Golden Armor probably never imagined he would die like this — and in such a careless, offhand way at that.

The dashing fellow charging over on horseback opposite him…

The young man in iron armor charging over on horseback opposite him had brought only a hundred-odd men to crash into the formation, paying Golden Armor no mind whatsoever.

Golden Armor was no stranger to battlefield experience. Though he had never faced proper government troops, he understood well enough that in a charge, whoever was bolder seized the advantage first.

As they thundered toward each other, his mind had already worked out several moves. The weapon in that fellow’s hand was strange — hard to make out at a distance, but it looked like a spear.

So he planned to twist aside to dodge the thrust, then clamp the shaft under his arm, drag the man off his horse, and let the cavalry behind him trample him to death.

That was as far as the plan got.

It was not a spear. It was a broken lance.

Though the weapon was damaged, it had been a gift from Dantai Qi’s father, and he had been unwilling to discard it.

The lance tip was shorter now, but against someone like Golden Armor, it made no difference.

Golden Armor watched the thrust coming and tried to twist away, but facing a man like Dantai Qi, seeing the strike coming — there was no room for any “and then” or “after that.”

The lance tip caught Golden Armor square in the throat and sheered his head clean off.

One charge. A head went flying.

In the instant they crossed paths, Dantai Qi reached out and snatched Golden Armor’s head from the air, then wheeled his horse around and rode back.

Golden Armor’s subordinates stood dumbstruck.

Dantai Qi paid them no mind. He returned to his own lines carrying the head, dropped it on the ground, and stood there expressionless, utterly composed.

Yu Jiuling sighed inwardly… Without Tang Pidi here, this man reigns supreme. That bearing really does have style.

Liu Ge was also left dumbfounded. He thought to himself: where do people like this even come from? Did Li Chi go out and poach them?

With Golden Armor dead in moments, and Zhao Xu’s Xinzhou forces cutting off their retreat from behind, the Yanshan Camp soldiers who had come down the mountain fell into immediate panic.

At that very moment, Li Chi arrived at the front lines escorting Yu Chaozong. Yu Chaozong called out to the soldiers: “You all saw it — Golden Armor tried to kill me. Lay down your weapons. I will hold none of you accountable.”

The Yanshan Camp men looked at one another, none knowing what choice to make.

The expressionless Dantai Qi urged his horse forward and leveled his broken lance at the Yanshan Camp troops. “Those who dismount and kneel will not be killed.”

He did not shout or roar. His voice was flat — and all the more oppressive for it. These men had just watched him kill Golden Armor with a single strike; fear had already taken root in their hearts. Hearing this, someone threw down his weapon.

Where one led, others followed. Soon, the Yanshan Camp soldiers had all cast aside their weapons and dropped to their knees.

Yu Chaozong called out: “There is no need to be afraid. I said I would not hold you accountable, and I mean it. All of you, return to the fortress and assemble on the drill ground.”

The soldiers rose and dared not remount, walking back on foot.

The battle had been resolved so easily that even many of those at Li Chi’s side had not anticipated it. They had braced for a brutal fight, yet Dantai Qi’s single strike and Yu Chaozong’s few words had settled everything.

With Golden Armor dead, those inside the fortress dared not resist either. The gates were opened to welcome Yu Chaozong into the camp.

As Yu Chaozong entered and looked up, he saw that his own quarters on the high ground had been reduced to ash. A feeling of quiet melancholy passed through him.

Zhuang Wudi said with guilt: “Brother, I didn’t know…”

Yu Chaozong smiled. “It doesn’t matter. What’s burned is burned. There are a few private courtyards over in the east camp — have someone clear one out for Headmaster Gao and me to move into.”

Zhuang Wudi immediately agreed and sent someone off to tidy the small courtyard.

Yu Chaozong looked at Li Chi and said: “Remember what I told you. This is the last time I appear before others. From this day forward, I will study with Headmaster Gao and concern myself with nothing else.”

Having said that, he had someone push his wooden wheelchair forward. “To the drill ground.”

Before long, the Yanshan Camp forces had assembled on the drill ground in full, standing there in anxious uncertainty, none knowing what fate awaited them.

Yu Chaozong had himself wheeled to the foot of the drill ground’s platform. Without accepting anyone’s help, he rose on his crutches and slowly made his way up the steps.

The entire drill ground fell into complete silence. Everyone grew more and more tense, as if the next breath might decide their lives or deaths.

Yu Chaozong climbed the platform slowly, pausing to rest after every few steps — a sight that was destined to leave its mark on many memories.

At last, Yu Chaozong reached the top. He caught his breath for a good while, his face having gone slightly pale.

“I will say only three things. You will all do well to remember them. Those who remember them remain brothers of Yanshan Camp. Those who do not are the enemies of Yu Chaozong.”

He steadied his breath, raised his hand, and extended one finger.

“From this day forward, Li Chi is the master of Yanshan Camp. Yanshan Camp was built by my hands, and I say whose it is. If you are dissatisfied — you have no standing to be dissatisfied.”

He extended a second finger. “Those who wish to stay will conduct themselves by the rules. Those who do not wish to stay will leave stripped naked, because you have no standing to take anything from Yanshan Camp with you.”

Yu Chaozong extended a third finger. “I have stained my sword with the blood of enemies. I have offered my own blood to guard the red banner.”

His finger pointed toward the flagpole at his side.

Beside it, Yu Jiuling raised a blazing red battle banner emblazoned with the character *Chi* — the wind caught it and sent it snapping and rippling in the air.

That single character, *Chi*, stood out so bold and clear.

Yu Chaozong looked toward Li Chi and beckoned to him. Li Chi walked quickly to his side.

Yu Chaozong extended his hand toward Li Chi. “Strike palms with me.”

Li Chi struck his palm against Yu Chaozong’s, and then their two hands clasped together.

“Now that we have sworn it with a handclasp,” Yu Chaozong said, “what comes next — it is up to you.”

Li Chi’s eyes flushed faintly red. Yu Chaozong released his hand and gave him a pat on the shoulder, then turned to go. Li Chi moved to support him, but Yu Chaozong shook his head in refusal.

Li Chi understood that Yu Chaozong wanted him to say something to the Yanshan Camp soldiers — yet he insisted on helping Yu Chaozong down the platform himself.

Once Yu Chaozong had descended, Li Chi returned to the platform and looked out over the assembled soldiers. After a moment of silence, he said only one thing.

He called out in a loud voice: “I share the same fate with you all — life and death, fortune and glory, in your hands, in mine, and in the long blade!”

Gao Xining looked toward the honor guard and raised her hand, pointing to the sky.

One hundred personal guards answered in unison.

“*Hu!*”

No one could say quite why, but as though infected by it, the cry rippled outward until the whole drill ground had answered with one voice.

“*Hu!*”

Li Chi clasped his hands in a bow, then turned and walked down from the platform.

Half an hour later, in the small private courtyard on the eastern side of the fortress, Li Chi helped Yu Chaozong settle into a reclining chair and pulled a blanket over his legs.

Yu Chaozong smiled and said: “You have a great many things to attend to today. You need not stay here to look after me — I am not truly an invalid.”

Li Chi laughed. “I intend to stay and mooch a meal before I leave. There’s nothing you can say to change that. No food, no departure.”

Yu Chaozong said: “And where would a meal come from here?”

Li Chi said: “I’ll cook.”

Yu Chaozong said: “Then leave now. Right now. On horseback.”

Li Chi: “…”

Gao Xining came in carrying some bedding. She went first to sort out Headmaster Gao’s quarters, then came to arrange things for Yu Chaozong.

Having caught the tail end of the exchange, Gao Xining laughed and said: “Brother Chaozong, if you can’t stomach Li Chi’s cooking, I’ll take over later.”

Yu Chaozong said: “One horse can carry two people.”

Li Chi sighed. “Some things — if you’re willing to put in the effort, you can always learn to do them well.”

Yu Chaozong said: “The other meaning of that is: some things, no matter how much effort you put in, you will never learn to do well.”

Headmaster Gao said with great solemnity: “You are now the master of this camp. There are far too many important matters demanding your attention. How can you fixate on trivial domestic things? For cooking, there are Ruoling and the others. Go do what you are meant to do.”

Li Chi promptly agreed and excused himself. With Yu Chaozong he could still trade a few jokes, but in the presence of his future father-in-law he did not dare breathe too loudly.

Li Chi left the courtyard and dashed straight into another courtyard not far away.

Xiahou Yili and Mrs. Xiahou were busy arranging things. The courtyard was large — Yuan Jiabei’s family and Liu Yingyuan’s family were also housed here. With only one family, it would have felt rather empty.

“Godmother.”

Li Chi slipped in with a sly look on his face. “Do you have any red cloth left?”

Mrs. Xiahou asked: “What do you need red cloth for?”

Li Chi said: “You prepared things for Xining, so you must have prepared things for me too — which means you definitely have some. Am I right?”

Mrs. Xiahou said: “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Li Chi said: “If there’s any left, give it to me. I need to make another banner. The *Chi* battle banner has already been raised on the flagpole — I need one more.”

Mrs. Xiahou said: “There is a little left. Let me get it.”

Li Chi took the red cloth and dashed off with it.

Xiahou Yili watched him go and could not help but laugh. “That man — sometimes he seems like a seasoned old demon, sometimes like a young one.”

Mrs. Xiahou said: “When you think about it, he’s still quite young. And yet somehow everyone has already grown accustomed to him being head of the household.”

Xiahou Yili gave a soft sound of agreement and said: “I always feel there are many similarities between him and my brother.”

Mrs. Xiahou said: “Both equally reckless.”

Li Chi carried the red cloth back to his own room, cut and trimmed it himself, and then took up brush and ink.

His calligraphy had always been vigorous and sweeping. The *Chi* character Headmaster Gao had written carried a blade-like sharpness, though weighted with the steadiness of age.

Li Chi was young. His edge was at its sharpest, and his brushwork carried true keenness.

On the blazing red banner, he wrote a single bold character: *Ning*.

*Ning* — the character for peace, for tranquility. In any ordinary reading, it seemed to have nothing to do with ferocity or majesty.

Yet the way Li Chi wrote it, it was anything but ordinary. The upper half was like the dome of the heavens, and the single dot within it was the stroke that anchors all under heaven.

The lower half: one horizontal stroke that spoke of bearing all burdens, of being singular — the one of *all under heaven, the one and only*. And the final vertical stroke with its hooked tail, rendered by Li Chi’s hand, was like a long halberd — carrying the spirit of iron cavalry and clashing arms.

Li Chi finished and regarded it with great satisfaction. He carried the completed banner out the door and ran straight into Yu Jiuling, who had come looking for him.

“Another banner already?”

Yu Jiuling laughed and said: “From now on, let me be your standard-bearer. When the army marches to war, I’ll guard the banner.”

Li Chi said: “The *Chi* character banner is a battle flag. This one is something different — it’s an army banner. Didn’t you say on the road that we should come up with a name for our force?”

He gave the banner a shake and let it unfurl.

“This character. That’s the name.”

Yu Jiuling looked at the character *Ning* and, not immediately thinking of Gao Xining, asked with curiosity: “Why *Ning*?”

Li Chi said: “We fight for peace under heaven.”

Yu Jiuling considered this a moment, then offered: “We are born to bring peace to all under heaven.”

Li Chi turned the phrase over in his mind and refined it: “Born for peace under heaven. Fighting to bring peace to all under heaven.”

He handed the banner to Yu Jiuling. “Find a flagpole. Raise it. From this day on, our force will be called the Ning Army — the Ning Army, born for peace under heaven, fighting to bring peace to all under heaven.”

—