In the blink of an eye, evening had come again.

In a secluded hollow in the mountains behind Green Wood Stronghold, Ning Yi emerged along with a few attendants. The air still carried the dry, scorched scent of fire.

“Write this down.” Having just carefully inspected the state of Lüliang’s blast furnaces and craftsmen without offering any comments at the time, Ning Yi now spoke up quietly.

“…The direction of the furnace research isn’t only about producing better blades and weapons. It’s about finding, further, the underlying principles and approaches to raising the temperature, further reducing the carbon content in the iron, to produce iron that’s softer and more resilient. Every kind of steel has its own properties, and there’s some use to be found for each—we need to master those properties. Right now, our main focus here is two things: first, higher temperatures; second, when pouring molten iron into the mold, aiming for fewer impurities and fewer air bubbles. Our benchmark is… at least reaching half the wall thickness of an elm-wood cannon, at least twice the gunpowder charge of an elm-wood cannon, without the barrel bursting on firing… Let’s set that as the goal for now and build up experience from there.”

The attendant beside him jotted this down in a small notebook with a charcoal pencil. Ning Yi thought for a moment. “Have Master Qin come see me tonight—I want to talk with him.”

Green Wood Stronghold’s blacksmiths were, after all, still men of Lüliang; Ning Yi had only just arrived, and even if he tried to direct them, they wouldn’t understand what he meant. Only the handful of craftsmen who had come along with him this time, having spent over a year working in Bamboo Records’ research compound, could actually follow his line of thinking. Having given these instructions, the group made their way out of the hollow, ahead of them lay sparse woods and a road of yellow loess. The scenery of Mount Lüliang offered little in the way of brightness or beauty—there was no talk of green hills or clear waters here; at first glance, it simply looked barren and poor. Trees clustered here and there, rocks clustered here and there, wolves and other animals clustered here and there, and people too were scattered thin across the land, with ridgelines and elusive little streams winding silently through it all.

Hongti’s figure was coming up the slope from below. She was dressed simply, in a black-green jacket and long skirt—by her attire alone, she looked like nothing more than an ordinary farm girl. Only, among ordinary farm girls, she was relatively tall, and the vigor of a martial artist showed through far beyond the ordinary; at a glance, one would sense a delightful vitality in the way she carried herself, and with the ancient sword in her left hand, she made for a plain yet strikingly compelling heroine of the martial world.

The setting sun shone from Ning Yi’s side toward her. The woman among the loose stones and scattered grass on the hillside paused for a moment, raising her sword-bearing left hand to shade her brow, squinting as she looked this way, seeming to smile. Ning Yi smiled as well, turning his head to say to those beside him, “You all go on ahead,” before walking over to meet Hongti.

“Finished looking at those furnaces?” Hongti asked, once he’d reached her.

“Mm, all done.”

“I don’t understand any of that myself. I found some blacksmiths and had them fiddle around with it. Every so often I’ll scare them a bit, act like I might kill them. They’re making decent blades and spears now, quite functional—not sure if it’s to your liking, though.”

“They’ve more or less got the basics down. The rest, I’ll need to work through gradually myself.” Ning Yi smiled, taking Hongti’s hand, and the two of them walked forward side by side. “You finished meeting with everyone—how did it go?”

“I did as you said, gave no indication either way, though they all made good arguments. Grandpa Liang just told me to come ask your opinion.” The woman raised her sword-hand and smiled as she smoothed back her hair. Ning Yi looked at her plain, simple smile, and found himself smiling too. That the woman could hold the position of stronghold chief for so long at Green Wood clearly wasn’t due entirely to Liang Bingfu’s doing—she had her own views on things, she simply wasn’t voicing them just now. So he asked: “And what do you think yourself?”

“I don’t want to deal with that He fellow,” Hongti said. “Everything he proposed sounded fine enough—how to make use of the amnesty edict, whose connections to work through, how they’d look after the whole route once things were settled, how many men they have outside Lüliang. How much money we could make each year, how much he could offer Lüliang in return. It all sounds good, and if this were before, I’d have wanted it badly. But there’s no way for us to guarantee he’d actually follow through. It’s like that saying, Qi something… Behind him is the Qi family, and it suddenly came to me…”

“‘A mismatch with the Qi family,'” Ning Yi said with a smile. “That’s right. The Qi family’s influence covers this whole area south of Lüliang—when it comes to doing business, theirs is by far the largest power around. But if we actually partnered with them, in the end, whether he actually delivers the benefits or not would come down entirely to his own mood. No need to even negotiate with him.”

“But that being the case, he might make trouble for us outside the mountains—after all, their power is considerable.” Hongti frowned. “And then there’s the Martial Victory Army and Dong Pang’er’s people—by their account, joining the army would give us a strong backer, and they’ll take good care of their own. But if we’re not one of their own, they might well cause trouble too. There are also some others whose attitude has been quite good—they can help with the amnesty edict, and they’re not asking for much in return. And then there’s the Tiger King’s side, that Miss Lou—I think she’s genuinely sharp…”

The two of them walked on together, following the winding mountain path toward a small grove ahead, sunlight filtering down through the gaps in the trees. With just the two of them there, the grove felt quiet and warm. Ning Yi talked with her as they walked.

“Some things come down to the underlying concept, others to degree. From the very start, Green Wood Stronghold has opened its doors to do business—if anyone’s interested, they’re welcome to come. Wanting to monopolize things, wanting to burn bridges—sure, any side could do that, but that kind of monopolizing works fine right on your own doorstep. The powers doing business with the Qi family number eighty or a hundred at least; how many bridges could they possibly afford to burn on all sides? It’s the same with the army, the same with Tian Hu’s side. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that they’d fly into a rage out of sheer humiliation, but before it comes to that, as long as we’re clear enough about our position, merchants who’d casually burn bridges over something like this are actually rather rare. Speaking of Tian Hu, though, I can more or less guess what they told you…”

“That Miss Lou—Liheng, you know her, don’t you?” Hongti asked.

“You already know about Hangzhou—her father and elder brother both died at my hand. Given the chaos that followed, I actually assumed she’d died somewhere along the road as a refugee. Thinking about it now, this whole business with Little Raider was probably her doing from the start.”

“She’s quite formidable,” Hongti said, nodding, recalling the scene that afternoon at Green Wood Stronghold’s main hall, when the woman had spoken so fluently and persuasively before her—covering everything from the timing and convenience of cooperation, to the foundation for mutual trust, to the key point that the Tiger King wouldn’t interfere in Green Wood Stronghold’s own operations, and even the business plans going forward, the resources currently at the Tiger King’s disposal, and so on and so forth… The two men present at the time, Yu Yulin and Tian Shi, had both been almost entirely overshadowed by her presence. If the situation were reversed, and Ning Yi hadn’t been around, Hongti would genuinely have given the woman’s proposals careful consideration.

Of course, right now it was a different matter entirely: “Besides trying to persuade me in person, I’ve heard she’s also been active down the mountain, linking up with people like Mountain-Chaos King and Black Skull Luan—if things don’t go her way, they might well try to force their way up the mountain. For a woman to accomplish all that on her own is genuinely impressive. Should we send someone to have her…”

Hongti didn’t finish the thought. Ning Yi laughed. “Like I said, some things depend on the concept, others on degree. If negotiations fail, having someone come pressure you into cooperating, or sending a top fighter to challenge you the way Dong Pang’er did—those are still reasonably sound approaches. But… let her do as she likes. What does it matter? No need to worry about her… There’s no feud between us so deep that I absolutely must kill her. Back in Hangzhou, she was the one managing her family’s business—capable enough, but on the whole still a bit naive. For her to have made it this far now, I imagine the road hasn’t been easy for her.”

Ning Yi sighed, then, recalling the past, smiled again. “Actually, back then in Hangzhou, when she hosted me and Tan’er for a visit, she was quite warm and welcoming. It’s just that war broke out not long after, and the people in her family had something wrong in the head… just how fate turns out sometimes. A lot of things are like that—no need to go killing everyone you happen to meet.”

“You killed her father and brother, and yet you say this now,” Hongti said, tilting her head to look at him. “I wonder how she’d feel, hearing you say that.”

“What else could I have done at the time? And what can she do about it now? Since it’s a knot that can’t be undone, there’s no point dwelling on it too much.”

As he said this, Ning Yi smiled and leaned in toward Hongti. There was no one else around in the woods; their lips met, and Hongti, her face flushing slightly, embraced him in return, burying her forehead against his neck. She was a woman of the mountains, and having already pledged herself to Ning Yi, she felt no particular need for coyness about it. Holding hands, embracing, kissing—she didn’t know much of such things, but she felt, from the bottom of her heart, a genuine joy simply in being together with the one she loved. As for whatever Ning Yi wanted to do with her, she felt only happiness and contentment about it.

They chatted about small, trivial things in the grove, then walked to its edge and sat looking down at the scene below. Hongti, accustomed to life in the mountains, spotted a rabbit’s nest—she scrambled into a patch of weeds piled with loose stones and dragged out a plump doe rabbit, getting mud and bits of grass all over herself in the process, no longer looking anything like a formidable martial artist. But the sight of her holding the rabbit up by its ears in the evening sun, showing it off to Ning Yi, filled him with a particular warmth.

There were still a few baby rabbits among the loose stones, which Hongti left alone. She simply sat holding the doe rabbit at the edge of the grove with Ning Yi for a while, and when she got up to leave, after a moment’s thought, she let the doe rabbit go too.

“Don’t get caught again,” she said, crouching there, a faint smile on her face.

Ning Yi just watched beside her.

The two returned to the stronghold together and had dinner with Liang Bingfu. That night, Ning Yi stayed in the same courtyard as the rest of them, lodging in the guest quarters, with Hongti’s room two doors down from his. In the evening, lights came on in the courtyard; Ning Yi called people over to discuss matters, while Hongti handled various small tasks with a few of the sisters and aunties lodging in the courtyard, occasionally passing by beneath the eaves.

After the blacksmith foreman surnamed Qin had left, Hongti came knocking on his door, carrying hot water and a washcloth. Stern as she was in her public role, in her private life she indulged in no particular luxuries—aside from the maidservants necessary for running the stronghold, she handled most everyday matters herself. Whenever she had a spare moment, she’d even help the women in the courtyard with cooking and choosing vegetables. Bringing washing water to Ning Yi in this manner came just as naturally to her; of course, throughout the entire stronghold, aside from Ning Yi, probably only Liang Bingfu had ever received such treatment from her.

In the warm glow of the lamplight, the two of them, like any ordinary young couple in the mountains, sat together in the room, chatting happily for a while…

Liang Bingfu stood beneath the eaves outside for a moment, glanced over, then went back inside…

Beneath the dark night sky, it truly was a small, small courtyard…

…

“This Blood Bodhisattva at Green Wood Stronghold doesn’t seem to want to talk with us at all!” That same night, in another room, Yu Yulin said as much.

“She doesn’t seem to want to talk with anyone.” Not far off, at the table, Lou Shuwan rested her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed somewhere unclear, though her expression still looked relaxed enough, her words carrying a similarly unhurried air. “But I could tell—she was actually somewhat moved by what I said.”

“Do you think, Miss Lou, that she’s simply playing hard to get?” Yu Yulin asked, taking a sip from his teacup.

“That’s possible, but it doesn’t quite feel right either,” Lou Shuwan said. “Playing hard to get would make sense, but she’s already kept us waiting this long—by rights, if she was willing to meet with us today, she should have some kind of decision in mind. As it stands now, this Blood Bodhisattva is actually quite formidable in her own right—she doesn’t seem willing to partner with anyone, doesn’t want to attach herself to any faction, she just wants to keep doing business the way she always has… On the surface, none of this shows…”

Lou Shuwan murmured this to herself, then added: “General Yu, Third Prince, do you really think she’s Blood Bodhisattva? Such a young woman—how did she build up a position like this? Seeing her today, I really felt how formidable she is, and yet I still can hardly imagine how…”

“It’s her,” Yu Yulin said. “Miss Lou, you’re a woman yourself and have no martial training—you wouldn’t be able to sense it. The Third Prince and I, and Master Qiu as well, could all faintly feel it. It’s just that her cultivation is so high, she’s approached a state close to returning to simplicity itself—or perhaps she no longer even harbors killing intent, which is why you, Miss Lou, couldn’t sense it.”

“Can one kill without harboring killing intent?” Lou Shuwan asked, curious.

Yu Yulin thought for a moment. “For ordinary people, it’s simply a matter of having grown detached from it all—acting according to one’s heart in all things, without inner conflict or confusion. That’s more or less what it is.”

Lou Shuwan lowered her eyes, thinking for a moment, then said: “What I’m more curious about is why that Zhu Biao challenged Sha Wanshi today—does beating Sha Wanshi somehow earn him the right to challenge Blood Bodhisattva? And besides, what exactly has that man Ning been up to today…”

Her mind was clearly preoccupied with this; the last part came out almost as a murmur to herself. Yu Yulin frowned, glancing over at Tian Shi, who sat off to the side, lost in thought and not participating in the discussion, before finally speaking. “Impossible. That Zhu Biao’s skill couldn’t possibly rival Blood Bodhisattva’s. If it comes to a real challenge… it would probably have to be the Demon of the Heart himself stepping in.”

“That can’t be right…” Lou Shuwan murmured, still finding it hard to accept that Ning Yi’s own martial skill could have risen to such a level, and then added: “Regardless, we still need to do what needs to be done. General Yu, I can tell that Blood Bodhisattva is genuinely interested in my proposal—more leverage now rests with you and the Third Prince. Tomorrow, the two of you should go pay her another visit. In any case, keep the relationship warm—even idle conversation is fine. Third Prince, this next part is up to you.”

Today’s climb up the mountain, Lou Shuwan had laid out purely in terms of profit—as for the marriage alliance, that would depend on how the initial proposal was received before bringing it up. After all, it was Lou Shuwan herself doing the talking, and there was no way to say outright, “Our Tiger King wants a marriage alliance, please marry our Third Prince.” The other party was a woman, and if she flew into a rage at such a blunt suggestion, the whole deal could fall apart entirely. Tian Shi, who had been somewhat off ever since laying eyes on the woman, now looked up from his daze, his voice unusually vigorous.

“No problem, I know what to do.” Then he added, “Adviser Lou, you’re truly impressive—I only really came to admire you just now.”

Lou Shuwan smiled charmingly. “If it comes to it, I’ll go pay her a visit myself as well. But my main task is still to reach out to Luan Sanlang and the others—if this doesn’t work out, we’ll simply bring more people in to divide up the pie. Third Prince, in the end, she’s still a woman—no matter how strong a person is, she’ll still want something to lean on. Do your best.”

Tian Shi grinned, showing his teeth.

As Yu Yulin and Tian Shi took their leave, Lou Shuwan rose and saw them to the door, her hands clasped before her, watching them with a smile as they headed back to their own rooms, before turning her gaze out toward the distant darkness. Though matters were already in motion on that front, she still couldn’t quite work out what Ning Yi was really planning.

Over the following days, Tian Shi began paying frequent visits to Blood Bodhisattva, while Lou Shuwan kept meeting with representatives from the various strongholds, working to unite the bandit forces of Lüliang outside Green Wood Stronghold. In her plan, once things were halfway along, someone should have already stepped in to intervene—at the very least, Ning Yi’s side should have noticed her movements and tried to stop her. She had accordingly anticipated all manner of complications and prepared various countermeasures, even imagining that Ning Yi might send someone to kill her—she was, after all, merely a weak woman, and this would surely be the simplest way to break the deadlock.

So much so that three nights later, she woke with a start from her sleep, sitting up dazed against the wall, staring at the moonlight streaming in through the window lattice, lost in a trance for nearly two hours. She had a vague hallucination that Ning Yi’s assassin would come climbing in through the window—or perhaps Ning Yi himself…

Yet no one ever came to kill her.

Three days later, the commotion outside Green Wood Stronghold had grown ever more heated, with the various factions extending their reach on a large scale. “Mountain-Chaos King” Chen Zhenhai, “Black Skull King” Luan Sanlang, the Fang brothers led by Fang Yiyang—these great powers of Mount Lüliang had, through Lou Shuwan’s maneuvering and persuasion, all come to feel a growing sense of urgency and crisis. Under such an atmosphere, the other remaining forces in Lüliang had likewise been stirred into action, beginning to reach out and negotiate with one another.

And in the midst of all this excitement, some part of Lou Shuwan’s heart had grown strangely still. She constantly felt that something might happen at any moment, yet she also had a nagging suspicion that the other side simply hadn’t noticed her actions at all… Because among everyone’s various responses, the only ones showing no reaction whatsoever were the people in the courtyard led by Zhu Biao—they spent their days practicing martial arts, sparring, wandering about, and sunning themselves, showing no sign of activity at all. And Ning Yi… had still never once appeared within her sight…

As the various stronghold forces across Lüliang began mobilizing and moving toward Green Wood Stronghold, with the storm clearly gathering, she truly could not fathom how the other side intended to defuse this looming crisis and still come out of it with whatever it was they wanted…