The Jishan people were few in number. Their living environment was exceptionally harsh, which meant every man of this people possessed a nimble body and a keen, alert awareness.

The jungles of Guichuan were unlike the northern forests. Li Chi had heard something of them when he traveled the jianghu with his shifu.

By all accounts, the jungles there were home to pythons as thick as a barrel, capable of swallowing tigers and leopards whole. There were unknown venomous insects that seemed tiny yet, when they swarmed, could strip a running beast down to white bone.

People who had survived in such an environment carried in their very bones a ferocity — and a resilience.

The Chu dynasty had, from early on, regarded these border minorities with wariness. In the court’s view, the minority peoples lacked civilization, were wild and untamed, and did not observe the law. Beyond the necessary trade for essential goods, few had any desire to deal with them.

Over time, tensions and antagonism grew ever more acute — especially in the southern frontier of Yuezhou, where the minority peoples were particularly formidable. Officials posted there rarely managed to stay long before resigning.

After the Chu chaos, there was no one left to govern them, and the southern frontier fell into even greater disorder.

The great bandit Li Xionghu, who rose from Yuezhou, understood well the ferocity of the Jishan people and sent troops to subdue them. He forcibly conscripted at least four or five thousand Jishan men, and this force proved enormously useful in his conquest of Yuezhou. But once he moved beyond Yuezhou, especially after entering the Jingzhou region, the terrain was nothing like Yuezhou’s.

The Jishan warriors, fighting alongside regular soldiers in pitched battle, suffered devastating losses.

Later, the survivors were absorbed into the imperial army in various ways. But Chu’s officers and commanders saw them as oddities — marginalizing and suppressing them — and these people’s lives grew even harder.

Now, standing on the drill ground, every one of them was bewildered. They didn’t know what awaited them.

They wore Ning army uniforms and had the same treatment as Ning army soldiers — a fairness so unprecedented that many of them felt uneasy, feeling that none of this was real.

A thousand men assembled on the ground, waiting for Grand General Tang Pidi to speak, while murmuring among themselves and guessing why they had been gathered separately.

Then Grand General Tang Pidi mounted the high platform, and they fell silent.

Through years of warfare, they had learned how to adapt. From their early unbridled defiance to the discipline they showed now — all of it was wisdom paid for with life and death.

They were formidable fighters and naturally combative, but they knew they were too few. Every man among them understood they could not overcome an enemy of superior numbers.

“I’d like to ask for your help with something.”

The moment Grand General Tang Pidi opened with those words, every soldier’s unease sharpened — some already felt an ominous premonition.

What kind of Grand General would speak to them this politely?

“Before long, I will lead an army against Shuzhou. But Shuzhou’s terrain is full of mountains and dense jungle, and soldiers from the central plains are not skilled at fighting in such wild country.”

Hearing this, most of the soldiers had already guessed: he wants us as the vanguard.

By this point, none of them would resist anymore. Give us pay, give us enough to eat — we’ll go.

“So what I hope is this.”

Tang Pidi swept his gaze across all of them and said: “Will you teach the other soldiers — how to survive and fight in mountain and jungle?”

He raised his voice: “From this day forward, every one of you holds the rank of shízhǎng (squad leader). Each of you is responsible for personally training ten soldiers.”

“Every man will receive double pay each month. I hope that together, within half a year, we can train an army capable of fighting without equal in the wilds.”

Tang Pidi clasped his hands in salute: “I am counting on all of you.”

When these words were done, the Jishan soldiers were all stunned. Then — no one could tell who shouted first — Willing to serve the Grand General! — and the cry spread until it became a great roar.

When the cheering died down, Tang Pidi called out: “You are all squad leaders now. Upholding the Ning army’s discipline, its regulations, protecting the Ning army’s name — these are your responsibilities too.”

“All of you remember: in the Ning army, those who perform well will be rewarded; those who break the rules will be punished.”

He called out loudly: “Have you heard!”

“Hu!”

The Jishan soldiers answered in the Ning army’s fashion, loudly and together.

After Tang Pidi descended from the platform and walked toward Li Chi, Li Chi raised his thumb at him.

On the way back to the command tent, Li Chi said: “When you get home, tell your wife to stop thinking about resigning. She’s sent seven letters of resignation in the past month. Can you manage her or not?”

Tang Pidi smiled: “The decision was hers. I can’t talk her out of it.”

Li Chi said: “Then go home and tell her — there’s only one condition under which I’ll accept her resignation.”

Tang Pidi asked: “What condition?”

Li Chi looked sideways into Tang Pidi’s eyes and said: “You stay home and rest. She comes to command the Shuzhou campaign.”

Tang Pidi laughed: “If she came, she wouldn’t lose.”

Li Chi said: “Then add one more condition: you stay home and have the child.”

Tang Pidi: “This is…”

Inside the command tent, Li Chi sat down and accepted the tea a soldier handed him.

“Two Grand Generals get married, and then one immediately wants to resign. What are people supposed to think of me?”

Li Chi glared at Tang Pidi: “Yesterday, Gao Xining asked me — the Lady Grand General has submitted seven resignations in a row. What’s going on? Has our household run short of money, can’t we afford to pay two Grand Generals?”

A burst of laughter broke out in the tent.

Li Chi said: “The two of you doing this — you’re putting me in a scandalous position, making people think I’ve gone broke.”

Tang Pidi said: “You could just double my pay. That would immediately dispel the rumors.”

Li Chi said: “The rumor came from Gao Xining. If I double your pay, she’ll dispel me.”

Tang Pidi shook his head, still laughing: “Your servant will remember. I’ll go home and tell that woman of mine — no more letters.”

Li Chi said: “A man and a great one at that — can’t even manage his own wife. What kind of example is that?”

Yu Jiuling sat at Li Chi’s side and murmured in the lowest possible voice: “An example of you.”

Li Chi turned to look at Yu Jiuling, who immediately said at full volume: “The lord is absolutely right. Old Tang, you’re a big man — big men make the big decisions. Learn from me.”

Li Chi said: “What Old Tang just said actually isn’t out of the question. Let’s give him an extra share of pay — your share, Nine’er.”

Yu Jiuling: “Ai… Words bring disaster, words bring disaster…”

After a moment of banter, Tang Pidi looked at Li Chi: “I still need to borrow someone.”

Li Chi asked: “Who?”

Tang Pidi said: “The one we just saw — Fang Biechen.”

Li Chi said: “Yan Xiansheng made him a promise — if he doesn’t want to stay, he won’t be kept. If you want to use him, talk to him yourself.”

Tang Pidi smiled: “Of course I’ll talk to him myself. After all, it was I who picked him out.”

Li Chi asked: “What do you want him for?”

Tang Pidi said: “I’ll tell you once it’s done.”

Li Chi looked at Yu Jiuling: “He shows me this kind of disrespect. What do you think should be done?”

Yu Jiuling said: “Dock his pay. Give it to me.”

Li Chi nodded: “Fine. The pay I just said I’d give to him — count that as your reward.”

Yu Jiuling: “It was clearly my own money to begin with. Three sentences around the circle, and somehow it comes back as a reward…”

—

Not long after, on the drill ground.

After Tang Pidi had witnessed Fang Biechen’s martial skill and assessed him in several other respects, he was greatly satisfied.

“The lord said that to keep you in the army requires your own agreement — so even though I’m the Grand General, I still need to ask whether you’re willing.”

Tang Pidi and Fang Biechen walked and talked: “For this Shuzhou campaign, having your help could prevent enormous casualties…”

Before he could finish, Fang Biechen had already nodded. “The Grand General need only give the order.”

Tang Pidi said: “As you just saw, I’m using the Jishan warriors to train a new unit — for now called the Langyi Camp (Wolf-Ape Camp). I’ll appoint someone as its main commander. You will serve as deputy commander.”

Fang Biechen was startled.

Something this important — and the Grand General was entrusting it to him so casually? He had only just come over, and the significance of the Langyi Camp went without saying.

“No need to overthink it.”

Tang Pidi said: “Those whom the lord trusts, I trust fully. If you’re willing to stay, you can take up the post in the Langyi Camp tomorrow.”

Fang Biechen gave a firm nod: “I obey the Grand General’s command!”

—

The next morning, far away — thousands of li distant — atop Mount Tai.

Sitting at the mountain’s highest peak, watching the sun rise in the east once more and climb slowly above the clouds, Li Xiansheng could not help but let out a long, long breath.

He had seen this Mount Tai sunrise so many times and never tired of it. Every time it brought a tremendous sense of awe, and changed the landscape of the heart.

He glanced sideways toward where, not far off, Fang Zhuhou was practicing his cultivation — looking every bit like an immortal half-hidden in the lofty mist, carrying a spirit of magnificent bearing.

As if sensing Li Xiansheng’s gaze, Fang Zhuhou stopped, picked up the towel at his side, and wiped away his sweat.

“Can you admit now that I was right?”

Fang Zhuhou walked toward Li Xiansheng, asking as he came.

Li Xiansheng sighed: “If I admit it — will you mock me?”

Fang Zhuhou said: “Of course I won’t mock you. I’ll only mock them.”

Who could have imagined those people would use such a clumsy ruse — and then simply vanish?

They had never come at all. From the day Li Xiansheng arrived at Mount Tai, through all the time that had passed since, not a single shadow had appeared.

“I overestimated them…”

Li Xiansheng let out a heavy breath.

Fang Zhuhou had predicted from the start that they had deliberately lured Li Xiansheng to Mount Tai so they could slip away in the meantime.

But as someone who came from the same place as those people, Li Xiansheng had felt they would retain some measure of pride.

Reality proved he had truly overestimated them. Heaven only knew which direction those few had fled.

Fang Zhuhou sat down beside Li Xiansheng and asked: “If you were them — where would you run?”

Li Xiansheng sighed: “Do you think I’d have any understanding of hiding and fleeing?”

Hearing those words, Fang Zhuhou’s eyes narrowed slightly. He said nothing, but Li Xiansheng felt himself doubted.

“I once traveled to the Western Regions.”

Li Xiansheng said: “I wanted to find a place far from the Central Plains where I could live quietly on my own… If they’ve truly given up, they would go somewhere even more remote than where I went.”

Fang Zhuhou raised his finger and pointed east: “Beyond the great sea?”

Li Xiansheng: “There’s sea to the south as well.”

Fang Zhuhou: “…”

After a long silence, Li Xiansheng said: “Go back. Tell the Prince of Ning I likely won’t be returning to the Central Plains for a very, very long time.”

Fang Zhuhou asked: “You still want to search for them?”

Li Xiansheng nodded: “I do… Whether I find them or not, I won’t be coming back to the Central Plains.”

He stood, stretched: “I’ll go make trouble for other places. Have you ever experienced exotic lands and customs?”

Fang Zhuhou: “…”

Li Xiansheng smiled: “I’m setting out on a long journey — making mischief wherever the road takes me. When you go back, tell the Prince of Ning for me: I’m going out to see how vast this world truly is.”

He looked at Fang Zhuhou: “Before I leave — is there anything you want to say?”

Fang Zhuhou was quiet for a long while, then asked with great seriousness: “Are exotic lands fun?”

—