In the following days, Lin Zhiji intentionally and unintentionally avoided Xie Yi.
Even the daily tasks involving physical contact, he gave up.
Since he still had enough points for now, he allowed himself to avoid it temporarily.
Fortunately, Xie Yi seemed no different from usual, which eased him slightly.
However, he did end up getting closer to Sister Liang and the children in the stronghold.
Sister Liang was in charge of logistics, carefully managing daily expenses.
The stronghold did not rely entirely on robbery.
There were some fields on the mountain, some chickens, and vegetables.
Chen Ben and others would occasionally hunt and bring back game.
But it was still barely enough to sustain so many people.
As a result, Sister Liang’s brows grew tighter each day.
Unfortunately, the situation in Qingzhou grew worse. Even though Chen Ben’s men guarded the road daily, almost no caravans passed anymore.
Chen Ben sighed.
He had thought that recruiting a skilled fighter would improve their situation, but it turned out to be a case of having no rice for a clever housewife to cook with.
Lin Zhiji asked, “Could it be that the caravans are taking another route?”
Chen Ben smiled bitterly. “There are other routes, yes, but that’s not it. It’s just that caravans coming and going to Qingzhou have become fewer. In the past, one would pass every three to five days. And we charged very little—sometimes we even helped transport goods. Some small caravans actually liked passing through here…”
Lin Zhiji: “……”
So your robbery has turned into a service industry.
“Anyway, it used to be fine,” Chen Ben scratched his head. “About three months ago, things suddenly became stricter in Qingzhou, and taxes increased. Many small caravans stopped coming because there was no profit…”
Tears welled up in Lin Zhiji’s eyes, and his coughing became even more intense.
The entire main hall fell into dead silence, with only his broken coughing echoing through it.
No one knew how long it took before Chen Ben finally snapped back to his senses and gave an awkward laugh.
“S-so that’s how it is?”
Xie Yi tilted his head lazily. “What, does the boss look down on us?”
Chen Ben: “……”
Feeling the faint killing intent radiating from Xie Yi, he quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“H-how could I? As the saying goes… uh… a graceful and… handsome man is fit for a gentleman’s pursuit, and you two are truly… um… a match of talent and looks, very well-matched indeed…”
He finished, then looked around. “Right?”
The others hurriedly nodded.
“Yes, yes, yes.”
“The boss is right!”
“That’s exactly what the boss meant!”
Xie Yi smiled in satisfaction. “Good.”
Only then did Chen Ben breathe a sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject, urging everyone to continue eating and drinking.
Lin Zhiji finally stopped coughing and, teary-eyed, glared at the culprit.
He still could not understand why Xie Yi would say such a thing.
But if he explained now, it would only make things more suspicious, so he could only poke Xie Yi’s hand under the table.
And in the next moment, his hand was naturally taken into Xie Yi’s palm.
Lin Zhiji struggled, but could not break free.
He glared at Xie Yi and, taking advantage of no one noticing, used his other hand to pry at Xie Yi’s fingers—but ended up having both hands caught together.
Gritting his teeth, he lowered his voice. “Let go…”
Instead, Xie Yi pulled him closer, pressing him against his side and lowering his voice by his ear. “Shh. We’re still in their stronghold. Don’t expose us.”
As he spoke, the vibration of his chest pressed against Lin Zhiji’s back, warm breath brushing his ear.
Lin Zhiji’s ear turned red instantly, a strange panic rising in his chest.
It felt like something was slipping out of control.
Yet under everyone’s watchful eyes, he could do nothing but endure, hoping no one had seen their awkward entanglement.
Just then, Chen Ben bent down to pick up his chopsticks and happened to see their hands tangled beneath the table: …
Tsk tsk…
He straightened again and glanced over.
Xie Yi was leaning down speaking to Lin Zhiji; Lin Zhiji’s face was flushed red, while Xie Yi’s lips curved faintly in amusement.
Chen Ben immediately formed a conclusion in his mind: a hunter falling for a naive young noble, finding every way to get close, seduce him, and elope together.
That explained everything.
All the earlier strange details suddenly made sense.
This Yi brother… truly was bold beyond measure.
After the meal, Chen Ben personally escorted them to the back courtyard.
The courtyard was even more dilapidated than the main hall, though at least clean.
He pointed to a capable-looking woman and said, “This is Sister Liang. If you need anything, just find her.”
Then he turned to her. “This Yi San brother will be our second leader from now on. And this Young Master Lin is—he is…”
He stammered, unable to find the right words.
Sister Liang, however, laughed brightly. “Ah, a couple, I understand. I saw it myself when serving food—the young man was leaning on him, and their hands were even clasped. So affectionate.”
Lin Zhiji: !!!
At this moment, Xie Yi suddenly became very polite. “We’ll be troubling Sister Liang.”
Sister Liang covered her mouth, laughing. “No trouble at all. Rest well. If you need hot water, come earlier—our firewood is limited, and we stop heating water after the hour of You.”
Hot water…
Lin Zhiji closed his eyes.
Sometimes he really hated how quickly he understood things.
After they left, Xie Yi led Lin Zhiji into the room.
The room was extremely simple, not much better than Xie Yi’s previous broken courtyard.
Their luggage lay on the table, but Lin Zhiji had no mind to organize anything.
He opened the window to check outside, saw no one, then turned back and lowered his voice.
“Why did you make things up like that?”
Xie Yi smiled faintly. “Which part was made up?”
Lin Zhiji: “……”
He knew it was deliberate, but could only follow the logic awkwardly.
“That… that part about us eloping…”
The last two words came out almost silently.
Xie Yi asked, “Then what should I have said?”
Lin Zhiji hesitated. “You could have said we were brothers…”
Wasn’t that the usual explanation? Like in dramas…
Unexpectedly, Xie Yi laughed.
He walked toward him.
Lin Zhiji tensed. “N-no, that’s not right?”
Xie Yi lifted a hand and pinched his chin.
His palm was large, thumb and index finger holding his face, the base of his hand pressing under his chin, deliberately brushing his skin.
Lin Zhiji was forced to look up and meet his gaze.
Xie Yi’s eyes were deep and dark, something swirling inside them that made Lin Zhiji’s heart tremble.
“In these two faces of ours,” he said slowly, “where exactly do we look like brothers?”
They were too close.
So close that Lin Zhiji could see his own reflection trapped in Xie Yi’s eye.
Like a cage.
Xie Yi held him firmly, leaving no room for escape.
Lin Zhiji felt like prey locked under a beast’s gaze.
“You… let go…”
He tried to pull his hand away.
But this time, Xie Yi released him easily.
Lin Zhiji exhaled and fled the room.
He ran all the way to the back kitchen before stopping.
Turning back, he saw Xie Yi had not followed, and finally relaxed.
But his heart was still pounding violently.
The lingering warmth on his chin had not faded, instead spreading into a faint, maddening itch that climbed down his spine and tightened his waist.
He squatted down, burying his face in his knees.
That single moment with Xie Yi had shattered the self-deception he had been clinging to.
Before illness, his life had been gentle and ordinary; though good-looking, he lacked individuality, and most girls treated him as neutral.
After illness, everything turned upside down. He had experienced extremes of life and death, leaving no room for something as extravagant as love.
So he had always been slow to understand such things.
But even he now realized something was wrong.
After all, Guan Yu would never pinch Zhang Fei’s chin and force him to look into his eyes.
Nor would he say they were eloping when asked their relationship.
The more he thought, the more wrong it felt.
Many small details he had once ignored surfaced one by one.
His expression stiffened.
It was over.
Could Xie Yi really like him?
Thinking of Xie Yi’s terrifying possessiveness, a chill crept into his heart.
“Ugh…”
He curled up even tighter.
At dusk, Xie Yi stood hidden behind a thick tree trunk, his body almost merging with the shadows.
His gaze passed through the leaves, locked tightly onto the curled-up figure of Lin Zhiji.
But in the end, he did nothing.
—
In the following days, Lin Zhiji deliberately avoided Xie Yi.
Even daily tasks involving physical contact were put aside.
Since his points were still sufficient, he allowed himself temporary avoidance.
Fortunately, Xie Yi seemed unchanged, which eased him somewhat.
Instead, he grew closer to Sister Liang and the children of the stronghold.
Sister Liang managed logistics, carefully controlling daily expenses.
The stronghold did not rely entirely on robbery.
There were some fields, chickens, and vegetables on the mountain.
Chen Ben and others would occasionally hunt for game.
But it was still barely enough to sustain everyone.
As a result, Sister Liang’s brows grew tighter each day.
Unfortunately, the situation in Qingzhou worsened. Even though Chen Ben’s men guarded the road daily, almost no caravans passed anymore.
Chen Ben sighed.
He had thought recruiting a strong fighter would improve their situation, but it turned out to be a case of having no rice for a skilled cook.
Lin Zhiji asked, “Could it be that the caravans are using another route?”
Chen Ben replied bitterly, “There are other routes, yes, but that’s not it. It’s just that caravans coming and going to Qingzhou have decreased. In the past, one would pass every three to five days. We also charged very little—sometimes we even helped transport goods. Some small caravans actually preferred passing through us…”
Lin Zhiji: “……”
So your robbery has turned into a service industry.
“Anyway, it used to be fine,” Chen Ben scratched his head. “About three months ago, things suddenly became stricter in Qingzhou, and taxes increased. Many small caravans stopped coming because there was no profit…”
Xie Yi knew well that everything required both tension and release.
Moreover, these days the desires he had been suppressing had already been satisfied, so he was in an unusually agreeable mood and very readily let go of Lin Zhiji.
The moment Lin Zhiji regained his freedom, he did not even bother to think of an excuse and hurriedly fled the room.
With nowhere else to go, he returned to that familiar corner of the back kitchen and slowly squatted down.
On the ground was a small puddle of water, just enough to reflect his appearance.
His eye corners were red, and there were still tear stains that had not dried.
His lips, even more so, were in a miserable state.
Lin Zhiji touched the numb corner of his lips with the back of his hand, then silently cursed Xie Yi in his mind.
But then he remembered that in the coming days, he would not only have to sleep on the same bed as Xie Yi, but also complete daily tasks requiring physical contact.
His vision went dark for a moment—he almost fainted on the spot.
This was hell-level difficulty.
And he was very clear that Xie Yi was not someone who knew restraint.
He was best at pressing forward step by step.
There was no way he could win against him; if he showed even a small flaw, he would be swallowed whole.
Just as Lin Zhiji was on the verge of tears, Sister Liang came out of the kitchen. Seeing him squatting there, she walked over curiously.
“Xiao Lin, what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine…” Lin Zhiji said vaguely.
But Sister Liang seemed to have guessed something and lowered her voice.
“Did you have a quarrel with the second boss?”
Before Lin Zhiji could respond, she “oh dear”ed and continued.
“That second boss of yours really doesn’t seem easy to get along with. But men, you just need to speak to them softly and they’ll be wrapped around your finger. And if that doesn’t work… tsk, couples just fight in the front of the bed and make up at the end of it…”
Lin Zhiji abruptly stood up.
He could no longer tolerate the word “bed.”
Sister Liang jumped in surprise. “Xiao Lin, what’s wrong? Oh dear, your face is so red—don’t tell me you’re getting heatstroke…”
“I’m fine,” Lin Zhiji interrupted quickly, wiping his face. “I need to find the boss for something urgent. Can you tell me where he is?”
“Oh, the boss? He should be at the gate tower. I’ll take you.”
She cheerfully led the way, handing her basket to a passing woman.
As they walked, she kept talking.
“Your lips are red too, and a bit swollen. Doesn’t look like heatstroke… don’t tell me you were bitten by a poisonous insect?”
“…Sister Liang, I’m really fine.”
“Not heatstroke, not insects… don’t tell me the second boss kissed you swollen?”
“……”
“…Tsk tsk tsk!”
By the time they reached the gate tower, Lin Zhiji felt like his head was steaming.
He almost regretted asking her for directions.
When Chen Ben saw them coming down, he asked, “What happened?”
Hastily, Lin Zhiji pulled out the cement formula he had exchanged.
After listening, Chen Ben froze.
“There’s… really such a good thing?”
If nothing else, the idea that it could harden in one or two days was already enough to be tempting.
Rubbing his hands, he looked at Lin Zhiji with teary eyes.
“Getting something this good… it must have cost a lot, right?”
Lin Zhiji thought of his lost first and second kiss and nodded solemnly in his heart.
But since it was already paid for, it could not be wasted.
Chen Ben was also an action-oriented man. Once he realized its value, he immediately gathered people and went with Lin Zhiji to the back mountain to dig limestone.
“Xiao Lin—no, from now on you’re my sworn brother!” Chen Ben slapped his shoulder hard. “Anyone who dares bully you, I’ll be the first to not let them off!”
Lin Zhiji glanced at him. “Really?”
“Of course!” Chen Ben said proudly. “I, Chen Ben, keep my word. Tell me—who bullied you?”
Lin Zhiji said flatly, “Your second boss.”
Chen Ben: “……”
“Hahaha…” He laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject. “Ah right, that, that—hey, listen, about that…”
Watching his retreating figure, Lin Zhiji sighed.
As expected, no one was reliable. He could only rely on himself.
He gathered his courage and returned to the room, only to find Xie Yi was not there.
Unexpectedly, he felt a wave of relief.
Good.
He still could not calmly share a space with Xie Yi.
Now that he relaxed, he realized his back was soaked with sweat.
Summer had already begun, and with everything that had happened today, it was normal.
But the sticky feeling was uncomfortable.
So he decided to change clothes while Xie Yi was still out.
He opened the wardrobe; most of their luggage was inside.
Mostly his clothes—Xie Yi only had a few coarse garments.
Lin Zhiji avoided looking and quickly found his own clothes.
Just as he was about to close the wardrobe, he suddenly noticed something under the bed.
He placed his clothes on the bed, crouched down, and pulled it out.
It was a familiar box—made of sandalwood, inlaid with gold and jewels.
Lin Zhiji’s eyes widened instantly.
Wait!
Why was this thing here?!
At that moment, footsteps sounded outside.
His hands moved faster than his brain and shoved the box back under the bed.
Outside.
Chen Ben asked curiously, “Brother Yi, why aren’t you going in?”
When Xie Yi entered, Lin Zhiji was sitting on the edge of the bed, arranging his clothes.
Seeing him come in, he acted as if nothing had happened.
“These days I need to supervise the cement process closely. I plan to ask the boss to arrange me another room nearby.”
His voice was steady, but only he knew his heart was pounding wildly.
He was not sure Xie Yi would agree.
But even if he didn’t, he would not stay in the same room anymore.
Too dangerous.
Lin Zhiji gathered his courage and looked at him.
Xie Yi chuckled softly and walked closer, his tall figure carrying an oppressive presence.
His voice was calm, almost lazy.
“And what benefit do I get if I agree?”
Lin Zhiji: !!!
He knew it!
This bastard Xie Yi!
Not willing to lose even a little, always demanding repayment tenfold.
Xie Yi looked at his widened eyes and smiled slightly.
He bent down, brushing the sweat from Lin Zhiji’s temple with his thumb.
Feeling the stiff body beneath his touch, his gaze darkened.
Then he straightened again.
“I can agree,” he said slowly. “On one condition. After we leave the stronghold, you must agree to one thing.”
Oh?
Lin Zhiji froze.
After a brief hesitation, he said, “Fine.”
Logically, he knew this was simply kicking the can down the road.
But emotionally, the moment he thought of the box under the bed, his backside hurt in phantom sympathy.
Future problems could wait.
Survival first.
Lin Zhiji had initially worried Xie Yi might make things difficult for him regarding the tasks.
Unexpectedly, Xie Yi kept his word.
For the next few days, everything went smoothly.
Lin Zhiji gradually relaxed and focused on the cement work.
The Qilin Stronghold was busier than ever.
He did not know how Chen Ben persuaded them, but aside from patrols, nearly everyone joined the project.
Strong men and women worked on kilns and transporting limestone, while children and the elderly did lighter work like crushing stone.
Lin Zhiji tried to help several times, but was stopped by Chen Ben.
According to him, if this succeeded, Lin Zhiji would be the stronghold’s “god of wealth”—how could a god of wealth work?
Seeing the heavy dust, Lin Zhiji asked Sister Liang to make cloth masks for everyone.
At first, no one cared, but after his insistence, they reluctantly wore them.
Even a few elders tried to save the cloth.
Lin Zhiji sighed and said, “Don’t worry. If this works, you’ll all wear silk and brocade in the future. Why care about a piece of cloth?”
The crowd grew even more motivated.
“Xiao Lin said it’ll work, it will!”
“Don’t call him Xiao Lin anymore—call him Brother Lin!”
“If we get rich, I’ll bake you white-flour pancakes!”
“I’ll take you to the best restaurant in Qingzhou!”
Laughter filled the air under the blazing sun.
It was hot and sweaty, yet full of energy.
Lin Zhiji could not help but smile.
He had never seen them so alive before.
For the first time, hope filled the entire stronghold.
“It’s really good…” he murmured.
Then he realized someone was standing beside him.
Xie Yi.
Lin Zhiji pressed a hand to his chest. “You really are like a ghost…”
Speaking of this, recently Xie Yi often wasn’t in his room. Sometimes at night he didn’t even return.
If it weren’t for 03 never showing up, Lin Zhiji would have thought he had already left the Qilin stronghold.
Lin Zhiji knew that when he entered the Qilin stronghold, he definitely had a plan, so he didn’t ask further.
Xie Yi directly sat down beside him.
A familiar warmth rushed over, making half of Lin Zhiji’s body stiffen.
He picked up the grapes in front of him, then pretended casually to move a seat away, placing the grapes between them, and said, “Try this. These grapes are really sweet.”
Xie Yi glanced at him with a half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile, and didn’t expose his little trick. Then he picked up a grape.
Lin Zhiji said, “These were wild grape vines that Uncle Zhao brought back from the mountains. They used to be sour for years, only this year did they finally turn sweet!”
Xie Yi said, “You really are quite well-liked.”
Lin Zhiji seemed to have the ability to make anyone like him. Whether it was back in the military camp or here in the stronghold, everyone was willing to approach him, listen to him talk, and believe him.
That was a kind of ability that seemed comparable to authority.
Lin Zhiji laughed: “Of course!”
He then pointed at person after person, introducing them. These were all the lowest-ranking people in the stronghold, but in Lin Zhiji’s words, they were like neighbors, like friends, like brothers and sisters…
Xie Yi’s gaze swept across the people working hard one by one, and he said softly, “I didn’t expect that you also have the ability to lead troops in battle.”
This ability of “wherever the order points, action follows” was something many ordinary generals could not achieve even in their entire lives.
Who would have thought, Lin Zhiji shook his head: “This has nothing to do with me. They act because they know they are working for themselves.”
Xie Yi suddenly looked at him.
Under the blazing sunlight, Lin Zhiji’s smile was even more dazzling.
And Xie Yi, some inner decision in his heart seemed to be suddenly shaken.
—
By night, everyone was exhausted.
Lin Zhiji suddenly remembered he still had a task he hadn’t finished that day. Although going into Xie Yi’s room at night was a bit dangerous, considering he had been fairly trustworthy these past few days, Lin Zhiji still went to knock on the door.
Who would have thought that after entering, there was another person in the room.
“Songlü!” Lin Zhiji said in surprise and delight.
To be honest, seeing Songlü made him feel a bit dazed.
During this time living in the stronghold, he had almost forgotten that there was still an army outside.
Songlü also grinned at Lin Zhiji: “Young Master Lin!”
Lin Zhiji was about to ask how he had been recently, when Xie Yi’s cold voice came from the side: “Continue.”
Songlü quickly straightened his expression: “Yes, my lord. The insider has already been caught.”
Only then did Lin Zhiji remember that Xie Yi had split the army into two routes when they left, in order to draw out the insider.
It was already caught?
Xie Yi frowned: “This is earlier than I expected.”
Songlü said: “Actually, being able to catch that insider this time was all thanks to Deputy General Xu.”
Xie Yi froze for a moment. This was beyond his expectations. In his view, Xu Zhongze was rigid and dull; persuading him to trust and cooperate with him was troublesome and full of risk.
So from the beginning, Xie Yi did not tell him the full plan. Telling him there was an insider was only to stabilize him and have him lead troops to Chixia Ridge.
Songlü continued: “Deputy General Xu remembered your words, didn’t tell anyone, and even pretended to have resentment toward you. That’s what lured the insider into the trap, and they captured him in one strike. We didn’t even need to use the backup plan…”
Xie Yi said nothing.
He deeply understood human nature, and he was also confident that his judgment of Xu Zhongze was not wrong. So what exactly changed him…
Xie Yi subconsciously looked at Lin Zhiji.
He was looking at Songlü with sparkling eyes: “Deputy General Xu is amazing! Songlü, tell me more…”
Was it Lin Zhiji?
He didn’t seem to have done anything deliberately, yet he unknowingly changed everything.
For example, Xu Zhongze, and the people in this Qilin stronghold.
He was like a variable.
Xie Yi lowered his eyes, suppressing the complicated emotions in them, and returned to normal: “Have you interrogated everything? Who sent him?”
Songlü said softly: “As you guessed, it was—”
Before he could finish, Lin Zhiji suddenly jumped up.
Xie Yi and Songlü both looked over. Lin Zhiji laughed awkwardly: “Um, this kind of confidential information, I’ll skip it…”
After saying that, without waiting for them to respond, he slipped out of the door in a flash.
Xie Yi watched his back, his expression dark and unreadable.
“Lord?”
Xie Yi withdrew his gaze: “Speak.”
Songlü said quietly: “It was… General Xie Pingyue.”
And at the same time, Lin Zhiji ran all the way to the old spot, but without caring about his panting, he opened the mission list.
A new main mission had just refreshed on it.
[Main Mission 2: Please have the host ease the relationship between the villain and his father.]