“He?”

He Yan stood frozen, unsure what to be more shocked about – encountering Liu Buwang here or the fact that Liu Buwang could recognize her at a glance despite her altered appearance.

Liu Buwang released the pressure points on the little girl, who coughed a few times and looked at them without speaking.

He Yan couldn’t hold back anymore and asked Liu Buwang: “Master… how did you… recognize me?”

Besides the He family members, only Liu Buwang had seen He Yan’s face beneath the mask. During the battle at Mo County years ago, when all her comrades had fallen, if Liu Buwang hadn’t picked her up from among the dead, He Yan didn’t know where she would be today. Liu Buwang knew her true identity as a woman and had seen her face, but her face was no longer that of “Madam Xu” from those years.

He smiled and said: “Your swordplay is distinctive, mixed with my sword techniques. I could recognize it at a glance. What’s this? You’ve changed your appearance?”

He Yan couldn’t explain everything to him right away and vaguely replied: “It’s a long story, we’ll have to discuss it later. But Master, why are you here?”

“There were suspicious people in Jiyang City. I suspected they were Wutuo people and tracked them here.” He looked at the old woman’s corpse on the ground. “I heard fighting sounds from this direction and came to check. What happened? Do you know this little girl?”

He Yan shook her head: “I don’t know her. My… friend and I were passing by, eating at the noodle shop when we saw this woman with the little girl acting suspiciously. We thought they were kidnappers, but unexpectedly there were assassins around. We suspect it’s not a simple criminal matter.”

Just then, they heard hoofbeats behind them. Both turned to look as Xiao Jue rode up on horseback, reining in his horse nearby. He dismounted, walked to He Yan’s side, and frowned, asking: “Who is this?”

“One of our own, one of our own,” He Yan hurriedly explained. “This is my… master.”

“Master?” Xiao Jue asked incredulously. “What master?”

“My skills are already the best in Liangzhou Guard, didn’t I tell you I had guidance from an expert? This is that expert master. We haven’t seen each other for many years, and I’m also surprised to meet here today. If not for her help just now, this little girl would have lost her life.”

Liu Buwang looked at Xiao Jue, smiled slightly, and said: “I am Liu Buwang. You are…?”

“Qiao Huanqing,” he replied.

“Young Lord, what about those people from earlier?” He Yan asked.

“They fled when they couldn’t win.” Xiao Jue said noncommittally. “But what about you? How did you end up here catching up?”

“We can discuss these matters later,” He Yan changed the subject. “These people made such a big scene just to kidnap a little girl – something’s not right, is it? Little girl, what’s your name? Where do you live? Whose child are you?” She bent down to look at the child.

The little girl was extremely beautiful. Though still young, one could tell she would grow up to be a beauty. She seemed frightened, watching everyone vigilantly with pursed lips, refusing to speak. He Yan asked several times but received no answer. Finally, the girl simply turned her face away.

“She’s not mute, is she?” He Yan wondered.

“You’re the mute one!” The little girl angrily retorted.

“Oh, so you can speak! Then why didn’t you answer my questions earlier?” she asked.

The little girl ignored them again.

“She probably doesn’t trust others after encountering criminals. It’s fine, she’ll be better after some time,” Liu Buwang said with a smile.

He Yan sighed, at a loss for what to do, and looked at Xiao Jue: “Young Lord, why don’t we take this child back with us and let Official Cui decide? If she’s really from some noble family, Official Cui will surely know.”

Xiao Jue nodded.

When the little girl heard the words “Official Cui,” her eyes flickered briefly, but she quickly lowered her head to hide her reaction.

Liu Buwang smiled: “In that case, let’s part ways here.”

He Yan froze. Liu Buwang had always been like this. Ever since He Yan had known him, she felt this person seemed to have no attachments, taking everything in stride. She had never seen Liu Buwang have any close friends or maintain relationships with others. He never seemed to feel lonely and showed little sadness at partings. When He Yan bid him farewell years ago, she felt reluctant, but Liu Buwang was very open-minded, only saying: “All gatherings must end, He. You must grow up.”

Having just reunited with an old friend without time to catch up before parting again, He Yan’s heart ached. She grabbed Liu Buwang’s sleeve: “Master! I… I’m currently staying at a friend’s home. Their house is very large. Why don’t you come back with us? I have so many things I want to ask you!”

Xiao Jue’s gaze fell on her fingers clutching Liu Buwang’s sleeve, raising an eyebrow imperceptibly.

Liu Buwang smiled and said helplessly: “He, why are you still acting like a child?”

“I haven’t seen Master for so long… I thought I’d never see you again…” He Yan refused to let go. “Besides, didn’t you mention Wutuo people earlier? Since it involves the Wutuo people, we must inform Her Highness the Princess of Jiyang. Come back with me – I know an official who grew up with Her Highness and they’re very close. It would be good to report this matter.”

Liu Buwang paused slightly: “Princess?”

Seeing his changed attitude, He Yan nodded repeatedly: “That’s right, Master. Think about it – Wutuo people suddenly appearing in Jiyang is unusual in itself. Travel to Jiyang has always been difficult. Not just Wutuo people, even people from Great Wei’s Central Plains need to go through many procedures to come here. Yet Wutuo people can hide in Jiyang City – what does that suggest? In any case, there are many suspicious points. We should go together.”

Liu Buwang still seemed hesitant.

Xiao Jue watched the two of them with his arms crossed, lazily curving his lips as he said: “Indeed, Master Liu, why don’t you come back with us? You can also discuss things thoroughly with your good disciple.”

After a moment of silence, Liu Buwang smiled and said: “Alright, I’ll go with you. I just hope I won’t cause any trouble.”

He Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Although keeping Liu Buwang by her side wouldn’t accomplish much, having encountered a master from her previous life, she didn’t want to part ways after just a few words.

After all, there weren’t many people left who remembered “He Yan.”

“Then let’s return to the inn first and hire a carriage back to the Cui residence,” He Yan said to Xiao Jue, then sighed. “We didn’t return all night yesterday. I wonder if Official Cui and the others are worried.”

Liu Buwang’s gaze moved between Xiao Jue and He Yan thoughtfully.

The little girl they had rescued from the old woman had been drugged and was too weak to walk. She stumbled with each step, swaying back and forth. He Yan thought for a moment, then crouched down in front of her and said: “Little girl, come on up.”

Xiao Jue asked: “What are you doing?”

“She can’t walk. I’ll carry her to the inn,” He Yan answered. “Otherwise this won’t work.”

She didn’t know she was menstruating. Xiao Jue was silent for a moment before saying: “I’ll carry her.”

“Eh?” He Yan was startled.

The little girl was unhappy about this and protested: “I’m a girl and you’re a man. How can you carry me? I want her to carry me!”

“Brat,” Xiao Jue said coldly. “Say one more word and I’ll leave you here.”

The stubborn child met her match in the unsympathetic Commander. Not daring to say more for fear Xiao Jue would abandon her, she watched as Xiao Jue lifted her onto his back and carried her back to the inn.

When they reached the inn, no one felt like continuing breakfast. They simply hired a carriage and told the driver to return to the Cui residence.

Sitting in the carriage as it swayed forward, He Yan and Xiao Jue sat on one side while the little girl and Liu Buwang sat on the other. Everyone was silent until Xiao Jue suddenly said: “Master Liu is He Yan’s teacher?”

Liu Buwang smiled and said: “That’s right.”

“Then Master Liu’s martial arts must be excellent.”

“I don’t deserve such praise.”

Xiao Jue gave a slight laugh: “What made you decide to take He Yan as a disciple? After all, this person…” He paused, his tone somewhat mocking, “seems to have no talents besides being short and stupid.”

At this point, He Yan didn’t even care about Xiao Jue calling her short and stupid. She was only worried Liu Buwang would slip up, so she quickly jumped in with her own story: “Who says that! Back then in Shuojing, I was just out traveling by chance when I happened to meet Master while he was accepting disciples. It was fate – out of thousands of people, Master saw at a glance that I was talented and would achieve great things in the future, so he took me as his disciple and taught me martial arts. But my master is like a free spirit, already detached from worldly matters. After teaching me for three years, he departed to wander the four seas. This is the first time I’ve seen him since we parted!”

She felt she had explained everything clearly and thoroughly, only hoping Xiao Jue wouldn’t probe further.

Xiao Jue looked at Liu Buwang and asked: “Is that so?”

Liu Buwang glanced at He Yan and said: “Yes.”

“I see.” The young man nodded and said nothing more.

He Yan felt a weight lift from her heart, but just then, Liu Buwang looked at her and asked curiously: “He, what is your relationship with Young Master Qiao?”

Wow, this question was difficult to answer. Currently, she is “Wen Yuyan” and Xiao Jue is “Qiao Huanqing” – if speaking of their relationship, they would naturally be husband and wife. But… Liu Buwang knew her true identity, and there was also this little girl of unknown background. If this little girl knew Cui Yuezhi, they couldn’t let anything slip.

Looking over at Xiao Jue, who was leaning against the carriage seat with an ambiguous smile, waiting to hear her answer.

“Young Master Qiao… is my husband,” He Yan said reluctantly, forcing the words out with great difficulty.

Liu Buwang was somewhat surprised: “He, after not seeing you for several years, you’re already married?”

“Y-yes.” He Yan maintained a strained smile.

“That’s good,” Liu Buwang nodded slightly. “With someone to accompany you, your master can rest assured.”

He Yan: “…”

After telling so many lies, He Yan finally understood what it meant to dig one’s own grave.

This was exactly that situation.

…

After returning to the Cui residence, only a few concubines were present. When Concubine Wei saw them return safely, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, clutching her chest as she said: “Last night, Young Master Huanqing sent word saying they’d return this morning. The kitchen prepared breakfast, but when we didn’t see anyone, I was worried something had happened. Now I can finally rest easy.” Her gaze fell on the little girl and Liu Buwang behind them, and she asked curiously: “These two are…?”

“This is an old friend of mine. I didn’t expect to meet them here in Jiyang,” He Yan smiled and asked: “Where is Uncle?”

“The Master went to the Princess’s palace early this morning. Her Highness summoned him. I don’t know when he’ll return.”

He Yan and Xiao Jue exchanged glances. With Cui Yuezhi absent, they would have to settle the little girl in first.

“Have Miss Yuyan and Young Master Huanqing eaten breakfast? Shall I have the kitchen reheat some food?”

“My husband and I have already eaten,” He Yan smiled. “But this little sister and the master haven’t eaten yet. Please have food sent to my room, and also some hot water – the little sister needs to bathe and get cleaned up.”

Concubine Wei quickly agreed.

He Yan then took the little girl back to her room and handed her over to Cuijiao and Hongqiao, instructing them to give her a proper bath.

Just as she finished giving instructions, Lin Shuanghe’s voice came from outside: “Gone all night, finally you’re back! How were the fireflies? I should have gone with you last night. I regret it now, missing such a beautiful sight is a shame.” He stepped into the inner room and saw Liu Buwang standing there. He paused, asking puzzled: “This is…?”

“This is my master,” He Yan said. “Surname Liu, given name Buwang.”

“Greetings, Master Liu.” Lin Shuanghe quickly cupped his fists in greeting, then wondered aloud: “How is Master Liu here? Did sister inform this master before coming to Jiyang?”

These words cut to the heart of the matter – those who didn’t know might think she was conspiring with outsiders. He Yan hurriedly said: “No, no, absolutely not!”

“Young Master misunderstands,” Liu Buwang smiled. “I am originally from Jiyang. I met my young disciple in the Central Plains before. We haven’t seen each other for many years, and I didn’t expect to meet her here in Jiyang by chance.”

“I see.” Lin Shuanghe also smiled: “One can tell at a glance that Master is no ordinary person, to have taught such an outstanding disciple.”

Liu Buwang merely smiled without speaking.

He Yan felt somehow embarrassed and said: “Young Lord, Brother Lin, could you go to the next room for a while? I haven’t seen my master for many years and have much to discuss.”

“Why don’t we stay and listen too?” Lin Shuanghe smiled. “I’d like to know what Sister He was like in the past.”

Xiao Jue glanced at him and walked out on his own, saying: “Let’s go.”

“We’re not staying to listen?” Lin Shuanghe was still somewhat reluctant.

“Listen if you want to.”

Seeing that Xiao Jue had already left, Lin Shuanghe could only regretfully close his fan and say to He Yan: “Well then, sister, I’ll take my leave. Have a good chat with Master Liu.”

With that, he also left, closing the door behind him.

Only He Yan and Liu Buwang remained in the room.

He Yan quickly went forward to help remove the zither from Liu Buwang’s back, placing it on a table to the side. She brought over a chair and said: “Master, please sit.” Then she poured Liu Buwang a cup of tea.

Liu Buwang just smiled as he watched her do all this. Finally, he sat down at the table and stopped He Yan’s continued fussing, saying: “Enough, He. Sit down.”

That familiar “He” nearly brought tears to her eyes.

She sat down at the table and called out softly: “Master.” For a moment, it felt just like many years ago when she and Liu Buwang lived in the mountains.

During the battle at Mo County, He Yan had been buried in a pile of corpses. The desert was extremely dry, and she should have died, but unexpectedly it rained that night, allowing her to survive until morning. The next day, a passerby came by and, seeing all the corpses, dug a long pit to bury the fallen soldiers one by one.

He also discovered He Yan, barely alive, hidden among the dead.

The traveler took He Yan back and treated her wounds. When He Yan woke up, she found her mask was gone. She got up from the bed and discovered she was in a thatched cottage. When she walked out the door, she saw someone sweeping in the courtyard.

It was a middle-aged man of distinguished bearing, wearing white robes with a white sash, thin and elegant, his clothes flowing in the wind like someone from beyond this world.

The young He Yan was somewhat wary and asked: “Who are you?”

The man in white stopped what he was doing, turned to look at her, smiled, and instead of answering her question, asked: “Girl since you’re female, why did you join the army?”

He Yan was shocked, suddenly realizing her identity had been exposed.

Later she learned that this white-robed man who had saved her was called Liu Buwang, a wandering scholar who would travel to different places periodically. He was currently living on a barren mountain near Mo County, making a living by growing and selling medicinal herbs.

He Yan asked him at the time: “Sir when you rescued me, didn’t you encounter any Western Qiang people on the road?” Western Qiang soldiers often roamed around Mo County. If someone was discovered rescuing Great Wei soldiers, they would surely suffer the same fate.

Liu Buwang pointed to the sword at his waist: “I have my sword. I fear nothing.”

At first, she thought Liu Buwang was talking nonsense, until later when she personally witnessed a Western Qiang warrior die by Liu Buwang’s sword. Only then did she know Liu Buwang had spoken true.

Liu Buwang was truly a transcendent master.

He Yan had never seen such an all-capable person. He was skilled with sword, knife, whip, and spear, and also knew the arts of divination and fortune-telling.

In her foolish previous life, she had at least done one clever thing – seizing the opportunity to request Liu Buwang as her master.

Liu Buwang refused.

But Liu Buwang hadn’t expected He Yan to be such a persistent person. Whenever her mouth was free, except for eating, she spent most of her time begging Liu Buwang to take her as his disciple.

Perhaps because Liu Buwang, with his otherworldly demeanor, had never encountered such a shameless person before, he eventually had no choice but to ask her: “If you become my disciple and learn these skills, what use will they be?”

“If I learn these skills, when I return to the military camp if I encounter Western Qiang people again as before, there won’t be a complete massacre. Even if I can protect just one more person, I can protect them just as you protected me.”

“You still want to return to the military?” Liu Buwang was slightly surprised.

He Yan didn’t understand: “Of course.”

“Do you know that you are a woman? Your identity is already special. Now that your entire unit has been wiped out, you could take this chance to return home. No one would discover your identity. The original He Rufe is already dead.”

He Yan was silent for a while, then raised her head: “I never thought of being a deserter.”

This statement probably moved Liu Buwang. Later, he accepted He Yan’s discipleship tea and truly began teaching her hand by hand. But since He Yan was a girl, some things weren’t suitable for her, so Liu Buwang tried to teach her things that were appropriate. Even though she only learned some basics from Liu Buwang, it was enough for He Yan to benefit greatly.

What Liu Buwang taught He Yan most was the art of divination and strategy. Combining divination with military tactics could create a female general skilled in deploying troops and arranging formations. What good were those mighty warriors? What did it matter if the Western Qiang people were incredibly strong and fierce? Warfare was never just about brute force.

“I didn’t expect that even with my changed appearance, Master could recognize me at a glance,” He Yan lowered her head and smiled. “How did you recognize me?”

“Your swordplay,” Liu Buwang laughed. “It’s unique in the world.”

When He Yan first became Liu Buwang’s disciple, she had to honestly show him her foundation. After watching, Liu Buwang was silent for a long time. He had probably thought that since she was a woman who had the confidence to enter the military, her skills must be extraordinary. But after seeing He Yan’s skills with knife, sword, bow, and horse, Liu Buwang began to doubt whether his decision had been correct.

He didn’t know where He Yan’s confidence came from.

But he had already accepted the tea, and having accepted a disciple, he had to teach her properly even if reluctantly. Liu Buwang was also quite helpless – he had never taken disciples before, and when he finally did, he got one with the worst attitude. It truly seemed like heaven’s favor.

However, He Yan wasn’t completely without merit. Though this girl wasn’t good at anything else, her foundation in swordsmanship was exceptionally good, surprisingly so.

Liu Buwang had asked He Yan then: “Who taught you this swordsmanship? It’s quite decent.”

Hearing this, He Yan said somewhat proudly: “A master helped me secretly. I don’t know who they were, but I guess it was one of our academy’s teachers who thought I had potential and taught me after classes.”

This was true. When He Yan was young and studying, she was terrible at martial arts, and despite practicing with her sword in the courtyard every night, she made no progress. Just when she was about to give up, one day she suddenly found a piece of paper on the table in her room.

The paper had drawings of a small figure, showing the weaknesses and mistakes in her swordplay from both during classes and her practice sessions. It also detailed how to overcome these problems, with very precise instructions.

He Yan tried practicing for several days following these instructions and indeed made progress, much to her delight. Then she discovered that every ten days, a similar paper would appear on the table in her room, with instructions adjusted according to her progress.

She didn’t know who it was but guessed it must be some kind-hearted teacher from the academy whose swordsmanship was superior to hers and who could spot her shortcomings at a glance. But she never knew which teacher it was. She once tried hiding in her room to catch the person delivering the paper, but they didn’t appear that day, so He Yan realized the master didn’t wish to reveal themselves.

Still curious and grateful, she wrote a note and left it on the table before the academy’s rest plaque, before returning home: “Returning to the academy in three days. Meet at the bamboo grove after the midnight hour to personally thank my benefactor. Please come.”

“And then?” Liu Buwang asked. “Did you see who it was?”

He Yan was silent for a moment, then shook her head slightly.

She had barely returned home when she had a huge argument with He Yuansheng and his brothers, was punished for kneeling in the ancestral hall, and before three days had passed, she left the manor at night and enlisted in the army alone, taking a completely different path.

“I missed the appointment.”

She never met that person.