In truth, Li Diudiu hadn’t been able to fall asleep. He lay there tossing and turning, his mind churning through too many things.

Master had said it was a bit unwise to come up the mountain today. But if he hadn’t come, first, he might lose a friend who could be of great help to everyone in the future, and second, he couldn’t put his mind at ease about Zhuang Wudi.

Honestly, people always care more about those who are close to them. Yu Chaozong regarded Li Chi as his lifesaver, and yet the two didn’t actually know each other very well.

At this moment, what Li Diudiu cared about more was Zhuang Wudi. In the instant Yu Chaozong had come racing down the mountain, Li Diudiu had immediately sensed that Zhuang Wudi returning to Yanshan Camp might carry some danger.

“Jiuling, are you asleep?”

“No.”

Yu Jiuling heard Li Diudiu speak and immediately sat up: “I feel like tonight is going to be unquiet.”

Li Chi gave a sound of agreement: “First-in-Command acts too openly and straightforwardly — in cunning he can’t match that Second-in-Command. Now that the two of us have come up the mountain today, that Second-in-Command very likely will try to stir something up.”

Yu Jiuling asked: “What will he stir up?”

“I suspect he’ll move against Elder Brother Zhuang — but Elder Brother Zhuang hasn’t left his quarters.”

Li Diudiu rose, walked to the door, and looked out. In the courtyard, several soldiers of Yanshan Camp were on watch. Seeing Li Chi emerge, they all bowed in greeting. They were all Yu Chaozong’s trusted men, and since Yu Chaozong showed such deep respect for Li Chi — not the slightest condescension despite his young age — these trusted soldiers naturally regarded Li Chi with even greater respect.

“Where is Elder Brother Zhuang sleeping?”

Li Chi asked.

One of the soldiers answered: “Seventh-in-Command is staying with First-in-Command tonight and did not return to his own camp.”

Only then did Li Diudiu relax. He nodded: “Then it’s fine.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the door to the main room creaked open and Zhuang Wudi came out with his outer robe thrown over his shoulders, asking urgently: “What’s wrong?”

Li Chi shook his head: “Nothing. Just a restless feeling.”

Yu Chaozong also came out with his robe draped around him. After a moment of silence, he said: “It seems none of us can sleep tonight. Why not have a few more cups?”

He instructed his attendants: “Go get some food and drink.”

His men responded immediately and went to prepare. Yu Chaozong smiled: “Come to my room first — let’s keep talking for a while.”

Li Chi and Yu Jiuling exchanged a glance, then nodded simultaneously.

At that very moment, a clamor of noise suddenly rose from below the mountain. The lookouts posted at high points in Yu Chaozong’s camp blew their horns, and the horn blasts quickly jolted everyone in the entire stronghold awake. Soldiers grabbed their weapons and began rushing out.

“What’s happened?”

Zhuang Wudi looked up at the high points. Two scouts came sprinting down from above, gasping for breath.

“First-in-Command!”

One of the scouts said: “There are troop movements in the stronghold below — the number of torches suggests a considerable force!”

Zhuang Wudi said in anger: “Are they staging a rebellion?!”

Yu Chaozong called out loudly: “Order all camps to stand ready. No one fires an arrow, no one uses force without my command. When the chiefs from the other camps come up, I’ll hear what’s going on first.”

People in First-in-Command’s camp sprang into motion. Soldiers moved with swift efficiency to the top of the wooden walls, and archers began to form defensive lines.

Yu Jiuling was shaken enough, though Li Chi felt no particular alarm. He had surveyed Yu Chaozong’s camp position during the day — not the absolute best, slightly inferior to Second-in-Command’s camp, but still difficult to assault. Yu Chaozong’s forces under his direct command were not vast, only about ten thousand — but those were the ten thousand best fighters in all of Yanshan Camp. Attacking at night was disadvantageous, and the defenders held the high ground with the walls at their back. In the dark, the terrain also hampered the deployment of large numbers. Even if all sixty thousand rebels below had turned, storming this position would be no easy matter.

Besides, Li Diudiu felt that Second-in-Command Bi Datong might not truly dare to force a direct assault. If he had dared, why wait until today?

Whatever Bi Datong was doing tonight, half of it was likely aimed at Yu Chaozong, and half may have been aimed at Li Chi himself.

Li Chi thought: he had ruined someone’s plan to kill Yu Chaozong over a year ago, and on top of that Yu Chaozong had identified Li Chi as a man from the imperial side. These people had grounds to move.

But Li Chi couldn’t quite work out yet — what was Second-in-Command Bi Datong’s angle of attack? With Seventh-in-Command right here — if not Old Seven, then who?

Suddenly, something lit up in Li Chi’s mind. He caught on immediately, and at once said to Yu Chaozong: “Where is Third-in-Command’s cavalry camp?”

Yu Chaozong said: “To the left of my camp, right adjacent to it. Why?”

Li Chi said: “First-in-Command, while the forces below haven’t come up yet, go now — go personally to Third-in-Command’s camp and summon all his men into your stronghold.”

Yu Chaozong was momentarily confused, but just as he was about to ask why, understanding broke through: “Old Three might be in trouble?”

Without another word, he charged out immediately. Zhuang Wudi, afraid something might happen to him, went after him.

Yu Jiuling said: “Should we follow and have a look?”

Li Chi shook his head: “We two can’t go anywhere. Stay right here…”

He looked at the spot where the torchlight was brightest and pointed: “Go there. Make sure everyone can see we’ve been right here the whole time. Jiuling, don’t wander — stay at my side.”

Yu Jiuling agreed. He didn’t yet understand why they couldn’t follow Yu Chaozong, but if Li Chi said it, it had to be right.

The two moved to the brightest-lit spot and stood there waiting. As honored guests of First-in-Command, they had no shortage of Yu Chaozong’s trusted men deployed around them in defensive positions.

In less than two quarter-hours, Yu Chaozong came back with a troubled look on his face, his eyes already faintly reddened.

He said in a low voice: “Old Three may have met with an accident.”

Third-in-Command’s forces began streaming in to Yu Chaozong’s camp, the warhorses led in with them.

“Thank you for the warning.”

Yu Chaozong looked at Li Chi and said: “Second Brother’s men had just gone to Third Brother’s camp and ordered the cavalry to move out. But the cavalry will not act without orders from Third Brother or from me. If I had been any later, they likely would have started sending men to look for Third Brother themselves.”

Zhuang Wudi said: “Your guess was right. Third Brother has gone missing.”

At that moment, the forces below surged upward. The torches massing together quickly formed a sea of fire that spilled up the slopes and before long had completely sealed off all exits from Yu Chaozong’s stronghold.

Sixth-in-Command Gao He led the van, shouting loudly up at Yu Chaozong’s stronghold.

“Big Brother! Something has happened! Come out!”

Yu Chaozong climbed the wooden wall, stood at the high point, and asked: “Sixth Brother, it’s the dead of night — why aren’t you sleeping? What are you doing bringing men to my gates?”

Gao He said: “Big Brother, you don’t know yet — your honored guest just murdered Third Brother!”

Yu Chaozong’s expression changed. He hadn’t expected them to drag Li Chi into this.

Sixth-in-Command Gao He continued: “Even at the banquet I felt something was off. How could someone from the imperial side truly open their heart to you, Big Brother? Turns out he came up the mountain to kill — and a lucky thing Fourth Brother was with Third Brother, or we wouldn’t even know who the killer was!”

He looked at Wu Xionqi: “Fourth Brother, you speak.”

Yu Chaozong gripped the wooden wall and looked down. Seeing Wu Xionqi step forward, the grief in his heart deepened.

Before Wu Xionqi could say anything, Yu Chaozong called out loudly: “Brother Li and his companion have not left my camp this entire time. Tonight we talked at length, and they never once left my sight. Fourth Brother — what exactly are you all trying to do?!”

Wu Xionqi was so shaken by Yu Chaozong’s fierce shout that he couldn’t speak. Sixth Brother was furious at the sight.

Sixth Brother stepped forward: “Big Brother, why do you still refuse to see the truth? Your honored guest snuck away to kill Fourth Brother — but he hadn’t counted on Third Brother also being at Fourth Brother’s place that night. Third Brother died protecting Fourth Brother. Fourth Brother ripped the black mask from the killer’s face — and it was your honored guest, Li Dui!”

Yu Jiuling looked toward Li Chi in astonishment. Li Chi’s expression remained completely calm.

Yu Jiuling thought to himself: Li Chi is this calm, probably because Li Dui has absolutely nothing to do with him, Li Chi.

Yu Jiuling lowered his voice: “They even have an eyewitness. Looks like they’re out to kill you and won’t stop till it’s done.”

Sixth Brother continued shouting from below the stronghold: “Who in all of Yanshan Camp doesn’t know that Fourth Brother is the one closest to you, Big Brother — same with Third Brother. Would he make up a lie?!”

Yu Chaozong said in a steady voice: “Sixth Brother, are you saying I’m the one who’s lying? I was with Brother Li drinking tonight the entire time — he never left. Are you saying I’ve gone blind?”

Sixth Brother gave Wu Xionqi a hard shove: “Fourth Brother, say something. We can’t let Third Brother’s death go unexplained!”

Wu Xionqi raised his eyes and looked at Yu Chaozong, then looked at Sixth Brother beside him. Almost involuntarily, he glanced down at Third Brother’s body next to him.

He swallowed with difficulty — his throat felt like it was burning.

“I… Big Brother…”

Wu Xionqi raised his hand and said haltingly: “When the assassin came, he was indeed going for me. It was Third Brother who moved fast enough to take several blows for me. If not for him, it would have been me lying dead tonight.”

Yu Chaozong gave a cold sound: “Fourth Brother, you’ve truly surprised me.”

Wu Xionqi steeled himself — he sensed that things had already gone this far, and even pulling back now meant he likely couldn’t survive. Bi Datong would not spare him.

“Big Brother!”

Wu Xionqi called out: “I pulled the black mask from that assassin myself, and looked with my own eyes — that person was Li Dui!”

Yu Chaozong said: “It seems you are all determined to make the false true, to call black white…”

He raised his voice and called out to the crowd: “Brothers! Is there anyone who doesn’t know what kind of man I, Yu Chaozong, am? Brother Li was in my room drinking this entire time. Do you actually think I’m the one lying?!”

He called out several times like this. Below, the soldiers looked at one another. One man said he had witnessed it with his own eyes; the other said the person had never left. One was a Fourth-in-Command, the other was their First-in-Command. They were all bewildered too.

The chiefs of course knew what was happening. But the soldiers didn’t, and for a moment everyone fell into uncertainty.

“Big Brother is the one lying!”

At that moment, one of Yu Chaozong’s own trusted men stepped forward and said: “I saw with my own eyes that Li Dui and the others went out. A full half-hour before they came back. He even lied to Big Brother and said they were going to the outhouse — but I watched them and they never went to the outhouse at all. I just didn’t think at the time that they had actually gone to murder Third-in-Command.”

The moment this man finished speaking, a gasp swept through the whole crowd.

Yu Chaozong snapped his head around to look at this man. He had followed him for many years — a brother who had gone through life and death together. His name was Niu Changli.

“Changli — how can you lie?!”

Yu Chaozong rebuked him sharply.

“I’m not lying, Big Brother. Third-in-Command has died a violent death. I cannot pretend to know nothing.”

Niu Changli said loudly: “I genuinely saw all three of them go out with my own eyes. Aside from Big Brother himself, even Seventh-in-Command went out. Whether Big Brother knew what they went to do, I cannot say — but I watched them leave with my own eyes. Can I be wrong about that?”

In an instant, the scene turned strange.

Yu Jiuling looked at Li Chi, lowered his voice, and asked: “In a situation like this — what’s your plan to break through?”