Chapter 026: Terms of Surrender

“Father, do you mean it’s possible that the person isn’t actually an official of the Wu Dynasty? Could Third Uncle have colluded with forces from the martial world, or even with another country?” Ye Hongxiu asked, her brows knit in concern.

“No, that person must be an official of the Wu Dynasty. It’s just that, even within the ranks of the martial officials, there are different factions and powers at play—it all depends on whom he represents. But, son, above all we must be careful never to become entangled in the Wu Dynasty’s struggle for the throne. Otherwise, not only would we become expendable pawns, we might even bring ruin upon the entire stronghold.”

Fang Xian suddenly recalled the bloody and ruthless throne struggles throughout history, and hastily warned Ye Qingyun. The latter nodded immediately; though they had never dealt with the imperial court directly, countless stories and legends had taught them all about the cruelty of seizing the throne.

Afterward, Fang Xian restored the note and had the young falcon carry the homing pigeon far from the stronghold before setting it free. That afternoon, he led a hundred elite men straight to the military camp at the foot of the mountain for training.

“These days, the stronghold may not be entirely peaceful. The old chief asked me to relay this to everyone: when you break through and become first-class martial artists, you must keep it secret for now. Tell only the old chief and me—not even your family. In future, you will be the trump card that protects our stronghold in times of danger.” During the training, Fang Xian called each second-class fighter aside to give this instruction.

At present, the stronghold had eleven second-class fighters. Except for Zhou Dadan, who had just returned from a trip with Huang Yuantao and hadn’t yet joined the training, two others had only recently broken through: a short young man nicknamed Han the Monkey, and a woman known as Lady Yu Third.

After a month of training, however, there were already seventy-six third-class martial artists, twenty of whom had advanced during training. Of the remaining twenty-some unranked soldiers, Fang Xian expected all of them to reach third-class within a month.

In other words, with the use of medicinal baths and Fang Xian’s special regimen, Cloud Peak Stronghold could produce third-class martial artists en masse—even young people who had never trained before could, within half a year, reach third-class.

Granted, third-class martial artists were not considered powerful; they had no standing in the martial world and could only serve as minor leaders within the stronghold. But if they could raise a force of a thousand, or even ten thousand, elite third-class fighters, such an army could surely sweep the battlefield, invincible and unstoppable.

During a break in the training, a tall, burly man with a thick beard approached, his rough appearance striking. As soon as Er Niu saw him, he swaggered over and said, “Brother Dadan, you’re back! Let me tell you—my brother broke through to first-class this morning!”

Da Niu had suffered some internal injuries that morning, so Fang Xian had sent him home to rest. But news of his breakthrough had already been made public.

In fact, word had spread throughout the stronghold—some were drinking at Zhou Boxiong’s house when it happened and saw for themselves, so the story was already common knowledge.

“I just visited your house—I heard. And I heard Da Niu broke through on the spot, forced to protect the young master against a first-class expert. He’s truly remarkable,” Zhou Dadan said, not in anger, but with clear admiration.

“You’re not even a little annoyed?” Er Niu felt a bit deflated. He and Dadan were of similar age, had grown up together, and survived many dangers side by side; they’d always been both brothers and rivals in martial training.

“The young master is over there. Let’s go greet him. As long as you follow his training, I guarantee you’ll break through to first-class in under two months,” Er Niu whispered as he pulled Zhou Dadan along.

“I’m here to report for training, and to thank the young master for saving my mother’s life,” Zhou Dadan said, nodding.

“The young master saved your mother? I never heard that,” Er Niu asked curiously.

“It’s like this. I heard you’ve been following the young master lately—didn’t he ever mention it to you?” Zhou Dadan asked.

“No, but the young master’s saved many in the stronghold. He never talks about it—perhaps he doesn’t consider it worth mentioning,” Er Niu replied, shaking his head, then nodding.

“Young master, I am Zhou Dadan. I traveled to the Wu Dynasty with the third chief, and now I’ve returned to report in. Also, thank you for saving my mother’s life—I must bow in gratitude.” With that, Er Niu led Zhou Dadan to Fang Xian, who introduced himself, then knelt and bowed his head to the ground.

“Oh, no, you mustn’t—please get up!” Fang Xian exclaimed, startled. He hadn’t expected so many filial sons in the stronghold, nor to see someone bow so readily. He hurried forward to help Zhou Dadan up.

“Young master, let Brother Dadan bow a few times. I still don’t know when you saved his mother—you really keep things close,” Er Niu said quickly.

“Madam Zhou? Oh, I remember now. One morning, Hongxiu and I went down the mountain for noodles and found her choking on phlegm. I just helped her out—it was nothing,” Fang Xian said, now recalling who Zhou Dadan’s mother was.

“My mother said that from now on, I should train hard under you and serve the young master. I have no brothers, so I can’t follow you like Er Niu, but if you need anything, you can always send for me,” Zhou Dadan said earnestly after being helped up.

“We’re all brothers here—no need for such formality. You’ve just returned from months away and must be tired. Why not rest at home with your mother for a few days before resuming training?” Fang Xian suggested.

“No need, young master—I’m strong, I can handle it. I’d like to break through to first-class as soon as possible,” Zhou Dadan replied, shaking his head, then added softly to Fang Xian.

“Very well. Watch our training for a while, then I’ll have Er Niu give you individual instruction on the basic drills—once you’ve mastered those, you can join the group,” Fang Xian decided.

…

At that moment, inside the main hall of the stronghold, Ye Qingyun and his daughter Ye Hongxiu, the Zhou and Huang families, and Wei Qi’an were present—though Huang Shuhua simply sat in a daze, lost in his own thoughts.

“Third Brother, you’ve worked hard, traveling to the Wu Dynasty and back these past months,” Ye Qingyun began.

“Elder Brothers, for the stronghold, no hardship is too great. We visited the Wu capital, met with my old friend Wang Yuanlang, Deputy Minister of Justice, and through his introduction, saw Grand Marshal Hong Tianzhi. The Grand Marshal commands three hundred thousand troops against the Western Xia, his power formidable.

When I met with him, he inquired about the situation in the Daba Mountains. At first, he had no intention of accepting the mountain strongholds’ allegiance, but seeing our sincerity, he agreed to give us a chance.

Elder Brothers, this is General Wei Qi’an, roving commander of the Jinwu Guard under Grand Marshal Hong. He’s here as the Marshal’s envoy to discuss our surrender and the terms, which you can negotiate with him,” Huang Yuantao summarized their journey and solemnly introduced Wei Qi’an.

“It seems you and General Wei have built quite a rapport these past days—enough to have him kill at your command?” Ye Hongxiu suddenly interjected coldly.

“Deputy Chief, it was all a misunderstanding. I was too tense and didn’t hear clearly that the Third Chief only wanted me to teach your husband a lesson, not to kill him,” Wei Qi’an quickly stood and cupped his hands.

“General Wei, you’re lying with your eyes wide open. I was right there—how could you not have heard? By the way, my husband is a miracle doctor, especially skilled with eye diseases. Perhaps he can examine yours later,” Ye Hongxiu sneered.

“Enough, Hongxiu, let’s hear what General Wei has to say,” Ye Qingyun intervened, turning to Wei Qi’an.

“Chief Ye, I admit I was wrong to injure your man, but it truly was a misunderstanding. I hope it won’t affect our cooperation. Grand Marshal Hong holds Cloud Peak Stronghold in high regard, especially you, Chief Ye, whom he has long admired and wishes to work with.

If you are willing, the Marshal is prepared to provide the stronghold with supplies: fifty thousand bushels of grain, ten thousand sets of weapons, three thousand horses, and a sum of gold and silver,” Wei Qi’an said, listing the support the Marshal would offer if they agreed to the alliance.