Chapter 121

Chapter 121

This was Xie Chengyan’s first time seeing the only child his younger sister had left behind.

The moment he saw Jin Bao, his eyes reddened.

“Jin Bao, this child looks so much like my poor sister.”

Xiao Che held Jin Bao without the slightest intention of letting go. They might share no blood, but the bond between them had long since surpassed that of a biological father and daughter.

Even with Jin Bao’s biological Uncle standing before him, Xiao Che had no intention of giving her back.

“Old Xie, Jin Bao is my daughter now. Her full name is Xiao Jinru. I know she shares your blood, but my entire family has grown attached to her. Forgive me, but I cannot return Jin Bao to you.”

Xiao Che knew their two sides would interact often in the future. It was better to make matters clear now than allow a struggle over Jin Bao to create conflict between them later.

Xie Chengyan had anticipated this and never intended to seize Jin Bao.

Given her current circumstances, even if he took her, he probably could not keep her. His several thousand Dragon Tiger Guards alone could not guarantee that no one would steal Jin Bao away.

She was safer with Xiao Che. Otherwise, the Xiao Family could never have protected her from so many attempts on her life. They clearly possessed the strength to keep Jin Bao safe.

“My family has already discussed this. We will not interfere with whom Jin Bao lives with. But for her safety, we must take control of the Northern Frontier as soon as possible. Old Xiao, what is your plan?”

Xie Chengyan wasted no time. The situation was urgent. They needed to seize full control of the Northern Frontier while the imperial court remained in chaos.

Xiao Che shared the same intention, but he had no real army. The refugees he had just gathered would immediately rout against regular troops and were entirely unfit for the battlefield.

“Old Xie, why don’t you come with me to Black Pine Valley so we can discuss the matter in detail?”

Xiao Che had been away for some time. If he did not return soon, his family in the valley would probably worry.

“Black Pine Valley? What place is that? I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s a Hot Spring Valley my daughter discovered, where the weather feels like spring all year.

“We moved there only a little over a month ago, and everything in the valley is still under construction.

“The original residents were a group of exiles I brought from the Garrison, but they have all become residents of Black Pine Valley now.

“During this trip, I recruited another two thousand refugees and raided a town’s grain storehouse. The Xiao Family’s Shadow Guards are currently escorting the grain into the valley.”

Xie Chengyan nodded.

“There’s no time to lose. Let’s set out for the valley immediately.”

The fact that his niece had found such a paradise proved she truly possessed supernatural abilities.

“But what happened to these men?”

Xie Chengyan looked at the densely packed soldiers hanging throughout the forest and finally voiced the question that had been troubling him.

Xiao Che did not conceal the truth from him.

He was Jin Bao’s biological Uncle, after all. When Jin Bao reclaimed the throne in the future, they would need this Uncle’s help.

“You already know Jin Bao is the Star Maiden, don’t you?”

After a moment’s thought, Xiao Che decided to tell Xie Chengyan about Jin Bao’s supernatural abilities as well.

Xie Chengyan nodded. “That’s right. I know, and I was the one who posted those portraits throughout the Northern Frontier.”

Xiao Che had known someone was promoting Jin Bao from behind the scenes, but he had never expected it to be Xie Chengyan.

“Didn’t that put my daughter directly in the eye of the storm?”

Xiao Che grew angry.

Xie Chengyan rolled his eyes at him.

“Do you know why the Emperor entrusted such an important military tally to me instead of ordering me to give it to you?”

Xiao Che snorted. “I don’t want it. Besides, what does the military tally have to do with anything? We’re talking about my daughter.”

“Because aside from leading soldiers into battle, you understand nothing.

“You don’t understand how people and society work, you don’t know how to borrow momentum and build influence, and you can’t read the situation of the realm. To put it plainly, you’re a brute.

“I cannot compare with you in commanding troops, but you cannot compare with me in anything else.

“That is why the Emperor sent me to find Jin Bao and help her ascend the throne.

“If we relied on you, all of you would probably spend the rest of your lives hiding in some mountain hollow. Will you still be able to wield a saber on the battlefield when you’re seventy or eighty?”

Xie Chengyan’s words left Xiao Che opening and closing his mouth. His face turned bright red. He had a thousand retorts but could not organize any of them.

“I refuse to speak with an old bastard like you. Black Pine Valley doesn’t welcome you either. Leave.”

Xiao Che felt that bringing this man into the valley would only cause him grief. When it came to advisors, he still had Mo’er, and Mo’er would never say such things and stab straight into his heart.

Xie Chengyan did not grow angry. Instead, he chuckled and patted Xiao Che’s shoulder.

“We’re family now, one way or another. You can’t endure a few words from me?

“Everything I’ve done is meant to help you.”

Most of Xiao Che’s anger dissipated.

“I haven’t seen you help us with anything. What I have seen are people hunting us everywhere.”

“Not so. Even if you’ve never studied the histories, you must know the old stories of placing a message inside a fish’s belly and starting an uprising by slaying a snake.
“As long as we actively proclaim everywhere that Jin Bao is the Star Maiden, and that even Prince Cheng is searching for the person chosen by Heaven, the common people will believe and support her. The other vassal princes will be even more convinced.

“They will never allow Prince Cheng to obtain Jin Bao. First, this muddies the waters. Second, it builds momentum and prepares the way for Jin Bao’s emergence.

“Once we occupy the Northern Frontier, we can follow the will of the people. Jin Bao will become the ruler of the Northern Frontier.”

Xiao Che blinked but still felt somewhat aggrieved.

“Your mind is merely a little quicker than mine. But if my daughter is going to become ruler of the Northern Frontier, she’ll still need her Daddy to fight for it with saber and spear.”

Xie Chengyan did not argue with the brute. He repeatedly agreed. “Exactly, exactly. We will need you in the future, Old Xiao.”

Xiao Che finally felt satisfied. Being outmaneuvered by Xie Chengyan the instant they met had truly made him uncomfortable. But when he considered everything Xie Chengyan had done and realized it genuinely benefited his daughter, he forgave the old bastard’s disrespect.

“Right, Jin Bao has other supernatural abilities too. Weren’t you wondering how these men ended up hanging there?

“Jin Bao commanded the vines in the forest to wrap around them.”

A storm surged through Xie Chengyan’s heart, but his face showed only delight.

“With such an ability, no wonder she is the Star Maiden chosen by Heaven. So that’s how it is.”

It seemed he would hardly need to build momentum at all. As long as commoners witnessed Jin Bao’s abilities, they would support her of their own accord.

Especially in these chaotic times, people needed faith in their hearts to lead them out of hardship.

“This isn’t Jin Bao’s only ability. You’ll discover the others over time, but when you do, don’t be too surprised.”

Xiao Che spoke with obvious pride. Since he shared no blood with Jin Bao, he could only flaunt how close they were instead.

Xie Chengyan completely missed Xiao Che’s sense of superiority. He merely regarded all of Jin Bao’s abilities as future tools for winning the people’s support.

Although Xie Chengyan did not yet know what other abilities she possessed, he had already planned a shortcut for his niece.

“We desperately need manpower now. I suggest we spare these men and put them to use. They are regular troops from the Northern Frontier and far more useful than the refugees you recruited.”

Looking at the several hundred men who had already been killed, Xie Chengyan found their deaths rather wasteful.

Xiao Che nodded. He had considered absorbing the soldiers, but they might not obey. If they turned on him, he would merely be planting danger within his own ranks.

Now that the Dragon Tiger Guard was there to keep them under control, Xiao Che no longer worried.

“Are you willing to surrender? Those willing to follow the Star Maiden will be spared by this Valley Master.”

The hanging soldiers had long since been frightened out of their wits. They now understood what happened to anyone who tried to harm the Star Maiden and no longer dared oppose her. Even their Deputy Commander had been beheaded, leaving them leaderless.

“We are willing to follow the Star Maiden. Please spare us, Valley Master.”

Jin Bao remained asleep. To release all the soldiers, they had no choice but to cut through the vines.

Fortunately, the Dragon Tiger Guard was there to help.

After considerable effort, every soldier regained his freedom.

They all knelt and kowtowed to Jin Bao.

Jin Bao actually yawned and woke.

“Daddy, Baby doesn’t feel sleepy anymore.”

Only then did Xiao Che remember that Jin Bao needed the Power of Faith to replenish her energy.

If every commoner in the Northern Frontier worshiped the Star Maiden, would Jin Bao stop falling asleep from time to time?

It seemed the old bastard Xie Chengyan had some use after all. By sheer luck, he had managed to do something beneficial.

“Jin Bao, Daddy will introduce you to someone. See if you can guess who this is.”

Xiao Che drew back the wolfskin cloak around Jin Bao.

At once, Jin Bao saw Xie Chengyan and Xie Yanhong staring at her without blinking. They gave her a sense of closeness, just like Daddy and Mommy.

“Daddy, who are they? Baby feels like she really likes them.”

Before Xiao Che could answer, Xie Chengyan introduced himself. “Jin Bao, I’m your Uncle, and this is your Cousin. Come, call me Uncle.”

Xie Chengyan’s smile nearly stretched crooked with anticipation.

Jin Bao tilted her little head, wondering what an Uncle was.

But she obediently greeted them anyway. “Hello, Uncle. Hello, Cousin.”

“Yes, good girl. Jin Bao is such a good girl, just like your mother when she was little.”

The mention of her mother made Jin Bao’s large eyes light up.

“You know Baby’s mommy?”

Tears filled Xie Chengyan’s eyes, though he continued smiling. “Of course. I am your mother’s older brother. The blood of the Xie Family runs through you.”

Jin Bao finally understood.

“Wow, you’re Baby’s mommy’s brother? Then you must know lots of things about Baby’s mommy, right? Do you know why she didn’t want Baby? Was it because Baby was too ugly, or because Baby wasn’t lovable?”
As Jin Bao spoke, a trace of dejection entered her eyes.

“Jin Bao, of course your mother wanted you. Her health was poor, and after giving birth to you, she passed away. You’re so adorable. Who could possibly dislike you?”

Xie Chengyan painfully revealed the truth of that year.

At last, the knot in Jin Bao’s heart came undone. She was not an unwanted wild child. She had simply grown up without a mother.

“Daughter, don’t be sad. Look, you have a Daddy, a Mommy, and a Grandma now. And now you also have an Uncle, a Cousin, and a Maternal Grandmother. So many people love you.”

“Mm-hmm. Baby knows. All of you are Baby’s family.”

Jin Bao’s unhappy moods came and went quickly. She knew Pei Wanqing was not her birth mother, but Pei Wanqing treated her extremely well.

Xie Chengyan took a sheet of paper from his robes and handed it to Jin Bao.

“Jin Bao, this is the Treasure Map your Imperial Father left for you. He said only you can open it. Keep it safe. One day, it will surely prove useful.”

Jin Bao curiously unfolded the map. She could not read the tiny characters covering it, much less understand the curving lines that resembled earthworms.

“Daddy, keep it for Baby. Baby hasn’t grown up yet.”

Xiao Che also glanced at it and found it somewhat familiar. But he was in the mountains with no time to study it. That could wait until the right moment.

Xiao Che looked at the more than two thousand soldiers arranged in orderly ranks.

Then he glanced at Xie Chengyan.

“I can’t afford to feed this many people right now. Why not have them join the Dragon Tiger Guard and let Long Xia train them? Even if they can’t reach the Dragon Tiger Guard’s level in a short time, they’ll still become stronger than ordinary soldiers.”

Xie Chengyan had already decided where to place them.

“Yanhong, you and Long Xia will lead the Dragon Tiger Guard and take over a thousand of these men back to our estate. Old Xiao and I will bring the remaining thousand to Black Pine Valley. Send someone to tell your grandmother that we found Jin Bao so she can stop worrying.”

Xie Yanhong looked once more at his adorable Cousin and gave her a warm smile before leading the men away.

Xiao Che and Xie Chengyan immediately changed direction with Jin Bao and headed toward Black Pine Valley.

Black Pine Valley possessed an iron mine and would need a great deal of manpower to extract the ore. These soldiers could work the mine and patrol the valley, so they had to retain some of them.

Several days later, everyone finally returned to Black Pine Valley.

In addition to one thousand soldiers, the valley now held the refugees Ye Qi’s group had brought back. Thousands of new arrivals made housing even tighter. Fortunately, the weather inside the valley was warm as spring, so no one had to freeze. They had also seized grain, so no one would go hungry for the time being.

On the journey back, Xiao Che had told Xie Chengyan about the iron mine.

Xie Chengyan was eager to see it. Possessing an iron mine now was exactly what they needed.

But before he could even mention it, his arrival stirred a commotion throughout the valley.

Xiao Jingmo, Old Han, Xu Huaijin, and even Old Madam Xiao came over.

They surrounded Xie Chengyan and asked about the situation beyond the mountains.

Xie Chengyan told them everything. Only then did they learn how chaotic the outside world had become. Compared with the peaceful life here, the two places were as different as heaven and earth.

The arrival of the refugees made everyone even more convinced that Black Pine Valley was paradise.

After learning the truth about the outside world from the refugees, the valley’s original hundred residents cherished their peaceful lives even more.

The needs of common people were simple: three filling meals each day, freedom from hunger and cold, and family close at hand.

During the days Xiao Che was away, more than twenty semi-subterranean homes had been completed in the valley.

Part of each dwelling was a cave dug into the mountain. Outside stood a level platform with a shelter built above it, which could serve as a kitchen and dining area. The cave itself was mainly used for sleeping.

Now that so many refugees had suddenly arrived, Xiao Jingmo grew even busier.

He had to register everyone again and establish a valley record for each person.

Whether they were original residents or newly arrived refugees, everyone’s determination to survive had reached an unprecedented height.

The refugees were especially afraid of being expelled from Black Pine Valley and competed for work.

Xiao Jingmo had carved the iron laws established when Black Pine Valley was founded at the valley entrance.

Everyone who entered could see them clearly.

With so many people flooding the valley at once, it had become somewhat crowded. Moreover, the food they had seized could feed everyone for three months at most. After that, they would have to find their own solution.

Xie Chengyan shook his head and took another opportunity to strike at Xiao Che.

“Old Xiao, you refuse to admit it, but while you know how to lead troops into battle, you truly cannot compare with me when it comes to people’s livelihoods. Barely three thousand people have already left you overwhelmed. How will you settle the entire population of the Northern Frontier in the future?”

Xiao Che was instantly speechless. He truly did not know where to begin.

And this was precisely Xie Chengyan’s strength.