The Richest Man’s Boyfriend Lives in a History Textbook - Chapter 7

The dark, lean man continued to relay several more matters, all of which Xingyuan committed firmly to memory. Among everything that was said, nothing left a deeper impression on Xingyuan than the mention of Lord Aisley.

The break was nearly over, and many people went ahead to relieve themselves. Xingyuan walked quietly along the training ground, taking in his surroundings, while his mind conjured up a series of mental images.

Based on the dark, lean man’s description, the legendary Lord Aisley was a grown man nearing thirty — tall in stature, with well-developed muscles that, once clothed, made him appear rather slim. His features were nothing remarkable, yet on closer inspection, there was nothing to fault either. His eyes lacked luster, though he was apparently quite fond of smiling at people…

While Xingyuan let his imagination run, he also kept an eye on the other new recruits. He had woken up late and missed the breakfast distribution. The new recruits on the training ground each had a black bread roll they were happily eating, and Xingyuan’s eyes betrayed a flicker of envy. His stomach was growling with hunger.

Xingyuan pressed a hand to his stomach and bit his lip. He had never eaten black bread before, but judging by the way the soldiers were eating, it seemed rather good? Of course, there were no whole loaves left now — Xingyuan could hardly copy someone’s half-eaten bread, could he?

After searching for quite a while, he finally spotted a piece that had been broken in half. One of the soldiers, reluctant to finish it all at once, had broken off a portion ahead of time and was preparing to wrap it in a leaf to save for later.

Seeing this, Xingyuan promptly duplicated a copy for himself. The moment he obtained the black bread, his eyes lit up.

He held the bread in his hand — but it was different from what he had expected. The bread seemed rather… hard? A look of puzzlement crept into Xingyuan’s eyes. He gave it a squeeze, then tried taking a bite —

Xingyuan: …… It was ever so slightly different from what he had imagined.

Xingyuan’s brow furrowed. He swallowed with effort, his throat feeling as though something had scraped its way down. Xingyuan coughed, nearly choking. Once he had recovered, he paused for a moment — then obediently took another bite.

****

At the base of the high tower on the training ground, Aisley strode forward with his head held high. He carried a string in his hand, from which a cloth bundle swung back and forth, filling the air with a faint, sweet scent of milk.

“Aisley! I’m begging you — just let me have one bite. After all these years between us, surely you’re not going to begrudge me even a single piece of milk cake?” Fred came hurrying after him, trailing close behind Aisley with a look of desperate longing on his face, his nose practically pressed against the cloth bundle.

Aisley glanced over with a sidelong look. Fred’s throat bobbed as he hurriedly swallowed his saliva. Aisley let out a short, amused snort. He hoisted the cloth bundle even higher, gave it a light shake to dust it off, and strode forward, leaving Fred in his wake.

Xingyuan had finally finished chewing through the bread. He held a hand to his cheek — his jaw was a little sore. And yet, his stomach was still somewhat hungry.

Yes — lean as Xingyuan looked, he was actually someone who could eat quite a lot.

But right now, there was nothing left to eat. Xingyuan let out a sigh. He swept his gaze around the training ground, but came to a halt the moment it landed on the high tower. A brightness came into Xingyuan’s eyes.

The man up ahead was someone he was very familiar with — the man’s appearance had already been etched into his memory. What truly caught his attention, however, was the open cloth bundle in the man’s hand…

The sight of soft, white milk cakes rushed into his vision. Xingyuan swallowed. Delighted as he was, he also felt rather embarrassed. How could he do this? How could he covet someone else’s food again and again?

Xingyuan lowered his eyes — yet his legs, without any honest intention of staying still, began to move, carrying him in the direction of the high tower.

Aisley had only opened the cloth bundle, but had not yet touched anything inside. Fred kept muttering away beside him but did not dare actually reach for it. It was not until a pair of soft, fair hands quietly slipped the cloth bundle away from Aisley’s grasp that the faintest shift passed over Aisley’s brow and eyes. He played along as though he had not noticed, and casually drew out a piece for himself, placing it in his mouth. The flavor of milk spread across his tongue, and as the delicate sweetness reached him, Aisley’s expression flickered with a brief, distant look.

Xingyuan crouched nearby, the cloth bundle cradled in his arms. He breathed in the fragrance and a relaxed smile settled in his eyes. He pinched off a small piece and took a gentle bite. With the black bread still fresh in his memory by comparison, that single mouthful of milky sweetness made Xingyuan’s eyes half-close with contentment. As he ate, he snuck a glance at Aisley, and the mental image he had never quite finished conjuring surfaced again in his mind.

Come to think of it… this man’s appearance did seem to match the description of Lord Aisley.

But — Xingyuan’s eyes blinked slowly. He looked down at the milk cakes in his arms, then thought of all the ways the man had helped him during this time. He paused — and then, moving from hesitation to conviction, shook his head. This man was genuinely good-hearted, and his personality was kind and gentle as well.

Nothing like Lord Aisley. From what he had heard, that man was utterly shameless — never did anything decent, and had a black heart to boot. Someone as good as the man right in front of him — how could he possibly be that person?

When the time came, the new recruits assembled once more. This was the first day of training, and the legion took it seriously — a number of higher-ranking officers of considerable standing had come to observe.

It was Xingyuan’s first training session, and he was a little nervous. Though he liked to talk himself up, when it came to actually doing things, he inevitably found himself stumbling along in a flurry.

The new recruits had only just enlisted and didn’t know anything yet, so to start, the commanding officers simply had them run — continuously, without stopping.

At first, Xingyuan was brimming with confidence, falling in line behind one of the groups. On an ordinary day, he could run at most two hundred meters; if he slowed to a near-crawl, he could push through to four hundred meters by sheer willpower. Even so, his legs would be weak for days afterward.

But this time, Xingyuan’s resolve was firm. He told himself that no matter what, he would at the very least surpass his usual limit. However —

People of different eras are vastly different in their capabilities. In this age, individuals with superior physical constitutions were plentiful, and so everyone ran at a rather fast pace.

At first, Xingyuan could keep up when he pushed himself a little harder, but by the fifty-meter mark, he was already struggling to catch his breath. At one hundred meters, his cheeks were flushed red and his panting had become audible. Before he had gone even fifty meters more, Xingyuan simply could not hold on any longer, and had no choice but to stop, gasping for air and trembling slightly.

His legs had gone somewhat weak. He ran to the base of the high tower, leaned against the wall for support, and stared ahead with unfocused eyes.

After resting for a while, Xingyuan pulled himself together and fell in with another group. This time, he ran roughly the same distance before exhaustion forced him to stop again.

In a daze, Xingyuan carried on like this for several hours — running for about half a minute, resting for about half an hour.

Up in the high tower, Aisley was watching the scene below when he came to a stop. After a long moment, he reached up and rubbed between his brows, his expression impossible to read.

Several dozen people stood behind him, all in military uniform, their faces set in solemn expressions. Someone spoke, “Sir, we have always placed great importance on the training of these new recruits. We have also assigned personnel below to supervise — there will absolutely be no slacking.”

“Is that so?” Aisley stroked his chin, his gaze remaining fixed on the scene below.

“Yes. I know how much you value these recruits, and I share your great expectations of them. On the honor of my family, I guarantee that not a single unit will be cutting corners in this training!”

Upon hearing this, Aisley’s lip twitched slightly. He placed both hands on the railing, his attention remaining entirely fixed on that fair, slight young man below.

After all this time, the young man had finally found a group that suited his pace. He was now, at last, able to keep running for two hundred meters.

Even from this distance, Aisley could make out the way the young man’s eyes curved as he smiled. Seeing this, Aisley raised an eyebrow. He beckoned with his hand, and the officer who had just spoken came over with a look of flattered surprise. Aisley, still smiling, pointed toward the unit the young man had joined, and said, “Look — don’t you think this unit ought to be picking up their pace a little?”

The officer’s gaze sharpened. He waved a hand and sent someone down to take a look. Sure enough, that unit actually had been slacking!

Because of their slowed pace, the unit was promptly pulled away. Xingyuan, who had only just found a group to belong to: …….

The young man stood there, utterly bewildered.