Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

The lizardmen walked away, and the people in the arena remained expressionless and numb.

They don't yet know what the extinction of a generation of fertile women means for a village, nor do they need to; they live, work, and are numb to everything.

Number 451 and Number 319 returned to their house.

Number 451's mother, Number 363, was also taken away and never returned; they are presumably dead. However, Number 319's expression was also numb, and Number 451 didn't dare to ask.

His eyes stung, and he thought he was about to cry, but he didn't; he couldn't cry.

He didn't want to cry; he was furious.

His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst through his chest. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could crush them to pieces. But none of this showed on his face. Number 451 just stared straight ahead, like a sprinter poised to launch.

It's similar, yet not quite the same.

A sprinter doesn't know when the starting gun will fire. But when he stands on the track, he knows it will definitely fire. And he stands here now, never knowing when he'll be able to shout for joy.

He screamed, screamed, wishing the world could hear his voice. But he couldn't. Something was weighing him down; he couldn't even breathe, let alone scream.

They entered the house, where there was a woman.

Number 126, she was old and dressed in thin clothes.

Number 319 stepped forward and whispered, "Mom, why are you only wearing so little? It's getting cold, please add some more."

Number 126 said in a low voice, "Winter is coming."

Number 319 said, "Yes, winter is coming, let's add two more layers."

Number 126 stared at Number 319 with her cloudy eyes and repeated:

Winter is coming.

Battle God Chapter Two

Into winter.

For modern people, this word means nothing. Winter means heating, cabbage hot pot, strong liquor, and at worst, bulky cotton-padded coats. It means prioritizing warmth over style.

But it's not like that in winter.

It is cold and ruthless, capable of killing crops that are not cold-resistant; to put it more bluntly, there is nothing left to eat.

To get through this long, cold winter, we need enough food.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes... these are only grown in small quantities. Because the foreign tribes like to eat them, the most commonly grown crop is hemp grass, which tastes terrible, and as for its nutritional value, the growers don't know, but it certainly isn't much. Otherwise, they wouldn't have grown it this way. But sometimes disadvantages can become advantages. Because it tastes so bad, every time the foreign tribes come to harvest the grain, a lot of hemp grass is always left behind... which becomes the villagers' lifeline for getting through the winter.

The foreign tribes often mocked the farmers' petty tricks, deliberately leaving behind hemp and setting it on fire before leaving... Yes, it was indeed a clever trick, a little scheme, but what else could they do?

A fire burned everything, and even the hemp grass that pigs could hardly swallow was burned to ashes. There wasn't enough food, and the winter was so cold and so long. How were they going to get through it?

Number 126 provided the answer.

"Winter is coming" is a euphemism, as some things are difficult to say directly. For example, saying "I like you" can be expressed as "The moon is beautiful tonight." However, the phrase "Winter is coming" doesn't have that many poetic expressions; its underlying meaning is actually...

"Send me to Mount Rest."

Mount Rest, but those who die there can never find peace.

The Mountain of Rest is just a saying that circulates among humankind. Every mountain can be a Mountain of Rest, and they all have only one purpose: to provide a resting place for those who have no choice but to die.

What is someone who has no choice but to die?

...So these are mostly elderly people who have lost their ability to work and have children, and whose lives are nearing their end.

The elderly wouldn't say, "Send me to the Resting Mountain," that would be too cruel, both to themselves and to their children. They would only say, "Winter is coming."

Number 319 didn't say anything, but urged Number 451 to go to sleep, saying, "Go to sleep, so as not to waste your energy."

Number 451 was still too young to understand what the arrival of winter meant. He was filled with anger but had nowhere to vent it, so he could only go to sleep.

In a hazy state, a rough hand brushed across his cheek, followed by the sound of a simple wooden door being pushed open, letting in a whistling sound of cold wind.

Number 451 never saw Number 126 again, and no one told him what "winter has arrived" meant. But he naturally understood. On the day Number 319 returned, when they locked eyes, Number 451 knew that Number 319 would eventually say "winter has arrived" to him too. And, in the future, long, long afterward, perhaps he too would say "winter has arrived" to someone.

Or perhaps, he doesn't need to say anything.

Winter has arrived. Number 451 looks up and sees heavy snow falling, turning the world into a vast expanse of white. Have the people of Mount Anxi truly found peace?

-

When No. 451 was twelve years old, a group of about five or six people came to the village. They were dressed in strange clothes and had primitive paint on their bodies, with lines and shapes that looked very eerie.

They came to the village and began to preach a doctrine that all living beings have this life and the next, and that the suffering one endures in this life is the accumulation of blessings for the next. The suffering one experiences in this life is a test given to you by God and the goddess. Do not create bad karma, endure the torment of suffering, and you will be able to enjoy blessings and attain enlightenment in the next life.

They stayed in the village for about three days, constantly preaching this doctrine.

As the group departed, Number 451 and Number 319 watched their retreating figures.

Three Hundred and Nineteen asked in a low voice, "Do you believe in an afterlife?"

Number 451 said, "I don't believe it."

"You really don't believe me?"

"I really don't believe it."

"I believe."

"..?"

"I believe in the afterlife. There is definitely a concept of reincarnation. The suffering we endure in this life will surely be rewarded in the next. Cause and effect, karma, definitely exist!"

Number 451 had never seen Number 319 so excited. In his memory, the other person always walked and worked listlessly with a slightly hunched back, and he had rarely seen him like this.

".."

Number 451 remained silent, unsure of what to say. After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Their statements are contradictory and full of loopholes."

"I know."

"They said they came from the west and had little food with them. But they were strong and healthy, which was unusual, so they must have been supported by someone."

"I know."

“When discussing the concept of reincarnation, their eyes often show disdain and irritation; they themselves do not believe in such a claim.”

"I know."

"You know everything?"

"I know everything."

"If that's the case, why do you still believe it?"

".."

Number 319 remained silent.

Number 451 was watching him.

I gazed at his graying temples, his cracked hands and feet, his rough skin, his short stature, his cloudy eyes, his simple clothes, and his face that always bore the marks of hunger, exhaustion, and pain.

Number 451 suddenly realized... it wasn't "why still believe," but rather that there was no other choice but to believe.

“Son…” Number 319 spoke, his voice hoarse. He did not answer Number 451’s question, but repeated what he had said at the beginning.

Do you believe in an afterlife?

Number 451 remained silent for a long time before repeating his previous answer.

"I do not believe."

Number 319 didn't seem surprised by Number 451's answer. He forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace, and his voice even sounded like he was about to cry.

"Then tell me, what can we still believe in?"

A grown man, his voice trembling with tears—how helpless, how desperate he must have felt.

Number 451 could not answer Number 319. He did not believe in the afterlife, so what did he believe in?

He dared not meet the gaze of number 319 again, and silently lowered his head.

Looking down, I saw my own fist.

He held on tightly, with great force, veins bulging, as if by doing so he could grasp his destiny.

Battle God Chapter 4

A lizardman entered the cave.

Number 451 hadn't seen many lizardmen, but could still barely distinguish their gender. This time, a female lizardman had entered. He didn't know her age, but she was probably still of childbearing age.

The female lizardwoman spoke, using a mixture of their language and human speech, along with some gestures, to barely convey her meaning.

"We have three days."

Number 451 understood what the lizardman meant.

He felt a strong resistance, a resistance stemming from his physical nature, yet he was powerless to change it... This was a primitive era, where neither the alien races nor humans possessed many methods, including the concept of reincarnation; everything was still very rudimentary. In a few decades, the alien races would acquire new brainwashing techniques, and a new trend would emerge among humans, where mating with aliens would be considered an honor.

Is this your first time?

The female lizardman spoke up. As a different race, she could only distinguish the gender of number 451. Without research, she couldn't tell his age. The reason she asked this question was because she couldn't tell number 451's age. If she knew he was only fifteen years old, she naturally wouldn't have asked this question. Lizardmen only bring people over for breeding every few years, so they couldn't possibly bring a child who was only ten years old.

Number 451 said in a low voice, "Yes."

"This is my first time too."

The female lizardwoman's words startled Number 451. Under the rule of the alien race, the concept of chastity among humans in the Age of Gods was somewhat absurd. Whether male or female, after mating with the alien race, they would still live their lives as usual without engaging in any crazy behavior. However, even so, the "first time" was still regarded as a symbol of purity. Number 451 had thought... well, that's a bit crude, so I won't go into details. In short, he didn't expect the female lizardwoman to be a virgin.

Is it because the views on chastity held by other races are different from those of humans, or is there some other reason? Number 451 doesn't know.

Did you come here voluntarily?

The female lizardwoman spoke again.

Number 451 looked up, the word "How could this be?" almost escaping his lips. But he held back; he was wary of the lizardmen. Although he didn't know what this wariness served, it was there nonetheless.

The female lizardwoman lowered her gaze and said in a low voice, "It must not have been voluntary... So, let me ask you, do you think we came here voluntarily?"

Number 451 was startled. The "we" the female lizard was referring to were naturally the other lizard people who had come here to mate with humans.

The humans who came here certainly didn't come willingly; they've all become numb, choosing only to accept this arrangement and placing themselves in the position of victims. They naturally assume the other side is the perpetrator... But is that truly the case?