Chapter Sixty-Seven: Promise

Qijun lay on his bed, stretching his limbs, and for the first time, felt truly comfortable sleeping there.

“Why did I never notice how spacious this bed is... huh? Where’s Qifeng?” Qijun suddenly sat up, realizing it had been days since he’d last seen his younger brother.

He hurriedly scrambled up, rushing out before Sun Jiu and the others had gone far, nearly tumbling into a pit outside his door.

“Sun Jiu, wait!” Qijun called out from the flat ground halfway up the mountain.

Hearing his shout, Sun Jiu frowned and turned, signaling for the group to halt. Muttering, he walked toward Qijun, “Just a misunderstanding and a pit, why won’t this end...”

Before Sun Jiu could approach, Qijun met him halfway, anxious. “Where’s my brother?”

“He went into the mountains with Captain He to search for bandits. Didn’t you know?” Sun Jiu was taken aback by Qijun’s question and asked in return.

“What? Why’d he get involved with that? How would I know? Why didn’t you tell me before?” Qijun grew worried. Qifeng had no business chasing bandits instead of staying safely at home—surely this was reckless.

“Well... you never asked me...” Sun Jiu puzzled over Qijun’s sudden concern for Qifeng and tentatively asked, “Sir, is something wrong with Qifeng?”

“Nonsense! If anything happened to him, you’d never hear the end of it from me. Why didn’t you stop him from going after bandits? Still, it’s partly my fault. After the battle at Panlong Ridge, I was injured and laid up at the county office, then busy all day once I recovered. I thought he’d already returned; only now did it occur to me he’s been gone...” Realizing he hadn’t paid attention to Qifeng’s whereabouts for days, Qijun was filled with guilt.

Though Qifeng wasn’t his blood brother in the truest sense, he was the most trustworthy person in this world.

He’d been so focused on the bandits’ loot he hadn’t even known Qifeng had gone into the mountains with the captain. As Qifeng’s only brother, Qijun felt he’d failed his duty.

“Sir, you worry too much. He’ll be fine with Captain He. The county troops will return in a few days. I imagine Qifeng just wanted to get out and stretch his legs after being cooped up so long...” Seeing the worry on Qijun’s face, Sun Jiu quickly offered comfort.

“It’s exactly because he’s with him that I’m uneasy...” Qijun gazed toward the distant ridges and spoke a sentence Sun Jiu couldn’t quite understand.

“Huh? What do you mean, sir...” Sun Jiu asked, baffled.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Maybe I’m overthinking. It’s late, everyone’s exhausted. Take them back to rest. Tomorrow, we’ll head to the county troop camp and hand Panlong Ridge over to Captain He.” Qijun waved him off and turned to trudge home, weary.

Sun Jiu nodded and led the county soldiers away.

Qijun lay back down, exhausted, yet unable to sleep. Thoughts of Qifeng weighed heavily on his conscience.

Lately, he’d made many acquaintances and solved countless troubles, yet had done so little for his own brother.

Pondering these matters, Qijun eventually drifted into a troubled sleep.

He hoped to sleep until the sun was high, regain his strength, and then attend to the remaining business in town with Sun Jiu. But fate had other plans.

“Brother Jun! Wake up—something’s happened!” Deng Fang was banging on the door early in the morning.

“Tch... stop knocking! That wooden board’s already battered enough,” Qijun grumbled as he sat up, glaring at the door.

“Brother Jun, you’d better hurry. Your sister-in-law’s come looking for you!” Deng Fang’s voice was urgent, yet he couldn’t hide his mischievous delight.

“What? If you’re kidding, you’ll regret it!” Qijun froze, realizing trouble was at hand, then leapt out of bed, hurriedly dressing and washing up.

“No mistake—I've met Miss Yunfei before. Brother Jun, should I call over those forty ladies so your sister-in-law can meet them too?” Deng Fang pressed his face to the door, fanning the flames as he stifled laughter at the chaos inside.

Just then, the door opened and Deng Fang was dragged inside. He didn’t react in time, his tall frame banging against the doorframe and his head thudding painfully.

“Brother Jun, that was a bit personal, wasn’t it...” Deng Fang rubbed his sore forehead, grimacing.

“That’s what you get for looking like a giraffe... Clean up the room! Where is she? I need to greet her...” Qijun demanded anxiously.

“Congratulations, Brother Jun!” Yunfei’s voice came from behind a half-buried tree.

Qijun’s heart sank. He recognized the bitterness in her words; no doubt Liu Kui had told the elders about the women he’d settled last night, and Yunfei had heard.

“Forget tidying, Brother Jun. I bet it’ll get messier soon enough...” Deng Fang whispered with a grin, earning a swift kick from Qijun. Unfazed, Deng Fang raced out, only to smack his head again on the doorframe.

As Deng Fang’s groaning faded, Qijun’s heart tightened. He quickly pondered how to explain the situation to Yunfei.

“Master Deng, where are you rushing off to...” Yunfei asked, frowning as Deng Fang ran past clutching his head.

But Deng Fang only smiled and ran on without a word.

Yunfei walked around the mound, nearly stepping into a pit.

“Careful!” Qijun rushed over in time to catch her arm.

Steadying herself beside the pit, Yunfei blushed and shook off Qijun’s embrace.

“So, Brother Jun, you’re starting your harem? With so many women, this house may be too small,” Yunfei snorted, glancing at the pit and casting Qijun a sideways glance before crossing her arms in silence.

“If I don’t build a bigger house, how can I marry you in just this shabby little hut?” Qijun, seeing her anger and the pit, blurted out.

He hadn’t thought about it before, but Yunfei’s words made him realize he really needed to build a new house. Sun Jiu’s accidental pit would make a perfect foundation.

“What... what did you say?” Yunfei was stunned, turning to stare at Qijun in disbelief.

Qijun drew her close, pointing to the pit. “I’ve got it all planned out. We’ll build two stories. The ground floor is a reception hall, upstairs two bedrooms, kitchen over there...”

Yunfei instinctively tried to pull away, but quickly settled in his embrace like a shy kitten, gazing into his eyes, tears welling as she listened to his visions.

“In front, we’ll fence a little flower garden, filled with your favorite blooms...” Qijun looked down at Yunfei, seeing stars in her eyes, overflowing with happiness and emotion.

“Brother Jun, do you really mean it?” Yunfei hugged him, closing her eyes and dreaming against his chest.

“Of course. We’re wealthy now, and have nothing to fear from bandits!” Qijun stroked her hair, his gaze tender.

“Say what you will. Who knows if it’s for those women you brought here...” Yunfei brushed the corner of her eye, gently pushed him away, and turned aside, cheeks flushed.

“Just hear me out! Those women are all victims. I couldn’t leave them to starve in the mountains. Here’s what happened...” Qijun hurried to tell Yunfei the story of rescuing the women from Panlong Ridge, including the bandit attack and the discovery of their treasure.