The contest for the position of young master of Pingshan Stronghold had finally been settled after three years.

The stronghold was split between joy and sorrow.

The winners and their hangers-on who had risen with them were drinking and making merry, while the losers raged furiously in their own territories, venting their anger on whoever happened to be nearby.

That night was destined to be one of upheaval and turmoil.

Yet at the very center where the storm had first been stirred, even the air now seemed to stand still.

Xiao Hu knelt in the middle of the courtyard, facing the tightly shut door of the stronghold master’s bedchamber, her shadow lying motionless across the ground.

The corridor was empty. The place that had been so lively just a short while ago had rapidly emptied of all life once the young master was chosen, and now it felt even quieter than it had at the very beginning.

No one knew how much time had passed — long enough for the moon to begin to dim and the faintest pale light to spread along the horizon — before the bedchamber door was finally opened from within.

A sharp-witted young attendant of eleven or twelve years came briskly out and said to the kneeling Xiao Hu, “Third Young Master, the Stronghold Master summons you inside.”

Xiao Hu had been kneeling for too long. When she rose, she stumbled. The young attendant moved to help steady her, but she waved him off with one hand.

She walked into the bedchamber with a pronounced limp.

The young attendant followed a few steps behind her, then stopped outside the bedchamber door and pulled it shut to ensure the private conversation within would not be disturbed.

Inside the room, Xiao Hu knelt down once more.

Only this time she was not kneeling before a door, but before a living person.

The stronghold master, gray at both temples and visibly ill, was half-reclining on the bed, watching Xiao Hu with cold, indifferent eyes.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

“I refuse to accept this.”

“Why do you refuse to accept it?”

“It was I who found that person, and I who led them back to the foot of Pingshan Stronghold. If my two elder brothers hadn’t stolen the people and forces that were rightfully mine, I would have been the one to capture them at the official post station.” Xiao Hu said, “The seat of young master should have been mine.”

The stronghold master’s expression did not shift. “Nothing in this world is inherently yours by right.”

After a long silence, Xiao Hu spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Father is right. Nothing is inherently mine by right. Some things… no matter how hard I try, will never be mine.”

“To earn Father’s favor, whether in the dead of winter or under a scorching sun, even through torrential downpours — there has not been a single day I neglected my martial training. On every outing and expedition, I never fell behind. Dirty work, exhausting work — anything that served the stronghold, I was willing to do.”

“And yet Father has never once praised me… not even once.”

“No matter what my two elder brothers do, they always manage to please Father. Why is it that no matter what I do, Father never spares me even a second glance? Sometimes I even begin to wonder myself — perhaps what they say about me is true, that I was born of Mother and some other man, that I am a bastard child, and that is why Father — “

“Your mother never wronged me.” A faint crack finally appeared in the stronghold master’s cold and detached expression.

Xiao Hu pressed the advantage. “Then why doesn’t Father like me?”

The stronghold master fell silent. Xiao Hu studied him for a long moment, then continued, “All these years, and I still don’t understand — is it that Father doesn’t like me, or that Father doesn’t like my mother? If Father liked me, how could he have ignored me without a word for so many years? If Father liked my mother, how could he have allowed her to wither away in sorrow and grief? If Father doesn’t like me, how did a motherless young child survive to grow up safely inside a den of outlaws? And if Father didn’t like my mother, then why go to such lengths to bring her away from Dinghai Stronghold in marriage?”

“You ask too many questions —” The stronghold master’s expression darkened.

Xiao Hu said, “It is because Father never answers my questions that they have accumulated so many.”

The stronghold master’s face remained cold. He said slowly, “Go back and pack your things, then draw some money from the treasury. In two days’ time, leave the stronghold.”

“Father wants to drive me away?!” Xiao Hu’s expression changed drastically.

“The young master has already been chosen. Even without Da Hu, the one who rises after him will be Er Hu. No matter what, it will not be you. If you stay, are you waiting here to be made an example of?”

“If Father truly had my wellbeing at heart, he would have chosen me as young master! My elder brothers have no ability — sooner or later they will lead this stronghold to ruin!”

“It is precisely because I truly have your wellbeing at heart that I am telling you to leave this place as soon as possible!” The stronghold master suddenly flared with anger, glaring at Xiao Hu. “Da Hu and Er Hu may lack ability, but at least they are true men — have you already forgotten your own true identity?!”

Xiao Hu froze. The stronghold master’s words were like a silver needle, puncturing all of her composure.

A guilty chill crept in through the breach.

Her mouth went dry. She said hoarsely, “…What is Father saying?”

“Did you think that without my covering for you, you could have concealed this for so many years within the stronghold?” the stronghold master said furiously. “You and your mother are alike — both believing that your own abilities alone are enough to let you live as men do. Naive in the extreme!”

Xiao Hu was stunned. She stared blankly and said, “You… Father has known all along?”

“A woman, instead of diligently cultivating virtue, appearance, and needlework, insists on competing with men on equal footing! And you still want me to praise you?!”

Speaking with such vehemence caused him to choke and cough violently, an abnormal flush of color rising on that pale face.

“You and your mother — cut from the exact same cloth!”

“Father…” Xiao Hu was struck speechless.

The stronghold master drew several labored breaths, then said, “Do you still remember the heart-guard shield I gave you when you were thirteen?”

“I remember…”

“Hidden inside the shield are two banknotes worth ten thousand taels each. Take them… and go quickly. Do not come back.” When the stronghold master spoke, there was a rasping wheeze in his voice, as though every word cost him the last of his strength. “I… I won’t last through this year. Before I go, you… go as far away as you can. Find a husband… have children… do not be an outlaw any longer…”

“Father!” Xiao Hu cried out, tears in her eyes.

“Get out!” A thunderous roar from the stronghold master cut off Xiao Hu’s voice. He glared at her furiously. “Do not come back!”

“Aside from the stronghold, where else can I go?”

Xiao Hu’s face was filled with pleading, but the stronghold master would not look at her.

“Caitou!” The stronghold master called out, and the young attendant from before immediately came running inside.

“Stronghold Master!”

“See her out. I am tired.” The stronghold master said impatiently.

The young attendant turned to look at Xiao Hu, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said with an apologetic expression, “Third Young Master, please —”

Xiao Hu did not move. But the stronghold master did not look at her again.

She had no choice but to rise and leave.

The door shut mercilessly before her. The last look the stronghold master gave her was the side of his face, restored to its familiar coldness.

For fifteen years, he had faced her with that same cold expression, without fail.

Now she understood why, no matter how hard she tried, Father would never hand the stronghold to her.

He had always known she was a girl — but why had he never exposed her?

Xiao Hu stood blankly outside the door, as though she had forgotten how to lift her feet and walk away.

She did not know how much time had passed before a low sigh drifted out from within.

“She never wronged me… she simply did not love me.”

His voice was so faint and distant that after it faded, one might almost doubt whether it had been real at all, or merely a thing imagined.

That same night, the stronghold master slipped into a deep coma. Several physicians brought up from the mountain below trembled as they declared he would not survive three days.

Before the celebration of the chosen young master could even take place, Pingshan Stronghold was already on the verge of mourning.

Da Hu had only been young master for a single night and was already on the verge of becoming the master — and no matter how many times he tried to conceal it, that gleam of satisfaction in his eyes could not be hidden.

In order to demonstrate the magnanimity of one newly risen to authority and to pacify those beneath him who had backed the wrong side, he even exercised the stronghold master’s powers ahead of time, releasing a batch of captives from Dinghai Stronghold. These people, missing arms and legs, might return to Dinghai, but they were no longer a threat.

Er Hu could never have imagined that before he could even work in secret to turn things around, the father who held the power to designate his heir would already be on the brink of death. Now he had to either tuck his tail between his legs and remain permanently beneath Da Hu, or do as the old stronghold master of Dinghai once did — break away and establish his own base, or simply stage a revolt against his brother.

Even if he had no desire to revolt — once Da Hu took power, would he really tolerate having him alive and active nearby?

Everyone could see clearly that after the stronghold master’s death, Pingshan Stronghold would inevitably fall apart.

Undercurrents churned through the stronghold, yet on the surface, Da Hu and Er Hu — who regarded each other as thorns in their sides — put on a show of fraternal harmony. Xiao Hu watched with cold eyes as her two brothers wept together at their father’s bedside.

The stronghold master had been ill for some time, and all that was needed for a funeral was already fully prepared within the stronghold. The moment he passed, a mourning hall could be erected immediately.

In order to claim sole possession of the reputation for filial piety, on the second night after the stronghold master fell into a coma, Da Hu drove the others away from his bedside.

Er Hu couldn’t even wait until he was out of the main courtyard’s corridor before he began to curse and mutter. Xiao Hu pretended not to hear and took a different path.

With the stronghold about to change leadership, morale was unsettled, and the guards everywhere were more lax than usual. Xiao Hu climbed a wall and up onto the rooftops, moving in complete silence toward the southern courtyard where three people were confined.

A stone struck the wound on her back and caused her to veer off course, and she fell before she could even reach the rooftop above Shen Zhuxi’s courtyard.

Xiao Hu twisted in midair, landing arm-first to protect the repeatedly aggravated injury on her back.

“Middle of the night — come to set off fireworks again?” A cold voice came from above.

The moment Xiao Hu looked up, a sharpened wooden stake was pressed against her throat.

From the neighboring courtyard came the sound of a door being pushed open, followed by Shen Zhuxi’s slightly anxious question.

“Qu’er, what was that sound just now?”

Xiao Hu was about to speak, but the pointed end of the stake pressed into her skin, and Li Que silently warned her with a look: if she didn’t want blood spilled, she would keep quiet.

“Sister-in-law, it’s nothing. There was a monkey on my roof — I shot it down with a slingshot.” Li Que’s expression was ice-cold, but the voice he spoke with was as gentle as a spring breeze.

Xiao Hu smiled with contempt.

“A monkey?” Shen Zhuxi, in the neighboring courtyard, was thoroughly bewildered. “Would there really be monkeys here?”

Li Que kept his eyes on Xiao Hu and said with a cold smile, “We’re up on a mountain — not only are there monkeys, they’re quite unruly ones. Cursing, hitting people, stealing things — there’s nothing they won’t do. Sister-in-law, you’d best be careful inside your room too, so you don’t fall victim to one.”

Xiao Hu slowly mouthed the words: “I wasn’t on your roof.”

Li Que mouthed back in kind: “Then why did you fall down onto my roof?”

Xiao Hu drove her foot toward his vulnerable point. Li Que had already anticipated it, and the two injured people began trading blows with each other once again.

Two wounded combatants, neither able to gain the upper hand over the other — aside from the continuous thumping sounds, the situation remained completely unchanged.

“Qu’er, what on earth are you doing over there?” Shen Zhuxi’s worried voice came from beside the wall. Li Que could easily picture her standing there, face full of concern, gazing up helplessly at a courtyard wall that towered well above her head.

“Sister-in-law, I’m fine —”

“What’s going on? Why are you still talking?” The courtyard gate began to pound and rattle as the guards banged on the door in warning, snapping at them. “Everyone get back inside your rooms!”

Taking advantage of a momentary lapse in Li Que’s guard, Xiao Hu rolled across the ground and finally broke free.

“The stronghold master won’t last three days.”

Before Li Que could move against her again, Xiao Hu said in one breath:

“Tomorrow I will find a way to get you out of the stronghold.”

Without waiting for Li Que to respond, Xiao Hu planted a foot on the gnarled tree in the courtyard and nimbly scaled the courtyard wall — truly just like an agile little monkey.

With a thud, she landed on the other side.

“Who goes there?!” called the guard at the gate.

Xiao Hu called out loudly, “It’s your Third Master coming to make his rounds — keep a close eye on those three. If any of them escape, you’ll answer for it!”

“Yes… yes… this one will watch them well.” The guard said with an obsequious smile.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and the outside of the courtyard fell silent once more.

Li Que was about to go back inside when a “Qu’er” called out in a hushed breath made him stop.

He turned around to see Shen Zhuxi half-dangling from the top of the wall, waving at him with great effort.

“…Sister-in-law, what are you doing?” Li Que lowered his voice and walked quickly to the base of the wall. “How did you climb up there?”

“I… I stepped along the wall to get up — I can’t hold on much longer —” Shen Zhuxi’s chin was propped on top of the wall, and her face was being squished into a round shape by the pull of her body’s weight. Combined with her naturally round almond-shaped eyes, she suddenly looked several years younger.

“Who were you just talking to?” Shen Zhuxi said with difficulty, her voice strained. “I heard everything… something about a monkey — was that Xiao Hu who came?”

Li Que repeated to her what Xiao Hu had said, omitting, of course, the small interlude where they had come to blows again.

Shen Zhuxi had already learned about the stronghold’s selection of a young master by eavesdropping on conversations between the guards outside. Now, hearing that Xiao Hu intended to let them leave the stronghold, her expression grew complicated.

“…Do you trust her?” Shen Zhuxi looked at him.

“Last time, Sister-in-law listened to me. This time, let me listen to Sister-in-law.” Li Que looked up at her with a slight smile. “Does Sister-in-law still want to trust her this time?”

Shen Zhuxi hesitated for a long while.

A person’s sixth sense is utterly without reason. Sometimes she had no idea where the instinct in her heart came from — sometimes it was reasonable, and sometimes it seemed, in the eyes of the world, quite strange. For instance — many women envied her for being Fu Xuanmiao’s betrothed and standing at his side, yet every time she stood beside him, all she ever felt was a deep chill.

She had no rational reason to flee from him, yet every nerve in her body was screaming at her to get away from this man.

To this day she still didn’t know whether her sixth sense had been right or wrong.

And yet it was that same sixth sense that told her, after she had escaped the palace, that Li Wu was worth leaning on, that she ought to trust what Li Wu said.

After a long while, the uncertainty finally settled from Shen Zhuxi’s expression.

She said, “I trust her!”

“Good,” Li Que said with a smile. “Then I’ll trust her once as well.”

……

The moon was bright, the stars few.

The night wind at the mountain’s peak swept through the dense forest, and the sound of the wind rolled on like waves.

At the foot of Pingshan, in a large tree, Li Wu sat in the fork of the trunk in a casual, languid manner — one foot dangling in the air, the other propped against the bark.

Behind him on the trunk were four vertical notches, varying in length and thickness.

Li Wu gazed steadily at the faintly glimmering tip of the watchtower at the mountain’s peak, then spat out the wild grass he had been chewing with a sharp sound.

“What the hell —”

“Anyone who dares to hold my people captive had better not blame me for paying them a visit.”