Cheng Wujie woke to darkness. The medical officer assigned to watch over him had fallen asleep in his chair.

He forced his eyes open, and in that same instant, the pain arrived.

His head throbbed terribly—worse than the pain was the heaviness.

That feeling was like someone had hung a great iron ball above his head; even the slightest movement made it swing, sending waves of agony through his skull.

“Xiao Liu?”

Cheng Wujie called out softly—not that he meant to be soft, he simply couldn’t produce much volume.

“Xiao Jiu?”

No one answered.

Cheng Wujie thought: something isn’t right about this.

He could recall now that he had been injured—but why weren’t Xiao Liu and Xiao Jiu at his side?

Suddenly, a sound like a thunderclap rang through his mind, and a rush of blood seemed to surge directly into his brain.

Could it be—could they both have been killed by Ekema?

“Is anyone there?!”

Cheng Wujie called out, but his voice was still no louder than before.

The medical officer who had dozed off jerked awake and hurried over to attend to him.

“Who are you?”

Cheng Wujie asked.

“A Ning Army medical officer.”

“Where is Xiao Liu? Where is Xiao Jiu?”

“Who are they?”

Cheng Wujie lay still, staring at the medical officer’s face. He murmured, repeating the question as though it had taken on new weight: “Who… who are they?”

Half an hour later.

Cheng Wujie had been told the whole sequence of events. He looked at Zhang Yuxu, who had told him everything, and asked: “Where is the King Ning?”

Zhang Yuxu answered: “In pursuit of the enemy remnants. He has not yet returned to camp.”

“Daoist, can you take me there?”

“No.”

Zhang Yuxu said: “What would you go there to do? Cut down the enemy yourself and have your vengeance? Or do you want to seek death, to go down and join your brothers? When you get there and Xiao Liu and Xiao Jiu see you, what will they say—*Brother Cheng, we gave our lives to save you. Why did you come down here?!*”

Cheng Wujie’s body trembled.

“They were afraid of pain…”

Cheng Wujie lay there, staring at the ceiling.

“And afraid of fighting…”

Zhang Yuxu gently patted Cheng Wujie on the shoulder: “They were afraid of pain, afraid of fighting—but they were not afraid of death.”

Cheng Wujie was silent.

“Daoist—I have a favor to ask.”

“Do you know how to do tattoo work?”

“I don’t.”

“Can you find someone who does?”

“Of course.”

Zhang Yuxu rose: “I’ll go find someone for you right now. You rest and recover.”

Four days later.

The Ning Army Li Chi led had already pursued the enemy for over two hundred li. The rebel forces retreated to hold out at Five Peaks Mountain.

Ekema had sent word to Juhe to bring troops and relieve him—but by the time Juhe arrived, Ekema had already led his men all the way back to Five Peaks Mountain.

Juhe’s force and the Ning Army ran directly into each other—no time to avoid the encounter.

In the ensuing battle, of the tens of thousands Juhe had brought, the Ning Army wiped out more than half.

When Juhe retreated to Five Peaks Mountain, he was ready to kill Ekema to vent his fury.

If Ekema had sent word in time, his force wouldn’t have crashed nearly head-on into the Ning Army like that.

Inside Five Peaks Mountain.

Ekema looked at the subordinate who had just delivered this report, a hint of murderous intent flickering in his gaze.

The several hundred men who had escaped back earlier had somehow found their way to Five Peaks Mountain. Upon returning, they had spread Li Chi’s words throughout the camp—that he would only kill the guilty, and let the rest go free.

With that, the soldiers’ morale instantly wavered. In the days since, who knew how many men had deserted.

“Were they all caught?”

“Yes—over three hundred of them. All bound outside.”

“Muster the whole army. Let them watch how these men die.”

After giving this command, Ekema rose. The oppressive weight inside him had no outlet.

He had deliberately neglected to tell Juhe that he was retreating to Five Peaks Mountain, naturally hoping that Juhe and the Ning Army would tear each other apart—though he knew that outcome was rather difficult to hope for.

But as long as it drained some of the Ning Army’s strength, combined with the natural defenses of Five Peaks Mountain’s terrain, self-preservation would pose no real problem.

Yet now, that idiot Juhe had also fled to Five Peaks Mountain.

“Supreme Commander, the Sect Master requests your presence.”

A squad of red-robed divine soldiers who protect the faith appeared at the door, calling out in a cold flat voice.

Ekema thought: *this fool is still posturing in front of me at a time like this.*

But he didn’t let it show. He followed the squad to Juhe’s quarters.

When Juhe saw him arrive, he smiled first—yet however one looked at it, that smile held no warmth.

He pointed toward the distance: “Supreme Commander, what do you think of the scenery here?”

Ekema dipped his body, about to speak, when Juhe’s tone suddenly shifted: “Ah, I forget—the Supreme Commander arrived here before me and has had longer to admire the scenery, so the question was unnecessary.”

Anger flared inside Ekema, but he forced it down hard.

Juhe said: “The mountain scenery is lovely. If one were to retire here, it would actually be quite a good choice.”

He turned his head and looked at Ekema: “Does the Supreme Commander know what sort of person can settle their heart enough to truly live in seclusion?”

Ekema answered: “One whose heart is unburdened.”

Juhe smiled faintly, then asked: “And is the Supreme Commander a man whose heart carries burdens?”

“It does.”

“What burden?”

“To pacify the realm on behalf of the Sect Master.”

Juhe burst into loud laughter: “Ha ha ha ha—I had no idea the Supreme Commander could speak so well… But in my view, the person who retires to seclusion isn’t necessarily someone whose heart is unburdened. They might simply be someone who is about to die and has found a place with good scenery to wait for it.”

His laughter ceased as abruptly as it had started. The warmth drained from his eyes as he fixed them on Ekema: “Since the Supreme Commander speaks so well, can you clearly explain to me the matter of this military defeat?”

Ekema glanced—and saw armored soldiers entering through the door, bladed weapons in hand.

“Does the Sect Master intend to kill me?”

Ekema laughed: “If you kill me, can the fools under your command hold off the King Ning’s army?”

He raised a hand and pointed outward: “Five Peaks Mountain may be steep, but given the Ning Army’s fighting ability and the killing intent of the King Ning, can you and your Twenty-Seven Kings and dozen-odd Supreme Commanders win?”

Juhe’s brow furrowed.

Ekema raised both hands outward: “Put me in chains. Lock me in a cell. I will watch the Sect Master use divine power to repel the enemy. If the Sect Master truly breaks the Ning Army, I will accept death gladly.”

The light in Juhe’s eyes shifted and wavered. After a long moment, the stern expression on his face dissolved back into a smile.

“The Supreme Commander certainly knows how to joke. How could I bear to kill you?”

Juhe said: “I called for the Supreme Commander because I wished to ask whether he has a strategy to break the enemy.”

Ekema smiled: “The Sect Master’s joke truly gave me a fright… The Sect Master asks whether I have a strategy to break the enemy. My answer to the Sect Master: I do not.”

Juhe’s expression changed.

He looked sharply at Ekema, and before he could speak, Ekema smiled and said: “No matter who commands, there is no strategy that could break the enemy.”

“In terms of weapons and equipment, quality of soldiers, or disposition of forces, the Ning Army far surpasses us in every regard.”

“If the martial Warrior Prince Yang Jiju—Dachu’s god of war—came and was given the troops now in our hands, he still couldn’t win.”

“But it depends on how we define winning.”

Ekema continued: “My estimate is that the Ning Army will not remain here long. We have the natural defenses of Five Peaks Mountain. As long as we can hold for two months, the Ning Army will withdraw.”

At those words, Juhe’s eyes brightened.

When it came to the art of playing the messianic prophet, he was most skilled. When it came to commanding troops in battle, he knew he was no match for Ekema.

Ekema continued: “The Ning Army came without much provisions; from what I observed, they can sustain themselves for a month at most—I even said two months as a generous estimate. Once the Ning Army withdraws, what difference is there between that and winning?”

Juhe laughed loudly: “Truly worthy of my regard. Supreme Commander—if I give you command to repel the enemy, what else do you need?”

Ekema said: “I need troops. The forces the Sect Master brought must also come under my command. Unified command means coordinated deployment—orders issued and obeyed. If command is not unified, if those above and below are not of one mind, we cannot hold.”

Juhe’s brow creased.

Ekema said: “If the Sect Master is willing to place the troops under my command for one month, I guarantee the Sect Master’s safety.”

Juhe considered for a moment, then turned and gave the order: “Bring the military tallies to the Supreme Commander.”

His subordinates retrieved the command tallies and presented them with both hands to Ekema.

Ekema bowed deeply: “I thank the Sect Master for his trust. Give me one month. I will make the Ning Army unable to advance a single step. After one month, the Sect Master may take the tallies back, and I will continue holding the mountain with my own troops. Within two months, the Ning Army will withdraw.”

“Very well!”

Juhe declared loudly: “Victory or defeat—I entrust it all to the Supreme Commander.”

Ekema thought: *you’ve entrusted it to the right person.*

For the next five days, Ekema moved troops in the normal way, and nothing was amiss. Juhe’s anxiety eased somewhat.

On the sixth day, while Juhe had gone further into the mountain, Ekema gave the order—he reassigned all of Juhe’s troops to the outer perimeter, and drew his own troops in close around himself.

When Juhe returned from the mountain, he found the camp inside and out filled with nothing but Ekema’s soldiers.

Juhe knew things had gone badly. He and his men turned to leave immediately.

But ambushing soldiers had them surrounded. He led his men in a desperate fighting attempt to break out—and failed to escape. He turned toward the deeper mountains in an attempt to flee.

Within half a day, the bulk of Juhe’s personal guard had been killed, and Juhe himself—struck by four arrows—was taken alive.

Down at the mountain’s base.

Ekema led a cavalry detachment out of the mountain and halted outside the Ning Army’s camp.

He called out at the top of his voice, requesting that the King Ning come out to meet with him.

Upon hearing this, Li Chi immediately came out of the camp, only to find Ekema with just a few dozen men, halted roughly a hundred zhang from the camp gates.

Ekema called out loudly toward Li Chi: “I ask King Ning to forgive the offense—I’m afraid I cannot bow to King Ning.”

With a gesture of his hand, his men shoved the bound Juhe off his horse.

“I have heard that the King Ning has an old grievance with this man. This man is called Juhe—a remnant of the former Eastern Ridge Way.”

Ekema’s voice rang out and carried far.

“Years ago, this man provoked the King Ning and was fortunate to escape. Even after that, he attempted to act against the King Ning.”

“Today I have captured this man on the King Ning’s behalf. I want to ask the King Ning—can I use this man’s life to buy my own?”

Li Chi only looked on—without responding.

Seeing Li Chi say nothing, Ekema grew anxious.

“King Ning!”

He continued shouting: “I truly did kill two people I shouldn’t have killed. But they were unremarkable small figures with no great significance. Relatively speaking, those two lives should be worth considerably less than this Juhe.”

“I use Juhe’s life to offset those two lives—is that not enough?”

Ekema said: “As long as King Ning is willing to let me go this once, I promise that from this day forward I will never oppose King Ning again!”

Li Chi pointed at Juhe: “You doing this—do you know what I’m thinking?”

Ekema asked: “Please, King Ning, enlighten me!”

Li Chi said: “The way you’ve done this has taken away some of my enjoyment. It would be better if you took him back with you, had his wounds treated, and let me catch him myself a second time. That way you’d be giving the enjoyment back to me, and I would be considerably more satisfied.”

He turned and walked back into camp.

Ekema’s expression collapsed. He shouted: “Does King Ning truly believe it’s worth continuing this campaign—expending Ning Army lives—over two people of no consequence? It’s not worth it!”

Li Chi didn’t even turn around. As he walked, he said to the Ning Army soldiers at the camp gates: “You tell him whether it’s worth it or not.”

The Ning Army outside the gate called out in unison.

“Once a comrade, through life and death alike!”

That same day, the Ning Army attacked the mountain.

Ekema ordered them to hold to the death. As long as they lasted a month, the Ning Army would withdraw.

One day later, the Ning Army broke through the mountain.

Ekema fled from the rear of the mountain, escaping alone. Half his troops were killed; the other half were captured and then killed.

Li Chi issued the order: execute all rebel soldiers in the deep mountains. Leave none.

Upon emerging from the mountain, the public announcement was that the rebel soldiers had fled in defeat.

One month later, Cheng Wujie left without a word of farewell.

For half a year, there was no trace of him.

—