Ding Wu placed the unconscious Wu Dianyong on a small pushcart and rolled him into Fengzhou City.

The gate guard looked at his travel permit and pointed at the old woman on the cart: “Who is she?”

Ding Wu said: “My mother. She’s been bedridden and paralyzed for years, mentally confused. I heard that the White Lotus Sect leader has divine powers and can bring the dead back to life, so I pushed my mother here to try, hoping the sect leader will perform his magic arts to awaken my mother.”

The guard returned his permit: “You’re truly a filial son.”

Ding Wu quickly smiled apologetically: “I’m new here and don’t know where the White Lotus Sect’s main altar is. I hope you, sir, can give me some directions.”

The guard pointed down the main street: “Keep walking straight until you reach a place where many people are kneeling and worshipping at the entrance – that’s the White Lotus Sect’s main altar. But there are too many people seeking the sect leader’s help. The sect leader defies heaven to change fate and must suffer heaven’s punishment, so he can only use his powers once a month to save one destined person. It depends on whether your mother and the sect leader have this predestined connection.”

Ding Wu thanked him and pushed the cart into the city.

Arriving at the main altar, he indeed saw the entrance densely packed with kneeling people. Even the corner alleys were full of people who had come upon hearing the fame, all seeking the sect leader to heal their relatives.

The White Lotus Sect, which everyone in Daming wanted to eliminate, was actually worshipped like deities in Fengzhou.

As Ding Wu pushed the cart over, sect members wearing robes embroidered with white lotuses immediately came to guide him: “There’s no space left at the entrance. Don’t block the road – there’s still room at the back door. Go kneel at the back door.”

Ding Wu said: “I’m not here to petition the sect leader. I’m here to answer the bounty notice.”

Ding Wu pointed at Wu Dianyong’s wanted poster on the wall: “I just want to know if the White Lotus Sect keeps its word.”

At these words, not only did the sect members’ expressions change, even the ignorant common people kneeling in worship glared at him angrily, wanting to beat him up.

The sect member said: “Our sect leader’s word is naturally good. Whoever brings the head of the traitor Wu Dianyong can become a leader and receive a thousand taels of silver.”

“If that’s the case, then…” Ding Wu yanked off Wu Dianyong’s fake eyebrows, revealing the distinctive black mole between his brows. “I’ve not only brought his head to claim the reward, but it’s still warm! Ding Wu, son of former Daming Minister of War Ding Rukui, has come to claim the reward!”

At these words, not only the White Lotus Sect’s main altar but the entire city of Fengzhou was shocked!

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, at the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters’ pigeon loft.

Wang Daxia came here, and before he could even ask, the old greybeard taking care of the pigeons shook his head: “No pigeons from Fengzhou today.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Daxia turned and left. At the courtyard gate, he encountered Lu Ying.

“Commander Lu.” Wang Daxia respectfully stepped aside: “There’s still no news from Fengzhou.”

Wang Daxia knew why Lu Ying had come.

“Oh.” Lu Ying stopped at the courtyard gate. “Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of the eighth month. The office is closed for the holiday. You’re not on duty today either – why did you come so early?”

Wang Daxia asked in return: “Isn’t Commander Lu also on holiday? Aren’t you also not on duty? Haven’t you also come to the office?”

Lu Ying looked at him coldly: “Are you the superior or am I the superior? Just promoted to Captain and you think your wings have hardened? Is that right, Captain Wang?”

Wang Daxia immediately smiled apologetically: “How could this lowly Captain dare to be superior to a Major? It’s just that Dr. Wei has been constantly worried about Ding Wu, so regardless of whether there’s news each day, I always tell her.”

After the overnight elimination of two major White Lotus Sect lairs, the capture of fifty-seven leaders large and small, and their public execution to appease popular anger – this greatly pleased the people, and Lu Ying, Wang Daxia and others achieved great merit.

When rewards were distributed based on merit, Lu Ying was promoted to Major, while Wang Daxia jumped from common soldier past Banner Leader and Squad Leader, promoted three ranks in one leap to Captain – already a sixth-rank military officer.

Lu Ying asked: “Does Dr. Wei ask you every day?”

Wang Daxia said: “No, I update her every day on my own.”

From when Ding Wu and Wu Dianyong dug up the grave and disguised themselves as mother and son, at every location they reached, they would make contact with local secret agents who would release carrier pigeons to send word.

Wang Daxia would tell Wei Caiwei the latest news, so Wei Caiwei knew Ding Wu’s movements like the back of her hand. This way, though worry was unavoidable, at least she had peace of mind and wouldn’t let her imagination run wild.

Lu Ying looked at the clear sky and said: “Calculating the schedule, they should be able to reach Fengzhou today.”

Wang Daxia also followed Lu Ying’s gaze toward the northwest: “I hope he can successfully infiltrate the enemy camp.”

Lu Ying said: “The day he infiltrates the enemy camp will be the day his reputation is ruined and he’s spurned by millions. As they say, good news doesn’t travel far but bad news spreads for thousands of miles. Perhaps before the carrier pigeon even arrives, his notorious reputation as a traitor will have already reached the capital.”

Wang Daxia said: “The stinkier the better! Without the stench of manure, where would the fragrance of grain come from?”

Lu Ying didn’t know how to respond to this and could only say: “It’s a holiday today, hurry home. It’s only a one-day holiday – tomorrow morning you still need to report for duty. There’s a pile of things waiting to be done.”

Lu Ying’s mind was full of work. Wang Daxia quickly ran off, afraid Lu Ying might suddenly change her mind and drag him along to work overtime.

Wang Daxia had run from North City to South City early in the morning to get news for Wei Caiwei, then ran from South City back to North City to spend the holiday with Wei Caiwei.

Lu Ying didn’t go home. She hated holidays because every holiday she was urged to marry. Her three sisters would definitely bring their husbands back to the natal home to give gifts. The three brothers-in-law would drink tea with father-in-law Lu Bing, while the three noble lady sisters were enthusiastic about matchmaking for her. They would gather together, drag her over, and insist on telling her about what outstanding young talents were available in the capital recently.

Eldest sister, the Duke’s heir’s wife: “…just take a distant look. What if you take a fancy to someone?”

Second sister, Chief Minister Yan Song’s eldest grandson’s wife: “Right, looking once won’t hurt.”

Third sister, Cabinet Minister Xu Jie’s daughter-in-law: “With our family’s status, as long as it’s not the imperial family, as long as you take a fancy to someone, how could father fail to secure them?”

Lu Ying was most annoyed by such talk: “I don’t want to marry right now.”

The three sisters: “You’re already eighteen – don’t miss your prime years.”

Lu Ying said: “I’ve just been promoted to Major. This is a great time for my career.”

The three sisters: “Men should marry when they come of age, women should marry when they mature. Even if you became Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, you’d still need to marry. Our father has been married four times…”

The three sisters finally had a chance to gather together, and both the eldest and second sister were pregnant. Lu Ying couldn’t lose her temper, so she found an excuse to escape from home and run to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

Only work could make her forget the troubles of marriage pressure and immerse herself in her own world, gaining a moment of peace.

Lu Ying came to the duty room. The huge map on the wall depicted Ding Wu’s journey route. She took a ruler to measure and calculate, murmuring: “He should definitely have arrived by now…”

In her mind appeared the image of Ding Wu on his last night before departure.

She had given him detailed explanations of the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s various secret agent markers and contact codes, requiring him to memorize them all for convenient intelligence transmission in the future.

Though Ding Wu’s martial arts were only sufficient for killing chickens and geese, his memory and comprehension were extremely high. He memorized everything in half a day, and no matter how Lu Ying spot-checked his knowledge, he answered fluently.

Lu Ying said: “I have nothing more to teach you. The rest depends on your luck. You may go.”

Ding Wu took his leave, seeming to want to say something but hesitating, swallowing his words.

Lu Ying guessed his thoughts: “You want to ask how your father is doing in Yunnan, right? Don’t worry, he’s doing well. Yunnan’s warm weather and hot springs are good for his rheumatism – much more comfortable than prison.”

Actually, Ding Wu didn’t want to ask about that – Wang Daxia had already told him. He wanted to tell Lu Ying… that he was slightly attracted to her, but thinking of his status and what he had to do, he was too embarrassed to speak.

Even he didn’t know if he could return alive.

So Ding Wu ruthlessly crushed his budding feelings and said: “I understand. On this journey, I vow not to return until the White Lotus Sect is destroyed.”

Lu Ying revered martial prowess and admired the strong. She had always been indifferent to weak scholars like Ding Wu, but hearing the phrase “vow not to return until the White Lotus Sect is destroyed,” she instantly felt that the physically frail Ding Wu possessed infinite power, finding him the most pleasing young man she had encountered so far.

Lu Ying opened the Fengzhou map, her gaze falling on the White Lotus Sect’s main altar. She pressed her finger on that spot and said to herself: “You will definitely succeed.”

North City, Tianshui Lane.

Wang Daxia rode his horse at full gallop to bring news – this way he had a reason to knock on Wei Caiwei’s door every day.

Wei Caiwei opened the door wearing an apron stained with flour and soot – it was Ding Wu’s old cooking apron, too big for her, with the hem nearly reaching her shoes.

With Ding Wu absent and no one to cook for her, Wei Caiwei ate all her meals outside. Today being the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for family reunions, she wanted to try cooking a meal herself.

Wang Daxia said: “No new news today.”

“I understand.” Wei Caiwei lowered her head, rubbing the half-dry flour on her fingers.

Seeing her low spirits, Wang Daxia quickly comforted her: “In our line of work, no news is good news – it means everything is going smoothly without complications.”

Wei Caiwei said: “I’ve troubled you these past days, coming to report every day. There’s no need to continue like this. Big Brother Ding has his own path and can only rely on himself to walk it. In the future, unless there’s urgent news, don’t come to tell me, lest it arouse suspicion.”

She knew Ding Wu was acting for the greater good, but accepting this cruel reality was difficult. She couldn’t help feeling anxious and worried. Wang Daxia’s daily visits, whether with news or not, had greatly eased her anxiety.

After a month, she was gradually accepting reality. She and Ding Wu had both grown up and each had their own path to walk. Sometimes boundless worry could instead become a burden and constraint for the other person.

In situations where she couldn’t reach far enough to help, the only thing she could do was live her own life well, do her own work well, and become strong, so that if Ding Wu needed her help in the future, she would have the ability to help him.

Seeing that Wei Caiwei had finally thought things through and even her expression had become brighter, Wang Daxia was very happy. He brushed her apron: “What delicious food are you making?”

“Mooncakes. They should be ready now. Come in and try them.” Wei Caiwei invited Wang Daxia inside. They came to the small courtyard where the oven Ding Wu had built was giving off waves of cake fragrance.

Wang Daxia sniffed: “Smells so good – they must be delicious.”

Wei Caiwei put on thick cotton mitts and brought out the iron plate from the oven. Nine mooncakes total, made with molds, with “Flowers Blooming Under the Full Moon” characters on the cake surface – they looked quite good.

Wei Caiwei removed the cotton mitts and used chopsticks to transfer the mooncakes to a plate: “They’re too hot. Let them cool a bit before eating. Have some grapes first.”

Wang Daxia noticed chicken still stewing in the stove and perceptively said: “Let me help you tend the fire.”

Wei Caiwei was indeed overwhelmed with her first time cooking. She still needed to go to the well to wash mushrooms and vegetables, so she quickly nodded: “Make yourself at home, and remember to eat the mooncakes.”

Only when she cooked herself did she realize how efficiently Ding Wu worked. Wei Caiwei missed him greatly and tried to cook and bake mooncakes following his Mid-Autumn Festival methods from memory.

Wang Daxia was greedy. As soon as Wei Caiwei left, he folded his handkerchief in two layers to grab a mooncake. Putting it in his mouth and biting down was like biting a piece of burning coal – scalding hot and hard!

The heat made his body shudder and he dropped the mooncake. Looking down, Wang Daxia saw the mooncake had actually made a shallow crater in the ground, but the mooncake itself hadn’t lost even a bit of cake surface!

This was way too hard! Were these baked mooncakes or forged iron cakes?

Author’s Note: Daxia: To eat or not to eat, that is the question. Eating will hurt his teeth, not eating will hurt her feelings.