Qiao Mu stood, walked over, and sat beside Gong Xinyue, handing her a handkerchief.

Gong Xinyue’s voice caught slightly. When she turned to look at Qiao Mu, the corner of her mouth curved into a smile once more.

“Thank you, but I don’t need it!”

“I’m the stronghold master—I have over ten thousand people behind me. How could I possibly shed tears?”

“Tears are only for the weak.”

Feng Jiu’er stood as well and went to sit on Gong Xinyue’s other side.

She gently patted Gong Xinyue’s shoulder. “You’ve done well. I believe your people are proud of you.”

Gong Xinyue turned to look at Feng Jiu’er.

“That’s why, the moment I heard we might have a chance to work with Longying Pharmacy, I came out to find you right away.”

“We’ve always lived deep in the mountains, and we don’t understand much of anything.”

“When we first thought of cultivating herbs, it was really only based on a few books the brothers managed to find.”

“All these years, I’ve seen firsthand how hard the brothers have worked. Now that we’ve finally got a harvest, we still can’t find a good buyer.”

“The brothers go out every day just trying to sell the herbs, hoping to give our people a better life.”

“Jiu’er.” Gong Xinyue patted Feng Jiu’er’s shoulder in turn.

“Trust me—our herbs will absolutely be better than anyone else’s. This is the result of our people’s hard work.”

“I believe you,” Feng Jiu’er said, gently reaching out to touch Gong Xinyue’s face.

Her forehead, her brows, her nose, her thin lips down to her chin—she touched each part tenderly.

Being touched like this for the first time, Gong Xinyue felt a bit uneasy.

She sat perfectly still, as if waiting for something.

“Xinyue, you really are so lovely,” Feng Jiu’er finally said, drawing her hand back.

“You should trust me too—it won’t be long before you no longer need to soak in that medicine, and your fair, radiant skin will return.”

“As thanks for your help this time, once this battle is over, I’ll give you thirty handsome, tall young men to choose from—how does that sound?”

“Cough!” Not far away, in another private room, Zhao Yusheng nearly choked on his food.

“Zhao Yusheng, what are you doing?” Feng Jiu’er stood, staring in his direction.

“Do you want to pick one for yourself too? If so, I’ll save you a spot.”

Before Zhao Yusheng could respond, Feng Jiu’er, having sat back down, continued, “Xinyue, what did you think of that one just now?”

“If you don’t like him, it’s no trouble—I have plenty more brothers who are handsome, tall, and highly skilled in martial arts.”

“Thank you!” Gong Xinyue laughed helplessly, managing only those two words.

“No need to be so polite. Most of my brothers are single, and you’re so lovely with such a good temperament—I wouldn’t want to miss the chance,” Feng Jiu’er said with a smile.

“Jiu’er, you’re really good to your brothers!” Gong Xinyue laughed even more happily.

She never imagined she’d meet two such wonderful women as Long Jiu’er and Qiao Mu today.

Even now, Gong Xinyue still hadn’t quite come to terms with it.

In truth, Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu felt the same—they, too, were gradually growing fond of this stronghold master.

That the master of such a large stronghold as Panlong turned out to be a woman—and a great beauty at that—was surprising enough. But more importantly, she was also an enemy of Mao Zhongcai.

None of this had been anything Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu had anticipated.

So it wasn’t only Gong Xinyue who found this meeting unexpected.

“Xinyue, have you ever thought about joining Longying?” Qiao Mu suddenly asked.

This girl—I like her!

Xinyue, somewhat excited, immediately grabbed hold of Qiao Mu’s arm.

“Would I really have that chance?”

She looked at Qiao Mu, then turned back to look at Feng Jiu’er.

“Jiu’er, would I really have that chance?”

“Of course,” Feng Jiu’er nodded lightly. “The day you kill Mao Zhongcai will be the day you officially become part of Longying.”

Without any investigation at all, Feng Jiu’er had come to trust this person.

That wasn’t like her usual approach, but for some reason, this girl’s eyes were so sincere that she didn’t doubt her in the least.

Besides, she had thirty thousand soldiers, while all of Panlong Stronghold—young and old combined—numbered only ten thousand.

Feng Jiu’er was still confident she could get her brothers safely through Panlong Stronghold’s territory.

And when Mao Zhongcai had come up earlier, the hatred in Xinyue’s eyes had been entirely genuine.

Now that they were about to attack Mao Zhongcai’s Pingyuan City, there was no way Xinyue—who hated him so deeply—would try to stop them.

“Jiu’er.” Gong Xinyue turned to look at Feng Jiu’er, a glimmer of tears flashing in her eyes.

“You’re willing to bring me into the battle and give me the chance to kill this monster with my own hands, to avenge my father?”

Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together, extended a long finger, and gently brushed the warm pad of her thumb across the corner of Gong Xinyue’s eye.

“Tears aren’t only for the weak—anyone with flesh and blood can cry.”

“But Xinyue, save your tears for the day you carry Mao Zhongcai’s head to pay respects at your father’s grave.”

“Understand?”

Gong Xinyue bit her lip and lifted her head.

She blinked, forcing the tears back down, before lowering her head once more.

“I believe that day isn’t far off.”

“All right.” She gently patted both Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu on the shoulder.

“You two still have matters to attend to, and I need to go back and prepare. Tomorrow, before dawn, we’ll come out to welcome you.”

“With so many soldiers suddenly gathered near the city gate of Yue City, Mao Zhongcai must already know.”

“Once you set out, word will reach him quickly. But it’s fine—I know a shortcut.”

“Through the stone forest, into the valley, then through the mountain stream, and out the stone forest near Pingyuan City—it should take about three hours.”

“But with so many of you, plus horses and carriages, it’ll probably take four to five hours or so.”

“The army shouldn’t enter the city—I have a suitable camping spot. Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, would you like to go take a look now?”

“On horseback, it’ll be quick.”

Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu leaned forward slightly and exchanged a glance.

Were they really having this much luck today?

“Don’t worry!” Gong Xinyue patted both their shoulders at the same time.

“If I’m the one escorting you back, no one would dare lay a hand on you.”

“I’m also planning to send three thousand brothers to enter the city together with you. And I have an informant in Pingyuan City—I’ll send word ahead so they can open the gates.”

“How does that sound?” Gong Xinyue looked back and forth between the two of them. “Would you say I, Gong Xinyue, am righteous enough?”

“This good to us—what’s the catch?” Qiao Mu asked, eyes narrowed as she studied her.

Gong Xinyue turned her head to meet her gaze. “What catch could I possibly have? All I ask is that you promise to buy our herbs.”

“No, that won’t do! Here’s the deal—once I join Longying, I’ll be in charge of herb purchasing for all the nearby cities.”

“How’s that?” Gong Xinyue looked back at Feng Jiu’er. “Would you two say that meeting me was quite a stroke of luck?”

Her bright, sparkling eyes had lost the sorrow from before, replaced now with a good deal more confidence—making her look even lovelier than ever.