The envoy sent to persuade Qinglong Stronghold to surrender had returned, bringing back a clear answer.
“Your Highness, Qinglong Stronghold has refused the offer of amnesty. Their attitude is unwavering. They said that their chieftain and everyone in the stronghold would rather live freely in the mountains than submit to the Imperial Court.”
Xie Yan did not seem surprised. Calmly, he pointed at the map of the outer Qinglong Mountains spread across the table.
“As expected. Bandits who occupy defensible terrain and still harbor hope won’t surrender so easily.”
His slender finger traced several smaller peaks surrounding the main stronghold.
“Your Highness, a direct assault on Qinglong Stronghold is not the best course of action. Instead, we should first cut off its wings and sever its claws.”
“What do you mean, General Xie?” “Xiao Yu” asked, lowering his gaze to the area Xie Yan had just indicated.
“According to our intelligence, although Qinglong Stronghold is the dominant force in the region, several smaller mountain forts are attached to it. We can begin by sending troops to eliminate these outlying forces.”
His hand finally hovered over the main peak of Qinglong Mountain.
“Then we seal every route leading down the mountain, turning Qinglong Stronghold into an isolated island. Their food stores cannot be endless. Given enough time, unrest will inevitably break out within.”
The strategy was ruthless yet mature—far beyond what one would expect from a seventeen-year-old—but undeniably effective.
Shen Yi nodded repeatedly.
“Excellent plan, General Xie! That’s exactly what we should do! Let’s see how long they can hold out!”
“Xiao Yu” studied the map, inwardly admitting that Xie Yan’s strategy was indeed brilliant.
Against an ordinary mountain stronghold, it would have worked flawlessly.
But what he didn’t know was that under her management, Qinglong Stronghold had prepared for such a situation long ago.
The stronghold not only cultivated crops and raised livestock, but had also dug hidden underground granaries and maintained several extremely well-concealed mountain paths.
A short-term siege posed no threat whatsoever.
As for the smaller satellite strongholds, many of them were a mixed bag. Some even secretly oppressed nearby villagers. Letting Xie Yan wipe them out now would save her the trouble of dealing with them later.
With that thought, she looked up at Xie Yan and nodded approvingly.
“General Xie has considered every angle. It is an excellent plan. We shall proceed as you suggest.”
She immediately gave her orders.
“Shen Yi, coordinate with General Xie. Muster the troops at once. Sweep away the surrounding bandit forces, cut off every connection Qinglong Stronghold has with the outside world, and place them under complete siege.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Shen Yi accepted the order enthusiastically, his fighting spirit rekindled.
Xie Yan also cupped his fists.
“I will not disappoint Your Highness.”
The plan was settled.
The army soon divided into several detachments and launched coordinated attacks against the smaller strongholds surrounding Qinglong Stronghold.
Meanwhile…
No one noticed a small gray sparrow quietly taking flight from behind the Crown Prince’s tent, disappearing toward Qinglong Stronghold with a tiny bamboo tube tied to its leg.
After receiving the message, Qing Ren unfolded the note and felt a wave of relief.
Since the Chieftain had already made arrangements, all they had to do was hold their ground.
He immediately ordered heightened vigilance, opened the internal granaries, and instructed the women and children to continue farming and tending livestock in preparation for a prolonged siege.
At a concealed supply depot hidden near the army’s grain storage…
A shadow slipped through the darkness like a ghost, avoiding every sentry without making a sound.
Working with astonishing speed, the figure hid blocks of salt and medicine inside a concealed compartment disguised as an ordinary boulder.
It was one of the secret resupply points she had arranged with her spies inside the stronghold.
When she finished, the shadow disappeared as silently as it had come, leaving no trace behind.
“Xiao Yu” lay on the Crown Prince’s bed, staring at the ceiling, completely unable to sleep.
Outside the tent came the bustle of soldiers preparing for war.
Inside, however, her heart remained perfectly calm.
Xie Yan’s siege strategy was excellent.
Unfortunately for him…
She was the true master of these mountains.
She intended to see whether the imperial army’s patience and provisions would run out first—
or whether Xie Yan would discover the weakness that simply didn’t exist.
The wisteria bloomed in magnificent clusters, cascades of violet blossoms hanging like waterfalls and filling the air with a faint, sweet fragrance.
Xiao Yu stood beneath the arbor, brows slightly furrowed, lost in thought.
Qinglong Stronghold was astonishingly orderly.
Its people lived peacefully—better, in fact, than many ordinary towns and villages under imperial administration.
Their devotion to the mysterious chieftain bordered on reverence. As long as she was there, they seemed to believe nothing could shake them.
Yet whenever the Imperial Court was mentioned, most immediately fell silent, their eyes revealing unconcealed disgust—or even fear.
This was nothing like an ordinary bandit stronghold.
Who exactly was this chieftain?
How had she united such a ragtag group into such a disciplined force in barely a year?
And why had she chosen to oppose the Imperial Court?
As he wrestled with these questions, a gentle female voice—soft, graceful, yet tinged with unmistakable frailty—called from behind him with pleasant surprise, as though greeting someone familiar.
“A-Li? You’re back? Why are you standing out here instead of coming inside?”
The name “A-Li” struck Xiao Yu like a bolt of lightning.
He spun around instantly.
At the far end of the wisteria arbor stood Cai Ling, dressed in a simple pale gown and leaning lightly against the doorway.
The moment she saw his face, she froze.
Confusion flashed across her features before giving way to sudden realization—and an apologetic smile.
Covering her lips, she coughed softly twice before speaking.
“Ah… my eyesight must be failing. I mistook you for someone else. Please forgive me, Young Master.”
She looked him over, recalling the recent rumors spreading through the stronghold, and smiled warmly.
“You must be the guest A-Li brought back.”
Xiao Yu’s heart pounded violently in his chest.
A-Li?
She had called him A-Li?
Why would she… unless—
Before he could think further, an anxious shout rang out.
“Ling’er! Why are you outside?!”
Qing Ren strode over in great haste, immediately supporting Cai Ling with obvious concern. Then he looked up sharply, casting Xiao Yu a wary glare.
“The wind is strong. Let’s get you back inside.”
Scooping Cai Ling into his arms, Qing Ren carried her into the house before shutting the door firmly behind them.
Left alone beneath the wisteria, Xiao Yu stood frozen.
His entire body turned cold.
A-Li…
The guest A-Li brought back…
The chieftain is a woman…
The chieftain has never shown herself…
A-Li conveniently led them to several small victories…
A-Li disappeared during reconnaissance…
And then he himself was captured…
Every clue.
Every inconsistency.
Every unanswered question.
At this moment, they shattered and reassembled like fragments of a broken mirror around a single name—
A-Li.
The girl he had rescued from that alley…
The girl who had guided him through the mountains…
The girl whose disappearance had driven him to risk everything searching for her…
She…
She had been the mastermind behind everything all along.
The mysterious Chieftain of Qinglong Stronghold.
The one who had manipulated him from beginning to end.
A tidal wave of shock crashed over him, followed by the burning humiliation of betrayal—and beneath it, a terror and heartache he could scarcely put into words.
He wandered back to his room in a daze.
His steps were unsteady.
His mind completely blank.
Collapsing into a chair beside the table, he buried his face in his hands, struggling to come to terms with the cruel, absurd truth.
Why?
Why had she done all of this?
If she was the chieftain…
Why disguise herself as a beggar and approach him?
To toy with him?
Or to gather intelligence about the imperial campaign?
And if she had already captured him…
Why hadn’t she killed him?
Why treat him instead as an honored guest?
What…
What in the world was she truly trying to do?