The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 743 This Heavenly Road, Let Me Measure It with My Own Feet (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Tickets)

The performances became increasingly enthusiastic, with various programs taking turns on stage. Even the soldiers, who had just finished breathing in oxygen and caught their breath, joined in the lively singing and dancing activities.

Finally, Li Xingtang also leaped off the bow of the ship, brandishing his flying sword, and performed a sword dance on the spot—

The sword moved like a dragon, circling around the body, and the sword light fell like raindrops. The warriors applauded, slapped their thighs, and cheered loudly, forgetting for a moment that the performer in front of them was an armored figure rather than a warrior.

As they watched, someone suddenly lowered their voice and whispered:
"It's Instructor Li!"

"What Instructor Li?"

"It's Instructor Li! You guys forgot! The brothers over the lake mentioned that they were in a standoff with the Indians there, and the higher-ups found some cold weapon instructors to discuss and refine their combat tactics with them, and Instructor Li was one of them!"

The speaker was gesturing wildly, almost forgetting himself:
"They say Instructor Li is incredibly skilled! He taught us so much! Even with the same cold weapons, he could take on an entire squad by himself!"

"Is it possible that this Instructor Li isn't 'human'?" a soldier calmly pointed out. The speaker immediately turned around, glaring angrily.

"So what! He helps us, he teaches us, he's one of us!"

The appearance of their own men greatly eased the soldiers' tension about "who these two are." The soldiers laughed even more relaxed and joyfully; some even grabbed a mop handle and went up to Li Xingtang to ask him for swordsmanship lessons.

"Come on, instructor, lend me a hand! — Ouch!!!"

Li Xingtang turned the sword's spine to the side and casually slapped him, sending him tumbling to the ground like a gourd...

Laughter rose in waves. People slammed their fists on the table, pounded their legs, clapped, and grabbed mop handles, taking turns to ask for advice, creating quite a commotion.

Shen Le huddled in the corner, watching with a smile. Suddenly, his vision darkened slightly as Gu Yulin sat down beside him and peeked out at him:

"what are you doing?"

"Oh, I'll carve something." Shen Le said, reaching out to Yun Kun. The ship trembled slightly, and a crystal-clear piece of spirit jade was pulled out by the cable and landed in Shen Le's hand.

Shen Le held the jade in both hands, his gaze slightly unfocused, most of his attention fixed on the spirit jade. As his spiritual energy flowed through it, lines of runes rapidly appeared on the spirit jade, like dragons and snakes moving across it:

Gathering energy, protecting against wind, providing warmth, strengthening, and healing. All sorts of functions that Shen Le could think of, functions that could enhance this border outpost, were imprinted into it layer by layer.

"How many have you carved?"

One piece, another, and yet another. Watching as small, palm-sized pieces of spirit jade piled up to half a foot high around Shen Le, Gu Yulin silently did the math and was somewhat surprised:

"What are you thinking..."

"I want to leave them something," Shen Le said casually, her hands moving non-stop.
“I’m not the kind of person who’s willing to sacrifice and dedicate myself, I really can’t do it… But I want to leave them something, something so that they won’t have to work so hard…”

He was sitting in the corner, quickly checking his phone. He didn't even need to put in much effort to sift through the information; he could easily find a large number of heroic deeds.

Someone carried a new recruit who had fallen into a coma during patrol back to camp on foot for more than 8 hours, but lost three fingers due to severe frostbite.

In order to deliver effective medicine to a comrade who suffered from acute high-altitude cerebral edema, someone trekked across the icy pass, resulting in severe frostbite to both legs that left him with a lifelong disability.

During a snowstorm that blocked the mountain passes, someone was caught in an avalanche while transporting grain. They dug a hole to save the last three bags of flour, and when they carried the grain back to the station, all their frozen toenails had fallen off…

For a long time, each border post was an isolated island rooted in the snowy frontier. The stories of the border guards' arduous struggle and fearless sacrifice are countless.

What Shen Le could do for them was to leave enough jade talismans at each outpost, giving them a little more safety and a little more ease:
He counted the heads, carved over a hundred small jade talismans, and then began carving jade bricks one by one. While carving, he asked Gu Yulin:
"Hey, I'd like to give them some spiritual elixir or some spiritual fruit, is that alright? I mean—would it have any negative effects?"

"Ah, I don't know... Theoretically, as long as the dosage is controlled, it should be fine, but..."

"Please ask for me! Please! I'll treat you!" Shen Le clasped her hands together and quickly bowed to him.

"This information should only be available to your Special Affairs Bureau!"

"Okay, okay, I'll ask for you..."

The performance continued until 10 p.m. The soldiers gradually went back to sleep, but Shen Le, who was also scheduled to rest, grabbed the old sergeant he had patrolled with:
"I'd like to join the outpost, is that alright?"

That was the highest duty station in the entire army, 190 meters higher than the Mount Everest Base Camp. Having come all this way, Shen Le felt that if he didn't take a look, he'd have a knot in his heart.

"Ah... the sentries have already been set up, there's not enough room for too many people there..."

The old sergeant stood side by side with him at the entrance of the outpost, gazing at the watchtower whose lights shone from the cliff in the distance. The mountains rose and fell, and the watchtower looked like a star hanging in the night sky, guarding the motherland's mountains and rivers.

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded emphatically.

"But it's still okay to go and take a look. Wait a minute, I'll bring the car out!"

"Is this road open to traffic now?"

Shen Le was astonished. The old squad leader smiled, a mixture of emotion and pride:

"Yes...it's open to traffic now. It used to be so difficult to travel on...wait a minute, it'll be right there!"

The same Mengshi van that accompanied them on their patrol route roared to the entrance. Shen Le fastened his seatbelt, gripped the handrail, and braced his feet against the ground, trying his best to stay upright.

The old squad leader managed to chat with him while driving:
"It's bumpy, isn't it? But there's no other way; it's the only thing that can run on this plateau. Hold on tight, watch out, it'll be even bumpier up ahead!"

"Ouch! -- Is the warrior really that bouncy?"

"Of course. Cabbage will get rotten from being jostled around, and pigs will run away, but my dear comrade-in-arms has an iron will. Even if he gets thrown off the vehicle, he'll run back on his own!"

Shen Le: "..."

However, couldn't the suspension be done better?

I never felt this bumpy when I rode this bus on flat ground before!
He gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain his balance in the vehicle. As they drove to the foot of the mountain, the old squad leader gave a warning, then slammed on the gas, the car roaring even louder.

"Hold on tight, we're going up the mountain!"

???

Didn't we drive on the mountain before?
He leaned forward, peering through the window, but before he could settle in, he was thrown to the side, nearly hitting the door. The old sergeant's calm, composed, yet proud voice rang out at that moment:

"Watch out, there are nine U-turns here!"

"How..." Shen Le felt like she was being tossed around like a sack of rice, her voice breaking into fragments:

"So... many... bends..."

"This path is over 800 meters long. Before, we could only climb it on foot, sometimes using both hands and feet, and it would take almost half an hour!" The old squad leader's voice was full of laughter.
"We all call it Hero's Road! Now, we finally have a driving lane, so we can ride to the sentry post. That makes things so much easier!"

Those who can build a roadway in such a precipitous cliff are true heroes! Shen Le was filled with awe.

The vehicle came to a stop at the gate of the outpost. The first thing Shen Le did after jumping out was that his knees buckled and he knelt directly on the ground.

He pressed a faintly glowing piece of spirit jade into the ground, burying it deep underground. Instantly, the mountain's bones eagerly rushed forward, the heavy earthy aura binding the spirit jade and the mountain bones together.

As the spiritual energy penetrated downwards, the rocks that had been constantly soaked, frozen, and expanded by ice and snow, developing fine cracks, seemed to be grasped by a large hand, suddenly becoming firm and solid.

Even the watchtower built on the mountaintop has gained a touch of solemn charm.

Shen Le kept walking, quickly circling the watchtower and knocking down eight spirit jades. The moment the last spirit jade sank to the designated depth, the entire area around the watchtower fell silent.

Then came the shouts from the sentry above:

"What's going on? Is there a fire outside?!"

"It's only a little bit hot! — Isn't it good to be hot?"

"Nonsense! I'm using infrared observation! It's so hot, the background is blurred!!!"

Ah this...

Having done more harm than good, Shen Le could only quickly adjust the talisman below, slightly reducing the area for wind protection and heating, keeping it close to the outer wall of the watchtower, making sure it didn't expand any further...

In any case, it would be a great thing if the watchtower could be kept as warm as possible, raising the internal temperature from 15 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius, or at least to 18 degrees Celsius, without increasing energy consumption. It would also be an even greater benefit if the oxygen content in the room could be raised to a level similar to that at ground level without the need for an internal oxygenation and pressurization system or additional oxygen supply.

As for the watchtower's reinforced connection with the surrounding rocks, making it an unbreakable part of the whole, well... that can only be described as Shen Le's thoughtful gesture... In fact, when these watchtowers were built, the foundations were dug very deep, so they would never collapse or slide down for no reason...

Shen Le circled the watchtower, reinforcing it completely, before quickly entering. Inside, even the sentries who weren't on duty yet already showed confusion, peering out from the doorway.

"What...the snow is gone?"

As the special environment constructed by the spirit jade rose, the snow on the steps from the parking spot below the watchtower to the watchtower entrance quietly began to move to both sides.

Pushed aside, it rolled down, disappeared, revealing clean steps. Looking further down, a young man, dressed in light sportswear, fair-skinned and seemingly untouched by the high-altitude sun all day, smiled happily, his face upturned.
From now on, the soldiers at the outpost will no longer have to climb all the way to their doorsteps and then wade through knee-deep snow to reach their sturdy shelter.

If it can make them a little more comfortable, then let it be a little more comfortable!

Having reinforced the post and surveyed the border below from the highest point, as well as the vast starry sky above, Shen Le finally returned, satisfied. He slept soundly at the outpost, and the next morning, he was astonished by the sumptuous breakfast:

"Milk! Eggs! Fruit! Steamed buns! Porridge! And leafy greens! -- Are you all starving?! Don't treat me like this just because I'm here! The things I brought are enough for you to last six months to a year!"

"You wouldn't believe it!" The soldiers around him burst into laughter. A young soldier, having just finished his night shift and been relieved from his post, grabbed a steamed bun, broke it open, and stuffed a fried egg inside.
"Our supply of goods is much more convenient now! We can drive our Mengshi trucks right to our door, milk is delivered by the case, and drones can fly to our door to deliver eggs!"
There's a special room inside the checkpoint for our hydroponic vegetables; we can eat these fruits and vegetables every day!

"Really...really..." Shen Le turned his head from left to right, and then from right to left.

The soldiers were eating heartily, without wasting a single bite. They finished everything completely. Judging from how they ate, the ingredients were ordinary, not so precious as to be considered as if they were going hungry.
"Mr. Shen, please stay another half a day and have lunch before you leave! Look at our meals, we have six dishes and two staple foods every day. Today we have guests, and the quartermaster said we'll add two more main dishes!"

Ah... never mind that. Shen Le turned her head to look outside, then shook her head with a smile:

"No, I have to rush to the next outpost. Oh, right, I'm not going to eat for nothing today, I'll treat you all to something too—Yun Kun! Here's the food!"

【Here we go! 】

Yun Kun happily stretched out a rope and slipped a fruit basket into Shen Le's hands. Shen Le picked up the basket and placed it on the table.
"Come on, one for each of you, eat them right now! They're good for your health!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yulin picked up the fruit, ate some himself, and stuffed them into the hands of the soldiers closest to him.

The fruit looked a bit like a cherry, but was about the size of a strawberry, with a translucent golden-red skin that was soft and slightly translucent. The soldier had initially intended to decline, but after smelling the aroma, he inexplicably took a bite.

The sweet juice flowed onto his tongue, and he subconsciously sucked it in, swallowing the entire packet of juice!
Once one was eaten, there was no need to worry about the rest. Each soldier eagerly snorted, taking one after another and stuffing it into their mouths.

A wisp of spiritual energy rippled outwards. Shen Le smiled secretly, her hand hidden under the table as she formed a healing spell hand seal:

"Go away~~~"

A wave of heat spread silently. In an instant, the restaurant erupted in voices:

One soldier turned his head to the side, coughed violently a few times, coughed up a mouthful of bloody phlegm, and then took a deep breath, feeling a sense of relief he had never felt before.

One soldier grimaced, pinched his knees hard a few times, endured the deep-seated soreness and itching, and jumped twice with great force, touching the chandelier above his head in one jump.
Some soldiers pressed their hands to their chests, breathing deeply for a long time before leaping up and running towards the oxygen-rich training ground. A moment later, they came running out, their faces flushed and their eyes shining.
"I'm cured! I'm cured! My heart is fine! -- I don't need to retire!!!"

Shen Le's smile grew wider and wider. Suddenly, he turned his head, forcefully raising it to face the clear blue sky after the clouds had dispersed. After a long while, when the chaotic voices behind him gradually subsided, he whispered:
"Let's go. To Fairy Bay!"

"I'll drive you there!" The veteran patrol leader, who was off duty today after yesterday's shift, jumped up. Shen Le paused, then shook his head a little embarrassed.

"I want to walk there. You guys, uh, could you send a drone to guide me? A drone will do!"

"what?"

"What a joke!"

"Walk over there? Impossible!"

A cacophony of voices erupted around him, immediately sparking a wave of doubt and denial. The old squad leader shook his head so hard it was almost blurry.

"Do you know how far that is? — It's 30 kilometers as the crow flies, not 30 kilometers by road! It takes us one or two days to drive between our outposts!"

"I know, I know." Shen Le nodded with a smile. When he first appeared, he sensed the energy of heaven and earth and determined his direction in the wind and snow. He also roughly sensed those clusters of sharp and fierce energy and knew how far away they were.

He randomly chose the closest one, which was unfortunately the wrong choice. However, if he were to use ley lines to teleport now, he was confident he could do it in an instant, with an error of no more than 500 meters.

“But that’s my cultivation,” Shen Le said sincerely, looking at them frankly.

"I have a feeling that after completing this journey, my strength and my divine sense will have significantly increased. I know this is causing you trouble, but you don't need to see me off; just send a drone to guide me..."

When it came to cultivation, no one in the outpost could get a word in edgewise. Only Gu Yulin, with a dark face, dialed the cell phone of the director of the Shanghai Special Affairs Bureau and relayed Shen Le's request up the chain of command.

After going through several roundabout routes, the reply from above finally took a sharp detour and landed at the outpost:

As Shen Le wishes. But safety must be guaranteed!

Okay... alright. The higher-ups have given the order, and the sentries can't force Shen Le to do what they're told—no, they can't just tie him up and put him in the car.

Finally, the veteran squad leader, who was familiar with the road conditions, drove the Mengshi truck to cover the road. The truck carried a medic, emergency supplies, and Gu Yulin, ready to deal with any emergencies.

A drone hovered around the front and rear of the vehicle, guiding Shen Le along the most precise route and monitoring the surrounding area to warn of avalanches and rockfalls.
"Mr. Shen, please stay close! The weather here changes in an instant; sometimes when it snows heavily, visibility is less than ten meters!" The old squad leader repeatedly warned him.
"If you feel something's wrong, get on the bus immediately, and never try to tough it out!"

"Don't worry, squad leader, I know what I'm doing." Shen Le nodded with a smile. He took a deep breath of the cold, thin air and looked ahead at the road that seemed to have been etched directly into the earth by tire wheels, rather than built by road workers:

"Let's go!"

The Mengshi vehicle roared to life and moved forward slowly. At first, the speed was extremely slow, but soon, realizing that Shen Le was able to move steadily at about five kilometers per hour, the speed was increased slightly.

This road is a true "sky road." It is built on the spine of the Karakoram Mountains, with an average altitude of over 5,000 meters.

The road surface, composed of compacted gravel and frozen soil, has been repeatedly ravaged by heavy vehicles and extreme weather, resulting in numerous potholes and cracks. If it weren't for the ruts and the sloping roadbed, it would be almost impossible to tell it was a road.

Who were these people who, through hard work and enduring the fierce winds, extreme cold, and deadly altitude sickness, built this highway on this frigid mountain ridge, leading to the most arduous outpost in the motherland?

The biting wind, like a tangible knife, swept across the mountain ridge without hindrance, whipping up snowflakes that pelted the vehicle with a loud thud. The car jolted every now and then; had it not been a Dongfeng Warrior, but an ordinary car, it would have flipped over long ago.

Shen Le, however, walked with exceptionally steady steps. His sneakers crunched softly on the snow and gravel.

Soon, he even withdrew the spells that gathered energy, protected against wind, and raised temperature, leaving himself completely exposed to the wind:

He wasn't merely walking. His eyes stared blankly ahead, seemingly at the rear of the car, yet also seemingly seeing nothing at all; simultaneously, his spiritual power had fully expanded, resonating with the entire universe:

The mountains are breathing softly, and deep within the earth's crust, a powerful yet steady force is slowly surging.

This is the head of the dragon veins of Chinese civilization, the place with the thickest earth energy in the entire land of China. It stands high above, overlooking the vast rivers and mountains below, and silently supports the sky with its inclusiveness and profoundness.

At first, Shen Le merely sensed, simply extending his perception to welcome the boundless power of the earth, allowing it to permeate his spirit. Gradually, he began to be able to mobilize strands of this profound and steady power:

The power of the earth rises up, enveloping and repairing the road. Beneath the road surface, the roadbed, loosened and uneven by frost, pressure, and melting snow, begins to be quietly smoothed and gently solidified.

The movement was unusually gentle. The old squad leader drove the Mengshi vehicle slowly forward without noticing anything amiss, only noticing that the vehicle was less bumpy today.

Perhaps it's because I'm driving slowly? It's a pity I can't usually drive this slow; when I'm working, I drive as fast as I can…

Thirty kilometers as the crow flies, but winding through the mountains, it would take at least three times that distance. Shen Le appeared to be walking, but he walked faster and faster, almost making the wind howl under his feet, forcing even the Mengshi vehicle to accelerate.
But he himself was completely unaware, utterly immersed in the journey and the insights he gained:
He walked along the edge of the cliff, looked down at the valley that plunged sharply below, and felt how this high mountain beneath his feet had become a shield for the Chinese nation.
He trudged through knee-deep snow, feeling the life gestating deep within the soil, coexisting with the deathly stillness of the frigid surface;

He saw various pieces of debris lying overturned on the roadside. There were road construction machines, vehicles, and some that were no longer recognizable.

Occasionally, a red flag or a slogan so faded it can only be vaguely discerned will appear on the stone wall:
Hard work and perseverance!

Not an inch of land will be given up!

Every single item, every single piece, is etched with the cry of life and loyalty:

It was generation after generation, his ancestors and his contemporaries, who, with simple or high-tech tools and with an unwavering will, opened up this passage, step by step leading to the far frontier of the motherland!

This is the backbone of China...

The earth beneath his feet surged, embracing him and reinforcing the path according to his will. But Shen Le knew that the true essence of this path lay not in the extraordinary power he activated:
Rather, it lies in the pioneers and guardians, passed down through generations, with a steadfast commitment ingrained in their very blood. Protect our land, protect our China!

(End of this chapter)