Volume Two: Bandits Among Us Chapter 103: The Honest Man

“Let it be if it exists—why shout so loudly?” The man led his horse forward to the front lines, parted the soldiers around him, and handed his spear to Chen Ziliang with a look of helplessness.

A man’s pride is not easily subdued, yet in this matter, he couldn’t simply act on impulse and retort, “It’s just a woman—everyone has one.”

He felt a twinge of melancholy.

Once upon a time, his fierce comrades clad in armor were the darlings of young maidens, but as the war progressed smoothly and laid the foundation for this vast land, the peaceful Anma City now only saw girls lining up to give fragrant sachets to the scholars.

This was truly... the pretty but useless ones who stole the favor, wasn’t it?

But then again, the practicalities were not something a group of unworldly young girls could appreciate.

He sighed, his thoughts drifting back to Anma City before being pulled back to the present.

Chen Ziliang blinked, gripping his silver spear as he locked eyes with the man, curious why he stood lost in thought before the two armies.

Was it recklessness or confidence?

“You know my name, yet I don’t know yours. That’s quite unfair,” Chen Ziliang said seriously, frowning as if determined to debate this trivial matter.

“Chu Ji,” the man replied calmly, his eyes steady as he looked at Chen Ziliang.

The noise on the battlefield fell silent.

Lin Changtian pressed his hand against his sword. He was not startled but sweaty-palmed, weighing the slim chance he had in so many wanderings:

The opportunity to rescue Chen Ziliang from the hand of the fiercest warrior in the northern domain.

Around the two men, the air was not cold, but burning hot. Countless gazes converged—none with mockery or voyeuristic amusement, but with an intense yearning.

Like a naive calf and a lurking lion in the wild, claws met hooves amid the lurking dangers.

Chen Ziliang, a reckless youth, had no guide in his actions. He neither provoked Chu Ji nor showed cowardice. Instead, he muttered to himself before suddenly scolding with a dark face, “What kind of lousy name is that? It’s my first time meeting someone named Chu, and it’s hard to remember.”

Chu Ji suddenly widened his eyes but was not angry, only feeling wronged. “I can’t help my name given by my parents. If I could be reborn, who wouldn’t want a cool name? How about Long Aotian? It sounds mighty and even has a mascot…”

Chen Ziliang was furious, thinking this man must have been brainwashed by lies. “Long Aotian? How vulgar! But come to think of it, the best name in the world might just be Chen Ziliang. I have a second-best from Sishan—if you don’t mind, you could take my surname and his name and be called Chen Changtian from now on.”

Lin Changtian covered his face, while Kuisheng squatted nearby, resentful and... a little jealous.

This fool thought fewer strokes meant cleverness. Fortunately, there wasn’t a Ding Yi in Sishan...

“Well, you’re quite the character, but this life, it seems you can’t change. Next time... maybe?” Chu Ji laughed alone for a long time, wiping tears and rubbing his stomach. After calming down, he teased again, “But now both sides have gathered at the front lines. With so many eyes watching, if you don’t fire a shot and just walk away, there’ll be little devils chewing our tongues in front of the commander. We’re all just trying to make a living, and since we hit it off, cut me some slack, brother.”

Chen Ziliang was honest and nodded, raising his silver spear under the watchful eyes.

---

“Of course it’s doable, but you have to fight me in the middle ground; otherwise, all the soldiers here are on your side—who will cheer me on?”

Chu Ji nodded and followed Chen Ziliang, grumbling along the way. “I won’t cheat you. Once we stand firm, we each turn our backs and thrust once. Whoever’s faster lives by their skill, how about that?”

“I’m an honest man—whatever you say,” Chen Ziliang replied with a simple smile, seeming the most straightforward person under heaven.

Chu Ji stroked his chin, feeling it was he who was mistaken, sighing, “There really are honest men in the northern domain.” He resolved to spare this lad’s life.

Two magnificent horses faced each other, their tails drooping to the middle, neighing softly.

“Ready? My spear comes!” Chu Ji gripped his spear tightly. As soon as he spoke, he sought the opportunity, eyes cold, silver dragon swirling, cutting the sinister wind. He struck a thrust, and in the sweep, he seemed to come to his senses, inwardly cursing:

“Not good, I didn’t control the force!”

Chu Ji groaned. His spear was fast, and when taking lives, it obeyed no words.

The strike was mighty, a display of martial dominance akin to the King of Hell sentencing souls.

Yet the spear thrust found only air; no blood or flesh burst forth. Squinting, Chu Ji turned to see Chen Ziliang already cantering back to his own side. Seeing him watch, Chen Ziliang waved and shouted loud:

“Hey, how foolish do you have to be not to know who Chu Ji is? I may be honest, but I’m no fool. You want to trick me into a speed contest? I’m too clever for that!”

Chu Ji clutched his belly and laughed heartily. He hadn’t been so joyful in a long time, truly meeting a... well, honest character.

“Chen Ziliang, I remember you. But since the lines are drawn, let’s fight a proper battle! All troops, charge and capture that fellow. I want to turn him into a sieve!”

The lurking lion struck first; the calf would not yield, and the two beasts tore into each other.

The northern soldiers harbored resentment, clashing fiercely with the discontented defenders of Weinan Mountain Pass. The battle raged from noon to dusk, leaving a ground strewn with corpses before both sides returned to their camps.

During the height of the fight, the generals on both sides remained uninvolved, watching coolly with tacit understanding.

It was not that they disregarded lives, but when senior forces enter the fray, the battle is near its end.

Clearly, each side wished to prolong it for their own schemes.

...

“Have you seen through Chu Ji’s forces?” Kuisheng frowned. After a long pause with no answer, he knew only he could answer his own question. “Today was a back-and-forth, with equal losses. But our troops on the front lines aren’t elite—how could they hold even against Chu Ji’s army?”

“You mean the frontline troops here are ordinary, even low-grade?”

None of the Sishan generals were pleased. The atmosphere in the tent grew colder.

“Old Qi is right, but how long has it been? The elite from Anma City can’t still be on the road, can they? Even a slow turtle should have reached by now. It’s clear they don’t take us seriously!”

The speaker was Lü Liang, the rare strategist of Sishan, wearing a scowl of indignation. It seemed he was determined to make the enemy pay for their contempt.

Lin Changtian, who had been studying the map, suddenly raised his head and fixed his gaze on Lü Liang. “What did you just say? Say it again!”

Lü Liang froze, thinking he misspoke, bowing his head in silence.

“Changtian, what’s the use? It was unintentional, and besides, General Lü’s words weren’t wrong.”

Kuisheng stepped forward to smooth things over. This man loved drama and assumed Lin Changtian sought to stir trouble among the main defenders. He spoke leisurely, oblivious to Lin Changtian’s darkening face.

“Don’t add to the chaos. What do you know? It’s not that I blame Lü Liang, but there’s a hidden meaning in his words.”

“Commander, I only said the elite from Anma City hasn’t moved faster than a turtle, nothing more. If that offends you, I won’t speak again.”

Lü Liang looked wronged, not understanding why his commander glared so fiercely.

“You must say it! Not a word less! If I’m right, the glory of this first battle belongs to you. Remember to recite a poem every morning. Ah, a moon seen among clouds. Lü Liang is right—the enemy’s elite are probably hunting somewhere else, just not at Weinan Mountain Pass.”

“I’ve examined carefully. There’s no other path for a large force to sneak attack Sishan. And a thousand miles inward, our eyes see all. How could they all be silent and hide enemy news?”

Kuisheng did not believe it. His net was woven from tens of thousands of spies. No matter how capable the elite from Anma City were, it was impossible to keep so many mouths shut overnight.

The Sishan generals nodded, their eyes suspicious, all silently questioning Lin Changtian’s sudden “mad talk.”

“Why stare at me? Look at the map! Broaden your vision—who controls Weinan Mountain Pass?” Lin Changtian was unbothered, smiling as he scolded the crowd.

Heads buried in the map, a collective gasp was followed by endless sucking of teeth, interspersed with a few uniquely Central Plains expletives.

“If what Changtian says is true, then everything makes sense. No wonder they stationed Chu Ji here with a large force to put on a show. It was all a ruse to deceive us, the real target being Lin Yuan’s territory. But where will they strike?”

Kuisheng rambled on, pushing past others and tracing a line on the map. The Sishan generals followed the trail to its end. He teased by not removing his hand from the map, prompting Chen Ziliang and Qi Yong to reveal the secret—it was the three western towns.

“Now it all fits. Better than just wiping us out, if they can cross Mangyang Mountain, launch a surprise attack, and even reclaim Xieli, Chuanli, and Wangyang towns, that victory would surely inspire a lion in its twilight.”

Lin Changtian rubbed his hands, dropping the remark lightly before ignoring the uproar behind him. He walked to the window, hands behind his back, gazing at the moon with an invincible loneliness.

Hmm, today he would praise himself with three parallel sentences.

Unlike Liu Qingshan, the old man who always waited for others to praise his so-called insights, Lin Changtian preferred to immerse himself in his own lavish rhetoric.

But which risky move from Anma City could he counter?

Passing this trouble to Lin Yuan? That was too... Lin Changtian pursed his lips with disdain. He thought that approach overly cautious.

Or perhaps it was simply that it didn’t match his ambition.