Chapter 287: Joining the Group

The Son-in-Law

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“…In today’s world, famine is rampant, and the people suffer greatly. The emperor is unjust, levying exorbitant taxes and duties. The Martial Dynasty’s days are numbered, and thus, heroes rise across the land, reflecting the will of the people and the prevailing trend of the times…”

The room was dark, the surroundings empty, and the atmosphere was grim. According to Ning Yi’s experience, what he would encounter next should be a relatively formal and serious meeting. Whether with good intentions or bad, since the other party intended to create such an atmosphere, they would certainly not abandon it halfway or treat it like a game. Indeed, after the self-introduction, “I am Liu Dabiao,” the content conveyed by the voice from behind the curtain also seemed quite formal and serious. Or rather, at least from the other party’s perspective, they must have been very serious about shaping this atmosphere.

From the very beginning, the other party appeared to be very serious, and Ning Yi stood there attentively, watching and listening. The scent of incense in the room, however, couldn't quite mask the smell of medicinal balm for injuries. The person behind the curtain was likely wounded, having just returned to Hangzhou before inviting him for this meeting. Nevertheless, as he stood there listening for a while longer, he couldn't help but feel that the atmosphere before him was somewhat peculiar.

“…I have long heard that Brother Ning is learned and possesses great ambition. At a time like this, we men of valor should rely on our passion and apply our knowledge to achieve monumental deeds. The Saintly Duke is now eager to find wise men…”

Ning Yi himself was not formally trained; although he could understand classical Chinese, his mastery of it was naturally limited. However, he had interacted extensively with Qin Siyuan and others. Upon hearing a passage or two, he realized that this seemingly passionate call to arms against rebels was, in fact, devoid of any literary merit. One might excuse someone from a bandit stronghold like Liu Dabiao for feigning sophistication. But as he listened, the deliberately rough and slightly stammering words from the other side felt exactly like a student in class reading their own poorly written essay.

Looking from his side of the curtain, although he couldn’t clearly see if the young woman was holding a piece of paper in front of her and reading it, he could be certain that what she was saying was not something she had come up with herself. She was either reciting something she had read earlier, or, in Ning Yi’s opinion, it was more likely she was reading it directly from a paper she held. Soon after, the reaction from the other side confirmed his suspicion.

“…I, Liu Dabiao, cough… I, Liu Dabiao, possess formidable martial arts, extraordinary talent, inheriting the Southern Overlord Blade lineage, surpassing my predecessors. I can capture dragons in the highest heavens and slay dragons in the deepest seas. With a single swing of my blade, no ten thousand men can stand against me. I am domineering and generous, with a noble heart and keen intellect, and a smile that…”

As Ning Yi’s face twitched slightly, the voice stopped abruptly. He saw her call over a woman who appeared to be a maidservant, and muffled voices indistinctly carried over: “Who wrote this…” A moment later, he heard again: “How utterly embarrassing…”

The maidservant left, and the room fell silent. Liu Dabiao’s figure, half-obscured, seemed to be sitting there with one hand propping up her chin; whether sulking or doing something else, Ning Yi couldn’t tell. Ning Yi blinked, unsure what to say for a moment. The two sides remained in this standoff-like silence, and time quietly passed. For a while, rustling sounds came from behind the curtain, as the woman shifted in her large chair, took a sip of water, and then… seemed to scratch an itch.

After an unknown period, Liu Dabiao seemed to emerge from her embarrassment, or perhaps she realized that remaining silent like this wouldn't do. She straightened her posture and began to speak. Her words still carried a hint of deliberate gruffness, but what she said was straightforward.

“Hey, I have a stronghold with over four thousand people. I’m not very good at managing it, and I need help. Can you do it?”

Ning Yi paused for a moment: “Uh, sure…”

“Very good.” The previous embarrassing recitation had likely dampened the young woman’s enthusiasm. She nodded, clearly not in high spirits. “Then from now on, you are my person. No one in Hangzhou will be able to bully you.”

After a moment’s thought, she added: “You’re also not allowed to bully others. Anyway, your official rank isn’t high… You’re a smart person, so I don’t need to say too much. Your identity is sensitive; just be aware of that. From now on, someone will deliver the stronghold’s daily affairs to you every morning. I live here, and I’ll call you if I need something. You can also come find me if you have something to discuss… Oh, right, when you were captured, your belongings… I’ll only give you enough gunpowder for self-defense. Your knife is sharp, but it’s not easy to use. If you’re interested in swordsmanship, you can come to me for guidance later. You may leave now.”

As she spoke, she grabbed a cloth bundle and tossed it over. Ning Yi caught it. The bundle likely contained the items that had been confiscated when he was captured. Besides some banknotes and loose silver, the most important items were naturally his pistol and the military saber he had commissioned Kang Xian to forge. The saber’s center of gravity was forward-biased, primarily for a powerful chopping blow. While using a saber at that time also emphasized an unstoppable momentum, it wouldn’t typically go to such an extreme. Ning Yi understood this, nodded, and took his leave.

As he was about to leave, the voice from behind spoke again: “Our former positions were different, so if anyone in the military offended you, do not bear a grudge… Your wife and those you were protecting have already gone to Huzhou together and are currently safe; you can rest assured. When the time is right, we will naturally arrange for them to be brought back… There is nothing else.”

Ning Yi nodded and closed the door.

He returned to the academy, collected some rice and grains, and it was already noon. Back at the small courtyard, he recounted his meeting with Miss Liu to Xiao Chan, who couldn’t help but laugh: “How can she be a chieftain like that?”

In Ning Yi’s original conjectures, he had imagined many scenarios for this inevitable meeting. Yet, he hadn’t expected it to unfold almost like a child’s game, so it was no wonder Xiao Chan felt Miss Liu lacked the demeanor of a chieftain. There was no coercion or intimidation, no pledge of allegiance, no elaborate procedures—just a simple “I have a stronghold” to recruit someone for management.

However, Ning Yi could not underestimate the injured young woman sitting behind the curtain. Her final words implied that after capturing Ning Yi and during her own siege of Jiaxing, she had already extended her reach to Huzhou, investigating everything around Ning Yi, perhaps even reaching Su Tan’er. Beyond that, what the young woman implied throughout the entire process was simply: “I am benevolent and magnanimous, and here, you can only seek refuge with me.”

When all initiative was in her hands, further threats became meaningless. She presented the terms and assigned the tasks. If Ning Yi were to outwardly comply but secretly defy her, he would likely be met with a swift blow. For fools, numerous threats and warnings might be necessary, but for intelligent people, certain things can always be omitted.

After that day’s brief conversation, Ning Yi had, in essence, joined the Overlord Blade Camp. There was no welcoming ceremony, no grand introduction. For Ning Yi himself, apart from people starting to deliver various items to his residence that afternoon and beginning to organize and prepare for rebuilding the collapsed house, the only change was that someone would bring him official documents to deal with every morning.

The Overlord Blade Camp’s handling of affairs wasn't simply a matter of Ning Yi issuing orders. By the second day, Ning Yi roughly understood the entire system. Typically, the incoming dispatches would be copied into several copies and distributed to a few advisers within the stronghold. Each adviser would write down their opinions and submit them to Liu Dabiao. After reviewing them, Liu Dabiao would choose a method of resolution. Often, she would summon people to ask about these matters and why they proposed such solutions. In the following days, Ning Yi was called in almost every afternoon to discuss the previous afternoon's affairs.

Ning Yi was not privy to the inner workings of the Overlord Blade Camp. When dealing with matters, he would usually call A-Chang and A-Ming to inquire in detail. Some of his initial approaches were naturally based on assumptions. Liu Dabiao, whose appearance he couldn't discern behind the curtain, would also explain many things to him daily. Thus, after the first few days, he quickly gained a comprehensive understanding of the Overlord Blade Camp’s affairs.

Mornings were spent attending a "Records of the Grand Historian" class at the academy and handling some affairs. Afternoons involved discussing management with Liu Dabiao for half the day. Ning Yi felt a certain admiration for this young woman, who was perhaps named Liu Xigua but insisted on calling herself Liu Dabiao. Outsiders described this young woman, who wielded a giant blade with her slender frame, as domineering, crude, eccentric, and unpredictable. Yet, over these past few days, she had daily reviewed everyone’s ideas, despite her lingering injuries, and thoughtfully considered the reasons behind each one. If Ning Yi were truly a university professor, this young woman before him might well be his most admirable student.

The Overlord Blade Camp currently had five advisers in total. The other four, perhaps because their thoughts had already been thoroughly learned by the young woman, were rarely summoned for direct discussions. Ning Yi had, of course, met the other four twice. These individuals were not scholars who had been abducted like Ning Yi. Reportedly, they were old members of the Overlord Blade Villa who, possessing some literacy and a certain talent for management and ideas, had been recruited by Liu Xigua to form this small advisory group. Since none of them were renowned scholars, they were not difficult to get along with.

Ning Yi had also come to understand the situation of A-Chang and A-Ming, who were by his side. There were eight of them in total, raised by the old chieftain and personally taught martial arts, serving as guards accompanying the young woman. These were not their real names; their codenames were “A life for a life, a debt for a debt.” It was said that the young woman herself, Liu Xigua, had chosen these names, and in her mind, these eight characters largely represented fairness.

When the Overlord Blade Camp initially protected Ning Yi, it caused quite a stir among some people. However, by the time Liu Xigua returned, everything had quieted down as if nothing had happened. With lessons in the mornings and discussions in the afternoons, life for a while was as tranquil as if he had returned to Jiangning. Within a few days, several more rooms were built in the small courtyard. Xiao Chan and Ning Yi, with the help of others, furnished it. This was their new residence, and Ning Yi had the feeling that he would be living there for a long time—a feeling that indeed became reality in the time that followed.

Her lingering injuries and deliberately gruff voice—for a period thereafter, these remained Ning Yi's impressions of Liu Xigua. They spoke daily, but always through the curtain. The only difference was that on Ning Yi’s side of the curtain, he now had a well-lit desk. Sometimes Ning Yi thought that if he were a poor scholar teaching poetry and literature to a noble family’s daughter, it might feel exactly like this. Liu Xigua was a quick learner, but Ning Yi was certainly not a shallow teacher, and occasionally, they would even argue over minor points.

During this time, he accomplished a few small tasks and met several people. With this as a beginning, autumn had arrived…