At first, Lin Zhiji thought Xie Yi was joking—until he saw him change into rough cloth clothing, swap his weapon for an old one, and completely transform into a mountain hunter.
Lin Zhiji went numb. “Weren’t you here to suppress bandits? Becoming one yourself… how does that make sense?”
Xie Yi twirled the whip lazily. “Didn’t you always say, know your enemy and you’ll win every battle?”
Lin Zhiji: “……”
That’s not what that means!!
Before he could protest, Xie Yi pulled out an eye covering and handed it to him.
It was meant to cover his left eye, since the pale clouded mark there was too distinctive and could expose his identity.
Fully prepared like this—it was clear he was serious about going undercover as bandits.
Lin Zhiji sighed and took the eye covering.
But the moment he felt it, he frowned.
The fabric was rough, clearly cut from some random coarse cloth. Even just holding it felt scratchy, let alone wearing it over an eye.
So instead of putting it on, he turned around and rummaged through their luggage, pulling out an unused inner robe.
It was something Qingli had prepared for him, made of the softest fabric.
He tested it between his fingers, satisfied, then cut out a piece in the shape of the eye covering.
After that, he found needle and thread.
He had recently learned basic sewing during the march.
In the capital, torn clothes could be sent to tailors. But in the army, there was no such luxury.
Songlü had once volunteered, but Lin Zhiji had seen his crooked, worm-like stitches that almost joined two pant legs together—and silently gave up.
So he taught himself instead.
His skills weren’t great, but enough for simple repairs.
The carriage was parked by the roadside. For light, the curtain was drawn open.
Lin Zhiji sat against the side, carefully threading needle and stitching the soft cloth into the rough covering.
The road was quiet. Only wind through leaves and cicadas filled the air.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy, falling in scattered golden patches on his shoulders, making him look unusually gentle.
Xie Yi sat on the carriage shaft, watching him without blinking.
His gaze carried a focus and heat he himself did not fully realize.
Lin Zhiji bit off the thread and smoothed the cloth, examining his handiwork.
“Done…”
He turned around—and met Xie Yi’s amused, intent gaze.
Instantly, as if struck, he blurted out, “Why are you staring at me like that! I’m straight, a real man!”
Xie Yi’s eyes drifted to his reddened ear tips. Even when he tried to glare, the trembling lashes ruined the effect—like a puffed-up kitten trying to look fierce.
Xie Yi raised a brow and chuckled softly. “I didn’t say anything.”
Lin Zhiji: “……”
He angrily shoved the eye covering into Xie Yi’s arms. “Put it on yourself.”
Xie Yi accepted it, fingertips brushing over the neat stitches.
The soft texture felt strangely familiar—like the warmth of Lin Zhiji’s palm.
“Wait.”
Lin Zhiji suddenly snatched it back, realizing the threads had already started to fuzz from his handling.
Lin Zhiji: !!!
Too rough. Way too rough!!
He could not let his carefully made work be ruined like that, so he muttered, “Forget it, I won’t bother arguing with you.”
Then he clumsily placed the eye covering over Xie Yi’s face.
Xie Yi had always disliked physical contact, especially involving his left eye.
Thus, when he felt Lin Zhiji’s touch, he immediately tensed his muscles, yet restrained himself from making any movement.
Lin Zhiji’s movements were very light. His fingertips, separated by fabric, carefully pressed against the brow ridge.
The soft cloth gently wrapped around his left eye.
That eye, regarded as inauspicious and a harbinger of disaster.
The place that was touched rose with a faint itch.
It made his Adam’s apple move unconsciously.
Lin Zhiji was flustered and hurriedly adjusting the position of the eye mask.
The straps of this eye mask were not like modern elastic ones that could simply be put on; instead, Lin Zhiji had to reach his hands behind Xie Yi’s head to tie it.
Because Xie Yi was taller than him, he could only half-kneel on the carriage shaft, straighten his body, and stretch his arms to reach the back of his head.
A faint, fresh fragrance rushed toward him.
The itch that had originally been only on his face seemed to spread throughout his entire body.
It made Xie Yi urgently want to hold onto something to relieve the itch.
Lin Zhiji carefully tied the eye mask, just about to withdraw.
Suddenly, the horse let out a soft neigh and moved forward a few steps.
The carriage jolted. Lin Zhiji had been half-kneeling already, and his body lost balance as he fell straight forward.
However, the expected pain did not come.
He fell entirely into Xie Yi’s embrace.
Even both of his arms were restrained.
Xie Yi held him steadily, letting out a very low sigh of satisfaction.
But immediately after, he heard rustling noises from the forest ahead.
His gaze instantly darkened.
Yet he released his grip and pushed Lin Zhiji back into the carriage.
Almost at the same time, several burly men jumped out from the forest ahead, surrounding their carriage completely.
The leader wore gray short-sleeved clothes and held a ring-handled blade.
His name was Chen Ben, the big boss of Qilin Stronghold.
He normally made a living by collecting protection fees on the road, but in the past few months, due to certain changes, merchant caravans traveling to Qingzhou had decreased, and their income had sharply fallen.
Thus, upon hearing from his subordinates that there was a “fat sheep,” he immediately brought people over.
Chen Ben sized up Xie Yi from head to toe.
A pretty boy.
A hint of contempt rose in his heart.
“Brothers, this is the territory of our Qilin Stronghold up ahead. If you want to pass safely, you have to leave some money for us to buy wine!”
Xie Yi jumped down from the carriage shaft, smiling yet not smiling: “Robbing me?”
He clearly had no weapon in hand, but the aura around him forced the opposing bandits to subconsciously take a step back.
Chen Ben swallowed: “Brothers! All together!”
After saying that, he charged forward with his blade.
Lin Zhiji lifted the carriage curtain and saw this scene, and couldn’t bear it as he closed his eyes.
All he heard was a chaotic series of “clang clang bang bang” sounds.
When he opened his eyes again, only Xie Yi was left standing at the scene.
The previously shouting bandits were bruised and battered, pinned under his foot.
Xie Yi looked down at him: “Still want my wine money?”
“No… no more, we don’t dare anymore…”
Xie Yi chuckled lightly: “If you don’t take my wine money, then I will take your life money.”
Lin Zhiji: ???
Wait, how is the identity switch so smooth?
Chen Ben also widened his eyes.
He had not expected that after hunting geese all day, he would be pecked in the eye by a goose—someone who robbed others actually got robbed one day himself.
Seeing that he did not respond, Xie Yi pressed his foot down slightly: “Hmm?”
Chen Ben cried out in pain.
He knew he had met a tough opponent today and quickly begged for mercy: “Mercy, hero, mercy! I’ll give it, I’ll give it…”
Only then did Xie Yi release his foot.
Chen Ben hurriedly scrambled up.
“Hero! Hero! We were blind to Mount Tai!” he forced a smile. “May I ask which path you are from?”
Xie Yi crossed his arms: “I’m just a mere hunter.”
Chen Ben: “……”
I believe you’re a ghost!
But his eyes rolled, and he said, “Heroic martial skills! You are exactly the talent our Qilin Stronghold needs! If you don’t mind, why not join our Qilin Stronghold and become the second boss? From now on, everyone shares the loot, shares the blessings, and spends money together.”
Xie Yi: “Oh?”
Chen Ben gritted his teeth: “You take six, we take four… no, seven-three… I can’t go any lower. We still have an eighty-year-old woman and eight-year-old children in the stronghold…”
Xie Yi nodded in satisfaction, but still added: “Today’s life money is to be calculated separately.”
Chen Ben: “……”
Lin Zhiji: “……”
—
After entering Qilin Stronghold together with Xie Yi, Lin Zhiji still had not reacted.
They really just became bandits this easily?
And this so-called Qilin Stronghold, with such a grand name, was actually extremely shabby and crude inside.
Seeing two outsiders enter, many people showed wary expressions.
Chen Ben enthusiastically tried to put his arm around Xie Yi’s shoulder, but under his cold gaze, he withdrew his hand awkwardly and coughed lightly: “Brothers, this is…”
He suddenly paused and asked Xie Yi in a low voice, “Hero, what should I call you?”
Xie Yi: “Yi San.”
Chen Ben: “……This brother Yi San will henceforth be our stronghold’s second boss. Tonight, to welcome the second boss, bring out all the good wine!”
After saying this, he led Xie Yi and Lin Zhiji into the main hall. After chatting for a while, he excused himself to fetch wine and left.
As soon as he left, Lin Zhiji immediately asked Xie Yi, “You just came in like this? What if he had ill intentions and put drugs in the wine?”
Xie Yi: “This stronghold looks too poor to afford any drug like that.”
Lin Zhiji: “……”
“I’m being serious!!”
Xie Yi chuckled: “Don’t worry.”
“This man, Chen Ben, was originally an iron smith in Qingzhou City. Later, he offended someone and had nowhere to go, so he became a bandit.” He continued slowly, “There are only three to five capable people in this stronghold. If not for Chen Ben being tactful, they could not survive between the larger strongholds. He knows how to choose.”
Lin Zhiji stared at him in shock: “How… how do you know this clearly?”
Xie Yi said casually: “Before deciding to come to Qingzhou, I already sent people to investigate all seventy-six strongholds in Qingzhou.”
Lin Zhiji: …!
Wasn’t the decision to come to Qingzhou only made a few months ago?
But this level of work clearly could not be completed in just a few months.
He hesitated: “So, when did you decide to come to Qingzhou?”
Xie Yi: “One year ago.”
A year ago?!
At that time, the bandit troubles in Qingzhou had only just started to emerge. So Xie Yi had already been laying out plans then?
Lin Zhiji suddenly remembered what Song Lü had told him—that among them there was a certain Mister Luo who had gone to Qingzhou in advance to make arrangements.
He had thought Song Lü meant a few months ago, but now it seemed the other party had clearly been in Qingzhou for a full year already.
Lin Zhiji stared blankly at Xie Yi, his throat feeling slightly dry.
On the other side, Chen Ben’s subordinates gathered and asked, “Boss, you really believe he’s a hunter?”
Chen Ben hugged a wine jar and said irritably, “Then what else could he be?”
“Weren’t there rumors that the court was going to suppress the bandits? Could he be…”
Chen Ben rolled his eyes: “Are you stupid? With so many big strongholds here, why would they come to a place like ours? What for?”
“Even if he isn’t from the court, what if he’s here to target our stronghold…”
Chen Ben didn’t even bother rolling his eyes anymore: “Come on, look at our rice jar—it’s empty enough that even rats won’t come. What is there to target?”
Their stronghold had no real strength and usually could only eat leftovers from larger strongholds. If not for that, he wouldn’t have seen Yi San’s fighting skills and invited him to become second boss.
“Besides,” he said bitterly, “if he really had any motive, would he still be arguing with me over that little bit of life money?”
Everyone: “……”
That… actually made a lot of sense.
Chen Ben took a deep breath and calmed himself: “Alright, stop overthinking. Be alert at the dinner table later and carefully probe their backgrounds…”
—
That night, Qilin Stronghold was brightly lit with lanterns.
Chen Ben wore a beaming smile, and the others were very enthusiastic, constantly urging drinks.
Originally, Chen Ben also wanted to toast Lin Zhiji, but under Xie Yi’s cold glance, he withdrew his hand and smiled awkwardly: “I haven’t asked yet, Brother Yi, what is your relationship? How did you come to Qingzhou?”
Chen Ben had seen the carriage Lin Zhiji was riding in.
Although it looked plain, with his eye, he could tell the wood was of good quality, and the horse pulling it was also rare and excellent.
And this Young Master Lin was delicate and fair-skinned, his clothing also of fine material.
Combined with his innocent expression, he clearly did not look like someone raised in a poor rural place—more like a young noble from the city.
The two of them, neither like brothers nor like master and servant.
Truly suspicious.
Xie Yi held his wine cup, his gaze falling on Lin Zhiji.
Lin Zhiji was struggling to swallow the meat in his mouth, unable to resist thinking: how did they manage to make meat taste this bad?
After finally swallowing it, he quickly drank water to wash it down, even pounding his chest.
Feeling Xie Yi’s gaze, he looked back blankly.
Xie Yi chuckled softly and drank the half cup of wine in his hand, speaking leisurely: “To be honest, we eloped.”
Chen Ben and the others: “!!!”
“Pff—”
Lin Zhiji spat out the water in his mouth.