Chapter 006: The State of the Mountain Stronghold

"Yes, Mr. Fang saved my life, and he’s also a learned man skilled in medicine. Our stronghold needs talents like him. Spend more time with him these days, show him around, and do your best to keep him here. He could become one of the core leaders of our stronghold in the future," Ye Qingyun said, nodding his head.

"Don’t worry, Father. I also think Mr. Fang is an exceptional talent and will be invaluable to us. No matter what, I’ll find a way to make him stay and win his loyalty," Ye Hongxiu replied confidently.

"Your third uncle and Shuhua have been gone to Wudu for half a month. They should arrive in about ten days, but who knows when they’ll return?" Ye Qingyun mused. Ye Hongxiu’s third uncle was named Huang Yuantao, also the third disciple of Ye Qingyun and Zhou Boxiong.

Half a month earlier, Huang Yuantao had taken his son, Huang Shuhua, and ten of the stronghold’s guards to the capital of Wu to see an old friend. As this matter concerned the stronghold’s future, few people were aware of it.

In these chaotic times, with bandits and marauders everywhere, the journey to Wudu required many detours and took at least a month. Any delays along the way, plus the return trip, would take two to three months at the very least.

"Father, Third Uncle is a first-rate expert, and Second Brother is wise and strong. As long as they’re careful, they can travel anywhere in the world without trouble. By the way, I’ve hit a bottleneck in my training—I can’t seem to generate internal energy no matter what I try. Can you teach me?" Ye Hongxiu asked after a moment’s thought, seeking advice on martial training.

"You’re only sixteen, child, what’s the rush? Your eldest brother is thirty this year and is still stuck at the peak of second-rate mastery, unable to break through. Training internal energy mustn’t be rushed; build a solid foundation first, and the rest will follow naturally," Ye Qingyun said with a smile.

"That won’t do. I want to break through early and become a master, not wait until I’m thirty. What’s the point then?" Ye Hongxiu pouted.

"With your current abilities, it won’t take that long. If you keep training diligently and temper your body, you’ll develop internal energy in three years. By the time you’re thirty, you might already be a master," Ye Qingyun assured her.

"Father, what about Mr. Fang’s martial training? He seems very interested in martial arts. We can’t just ignore his wishes, can we?" Ye Hongxiu’s mood brightened as she asked.

"Ah, I feel guilty about that. He saved my life, and yet I haven’t even fulfilled this small request for him. As you know, our stronghold has only two advanced martial arts: 'Tiger’s Roar in the Forest' for men and 'Slanting Wind and Fine Rain' for women. Neither suits him.

"If we let him learn ordinary martial arts, it would be meaningless. Here’s what I’ll do: in a few days, I’ll visit Crouching Tiger Stronghold and see if I can get Zhao Baiming’s 'Green Mountain Sunset' manual for him," Ye Qingyun said after some thought.

"The 'Green Mountain Sunset' style at Crouching Tiger Stronghold becomes tougher later on, but it’s easy to begin with. It would suit Mr. Fang," Ye Hongxiu agreed.

The following morning, Fang Xian woke up having mastered the contents of the second volume of the medical classic, meaning he now had a complete foundation in medicine and could treat a wide variety of common ailments.

He got up early, as was his habit, jogged around the courtyard to warm up his body, and prepared himself for martial arts training. Since he intended to pursue the martial path, he needed to temper his body and lay a solid foundation.

Besides the medicinal baths using the strengthening formula, regular exercise was crucial. Fang Xian resolved to keep up his training, soaking in the medicinal bath each night, as the herbs required were all common and easy to obtain.

"Mr. Fang, have you had breakfast yet?" Just as he paused for a rest after his run, Ye Hongxiu’s voice sounded from the gate.

"Young Chief, you’re up early. I’ve just been working out to prepare for martial arts, but I haven’t had breakfast yet," Fang Xian replied with a smile.

"Go wash up, and I’ll take you to try our stronghold’s specialty: noodles with savory sauce," Ye Hongxiu said with a cheerful smile.

"Obedience is better than courtesy. Please wait a moment, Young Chief," Fang Xian replied, eager to learn more about Qingyun Stronghold.

He quickly washed, changed into clean clothes—retrieved from his luggage by Er Niu the previous evening—and came out to join her.

"Our stronghold has nearly three thousand people, more than thirteen hundred of whom are able-bodied men and women. The rest are mostly the elderly and children. Everyone lives among the three peaks and five ridges, with about fifteen hundred on Green Bull Peak alone. There’s a small marketplace at the foot of the mountain, which is why there are breakfast vendors," Ye Hongxiu explained as they made their way downhill.

"Good morning, Young Chief. Good morning, Mr. Fang."

"Greetings, Young Chief. Hello, Mr. Fang," the villagers greeted them along the way. News of Fang Xian curing the old chief had spread, and seeing Ye Hongxiu accompany him, everyone recognized and thanked him warmly.

"How many years has Qingyun Stronghold been here? What did these people do before?" Fang Xian asked.

"They were all common folk from the Wu and Xia kingdoms, driven to the mountains by war. There used to be an armed escort agency—Wei Yuan Security—in Pingcheng County, not far from here. My grandfather was the head escort, and my father and uncles were all his disciples and escorts.

"But when chaos came, not only commoners suffered; even my grandfather’s agency was targeted by the army. On one trip, his team was attacked and massacred by soldiers. Only my grandfather escaped, gravely wounded.

"My father and uncles discussed it and, under cover of night, avenged the escort team by killing the general responsible and his family, then took everyone from the agency into the mountains.

"At first, there were only a hundred or so people, including their families. Over time, the group grew into what you see today. I grew up here. I remember when we had to pay tribute to bigger strongholds, until ten years ago when my father became a grandmaster, and Qingyun Stronghold became a major force," Ye Hongxiu explained, holding nothing back.

"Better to be a dog in peacetime than a person in troubled times. Life is cheap in chaos—if you don’t fight, you won’t survive," Fang Xian sighed.

"That’s right. We all wish for peace, for everyone to live good lives. Who’d want to hide in the mountains forever? But this chaos has lasted more than a century, with countless dead. Who knows when it will end?" Ye Hongxiu shook her head.

They reached the foot of the mountain, where a small market stretched two or three hundred meters, with breakfast stalls, vendors selling vegetables, fruit, eggs, and other goods.

"I imagine there’s no money in use here. How do people trade? These things aren’t worth gold or silver," Fang Xian asked curiously.

"People barter. If they have surplus grain, vegetables, or fruit, they trade for what they need. No one has much, and they still have to contribute to support the stronghold’s guards. Life is a struggle," Ye Hongxiu said with a wry smile.

"Please come in, Young Chief. And this must be Mr. Fang?" The noodle shop owner, a man in his sixties with graying hair, greeted them warmly.

"Greetings, sir. I am Fang Xian," Fang Xian replied with a polite bow.

"No need for such courtesy, Mr. Fang. I’m just a noodle maker—hardly worthy of it. But I must thank you for saving the old chief," the old man said, waving his hands modestly but with genuine warmth.

"Ah, so you are Mr. Fang? Thank you for saving the old chief—you’ve saved us all," declared a middle-aged man who stood up from his noodles to bow to Fang Xian.

"Thank you, Mr. Fang!" echoed everyone nearby, both inside the shop and outside, bowing in gratitude.

"Please, there’s no need for thanks. The old chief is a good man, and I just did what I could," Fang Xian replied, bowing back.

At that moment, he was flooded with notifications—he’d just earned many reputation points. Although word had spread about his deed, few had known his name until now.

"Mr. Fang is truly worthy of our gratitude. Without you, our stronghold’s fate would have been grim: at best, reduced to a dependent of another stronghold, slowly declining; at worst, destroyed, with most of our people killed," Ye Hongxiu said earnestly.

"Even so, the old chief is well now, so there’s no need to keep thanking me. Don’t you agree, Young Chief?" Fang Xian said with a rueful smile.

"Great debts need no thanks, Mr. Fang. Rest assured, Qingyun Stronghold will never treat you unfairly. And from now on, you needn’t call me Young Chief—just Hongxiu will do," Ye Hongxiu said with a smile.

"Then, Miss Hongxiu, call me Fang Xian—just my name. It sounds friendlier," Fang Xian replied readily.

Soon, the old man served their noodles, each bowl topped with a fried egg. After a morning’s exercise, Fang Xian was hungry and found the food excellent, praising the old man’s skill.

"Uncle Zhang used to run a noodle shop in the county. Then the war came, his family was killed, and only he and his young grandson escaped to the mountains. They only arrived the year before last. My father helped them set up this shop," Ye Hongxiu whispered to Fang Xian.

"No one has it easy," Fang Xian replied, realizing that everyone who had fled to the mountains had been forced out by hardship; many had lost everything, just as the original owner of his body had.

Suddenly, a cry rose from the marketplace: "Aunt Zhou has fainted! Hurry, go fetch Old Liu!"

"Old Liu is too far! Get Mr. Fang—he’s at Old Zhang’s noodle shop!" someone shouted.

"Which Mr. Fang?"

"The one who cured the old chief yesterday—he’s an amazing doctor!"

"Mr. Fang, please help! Aunt Zhou suddenly collapsed!" someone rushed over, calling for him.

"Let’s go have a look," Fang Xian said to Ye Hongxiu. The two hurried over to the commotion, where they found an old woman with white hair collapsed on the ground, someone cradling her head.