As for spending money to ransom someone, Da Hu was entirely unwilling.

But if one asked whether he was willing to pay to have the matter disposed of permanently, Da Hu would need to think it over.

Paying a ransom — all effort, no reward.

Not paying — a de-rooted Er’hu returning to the stronghold would surely fight him to the bitter end.

Only paying double to cut the problem out at the root was the choice that truly served Da Hu’s personal interests.

The mastermind behind all this had long since calculated that he had only one path to take.

……So he had run into a fellow practitioner.

Da Hu quickly contacted the informant Pingshan Stronghold had planted inside Dinghai Stronghold, to find out whether this had anything to do with them. The answer that came back was a firm no — Dinghai Stronghold was still furious about having their bounty snatched by an interloper, and knew nothing of Pingshan Stronghold’s Er’hu being turned against his own side.

If it was not Dinghai Stronghold, then what petty villain had come to make trouble for a colleague?

Da Hu rallied his men and conducted a thorough search of every place he could think of — though of course, he did not neglect to quietly instruct his most trusted subordinates: if they found anyone, not a single person was to be left alive.

Nevertheless, they came back empty-handed.

“Young master… it’s nearly the hour of the Sheep.”

A small henchman entered the Assembly Hall and cautiously watched Da Hu’s expression from where he sat in the chair.

The tea in the open cup on the side table had long since gone cold. Da Hu sat with deeply furrowed brows, saying nothing, until at last he finally spoke:

“…Go to the treasury and draw out the funds.”

“Young master wants to pay the ransom?” The answer was so unexpected that the small henchman blurted it out.

“Of course I’ll pay it.” Da Hu said. “Er’hu may be foolish, but he is still my own flesh and blood. How could I watch and do nothing?”

“Young master is truly a man of honour and loyalty!” the small henchman quickly agreed.

“Go to the treasury and draw ten thousand silver taels. Put it in a wooden chest and have it ready for the exchange.”

“Ten thousand taels?” The small henchman was completely stunned.

Da Hu wore an expression of righteous conviction, his tone resolute. “Whether the amount is large or small is beside the point — all that matters to me is my brother’s safety!”

The small henchman was utterly overwhelmed by his display of virtue, and the moment he walked out of the Assembly Hall, he immediately shared the story of the young master’s “noble and righteous act” with the first henchman he encountered.

Word spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and by the time a wooden chest containing ten thousand silver taels had been placed outside the Assembly Hall gates, the rumour of Da Hu’s willingness to pay a great sum for his brother’s safe return — setting all grievances aside — had spread throughout the entire stronghold.

Everyone looked upon Da Hu with new eyes for his unexpected conduct. Was brotherhood and loyalty not the most prized virtue among those of the jianghu? If Da Hu could act with such loyalty even toward Er’hu, what was there to worry about following a man like him?

Throughout the stronghold, only one person heard the news and let out a cold laugh.

“Ten thousand taels? He’s prepared blood money, has he?”

Xiao Hu dismissed the small henchman who had come to report and took down the dagger hanging on the wall, tucking it safely against the inside of her trousers — in times of no danger it could gut a chicken, in times of danger it could save her life.

She left the side courtyard where she lived and walked directly toward the eastern gate where Li Que was being held under guard.

“Third young master —”

Upon reaching the eastern stronghold gate, a small henchman immediately came down from the watchtower to meet her.

Xiao Hu waved her hand. “Stand down. I have a few words to ask him.”

After the henchman stepped to one side, Xiao Hu pushed the wooden door open and walked in.

Li Que lay on a simple wooden bed near the window — the bed was not quite long enough, so his ankles dangled over the foot board. Hearing someone come up the stairs, he did not even open his eyes, and even when Xiao Hu came and stood before him, he did not stir.

Outside the window, the evening sun blazed like fire, and its orange afterglow burned across the deeply sunken expanse of scar tissue on his face.

The uneven, pitted scarring glowed a vivid, startling red in the dying light, as though filled with a pool of viscous fresh blood.

“…Had enough of staring?”

Li Que opened his eyes.

No matter how warm the evening sun, it could not warm those two ice-cold, bone-chilling eyes.

“The window is right in front of you,” Xiao Hu said. “Why haven’t you run?”

“If you want to fall to your death, I won’t stop you.” Li Que sat up from the bed and said coldly, “Say whatever you came to say.”

“Where has Er’hu gone?”

“How would I know?” Li Que spread both hands. “If you think he’s hidden in here, go ahead and search the place.”

“You think I’m a fool?” Xiao Hu narrowed her eyes and fixed them on his. “That fake monk is with your group. The moment he arrived, Er’hu disappeared. What exactly are you plotting?”

“You’re so clever — why not work it out yourself?” Li Que crossed his legs and observed her with unhurried indifference.

“I’m the one asking the questions right now.”

“And I’ve answered you — if you suspect something, search the place yourself.” Li Que curved the corner of his mouth into a smile with the air of someone who had nothing to lose. “But if you’re asking me — I know nothing.”

“…Then what do you know?”

“Only this —” Li Que looked her in the eyes. “A woman who disguises herself as a man inside a den of bandits — what do you imagine would happen to her if she were found out?”

“I am not a woman.” Xiao Hu said slowly, her previously relaxed spine gradually drawing itself into a rigid line.

“I’ve known more women than you’ve eaten mouthfuls of pork,” Li Que said with open contempt. “That line might deceive others. It won’t deceive me.”

“And why have you known more women than I’ve eaten mouthfuls of pork?” Xiao Hu said. “Were you raised in a nunnery?”

“……”

Li Que lay back down flat.

“Get lost.”

A long while passed without the sound of footsteps.

Li Que looked again at Xiao Hu, who was still standing right there without having moved. “What else do you want?”

“I’m thinking —” Xiao Hu slowly moved her gaze upward from his face. “Why you’ve been lying still guarding the bed without moving.”

Li Que sat up slowly, his back tensing into a taut arc just as Xiao Hu’s had.

“…What is there for a person under house arrest to do, besides sleep?”

He stared at Xiao Hu without blinking.

Xiao Hu swept her eyes over the bare rafters — seeing no one — and looked back at Li Que.

“Who is in here?”

“Are you talking in your sleep?” Li Que let out a cold laugh. “Aside from the two of us, who else is here?”

“Is that so? Then I must have been overthinking it.” Xiao Hu said at a measured pace, then abruptly shifted course at the very end. “…But was I really overthinking it?”

Just as Li Que had begun to relax his guard, Xiao Hu made a sudden dash for the window.

The change that swept over Li Que’s face confirmed her suspicion. She was almost certain that there had to be someone outside the window — if not Niuwang, then another one of their accomplices!

Li Que pulled a long, rusted iron nail from beneath his pillow and drove it toward the back of her neck. Xiao Hu drew the dagger concealed in her trousers and, with swift, sure hands, deflected the nail that had nearly found her jugular!

Xiao Hu kicked Li Que hard in the stomach, sent him staggering back, then swung her dagger out through the window!

No one.

On the dust-laden window frame, only ten fingerprints remained where two hands had gripped and pulled away.

This is bad!

Alarm bells rang furiously in Xiao Hu’s mind. She lurched backward to dodge, but it was already too late.

A sharp pain struck the back of her neck, and the world before her eyes went entirely dark.

Li Wu shifted to one side, letting Xiao Hu’s falling body miss him as she collapsed.

“I climbed in from the other side — didn’t see that coming, did you?” Li Wu announced with great satisfaction, and wiped his dusty hands thoroughly on Xiao Hu’s clean, neat brocade garment.

“Que’er —”

“What?”

“When a man’s luck is running, there really is no stopping it.” Li Wu remarked with a contented sigh.

……

Outside the stronghold gates, a great throng of people had gathered.

The wedding procession was crouching and standing in scattered groups, watching as another cluster of able-bodied men from within the stronghold formed up in a line at the gate, armed and ready to set out.

Da Hu watched as his small henchman finished counting out ten thousand silver taels and snapped the lid shut on the chest before him.

He had deliberately prepared heavy silver ingots — for the express purpose of tracking down the colleague’s lair once they arrived and wiping them out entirely. And, while he was at it, to send his troublesome brother to his grave.

But he had forgotten: when dealing with a fellow practitioner, they would never give him such an opportunity.

The hour of the Sheep had arrived, and Da Hu was still waiting for instructions on the exchange, when a grey pigeon beating its wings suddenly flew in from beyond the stronghold walls and landed atop the wooden chest filled with silver.

“Young master! Look at its leg!” a sharp-eyed henchman called out.

“Catch it!”

At Da Hu’s command, several small henchmen rushed forward.

The grey pigeon stood motionless on the chest and allowed itself to be caught without resistance — this was evidently a trained carrier pigeon.

A henchman presented the pigeon deferentially to Da Hu, who removed the message tube from its leg and drew out the slip of paper inside.

He unfolded the small slip of paper and took a single glance — his vision blurred with rage —

“Place the banknotes in the message tube and let the pigeon carry them back. The matter you are concerned about will then resolve itself naturally.”

Da Hu crushed the message in his fist.

“Young master…” the henchman did not dare act on his own judgment and watched Da Hu’s expression warily.

“Bring banknotes!” Da Hu said through gritted teeth.

Someone immediately ran to the treasury.

Before long, a banknote for ten thousand taels, honored at the Bai Family Silver House across the country, arrived.

Once the banknotes were tied to the dusty grey pigeon’s leg, it instantly became extraordinarily precious. The surrounding henchmen all stared longingly at the message tube on its leg, wishing it would grow feet of its own and run straight into their hands.

Under the watch of all eyes, Da Hu released his grip. The grey pigeon immediately spread its wings and flew off.

“Follow it!” he called out loudly.

Two small henchmen immediately spurred the fast horses that had been readied and gave chase.

The odds of successfully tracking a carrier pigeon were not high — but doing something was better than doing nothing.

If he ever found out who was bleeding him dry behind his back — he would personally tear that wretch apart, limb from limb!

“Young… young master…” A small henchman came stumbling over, holding up a scrap of brocade stained with blood. “This is bad…”

The all-too-familiar scene made Da Hu’s temples throb in rhythmic waves.

“Stop your panicking! What has happened?!” he roared.

“An-another strip of cloth has arrived…”

The henchman’s face was white as paper. Not daring to meet Da Hu’s eyes, he kept his head bowed as he handed over the cloth with trembling hands.

Da Hu very much wanted to turn his back and walk away. But with so many pairs of eyes on him, he had no choice but to take that cloth — which felt as heavy as a thousand stones — in his hands.

Da Hu looked down at it against his will, and the blood surged straight to his head, setting off a burst of golden sparks before his eyes.

“You insolent wretch, this is going too far —”

A roar of fury shook the air of Pingshan Stronghold, startling a tree full of sparrows from the gate into flight.

Da Hu stumbled, and the cloth fell from his hand to the ground. Someone hurried forward to steady him, while another, who had gotten a few years of schooling, nerved himself to glance down at what had been written on the cloth.

On it was a seven-character regulated poem:

“A Guide to Getting Rich, Part Two”

“Da Hu’s loyalty all the people praise, a living Bodhisattva, genuine and true.”

“Ransom Er’hu and Xiao Hu makes two, keeping scales balanced is what you do.”

“A full two-province discount — slashed in price: two for the cost of just one and eight.”

“But should you make me unhappy in the least, both brothers go home, the debt made straight.”