Chapter 25: Peace After Battle

Woman, your name is trouble.

Kou Li looked around. Dozens of powerful crossbows were aimed from all directions, their arrowheads catching the sunlight and flashing with a cold, harsh bronze gleam. Some glimmered with a slick green, clearly poisoned—far more dangerous.

To mobilize nearly a hundred men against him at this crucial moment when the prisoner-boxers were rebelling—this only proved how important this young master, no, this young woman, truly was.

“Let her go. You cannot afford the price!” Xue Shoucheng, usually elegant and composed, was nearing the breaking point. If looks could kill, his opponent would have been torn limb from limb.

“Don’t be foolish. A boat—and give me an hour,” Kou Li replied lightly, though his hand gripped the ‘Young Master Huang’s’ neck like an iron vise, bodies pressed close. He was determined—if it came to it, life for life.

‘Young Master Huang’ inhaled the reek of sweat and blood from her captor. Her eyes were icy enough to freeze the earth. From childhood, she had been proud, never suffering such humiliation.

Were it not for concealing her identity before the Wolf Young Master, or for the confidence in the Water Dragon Gang’s ship’s safety, she would never have risked herself to be caught by this petty villain.

She couldn’t bear to imagine her current appearance. Those radiant phoenix eyes must now be mere slits—this loss of poise and dignity offended her more than any knife wound.

She would rather endure pain than bear even the slightest insult to her spirit.

“Loose the arrows!” Young Master Huang’s voice was cold. “I want to see if the life of a lowborn is truly as worthless as they say.”

“This isn’t your place to speak. Want to cool down a bit more?” Since discovering her true gender, Kou Li knew this would not end well.

He began to doubt whether he’d truly crossed into the usual ancient world. Where were the obedient, genteel maidens he’d been promised? Yan Fei-niang, Lin Xiu’e, and now this one—none followed the expected path.

Women disguised as men—what next, a daughter enlisting in place of her father?

Seeing this icy woman about to speak again, Kou Li decisively pressed his other hand to a vital point near her chest—above the heart, below the shoulder, ready to attack or defend.

Young Master Huang instantly understood his implicit threat. Her face paled. She dared wager her life, but not risk whether he would actually do such a thing.

Biting through her teeth would do no good. In this respect, women were inherently disadvantaged—unless they abandoned all shame.

“Fine, fine. Do you really think the Water Dragon Gang is a brothel’s back door—come and go as you please? One life? I’ll match you ten for one!” The Wolf Young Master strode forward, seized a military crossbow, and without a word, fired—a dull thud, the bolt struck three feet from Kou Li’s toes.

“Let’s see—who’s better, my aim or your dodging? Will you die, will she die, or will both of you die?” The Wolf Young Master’s smile was cold, his expression reminiscent of when he’d plunged a silver needle into Lin Sanbiao’s eye, teetering on the edge of rage.

Bolt after bolt struck ever closer to Kou Li’s feet, closing the distance between the two.

At this moment, Kou Li could not retreat. To step back would betray weakness—in such a dangerous negotiation, any wavering meant defeat.

Thud, thud, thud—the arrows and men drew nearer.

Wolf Young Master did nothing else, staring intently into Kou Li’s eyes. It had often been said his eyes—yellowed, cold, protruding, predatory—were those of a wolf: destined either for greatness or utter ruin.

Now, he saw another pair of similar eyes.

Cold, obsessive, resolute—sharp at the corners, defiant of worldly rules. Such a person would either climb to the world’s summit or be ground to dust by its relentless tides.

A pair of wolf’s eyes, by chance, met a pair of eagle’s eyes. Who would soar the skies? Who would hunt the earth? This contest would decide!

The tension peaked, bows drawn, swords unsheathed!

Suddenly, a figure stepped between their lines of sight. Xue Shoucheng, pale-faced, sweat pouring from his brow, arms spread wide—his scholarly elegance utterly gone.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Not only had he done so, but stood between two—should either fall, his death would be the worst of all.

“This farce must end. Money? I’ll pay. Life? I’ll pay. But you must let her go,” Xue Shoucheng paused, then turned, “A way out? I’ll give you one. Connections higher up? I’ll help you arrange them. Release her!”

Both sides had benefits—only he suffered losses. Once the thief learned her noble identity, he’d never dare kill her, perhaps not only averting disaster but earning a hero’s reputation…

A mocking laugh rang out behind him—from Kou Li’s lips. And what Xue Shoucheng saw in ‘Young Master Huang’s’ eyes was not gratitude or admiration, but fury and resentment.

Why? Had he not done the right thing?

Wasn’t this what both sides wanted?

He was here to clean up the mess, the most disadvantaged party!

Wolf Young Master’s eyes blazed with rage. If not for lingering reason, he might have shot him dead.

With such stupidity, how had his father ever lost to the Xue family patriarch? Was it simply because his father was equally foolish?

Money meant nothing. People meant nothing. As long as the Water Dragon Gang’s name held, nothing could be taken from them.

But was this a matter of money?

A reputation could be salvaged once—but twice, it was ruined for good. Right now, countless eyes on the ship were waiting to see the joke.

He believed that by tomorrow, news of the gambling ship’s events would spread through all of Yuezhou, even Lingnan. Then all their enemies would realize that even the once-untouchable Water Dragon Gang had been forced to bow.

Once the myth was broken, hidden currents would surge—disaster inevitable.

Especially at such a crucial moment!

His father had been exiled to this wild land by political foes—perhaps the Xue patriarch’s shadow was among them. Two generations, twenty years, had built the Water Dragon Gang’s great ship.

Now, would the next generation of the Xue family destroy it?

With this thought, Wolf Young Master’s eyes grew murderous. The court had more than one path—perhaps it was time to take a stand, to make a show of loyalty.

“There’s no need for this charade. If I were you, I’d pull back the sharpshooter on the roof. If he misses, the one who dies may not be me,” Kou Li said coldly.

Without another word, he bent low, shielding Young Master Huang from the shooter’s line of fire.

“And you, sir, best be careful. I only care for my own life. As for whose life your companion wants, I can’t say.”

Wolf Young Master’s gaze sharpened. Indeed, not only had the other seen through his arrangement, he’d guessed his intentions.

With that, any hope of an “accident” was gone.

Excuses, at times, could outweigh facts. Without one, one faced the storm head-on.

That single sentence blocked all his schemes.

The eagle’s gaze—so infuriatingly sharp.

“Wolf Young Master, the ship’s coming—it’s the Tower Ship Division’s pirate-hunting vessel!”

Sure enough, in sight, two fully armed fortune ships rose from the horizon. Xu Kaishan, who had remained silent, stood beneath a circling trained hawk.

“Tower Ship Division’s campaign against pirates has driven villains onto the Water Dragon Gang’s ship. We’ll cover the losses,” Xu Kaishan’s usually casual demeanor was now serious.

Wolf Young Master narrowed his eyes, silent.

“My Xu family has two official docks—Water Dragon Gang can unload cargo there.”

Wolf Young Master glanced up. The rooftop sniper relaxed his bowstring, but kept aim.

“The court will consult local merchants for future campaigns—regarding supply purchases, labor, and sale of confiscated goods.”

That wasn’t the point. The point was—once negotiations opened, who would be targeted or spared would be a matter of discussion.

Before Wolf Young Master could speak, Xu Kaishan interjected with a murderous tone: “We’ve given you both face and substance. Want more? Then let’s go to war. However powerful the Water Dragon Gang, do you really dare storm our Tower Ship Division offices? As long as you don’t destroy us, we’ll drag you down, nail you in place!”

No matter how strong the Water Dragon Gang was in Lingnan, compared to the court’s power, it was nothing. In a time of peace, whoever rebelled faced death, no matter who they were!

“And besides the Wolf Young Master, isn’t there a Captain Wang in your gang?”

Wolf Young Master suddenly laughed—at such a tense moment, his eyes narrowed in amusement, as if encountering something truly entertaining.

“Interesting, interesting. I always thought Yuezhou was the property of my Lü family. But first a fierce eagle swoops in to seize prey on my turf, now Xu Kaishan shows some skill—the world is growing ever more intriguing.”

“I’ll find your nest, and when I do, I’ll break your wings myself—let’s see how you fly then!” The Wolf Young Master gave Kou Li a long, deep look, as if etching him into memory.

Xu Kaishan was, at most, a young tiger. But the person before him truly threatened him.

Though it was their first meeting, strictly speaking, they had no personal enmity.

But Wolf Young Master trusted his instincts—the instincts of a wolf.

“Kaishan—”

Seeing Xue Shoucheng’s confused expression, Xu Kaishan shook his head. Indeed, times of peace breed only idle gentry. When his father served in the capital, among the circle of young friends, this Xue scholar was a standout for talent and wit.

But he had not yet seen the world, had not weathered storms—his bones were soft. The Xue patriarch likely sent him here to toughen him up.

“Did I make a mistake?” Xue Shoucheng muttered. His offer was much better than Xu Kaishan’s—why had the outcome differed?

Seeing his thoughts, Xu Kaishan patted his shoulder, speaking earnestly: “Between armies, peace follows war—not war follows peace. Surrendering the gates is a disgrace—don’t do it again, or you’ll shame your Xue family.”

“I can see both sides are ruthless—they don’t care for rules. The only ones who can yield are people like us. If we yield, we must accept defeat, and take care of both face and substance for the winners.”

Seeing the other still lost, Xu Kaishan could only sigh: “Relax. Now that peace is made, Young Master Huang—no, Lady Huang—will be fine. The man knows how to seize the moment. And smart people don’t do stupid things.”