Three days later, a carriage arrived outside Jinzhou City after crossing mountains and valleys, escorted by several hundred elite Qingfeng soldiers.

Countless Wandering Phoenix banners fluttered above the Qingfeng Army’s encampment. When Fang Shi stepped down from the carriage with a steadying hand, she stared at the sky for a long while, transfixed.

“…What are you looking at?” The young general in blue who had escorted her here on horseback studied her with a scrutinizing gaze. Fang Shi came back to her senses, shook her head, and said nothing.

She only felt that today’s light was unusually bright — bright enough that even she, half-blind as she was, could faintly make out the patterns on the banners.

The sound of urgent footsteps came from within the encampment, and Li Wu emerged with a group of officers, striding quickly. “Li Que’er!”

Hearing that voice — unfamiliar, yet somehow deeply familiar — Fang Shi’s heart gave a sharp tremor, and her body instinctively tensed.

“Big Brother!”

Li Que, who had maintained a stern expression throughout the journey, broke into a smile and rushed forward in great bounding strides toward Li Wu. The two brothers, reunited after a long separation, threw their arms around each other the moment they met.

Li Wu clapped Li Que firmly on the back, expressing his joy at their reunion in his own particular way.

“The messenger said you wouldn’t arrive until noon — had I known you’d come this fast, I would’ve been out here waiting ages ago!” “Cough… cough cough…” Li Que coughed while bearing his elder brother’s affection with a smile. “I couldn’t wait anymore for that last stretch of the road, so I had the others follow behind while we rode ahead on fast horses.”

Li Wu said, “You’ve come at just the right time — you’ll make it for the noon meal. What do you want to eat? I’ll find a way to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall if that’s what you want!”

“Buddha Jumps Over the Wall won’t be necessary. I’ve been missing the plain noodles Big Brother makes…”

“Easy enough!” Li Wu said. “I’ll have someone start kneading the dough right now. There may not be much else in this army camp, but plain noodles we have in abundance!”

Li Wu had his arm around Li Que’s shoulder and was about to head back into the camp when his gaze fell upon Fang Shi, standing rigid to one side. The smile on his face paused for a moment, and then he said: “…Find a clean tent to properly accommodate Fang Shi, and assign two sharp, sensible women to attend to her.”

“Yes, sir.” Someone immediately accepted Li Wu’s instruction.

Li Wu’s gaze settled on Fang Shi, and a flash of complicated feeling crossed his eyes.

He said: “…You don’t need to worry while you’re here. No one will mistreat you. I may not have read many books, but I’m not about to make things difficult for a blind and frail woman.”

Fang Shi’s heart ached. She instinctively opened her mouth, wanting to say something — but Li Wu had already hooked his arm around the young blue-clad general’s shoulder and was striding forward.

“Madam, this way, please.”

Fang Shi looked once more at Li Wu’s blurry, retreating figure, then lowered her head and followed the Qingfeng Army officer off in another direction.

“Big Brother…” Li Que studied Li Wu carefully — they hadn’t seen each other for a long time — and a trace of worry crept onto his face. “Your complexion doesn’t look well. What hour did you sleep last night?”

“Didn’t keep track. I noticed it was getting a little light outside, so I lay down and dozed for a bit.” Li Wu said.

“I know Big Brother is worried about Sister-in-law, but especially at a time like this, you need to take care of your own body. What if you fall ill?” Li Que’s face showed his concern.

They hadn’t seen each other for the better part of a year. Li Wu’s appearance hadn’t changed much, but he was clearly far more haggard than before — not just his unkempt beard, but the dark circles hanging beneath his eyes, the look of a man weighed down by deep worry and heavy thought.

Except for the smile he had shown at the moment of reunion, he had kept his brow furrowed ever since.

“What’s more —” Li Que patted Li Wu on the back and laughed with a forced casualness, “the three of us brothers are finally all together again. There’s an old saying: when brothers are of one heart, their sharpness can cut through gold. It’s already tough enough for Fu Xuanmiao going up against Big Brother alone — with all three of us brothers joining the fight, won’t capturing him be as easy as reaching out and grabbing a stray dog?”

“Why would you need a golden staff to catch a dog?” Li Wu finally cracked a smile. “I’ve already worked out a great plan for catching this dog — I just need to wait a few more days…”

The smile faded from his face, and his expression gradually grew grave.

“My only worry is… that my sister-in-law is suffering in there…”

Li Que offered comfort: “Worrying right now won’t do much good — it will only drain your own strength. Big Brother might as well think of it this way: Sister-in-law is clever and knows how to read a situation. She’ll find a way to take care of herself. And if Big Brother focuses on doing what he needs to do, he’ll be reunited with her all the sooner. I believe Sister-in-law, wherever she is, has been waiting for that day too.”

Li Que’s reassurance gave Li Wu some measure of comfort. Just as he said, worrying now would accomplish nothing — it was better to put all effort into what could actually be done.

He nodded and said: “…Now that you’re here, I feel steadier. The road must have been exhausting for you. Everything you need is in the tent — go freshen up first. I’ll come to your tent for the meal, and we can discuss future plans at the same time. Help me look things over and see if there are any gaps.”

“Alright —”

“I’ll go check on the kitchen and see what else I can add to the dishes.” Li Wu stopped at a fork in the path. “Oh, one more thing — I’ve sent Li Diao’er out on patrol. When he gets back, he’ll definitely come find you the moment he returns. You’d best watch out for his attacks from behind — lately he’s developed a habit of grabbing people from behind. Last time he nearly snapped my ribs.”

“Understood. Don’t worry, Big Brother.” Li Que laughed.

Li Wu went to the kitchen to check on things and personally prepared three bowls of plain noodles and several small dishes. When he carried the food box into Li Que’s tent, he walked in on Li Diao’er clutching Li Que and refusing to let go, Li Que’s face flushed red as he struggled but couldn’t break free.

Li Wu let out a sharp sound, and Li Diao’er reflexively released his grip.

Li Que hurriedly retreated to one side, bent over, and coughed vigorously.

“Big Brother! Big Brother!” Li Diao’er was so happy he nearly jumped up and down, his thick fingers pointing repeatedly at Li Que not far away. “Third Brother came! Third Brother came!”

“I know Third Brother came —” Li Wu set the food box on the table and lifted the lid to take out the small dishes and plain noodles. “Stop fooling around, everyone sit down and eat.”

Li Diao’er shot over in a single leap and was seated in an instant. Li Que strolled over unhurriedly. By the time he picked up his chopsticks from the table without any rush, Li Diao’er had already impatiently shoved a mouthful of plain noodles into his mouth.

“Careful —”

Before Li Wu had even finished speaking, Li Diao’er cried out: “Hot! Hot!”

He opened his mouth wide and frantically fanned the inside with both hands — hands as big as palm-leaf fans — his face a picture of aggrieved suffering as he stared at Li Wu. Li Wu shot him a sideways glance and said: “I’ll bet even after being burned a hundred times, you still won’t learn.”

Li Diao’er finally managed to swallow the noodles in his mouth. He stared at the dishes on the table but didn’t immediately pick up his chopsticks. That face of his, usually so carefree and guileless, now wore a forlorn expression.

“What’s the matter? Can’t say anything to you now?” Li Wu raised an eyebrow. “Do you need a smack with a chopstick before you can eat?” “I’m not upset… I just… I was just thinking…” Li Diao’er looked at Li Wu with a pitiful expression, “If only Zhuzhu were here too…”

Li Diao’er’s words plunged the table into silence.

The composed expression Li Wu had only just managed to recover was once again swallowed by heaviness.

Seeing this, Li Que picked up a few strands of noodles, blew on them, and slowly placed them in his mouth, his voice deliberately bright: “Big Brother’s cooking is as exceptional as ever — even a bowl of plain noodles can be made so delicious. Truly, a brilliant person brings brilliance to every trade. If Big Brother had taken a fancy to being a chef back in the day, surely by now his restaurant would have branches all across Great Yan. The head chef of the Imperial Kitchen, upon seeing Big Brother’s culinary skill, would surely willingly bow his head in tribute —”

“All right, all right —”

Li Wu hastily cut off this stream of flattery that showed no sign of ending anytime soon.

“I don’t know how good the Imperial Kitchen’s head chef’s cooking is, but I would be wasting my talents as a cook…” Li Wu straightened up proudly. “At the very least, I ought to be a poet.”

Li Que immediately applauded vigorously.

The three brothers chatted for a while, exchanging news of how things had been, and then the conversation shifted toward the serious business of a military council.

Li Wu laid out his plan to Li Que step by step, while Li Que drew on his own experience to fill in gaps and shore up weaknesses from time to time. Without realizing it, the tea on the table had gone cold, and the light filtering in through the tent had gradually dimmed.

After Li Diao’er let out his umpteenth enormous yawn, Li Wu stood up and said: “…Let’s stop here for today. Get to sleep early tonight. Tomorrow morning I’ll take you around to see the surrounding area.”

“Alright, Big Brother should rest early too.” Li Que stood up.

“Sleep with me, Third Brother, lying next to you I want to…” Li Diao’er, who had been apart from Li Que for so long, had uncharacteristically become a clinging nuisance. Li Wu said: “You two brothers catch up. I’ll take my leave first.”

Without waiting for Li Que to figure out how to send Li Diao’er away, Li Wu lifted the tent flap and walked out.

He stood at the entrance thinking for a moment, listening to the noise of roughhousing from inside the tent behind him, and then after a short while, he set off in the direction of the tent where Fang Shi had been housed.

A small lamp was lit inside Fang Shi’s tent. Two female military officers stood off to the side, listless with boredom. Fang Shi sat at the table, staring in a daze at the flickering flame.

When Li Wu entered, the two female officers gave a salute and withdrew from the tent.

“Do you know why I’ve brought you here?” Li Wu asked.

“…If you mean to use me to threaten him, then you’ve miscalculated.” Fang Shi’s voice was low and hoarse. “I am not as important to him as you suppose.”

“I already know — while Li Que was in the Prime Minister’s residence, it was you who helped him escape.” Li Wu sat down across from her and raised his hand to pour himself a cup of tea. “Why?”

Fang Shi was silent for a moment, then said: “A debt of blood must be repaid in blood. It is only right and proper.”

“Then the debt of blood in Fu Xuanmiao’s hands — should that not also be repaid in blood?”

Fang Shi said nothing, her expression one of suppressed pain.

“How did you lose your sight?” Li Wu changed the subject.

By any surface measure of their relationship, this was far too personal a topic for them to be discussing.

But both people in this conversation understood perfectly well, and by unspoken agreement, they chose to disregard the incongruity.

“After someone who grew up alongside me died, I wept from grief until my eyes gradually failed.”

“Who was he?”

“A stable hand in the household.” Li Wu did not press further, but Fang Shi gave more of an answer than was asked. “…He was a man who was rough on the outside but attentive within, who acted freely but never lost his kindness. He had a loud voice, but in front of the people he cared about, he always spoke gently, afraid of startling them. He never read a single book in his life and only knew how to write my name. He seemed careless and rough-hewn, but was in fact delicate in his thoughts — he often considered things more thoroughly and carefully than I did.”

Li Wu listened in silence.

Fang Shi maintained the composure on her face, but her voice gradually began to carry a faint tremble.

“He had a rare gift for taming horses — he was a well-known horse tamer for miles around — and he was also remarkably skilled with his hands, able to turn rotting wood into all manner of lifelike little carvings. He once gave me a small figure he had carved in my likeness. After I went blind… I could never find it again. I lost it…”

Fang Shi stopped, drawing several deep breaths in an effort to steady her ragged breathing.

The tent was utterly still and silent.

Before Li Wu’s eyes there arose a hazy figure — a man slouched on a carriage with casual ease, laughing and calling out greetings to familiar passersby on the road.

After a long pause, he said: “If your eyes went bad from weeping afterward, they should be able to be healed. I’ll have a physician come and take a look tomorrow.”

“There’s no need.” Fang Shi collected herself and calmly declined Li Wu’s suggestion. “…Speak, then. You went to such lengths to bring me here — what is it you want me to do?”

“Then answer the question I asked before,” Li Wu said, looking directly into her dim, lightless eyes. “A debt of blood must be repaid in blood — it is only right and proper. And what if the one who has incurred all manner of blood debts… is Fu Xuanmiao?”