Luo Lou’s wounds had made him frenzied with fury. He wanted nothing more than to catch Yu Chaozong and slash him to pieces — yet he could not slash him to pieces, which made him all the more furious. Luo Geng had made clear that His Majesty wished to see what this self-proclaimed Heavenly King, Yu Chaozong, actually looked like — and the order was to capture him alive if at all possible.

He grabbed a stray horse and mounted, urging it in pursuit.

Ahead, Yu Chaozong was growing weaker by the moment. Even walking had become difficult — he could only move by being supported on both sides, which meant the pace was reduced to a crawl, and there was no chance of outrunning the cavalry behind them.

In truth, Yu Chaozong’s personal guards had no idea where else they could go or how long this could last. They simply felt it wrong to submit to fate, so they kept going — a little longer might mean something, so they blundered through the unfamiliar streets of Jizhou City like headless flies.

Turning off one main street, Yuzhou Army soldiers were visible to the left, some distance away. The moment they spotted Yu Chaozong’s group, they charged — and so the guards dragged Yu Chaozong and ran to the right.

They had barely gone any distance at all when another force came from ahead: about three or four hundred strong, with not a few of them wounded, leaning on one another as they walked.

The two groups came face to face. Everyone froze for a moment — the gap between them wasn’t wide, and both sides immediately raised their weapons and faced each other.

The force coming from the opposite direction was none other than Luo Jing and his men.

Luo Jing looked the other party up and down, made a rough guess at who this might be, and smiled with an air of ease.

“Has someone delivered a gift of merit to my door?”

Luo Jing asked with a cheerful grin: “That man who looks like he’s almost done for — that would be the Yanshan Camp’s Chief, Yu Chaozong?”

None of Yu Chaozong’s personal guards answered. Each was scanning left and right, ahead and behind — enemies on all sides, nowhere left to retreat.

Luo Jing smiled. “Stop looking around. Never mind that you have pursuers at your back — even without them, with me here, how would you manage to leave?”

He stepped forward. Yu Chaozong’s guards knew there was nowhere left to run — this was the moment for a final stand.

The group let out a battle cry and came charging. They had no idea that the man facing them was Luo Jing, acclaimed as unrivaled across the entire northern frontier. Even if they had known, they would have charged all the same.

At that very moment, two figures vaulted over the wall behind them, clearing the courtyard wall and landing between Yu Chaozong’s guards and Luo Jing.

Both wore face masks — one a regular mask, one a demon-face mask.

Luo Jing stopped short. He stared at the two of them with an expression of absolute disbelief, because he had recognized them. He let out a long sigh.

“Can’t you two ever keep still for a moment?”

Luo Jing asked.

The one in the demon mask said: “How do you keep knowing who we are?”

Luo Jing said: “The least you could do is change your clothes before you try to play ghost.”

Li Chi let out a sigh and said: “Do us a favor — I’d like to take him with us.”

Luo Jing looked behind Yu Chaozong’s group. A mass of Yuzhou Army soldiers was already bearing down on them. Just as they were about to reach the mouth of the street, another force came wheeling around from the same direction Yu Chaozong’s people had fled — nearly colliding with the Yuzhou troops.

Luo Jing took one look and broke into a smile, because the newcomers, judging by their armor, were from the Youzhou Army — and the figure galloping at their head looked rather like Luo Lou.

Luo Jing sighed. “It isn’t that I don’t want to do you a favor. Just look at the situation around you right now. Even if I give you the favor, can you actually get away?”

Li Chi said: “As long as you step aside, we’ll handle the rest ourselves.”

Luo Jing said: “You really think that because you helped me once, I’ll keep giving way to you indefinitely? If that’s what you think, then you’re somewhat overestimat—”

He stopped mid-sentence, looked at Li Chi’s face mask with those gleaming white teeth painted on it, and couldn’t bring himself to finish.

“That mask of yours is genuinely ugly.”

He walked forward a few paces and called toward Luo Lou, who was galloping up from behind: “Is that Luo Lou over there?”

Luo Lou, consumed by rage, hadn’t noticed Luo Jing at all — he only had eyes for the Yanshan Camp people. He was so close to catching them, the exhilaration of his fury about to be released was already going to his head.

Then someone called his name, and he glanced over. His eyes went wide.

“Young General?!”

Luo Lou reined his horse to a halt. Before he could even dismount, Luo Jing ahead of him waved a hand. “Go push the Yuzhou troops back first. This matter — our Youzhou forces are handling it. Tell them to get out of here.”

Luo Jing in Luo Lou’s mind was nothing short of a god. He immediately turned and gave the order: “Block the Yuzhou forces behind — anyone who dares advance will be cut down without question!”

With that single command, the Youzhou soldiers who had been pursuing swung around and held the Yuzhou Army back.

Li Chi moved quickly to Yu Chaozong’s side, supporting him, and asked urgently: “Brother Yu, how are you?”

Yu Chaozong was already half in a stupor. Something familiar reached him through the haze — a voice he knew — and his spirit seemed to gather itself with a sudden effort. He raised his head and looked, and though his eyes were still drifting and unfocused, something in them came alive.

“Is that Third Brother?”

Yu Chaozong asked.

Li Chi steadied Yu Chaozong’s arm and answered: “It’s me, Brother. I’m here to take you away.”

Yu Chaozong suddenly began to cry.

In that moment he seemed to have completely forgotten where he was. He wept in anguished, shaking sobs, and the tears would not stop.

“The Yanshan Camp… the Yanshan Camp is finished. Ruined by my own hand. Ruined by my own hand.”

Yu Chaozong gripped Li Chi’s hand — or tried to; there was barely any strength left in him, only trembling.

Luo Jing watched the scene, let out a sigh, and said: “This sentimental display is truly unbearable to witness.”

He paused, then continued: “I had been thinking we might settle that score another time — but since we’ve run into each other now, why not take the chance. If either of you can beat me right now, I’ll let you walk away temporarily.”

Tang Pidi looked back at Li Chi, then turned to face Luo Jing. “In that case, I’ll go.”

Before he had even finished speaking, Zheng Gongru — still on horseback behind the group — heard Yu Chaozong’s voice, agitated and full of emotion. He looked at the figure in the demon mask, and in an instant the pieces fell into place.

His hands were still bound, but even so, he thrust both tied fists out again and again, pointing toward Li Chi: “Him! He’s a Yanshan rebel too — he’s the Yanshan Camp’s Third Chief! His name is Li Chi, Third Chief of the Yanshan rebels! Kill him! Kill him now!”

Luo Lou, still blocking the Yuzhou forces, heard Zheng Gongru’s shout and looked back. A gleam of pleasure appeared in his eyes.

Even more to be gained, apparently — another Yanshan third chief had materialized. With the First Chief blocked here, plus a third chief on top of that, his adopted father would certainly commend him when he heard.

So he called back: “Young General, that man is Zheng Gongru, Eighth Chief of the Yanshan Camp, formerly a confidant of Yu Chaozong’s who has now surrendered. It was he who led us here to chase down Yu Chaozong. If he says that person is the Yanshan Camp’s Third Chief, I imagine it’s reliable.”

Luo Jing’s brow furrowed slightly.

Eighth Chief? Zheng Gongru?

Somehow that name rang a bell.

And he’d surrendered?

Truly a repulsive person.

Luo Jing walked a few more steps forward, deliberately craning his neck to get a proper look at this Eighth Chief Zheng Gongru.

When he saw clearly, he froze for a moment — then glanced at Li Chi. He gave a slow shake of his head and said: “Even with a mask on, you’re not as ugly as he is.”

To himself, Luo Jing thought: how in the world does this person look like this? The head was massive — and lopsided.

A massive, lopsided head was one thing, but that extraordinarily ugly face on top of it was pitted all over with craters and pockmarks.

At that moment Luo Jing had only one question.

If people could be sorted by type — what type was this?

“So this is him?”

Luo Jing looked at Tang Pidi and asked: “The one who wanted to kill you people?”

Tang Pidi looked back as well, and was genuinely struck speechless. That something this ugly existed in the world — and this was what Yu Chaozong had chosen to trust?

Luo Jing said: “Never mind him for now. You and I, let’s fight.”

Tang Pidi said yes and stepped toward Luo Jing. Luo Jing took a step to meet him — then stumbled abruptly, as though catching his foot on something. He lurched forward in a staggering trot straight into Tang Pidi’s arms.

Tang Pidi was baffled. That stretch of road was completely flat — there wasn’t so much as a pebble.

He was still wondering whether to help Luo Jing steady himself when Luo Jing grabbed Tang Pidi’s hand and placed it at his own throat — then shouted: “Vile wretch! You dare ambush me?!”

Tang Pidi: “???????.”

In the next instant he caught on. He stepped behind Luo Jing, bringing his hand up to Luo Jing’s throat, and shouted: “All of you back away! Unless you want me to choke him to death!”

Luo Jing bellowed: “Luo Lou! Come save me!”

At that moment Luo Lou’s back was to Luo Jing. He had never imagined that the Young General — the Young General — could possibly be captured. It had never once entered his mind that there existed anyone in this world capable of subduing the Young General.

He heard the Young General’s shout. He spun around — and saw the Young General already with a hand at his throat, pressed from behind.

“Release the Young General!”

Luo Lou let out a roar and came sprinting forward.

The Youzhou soldiers all raised their weapons simultaneously. More than a few crossbows were already aimed this way — but they didn’t dare fire at random, not when the one restrained was their Young General.

Luo Lou shouted: “Think carefully. If you harm our Young General, you will all be cut to pieces.”

Tang Pidi said: “Everyone fall back.”

Then to Luo Jing: “Have the Tiger-and-Leopard Cavalry move over to that side too — all of them.”

Luo Jing shouted: “Did you hear me?! Get over there, now!”

Those Tiger-and-Leopard Cavalry soldiers had seen exactly what had just happened, and so they immediately filed around Li Chi and the others and repositioned themselves alongside Luo Lou’s forces.

Once they had moved, Li Chi helped Yu Chaozong shift behind Tang Pidi, swapping positions with the Tiger-and-Leopard Cavalry.

Luo Lou said urgently: “Just release the Young General. I can permit you to escape. You should understand clearly enough — if you harm the Young General, there is no way out for you.”

Luo Jing shouted in reply: “Luo Lou is right! You had better let me go — those who know what’s good for them act accordingly.”

Tang Pidi said: “Order your men to fall back — well back, far enough that we lose sight of them.”

“What?”

Luo Jing feigned an outrage, shouting: “These vile criminals — they actually want a hostage exchange?! What hostage is there to exchange?!”

Tang Pidi’s eyes lit up.

So did Li Chi’s.

Tang Pidi pointed at Zheng Gongru and said: “That man is our Yanshan Camp’s Eighth Chief. Hand him over, and I’ll release Luo Jing.”

Zheng Gongru’s eyes went wider than eggs. He immediately screamed: “Don’t fall for their scheme! They want to kill me! I can’t die — if I die, who will help the Grand General attack the Yanshan strongholds?!”

In his panic he added: “That captive — for all you know, he’s a Yanshan rebel too!”

Luo Lou: “Nonsense!”

He raised a hand and dealt Zheng Gongru a sharp slap to the face, cracking loud and clear.

Tang Pidi called out: “I keep my word. Give me back our Yanshan Camp’s Eighth Chief, and I will release your Young General.”

Luo Lou shouted: “How am I supposed to trust you?!”

Tang Pidi said: “Order your soldiers to withdraw. My people go as well. Only you, me, and the hostages remain. Then we release them at the same time.”

Luo Jing called out: “Agree to it!”

Luo Lou immediately nodded. “By the Young General’s orders!”

He turned and shouted: “Everyone pull back!”

The Youzhou soldiers began to withdraw, and in no time had cleared out to beyond the street.

Tang Pidi pushed Luo Jing forward, preparing to go make the exchange. Li Chi reached out and grabbed Tang Pidi’s arm: “Let me.”

Tang Pidi paused, turned it over in his mind, then released his hold on Luo Jing’s throat.

Li Chi stood beside Luo Jing and hadn’t yet said a word.

Luo Jing’s lips curved upward very slightly. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said three words.

“No need for thanks.”

And stepped forward.

—