Qiao Yishan was a man of fierce spirit. After passing through the depths of grief, a tremendous rage surged up within him.

His family had died violently. This was no act of heaven.

Shi Ting met his gaze and said quietly: “Your family, Master Qiao, was murdered.”

Qiao Yishan had evidently already arrived at this conclusion. His hand gripping the edge of the coffin clenched harder until blood seeped from the tips of his fingers.

“Who?” The two words were forced out from between his clenched teeth.

Shi Ting stepped forward and pointed to the wounds on Old Master Qiao’s body. “According to eyewitnesses, a gang came. One of them used a claw knife and smoked Mount Fuji brand cigarettes.”

At the words ‘claw knife,’ Qiao Yishan’s eyes flashed first with shock, then were ignited by a boundless fury.

Seeing Qiao Yishan’s reaction, Shi Ting had already guessed: Qiao Yishan knew who the killer was.

“Where is Zhengzhi?” Qiao Yishan suddenly remembered. “Where is Zhengzhi?”

He rushed to check each coffin again in a panic. “Zhengzhi isn’t here. Zhengzhi isn’t here.”

“Is Zhengzhi your son, Master Qiao?”

“Yes.” Qiao Yishan looked at Shi Ting with hopeful eyes. “Have you seen him?”

“Your son is now at Old Master Yuan’s household, well cared for. You need not worry, Master Qiao.”

The tension in Qiao Yishan’s chest gradually eased, though he quickly asked: “How did Zhengzhi escape this disaster?”

He was just an infant in swaddling clothes.

“A servant of the household fled with your son. She ran into us on the road, and to protect your son, she jumped into the river and took her own life. Before she died, she entrusted your son to us and asked us to bring him to the Yuan household.”

“So it was the two of you who saved Zhengzhi.”

Qiao Yishan said this, then knelt down and clasped his hands in a deep bow. “The grace of saving a life — Qiao Yishan will never forget it as long as he lives.”

What they had saved was not only the Qiao family’s bloodline, but Xiu’er’s bloodline — the one and only thing Xiu’er had left behind for him.

Shi Ting stepped forward to help him up. “Master Qiao is too ceremonious. It was simply a matter of lending a hand.”

Qiao Yishan finally had the composure to take a proper look at Shi Ting. Though dressed in plain clothes and shoes, the man had remarkable looks and an imposing presence — a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes unlike those of an ordinary person.

“May I ask your honorable name, benefactor?”

Shi Ting said: “My surname is Shi, and my given name is Rui. This is my younger brother, surnamed Yan — Yan Qi.”

Qiao Yishan quickly cupped his hands toward Yan Qing as well. “Brother Shi. Brother Yan.”

Yan Qing quickly returned the greeting.

“Thank you both for telling me the truth.” Qiao Yishan sighed. “Not only did you save my son, you also helped me identify the killers of my whole family. This great debt of grace — I, Qiao Yishan, have nothing with which to repay it. Should either of you ever need my help in the future, I will repay it with my life.”

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out something that looked like a command tablet. “This is my token. If Brother Shi ever has need of it, take it to Dagu Mountain and find me.”

Shi Ting accepted it. He saw the character ‘Qiao’ inscribed on it, with the words ‘Gu’an Gang’ below.

“Brother Shi, Brother Yan — I trouble you to help burn my family’s remains. Qiao takes his leave here.” Qiao Yishan bowed deeply, looking as though he were eager to go do something.

Shi Ting quickly called after him: “Brother Qiao — where are you going?”

“A debt of blood must be paid in blood.” A murderous glint flashed through Qiao Yishan’s eyes. “A life for a life.”

“Brother Qiao, how do you plan to take revenge? By killing the person with your own hand? Even if you manage to kill the culprit, what then?”

Qiao Yishan was taken aback. He had only been thinking about killing that person — Shi Ting’s mention of ‘after that’ was something he hadn’t considered.

His mind right now held only two words: revenge.

“This token should belong to one of the three chiefs of the Gu’an Gang.” Shi Ting looked at the surprised Qiao Yishan. “If I’m not mistaken, the one who killed Brother Qiao’s entire family should also be a chief.”

Qiao Yishan stood motionless, simply watching Shi Ting steadily.

Shi Ting continued: “Brother Qiao plans to return to Dagu Mountain, cut down that chief, and consider the great debt settled. But what then? By the rules of Dagu Mountain, those who kill among their own members are condemned to death in turn. Brother Qiao will naturally not escape that fate. Your death alone would be of little matter, but your son would become an orphan with neither father nor mother. Is that the outcome Brother Qiao desires?”

Qiao Yishan first went blank, then let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Why not let Brother Qiao first attend to his family’s affairs, then carefully think things through.” Shi Ting suggested.

Qiao Yishan ultimately heeded Shi Ting’s counsel, and with Shi Ting’s help buried his family one by one.

The main Qiao compound could no longer be lived in — the smell of blood was everywhere. Fortunately, Qiao Yishan had a smaller courtyard next door. It was planted full of peony flowers, because his late wife Xiu’er had loved peonies above all else.

After Zhengzhi was born, Xiu’er had also built a small fish pond there and filled it with colorful goldfish. On the day disaster struck, Zhengzhi’s nursemaid happened to be holding him there while he played, which was why they had miraculously escaped.

Qiao Yishan looked at the peonies of every color blooming throughout the garden and recalled the times he and Xiu’er had admired the flowers here together. Grief suddenly welled up inside him, and his eyes grew wet with tears.

Back in those days, Xiu’er had not despised him for being a bandit. She had gone behind her family’s back to be with him. The two of them had known each other deeply and loved one another — their bond was profound. He had thought they would be together harmoniously all their lives. He never imagined that one day everything would be reduced to ruin.

Shi Ting bought some braised food and wine, and sat with Qiao Yishan at the small table beneath the peony trellis to drink together.

Qiao Yishan was in poor spirits. After drinking several cups he felt the beginnings of intoxication and sighed repeatedly.

Shi Ting poured him half a cup and asked: “Why does Brother Qiao sigh?”

Qiao Yishan shook his head. “Will Brother Shi look down on me for being a bandit and think me a wicked man who kills and robs?”

“Our master is in the mining business and wants to ship a load of coal out to sell. But he heard that bandits on Dagu Mountain run rampant and that plenty of goods have been stolen, which is why he sent me to investigate.” Shi Ting looked at the bleary-eyed Qiao Yishan. “Most people probably don’t have a favorable impression of bandits.”

Qiao Yishan sighed again heavily, drank a large mouthful of wine, and set down the cup with a sharp crack.

“Brother Shi, you don’t know the full story. When I, Qiao Yishan, went up the mountain to become a bandit in those early years, it was not for fame, not for wealth — only for the sake of one word: loyalty.” Qiao Yishan seemed to be thinking back to something from long ago. “When I was thirteen years old, my family was dirt poor, and on top of that my mother was gravely ill with no money for medicine. Just when my father and I were at our wits’ end, someone threw a bundle of silver dollars over the wall, and shouted ‘Uphold justice, rob from the rich to give to the poor.’ When my father and I opened that cloth bundle, we were frightened — it was filled with real silver dollars, the kind that rang when you blew on them.”

Qiao Yishan’s eyes brightened. “My mother’s life was saved by those silver dollars. I heard that all the poor households in our area had received money. The ones who gave it were a gang of bandits — bandits who robbed only the wealthy and then distributed the money they took among the poor and struggling. I admired those people greatly at the time and dreamed that one day I might become one of them. Later, by chance, I came to know Brother Qi. He brought me up to Dagu Mountain, and I followed him in robbing things — except that we never robbed ordinary people. We only robbed those whose conduct and reputation were rotten, and then distributed what we took.”

Shi Ting frowned. “But what I have heard is that the Dagu Mountain bandits rob everyone they encounter, making no distinction between rich and poor. Is there some hidden story behind this?”

“Ah.” Qiao Yishan sighed. “After Brother Qi later founded the Gu’an Gang, the bandits became an organization, and as the scale grew and grew, they developed into something formidable. Then one time we received intelligence that a Di Guo merchant caravan was passing below Dagu Mountain. We set up an ambush on all sides — but the merchants were all equipped with real guns and ammunition. In that battle we suffered devastating losses, and Brother Qi was hit by two bullets. When we returned to the mountain, Brother Qi died. Before he passed, he gave his instructions: the Gu’an Gang’s code of robbing from the rich to give to the poor must not change. We are bandits, but we are not evil men. After he died, internal strife began to brew within the Gu’an Gang. As the numbers grew, simply robbing the wealthy could no longer sustain everyone on the mountain. Some began to extend their hands toward ordinary people. Over this matter, the power within the gang divided into three factions. One, led by me, was the conservative faction that continued to uphold the Gu’an Gang’s founding principles. A second, led by Wang Hailin, was the radical faction that wanted to turn the Gu’an Gang into a real gang of true criminals. And a third, led by Zhang Dazhi, was the neutral faction.”

“The one who massacred Brother Qiao’s entire family — that would be Wang Hailin?”

At the name Wang Hailin, Qiao Yishan’s teeth ground together in fury. “That beast — I will tear him apart with ten thousand cuts.”

“If Brother Qiao kills Wang Hailin and is himself condemned for it, what direction will the Gu’an Gang take from then on?”

“It will probably degenerate into real bandits.” Qiao Yishan sighed. That was not what he wanted to see.

“Has Brother Qiao ever considered another path?” Shi Ting’s eyes shone with a peculiar light.

“Another path?” Qiao Yishan was puzzled. “Do I have other paths I can take?”

“Of course.” Within Shi Ting’s handsome eyes there flickered an unusual radiance. “The bandit problem on Dagu Mountain has already drawn official displeasure. The government has sent troops to suppress the bandits multiple times. While that has not shaken Dagu Mountain’s foundations, Brother Qiao should understand clearly — your victories are only temporary. First, the government’s military has superior arms and far greater numbers. Second, your internal strife is obvious, and you are far from united anymore. A strong exterior with a hollow interior — being taken down is only a matter of time.”

Qiao Yishan was initially taken aback, then fixed a heavy gaze on Shi Ting. Shi Ting did not avoid his scrutinizing look, meeting it calmly.

After a good while, Qiao Yishan finally said: “Who are you, really?”