The Great Zhou Kingdom, the Tongzhou region.
It was July, and the scorching sun hung high in the sky. Blazing sunlight filtered through the dense forest's lush foliage, dappling the ground below with shifting patterns of light and shadow. The incessant drone of cicadas rose and fell, a relentless chorus.
Five men in sturdy traveling clothes, long sabers at their waists, rode tall steeds, escorting two luxurious carriages along a packed dirt road through the forest. The wheels crunched over dry twigs and withered leaves, a crisp, rhythmic sound.
Two maidservants walked on either side of the carriage. Inside sat a man and a woman. The man, who looked to be in his early twenties, was quite handsome, with sharp brows and bright eyes. He was currently toying with a waist-token engraved with the words "Pei Shaoqing, Squad Leader, Jing'an Guard," a gloomy expression clouding his features.
"Husband, we've been traveling for many days now. Why are you still brooding? Father only sent you to Tongzhou in a fit of anger. Once he's cooled down and the trouble you caused in the Capital City has blown over, he'll surely call you back." The woman beside him watched his sullen expression, her delicate brows furrowing. Showing her frustration by lightly biting her plump, rosy lips, she tried to patiently console him in a soft voice.
She was around the same age as the young man, with skin as fair as jade and delicate, exquisite features, including a small beauty mark on her chin. The pearl hairpins and dangling ornaments in her hair jingled with the carriage's occasional sway. A lavender-colored gown clung to her curvaceous figure, and her ample bosom trembled slightly with the jolting ride. The sweltering heat had brought a light sheen of sweat to her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed.
Though young, as a newlywed, she already possessed some of the allure of a mature woman. Yet, her every movement and expression still held a trace of girlish innocence, a combination that made her all the more captivating.
"Hmph!" Pei Shaoqing snorted, tossing the waist-token aside. "To hell with being exiled to Tongzhou right after my wedding, but to only give me a paltry post like a Squad Leader in the Jing'an Guard? It really makes me wonder if I'm even his real son!" he said resentfully.
Xie Qingwu listened to her husband's whining, a mix of anger and helplessness welling within her. 'And whose fault is that? You're the one who caused a massive disaster in the Capital City! If not for you, why would I have to leave my home and be dragged along to Tongzhou?'
'Besides, a Squad Leader in the Jing'an Guard might be a minor post, but it's not something just anyone can get. They're the Emperor's Personal Guard, after all—a low-ranking post with significant authority. People don't even dare to slight an ordinary guardsman, let alone a Seventh Grade Squad Leader.'
'This husband of mine knows nothing about Martial Arts. If the family hadn't pulled strings, he wouldn't even be qualified to join the Jing'an Guard. And now he dares to complain about it? Ugh, what was I thinking, marrying him?'
"Husband, please watch what you say," Xie Qingwu said, suppressing her impatience and reminding him as if she were coaxing a child.
"Alright, enough with the lectures." Pei Shaoqing's face was a mask of irritation. 'This woman is beautiful, sure, but she's always trying to control me. It's like I married my own mother.' He put away the waist-token and sighed, trying to console himself. "So what if the post is small? As long as my father's rank is high, that's all that matters. With my status, who in Tongzhou would dare to cross me? In the Capital City, my hands were tied. You accidentally kill one person on the street and they turn out to be some imperial relative, forcing me to flee my home. But in Tongzhou, I'll be free to do as I please. I can kill any of those mud-legged peasants I feel like. I just hope the poor bastards in this shithole haven't been squeezed dry yet, leaving some profit for me to skim."
"Husband, you mustn't think like that…" Xie Qingwu began, about to urge him to be more discreet, when a sharp whistle pierced the forest's tranquility. A volley of arrows tore through the air. Several thudded into the carriage's exterior while others shot straight inside. One landed quivering in the floor right between the couple. They stared at it, their faces turning deathly pale, momentarily struck dumb.
"Ambush! Protect the Young Master and Madam!"
"What thieves dare attack us? Do you have a death wish?"
Though caught by surprise, the five guards reacted in a flash. They calmly used their own bodies to shield the carriages while drawing their blades to parry the arrows.
"CHAAARGE!"
The rain of arrows ceased. To the sound of thundering hooves and fierce war cries, more than twenty bandits in motley attire burst from the woods on both sides, their horses at a full gallop.
"Kill them all!"
The masked bandit leader at the forefront bellowed.
"Insolence! We are from the house of Marquis Wei—"
A guard tried to announce their master's identity, but the masked leader paid him no mind, his horse charging onward. He drew his bow from the saddle and loosed an arrow. WHOOSH! It pierced the guard's throat. The sheer force of the impact flung the man from his horse, killing him instantly.
"Incredible shot, Chieftain!"
A cheer went up among the bandits. Their morale surging, they swarmed forward. The four remaining guards met them head-on without a shred of fear. But while their martial arts were far superior to the bandits', they were hopelessly outnumbered. After a desperate struggle in which they killed a dozen or so of their attackers, they were overwhelmed and cut down.
The two maidservants had also been killed in the chaos.
Whooping triumphantly, the bandits circled the carriage on horseback, their horses' hooves kicking up clouds of dust.
Inside the carriage, the couple listened to the raucous cheers outside, and their hearts sank.
Xie Qingwu's face was ashen. She instinctively looked to her husband for support. "Hu… Husband…"
"You! You go out and see what's happening," Pei Shaoqing interrupted, shoving her toward the door. He was trembling.
Xie Qingwu stared in disbelief. "Husband!"
"Stop wasting time! Get out there, now!" Pei Shaoqing snarled, even kicking at her to force her out.
Before marrying into the Pei Family, Xie Qingwu had known her husband was useless in both scholarly and martial pursuits, good for nothing but whoring, drinking, and gambling. But she had married him with the belief that a wife must follow her husband, for better or worse, and with the faint hope that she could somehow mold this worthless clay into something respectable. So she had tried her best to be a virtuous wife, gritting her teeth and enduring his endless follies and incompetence.
But in that moment, her heart turned to ice.
Tears welled in Xie Qingwu's eyes. She bit her lip and stared hard at Pei Shaoqing. After a long moment, seeing he remained unmoved and only urged her on more insistently, a bleak, resigned smile touched her lips. With a look of finality, she lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.
"Ah!"
She had barely stepped out of the carriage when a rough hand grabbed her and yanked her down. She landed in an undignified heap, crying out as pain contorted her features.
"Ssss… What a pretty little thing," gasped the bandit who had pulled her down. He turned to the leader. "Chieftain, what's the plan for her?"
Sprawled on the ground, her hair in disarray and her gown soiled, Xie Qingwu instinctively looked up. The bandit chieftain sat astride a tall black steed. His frame was more powerful than her husband's. She couldn't see his face clearly, but his eyes were bright and piercing, and there was something familiar about the set of his brow.
"We're only here for the money. Kill her," Xu Yuanqing said from his horse, casting a lazy glance at Xie Qingwu.
'The woman was indeed beautiful,' he thought. 'Ripe, voluptuous, and tempting in all the right places. And I, Xu Yuanqing, am certainly a lustful man. But I never mix business with pleasure. Can't let a woman derail the job.'
Xie Qingwu felt as if she'd been plunged into an icy cavern.
'She had been afraid the bandits would want to have their way with her.'
'But bandits who didn't were far more terrifying.'
"Chieftain, you… you have to see this!" a stammering voice cried out. A bandit dragged the terrified Pei Shaoqing from the carriage, hauling him roughly before Xu Yuanqing.
"This… How can this be!"
"He… and the Chieftain… how is this possible?"
The other bandits stared wide-eyed at Pei Shaoqing, their gazes darting back and forth between him and Xu Yuanqing as if they were seeing a ghost.
They weren't the only ones. Xu Yuanqing was just as shocked. The nobleman wasn't his perfect double, but the resemblance was at least ninety percent.
He slowly reached up and pulled off his black mask.
Xie Qingwu's eyes flew wide.
"You… you… you…" Pei Shaoqing's jaw dropped. He was so stunned he forgot to be afraid, his words turning to an incoherent stammer.
"To think we look so much alike," Xu Yuanqing muttered, slowly touching his own face. He frowned, looking down at Pei Shaoqing from his horse. "Did your parents ever tell you that you had a long-lost brother?"
He was originally from Earth, a "legitimate" businessman who dabbled in smuggling. A few months ago, a deal where he was double-crossed went south, and he had transmigrated into this world, possessing this body. While he had inherited the body's life as a bandit, he hadn't inherited any of its memories, so he had no idea about its origins.
'Could I really be some long-lost rich kid?'
"No! Absolutely not! I only have one older brother," Pei Shaoqing blurted out.
Seeing a chance to survive, Xie Qingwu quickly got to her feet. "Sir, I should inform you, my husband is Pei Shaoqing, the youngest son of the Marquis Weiyuan. He is traveling to Tongzhou to assume the post of Squad Leader in the Jing'an Guard. He may not know everything about his elders' past. And besides, how could two unrelated people look so remarkably alike? Why don't you come with us to meet my father-in-law? The truth will surely be revealed. Once you reclaim your heritage, you'll have a boundless future. Isn't being an official or a general far better than robbing people as a bandit in these mountains?"
"Ah, yes, yes!" Pei Shaoqing caught on, nodding frantically and blurting out, "When he was young, my father had many dalliances while traveling the Jianghu! He left a trail of romantic debts! You could really be my half-brother!"
"Chieftain…" one of the bandits began, clearly swayed.
"Shut up," Xu Yuanqing snapped. He fell silent, deep in thought. 'I never expected to land such a big fish in this backwater mountain range,' he mused. 'So big, in fact, that trying to swallow it could be fatal. And what if this guy really is my brother?'
As the chieftain remained silent, Pei Shaoqing, sweating bullets, frantically searched his mind for another bargaining chip. His gaze fell upon his graceful wife, and his eyes lit up. He lunged forward, grabbed Xie Qingwu, and yanked her in front of him. With a fawning grin, he faced Xu Yuanqing. "Chieftain! This is my wife. Her looks and figure are superb. I offer her to you! Just spare my life, and you can have all my money and all my women!"
"Husband, you…" Xie Qingwu's eyes widened in disbelief. She trembled with rage, tears streaming down her face. "How can you be so shameless?"
"Shut up! You're my wife, you belong to me! I'll do with you as I please!" Pei Shaoqing, so timid before the bandits, was vicious with his wife. He roared at her, then instantly turned back to Xu Yuanqing, his sycophantic smile plastered back on his face. "Chieftain, I beg you to accept her!"
'He wasn't afraid of humiliation, only of death. As long as he survived, he had a hundred ways to get rid of these damn bandits later. Once he killed everyone here, no one would ever know about today's disgrace. So what was there to be ashamed of?'
Xu Yuanqing raised an eyebrow. He ignored the coward who was so eager to cuckold himself and instead looked at the tear-streaked Xie Qingwu, an intriguing glint in his eyes. "You're right, little lady. Being the son of the Marquis Weiyuan is certainly a step up from being a bandit."
Hearing this, Xie Qingwu felt no joy at having survived. She just stood there, numb.
But Pei Shaoqing was ecstatic. Believing he had escaped death, he nodded again and again. "That's right…"
In the next instant, a blade flashed. His voice died in his throat. His head flew high into the air as a fountain of hot, scarlet blood sprayed across Xie Qingwu's face. It landed at her feet, eyes wide and staring up at her.
"AH!" Caught completely off guard, Xie Qingwu screamed and stumbled back two steps. Shaking, she looked up at the bandit chieftain, her eyes filled with terror and confusion.
As she watched, Xu Yuanqing slowly sheathed his saber. His smile was warm and gentle. "A man so vile, cowardly, and incompetent doesn't deserve to live, much less be the husband of a peerless beauty like you. So from now on, I am Pei Shaoqing, the youngest son of the Marquis Weiyuan. And you… are my wife. How does that sound?"
Without waiting for her reply, he turned to his men and roared with laughter, "Brothers, we're off to our new post in Tongzhou!"
'From now on, I am Pei Shaoqing!'
"Congratulations, Chieftain!" "We're going to Tongzhou to be officials with the Chieftain! We're gonna live the good life!" "Hahahaha!"
After a moment of stunned silence, the bandits erupted in cheers. Overjoyed, they laughed and circled their horses around him. But Xie Qingwu remained frozen in place, her face deathly pale, her body swaying as if she were about to collapse.