propped up on the tabletop as he casually read a list in his hand.

Fu Tiance seemed to sense something and turned to look out the door, a smile spreading across his face. ”Ah, our hero awakens?”

”Hehe.” Rong Taotao felt a little awkward. After all, his comrades were out on missions while he had slept soundly until broad daylight. ”Just a sec, Captain Fu. I’m heading to the restroom.”

”Mm.”

After relieving himself and splashing some water on his face, Rong Taotao returned to find Gao Lingwei sitting on the sofa in Fu Tiance’s office. He had no idea when she had been called over.

Fu Tiance spoke up. ”The merit commendation for you and Xu Dog came through. You’re officially a hero now.”

Rong Taotao paused, taken aback. ”A merit commendation?”

A smile played on Fu Tiance’s lips, and he seemed to be in an excellent mood. He added a single word: ”Medal.”

A Merit... Medal?

Rong Taotao asked curiously, ”Is this for capturing Ying Jie?”

Fu Tiance shook his head. ”No, that mission is still ongoing. The commendation that was approved from above is for the service you and Xu Dog rendered as official members of the Twelfth Squad, when you coordinated with the Songjiang Soul Martial Teacher team to hunt down Mi Tu, Feng Zi, and the Red-clothed Merchant.”

Rong Taotao’s eyes lit up. ”Oh? Are there any Soul Pearl rewards?”

Fu Tiance chided him with a laugh, ”You little rascal, you’re never satisfied! Wasn’t that Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon technique the reward I requested for you? I’m talking about merit! About honor! The glory of being a soldier in the Snow Burning Army!”

”Oh, right.” A jolt went through Rong Taotao, and he nodded repeatedly, wondering why Captain Fu was having such a strong reaction...

Little did Rong Taotao know that for Fu Tiance, merit was the pinnacle of his military career, a supreme and unparalleled honor. And yet, the first thing Taotao thought of was Soul Pearls...

Fu Tiance continued, ”You’ve accomplished a lot before, like assisting Yin Hu, Ugly Ox, and Wu Ma in the pursuit of Cold Flower, not to mention all the other missions we’ve done together.

”But back then, you and Xu Dog were still probationary members, so those achievements were only recorded in your personnel file. Of course, that in itself is an honor.

”This last mission, however, where you led the team to hunt down Mi Tu, Feng Zi, and the Red-clothed Merchant, was your and Xu Dog’s final evaluation to become official members. Therefore, it was included in the Snow Burning Army’s criteria for awarding merit.”

Final evaluation?

The three people in the room shared a tacit understanding of that phrase. It was a matter of mutual convenience, after all.

”The Star Disc Snowflake Medal is a First Class Merit Medal in the Snow Burning Army.” Fu Tiance glanced at Rong Taotao, knowing it would be difficult to get the boy to feel any particular reverence for such an honor in such a short time.

Rong Taotao was still just a student, not a veteran who had served for years. He still had a lot to learn about a soldier’s spirit and sense of honor.

’Was Taotao less excited about this Star Disc Snowflake Medal than he was about taking first place in the Outer Region rankings?’

As Fu Tiance reached into a drawer for a small box, his thoughts were a complicated mess.

’Rong Taotao’s starting point is too high. His very first award is a First Class Star Disc Snowflake Medal. The kid isn’t just a rookie; he’s a completely clueless rookie.’

’His achievements were real and worthy of the medal, but his mindset was nowhere near ready for it.’

Fu Tiance took out two certificates, each with a small red box on top, and placed them on the desk. After a moment’s thought, he said, ”Go back to Songbai Town for the New Year. Xu Dog’s father is a Snow Burning Army veteran. He’ll be truly happy for you both when he sees this.”

As he spoke, he shot Rong Taotao a look. ”Who knows, this might just seal the deal for you two.”

Gao Lingwei: ”...”

’Is that really something a high-ranking captain should be saying?’

Rong Taotao walked over curiously, slid out the red certificate, and asked, ”Is the mission to arrest the Qian Organization criminals over? Did Da Wei and I only participate in the part where we captured Ying Jie?”

Fu Tiance nodded. ”Of course. We had to strike on multiple fronts at once. A lightning-fast offensive is the only way to maximize our results. A lot went down last night. You can ask Xu Dog about it on the way.”

Rong Taotao looked at Fu Tiance, bewildered. ”So... I’m on leave now?”

Fu Tiance replied, ”I’m keeping my promise to treat you as a student first. But if you want to stay, there’s always a mission waiting.”

Rong Taotao put the certificate down and said hurriedly, ”Taking down the Qian Organization is a once-in-a-lifetime event! Captain Fu, please let me be more involved!”

Fu Tiance raised an eyebrow, secretly pleased to see this reaction. The only thing that irked him was the way Rong Taotao had put down the certificate. Such small details truly revealed what a person was thinking.

That certificate represented an honor Fu Tiance had revered as his life’s goal, but to Rong Taotao, it clearly didn’t mean much at all.

It was infuriating!

Fu Tiance was genuinely pissed off!

To use a crude analogy, that honor was a goddess Fu Tiance would have worshipped and cradled in his hands all day. But Rong Taotao... well...

Fu Tiance took a deep breath, reining in his emotions. ”Snake happens to be overseeing things in Songbai Town. But the local Snow Burning Army and Soul Police are numerous, so they have enough manpower. I don’t know if they’ll have a use for you, but go ahead. Find Yin Hu and go with him.”

Rong Taotao blinked. ”Captain Chen is there too?”

Fu Tiance said irritably, ”He came back with you last night.”

”Ah, that’s not what I meant.” Rong Taotao gave an embarrassed smile. ”I just assumed he’d have left for a mission first thing in the morning.”

Fu Tiance said, ”Everyone has their own role to play and their own tasks to complete. It’s not as if one person has to do everything single-handedly.

”As one of the three remaining Great Coins, Ying Jie’s status is obviously unique. And you brought back a high-ranking criminal, alive and unable to resist.

”In the context of the entire Snow Burning Army operation last night, the three of you were a crucial component, and you completed your mission almost perfectly. Don’t think that you...”

”Hey, I get it, I get it...” Listening to Fu Tiance’s lecture, Rong Taotao quickly cut in, scooping up the items from the desk and cradling them in his arms.

The certificate didn’t seem like a big deal, but the instant he held the small box, a message suddenly appeared in his Inner Soul Map:

”Acquired Snow Burning Army · First Class · Star Disc Snowflake Badge. Potential Points +10.”

Rong Taotao: ???

’Oh my god, am I dreaming?’

’+10 Potential Points!?’

’I fought tooth and nail to get first place in the Outer Region rankings, and that was only a 5-point reward! I risked life and limb to win the national championship, and that was only an 8-point reward!’

’And this Star Disc Snowflake Badge just gave me 10 points in one go!?’

’But then again... hunting down Poachers, especially the Eight Great Coins and high-ranking members of the Free People, is definitely a far more dangerous and difficult task than winning some national competition.’

’Otherwise, the Poachers wouldn’t have been able to run rampant in the northern Snow Realm for decades and still be so active. He himself had only succeeded by relying on the power of his special Lotus Petal to pinpoint his target’s location and land a killing blow.’

’Of course, this was also a mission he had risked his life to complete.’

Cradling the certificate and the small red box, Rong Taotao was utterly stunned. ’What was it I was worried about before?’

’He was worried that after the World Cup, he would no longer have a stable source of Potential Points!’

’And now, hasn’t a new channel for earning Potential Points just opened up? It’s difficult, sure, but at least it’s a clear path forward!’

’Snowflake Badge, I praise you!!!’

Meanwhile, Fu Tiance, still sitting behind his desk, was about to explode with rage.

Seeing Rong Taotao’s zoned-out expression, it was obvious his admonishment had gone in one ear and out the other!

’This damn brat!’

’If today wasn’t your moment of glory!’

’If you weren’t just a kid, protected by your youth!’

’If it weren’t for... for the fact that you’re Miss Xu’s son, I... I would...!’

”Thank you, Captain Fu. We’ll go find Captain Chen now.” Gao Lingwei seemed to sense Fu Tiance’s simmering anger. She quickly stood up, grabbed Rong Taotao, and started pulling him out the door, nudging him with her arm and whispering something.

As he was being dragged away, Rong Taotao turned back to look at Fu Tiance. ”Thanks!”

Fu Tiance was left speechless.