Chapter 3- The Line Between Necessary and Good

Tian confirmed the mission at the Mission Hall. Combat Patrol, with an expected duration of two days. Everyone going would be in the outer court, but it would be a double-strength squad, led by a senior brother. As usual, most of the people on the squad would be level nine, and, Tian suspected, well over a hundred years old. The pay was a very decent eight merit points. Apparently, he was now a combat medic.

They had issued him the supplies… he checked with the mission department. Apparently, he was designated a combat medic two weeks ago.

It had only been two weeks.

“I was sure a month had passed. I would have believed you if you said two months.” Tian’s voice was soft, small.

The Senior Brother manning the desk at the Mission Hall was Zhang Jun again. There were supposed to be four people on staff, working in rotations. It was now down to two, working alternating twelve hour shifts. Tian had heard the doctors talking about a push from above to make some jobs in the base available for the recovering wounded. The doctors were broadly in favor of it. He wondered if the Mission Hall would be one of those jobs.

“It’s like that out here. It’s like that in the mountains too. In Purple Bamboo Town we have a saying- seven days in the mountains, seven centuries in the mortal world. It’s easy to lose yourself.” He shook his head, looking older than his face would suggest. Tian didn’t think he was at the peak of Level Nine, though. He didn’t have the edge to him that the Level Ten brothers got as they journeyed through the rivers and lakes.

“Any advice, Brother Zhang? You always seem to know what’s going on.” Flattery was another art his brothers insisted he study. Tian was really not good at it, but his seniors had been right a lot more than they had been wrong.

“Haaaah. Nobody knows what’s going on. Don’t you know that by now? You are headed south-southeast. Expect a higher than usual number of heretics, and a lower than usual number of animals… Junior Brother Tian, are you alright? You are swaying.”

“Eh? Sorry. I hadn’t realized, Senior Brother.”

Brother Zhang casually hopped over the desk and crouched down in front of Tian. “Pardon me.” He reached out and spread the eyelids of Tian’s right eye wide open. “Junior Brother, when did you last sleep?”

“Oh… Not too long ago.”

“How many meals ago?”

“Martial Aunt Zhu gave me some fasting pills, so… I don’t know.”

“How many shifts ago?”

“Shifts?”

“You work shifts at the hospital. Two merit points per eight hour shift. How many shifts have you worked?”

“I don’t know. I just keep working, and if someone needs help, I go help them. Sometimes the doctors will give me a pat on the back and I can feel their trust.” Tian nodded seriously. “My vital energy jumps up, and I can keep right on working.”

“I see. Let me see your storage ring a moment.” He pulled out an amulet and tapped it against Tian’s storage ring. “Good news, Junior. It seems you have accumulated a nice little savings of Military Merits.”

“Oh. Thank you, Brother Zhang.”

“Mmm. Junior Brother Tian?”

“Yes, Brother Zhang?”

“Go to bed. You have sixteen hours until you have to go on that mission. Use them to sleep.”

“But I’m needed-”

“Take it as a mission from me. I’ll do the paperwork on my end. You just execute your orders. I have a… memorial… to write.”

“Yes, Senior Brother. Thank you.”

Tian left the Mission Hall. He was staggering a little bit, now that he noticed it.

I’ve been telling you.

Tian couldn’t really remember what Grandpa had told him. There had been so many urgent things that needed him. Now his bed urgently needed him. He made it back to the barracks, fell into his bunk, and passed out with his shoes on.

Consciousness broke over Tian like a spring dawn. The cool earth gratefully accepting the warming rays of the sun, the fresh dew sinking into the refreshed earth and nourishing the roots of all living things. The soft breeze blowing, tousling the buds on the tree branches.

“See, he’s fine.”

“Of course, Martial Uncle. You are a doctor. You would never let a thirteen year old boy come to harm.”

“You understand that I’m waking him up to go on a combat patrol, right? He will most definitely be fighting for his life in a couple of hours.”

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“Against the enemy, yes, Martial Uncle. Thank you for your diligent care.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake! I’m not even his supervisor, why are you all glaring at me?!”

“You know, it’s a funny thing. He was assigned to the hospital, Hospital Director Chen signed off on his orders, and then he just vanished from the paperwork. No supervisor listed. I know we are all very busy, but I think that’s fascinating. What do you think, Martial Uncle?”

“Yes, fine, we will keep a better eye on him. Now will you kindly tell Quartermaster Wu and the Mission Hall to calm the hell down? Because, and I know you know this, there are people with fatal injuries that I should be treating right now. Clear?”