Volume Two: The Bandits of This Land Chapter Eighty-Seven: It Is Still Better to Reason Things Out

In recent days they had been locked in deadly struggle, and now they were suddenly “one of us”? This was truly... Kui Sheng eyed Gong Sun Twelve with suspicion, taking her measure from head to toe, plainly unwilling to trust her.

After all, the woman’s former ferocity had never been something a few traces of shyness on her face could conceal.

If Gong Sun Twelve had been born a man, there would surely have been a place for him among the savagery of the Northern Lands.

Alas, heaven had granted her a soft and alluring beauty instead. No matter how valiant she was, she could not escape the finger-pointing and abuse from behind her back. This contempt, rooted in the Northern Lands for who knew how many years, had not spared even those great warlords. A daughter ought to stay obediently within her chambers; as long as she possessed either beauty or talent, either one would be enough for a future of serving husband and raising children. Such easy work—what was there to complain about?

If such words were spoken anywhere beyond the Northern Lands, someone would naturally leap out to denounce them as “ignorant,” and then... and then continue living each in his own “proper place,” painting the face of so-called independence with a thick layer of rouge.

...

“Let Gong Sun Twelve be for the moment. I’ll ask you this instead: just how strong is the army at Wei Nan Mountain?”

“That depends on the enemy. If it were someone like the old Zhang Yi, one quarter of an hour would be enough to decide the outcome. But if we ran into the troops under the three warlords... tsk, that would be quite a bit harder.”

Lin Changtian was not discouraged. He pointed toward the horizon. “Suppose I send you to attack the three strongholds of Chuanli, Wangyang, and Xie Li. Would there be no chance at all, or only a sliver of hope?”

“A sliver? You’re looking down on who?” Kui Sheng gave Lin Changtian a strange look, as though he wanted to speak but held back.

“Oh? You’ve always been careful. Surely you have more confidence in your heart than that?”

“Well, that’s not quite it...” Kui Sheng’s face flushed red. After much hemming and hawing, he finally said, “What I mean is, Changtian, you’re underestimating Lin Yuan. If we went after one of our own kind, I’m afraid he’d be leaving himself far too much dignity if he granted us even a ten percent chance.”

Lin Changtian stood stunned for a long while. He did not even bother with Kui Sheng, brooding in silence by himself. Along the way, he recalled an old saying from Mount Si: truth always lies within the radius of one’s own swinging fist.

“Mm, one really ought to be a man of action,” Lin Changtian murmured, pressing Kui Sheng into a corner. After a round of warm and friendly consultation, Kui Sheng “smilingly” stated that whatever win rate Lin Changtian wanted him to have, he would have, and, on the premise of “voluntariness,” he very proactively drew up a military pledge with Lin Changtian to show his determination.

The lord of Mount Si flexed his fist and highly praised and affirmed General Kui Sheng for his profound sense of righteousness.

“So why would this commander ask for your opinion for no reason? It’s better not to talk about democracy in the army. That’s the principle, isn’t it?”

Kui Sheng nodded, forcing himself to smile as pleasantly as he could. “Your reasoning is perfectly sound, but matters of commanding troops and fighting wars brook not the slightest ambiguity. If we truly go cause trouble for the three western strongholds, how is that any different from sending the soldiers to their deaths...”

Lin Changtian crossed one leg over the other and sipped his tea, seeming not to care at all about Kui Sheng’s worries.

“It’s not as though I’m insisting you capture their cities. There are other ways to get back Marshal Ma Hui’s face. For example, kill Lin Yuan...”

“Then let’s discuss taking the three strongholds instead. That would let me die with a bit more dignity.”

Kui Sheng spread his hands, looking extremely serious, as if he had already begun choosing his own grave on Mount Si.

“Mm, better choose the one facing south from the north. That way, whenever I come to pay my respects, I won’t have to see that wretched face of his. But that fellow has never known any bottom line in his dealings. What if he digs up my grave? Looks like cremation would be better after all...”

The brazier in the room burned fiercely. Kui Sheng gazed into space, not bothering with Lin Changtian’s endless rambling.

“If Lin Yuan won’t do, something else will. For instance, find someone willing to trade on their looks and seduce that fellow’s mother, then produce for him a fake father. I think your build would suit the job nicely.”

“That could work.”

Kui Sheng suddenly cried out, startling Lin Changtian into staring at him. “Kui Sheng, I was joking. I hear Lin Yuan’s mother is notoriously wanton in her daily conduct. With your frame, wouldn’t she drain you dry?”

Kui Sheng’s mouth curled into repeated cold smiles. He did not argue, only clasped his hands behind his back and said, “Though my skills underhand are indeed somewhat lacking, when it comes to taming a horse, I don’t care whether it’s young or old. I’ll make it swallow everything down in one go.”

The room was warm with the fire. Kui Sheng stared in a daze, not caring that Lin Changtian was droning on beside him.

“Since Lin Yuan won’t do, something else can. For example, send someone to sell their charms and abduct that man’s mother, then make up a false father for him. I think your physique would satisfy the demand quite well.”

“I think this plan is workable.”

Kui Sheng suddenly blurted it out, startling Lin Changtian into a hard stare. “Kui Sheng, I was only making a joke. I heard that Lin Yuan’s mother is outrageously unrestrained in private. With your build, wouldn’t you be wrung dry?”

Kui Sheng’s lips kept turning up in cold smiles, and he did not bother to argue with Lin Changtian. Instead, he put his hands behind his back and said, “Though my skills may fall short in many respects, when it comes to breaking in horses, young or old alike, none shall escape being devoured clean.”

Lin Changtian burst out laughing. Seeing that the matter of horse-breaking had been settled, he also accepted the offer. This scheme was indeed feasible, though the number of people who could go was small. Among the experts on Mount Si, there were only so many; they would also need to be good at infiltration. He had to go for certain, Chen Mo would make one, and Lin Zhao could be considered as well. Xu Yong could not handle such a task; his face was too pale, clearly the look of an outsider from elsewhere. That made four. Add Chen Ziliang, and then gather a few stout-faced attendants here and there; that should be enough.

“Then I’ll arrange for the personnel. Time waits for no one, so it’s best to set out early.”

Kui Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, suppressing his delight at Lin Changtian’s departure as he said with feigned composure, “By the way, Kui Sheng, you must make a trip as well.”

Lin Changtian glanced at him, a teasing smile on his face.

Kui Sheng was not panicked in the least. He said leisurely, “I can go, of course. One word from big brother and this younger brother would go to hell; that’s all part of my duty. But who will restrain the army at Wei Nan Mountain? To be blunt, Xu Yong and the others still lack a bit of ability.”

“There’s Gong Sun Twelve.”

Lin Changtian blinked, watching the smile on Kui Sheng’s face slowly freeze.

“But after all, she’s an outsider, and a woman besides. How could she shoulder such a heavy responsibility?”

Kui Sheng flushed red and stiffened his neck, arguing stubbornly with Lin Changtian.

Yet after a round of warm and friendly conversation, the result became much clearer.

Lin Changtian shook his fist. Kui Sheng crouched on the ground, clutching his stomach, and could not stop praising Gong Sun Twelve.

Lu the Senior was right: if violence is not meant to solve problems, then why should barbarism and civilization bother quarreling at all? Just like when I reason with you—advise you, coax you, and you still won’t listen. A single beating, and the bones become more obedient than anyone else’s.

Kui Sheng nodded woodenly, staring toward the corner, unable to understand why he had chosen to argue with Lin Changtian when the latter was trying to reason with him.

Wouldn’t it be better to just let him speak? Next time, he would bring a little notebook and sit quietly; surely then Lin Changtian would not resort to underhanded blows again.

...

Life at Wei Nan Mountain Pass was rather peaceful. One morning, Lin Changtian looked at the sun and said it was a fine day. He then took several men out of the pass to hunt, and after that he was nowhere to be seen.

Gong Sun Twelve was pressed by Liu Qingshan into the marshal’s seat and left to stare into space for a very long time.

Wasn’t the script supposed to be that she and this man would scheme and clash openly, passing through countless trials until she finally won his trust, only to be coerced by Ma Hui at the critical moment and betray her companions, coldly declaring, “I’m sorry, I am the mole”?

Why had it become this instead...

“In this day and age... can even an army be temporarily managed by someone else?”

She looked at the black mass below and at the note Lin Changtian had left behind, sinking into deep contemplation.

...

The gate to the three western strongholds received a caravan. The leader was somewhat odd, slung over a horse like a dead fish rolling its eyes white.

Lin Changtian glared at Kui Sheng. He seriously suspected that this fellow had taken the chance for revenge and ridden the horse at breakneck speed all the way here.

“Kui Sheng, if you have any complaint against me, let’s reason it out properly. What kind of hero uses such dirty tricks!”

Lin Changtian spoke weakly, as if that sentence had exhausted his last shred of resistance.

“What are you talking about? Our commander on Mount Si is so wise and illustrious—how could I do something as low as kicking a man when he’s down? Changtian, this horse’s speed has nothing to do with me.”

“Yes, fine, speed is one thing. But what did you mean by dragging a four-hooved beast around in a drift? Isn’t that a bit... unscientific?”

Lin Changtian looked at the gray-white-maned divine steed and fell into thought. He truly could not understand how a horse had managed to slide sideways all the way over.

Kui Sheng scratched his head, looking rather honest. “Newton can’t manage this place. From ancient times to the present, only his estranged brother, Niu Bi, can govern us. Besides, in a fantasy cultivation novel, what science are you asking for...”