…Wait for him?

The mountain wind rustled the fallen leaves, and autumn insects whispered in the forest.

Pei Zhaoye almost suspected that he was hallucinating.

The girl sitting on the stone steps before him, holding a lantern and waiting for his return, looked like some spirit born from the mountains—one meant to bewitch passing travelers.

“Why did you come back so late?”

She rubbed her eyes, her voice carrying a hint of complaint.

Her face, moistened by the wind and dew, glowed under the hazy lantern light—delicate and translucent like a petal of a white peony.

Or like a piece of chilled white jade cake.

Pei Zhaoye fixed his gaze on her face, his Adam’s apple moving slightly.

“Didn’t Danzhu and Bing’an tell you? I went down the mountain for business. I wasn’t sure I’d make it back tonight.”

“They did,” the girl rested her hands on her knees, the corners of her eyes curved as she looked at him. “But I just felt that you would come back tonight, and I was right to wait.”

Her tone…

Was like that of a wife waiting for her husband to return at night.

Pei Zhaoye suddenly felt uneasy.

He had been rebellious since childhood, used to being alone.

Not to mention when he was in the Pei household—even after he became a bandit, founded Hongye Stronghold, and had these brothers who lived and died with him, there was never anyone like her… like this…

So clingy and sticky.

“What are you waiting for me for?”

“Waiting for you…” Lizhu’s expression changed; she suddenly leaned closer and sniffed sharply. “Why do you smell of blood? Did something happen on the road?”

“That?”

Pei Zhaoye looked casually at his sleeve.

“I ran into a few people, but—”

“Are you hurt? Where are you hurt? Chang Jun! Chang Jun, quickly bring me a lamp!”

Pei Zhaoye froze for a moment, missing the chance to explain.

When he came back to his senses, the girl had already started feeling around his body without the slightest restraint.

Was it his arm?

Or his waist and abdomen?

She remembered that his back also had two particularly long and deep sword scars, could it be those again…

“What an ill-mannered little lady. I haven’t even done anything to you, yet you’ve barged into a bandit’s den to take liberties with the bandit chief.”

Pei Zhaoye found it amusing. He stretched out a hand and easily restrained both of hers at once.

There were still a few indecent jokes on the tip of his tongue, but when his eyes met hers—filled with worry—he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to say them.

“…I’m not injured. This blood belongs to someone else.”

He simply explained the whole matter.

On his way back, he had spotted a few sneaky figures near Yushan.

He had intended to capture them for questioning, but unexpectedly, the five men, once realizing they had been discovered, attacked with ruthless ferocity, aiming straight for his life.

Pei Zhaoye, of course, showed them no mercy—he sent all five of them off together, hand in hand, to the afterlife.

The blazing anxiety in Lizhu’s eyes finally eased a little.

She said in lingering fear, “Thank goodness, thank goodness it wasn’t far from Hongye Stronghold. Otherwise, how could you have handled it alone?”

Pei Zhaoye’s brows moved slightly.

When had he ever said he handled it alone?

“Wait—”

Lizhu suddenly thought of something, her face turning pale.

“Those five, how were they dressed? Where are the bodies? You—you must take me to see them!”

Chang Jun also reacted. “Could they be under Lu Yu… under Commander Lu’s command?”

Lizhu didn’t answer, but inwardly she kept crying out oh no. She should have warned Pei Zhaoye earlier—if they really were Lu Yu’s men, wouldn’t that mean they had killed their own allies?

Soon, Pei Zhaoye led Lizhu to where the corpses lay.

Lizhu immediately went forward, forcing down her nausea to inspect them one by one. Only after confirming that none were faces she had seen on the ship did she finally feel the heavy stone in her chest drop.

“They’re not them.”

Chang Jun said, “But they’ve been missing for three days already. If Lu Yu were still alive, even if he had to swim, he should’ve reached Yushan by now.”

Looking at the bodies, Lizhu already had a clear idea of who they were.

Who else could they be?

They must be the hounds serving Empress Tan!

That day, she had disappeared around this very area, so it wasn’t strange they’d come looking for Hongye Stronghold.

She shook her head.

“Even if he’s reached this area, if Lu Yu is cautious, he would surely scout out the situation in the mountains. Naturally, he’d learn that there’s a Hongye Stronghold here. He wouldn’t rush up recklessly. Now what I fear is…”

“What are you afraid of?”

“I fear Lu Yu will report to the authorities!”

Pei Zhaoye was, after all, the future pillar of Nanyong, destined to stand among the Three Dukes.

He had already been mocked by those arrogant noble sons for being of humble birth—if he were now to bear the stain of once being a bandit, it would be impossible for him to survive in Nanyong’s official circles.

They had to find a way to contact Lu Yu as soon as possible.

Lizhu and Chang Jun crouched aside, whispering their plan.

If either of them had turned their head just then, they would have seen, beneath the night maple trees, a pair of sharp, cold eyes watching them intently.

A eunuch.

A eunuch who had made the Prefect of Wan Commandery want to borrow the Pei family’s hand to alert the Commandant of Yiling to make an arrest.

To still believe that woman’s story about being “Pei Yinzhi’s fiancée”, would be far too foolish.

In truth, he had already noticed yesterday that the little guard called Chang Jun was no ordinary guard.

His voice was thin, his face pale and beardless, and he could personally attend to that little lady so closely—aside from being a eunuch, Pei Zhaoye could think of no other possibility.

In other words, it was true that this young lady had come from Luoyang, but the claim of her being a merchant’s daughter was false.

Moreover, during his trip down the mountain today, he had found out that those who had visited the Pei residence were men of the official bureau from Wan Commandery.

The whole picture was now nearly clear.

This was a princess or noble lady of the imperial clan, one attended by a eunuch.

She had disguised her identity and fled from Luoyang, while the Prefect of Wan Commandery, acting on certain orders, sought to secretly bring her back.

Of course, there were still many puzzling details he could not make sense of.

For instance—why did she carry a letter of recommendation from Pei Yinzhi?

Who were the people pursuing her?

And why had she fled all the way from Luoyang?

Yet Pei Zhaoye had no intention of investigating further.

Because there was no point.

Ever since he severed all ties with the Pei family and became an outlaw, he had cared only about ensuring that Hongye Stronghold could survive peacefully amidst the chaos of the world.

How could he spare the time to concern himself with the floods and storms of court politics among nobles and officials?

Sending her home as soon as possible would be best—for her, and for Hongye Stronghold alike.

“—Since that’s the case, would you like to come down the mountain with me tomorrow? You might hear news of your guards and maids.”

Lizhu, who had been discussing with Chang Jun for quite some time, suddenly turned around.

Pei Zhaoye’s figure was shrouded in the shadow of the maple trees.

“Eh? Really?” She blinked in surprise and delight.

“Your Rhapsody on the Capital of Yan sold for quite a bit. I’m just doing the job I was paid for.”

Naturally, Lizhu was overjoyed. She quickly leaned on her crutch and went to his side, saying,

“Then let’s go back early, so we can leave early tomorrow!”

“Mm.”

Bathed in moonlight, the three of them walked through the forest toward the direction of the stronghold.

“Oh right,” Pei Zhaoye suddenly spoke, “you still haven’t answered me, why were you waiting by the gate at midnight?”

Lizhu had nearly forgotten about it. Being reminded now, she repeated the conversation she’d overheard in the dining hall to him, her tone full of righteous indignation.

She concluded, “They were too outrageous! So cowardly, how are they worthy of being your men?”

After hearing her words, Pei Zhaoye looked at her with a strange expression and glanced sideways: “Oh? Then what kind of person do you think is worthy of being my man?”

“Of course, someone who shares your ideals, brimming with passion, united against a common enemy. Even if forced to become an outlaw with no way to serve the nation, he would still regard Beiyue as the enemy, and devote himself wholeheartedly to reclaiming the northern lands—a true hero!”

…What nonsense was she spouting?

Pei Zhaoye found it amusing.

The “same as him” she spoke of, why did it sound more like “completely opposite”?

If not for the sincerity on her face, he would have thought she was deliberately mocking him.

But Pei Zhaoye had no desire to explain.

It was fine if she thought that way about him. At least when he took her down the mountain tomorrow, she would be less on guard.

“Hmm…”

Pei Zhaoye thought for a moment, then sighed with great seriousness.

“They just need some time. You’ve seen it yourself, these brothers can barely recognize a few characters. How could everyone possibly have the same awareness as I do?”

Lizhu thought about it and found that reasonable.

These rough men of the wilderness could barely read a word. Perhaps after joining Hongye Stronghold they could finally manage to fill their bellies, it wouldn’t be fair to demand too much of them.

“You’re right. Literacy brings understanding. I’m not saying they need great learning, but knowing a few words helps them reason, write letters home, and even read military texts in the future… How about this, why don’t I teach them to read?”

“You want to teach a bunch of bandits to read?”

Pei Zhaoye looked her up and down for a long while, then sincerely exclaimed, “You’re a damn genius.”

“No cursing,” Lizhu glared at him. “Why shouldn’t bandits learn to read? Do you intend to let them be bandits their whole lives?”

According to the timeline of her previous life, in four years he would enter officialdom.

And Hongye Stronghold, what then?

She wanted Nanyong to rid itself of corruption, to become strong enough to reclaim Beiyue and drive out the Wuhuan. Naturally, she couldn’t let these bandits keep occupying one region.

Before the court launched its campaign to eradicate them, she wanted to find another path for them—a real way out.

But Pei Zhaoye said, “What of it if they remain bandits for life? You look down on these crude, ignorant mountain bandits—but how do you know we don’t look down on those highborn nobles who glitter on the outside yet rot within?”

His words were cold and sharp, without any extra emotion.

Yet somehow, they tugged at a nerve on his tongue, making an old wound that refused to heal ache faintly again.

The footsteps behind him stopped.

Pei Zhaoye realized he had spoken too much today.

Tomorrow, once he sent her home safely, their paths would part forever. Why say all these useless things?

If he made this delicate young lady cry, it would only cause trouble.

Just as Pei Zhaoye was wondering how to apologize and coax her, the girl poked her head out from behind him and said earnestly, “I didn’t look down on you, really. Don’t be angry, okay?”

…She was actually worried he might be angry.

Pei Zhaoye let out a quiet breath. He then realized how overly good-tempered this little lady was—he’d jabbed her with words, and it felt like punching into cotton.

“I’m not angry.”

Lizhu studied him for a while, and seeing that he truly wasn’t angry, she smiled and said, “That’s good. Think about it—if I looked down on you, how could I have agreed to marry you, right?”

Pei Zhaoye: “…?”

For a long moment, he licked his lips, looked at her with a puzzled expression, and asked, “What did you just say you agreed to?”