Chapter 16

The full moon is approaching.

In the deep of night, the sound of the clock ticking echoed, and as the bell struck midnight, the whole mountain stronghold quieted down.

Lying on her bed, Yun Miao silently opened her eyes.

She quietly glanced around, confirming that everyone around her was asleep, then stealthily got up, carefully navigating past the snoring figures on the large common bed, and silently slipped through a crack in the door.

She was about to complete the task that Xie Zhiyuan had assigned to her.

“There are three stables in the stronghold, and the one on the far west side is left unguarded after midnight,” he had told her. “Go there when everyone is asleep, and feed the horses a special mixture of medicine with their fodder.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not poisonous; it just has a scent that attracts the horses. If you apply the corresponding powder on your hands, you can make them follow your command.”

The young man’s quiet words still echoed in her ears. “I’ll teach you how to make the medicine, you just need to follow the instructions.”

Yun Miao treaded quietly along the mountain path, opening the stable door and taking out the pre-made powder from her sleeve. She sprinkled it into the food trough, stirred it, and then fed it to the horses behind the wooden fence.

“Shh…” she whispered. “Be quiet.”

A horse snorted in her hand, and she gently stroked its fluffy head, feeding it the mixture bit by bit.

After several days, the horses had become very obedient to her. When she said “quiet,” they stayed still, and if she was angry, a light tap on their heads made them lower their heads like children admitting guilt.

After feeding the horses, Yun Miao made her way to the east. She hid in the grass while patrols of mountain bandits passed by, waiting for them to move on before quietly peeking out.

“Every day, the stronghold sends someone to the city, and they pass through the mountain road on the east side,” Xie Zhiyuan had told her. “Sprinkle some powder on that road.”

“It’s colorless and tasteless, but it can be recognized by the hunting dogs of the officials.”

He explained in a low voice, “We can’t escape on our own, but if we can lead the officials into the mountains to hunt down the bandits, we’ll have a chance to flee.”

Yun Miao took a handful of powder from her pouch and scattered it as she walked, the dust-like powder falling onto the road, quickly covered by the dirt and scattered flowers.

By the time the bandits left the next morning, the horses’ hooves would have picked up the powder and carried it all the way to Chang’an.

After completing the task, Yun Miao returned to her room and slept for a few hours. When it was almost dawn, she got up again, took a lantern, and went to the dungeon to meet Xie Zhiyuan.

Since the day she first met Xie Zhiyuan, the people in the Black Water Stronghold thought this seemingly obedient girl wouldn’t cause any trouble, so they allowed her to visit him every day in the early hours.

This weak and dying young man still had some use. They couldn’t let him die just yet, and the girl who came with him was willing to take care of him, which saved them the trouble.

They were each other’s hostages. As long as Yun Miao was still imprisoned, Xie Zhiyuan would keep working for the stronghold. And as long as Xie Zhiyuan was still alive, Yun Miao would stay obediently in the stronghold.

To the bandits, they seemed like a pair of dependent young lovers, and since they were both so obedient, the others began to trust them less.

Taking advantage of their meetings, Yun Miao secretly returned the small knife she had hidden in her room to Xie Zhiyuan, and the bandits never noticed.

However, the scar-faced bandit leader seemed to still have lingering feelings for Yun Miao.

Every time he passed by her, his gaze lingered on her skin like a venomous snake with its tongue flicking out.

Yun Miao felt extremely uncomfortable but didn’t tell Xie Zhiyuan about it, fearing that he might worry.

At dawn, in the dark depths of the dungeon, the flickering candlelight illuminated the narrow passageway.

Yun Miao passed by the sleepy gatekeeper and walked to the deepest part of the prison, sitting by the iron bars of the cell.

“Xie Zhiyuan?” she whispered.

Hearing her voice, the young man, who had been leaning against the wall, woke up, coughed lightly, then turned his head to look at her.

“Are you alright?” Yun Miao asked as she reached through the bars to pass him some small pouches that contained sweets, healing herbs, and the dragon’s blood grass he had asked her to bring. He had recently begun taking this painkiller, probably because the pain from the poison was becoming too much for him to bear.

Yun Miao reached through the bars to touch his cold forehead.

She was very worried.

Every time she saw him, he seemed to be in worse condition than before. Each time he spoke to her, he coughed softly, which only made her heart ache more.

His condition, which appeared to be life-threatening, made her desperate to complete the task and quickly escape with him to seek medical treatment.

Through the iron bars, the young man allowed her to gently stroke his head for a while, then lightly took her wrist and pulled her hand to his side, tapping her palm with his fingertips.

“Before nightfall, the officials will launch a raid. That’s the only chance,” he whispered. “There’s one last thing I need you to do.”

Yun Miao nervously nodded.

“It will be very dangerous,” he added.

Xie Zhiyuan paused, then suddenly looked up at her, his eyes focused, as though trying to confirm her expression.

Yun Miao nodded firmly.

“That’s good.” He gave a slight smile.

Then he spoke in a low voice, “My plan is… to destroy this place.”

Yun Miao blinked in surprise.

She had thought they would only escape during the raid, but she didn’t expect Xie Zhiyuan’s goal was to destroy the entire stronghold.

“Surprised?” The young man tilted his head slightly in confusion. “The Black Water Stronghold has committed countless crimes, killing and plundering. Killing them all would be a good deed.”

He said the words “killing them all” lightly, and Yun Miao quietly stuck her tongue out in her mind.

It sounded like a just cause, but somehow, when it came from him, it felt like something a villain would say.

“How do I do it?” Yun Miao asked.

“Behind the mountain, there’s an abandoned warehouse, connected to a row of cooking huts. There’s a large stockpile of dry hay and firewood inside,” Xie Zhiyuan said, tapping her palm with his fingertip. “Set a fire there, and the whole stronghold will burn down.”

Yun Miao looked down at his hand on her palm. Without paper or pen, he would draw out the map on her hand to help her remember the layout.

The young man’s fingertips brushed against her hand, causing a slight tingling sensation. Sometimes, when she got distracted, he would tap her forehead with his knuckles to get her attention, and she would immediately refocus.

“Do you remember?” he asked.

“I remember,” Yun Miao nodded again.

After a brief pause, she asked, “Xie Zhiyuan, can I ask you a favor?”

“What is it?” He sounded very patient.

“Besides the evil bandits… there are also many women and elderly people in the stronghold.” She carefully considered her words. “Is there a way to ensure their safety?”

“It’s a bit difficult,” Xie Zhiyuan thought for a moment, “but it’s not impossible.”

He tilted his head to look at her. “If this is your wish, I’ll find a way.”

“Thank you!” Yun Miao immediately expressed her gratitude. “Xie Zhiyuan, you really are a good person!”

Hearing this, the young man gave a light laugh but didn’t reply.

Their time together was limited, and dawn was approaching. Xie Zhiyuan whispered a few more instructions. Yun Miao stood up, curtseyed, and then left the cell.

The young man in the dungeon lifted his head and watched her retreating figure, lantern in hand.

“Ah Miao, really obedient.”

He smiled lightly, murmuring to himself, “It’s a pity you’re no longer useful to me…”

“I won’t die,” he whispered. “But we won’t escape together.”

A thin, silent knife slid from his sleeve, sharp and cold, its blade gleaming briefly in the firelight.

“Just leave you here… I won’t take you back to Chang’an.”

He smiled, “Let’s part ways here.”

The candle flickered and then went out, plunging the dungeon into darkness.

At the farthest cell, the young man’s figure had silently disappeared.

Near dusk, the sky in the west dimmed with a faint red glow.

It was an overcast day, with dark clouds hanging low over the mountain. The wind rustled the grass and trees, and the leaves of the dense forest swayed noisily.

On the tower of the Black Water Stronghold, two bandits guarding the mountain leaned against the wall, chatting.

“In a few days, we’ll attack Nànqì,” one of them said, playing with a folding knife. “The leader says this time we’ll wipe out their base in one blow and capture the old leader of Nànqì.”

“After we win, there’ll be a feast in the stronghold.”

The other bandit said smugly, “I bet the leader will slaughter that boy in the dungeon for the feast.”

“I’ve had my eye on that beautiful girl the boy brought for a while,” he rubbed his hands. “Once the big guys are done with her, we’ll get our turn.”

“Ha!” His companion slapped him on the back and laughed. “You dream too big!”

The two bandits laughed loudly and turned to look outside.

Suddenly, one of them froze.

“Look…” he muttered. “What is that?”

Under the dark, brooding sky, a flash of silver light suddenly lit up!

Then, a rain of arrows came pouring down like a storm! The countless arrows surged from the dense forest, instantly sweeping over the wooden tower.

The bandit screamed and drew his knife to defend, but before his companion could react, an arrow pierced his throat, nailing him to the wooden board behind him, his eyes wide open in a vacant, dazed stare.

Blood poured out, reflecting the bright seal on the arrowheads.

The Golden Jade Protective Talisman, the Dragon Horn and Deer Tail—this was the mark of the Imperial Guards.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

The sound of horns echoed across the stronghold.

In an instant, arrows filled the sky, and the hidden officials, the Imperial Guards, stormed out of the forest, launching their attack on the bandit stronghold.

The bandits, caught completely off guard by the sudden assault, struggled to defend themselves, and the stronghold was nearly wiped out in a single strike.

No one had expected this mountain hideout, which had been hidden for years, to be raided in a single night.

Even more surprising was that the attackers weren’t from the local magistrate’s army but from the trained, elite Imperial Guards of Chang’an.

Not long ago, under the orders of the imperial court, the General of the Jinwu Guard and the eunuch Yuzhao En personally led an elite force to march urgently into this mountainous area.

The officers and soldiers disguised themselves as ordinary hunters and infiltrated the mountain in batches, moving silently. After determining the exact location of the bandits’ stronghold, they launched a swift attack on this full moon night, aiming to wipe out the bandit group that had caused chaos for many years with minimal losses and speed.

If the operation to eradicate the bandits was successful, it would be a great achievement for the Jinwu Guard. At that time, the faction supporting Yuzhao En, the Northern Department, could once again push for the expansion of military authority in the imperial court.

However, Yun Miao was unaware of these matters.

Amid the flying arrows, she donned a cloak and hid in the chaotic crowd, carefully making her way along the mountain path to the remote back mountain. In front of a warehouse piled high with dry hay, she carefully lit a firestick.

With a hiss, the flame lit up the darkness and ignited the rope that had been prepared beside the warehouse.

The fire quickly spread along the rope, weaving into a winding, serpentine red line, burning towards the dry hay and firewood stacked inside the warehouse.

In the next moment, a blazing fire erupted!

The fierce flames quickly consumed the row of cooking huts and surged towards the farther parts of the bandits’ stronghold. A wooden building collapsed with a roar of flames, and countless sparks flew into the air like dancing fireflies.

“Put out the fire! Put out the fire!” The bandits screamed.

Amidst the chaos and swirling dust, a cloaked girl silently departed.

---

On the other side, along a narrow mountain path.

The sky was half-lit by the firelight, resembling a blazing sunset.

From this high mountain path, everything seemed so distant. The fire and arrows felt like they belonged to another world, and the sounds of battle and shouting were muffled by a layer of mist.

A small team of bandits was marching along the mountain path.

“Leader of the stronghold.”

One of the bandits rode up to the middle of the group and saluted the person on a tall horse, “The scouts have returned. It should be safe ahead.”

“Good.” The leader of the Black Water stronghold responded in a deep voice. “Continue.”

He had already decided to abandon the entire Black Water stronghold.

When he confirmed that the attackers were from the Jinwu Guard, the leader of the Black Water stronghold knew that the battle was doomed to be lost.

The reason the Black Water stronghold had been able to wreak havoc for so many years without being destroyed by the government was that it had always been elusive. As long as their stronghold hidden deep in the mountains remained undetected, they could keep reappearing and disappearing, with the government only able to catch isolated bandits, but never eliminating the source of their numbers.

However, this time, their stronghold had been discovered.

Once the bandits’ stronghold was found, the government would launch a full-scale attack, and the bandits, who were outmatched in both training and weaponry, stood no chance of winning.

The leader of the Black Water stronghold was not someone who feared death, but he would not fight a battle that was certain to fail.

Therefore, he decisively ordered his men to hold the stronghold and not retreat, while he, with his most trusted group of brothers, quietly left through a pre-arranged mountain path.

As the saying goes, “If you leave the green mountains, you don’t have to worry about firewood.” As long as he and his brothers survived, the Black Water stronghold would rise again one day.

The hooves of the horses trampled over the leaf-covered trail, stirring up dewdrops and fallen flowers.

As they descended the mountain path, the group was silent. After all, they had betrayed the stronghold and were fleeing, leaving the place they had lived for many years, uncertain of where they would go to escape.

Finally, they reached the end of the mountain path, and they were almost out of the government’s blockade. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

But the person riding at the front suddenly froze.

The endless mountain wind carried fallen flowers as it rushed toward them. At the end of the road stood a young man.

A beam of moonlight broke through the clouds and illuminated the youth in a deep red robe. His long black hair was tied with a satin ribbon, flowing like a long tail feather in the wind.

“Leader of the Black Water stronghold.”

The young man tilted his head and smiled lightly, “Long time no see?”

Before he finished speaking, the bandits in the group simultaneously drew their knives!

They had no idea who this youth blocking their way was, but anyone who obstructed them should be cut down.

However, the leader of the Black Water stronghold suddenly lowered his voice, “Stop.”

The group fell silent for a moment, then a man with a stern presence dismounted from his horse, holding a sword and giving a respectful bow to the young man.

This action stunned the bandits in the group.

“…Your Highness.”

The leader of the Black Water stronghold said quietly, “I should have guessed it was you.”

Upon hearing this, the young man sneered.

“If I didn’t want you to know,” he said lightly, “you would never have found out.”

“Previously, I have wronged His Highness greatly, and I should die a thousand deaths to make amends,” the leader of the Black Water stronghold said, bowing again. “Now that we are at the end of the road, I am willing to surrender to the imperial court and beg His Highness to spare our lives.”

“When His Highness first arrived at the stronghold, I failed to recognize him and wounded His Highness’ daughter.”

He continued, “Only now do I recognize His Highness. It is my fault. Now I only ask for a chance to redeem myself. We are willing to follow His Highness and serve as dogs and horses.”

The young man tilted his head and seemed to ponder his words.

Under the cold moonlight, the two sides stood silently facing each other. Although the young man was all alone, the bandits did not dare to make a move, silently awaiting his response.

“You are someone who knows how to seize opportunities,” the young man said after a moment, smiling lightly. “No wonder you have led the Black Water stronghold for so many years. You are excellent at preying on the weak and fearing the strong.”

“However, it’s a pity… you are of no use to me alive.”

He smiled, raised his hand, and pointed at the man opposite him, his robes fluttering in the fierce wind.

“Since you deserve to die to make amends, then die.”

In the next moment, the sound of arrows whistling through the air was heard!

As the arrows from the forest whistled toward them, the bandits suddenly realized…

The young man was not alone! He had brought an entire unit of Jinwu Guard with him!

It was precisely because he sensed the ambush in the forest that the leader of the Black Water stronghold had now put aside his pride and had willingly dismounted to beg for his life.

However, the young man coldly rejected his plea.

“Kill!” the leader of the Black Water stronghold shouted.

At the same time, a team of Jinwu Guard charged out of the forest, engaging in battle with the bandits on the road.

The young man at the front also moved, drawing his sword under his sleeve, and cutting through the battlefield like lightning. Every swing brought up splashes of blood.

The Jinwu Guard were well-trained soldiers, while the bandits were ruthless killers. In the face of their fight for survival, they fought with everything they had.

The two sides clashed together on the narrow mountain path, and for a moment, no one could tell who would emerge victorious, only the constant sounds of shouting and killing.

In the heat of battle, the leader of the Black Water stronghold suddenly spurred his horse forward!

He slashed through several Jinwu Guard soldiers and charged directly toward the young man at the front, his sword howling in the wind.

“Your Highness,” he said in a low voice, “since you push people too far, do you know that a trapped beast will fight to the death?”

The young man, who was collecting his sword from a corpse, turned around just as the man leaped from his horse, swinging a large axe toward him.

“If you want me dead, I will make sure you don’t live!” the man shouted.

---

In the midst of the blazing fire, Yun Miao, wearing her cloak, quickly ran toward the stables in the westernmost part of the camp.

At this point, the officers and soldiers had already entered the stronghold, and there were battles raging everywhere.

Using the cover of the firelight and the foliage, Yun Miao managed to avoid detection and reached the familiar stables.

It was a quiet place, with only the fire crackling. The horses inside were restless due to the flames. Yun Miao had instructed them to stay in place before leaving last night, so the bandits hadn’t been able to take them. The horses had been waiting for her return like children waiting for their mother.

Yun Miao quickly reached their side, gently soothing them while untangling the ropes from their bodies.

One of the best horses was already missing. Yun Miao guessed it had been taken by Xie Zhiyuan, who must have found a way to escape the dungeon.

“Shh, be good,” she softly comforted the horses, leading them towards a nearby building.

The horses stopped in front of a row of old houses. Yun Miao pushed open a dilapidated wooden door and called out, “I’m back!”

Inside, the women and elderly people crowded together, raising their heads simultaneously.

This row of rooms housed the servants and elderly of the stronghold.

When the officers launched their attack earlier today, Yun Miao had already instructed everyone to stay indoors and hide in an abandoned house to avoid being burned by the fire. When the bandits ran out to fight, they were supposed to escape with the horses.

This was the promise made by Xie Zhiyuan.

She would take these people along the narrow back mountain path to escape the fire.

That path was very hidden and complex, known only to a few people. The young man had drawn it for her countless times until she could remember it perfectly.

As for what to do after reaching the foot of the mountain, Yun Miao didn’t know.

Xie Zhiyuan said he would wait for her at the bottom of the mountain. Perhaps he would arrange for the authorities to help these homeless women, then take Yun Miao back to Chang’an.

Just like when they first met, he would lead her through a long journey.

Under Yun Miao’s direction, the elderly were helped onto horses, and the other women led their horses toward the back mountain road.

They moved slowly, passing several intersections. Yun Miao guided them along, recalling the instructions Xie Zhiyuan had given her.

At one of the intersections, Yun Miao saw the traces of battle and the bloodstains that had yet to dry. She felt uneasy and hurried the group to bypass it.

The dark clouds began to dissipate, and a full moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its gentle light over the mountains.

The slow-moving group finally reached the foot of the mountain.

At the end of the road stood a peach tree in late bloom, its pale pink petals scattered across the ground, dancing with the evening wind under the moonlight.

“That mountain path has many branches. If you reach the end and see a peach tree, it means you are on the right path.”

The young man’s voice seemed to echo in her ear, “I will be waiting for you under that tree.”

“But if I don’t come before midnight, it means I won’t be coming.”

He smiled lightly and said, “You can take these people and leave here, just keep moving forward and never look back.”

A bright full moon hung high in the sky, and it was now past midnight.

But there was no one under the tree at the end of the road.