The thirty thousand Blue Phoenix Army soldiers under Li Wu’s command escorted ten cartloads of maltose candy and salted duck eggs all the way over mountains and through valleys — eating as they walked — and kept eating until they arrived outside Liang County, the agreed-upon meeting point, with the maltose candy and salted duck eggs still piled in mountains.

The Wuying Army, which had been camped at the meeting point for several days waiting, had prepared plenty of intimidation tactics to put the newcomers in their place — but found they had no chance to deploy them. Instead, it was they who ended up on the receiving end, with expressions that twisted into dark, sullen scowls as they stared, eyes fixed like hawks, at Li Wu and his men sauntering in fashionably late.

Li Wu paid no attention to their menacing looks, and grinned as he directed his men to hand out the salted duck eggs and maltose candy.

“No need to stand on ceremony — there’s enough for everyone, everyone gets some!”

A man who appeared to be a commander weighed the salted duck egg in his hand — still with bits of dirt on it — and said with a disdainful sneer: “Nothing but duck eggs and candy — worthless junk, all of it. And you actually dare hand this stuff out? Are you treating us like beggars?”

“Now, now —” Li Wu drew out his tone in a tone of righteous gravity. “These are no ordinary salted duck eggs and maltose candy — these have crossed countless mountains and rivers, absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, and been blessed by Master Niubi, Yangzhou’s most eminent monk.”

The Wuying soldiers stared at him with expressions full of skepticism.

“If I, Li Wu, am lying even one word, let my old man drop dead on the spot.” Li Wu held up three fingers and swore to the heavens. “This maltose candy and these duck eggs were verified by our esteemed physician from Jinzhou — old Dr. Tang himself — to have three proven benefits: filling the belly and warding off hunger, strengthening the body and building health, and prolonging life and adding to one’s years. If it weren’t for the fact that these negotiations today are of the utmost importance, people who come begging me for these, I wouldn’t necessarily give them!”

The Wuying soldiers were still half-disbelieving — but already some of them, their hearts a little moved, were lifting their salted duck eggs or maltose candy up to their noses for a sniff, their throats bobbing involuntarily.

“Where is your General Chunyu?” Li Wu looked around.

Out of caution, the meeting had been arranged to take place outside Liang County, a town on the outskirts of the Wuying Military Governor’s territory. Both sides were permitted to bring no more than five hundred soldiers to the meeting point — judging by the number of tents, the Wuying Army had indeed honored the agreement.

“Our general is at the seat of command in Dongdu,” a young Wuying soldier who was clearly a new recruit blurted out, his salted duck egg in hand.

The commander-looking man shot him a glare, then picked up the thread smoothly and said in an unhurried drawl: “The General is occupied with pressing military affairs and has given Master Han Fengnian full authority to handle all matters related to the negotiations.”

“And where might Master Han Fengnian be?” Li Wu said.

The commander knitted his brows and glanced at the egg in his hand, then handed it off to the soldier beside him. Without a word, he turned and walked deeper into the camp.

Li Wu followed without hesitation, his easy manner as casual as if he were strolling through his own back garden. The tall and powerfully built Li Kun walked behind him, glancing around with curiosity, chewing on a piece of maltose candy with contented smacks. The others could not manage such ease — the five hundred Blue Phoenix Army soldiers were all on full alert, watching the Wuying Army on every side, right hands gripping the hilts of their blades, ready at any moment to respond to whatever might unfold.

The commander led Li Wu and his group to a fence and stopped, demanding that Li Wu lay down his weapons, and that only Li Kun could accompany him inside. Li Wu silenced the objections rising behind him and complied, then followed the commander into the large tent.

Seated inside was a single person, with one attendant standing at each of the four corners. Li Wu’s gaze slid discreetly across the four attendants’ steady, well-grounded stances and the high collars they each without exception wore to conceal what were likely their protruding Adam’s apples, and had already sized up their true identities perfectly.

He, Li Wu, had no fear of a surprise attack — but certain others apparently did.

That “certain other,” who was afraid, rose slowly from behind the long table.

An icy, hate-filled gaze traveled over him from head to toe.

“Master Han — I have long admired your reputation!” Li Wu cupped his hands in greeting.

Han Fengnian stared fixedly at the young man before him — composed and open-faced, casual and uninhibited — unable to believe that this was the person who had outwitted capture again and again, toying with him in the palm of his hand.

“Li Wu…” Han Fengnian ground his name between his teeth one character at a time, a cold smile playing at the corner of his lips. “I have long admired your reputation as well…”

“I wouldn’t dare accept such praise — I am a nobody of no repute. How could I compare to Master Han, whose name has been renowned for so long!” Li Wu clasped his hands with a show of humble modesty — while his face wore an expression that said he found the compliment perfectly reasonable.

“Aren’t you afraid that coming to Dongdu means you’ll never leave?”

“If Master Han wishes me to stay on as a long-term guest, that’s not out of the question —” Li Wu said. “I’m not particular about where I stay. I’ve lived quite comfortably in Jinzhou, Xiangzhou, Xuzhou… in all those places before.”

Li Wu paused, then let out a drawn-out “Oh”:

“Pity they’re not doing so well these days.” Li Wu clicked his tongue and said. “Ever since I stayed in them — Jinzhou got flooded, Xiangzhou got taken apart, Xuzhou got picked clean… Though I see Dongdu has a solid defense, so it certainly won’t go down the same road as the others. With me staying here, I imagine I’d be quite comfortable. As for Yangzhou, with my wife holding things down, I have not a single worry.”

“What, are you going to make me stay indefinitely? If so, I’ll write a letter right now and send it back to Yangzhou —”

“General Li is a busy man — how could Dongdu presume to detain you?” Han Fengnian cut him off coldly. “Although the Princess of Yue has broad experience and noble birth and commands great prestige, no matter how capable she is, Her Highness is, in the end, a woman. Some matters are inconvenient for a woman to handle — it would be better for the General to return and take charge.”

“You make a fair point.” Li Wu made himself at home and sat down at the table. “So — when do negotiations begin?”

“Now.” Han Fengnian sat across from him. “General Chunyu has been preoccupied with military affairs and has delegated this meeting entirely to me to handle. If General Li has any requests, speak plainly.”

“My request is simple —” Li Wu said. “The Wuying Army and the Blue Phoenix Army join forces against Fu Xuanmiao, that man-faced beast, the number-one dog in the world. As long as our two sides join hands, his dog army won’t be able to touch us. Before I set out, my wife told me something about how when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold…”

“It’s called ‘when the lips are lost, the teeth feel the cold,'” Han Fengnian said, his brow furrowing, before he could stop himself.

“Right — when the lips are lost, the teeth feel the cold —” Li Wu said. “Right now, you and I are both thorns in the flesh of the new Emperor’s eye —”

“I…”

“Don’t say Dongdu isn’t — if you want to say that, swear on your old man’s life first.” Li Wu said flatly. “Whether Fu Xuanmiao has had his eye on Dongdu for a while now — you all know that better than anyone.”

Han Fengnian said nothing.

“To take on Fu Xuanmiao’s forces on our own — sure, we might not win.” Li Wu said decisively. “But without us, the next one Fu the Dog comes after is you. By then, even if you want to find someone to join forces with, there’ll be no one left who can help you.”

“That need not concern General Li.” Han Fengnian said. “Dongdu has its own ways of handling its affairs.”

“Do you truly have a plan?” Li Wu asked. “Swear on your old man’s life?”

Han Fengnian: “…”

Li Wu looked at Han Fengnian. Han Fengnian looked at Li Wu.

After a long silence, Han Fengnian wiped the previous exchange from memory and moved on to a summary: “…In any case, Dongdu will not be joining you. General Chunyu serves the court with loyalty and dedication — would the court really turn around and slaughter the donkey once the grinding is done?”

“Go back and ask Chunyu An before you give me your answer.”

“I have full authority to speak on this,” Han Fengnian said. “This is our General’s position.”

“Then name your terms.”

“Dongdu has no terms.” Han Fengnian looked at Li Wu steadily and said. “No matter what you say, Dongdu will not join you.”

“Why?”

“General Li appears to have forgotten what history exists between us.” Han Fengnian said with a cold smile. “When you killed my younger brother and plundered the Wuying Army back then, you certainly never imagined there would come a day when you’d need the Wuying Army’s help.”

Who the hell could have foreseen that? Li Wu grumbled to himself. He used to only want to carve out a piece of land and be a mountain lord — who knew that one day he’d be holding up the banner of cleansing the Emperor’s side?

When Shen Zhuxi stepped into a pile of cow dung and bawled her eyes out, could she have imagined that one day people would call her the Lady of Xiangzhou?

“Ah… well, as they say, a fight is the beginning of a friendship — this is a bond heaven itself has brought us!” Li Wu cleared his throat and declared in a ringing voice. “I think today is an auspicious day — why don’t we swear brotherhood right here? You lost a younger brother, yes, but you’ve gained an older brother in exchange. That ought to offer some comfort to your wounded heart…”

“Li Wu!” Han Fengnian finally reached his limit and cut him off. “You killed my own flesh and blood. I, Han Fengnian, swear I will not rest until this blood debt is repaid. You came to Dongdu today as an envoy, so I will not kill you — because I will not allow General Chunyu to bear the name of a man who murders envoys. But the blood feud between you and me can never be dissolved!”

Han Fengnian’s expression was stone cold, utterly unconcerned that his letting personal vendetta drive his decisions was painfully obvious.

Long before Li Wu arrived in Liang County, Han Fengnian had already made up his mind: no matter what terms Li Wu proposed, he would find every way possible to obstruct any alliance between the two sides.

Wuying was located in the far east, far removed from the political center. It was nothing like Li Wu — who had taken the Princess of Yue as his wife — and so had no personal blood grudge with Fu Xuanmiao over a stolen bride. Once Fu Xuanmiao dealt with the Blue Phoenix Army’s uprising, even for the sake of recuperation alone, he would not necessarily strike against Dongdu in the first few years of a new reign. With that being the case, why would they wade into such murky waters?

And retreating ten thousand steps back — even if Fu Xuanmiao came for Wuying after that — he still believed that with General Chunyu’s military prowess and his own civil abilities, Wuying was not without means to fight back.

When all was said and done, he simply did not want to let Li Wu have his way.

If he killed Li Wu here, that would let him off too easily.

He wanted him to watch helplessly as his forces crumbled and collapsed like a mountain. He wanted him to watch helplessly as the people around him — his friends, his family, one by one — died at the enemy’s blade. He wanted him to watch helplessly as the person he loved most died right before his eyes. Only that would satisfy the hatred burning in his heart.

Only that could console his younger brother’s spirit in the afterlife.

“What a shame.” Li Wu let out a sigh and rose to his feet. “I came all this way to bring you a niece… Looks like I have no choice but to take her back to Yangzhou with me.”

“What niece?” Han Fengnian’s brow furrowed.

“A niece — your younger brother’s daughter, of course. How many younger brothers do you have?” Li Wu said.

Han Fengnian’s eyes sharpened abruptly. “…If you dare joke about the departed, you won’t be leaving this tent today.”

“Believe it or don’t.” Li Wu shrugged with complete indifference. “If you don’t want to acknowledge her, I’ll take her back to Yangzhou and raise her myself. I’ve even thought of a name — Li Juan…”