“Deserter? What kind of deserter gets reported in the capital?”
“That sort of thing only happens on the frontier. In the capital, no one cares even if someone deserts.”
General Liu was momentarily stunned. He reached out his hand, and the clerk quickly passed him the document.
General Liu flipped through it, and sure enough, it was as they said.
Whether it was because he couldn’t blame the clerk or because the words “Northwest Region” had provoked him, he slammed the document heavily onto the desk.
“Sir, this was an anonymous report. It can be ignored…” the clerk reminded him.
These kinds of anonymous reports came into every government office in the capital on a daily basis.
Since they were unsigned, they were either false accusations made out of personal resentment or aimed at someone too powerful to offend.
In any case—whether out of indifference or inability—such reports were usually just left alone by convention.
General Liu stared at the document, his gaze fixed on the words Northwest Camp and deserter. The more he looked, the more those words stung his eyes.
“Able to fight, yet chose to flee… Able to fight, yet refused to fight…” he muttered.
“What a waste of good fortune…”
As he spoke, he slammed his hand down hard once more.
“Doesn’t know what’s good for him!” he shouted.
The clerk trembled in fear.
General Liu looked again at the document.
“A deserter in the army—shot on the spot before the ranks, their bones crushed as punishment. The report even lists where he’s hiding. And I’m supposed to pretend I didn’t see it? What use is such trash!”
With a loud rustle, he stood up.
“Guards!” he bellowed. “Come with me. We are going to arrest that deserter!”
A night of rain had washed away some of the lingering summer heat. The air carried a faint chill, making it the most pleasant time of the season.
Madam Qin sat beneath the eaves, watching the maids clean up the fallen blossoms, listening to Qin Shi’san-lang speak with a leisurely, content expression—until she heard one particular sentence.
“You want me to do what?”
Madam Qin looked at Qin Shi’san-lang in surprise, thinking she must have misheard.
“Find a matchmaker and send a proposal to Lady Cheng,” Qin Shi’san-lang said calmly.
The maids inside the house all stared wide-eyed at him. Madam Qin now realized she hadn’t misheard.
“So soon?” she laughed, glancing teasingly at her son. Raising her brows, she asked,
“Was this affection long hidden, or did your heart just recently begin to stir? I thought you wouldn’t even consider such a thing for another three or five months.”
“I knew you would misunderstand,” Qin Shi’san-lang said with a calm smile. “This isn’t for me—it’s for her. Mother, you don’t know she has a rule when it comes to treating patients.”
“I know her rule,” Madam Qin said with a laugh.
Qin Shi’san-lang smiled even more pleasantly.
“Then do you know what her third rule is?” he asked.
Madam Qin looked slightly puzzled, and Qin Shi’san-lang couldn’t help showing a hint of smugness.
“Wasn’t it just two rules? There’s a third?” Madam Qin frowned in surprise. After a brief pause, she said, “Not marrying into a family she has treated—I know that one.”
Qin Shi’san-lang’s expression froze.
Madam Qin’s laughter rang out from within the room.
“Mother!” Qin Shi’san-lang, both exasperated and annoyed, stood up and flicked his sleeve as if to leave.
“Don’t be upset, don’t be upset,” Madam Qin quickly called after him with a laugh. “I’ll do as you say. I’ll send a matchmaker to propose on your behalf—and not just a matchmaker, I’ll go see Lady Cheng myself…”
Qin Shi’san-lang turned back.
“It’s not… necessarily… for me,” he said hesitantly. “Mother, you can pick a few other good families as well. Just don’t let her marry that frivolous Wang fellow her father’s family chose.”
Madam Qin looked at him.
“Pick a few good families for her?” she asked with a teasing smile as she fanned herself. “And you—would you really be willing?”
Compared to the light laughter shared between Madam Qin and her son, the Zhou household was in quite a state of chaos.
“Find a matchmaker to propose for her?” Madam Zhou shouted, glaring angrily as she jabbed a finger at Zhou Liu-lang. “You worthless thing! I knew it—I knew it! You’ve completely lost your head over her!”
Zhou Liu-lang’s face flushed red.
“Getting a matchmaker doesn’t necessarily mean it’s for me—it’s to help her find another good match,” he said.
“And what’s wrong with the match she already has?” Madam Zhou snapped. “She chose it herself, everyone’s happy with it—what are you trying to stir up!”
On the side, Master Zhou had been silent the whole time. But at this, he slapped his thigh and said,
“Exactly! Since it’s all about proposing marriage, if the Cheng family can propose, so can we! Why should it be up to them to decide who she marries? Whether it’s a good match or not—we can be the judges of that too.” He looked at Zhou Liu-lang and added, “Good lad, at least you’ve got some sense.”
Seeing his father speak that way, a trace of joy appeared on Zhou Liu-lang’s face.
So… it really was possible, right?
“Absolutely not!” Madam Zhou said anxiously. “You’re all being foolish! She’s already fallen for someone—what are you all making a fuss for? If you ruin her engagement and make her angry, won’t that just bring trouble?”
“She hasn’t really fallen for him. She only said yes because she had no other choice,” Zhou Liu-lang muttered.
“What do you know!” Madam Zhou turned to him, brow raised, and scolded, “I knew she didn’t choose you! You’d better give up on her now!”
“I know she didn’t choose me!” Zhou Liu-lang burst out, finally agitated. He lifted his head and said, “But I chose her, alright?”
What… the heck?
Master and Madam Zhou stared at him in stunned silence.
Zhou Liu-lang also froze, momentarily dumbfounded—then his face flushed bright red as he abruptly stood up and ran off.
After the rain, the air was fresh, and there were noticeably more people on the streets.
Walking through the crowd, Xu Maoxiu suddenly stopped. Xu Bangchui, following behind him, wasn’t prepared and nearly bumped into him.
“Brother?” he asked, puzzled.
But Xu Maoxiu was already smiling as he looked toward a butcher’s shop by the roadside.
“…Is that fresh lamb today?” he asked.
Though they hadn’t been around long, the two of them were already well known in the marketplace—as the extremely picky yet most generous owners of Immortal’s Abode. Most importantly, they were known for insisting on only the freshest, highest-quality meat.
Anyone who won their business could proudly boast about it—it brought prestige and often led to even better business.
However, Immortal’s Abode was also famously single-minded. Ever since they chose a particular butcher for their lamb supply, they hadn’t looked at any other shops, leaving other vendors frustrated and anxious.
So it was completely unexpected when they were suddenly asked about their lamb. The butcher was momentarily stunned—then overjoyed.
“Master, our lamb is the freshest there is! It came in with the first delivery through the South Gate this morning—just freshly slaughtered… Please, come take a look in the back courtyard…” he said cheerfully.
Xu Maoxiu reached out and pinched a piece of lamb, examined it, and smiled as he said it was good. Under the butcher’s expectant gaze, he then walked toward another shop.
The entire meat market was soon stirred into a lively buzz, filled with shouting and eager calls to draw attention.
“Brother, what are you doing?” Xu Bangchui asked in a low voice, confused. He had just managed to escape the enthusiastic tugging of one butcher and caught up with Xu Maoxiu, who was already striding ahead.
“Someone’s following us,” Xu Maoxiu said quietly. “Don’t look back.”
Xu Bangchui stiffly stopped trying to turn his head and followed Xu Maoxiu, who had now stopped in front of another shop.
“…How much is this going for?”
Their casual chatting and inquiries continued as they moved along the street.
After twisting and turning through a narrow alley, Xu Maoxiu and Xu Bangchui leaned against the wall, cautiously glancing back for a look.
“Brother, did we shake them off?” Xu Bangchui asked in a low voice.
Xu Maoxiu frowned.
“Not sure,” he said. “This time, the person following us is skilled—looks like a professional.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand.
The two of them quickly moved on. But just as they stepped out of the alley, a group of armed men charged toward them from the opposite side.
“Well now, not bad at all—you actually managed to shake off all my men!” the armored man in the lead shouted.
The moment Xu Maoxiu and Xu Bangchui saw them, they turned on their heels without hesitation.
But from the other side, another group of men surged in.
“You brazen thieves—surrender immediately with your hands on your heads!”
Shouts and cries filled the street, echoing chaotically through the alleyways.
“Brother, why are they all government officials?” Xu Bangchui shouted in surprise.
Could it be that the matter involving Secretariat Editor Liu and the others had been uncovered?
Sister had said before that unless she allowed them into the prison, no one else was ever permitted to enter. Under no circumstances should they be handed over to their control. It didn’t matter if someone got killed—as long as they escaped.
Xu Maoxiu said nothing. He lifted his foot and charged straight toward the group of men.
Xu Bangchui followed closely behind.
With a few swift moves, the two burst through the ranks of that group.
“Good skills!” General Liu shouted in admiration, but immediately his anger flared. “With such skill, you’re not using it to kill the enemy, but to flee!”
With that, he waved his hand.
“Archers!”
“Xu Maoxiu, Xu Bangchui!”
“If you don’t surrender immediately, you’ll be shot dead on the spot!”
Xu Maoxiu and the other stood back to back, ready to face their attackers. Hearing this, their expressions grew serious as they glanced toward the approaching side.
“Brother!” Xu Bangchui whispered. “There are fewer archers on their side. If we cover each other, we can dodge their arrows from ten paces away.”
Xu Maoxiu nodded. Amid General Liu’s shouting, the two of them lunged toward that side at the same time.
Seeing that the two neither surrendered nor turned to flee, but instead lunged toward the retreating soldiers, everyone was taken aback.
Amid a chorus of shouts, Xu Maoxiu and his companion forcibly grabbed two men from among the spearmen and swordsmen and used them as shields in front of themselves.
“Sir, these two are really fierce!”
The fiercer they were, the angrier General Liu became.
“Damn it, fierce my foot! They’re two worthless cowards!” he shouted. He jumped down from his horse, took down his powerful bow, notched an arrow, and aimed it at Xu Maoxiu and the other as he advanced step by step.
“You two cowards! You’ve got the nerve to be deserters, the nerve to use your own brothers as shields—if you’ve got the guts, come fight me!”
Deserters?
Xu Maoxiu’s body stiffened.
“What deserters? Sir, are you sure you’ve got the right men?” he shouted.
General Liu spat contemptuously, but continued to advance step by step, drawing his bow and notching an arrow.
“Xu Maoxiu and Xu Bangchui, brave warriors of the armored first squad under the guard of Wei-zhou’s Jieshi Fort, listen to my orders!” he shouted sternly.
This title hadn’t been heard in over a year.
“Brave warriors, sons of valor, step forward and kill the enemy!”
The sound of the camp’s call seemed to ring in their ears, with the noise of battle never ceasing at the front lines.
Xu Maoxiu’s body stiffened. His hand, which had been gripping the soldier tightly, trembled slightly.
“What does it mean to be a ‘brave warrior’? Proud and skilled in battle, relied upon by commanders. And what are you doing now?” General Liu shouted. “Using your own brothers as shields—damn it! I’d feel dirty even killing people like you! But now, I’m not killing you. You can all get the hell out of here! Put down your weapons, and we’ll all see these ‘brave warriors’ off with respect!”
With these words, his men indeed lowered their weapons, looking at the two with a mixture of ridicule.
Even the soldier whose neck Xu Maoxiu was clutching cracked a small smile.
“Brave warrior, hold me tight. Although I’m just a junior officer, when death comes, I’ll fight to the end—I won’t kneel and run under your command,” he said.
Xu Maoxiu’s strength drained away.
