You put me in charge of the prison and turned all the female prisoners into female military goddesse

When Fang Shengtian came to find Lu Jing, he didn't have an invitation or a military letter in his hand; instead, he had an empty coarse porcelain bowl.

Across from him, Lu Jing was squatting by the well in the side courtyard, sharpening arrowheads. He looked up at the bowl, then at Fang Shengtian's face, and knew it wasn't anything good.

"Brother Lu,"

Fang Shengtian cupped his hands in greeting, then squatted down, placed the bowl on the edge of the well, and got straight to the point:

"Let me be frank with you, this month the Flying Cavalry Battalion's rations were cut off by the Flying Tiger Battalion."

Lu Jing put down the millstone, wiped the dust off his hands, sat down against the well platform, and waited for him to finish speaking.

"When the military rations were being transported through the Flying Tigers' defense zone, they detained two truckloads of grain under the pretext of 'inspecting smuggled military equipment,'" Fang Shengtian tapped his finger on the rim of his bowl. "It's been three days, and they haven't given us an explanation or let us pass."

Lu Jing looked up at him: "Those two cartloads of grain, how many days will that be enough for the camp?"

Fang Shengtian held up five fingers, then withdrew four:

"If we're frugal, we can last seven days, but if we cut back on food and supplies, the brothers won't be able to train. Just standing guard on an empty stomach will make their legs tremble."

Lu Jing didn't answer immediately. He thought for a moment and asked, "What does the Flying Tigers want?"

Fang Shengtian remained silent for a moment, placed his hands on his knees, and rubbed his fingertips together, as if considering how to speak without being too embarrassed.

"They want your key," he finally said, his voice low but each word clearly enunciated.

Lu Jing paused for a moment, then smiled: "How did they know about the key?"

"Someone leaked the word to Qian Si, saying that you've been going out a lot these past few days, with two or three people with you, heading towards the south of the city."

Fang Shengtian pointed to the entrance of the side courtyard: "In that area outside the city, as long as someone moves around, the Flying Tiger Camp scouts can see them. It can't be hidden."

Lu Jing didn't ask who leaked the information; there was no point in asking, since the matter was already out in the open.

The key can be given, but giving it away isn't impossible; they should have to pay a higher price.

"I can let you have the key," Lu Jing stood up and put the sharpened arrowhead back into the quiver, "but the grain can't be two cartloads."

Fang Shengtian looked at him: "How many truckloads do you want?"

"I need four carts, plus twenty sets of leather armor."

Fang Shengtian's brows twitched, but he didn't speak. His gaze lingered on Lu Jing's face for a moment before he nodded: "Okay, I'll go talk to him."

After he left, the courtyard was quiet for a while.

Ji Tangtang peeked half his head out from behind a pillar, and only slipped out after seeing Fang Shengtian leave the courtyard. He then approached Lu Jing and asked, "Were the military rations confiscated?"

"You have really sharp ears," Lu Jing said, squatting down to continue sharpening an arrowhead. "You could hear it even through three rooms."

"Of course," Ji Tangtang said smugly, raising his chin. "I also heard you say you wanted four cartloads of grain."

She paused, then squeezed out, "But if we give away the key, wouldn't we be at a loss?"

"Whether it's a loss or not depends on what you get in return," Lu Jing said without looking up. "A key that you can't use can be exchanged for four cartloads of grain and twenty suits of armor. No matter how you look at it, it's a loss."

Ji Tangtang tilted his head and thought about it for a moment, then realized that it seemed to make sense.

But something felt off, and after a long pause, I blurted out, "What if the key is really valuable?"

"Even if it's valuable, you still need to fill your stomach first," Lu Jing stood up and dusted off his hands. "Waiting for a key on an empty stomach is called 'dead man's property.'"

Ji Tangtang didn't reply, muttered something, and turned to repeat it to Mu Jiangli.

That evening, Fang Shengtian returned with the results: four cartloads of grain and twenty sets of leather armor. The handover would take place early the next morning, and the keys would be delivered that evening.

When Lu Jing handed the key to him, Fang Shengtian took it and squeezed it, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just patted Lu Jing on the shoulder and then turned and left.

The next day, before dawn.

Click, click.

The sound of wheels rolling over the ground came from the front yard.

Ji Tangtang jumped out of bed and ran outside without even putting on his shoes properly.

She lay on her stomach at the gate, watching the grain carts being driven into the Flying Cavalry Camp compound one by one.

one two three four……

She counted them once, then again, and confirmed there were four. Overjoyed, she jumped up and down and ran back.

He ran and shouted, "They're here! They're here! All four cars are here!"

Mu Jiangli also woke up, but wasn't as excited as her. She stood against the wall wearing an outer robe, yawned, and said slowly, "Four cartloads of grain make you this happy? We'll move to the cave later; moving grain there will be exhausting."

"I'm happy to be tired," Ji Tangtang said excitedly, rubbing his hands together and staring at the four large carts. "As long as we don't go hungry, what's a little grain transport?"

Wen Lanxiang stood under the corridor, not participating in their conversation. She simply watched the grain carts pass by one by one, then turned her head to look in Lu Jing's direction. Just then, Lu Jing was also looking this way. She nodded slightly, confirming that the grain had arrived.

Lu Jing turned his head back once, then turned back again.

In the following days, the Flying Cavalry Battalion resumed its normal training intensity. They were able to eat their fill, and their spirits were much higher. The female prisoners continued to run laps, draw bows, and carry logs every day as usual, and their coordination with the veteran soldiers of the Flying Cavalry Battalion gradually improved.

But the peaceful days didn't last long.

The evening of the fourth day.

Lu Jing had just retrieved a batch of hemp rope and tung oil from the warehouse.

On the way back to the side courtyard, I ran into a man from the Flying Tigers. The bronze tiger head badge on his waist gleamed brightly in the sunset.

The man stopped in front of Lu Jing, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled.

"Captain Lu, Captain Qian asked me to pass on a message: The key has been confirmed to be in good condition. The Flying Tigers keep their word. The rations and armor are all there. I'm also adding a bonus message."

Lu Jing didn't move: "What did you say?"

The man took half a step closer, lowering his voice:

"Captain Qian said that the key was fake, and the Flying Tigers have already obtained what was inside. He thanked Captain Lu for his generosity."

After saying that, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, turned and left. His steps were neither fast nor slow, and the sound of his boots hitting the blue bricks was not loud, but each step seemed to be on a certain rhythm.

Lu Jing stood there, holding the bundle of hemp rope, paused for a moment, and then smiled.

He turned and walked back to the side courtyard, placed the hemp rope against the wall, and pushed open the door to his room.

Then, he pulled out the kraft paper map from under the bed, unfolded it and looked at it, then took out the silk scroll and flipped through it, finally his gaze fell on the key handle that Chang Qingzhou had pried open earlier.

He gave them the key, but he kept the note he pried open with it; those eight words:

The mud may conceal its true form, but water will reveal its beauty.

He knew in his heart that the real key was never in the hands of the Flying Tigers.

The stone box beneath the abandoned shrine, the map, and the mountain crevice where soldiers could hide—those were the truly useful things.

He carefully put the map and silk away, then stood up and opened the window.

The sunset outside had burned out, leaving only a thin layer of deep purple light on the horizon.

Ji Tangtang was in the yard sharing half a roast chicken with Mu Jiangli, their hands covered in oil from eating.

Seeing Lu Jing open the window, she waved the chicken leg at him and said, "Lord Lu, do you want some? It's still warm!"

Looking at her shiny, oily face, Lu Jing said, "Give me a leg."

Ji Tangtang paused for a moment, then turned to Mu Jiangli and shouted, "The master said he wants to eat the leg! Don't take it from him!"

"Who stole it? I didn't even touch that leg!"

"Those are wings!"

"You think wings are on legs? Who are you trying to fool!"

The two started another round of bickering. Ye Qingqing came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of hot soup, and didn't stop walking as she passed by them.

Lu Jing leaned against the window frame for a while, then closed the window, turned around, and sat down at the table, tapping his fingers lightly twice on the surface.

The key given out was fake. The Flying Tigers got the fake key and thought they had gotten a good deal, but the key they kept for themselves was the one that they could actually use.

He unfolded the map again.

He traced the dotted line leading to the valley with his fingertips once more.

He mentally made a rough list of the things he would need to move: grain, medicine, bow and arrows, hemp rope, tung oil, and salt.

Move everything over one by one, no rush, but we can't delay either.

The arguing outside the window continued.

Ji Tangtang's voice rose a notch, while Mu Jiangli's voice fell a notch. Neither of them could win the argument, but neither of them stopped.

Lu Jing blew out the lamp, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the smile on his lips slowly faded.