Chapter Thirty-Nine: Sun Jiu

Qi Jun had finally enjoyed a restful night’s sleep—a rare occurrence for him. The battle yesterday had temporarily alleviated the village’s crisis, leaving his heart much more at ease. Now, with his upper body bare, he was doing push-ups on the open ground in front of his house. As he breathed in the cool morning air, the exhaustion that had weighed on both his body and spirit for days seemed to lift a little.

“Brother Jun!”

Hearing Yunfei’s voice calling from not far away, Qi Jun paused in surprise, his heart instantly swelling with joy. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he hurried back into the house to wash his face and throw on some clothes.

As soon as he heard her hurried footsteps outside, Qi Jun tried to calm his excitement and went out to meet her.

Seeing the person she had longed for standing safe before her, Yunfei froze for a moment. Then, without hesitation, she rushed forward and threw her arms tightly around Qi Jun’s neck, her tears soaking her cheeks.

“I didn’t hear from you all day yesterday, I…”

Yunfei pressed her head against Qi Jun’s chest, unable to finish her sentence. She listened clearly to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, as if that sound alone could finally put her at ease. Qi Jun wrapped her in his arms, letting her feel the burning longing pulsing in his chest.

“By the way, how did you come back?” Qi Jun asked, a little surprised. Yunfei was the card Feng Qinian used to control him; her sudden release was a kindness he couldn’t quite fathom. After being outmaneuvered by that old fox a few times, he had learned to be cautious, habitually pondering whether Feng Qinian had some ulterior motive.

“What, you’re not happy I could come back?” Yunfei pouted, puffing her cheeks and giving him a playful pinch.

“How could that be?” Qi Jun quickly begged pardon, a spark of inspiration prompting him to recite a line of poetry: “My longing for you is like the Western River, flowing east day and night without end.”

Yunfei looked at him in astonishment, her newly recovered complexion flushing even deeper at his romantic words.

“Brother Jun, you’ve become a little rogue…” Yunfei buried her head in his chest, trying to steady her heart, which pounded wildly from embarrassment. Eager to change the subject, she quickly asked, “Why didn’t you tell me before you left? Do you have any idea how worried I was…” She looked up, her cheeks burning, and gazed into Qi Jun’s eyes in mock reproach.

Qi Jun’s heart brimmed with sweetness. To be cared for by Yunfei—how blissful a thing that was.

Smoothing the stray hair at her temple, Qi Jun explained, briefly recounting how he had followed the county constable Feng to suppress the bandits, the attack on the village, and how he’d mobilized the villagers to resist.

“How could Constable Feng do such a thing…” Yunfei frowned in indignation, then looked at Qi Jun with worry. “The bandits surely won’t let this go. While they still don’t know what happened here, we should warn everyone to hide…”

“The roads out of the county have all been blocked by the bandits; there’s nowhere to hide in Anqiang,” Qi Jun sighed. “Running isn’t a solution. Since the fighting has already begun, we should finish them off for good!”

Qi Jun already had a plan forming in his mind.

The reason they had been able to annihilate the bandits yesterday—despite being outnumbered and outmatched—was because the bandits had entered the village completely unprepared. Once caught in carefully laid traps, panic quickly set in, and the villagers, familiar with the terrain, were able to surround and eliminate them one by one.

But if they stayed here and tried to defend the village, the bandits at Panlong Ridge would soon realize what had happened and send a large force in revenge. By then, yesterday’s tactics would be useless. Facing a focused, organized attack by overwhelming numbers, Dongling Village would stand no chance—it would be turned into a living hell.

Qi Jun knew very well that his only hope was to seize the initiative and attack before the bandits realized the extent of their defeat.

“What’s this?”

Yunfei’s eyes had landed on the red string around Qi Jun’s neck. She remembered that he never wore ornaments, and she’d never seen this red string before. Curiously, she reached out and pulled it.

Qi Jun’s heart skipped a beat. Yuniang had given him her protective charm, and though he hadn’t wanted to refuse her kindness, he was also afraid of losing such a precious keepsake. For the moment, he had simply worn it around his neck, intending to return it when the chance arose.

In his excitement at seeing Yunfei, he’d forgotten to take it off, and now she had discovered it—there was no way to explain it away.

“Hmm, this wooden token looks familiar… I think I’ve seen it somewhere before…” Yunfei stared at the token, frowning in thought, while Qi Jun’s heart pounded nervously.

“Master Qi!”

Just as Qi Jun was racking his brains for an explanation, Captain Sun from the county militia called out, rescuing him from his predicament.

Qi Jun and Yunfei awkwardly let go of one another, and Qi Jun breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Captain Sun, leading several militiamen, had arrived just in time to witness their heartfelt reunion. Realizing his interruption, he coughed and quickly retreated behind a tree.

“I’ll go see Grandfather first, and then I’ll deal with you!” Yunfei, her cheeks still red, gave Qi Jun a sidelong glance before running off.

“This is a disaster…” Qi Jun sighed inwardly, both bitter and helpless.

“Um, I…” Captain Sun emerged from behind the tree once Yunfei had left, a little embarrassed. He turned to the militiamen behind him and said, “Stay here. I need to speak with Master Qi in private.”

Qi Jun, still feeling a little vexed, couldn’t help but recall the retreat of the militiamen during the battle. He asked bluntly, “Lucky to be alive. Did the county constable send you to persuade me to surrender to Panlong Ridge?”

Captain Sun heard the displeasure and sarcasm in Qi Jun’s tone, his face flushing as he turned away, unable to meet his gaze. The retreat had been ordered by Constable Feng, and though Sun had his misgivings, he hadn’t dared defy orders.

“Master, may we speak inside?” Captain Sun sighed, bowing respectfully.

Qi Jun raised his brows in surprise but nodded and invited him in.

His impression of Captain Sun was not bad. After these past two days, he had come to understand Sun’s character and realized he was different from the other militiamen.

Sun’s full name was Sun Jiu, and he came from humble beginnings. Since joining the county militia, he had worked tirelessly, eventually earning the favor of Constable Feng, who promoted him to captain of the first squad.

Sun Jiu was ever mindful of his benefactor’s kindness and executed every task with utmost dedication. These efforts, however, made him an oddity among the usually lazy and undisciplined militia, and he was often ostracized by other captains.

During their conversation, Sun Jiu confided his pent-up grievances to Qi Jun and expressed his long-standing desire to suppress the bandits and protect the people. Qi Jun despised the county militia, but he found himself liking Sun Jiu for his honest and pragmatic nature.

Qi Jun poured him a bowl of water and gestured for him to sit. Qi Feng had left early with his crossbow and arrows for the woods; after killing two bandits yesterday, he’d become obsessed with practicing his archery.

“Master Qi, I’m so glad you’re all right! I thought you and the villagers…” Sun Jiu said with genuine relief.

“Captain Sun, let’s get to the point,” Qi Jun cut him off with a wave. “Why did Feng Qinian send you?”

“Actually, after we left yesterday, Master Feng was worried and sent scouts back, hoping to rescue you. But by the time they reached the village outskirts, the bandits were already inside. Our scouts didn’t dare enter; all they heard were screams from within and assumed the bandits were massacring the villagers. They believed you had all perished.”

Seeing that Qi Jun was listening, Sun Jiu took a sip of water and continued, “When Master Feng received the news, he deeply regretted what had happened. He specifically asked me to bring Miss Liu back to help… collect the bodies…”

Qi Jun gave a helpless, bitter smile. Clearly, Feng Qinian had no faith in his ability to resist the bandits, and had already made arrangements for his aftermath.

“It’s hard to blame Master Feng; the militia’s combat strength is truly dismal. He’s a good man at heart—just a little weak and indecisive…” Sun Jiu, afraid Qi Jun would get angry, quickly tried to explain.

“All right, enough defending him,” Qi Jun cut him off impatiently. “You didn’t come just to tell me this, did you? Get to the point—what do you want?”

Sun Jiu hesitated, then stood and bowed solemnly. “Very well, I’ll be frank. I want to join you in killing the bandits!”