RIN

In Jinping's army training grounds, the clang of steel echoed through the yard. An Sun was showing a fellow recruit by the name of Xiong Chu how best to perform a sidestroke.

"You don't want to lose your balance. Better. Now rotate as you deliver the stroke, get all your weight behind the blade."

Xiong Chu had nodded his head and gripped the sword in his hand before he swung with a turn in his body. He looked at An Sun hesitantly as if waiting for approval.

"Was that good?"

"It's better than before," An Sun nodded and drew out his sword. "Now test it on me."

The previous accomplishment Xiong Chu felt crumbled when he heard An Sun's words. Taking a deep breath, he clutched his sword. It was An Sun who moved first, Xiong Chu barely got his sword up in time. An Sun drove him backward, attacking with every blow, keeping him on the heels. He slammed a sidestroke into the young man's ribs and received a muffled grunt of pain.

The fight lasted less than a minute before Xiong Chu was on the ground, his whole body shaking as he regained his breath.

"You need to work on your reflexes. If I offer you to fight, then you should always be on guard." An Sun stepped forward to help Xiong Chu to his feet.

Stroking the side that An Sun poked with his sword, Xiong Chu grumbled.

"At the very least you should go easy on me until I get used to it."

An Sun snorted. "If I do that, you'll never learn. All you need to do is adapt."

When An Sun raised his arm to sheathe his sword, the pain made him grit his teeth.

"Did you get hurt?" Xiong Chu's face showed concern.

"It's nothing, just a small scratch." An Sun shrugged his shoulder a little. "Anyway, keep practicing everything I taught you. We can practice again tomorrow."

Xiong Chu's eyes brightened, and he nodded his head eagerly.

"Yes!"

...

After helping some of his other troop members train, An Sun practiced an hour by himself. His sore shoulder made the training go slowly, but he nonetheless tried his best.

It had been late afternoon before he finished training and walked to the barracks bathroom. While walking there, he watched the sun go down, turning the northern sky the color of blood.

It oddly gave him a feeling of warmth to see the sun go down. Though, he preferred the night sky where he could see the stars.

Arriving at the bathing quarters, his eyes met with heavy steam. It enveloped him as he entered. An Sun shed off his clothes, completely ignoring the countless eyes of his other recruits. The bathroom was like a large spring, but with one large bath in the center, and stools along the side of the walls for separate washing.

An Sun was used to being stared at, but that did not mean he liked it.

"What are you looking at?" Was all that was spoken by the expressionless man, but it was enough to send chills down the other men's spines.

They coughed and looked away with shame.

It was only natural for them to stare. The moment he entered, the man moved with the trained grace of a warrior. His muscles had much the same solidity as well-seasoned oak, and long hours on the training field had gilded his previous pale complexion with faint bronze.

His very presence was incredibly overwhelming.

The corners of An Sun's mouth twitched. After he finished rinsing, he stood up to walk into the large bath with other men. Everyone within the bath had sat a few feet apart from one another, yet as if not distinguishing this, An Sun comfortably sat himself a few inches away from one of the men. The person next to him immediately stiffened but didn't dare move.

Spreading his arms on the side of the tub, An Sun tilted his head back with closed eyes. It was as if he was in his own world, oblivious to the other naked men glimpsing at him with odd, tense gazes.

"How...How's your injury doing?" A stuttering voice sounded beside him.

When An Sun shifted his head to the side, he saw a young man with big dark eyes that moved nervously in a great round moon of a face. He looked vaguely familiar, though An Sun could not place him.

"Ah, your arm I mean. After the bear. I was on the same team as you during the second hunt. My name is Zi Bingwen." The young man clarified.

An Sun remembered him now.

"Sore, but better. It's just a scab now." An Sun answered with no particular change in tone. He gazed at him with boredom in his eyes.

"I see." Zi Bingwen smiled crookedly.

An Sun didn't try to engage any further in conversation and closed his eyes once again to soak in the warm steam. To be frank, he wasn't interested in starting a conversation with anyone, especially while bathing.

But apparently, Zi Bingwen couldn't sense the mood.

"Those scars on your chest...How did you get them? I saw how experienced you were earlier when you fought that bear and on the training grounds. Have you been in battles before? Where did you live before you came here? Did you..."

Zi Bingwen's words were cut short when An Sun abruptly stood up from the bath. His long, black wet hair clung to his bare, sculpted back, almost like ink. However, the men didn't have time to admire his built form as the imposing aura from him made them shiver.

The man's face might have been carved of stone, so little did his face show. An Sun stood over Zi Bingwen, his face as hard as a cold shield.

"Do you usually talk to people when they're trying to bathe?"

The anger took Zi Bingwen utterly by surprise. "N-No, I-I just..."

An Sun sneered. "My past is none of your concern nor something to entertain your curiosity."

Zi Bingwen swallowed, trying not to let his fear show. Giving him one last cold glance, An Sun grabbed the towel on the side and wrapped it around his waist before walking out. It had grown so silent in the baths that they could hear the sound of water dripping from the edge of the tub. The silence was all for particular reasons.

Some were stunned by An Sun's sudden shift in mood, while others were more in awe by a certain imposing part on his body. They looked down at their lower halves and suddenly felt bitter.

Life was unfair.

By the time An Sun left the bathroom and dressed, the clouds rolled in to cloak the moon and stars, and the darkness lay as thick upon the barracks.

Moonlight shone through the window and onto his face. A torrent of emotions was flooding his heart right now. Placing a hand on his chest, he squeezed.

Damn scars.

"Sun," A voice called out to him from behind.

An Sun grit his teeth and turned around. The man approaching him was General Ji Long.

"Yes, general?" His reply was proper enough, but irritation lingered in his expression.

The general considered pointing out that this was not precisely the appropriate attitude for greeting someone of higher authority, but then he thought better of it. An Sun's attitude, after all, was one reason why the commander favored him so much. It was brutally blunt.

Hiding a sigh, General Ji Long answered calmly, "Commander Bo requests for your presence."

An Sun's brows arched in surprise but he, nonetheless, followed the general.

...

"Near the end of this period, you all will be embarking on your first assignment. I would like you to be the captain, Sun."

An Sun listened silently, gray eyes fixed on the man across from him, but his face darkened with each word.

"Sir..."

"Before you say anything, allow me to finish." Bo Guozhi said, strangely stern. "I heard about your connections with the Bai family. I know why you've come here."

An Sun's eyes widened as his face turned stiff. He opened his mouth to explain, but Bo Guozhi raised his hand and shook his head.

"Frankly, I'm a little confused as to why you would want to restart after being given such privileges...but I can't help but respect you even more." Bo Guozhi said, smiling. He leaned back in his seat and looked An Sun full in the face, his dark eyes bright with admiration.

"Your mind is as deft as your blade; it would seem. Those men need someone like you who thinks not with just your mind, but your heart too. I know you may think this was offered for you too easily, but it is with reason. I think you don't recognize it now, but you're an honorable man, Sun. Worthy of honorable things. Give yourself the credit once in a while."

An Sun was taken aback. Although this wasn't the first time someone had said praising words to him, he was still shocked.

Rin was the first to speak so frankly to him. She had even risked her life in her trust in him. Trust. Something he always valued among his men, his brothers. In her.

An Sun drew in a deep breath and saw Bo Guozhi still staring. He cupped his fists and lowered his head.

"I'm honored by the trust which led you to select me for this duty. I promise to carry it out the best of my abilities."

"Good," Bo Guozhi chuckled and waved his hand. "Then I look forward to seeing the result of your first assignment, Captain Sun."