The inspections along the road gradually loosened. They were no longer as strict as they had been within the dozen-li radius of Bianshui Town. The ranks of the Imperial Guards grew thinner and thinner, and once Lei Jingzhe passed Caitian Tun, he could no longer see any trace of them.
Only at night did they stop to rest beside a narrow stream. Li Xiong speared several fish and roasted them for Lei Jingzhe to eat. There were no seasonings and no herbs; the fish tasted fishy and bitter. Yet Li Xiong ate with great relish. Once he was full, he collapsed and fell asleep immediately.
Lei Jingzhe did not dare leave the campfire burning. He buried it with dirt. Having gone a full day and night without sleep, he could barely hold on. Leaning against a tree, he soon drifted off as well.
He did not know how long he had slept before he suddenly woke with a start.
First he braced himself on the ground, then stilled his breath and listened carefully to the sounds in the forest.
The wind was strong tonight. It shook the branches so that waves of rustling leaves rolled through the woods. Li Xiong was still asleep, snoring like thunder. Lei Jingzhe listened for a long time. Although he heard nothing unusual, suspicion had already taken root in his heart.
He kicked Li Xiong awake and gestured for him to go fetch the horses.
While loosening the reins, Li Xiong suddenly felt the urge to relieve himself. He had not stopped all day and had fallen straight asleep at night; now he could not hold it in any longer. Lowering his voice, he said to Lei Jingzhe, “Brother, I need to piss.”
Lei Jingzhe clicked his tongue and mimed a motion of whipping him, telling him to hurry up.
Li Xiong ducked behind a tree and loosened his belt.
Water splashed softly.
Everything remained quiet, and Lei Jingzhe gradually relaxed. Holding the horse, he waited. But as the horse exhaled heavily, a thought suddenly struck him.
Why was there not even the sound of birds or insects?
Before Li Xiong had finished, he heard Lei Jingzhe call in a low voice:
“Run!”
“Eh!” Li Xiong answered, fumbling with his belt as he tied it and sprinted after him.
Lei Jingzhe lashed the horse with the whip and charged blindly through the shadows of the trees. The branches, swaying in the wind, looked like clawing ghosts closing in from every direction.
Sweat broke out across Lei Jingzhe’s body.
He did not even know why he was sweating. The wind chilled his back through his clothes. He did not dare turn around to look for Li Xiong. All he wanted was to get out of this forest as quickly as possible.
The horse beneath him was already exhausted. No matter how hard he whipped it, it could not reach the speed it had during the day.
Footsteps.
Footsteps thundered in from all around, as though something that shook the earth itself was chasing him.
Lei Jingzhe burst through the tangled trees and rushed out of the forest—then abruptly jerked the reins and stopped.
Breathing hard, he stared ahead.
Xiao Chiye’s robes fluttered backward in the wind. Perched on his shoulder was a haidongqing, tilting its head. The night seemed to spread out from behind him, heavy and suffocating, drowning Lei Jingzhe’s limbs and leaving him frozen on horseback.
A hoarse sound escaped Lei Jingzhe’s throat.
He tried to turn around and flee, but the Imperial Guards surrounded him on all sides.
Xiao Chiye had deliberately hidden his men in the forest so Lei Jingzhe could not guess how many he had brought. It was a return for Lei Jingzhe’s earlier deception—making him taste the same absurd feeling of being toyed with.
“Go on,” Xiao Chiye said in a deep voice. “Run.”
Lei Jingzhe released the reins and raised both hands.
“You win,” he said. “I concede.”
Langtao Xuejin tossed its head and whinnied sharply. Xiao Chiye said nothing.
Lei Jingzhe slowly slid off the horse, still holding his hands up to show he had no intention of fighting to the death. Acting very sensible, he removed the saber at his waist, bent down, and placed it on the ground.
Then he said, “We can still talk.”
Xiao Chiye looked interested.
“Go ahead.”
Lei Jingzhe steadied his breathing. Sweat trickled down his temples under the cold gleam of weapons.
“You are returning to Libei. You will not remain in Cizhou long. Killing me now will not stop the Luoshan bandits from rising again. Instead, it will plunge Dun and Duan Prefectures—just barely stabilized—into chaos once more.
“Why not spare my life? Keep the situation in those two prefectures stable and give Cizhou enough time to rebuild its garrison.”
A crow cried in the sky.
Meng suddenly shook itself, spread its wings, and shot into the wind, plunging into the roaring trees. The tension below tightened with it.
Lei Jingzhe kept his eyes on Xiao Chiye, as if trying to prove he still held the advantage—that he was not yet cornered.
Xiao Chiye lifted his hand and rested it at his waist.
The two men faced off.
At the instant Meng swooped to tear the crow apart, Lei Jingzhe suddenly flicked his foot and kicked up the saber, knocking the scabbard away.
He rolled forward, then sprang up with explosive strength. The blade slashed toward Xiao Chiye’s face.
Steel clashed violently, sparks flying under the force of the collision.
The oppressive heat of the past few days scattered in the wind. Though the day had been bright and clear, dark clouds now crowded the sky.
Heavy drops of rain began to fall.
Then a sudden downpour crashed down, as if the heavens themselves were impatient with the sweltering heat and wished to wash the filthy world clean.
Li Xiong had lost track of Lei Jingzhe.
After wandering for some time, he finally heard faint sounds of fighting through the rain. He shoved aside branches and ran toward the noise. When he burst through the foliage, he came face-to-face with Imperial Guards holding swords.
He had no weapon.
Seeing Lei Jingzhe falling into a disadvantage beyond the curtain of rain, Li Xiong shouted desperately. In a rush of panic, he turned and wrapped his arms around a dead tree as thick as a bowl and uprooted it.
“Big brother!”
Like a rampaging bull, Li Xiong swung the tree with terrifying strength, scattering the Imperial Guards before him.
Xiao Chiye had not expected Li Xiong to possess such brute force. The sweeping trunk forced him to dodge aside. Lei Jingzhe had already been wounded by a blade, but seized the moment to retreat behind Li Xiong.
Li Xiong’s natural strength was monstrous—even more frightening than Xiao Chiye’s. Swinging the tree, he blocked the blades and shouted:
“Brother! I’ll carry you!”
Lei Jingzhe leapt onto his back.
Bracing the tree, Li Xiong roared and smashed through an opening. He feared neither blades nor Xiao Chiye. Like a newborn calf that feared no tiger, he saw only his elder brother, Lei Jingzhe.
Even when his arm was slashed by a blade, he felt nothing.
Kicking through the wall of soldiers, he charged into the storm with Lei Jingzhe on his back.
Blood flowed from Lei Jingzhe’s wound, staining Li Xiong’s back red.
Li Xiong wiped rain from his face and cried, “Brother! Don’t die!”
Lei Jingzhe was not someone who accepted fate easily. When he stayed with the Zhu family of Duanzhou, he had been unhappy. His father had betrayed his mother, so he changed his surname and called himself Lei Jingzhe.
During his time in Luoshan he had escaped danger many times, always finding a chance to turn the situation around.
But Xiao Chiye was like the sudden rain of this night—an unexpected dead end.
He felt that his destiny should not end here, yet he could not stop the situation from slipping beyond his control.
“Damn it…” Lei Jingzhe pressed his wound. “Shut up!”
Li Xiong heard the pounding of hooves behind them and ran with gritted teeth. He was astonishingly fast; even ordinary horses could not catch him.
But Xiao Chiye’s Langtao Xuejin was no ordinary horse.
In the blink of an eye, it was already behind them.
As Li Xiong leapt across a stream, his leg suddenly cramped. Still growing, he misstepped and fell hard to the ground. Gasping in pain, he dragged Lei Jingzhe up and tried to carry him again.
“Xiao Chiye!” Lei Jingzhe knew they could not escape.
“If you spare me, the Luoshan bandits will submit to you! My reputation still holds sway—I can still be useful!”
Xiao Chiye shook the blood from his Langli Blade.
Langtao Xuejin stepped forward twice, then suddenly lunged.
Lei Jingzhe grabbed Li Xiong by the face. His voice had become strained with frantic breath.
He did not want to die.
Gripping Li Xiong’s fingers tightly, he said:
“Cub… kill him! Kill him!”
Li Xiong wiped rain from his face. Limping on one leg, he spread his arms and planted his feet, actually intending to flip Langtao Xuejin over.
His strong body trembled.
With a shout, he rushed forward.
He grabbed the horse’s neck, making Langtao Xuejin rear and scream. Though he knew few fighting techniques, his stance shifted instinctively—like the wrestling style of the Biansha tribes.
With a sudden twist, he actually slammed Langtao Xuejin down into the mud.
Xiao Chiye seized Li Xiong by the collar.
Balancing on one leg, Li Xiong struggled and pounded Xiao Chiye’s arm.
“Brother, run!”
Xiao Chiye dragged Li Xiong aside and watched Lei Jingzhe roll down the muddy slope.
But he did not pursue.
Li Xiong tried to bite him. Xiao Chiye twisted his collar and smashed his face straight into the mud, pressing his nose and mouth into the puddle until he choked and thrashed violently.
“Bind him,” Xiao Chiye ordered the Imperial Guards who had just arrived.
The back of a blade struck Li Xiong’s head, knocking him unconscious.
The storm ended quickly.
Dantai Hu rode up from the rear. Xiao Chiye was wiping mud from Langtao Xuejin when he saw him arrive. Removing the half-arm cloth he had been using, he beckoned.
“My lord,” Dantai Hu said, “I’ll lead men around from the southeast immediately. He can’t run far.”
But Xiao Chiye asked, “Did you catch the bandits in the forest?”
Dantai Hu thought Xiao Chiye was about to check the roster and turned to call for the records. Instead, Xiao Chiye wiped the mud from his fingers and said:
“As long as they’re caught, that’s enough. No need to show me the list. Make preparations—we’re returning to the city.”
Dantai Hu froze.
“Just letting him go like that? Isn’t that releasing the tiger back into the mountains?”
Xiao Chiye wiped the saddle clean.
“Not only will I let him go,” he said calmly, “I’ll send him off with great fanfare. Have several squads follow him. He’s been stabbed through—don’t let him die on the road. Escort him all the way to the borders of Dun Prefecture. After that, you don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Dantai Hu thought for a moment and understood. Grinning broadly, he said:
“Then I’ll go, my lord. Give me a few dozen brothers. Within three days I’ll escort him safely back to Dun Prefecture.”
Xiao Chiye stared coldly in the direction where Lei Jingzhe had fled.
Meng landed heavily on his shoulder again, shaking water from its feathers. Xiao Chiye wiped the hawk’s claws with the same cloth he had used on Langtao Xuejin.
“Lift your feet,” he said. “Let me clean you. Otherwise when we return and you step on Lanzhou’s shoulder with muddy claws, I’ll be the one washing the robe.”
Xiao Chiye had said three days, and in three days he returned.
Late at night he rode back to the walls of Cizhou. The gates were already open, torches blazing along the battlements. The Imperial Guards escorted their prisoners into the city in neat rows.
Zhou Gui had cleared the southern prison of Cizhou to house the captured bandits. Greeting Xiao Chiye, he said warmly, “Marquis, you’ve worked hard! The soldiers must be exhausted after suppressing the bandits. I’ve already ordered food prepared—please come inside.”
Xiao Chiye dismounted.
“You are very thoughtful, Prefect.”
As they walked inward together, Zhou Gui beamed.
“From General Dantai’s report, the bandits were captured in the east and completely scattered. And Marquis, you personally pursued Lei Jingzhe—this is truly… truly excellent!”
Xiao Chiye had already spotted Shen Zechuan.
Shen Zechuan saw him as well.
Several guards followed behind Shen Zechuan. Qiao Tianya held a lantern, clearly waiting for some time.
Xiao Chiye answered Zhou Gui while walking forward.
“As for Lei Jingzhe, I will discuss the matter with you in the study tomorrow morning.”
Zhou Gui assumed Xiao Chiye was simply exhausted and nodded quickly. Kong Ling was more perceptive; although not used to it, he realized he was intruding and quickly found an excuse to lead Zhou Gui away.
Chen Yang stepped forward to take the horse.
The guards behind dropped to one knee together.
“Congratulations on your victorious return, my lord!”
Xiao Chiye removed his arm guard and the Overlord Bow.
“Get up. How long have you been waiting?”
Shen Zechuan took the lantern from Qiao Tianya and walked beside Xiao Chiye down the street.
“A little while.”
Xiao Chiye lowered his hand and took the lantern from Shen Zechuan instead. Shen Zechuan examined the arm guard Xiao Chiye had just removed.
Xiao Chiye said, “It’s an old piece from a few years ago. The iron was forged in Libei, and the leather cord was supplied to the Eight Camps in Qudu. It already cracked when I drew the Overlord Bow here last time. I’ll find a way to replace it before returning to Libei.”
The leather binding had indeed worn through. Shen Zechuan tugged at it a few times, then said to Qiao Tianya, “Take it and put it aside.”
Seeing the direction they were heading, Xiao Chiye looked back toward Zhou Gui’s residence.
“We moved out?”
“Of course,” Shen Zechuan said as he stepped up the stairs. “It’s inconvenient to stay at Zhou Gui’s house forever. He only welcomed a grandson at the beginning of the year, and the whole family is squeezed into two courtyards. I had people look around earlier and found this place.”
The wide alley led straight to the gate.
Xiao Chiye surveyed it.
“Close to the main street and near Zhou Gui’s residence. Convenient for discussing matters. Good location.”
“There’s one drawback,” Shen Zechuan said as they entered.
“It’s too big. Even if all our people are counted together, we still can’t fill these courtyards.”
Xiao Chiye saw the mounting platform at the entrance. The brickwork was rougher than the delicate carvings of Qudu or Juesi, carrying more of Libei and the frontier style.
Five courtyards were indeed too large for just the two of them.
But Xiao Chiye liked the bold lines and open light.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said, taking Shen Zechuan’s hand as they walked inside. “Let Master have one courtyard, you and I one, the brothers another. When more people join later, we’ll divide it by rank. By the time we’re seventy or eighty, maybe we’ll see the place filled.”
“The rear courtyard can remain empty,” Shen Zechuan said. “But the side rooms will need people to watch them.”
Behind them, Ding Tao whispered while writing in his notebook, “This place isn’t as big as our residence in Qudu, but it’s still confusing. If I lived in the back, it’d take half a month just to learn the layout.”
Qiao Tianya chuckled. “You’ll always have Bone Jin with you on missions. What’s there to worry about? This place wasn’t cheap. My lord bought it without even blinking.”
Ding Tao sighed dramatically.
“You don’t understand…”
Before he could finish, Bone Jin clamped a hand over his mouth and hauled him away.
Qiao Tianya laughed quietly.
Xiao Chiye turned back to the group.
“Who’s on watch tonight?”
Chen Yang stepped forward.
“I’ll do it alone. They’ve been rotating the last few days.”
Xiao Chiye noticed the weight in his expression but said nothing more.
When they reached the courtyard, hot water had already been prepared. While Xiao Chiye went to bathe, Shen Zechuan had dinner brought out.
The night air was warm. The doors stood open with bamboo screens hanging to keep insects out.
A bronze water jar under the eaves held two red carp and several lotus leaves floating gently.
Chen Yang sat beneath the warm lamplight, waiting uneasily.
He wore old robes like the others. Their clothes had been worn thin during the journey. The tailor ordered by Zhou Gui’s wife had already taken their measurements; soon they would have new garments.
Chen Yang sat there as mosquitoes bit him, still rehearsing in his mind how he should report matters to Xiao Chiye later.
The bamboo screen lifted slightly.
Shen Zechuan had already changed into casual clothes.
“You’ve been waiting at the gate all night,” he said. “Come in and eat with Ce’an.”
Chen Yang bowed and entered.
Xiao Chiye had not come out yet. The meal was simple. Ever since Ji Gang returned, the kitchen followed the dietary plans once set in Zhao’s Temple with Qi Huilian.
Chen Yang knelt on the mat while the maidservant placed dishes before him.
The room grew quiet.
After everyone withdrew, Shen Zechuan sat above him.
“Thinking too much will only make it worse,” Shen Zechuan said calmly. “Report exactly what happened. Add nothing, change nothing. Tell him, and he will have his own judgment.”
Chen Yang lowered his head and saluted silently.
“If you underestimate him,” Shen Zechuan continued, “you are also underestimating yourself…”
At that moment, Xiao Chiye came out with damp hair, draped in his robe. Seeing Chen Yang still prostrating on the floor and trembling, he looked at Shen Zechuan in confusion.
Shen Zechuan spread his hands slightly, giving him an innocent look.