After the tension eased, Shi Buyu yawned repeatedly—she hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in half a month.

Stretching lazily, she looked at the person beside her. “Have you arranged for someone to meet us below?”

“Of course.”

“Then I won’t worry about it.” Shi Buyu waved her hand. “I’ll go with the flow. You do you.”

“……” Shi Xu looked at her walking away and felt a bit of a headache. She was indeed too carefree. He turned around, intending to apologize to the honored guest on behalf of his younger sister, only to find the man smiling from ear to ear.

Shi Xu stepped forward, just so happened to block Yan Shian’s line of sight. “Forgive the rudeness, Young Master Yan. Please come with me.”

They walked a few steps in silence before Shi Xu, as the host, spoke first. “Yesterday in prison, a guard brought us some dried meat. He said it was from Buyu.”

“If it hadn’t been under her name, would you have dared eat it?”

That was essentially an admission that it was indeed arranged by him. Shi Xu stopped and cupped his fists in gratitude. “Thank you. With that meat in our bellies, we didn’t collapse today.”

Yan Shian didn’t look at him. He pressed down Shi Xu’s hands and continued walking, eyes forward. “No need for thanks. Everything I did was only to ensure my deal with Miss Shi goes smoothly.”

“If you could trade the Shi family for my sister, would you?”

“No.” Yan Shian looked at him. “Compared to the Shi family, Miss Shi is more likely to help me achieve my goal.”

Their eyes met—neither backing down.

After a moment, Shi Xu smiled and nodded. “Young Master Yan has sharp judgment.”

“I think so too.”

“Then… how about adding the Shi family to your deal?”

Yan Shian stopped and turned to face him. “If you say something like that, I might think the Shi family intends to join me.”

“Yan Shian. Good name.” Shi Xu took a step back and bowed deeply. “A two-character name—very pleasant to hear.”

Yan Shian looked at him for a while, then supported his arm to lift him up. “Can you speak for the Shi family?”

“I cannot.” Shi Xu met his eyes. “But the House of the Loyal and Brave has survived to this day despite the emperor’s fear and intent to wipe us out. That means no fool is running it.”

Yan Shian was clearly tempted, but didn’t give a firm answer. “I’d very much like the Shi family as an ally, but this needs Miss Shi’s agreement. Our deal didn’t include absorbing her family into my cause. If I agree to this and upset her, the loss might outweigh the gain.”

Did that mean—Shi Xu wondered—that the entire Shi family wasn’t as valuable as just one Shi Buyu? For a moment, he didn’t know whether to be happy for her or feel slighted for himself. Was he really that unremarkable?

---

That day felt particularly long. Having survived death, the Shi family members were physically drained but mentally on edge. Even though they kept yawning, no one wanted to lie down. Deep inside, they feared that when they woke up, the situation would have changed again. After all, this place wasn’t that far from the capital.

Shi Buyu finally had her fill of sleep. Hearing the commotion, she came over and was surprised to find everyone still gathered in the council hall. “Still in session?”

“We’re finally free. Just chatting.” Shi Xu got up to greet her, not exposing the family’s unspoken anxiety. “Hungry? Mother saw you sleeping soundly and didn’t want to wake you.”

Madam Shi quickly took over the conversation. “The food is still warm on the stove. I’ll bring it to you now.”

“I’ll just eat in the kitchen.” Shi Buyu didn’t need anyone to guide her—she headed off on her own. She was quite familiar with the layout of this house.

Madam Shi’s expression dimmed. Her daughter still didn’t want to be close to her.

“You’re being too anxious.” Shi Xu gently comforted her. “That’s just how little sister is. Even when she stayed by your side every day as a child, she wasn’t overly affectionate. After being apart for so many years, it’s not easy to act like a close-knit family again. If she truly felt nothing for us, would she have risked her life to save us? Think about it—if she’d failed, she’d have died for nothing.”

“Buyu is not heartless, of course not.” Madam Shi didn’t hesitate to defend her. “I just… I just want to talk to her. Want her to look at me a little longer. Xu’er, do you think she resents me? She was so young when we sent her away. Does she think we were cruel?”

“She’s smart. She must know sending her away saved her life. Don’t overthink it—just give her time.” Shi Xu glanced behind her and supported her as he gently reminded, “You should rest.”

Madam Shi’s arm was gently squeezed. She turned to see the others yawning non-stop, and finally reacted. She waved to her eldest daughter-in-law, who was holding her two-year-old grandson. “There’s plenty to do tomorrow. Everyone, go rest.”

With someone taking the lead, the exhausted women and children finally dispersed. But not the men—they had to take turns patrolling. Even with house guards present, under current circumstances, one couldn’t be too careful.

Shi Yan finished giving orders and only kept Shi Xu behind to speak.

“Do you know who Yan Shian really is?”

“I’ve guessed.”

Shi Yan wasn’t surprised—his nephew had always been clever. “What do you think?”

“The Shi family has no other path.” Shi Xu looked at his third uncle. “Unless… unless we abandon little sister and choose to have our descendants live like cowards for generations.”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I’d abandon family? Or that I could stand seeing my descendants grow up as spineless turtles?”

Shi Yan couldn’t decide whether to be angry or amused. He grabbed the empty teacup nearby and tossed it at him.

Shi Xu easily caught it and twirled it in his hand playfully. “The Shi family doesn’t breed people that soft.”

“Then why say it?” Shi Yan’s smile faded. “Once we take this step, we become rebels.”

“Sounds better than traitors.”

“That’s true.”

The uncle and nephew shared a bitter laugh, but in the end, they both sighed. Rebels or traitors—either way, it meant infamy for generations. No one would choose such a path unless forced to.

“When we left the city today, I thought we’d die there.” Even now, Shi Yan could vividly recall the feeling of dancing on the edge of death. “The imperial guards have really deteriorated over the years, but we had so few people, and we were sitting ducks on that elevated platform. A war of attrition would’ve killed us. But the result was far better than I expected. Not only were there suddenly skilled crossbowmen, but someone even left an opening in the city wall.”

Shi Xu hadn’t known that. He immediately asked, “He has people among the imperial guards?”

“Maybe not his own, but someone is definitely helping him.” Shi Yan pressed a hand over his racing heart. “Shi Xu… I think we have a real chance to turn things around.”

Shi Xu didn’t respond. He was thinking of Buyu—someone she chose to work with must have value. She wouldn’t throw herself away so easily. And that old Daoist wouldn’t allow it either.

“Shi Xu.”

He looked at his third uncle.

“I’m going to Sitong City. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

After the fall of Xinfu Town, the Dayou army retreated to Sitong City—and Xinfu Town had been the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s key frontier post, garrisoned under his command for five years.