Qiao Yishan was taken aback. Qingyuan’s words stirred a sudden sense of anticipation in him, but it was quickly replaced by a wave of uncertainty.

He shook his head. “Brother Shi is the Marshal’s son, while I am nothing but a bandit. What merit or ability do I have to follow him?”

“A capable general, well employed, can command a thousand armies; a skilled servant, well employed, can ward off hidden plots; a bandit, well employed, can achieve surprising results no one expects.” Qingyuan looked at Qiao Yishan, his words earnest. “I have followed the Chief for many years and know your character well. After spending time with Director Shi, I believe he is someone worth pledging allegiance to. If the Chief truly follows him, who knows — you might accomplish something great and legendary.”

“But what can I do? Brother Shi doesn’t need a gang of bandits holed up on a mountain, does he?”

Qingyuan said, “The Chief is a person of talent. I believe Director Shi would never let any capable person go to waste.”

It had to be said — Qingyuan’s words set Qiao Yishan’s heart wavering. After returning to the mountain, he couldn’t sleep all night, his mind turning over and over on Qingyuan’s words about “accomplishing something great and legendary.”

Back when he had fallen in love with Xiu’er as a bandit, Xiu’er had not looked down on him. Xiu’er had said he could paint and write, and that being a bandit was only a temporary measure — she had said he would surely accomplish great things in the future.

Xiu’er was dead, yet here he still was, a bandit. And worse, his status as a bandit had dragged Xiu’er into it. Xiu’er had died because of him.

At this thought, Qiao Yishan’s eyes grew damp, and two lines of tears rolled down his face.

Qiao Yishan cried for a while, then drifted off into a hazy sleep. When he woke, the sky had darkened again.

“Chief, you’re awake.” Qingyuan walked in. “Chief Zhang came by earlier, wanting to ask how to arrange Chief Wang’s funeral. I told him you’d worn yourself out fighting yesterday and let him sort it out himself.”

Zhang Dazhi had no mind of his own — whoever was strong, he listened to. Now that Wang Hailin was dead, he came to Qiao Yishan about everything.

Wang Hailin’s corpse had been thrown to the wild dogs — there was nothing left to find. A funeral would amount to nothing more than an empty grave.

Qiao Yishan sat up on the bed. “Let’s go back to Shuanghe Town.”

In the peony garden of Shuanghe Town, Yan Qing and Shi Ting were sitting on either side of a small stone table, drinking tea.

Though there was no kitchen here, the tea set was all in order. On a small brazier nearby, a silver-threaded kettle of mountain spring water was bubbling steadily.

Yan Qing picked up the kettle and reached for the tea leaves.

Before long, the fragrance of tea drifted through the air, lending a touch of warm, everyday life to the tranquil evening.

“Do you think Qiao Yishan will come looking for you?” Yan Qing rested her chin on her hand, her skin luminous in the moonlight, her eyes shimmering with light.

“He will.” Shi Ting smiled slightly. “The man beside him — Qingyuan — is clever. I only needed to drop a few hints, and he understood what I meant.”

Yan Qing looked at him with a smile. “Qingyuan will put in a good word for you?”

“I had a brief conversation with Qingyuan and could tell he was a man of great ambition. Being ambitious, he would naturally not be content spending his days as a bandit on a mountaintop. Added to that, Qiao Yishan himself is talented — he was only driven to become a bandit out of necessity. With Xiu’er dead, he must feel immensely guilty. If someone were to speak up for me at this moment, he would surely waver.”

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside, drawing closer from the distance.

Yan Qing gave Shi Ting a smile. “Husband, you’ve gotten what you wished for.”

She stood up, added a fresh teacup to the table, and turned to go inside.

The visitors were indeed Qiao Yishan, with a beaming Qingyuan following behind.

“Brother Shi.” Qiao Yishan cupped his hands. “Sorry to disturb you so late at night.”

Shi Ting replied, “This is Brother Qiao’s courtyard. Brother Qiao is free to come and go as he pleases — where is the disturbance? If anything, it is we who have occupied your courtyard without apologizing.”

After Qiao Yishan sat down, Shi Ting poured him a cup of tea. “Wang Hailin is dead?”

“Dead.” Thinking of the manner of Wang Hailin’s death, Qiao Yishan let out a long breath. “Thanks to Brother Shi, I was able to have my revenge and keep my life.”

“Brother Qiao is too kind.”

Qiao Yishan looked across the table at Shi Ting, who sat upright and unhurried, slowly pouring tea. From the very first moment he had seen him, he had felt that this man was born exceptional. Looking more carefully now, he seemed even more like a king.

“Brother Shi.” Qiao Yishan suddenly rose from his seat, strode to one side, and knelt on one knee before Shi Ting.

Shi Ting quickly moved to help him up, only to hear Qiao Yishan’s steady, resolute voice: “Qiao Yishan is willing to pledge allegiance to Director Shi. From this day forward, I am at Director Shi’s complete command and disposal.”

“Brother Qiao, please rise first.” Shi Ting helped Qiao Yishan up and looked at him with a smile. “I am only the Director of the Military Police Department for now.”

“That is only for the moment.” Qiao Yishan shook his head. “Director Shi has the ambition of a great eagle soaring the skies and the talent of a true king. Though Qiao Yishan is lacking, he would not mistake a man like this.”

Shi Ting could see Qiao Yishan’s talents, and Qiao Yishan could perceive Shi Ting’s aspirations. Such was the way of lord and subject.

“Very well.” Shi Ting could barely conceal his joy. “To have gained a fine talent like Brother Qiao is Shi’s good fortune.”

“And Qiao’s even greater fortune.”

After the two had sat back down, Qiao Yishan said excitedly, “I want to start doing something for Director Shi right now.”

He was eager to demonstrate his loyalty — and excitement had made him ramble.

“Still call me Brother Shi — Director Shi sounds too formal.”

“Very well.” Qiao Yishan gave a crisp salute. “Brother Shi.”

Shi Ting poured him a cup of tea. “General Liu should be arriving soon.”

“The Government Troops General Liu?”

“Indeed.” Shi Ting looked up at him. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll use this as an opportunity to close a trap around you?”

Here in the courtyard there were only himself and Qingyuan. If Liu Qingnian brought men to surround them, he would have no wings to fly with. Once he was dead, Mount Dagu would be without a leader — the likes of Zhang Dazhi were nothing to worry about.

Qiao Yishan burst out laughing at that. “Didn’t Brother Shi dare to come here and wait for me as well?”

Qiao Yishan admired Shi Ting’s composure; likewise, Shi Ting was quite appreciative of Qiao Yishan’s unshakeable steadiness.

Before Qiao Yishan’s words had even faded, a knock sounded at the door outside. Qingyuan quickly went to open it. Standing outside were Liu Qingnian and Liu Junyuan, both dressed in plain clothing.

The two came in, and the small stone table suddenly felt crowded.

Shi Ting introduced Qiao Yishan to the two of them. Facing this bandit chief, Liu Qingnian — seasoned and experienced — felt surprise in his heart, yet not a trace of it showed on his face.

“Now that everyone is here, let me speak plainly.” Shi Ting sat composedly. Though he made no deliberate show of authority, he possessed a natural magnetism that drew people in irresistibly.

Seeing all three looking toward him, Shi Ting said, “Brother Qiao continues to stay on Mount Dagu, but there will be no more robbing the rich to help the poor. Even those wealthy people are citizens of Xin Guo — they are our countrymen.”

Qiao Yishan nodded.

“The Dian Kingdom has seized our country’s mines and is shipping resources that rightfully belong to our nation to their own country. That is no different from plundering — they just do it in a more civilized way. But you bandits have no need for civility. Hard robbery will do just fine.”

Qiao Yishan’s eyes lit up at that.

“Near Qianguan City, I have already planted a contact. In due course, he will send men to get in touch with you, ensuring you can intercept each and every one of their shipments with precision.”

Qiao Yishan slapped the table. “Brother Shi, rest assured — I’ll make sure they don’t have a hair left to their name.”

Liu Junyuan, sitting off to one side, couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Liu Qingnian shot him a glance, and he swallowed it back down.

“As for General Liu.” Shi Ting took a sip of tea. “General Liu must not openly break with Meng Xiangyang for now, and must still follow his directives.”

Liu Junyuan heard this and said anxiously, “In this bandit suppression operation, we’ve already suffered heavy losses. If Deputy Minister Meng assigns us another mission, I’m afraid…”

“You’re right — these losses have been severe. To what extent?” Shi Ting blew on his teacup. “Severe enough that only three platoons’ worth of men remain.”

Liu Junyuan thought to himself: heavy as the toll had been, losing three platoons’ worth of men was about right — their Government Troops unit was not that weak.

But Liu Qingnian laughed heartily, seeming to have grasped something. “If Director Shi says the losses leave only three platoons, then only three platoons remain.”

“But what about the rest of the men? They can’t just hide indefinitely without showing their faces.”

With so many people, where would they hide? Meng Xiangyang was no fool.

“Hide them on the mountain.” Shi Ting answered Liu Junyuan’s question. “General Liu, station your elite forces on Mount Dagu. One, to keep their edge concealed; two, to covertly support Brother Qiao in dealing with the Dian Kingdom’s transport convoys.”

“Excellent.” Liu Qingnian was overjoyed, looking at Shi Ting with even deeper admiration.

“I understand now.” Liu Junyuan said with sudden clarity. “We bring back only three platoons’ worth of men to account for ourselves. Meng Xiangyang will have no further use for us, and gradually lose sight of our unit altogether. Meanwhile, we keep the troops on Mount Dagu — unbeknownst to anyone, resting and recuperating, drilling and training. When the time comes to descend the mountain, we’ll strike like a blade from nowhere.”

Shi Ting looked at him with approval. “Platoon Leader Liu, if I were to have you command this force on Mount Dagu, what do you think?”

A look of delight crossed Liu Junyuan’s face, and his excitement could not be contained. “I am grateful for Director Shi’s faith in me. Liu Junyuan is willing to serve faithfully.”

Shi Ting nodded with satisfaction and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “But if you want to stay on Mount Dagu, the prerequisite is that you announce to the outside world that you died in battle.”

“Understood.” Liu Junyuan said happily. “I’ll arrange this properly. Please set your mind at ease, Director Shi.”

The group discussed various other details, and by the time everyone dispersed, it was already deep into the night.

When Shi Ting returned to the room, Yan Qing was still waiting for him.

She had gathered some peony petals that day, intending to use them to make peony essential oil.

“They’ve all gone?” Yan Qing set aside the flower petals she had been sorting.

“Gone.” Shi Ting seemed very happy, and strode over to scoop her up in his arms, spinning her around in place three full times.

Yan Qing was startled and couldn’t help but wrap her arms around his neck. “What are you doing? Put me down.”

Shi Ting laughed and stopped, then set her down on the bed. He looked down at her from above, his eyes slightly upturned at the corners. “Madam gathered so many flower petals — why not put them to good use?”

“For what?” Yan Qing blinked at him with guileless eyes.