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“How long have you all been lurking outside? Only chose to show up and play hero when you saw your ally losing ground?” Ye Yin’s lips curled in a subtle sneer, her words laced with a nuanced sarcasm that successfully provoked the self-righteous group before her.

“Don’t assume everyone’s like you,” Ruan Hao retorted, barely suppressing his rage. “We just got here! Sneaking around has never been our style!”

“If you only just arrived, why are you so quick to accuse me of starting trouble?” Ye Yin snorted coldly. “You haven’t even figured out the full story and already you’re making baseless conclusions. Or is it your way to spout nonsense without distinguishing right from wrong?”

For a moment, Ruan Hao was at a loss for words, then, forcing a show of bravado, he snapped, “Stop twisting the facts! The truth is plain to see: you burned them to such a state. Given the huge disparity in strength, who would be stupid enough to pick a fight with you?”

“That’s not certain,” Ye Yin replied with a hint of mockery. “These days, there are plenty of people who have no sense of their own limits, jumping in recklessly. Isn’t there one standing right here?”

“Disrespecting the commander—thirty more points off your mission score,” the curly-haired woman interjected, ready to record the deduction, but before she could, her notebook was reduced to ash in her hands.

“Don’t try to play that card on me.” Ye Yin’s eyes glinted with ice. “I don’t know what Leader Song is scheming, but let me make one thing very clear: the alliance still doesn’t have the strength to stand on its own. Leaving the base is a road to death. Until your wings have truly grown strong, don’t go around making enemies. The consequences are more than you can bear.”

Ruan Hao laughed coldly, “Well, aren’t you the ever-arrogant, aloof Minister, looking down on the alliance as always! The alliance is no longer the ragtag group it once was. Living in a well and calling it the world—that’s you, isn’t it?”

Ye Yin smiled. “The Mercenary Alliance, as of a month ago, numbered 37,099 members. Less than six percent are Awakened, less than one percent have special abilities, and very few are truly loyal to you. How is that fundamentally different from before? Besides the Third Base, who else can offer you such generous mission rewards to keep your daily operations afloat? If Third Base hadn’t set aside the outer district for you, you’d have trouble finding a place to sleep at night. No headquarters of your own, no secured patrons, yet you dare provoke your current benefactors? Truly, your skill is only matched by your recklessness.”

Ruan Hao’s face turned a kaleidoscope of colors, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. “So the base pays such close attention to us? Seems we’re under surveillance all the time.”

“You’re overthinking. These are just the most basic records—don’t forget who pays the civil servants at the Mercenary Registration Center.” Ye Yin twisted the knife. “It’s only because I have a good memory that I can recall all this. Others don’t even care to look.”

“Damn woman, don’t get cocky! No matter what, you’re on our turf now—don’t get too arrogant!” someone behind Ruan Hao couldn’t hold back and shouted furiously.

“This ship is provided by the military, and the captain and crew are military personnel. Frankly, you’re just hitching a ride. Is that what you call your turf? Or do your mission rewards now come with a free ship?” Ye Yin laughed. “If anything, your territory is the outer district of Third Base, isn’t it?” She enunciated “Third Base” with special emphasis.

“You—!”

“That’s enough!” Ruan Hao drew a deep breath, barely suppressing his anger. “I hope you know what you’re doing right now.”

“I’ll return those words to you—exactly as you said them.” Ye Yin’s smile was gentle.

With a snort, Ruan Hao stormed out, his companions following with wooden expressions.

Back in their room, Ye Yin was as composed as ever, while Ye Hua’s legs were so weak she could barely stand.

“You’ll need to get used to this—it’s really nothing,” Ye Yin said gently. “This world is far crueler and uglier than you imagine.”

“Aren’t you afraid, Sister?”

“I’m numb to it,” Ye Yin replied. “Courage comes from being scared too many times.”

“I see…”

“By the way, I need to ask you something. When did you learn to switch between water and ice?”

“I—I don’t know… When I saw all those needles flying at me, I meant to raise a water wall, but it turned into ice instead…”

“Looks like a blessing in disguise,” Ye Yin laughed heartily. “Bringing you out was the right choice after all.”

“Mm! From now on, you have to take me out more often!”

“Aren’t you afraid of dying? Just now, if I’d been a moment late, you’d have been surrounded.”

“I’m not afraid of anything when I’m with you.” Ye Hua smiled sweetly. “Even if you can’t save me, it doesn’t matter.”

Ye Yin’s eyes dimmed. “Don’t say that.”

I won’t let you die.

“Haha, I wasn’t serious.”

News spread quickly. The story of the Anli Team captain and her sister defeating the Yaksha Team in seconds and confronting the overall commander was all over the ship, growing ever more sensational with each retelling. Rumors, as always, were exaggerated—details blown out of proportion until Ye Yin and Ye Hua were painted as demons, nicknamed the “Ghostly Sisters” and worse.

Even Master Yuan and his group, usually obsessed with cards, caught wind of it and came to ask Ye Yin, “Did you start something?”

“Yes,” Ye Yin replied, “I suspect things are about to get interesting. Will this cause trouble for you? Maybe I should face them alone so you all can stay clear.”

“Not at all! I’ve long been annoyed by those guys,” Bao Cai scoffed. “Their minds are even pettier than sesame seeds! Totally pretentious!”

“My master always said, ‘If patience reaches its limit, there’s no need to endure anymore,’” Master Yuan added. “If they dare pull anything, we’ll take them out.”

“Exactly, Yin, you did nothing wrong! We’re all behind you! Those cowards—I could take a hundred of them on my own! In the face of real strength, their schemes are worthless!”

Little Mudfish nodded eagerly.

For the first time, Ye Yin felt her teammates truly endearing, a warm feeling blooming in her chest.

“Still,” Ouyang Xiu asked, “there are a few strong ones on this ship. Should we take care of them first?”

“Not a good idea. I say we go straight for the leader—take down that soft-spined Ruan first!” Bao Cai objected.

“Why not just sink the ship? Feed them all to the fish! Now that would be satisfying!” Master Yuan laughed wickedly.

Why did it feel like they’d long been itching for a fight, only lacking an excuse, and now her actions had given them the perfect pretext…?

“Hold on, don’t go overboard. The Commander won’t be pleased,” Ye Yin cautioned.

“No worries! That’s exactly what the Commander wants!” Ouyang Xiu, always straightforward, let it slip. “She says you’re too soft, too merciful. As long as we’re the ones who get our hands dirty at the crucial moment, it’s fine!”

“Is that so?”

“Don’t take it to heart. The Commander didn’t say anything bad about you,” Ouyang Xiu, seeing the others’ looks, tried to backtrack. “She just said you lack vision, have no grand ambitions—wait, no, that you go with the flow and are content with the status quo… Actually, she mainly meant you’re very kind.”

“…Thank you.” Ye Yin managed a passable smile.

Bao Cai and Master Yuan exchanged glances and turned away, speechless.

“I think Captain is amazing,” Little Mudfish grinned, his buck teeth even more prominent. “Stronger than the Commander—gentle and powerful at once.”

“I’m not nearly as great as you say,” Ye Yin laughed, patting his head.

“Who’d have thought, kid? You hardly say a word, but when it matters, you’re a real flatterer.”

“Yeah, let’s see you say that to the Commander’s face.”

…

Ye Yin glanced at the clock on the wall—six hours until docking. She wondered what Ruan Hao and his group would pull next.

The sky was heavy and oppressive, the air stifling. The ship was surrounded by dark mists, with flashes of lightning tearing through now and then. Soon enough, rain began to pour, fat drops drumming against the windows.

While Ye Yin was inspecting her Divine Retribution Sword, a thunderclap suddenly exploded overhead. On instinct, she looked at Ye Hua, who used to be terrified of thunder, but found her calmly engrossed in her healer’s casebook, seemingly used to it by now.

Had she endured it all alone when Ye Yin wasn’t home?

Ye Yin reached out, about to touch Ye Hua’s hand, when a heavy pounding sounded on their door, as if someone were kicking it rather than knocking.

“Who is it?”

“All hands assemble in five minutes! Don’t drag your asses!” The person didn’t wait for a reply, kicking Master Yuan’s door next. Soon after came a scream—he’d probably been thumped by Master Yuan.

“Let’s go, Hua.”

“Mm!”

When Ye Yin and her team entered the conference hall, all the mercenary squads except for Yaksha were already present. All eyes fell on the last arrivals.

“Yaksha Team, fourteen members: one lightly wounded, thirteen severely injured, twelve still in critical condition,” the curly-haired woman intoned without emotion. “Anli Team Captain Ye Yin committed violence in public, disobeyed the commander’s orders, and openly incited discord between the alliance and the military, violating rules one, five, and seven of the Mercenary Alliance’s Ten Commandments. She is hereby expelled from this mission and will be held under guard by the alliance’s inspection team until the mission ends and we return to Third Base. She is not to act independently before then.”

A deathly silence fell; not even a breath could be heard.

Ye Yin sighed soundlessly, then elegantly found a seat and sat. Her teammates instinctively gathered around her, exuding the aura of a queen and her court.

“This is the first I’ve heard that a commander can punish a squad directly,” Ye Yin smiled. “Planning a mutiny, are you?”

The word “mutiny” startled many—though for different reasons.

Ruan Hao burst out laughing, “Pot calling the kettle black, Minister Ye! I see now—you’ve always considered yourself a soldier, never cared for your mercenary identity or your brothers-in-arms. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have dismissed this ship as a freebie from the military. I’m sorry, but no matter how lowly mercenaries may seem, we still have pride and ironclad rules. You, a mere minister, think you can lord over us? Don’t you underestimate everyone here?”

His words stirred anger and discontent among some squads who had been silent, with one even shouting at Ye Yin, “If you don’t like it, go back where you came from!”

Ouyang Xiu sent a punch wind flying—the irate man was instantly ensnared by a white serpent of force and tossed from the conference room, landing with a splash in the Blue River below. His ensuing screams, ripped apart by the mutated fish attacking the hull, sent a chill through the others, who immediately quieted down.

Ye Yin closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, calm and cold.

Ye Yu’s gaze was venomous—so poisonous she didn’t need force to push Ye Yin to the brink, shaping her into the person she needed to become. Or perhaps Ye Yin was always destined for this; she just needed an excuse. Ye Yu merely played the villain with a smiling face.

Ruan Hao’s expression changed; unease crept in, but the inspection team behind gave him a boost of confidence. He glowered, “So you’d rather drink the forfeit than the toast?”

Before leaving, the alliance leader hinted that the inspection team was made up of experts, some capable of countering the military, precisely to keep disobedient types in check. The leader always favored Ruan Hao—everyone said he was heir apparent. He couldn’t afford to embarrass the alliance now.

“I’ll give you one last chance. Take back those foolish words,” Ye Yin said. “Otherwise, I won’t mind a little extra effort—my team and I will finish the Seventh Base mission alone.”

The implication sent a shockwave through the room. Given the bloody example just set, no one dared disrespect Ye Yin now; everyone exchanged nervous glances, determined not to stick their necks out.

“Fine, fine!” Ruan Hao laughed in his fury. “Inspection team, you’ve seen everything. This isn’t me abusing power—it’s her forcing us to suppress these arrogant troublemakers. No need to go easy on them for the military’s sake. Do it!”

But before he finished, Ye Yin had already moved—swift as a shadow, sword in hand. In an instant, the heads of all five inspectors flew from their shoulders.

Blood spattered everywhere; with eyes splashed red, the world became a sea of crimson. Blood from the neck sprays farther than from anywhere else, and Ruan Hao’s white clothes were instantly drenched. As he slowly turned, the sight that greeted him was five heads dropping in unison, just like the magic shows he’d watched as a child—except now, the horror was real.

The sword was so fast, everything else seemed in slow motion. The inspectors’ faces hadn’t even had time to change, only blood staining them like accidental paint. One head, lips still smiling, bounced twice on the floor, making a chilling sound. The five headless bodies collapsed, gushing blood, splattering Ruan Hao and the curly-haired woman’s shoes. She stumbled back, tripping over a corpse, her cheek pressing against a still-warm head, and promptly vomited her guts out.

“So much for your inspection team—they were wanted criminals,” Ye Yin said, ghostlike back in her seat, calmly wiping her sword with a tablecloth. “Employing notorious rapists and serial killers as enforcers—aren’t you lowering yourselves just a bit?”

“You—you…” Ruan Hao’s knees were knocking; he tried to appear calm but couldn’t even form a complete sentence.

“You’re the one refusing the toast,” Ye Yin said, resting her arms on the table, chin on interlaced fingers. “But I’ll spare your miserable life for now. You’re still useful.”

In the end, Ruan Hao and the curly-haired woman were tied up and locked in the storage room by Bao Cai and Ouyang Xiu, after a thorough beating. Once they’d returned, Ye Yin strode to the podium in the conference hall and addressed the now silent mercenaries:

“I know none of you are fools—always waiting to see which way the wind blows before picking sides. The outcome is clear now: Ruan Hao and his lot couldn’t beat us, and neither can you. So don’t waste your energy. Do as I say, complete the mission, collect your payment, and part ways peacefully. There’s no need to die in vain. Don’t you agree?”

“Captain Ye is right. Mercenaries just want freedom—who cares who leads, as long as there’s meat to eat!”

“Exactly. We come from all over, and parting is fate. With you in charge, we’ll be safer, won’t we?”

“He had no sense, but we do.”

The ones speaking were the lesser-known, shrewd teams—always quick to cozy up to power. The top-ranked squads, proud as they were, kept silent.

“Good. I like people who know their place. When we disembark, you all know what to say, right?”

“Understood—Captain Ye is our commander for this mission! We follow Captain Ye!” The chorus was more or less in sync.

Ye Yin smiled—a smile that sent a chill and a strange daze through the mercenaries.

“They… should be here soon.”

Author’s Note: This year, I’m finally not spending the Qixi Festival alone—because the heat has turned me into a dog… _(:3」∠)_