It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the fragrance of flowers and grass filled the air. Even the oriole perched on the branches was singing melodiously. However, Chang Yixiong, the Chief of Black Water Fortress, was in an extremely foul mood.

“All of you, lift your heads! What’s with these dejected looks?”

A bold roar echoed through the main hall of Black Water Fortress, startling the oriole that had been cheerfully singing in the osmanthus tree outside. With a chirp, it flew away.

Sighing helplessly, Chang Yixiong’s head seemed to droop even lower.

“Big Chang! I’m talking to you! Lift your head!” Almost immediately, that voice rang out again.

Hurriedly straightening his posture and straining his already bell-like eyes even wider, Chang Yide finally appeared more spirited—as spirited as the statue of Zhong Kui in the City God Temple.

Seeing him like this, the person seated on the tiger-skin chair in the fortress finally nodded in satisfaction, scanning their gaze across all the fortress leaders standing in the hall—each of them now standing as straight as Zhong Kui himself.

“Now that’s what my subordinates should look like!” That person’s tone suddenly became excited. “Good! Keep this spirit up when we raid that official silver transport tonight!”

Official silver! Hearing these words again, Chang Yixiong drew in a sharp breath, nearly choking…

The person on the tiger-skin chair remained enthusiastic, standing up and placing one foot on the chair: “Brothers, if we’re going to do this, we’re going all in! Like the saying goes: ‘Through a hundred battles in golden armor, keeping a loyal heart bright as frost!'”

The entire room fell into dead silence. The person who had been standing quietly beside the tiger-skin chair lowered his head and gave a light cough.

Chang Yixiong could only smile bitterly, and indeed, that was all he could do—because the person now standing with one foot on the Chief’s chair, fiercely declaring their intent to raid official silver, was a young lady.

Yes, just a young lady who looked every bit like a restless noble daughter who had run away from home to travel and see the world, completely ignorant of her limitations.

Yet ironically, this seemingly harmless young lady, the type that bandits usually wouldn’t even bother robbing, had brought just one person with her and in less than half an hour had fought her way from the fortress gates to the main hall, subduing all the fortress chiefs and taking down more than half of the minor bandits…

Chang Yixiong finally understood the true meaning of catastrophic defeat…

“Cangcang, you may dismiss the fortress chiefs to prepare for tonight’s attack,” that person finally spoke up, and as soon as he did, half the people in the hall quietly sighed in relief.

Cangcang, who had been passionately envisioning her first time leading a large army—no, a large group of bandits—on a raid, came back to her senses and turned to look at the speaker, readily agreeing: “Alright, should I assign them their tasks?”

Before Chang Yixiong’s face could fall, he heard that person say: “We’re not yet familiar with the fortress’s situation, so it would be better if Chief Chang handles the assignments.” He turned to Chang Yixiong with a smile, “Chief Chang, please assign tasks to your brothers as you normally would, how about that?” His tone was gentle, his smile sincere, and his request surprisingly courteous.

“Very well!” Chang Yixiong was startled and unconsciously became equally respectful, clasping his fists in greeting, “I’ll follow Young Master’s instructions.”

He truly feared what might happen if that young lady took command. Though Black Water Fortress wasn’t a particularly powerful organization, only he, as Chief, truly understood the capabilities and character of each member. Tonight’s operation was already dangerous enough; having someone unfamiliar with the situation giving random orders would only make things worse.

But was there any real chance of success tonight?

This morning, these two people had suddenly appeared at the fortress gates, effortlessly subduing everyone within. Just when Chang Yixiong had despairingly assumed they must be high-ranking law enforcement officials coming to eliminate the bandits, they had called a truce and made their demand: they wanted Black Water Fortress to help them seize an official silver transport.

Since rising from a small-time bandit to his position as Chief, Chang Yixiong had never considered targeting official silver. These were peaceful times; officials might turn a blind eye to bandits occasionally robbing passing merchants, but daring to raid officially escorted silver transport… that was nothing short of suicide.

But with a blade at his throat, how could Chang Yixiong refuse?

At this point, he could only take things one step at a time. After giving his salute, Chang Yixiong smiled bitterly and prepared to leave, when suddenly a hand rested on his shoulder. That cultured, scholarly-looking young man patted his shoulder gently, smiling: “Chief Chang, don’t worry. I guarantee this operation won’t bring any trouble to Black Water Fortress.” He smiled again, “Nor will we let Black Water Fortress lose a single brother.”

This young man seemed to possess some strange power; when he smiled, people couldn’t help but want to believe him. Chang Yixiong nodded: “Thank you, Young Master.”

After Chang Yixiong left, Cangcang quietly moved closer, lowering her voice: “Brother Xiao, are we going to raid that official silver?”

She had been the loudest when everyone was present, but now that people had dispersed, she was having doubts.

The person who had been standing beside her was Xiao Huan. He smiled: “Time is of the essence, and the disaster victims can’t wait that long, so we have no choice.”

Cangcang made an “oh” sound, tilted her head in thought, and said: “Has any emperor ever robbed their official treasury?”

Xiao Huan hadn’t expected her to suddenly bring up his identity at this moment and found it both amusing and exasperating: “This has nothing to do with whether it’s our treasury or not.”

“I know, you’re robbing those corrupt officials’ silver…” Cangcang chuckled, folding her arms, “But those corrupt officials are ones you appointed, aren’t they?”

Slightly headaches, Xiao Huan felt for the first time that explaining certain things was quite troublesome. He could only smile: “That’s why I have to come personally to take back the silver from those corrupt officials…”

Cangcang suddenly burst out laughing, unexpectedly rising on her toes to plant a loud kiss on Xiao Huan’s cheek: “Brother Xiao, I like you.” Then she turned and ran away laughing.

Stunned for a moment, Xiao Huan raised his hand to touch the cheek she had just kissed. He lowered his head slightly, letting out a soft sigh, while at the same time, giving a gentle smile.

Their reason for raiding the official silver was quite simple. This summer, Lu Prefecture had been struck by a locust plague. The disaster victims were struggling to survive, but the official funds allocated by the court to purchase surplus grain from wealthy households in Jiangzhe for disaster relief had been largely embezzled by Lu Prefecture officials. These relief funds were now being secretly transported elsewhere.

While traveling leisurely in the Jiangzhe region, Xiao Huan and Cangcang accidentally encountered the personal guards transporting these misappropriated funds. Xiao Huan immediately realized this wasn’t the route for transporting disaster relief funds and suspected something was wrong. After a secret investigation, they discovered the truth of the matter.

Xiao Huan called in people from the Gu Xing Camp and had them report the matter to the Court of Judicial Review. However, the investigation would take considerable time, and the tens of thousands of disaster victims in Lu Prefecture couldn’t wait that long. So Xiao Huan simply decided to first raid the relief funds to purchase rice and grain, then slowly investigate the corrupt officials.

This led to their current situation at Black Water Fortress.

The orange-red sun finally sank wearily below the horizon, and in an instant, the light suddenly dimmed.

Chang Yixiong crouched behind a bush beside the official road, watching the bend ahead, his heart rate increasing.

They were about to make their move, weren’t they? The bandit leader, who had always lived on the edge, couldn’t help but swallow.

Within his line of sight, he could see his second-in-command leading men in an ambush on the slope beside the bend, while on both sides of the bend, very close to the road, four figures lay prone.

These were the four brothers with the best eyesight and most agile movements in the entire fortress.

Earlier today, following his usual practice, he had assigned these four brothers to lookout and signaling duties, the brave second-in-command to lead the charge, and the steady third-in-command to provide backup.

After arranging everything, he had reported to that young master, who had made slight modifications to his arrangements, resulting in the current deployment.

He now understood that when that person had left the troop assignments to him, it wasn’t really about giving him full responsibility, but rather about quickly understanding the fortress’s personnel situation based on his arrangements.

Thinking of that dramatic young lady and that always quietly smiling, refined young man, Chang Yixiong still felt a shiver run through him.

Would they be able to withdraw safely tonight without losing a single man, as that person had said?

There was no time left for his doubts, as a gentle voice suddenly came from behind: “Chief Chang, the silver transport is approaching.”

Indeed, the convoy escorted by three hundred soldiers was drawing near. The sound of cartwheels, the neighing of horses, the light of torches, and faint shouts could be heard.

His body instinctively tensed. In the moment when the enemy was bearing down on them, Chang Yixiong’s fear and doubts suddenly vanished without a trace, replaced by surging blood and excitement. He tightened his grip on his large sword.

In his peripheral vision, Chang Yixiong saw that slender hand slowly drop.

The commander in charge of escorting the official silver, Seventh-Rank Assistant Cavalry Commander Shang Yousheng, considered himself quite unlucky lately. Not only had he lost every time he gambled, but he’d also been stuck with this miserable duty of escorting silver, eating, and sleeping rough while constantly on edge.

Like today, the sun had set and they still hadn’t reached the post station where they could rest.

Just thinking about this made Shang Yousheng inexplicably irritable, and he shouted at the soldiers beside him: “Move faster! Front guard speed up, rear guard keep up!”

The soldiers escorting the silver were already exhausted, and hearing their commander’s outburst, they only slightly quickened their pace, responding weakly: “Yes…”

Shang Yousheng was both angry and anxious. He had been patrolling back and forth along the convoy on horseback and was now in the middle of the convoy. Seeing that almost half of the front guard had already turned around the sharp bend ahead and disappeared, he tried to hold back but finally couldn’t resist, raising his fine steel spear: “All of you, speak up louder…”

A thunderous explosion drowned out his voice, seeming to make even the earth shake. Immediately after, crumbling rocks and soil rolled down from the hillside.

Almost simultaneously, countless sizzling fireballs were thrown from the dense forest around them. Explosions rang out one after another, and yellow smoke spread everywhere, the strong smell causing screams and violent coughing.

A raid on the silver! Shang Yousheng shouted in exasperation: “Hold your positions!” In the chaos, some soldiers heard his voice and the noise decreased slightly, followed immediately by several cries of pain from the mist.

The enemy had begun their attack!

Gritting his teeth and squeezing his horse’s flanks, ignoring the screams of his subordinates around him, Shang Yousheng rode his horse toward the upwind direction.

As soon as his horse moved, a flash of cold light emerged from the thick smoke, striking as swift as lightning.

The fine steel spear barely caught the large sword, and as the weapons suddenly crossed, a hearty laugh came from within the smoke.

His arm aching, Shang Yousheng gripped his spear tightly and thrust it out without hesitation. The sword and spear met again, once more resulting in a stalemate.

Shang Yousheng prided himself on his unmatched arm strength, with few in the military camp able to withstand his spear strikes, but after two moves today, his opponent’s force had left his palm numb. His blood surging, he let out a great roar, and his spear thrust forward again.

His opponent didn’t dodge but instead turned his horse to meet the attack. Both sides’ forces were equally fierce and powerful, and in the blink of an eye, metal clashed several times, the strong winds from their movements even dispersing some of the thick smoke around them.

“Good swordsmanship.” A calm assessment rang out from a dirt mound beside the official road, where two figures stood side by side, looking down at the melee between bandits and soldiers.

“Yes, who would have thought Little Chang had such skill? I definitely couldn’t block that spear,” the young lady’s voice carried a hint of excitement. “Brother Xiao, could you block it?”

“No, I couldn’t.” The answer came very directly.

The young lady was greatly disappointed: “And here I thought you were so impressive, even able to snatch the world’s finest sword, but you can’t even beat that military officer!”

The person beside her gave her an amused look: “Don’t underestimate the art of mounted combat. No matter how clever or varied the martial arts of the jianghu may be, on the battlefield, they won’t necessarily gain much advantage against these military commanders.”

The young lady wasn’t interested in listening to his reasoning, still grumbling: “Can’t even beat a brute, I guess a pretty face really can’t be trusted after all. Looks like I’ll have to protect you!”

Even as she spoke, she grabbed the hand of the person beside her and snuggled closer into his embrace. Night had fallen, and she was dressed too thinly, feeling a bit cold. Strangely enough, though that person’s hands were always slightly cool, as if his body temperature was naturally lower than others when the weather turned cold, his hands didn’t become any colder, so holding them now actually provided a gentle warmth. And the embrace from behind wrapped her body in warmth as well.

Feeling warmer, Cangcang became even more excited: “Brother Xiao… the soldiers are all in chaos now, we’re going to win!”

Smiling in response, Xiao Huan paused slightly: “Cangcang, when did you start calling me that?”

Almost without realizing it, Cangcang’s way of addressing Xiao Huan had changed from “hey” and “you there” to “Brother Xiao.”

Cangcang felt unusually embarrassed: “What’s wrong? Weren’t you the one who told me to call you ‘Brother Xiao’!” She turned her head back awkwardly, only to meet a pair of smiling black eyes.

She was being teased! Cangcang immediately understood and very skillfully stepped on his toes: “Starting tomorrow, I’m going to call you Stinky Egg!”

The laughter in those bright eyes deepened, and as Cangcang feared he would say something more, an arm gently encircled her waist, and Xiao Huan smiled: “It’s time to withdraw.”

A pale cyan figure swept down from the hillside like a lone wild goose spreading its wings, passing through the thick smoke, and landing precisely on a startled running steed.

“Commander Shang, go back and tell Zheng Keqin of Shi Prefecture that he should come to the capital himself to receive his punishment!” A calm yet clear voice came from behind the smoke as the sound of hoofbeats gradually faded into the distance.

Shang Yousheng stood frozen, gripping his spear. When that figure had descended from the sky moments ago, he had keenly sensed this person must be the leader, and abandoning his current heated battle, he had swept his spear across, fully intending to sweep that person off the horse.

His spear hadn’t missed – he felt his weapon make contact with something, but in the next instant, the force he had channeled into the spear suddenly vanished. Yes, just vanished. His strength seemed to strike against empty air, then dissipated without a trace.

“Go back and tell Zheng Keqin of Shi Prefecture that he should come to the capital himself to receive his punishment!” That low, detached voice seemed to still echo in his ears, and Shang Yousheng suddenly shuddered: he belonged to Shi Prefecture… and the Third-Rank Military Commander Zheng Keqin was the commander of the Great Wu’s Shi Prefecture…

By the time Shang Yousheng recovered from his shock, most of the thick smoke had dispersed. By the light of the torches on the ground, he saw a black iron token had fallen in front of his horse.

Though unremarkable in appearance, it was carved with the flame-phoenix pattern symbolizing imperial authority.

The dark iron secret command token of the two Imperial Guard camps carried the same authority as an imperial edict.

His gaze swept over the scattered carriages and dust-covered soldiers on the ground, and Shang Yousheng wiped his face with his hand: perhaps this time… he wouldn’t lose his head.

Riding through the dense forest, Cangcang’s spirits remained high as she grabbed Xiao Huan’s clothes: “You lied about not being able to block it – what was that earlier when you deflected that big spear with just one finger? And if you had the command token, why didn’t you just order those soldiers to turn around and provide disaster relief? Why go through all the trouble of gathering people to steal the silver?”

Once again finding himself with a headache from her questions, Xiao Huan tried to explain briefly: “Being able to deflect something isn’t the same as being able to block it… And that’s a token for summoning people, not a tiger tally for commanding troops…”

If it could be as simple as Cangcang suggested, why would he have gone to such lengths to win over these bandits?

In Great Wu, military deployment required either holding a tiger tally for troop movement or following the chain of command level by level. Without orders from above, no official, regardless of rank, could move even a single soldier. Even the Imperial Guard’s secret command token, which carried the authority of an imperial edict and could summon a great general to the capital, couldn’t redirect a unit of soldiers.

Whether Cangcang understood or not was unclear as she giggled persistently: “Lies! Deception! Playing mysterious!”

His headache worsening, Xiao Huan was both annoyed and amused, finally choosing to ignore her as he urged his horse forward.

These bandits were all experienced at robbery – those with horses loaded them up, and those without used their shoulders to carry and lift. Over a hundred men managed to move fifty thousand taels of official silver from the carts into their possession, scattering into the dense forest so thoroughly that even their tracks would be hard to find.

Before long, everyone had gathered at a pre-arranged clearing, setting down their stolen silver and catching their breath.

They had used explosives and smoke, taking advantage of the soldiers’ unpreparedness to quickly grab everything and run. Except for a few brothers suffering minor injuries, they truly hadn’t lost a single man.

After roughly counting heads, Chief Chang Yixiong suddenly lifted his robe and knelt on one knee before the young man in cyan: “I, Chang Yixiong, and the one hundred and eight brothers of Black Water Fortress, wish to serve you as our master. We’ll climb blade mountains and descend into fire seas, dive into deep pools to battle yellow dragons, without the slightest disloyalty!”

Watching this young man’s skillful planning turn an operation they hadn’t dared imagine into something as easy as reaching into a bag, something in Chang Yixiong’s instincts was shaken. For the first time, he sensed that beyond his field of vision, there existed another realm he had never glimpsed.

Though he didn’t know this young man’s identity or background, the way he achieved victory while maintaining casual conversation left him deeply impressed.

Somewhat surprised and taken aback, before Xiao Huan could speak, Cangcang burst out laughing: “Little Chang, why follow him? You want to crown him as Mountain King?” She laughed so hard she couldn’t stand straight, patting Xiao Huan’s shoulder. “That’s fine, I think you don’t need to return to the capital now. Just stay here as a great chief or something, recruit soldiers, establish your territory, very impressive…”

Chang Yixiong sensed something was amiss. Being straightforward by nature, after his moment of confusion, he immediately stood up: “I’m a simple man who acted on impulse, without considering whether the Young Master would be willing. I’ve put you in an awkward position!”

Xiao Huan smiled: “Chief Chang is too polite.” He paused before continuing: “At this point, I should be honest with Chief Chang – we two serve the imperial court. The silver you brothers seized tonight was originally allocated by the court for disaster relief in Lu Prefecture but was misappropriated by corrupt officials for their gain. If you’re willing, I’d like to ask you brothers to help transport this silver to where it’s needed for disaster relief. Afterward, I can arrange for you brothers to enlist in the military and enjoy hereditary military status.” At this point, he swept his gaze across everyone present. “Of course, if any of you lack such aspirations, I apologize in advance and ask for your understanding.”

The forest fell silent for a moment before Chang Yixiong burst out laughing: “Do you think our fortress brothers don’t want to find an honest way to make a living? That we were born wanting to do this profitless business?” He clasped his hands towards Xiao Huan. “To be frank, since that year when I was thirteen and famine drove me here to become a bandit, I never expected the government to provide me with even a roof over my head or a warm meal. Only today, seeing someone like Young Master in the imperial court, do I believe that Great Wu’s sky hasn’t completely darkened.”

He turned and shouted: “Brothers, we’re cleaning up the mess those dog officials made! Tell me, doesn’t this feel good?!”

The entire fortress of brothers shouted in response: “It feels good!” mixed with a few laughing curses.

Chang Yixiong continued, raising his arm and shouting: “Let’s deliver this silver to Lu Prefecture and let those dog officials see the might of us Black Water Fortress brothers!”

“Oh!” This time the passionate shouting was so intense that even Cangcang joined in, waving her arms and yelling.

On a certain day in the eighth month of the seventh year of Deyou, the commander escorting the disaster relief silver reported to his superior that the official silver had vanished without a trace.

Barely two weeks later, in Lu Prefecture where corpses of the starved littered the ground, over a hundred people suddenly appeared, claiming to be militia and escorting one hundred thousand taels of silver.

These people assisted the Lu Prefecture magistrate in using the relief funds to purchase grain from local wealthy households who had been hoarding supplies, quickly alleviating the disaster situation.

Though Lu Prefecture was filled with disaster victims, the teahouses and restaurants still operated as usual.

A sturdy man ran past on the street, covered in sweat, and seeing Cangcang’s face in the window, raised his hand in greeting.

Cangcang recognized him as one of the Black Water Fortress brothers. After they had delivered the official silver here, because Lu Prefecture was short-handed, they had all stayed to help with disaster relief. The Black Water Fortress brothers were strong and had contributed significantly by transporting grain and maintaining order. She and Xiao Huan were helping the prefecture’s medical officials treat sick disaster victims. Though there were many patients, she only handled minor tasks and could still find time to nap, while Xiao Huan had been so busy he hadn’t been able to close his eyes for days.

Cangcang waved back at the Black Water Fortress man, who grinned and ran off.

These men with their strong bandit habits had unknowingly become valuable helpers in disaster relief. Cangcang often saw them after finishing their work, cursing and joking while punching each other’s shoulders, their tired faces unable to hide their satisfaction and joy.

Who had unhesitatingly entrusted them with the task of transporting official silver? Who had never counted the silver along the way, showing not the slightest doubt that these money-loving mountain bandits might secretly embezzle? Who had, despite the magistrate’s doubts, assigned these people to handle grain purchases, even letting them handle the accounting and verification? Who had, before anyone could even notice, subtly changed something?

People still bustled back and forth on the long street, with a few disaster victims still huddled in the corners, but compared to when they had first entered the city, the heavy cloud of gloom that had hung over the entire city was lifting, and Lu Prefecture was slowly regaining its vitality.

Having finally dragged Xiao Huan out for a rest, Cangcang turned her gaze back from the scenery outside the window and fiercely bared her pearl-like gleaming teeth: “Let’s keep going on like this!”

Looking at her with slight surprise, Xiao Huan’s face still wore a gentle smile: “Cangcang, what did you say?”

“I said, let’s keep going on like this.” Ignoring the glances from other teahouse patrons drawn by the noise, Cangcang jumped up to hug Xiao Huan, smiling: “Brother Xiao, I want to stay with you forever!”

That face that always wore a faint smile suddenly turned slightly red. Gently patting Cangcang’s shoulder, he smiled: “Cangcang, there are many people here.”

Showing no intention of letting go, Cangcang looked up with a proud smile.

To stay together forever.

Just like this, holding hands, laughing and joking, crossing over treacherous and rugged mountains and waters as if crossing through the eternal spring gardens of paradise, holding onto a pair of hands with their gentle warmth, like holding onto sunlight that could draw endless warmth, continuing, forever.

Golden sunlight shone in through the window, falling on Cangcang’s unrestrained smiling face.

The crisp autumn wind blew gently over the city, also passing over the lush wild grass outside the city and the trees with their layered autumn colors. This season was known as the golden autumn.