Li Chi had said he had no interest in the Cui family’s assets, but then turned right around and — in a rather petty way — pulled Xiahou Zuo aside to ask if there was still anything to be gotten.

Xiahou Zuo thought: now there’s the Li Diudiu I know. A little bit, a little bit — not one little bit of advantage can be missed, and not one little bit that others shouldn’t take can be left for them either.

Xiahou Zuo said regretfully: “Sanyue River Pavilion is probably off the table. My father’s first act after coming back was to seal it. That place is untouchable now.”

Li Chi said, “Please. Why would I be interested in Sanyue River Pavilion?”

Xiahou Zuo said, “Tell the truth.”

Li Chi said, “Mainly it was for Old Tang.”

Xiahou Zuo looked at Li Chi with narrowed eyes. Li Chi started looking a little sheepish under the gaze, but then said one thing that made Xiahou Zuo believe him entirely.

Li Chi sighed and said, “That land. That building. Do you have any idea what it would cost to build something like that?”

Xiahou Zuo was momentarily stunned. He looked at the little stars sparkling in Li Chi’s eyes and confirmed that Li Chi really was just after the property — and if the world were like a nature documentary, where animals spray urine to mark their territory, Li Chi would probably have sprayed himself dry already.

Xiahou Zuo said, “Sanyue River Pavilion itself may be hard to get your hands on, but I can probably manage to get you other things without too much trouble.”

Li Chi said ingratiatingly, “Honored Brother Zuo — do you find my looks to your satisfaction?”

Xiahou Zuo: “Get lost…”

He laughed. “The Cui family’s enterprises are vast. There are so many shops in the city that no one can even count how many belong to them. And don’t forget — before Cui Tai left, he handed me a full list of the family’s assets.”

Li Chi said, “Does that mean we could quietly remove some items from the list — without telling your father?”

Xiahou Zuo said, “Why do you have to bring my father into it? That makes what I’m doing sound genuinely unconscionable…”

Li Chi said, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Xiahou Zuo asked, “What were you saying just now? Remove a few items from the list?”

Li Chi said, “That’s right.”

Xiahou Zuo said, “Could you be a little more ambitious?”

Li Chi’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, Honored Brother Zuo?”

Xiahou Zuo reached into his lapel and produced a few sheets of paper, which he held out to Li Chi. “What’s the point of removing a few items? I tore out a few pages. All of them are yours.”

Li Chi grinned. “Why do I suddenly feel my knees going soft — like I just can’t help but want to give you a proper kowtow?”

Xiahou Zuo said, “Never mind that. I specifically picked out the useful pages — there are two pages here that list all of the Cui family’s medicinal herb business in Jizhou City.”

At those words, Li Chi’s eyes lit up. Like the noon sun at its peak — almost blinding.

Xiahou Zuo said, “Try to look a little less eager.”

Li Chi said, “How many shops?”

Xiahou Zuo said, “A rough count puts it at thirty-six — thirty-six medicinal herb shops belonging to the Cui family. On top of that, the Cui family has two herb storehouses in Jizhou City — one in the east, one in the west. The inventory alone is worth a fortune.”

Li Chi’s eyes climbed another level of brightness. No longer quite like the sun — more like the sun about to go supernova.

“You can start making your rounds of your new domain today.”

Xiahou Zuo handed the list to Li Chi. “The Cui family has all cleared out. These shops and storehouses — before anyone starts looting and ransacking — move fast, get your people in place, and hold them. Only once they’re firmly in your hands will you be able to breathe easy. Herbs are a business with a long future, and even setting profit aside, they’ll come in useful.”

Li Chi said, “I’ll assign people right away. Looking at the carriage depot’s current headcount, it really isn’t enough — good thing Old Tang recruited a new batch earlier, maybe two hundred or so. I’ll spread them across the shops first.”

Xiahou Zuo said, “Two hundred really isn’t enough. Thirty-six herb shops, two storehouses — and that’s just the herb business. The other enterprises are also on that list. All those premises could easily absorb a thousand people.”

Li Chi sighed. “A thousand… Maybe I should go out myself. Can’t just look in Jizhou City — it’s big, but people are connected by ties of favor and kinship, and something could leak. I should take Nine and Old Tang out of Jizhou for a spell. Visit the surrounding counties, recruit some people.”

Xiahou Zuo nodded. “Diudiu — I know you think Yu Chaozong is worth following, and I’m not going to argue with that. But remember one thing: you must always have your own people.”

Li Chi nodded. “Understood.”

Xiahou Zuo smiled. “Ruan Chen and Ruan Mu are my sworn brothers — you can trust them. They’re already with you. Have them help recruit some people from the martial world too. They know the right sort, and they’ll exercise sound judgment.”

With that, Xiahou Zuo raised his hand and laid it on Li Chi’s shoulder. “The other day, Mother mentioned you. She said: Zuo’er, your brother is still young — whatever comes up, you have to look out for him.”

Xiahou Zuo smiled. “I’ll have to go back to the northern frontier sooner or later. Whatever help I can give you now, I will. After that, Mother is more in your hands to care for.”

Li Chi exhaled slowly, something complicated stirring in his chest — not sorrow exactly, but the ache of gratitude and warmth. He nodded and said, “I know.”

Very long ago — back when Li Chi was wandering with his master, the Daoist Changmei — he had once witnessed something small and ordinary, but it lodged in his heart for a long time afterward.

He’d seen a young boy get beaten up by six or seven older boys, run off crying, and come back a little while later with another boy about the same age as the bullies.

That was his older brother.

On one side: six or seven boys of the same age. On the other: just the brother, alone.

But the brother only asked one question: “Little one — was it them?”

His little brother said yes.

And his brother charged in.

Li Chi had — for no particular reason — charged in too. If he hadn’t helped, those two brothers might have been beaten terribly.

As the brother was leaving, he gave Li Chi a brief word of thanks. His own face was bruised and swollen, but he held his younger brother’s hand and walked away, limping a little, and reached up with his free hand to gently ruffle his brother’s hair.

He said: “Stop crying, little one. From now on — anyone who messes with you, big brother will deal with them.”

Li Chi stood watching the two brothers walk away into the distance, and he had only one thought…

So this is what it’s like to have an older brother. This is what a brother is.

He said to Changmei: Master, do you have a big brother?

His master said no. Li Diudiu asked: Then can you make me one?

Changmei gave him a kick.

Then ruffled his head and said: “Diudiu — someday you’ll have a brother like that. Not blood-related, but close as bone and flesh. You’ll meet people like that, and in the end you’ll become brothers who’d die for each other.”

Young Li Chi nodded, thinking how wonderful it would be to have an older brother.

Now, Li Chi’s eyes prickled faintly. Xiahou Zuo hadn’t noticed — he was looking out at the distance, and his hand rose, naturally, to ruffle Li Diudiu’s head.

“Brother’s a bit selfish, a bit headstrong. It should have been me shouldering everything — me looking after Mother, me looking after everyone. But instead Brother has dumped that weight on your shoulders.”

He exhaled slowly. “Work a little harder.”

Li Chi nodded vigorously. Then turned his head and wiped his eyes and nose on Xiahou Zuo’s sleeve. Then grinned like an idiot.

Xiahou Zuo: “…”

He draped his arm around Li Chi’s shoulder, and they walked forward together. As they walked, he said, “Diudiu — there’s something else Mother wants to tell you herself. Wipe that face off first. How old are you? If Mother sees you like this she’ll think I’ve been bullying you again. And if she sees you looking like a mess, she’ll definitely scold you.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement, and wiped his eyes and nose on Xiahou Zuo’s sleeve again.

Xiahou Zuo: “…”

They returned to the rear courtyard of the carriage depot, where Madame Xiahou was sitting beneath a tree, cooling herself in the shade. Xiahou Yili was crouched at her side, apparently asking her about something, and she was patiently explaining.

When Li Chi and Xiahou Zuo came over, the woman who in years was not yet very old but was already called the Old Madame looked up and smiled — the way a perfectly ordinary homemaker might smile, standing in a doorway and watching her two sons come home from school with their satchels on their backs.

It was a mother’s gaze.

Xiahou Zuo had barely reached Madame Xiahou before she lifted her foot and gave him a thump on the backside.

“How old are you? How old are you? Look at yourself — what’s all over your clothes? You’re a general now. Can’t you go one day without causing worry?”

Then she looked at Li Chi and said, “See your brother? He’s younger than you, and he’s not half this slovenly.”

Xiahou Zuo: “…”

Madame Xiahou was actually not very old — she had just turned forty. She’d followed Prince Yu at sixteen or seventeen, and given birth to Xiahou Zuo a little past twenty.

Madame Xiahou said to Xiahou Yili, “Give your second brother what we prepared.”

Xiahou Yili handed a sheet of paper to Li Chi. “This is a formula Mother and I spent a whole day working out together. It’s from the Yunyin Mountain recipe collection. Big Brother says now that we have the herb supplies, you can use this formula to compound medicines — it’s extremely effective for treating injuries.”

Madame Xiahou said, “This formula — many years ago, my junior sister and I researched it together. Back then we were busy with other things and set it aside. She is now the sect master of Yunyin Mountain, and her gift and mastery of medicine far surpasses my own.”

She paused for a moment at that, and then smiled softly. “My junior sister, Shen Rujun, is a true genius. All those lineages of Yunyin Mountain — she is the only one who mastered nearly all of them. When I left the sect, she was only fourteen… Think of it — I haven’t seen her in over twenty years.”

Li Chi suddenly thought of something, and smiled. “Mother — I was just talking it over with Big Brother, and we thought we should go out of Jizhou for a while to recruit some people. Why don’t we take the opportunity? I’ll bring you back to Yunyin Mountain. Back to see everyone.”

Madame Xiahou went still for a moment, then fell into a long silence.

Li Chi knew she was conflicted. She had been the successor to the sect master and had left Yunyin Mountain to travel the world for her training — once complete, she was meant to return and inherit the position. But she had stayed away for Prince Yu’s sake and never gone back.

Did she truly not want to return and see?

She felt she had failed the sect, and failed her junior sister — because she had not returned, a girl of only fourteen had been made to bear the full weight of responsibility.

“I… have no face to go back.”

Madame Xiahou let out a long breath, and smiled bitterly. “I made that choice myself.”

“Mother!”

Xiahou Yili took her mother’s hand. “Master has always been waiting for you to come back. She misses you so much. Not long after I entered Yunyin Mountain, Master asked me: do you miss your mother? I said yes. Master said: so do I. I miss my older sister.”

Madame Xiahou went rigid. Then her shoulders began, faintly, to tremble.

“Come, let’s make the trip. The spring is beautiful right now.”

Li Chi smiled. “And we’re leaving Xiahou behind.”

Xiahou Zuo: “…”

—