I'm letting you win over the female lead, not conquering cities and territories!

The next morning, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Qin Hao took off his iconic Crimson Flame Army heavy armor and put on a set of gray, coarse cloth shorts. He then selected seven or eight of the most agile and quick-witted scouts and had them all dressed up as servants and bodyguards.

The group, surrounding Lin Wan'er who had returned to her noblewoman attire, followed the hidden mountain path and headed deeper into Black Wind Mountain.

Upon arriving at the agreed meeting point, after waiting for about half an hour, a series of extremely rhythmic footsteps came from the dense forest ahead.

"Who goes there?"

With a low, cold shout, dozens of "mountain bandits" dressed in animal skins and with black turbans on their heads emerged from the treetops and bushes, their gleaming blades pointed directly at Lin Wan'er and her group.

Lin Wan'er stepped forward and, following the pre-arranged code, respectfully and confidently handed over a slightly worn jade pendant.

The bandit leader took the jade token and examined it carefully. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He then put away his weapon. Although his attitude was cold and hard, there was nothing wrong with it.

"So you're Miss Lin from the capital. Since you have a token, please come with us up the mountain. But the rules must be followed; everyone's weapons must be handed over."

Lin Wan'er nodded, and Qin Hao and the others cooperated by unfastening the swords from their waists.

On the way into the mountains with this group of "bandits," Qin Hao, who kept his head down and pretended to be an ordinary guard, secretly and discreetly sized up the group.

"interesting……"

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Qin Hao's lips.

The moment Qin Hao saw this group of people, his radar, that of a top-tier commander, went off like crazy.

Although this group of people were dressed in tattered animal skins and tried their best to look like outlaws, the smell on them could not fool Qin Hao, who had actually rolled in piles of dead bodies!

Their marching steps were extremely synchronized, and they landed without making a sound.

The hand gesture for holding the knife was not the chaotic, unruly slashing of a bandit, but rather the standard military posture for holding a gun and drawing a knife.

The location of their tiger's mouth and calluses clearly indicates that they have undergone long-term and rigorous standard weapons training.

More importantly, it's their eyes.

That is the coldness and solemnity that only soldiers who have experienced strict military discipline and have truly seen blood can possess.

To some extent, the discipline and quality of this "bandit army" are even much better than those of a regular city defense army!

"This is definitely not some bandit."

Qin Hao sneered inwardly:

"They disguised themselves as bandits, secretly trained their troops in the deep mountains of the border region, and even dared to trade strategic materials such as ironware with the enemy state of Great Yan..."

If there's nothing fishy going on here, I'll twist my head off and kick it around like a ball! The mastermind behind these people has some serious schemes up his sleeve!

Qin Hao's eyes flickered slightly, concealing the sharpness in them, and he followed closely behind Lin Wan'er like a dutiful and taciturn servant.

The deeper you go into the mountains, the more heavily guarded the defenses become.

A network of sentries, both visible and concealed, was in place. At several strategic passes, Qin Hao even detected the scents of kerosene and heavy ballistae.

Finally, after many twists and turns, Lin Wan'er and her group were led into a huge mountain stronghold built halfway up the mountain and hidden behind a waterfall.

To Qin Hao's surprise, the inside of this bandit's den was not only free of the dirty and chaotic atmosphere typical of bandits, but was also decorated in an extremely elegant manner.

They were led into a spacious council chamber, where even expensive calming incense was burning.

In the very center of the council chamber stood a huge, semi-transparent Suzhou embroidery screen.

Behind the screen, a tall, slender figure sat indistinctly, seemingly a young man.

"Ms. Lin, you must be tired from your long journey."

From behind the screen came a clear and melodious male voice, yet it carried a hint of authority.

"You're too kind. Since you've come to seek refuge, you're naturally prepared to endure hardship."

Lin Wan'er answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Miss Lin is the daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an in the capital. Why would she give up being a proper noblewoman and run away from her marriage to become an outlaw in our remote and impoverished Black Wind Mountain?"

Please tell us the truth about this, Miss Lin, so as to avoid any future misunderstandings.

The young man behind the screen did not lower his guard just because Lin Wan'er was introduced by an old friend. Instead, he began to question her about her background, details of her identity, and the real purpose of her escape.

The angle of the question is extremely sharp and incisive.

However, Lin Wan'er was certainly not some brainless pretty face.

Faced with such a suffocating interrogation, she calmly explained her dissatisfaction with her family's arranged marriage, her desire for freedom, and why she chose this place. Her logic was rigorous and her explanations were watertight.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if they were rapidly verifying the authenticity of Lin Wan'er's identity information in their minds.

"Okay, I appreciate Miss Lin's sincerity."

The young man behind the screen softened his tone slightly, but then immediately posed a second question with a touch of businesslike coldness:

"However, Black Wind Mountain does not support idlers."

Although Miss Lin is of noble birth, in these remote mountains and forests, the title of daughter of a marquis is not enough to sustain one. May I ask, Miss Lin, what skills do you possess?

Logically speaking, daughters of noble families usually only know how to play musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework, and are indeed of no use in this bandit's den.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Wan'er smiled proudly and uttered two words with resounding force:

"Doing business! Settling accounts!"

Upon hearing this, the young man behind the screen visibly paused, and a hint of surprise finally crept into his voice:

"Oh? A lady from a respectable family, yet she's acquainted with merchants?"

"I have been extremely sensitive to numbers since I was a child. When I was twelve, I secretly managed the dowry shop left by my mother. Within three years, I turned a loss into a profit and increased the profit fivefold," Lin Wan'er said confidently.

"Words are no proof."

The young man clapped his hands.

Immediately, a servant came forward carrying three thick stacks of account books and placed them on the desk in front of Lin Wan'er with a "bang".

"These are the accounts of several hidden income items and personnel expenses of the mountain stronghold over the past three months."

"These accounts are a complete mess, and there are several inconsistencies. I'll give you half an hour. If you make a mistake on even one account, you're out of here."

"It won't take even half an hour."

Lin Wan'er didn't even ask for the abacus; she picked up the brush and opened the account book.

Her gaze was like that of a sophisticated humanoid computer, scanning the densely packed numbers at a glance.

The only sounds in the hall were the rustling of papers and the scratching of pens on paper.

Standing behind him, Qin Hao watched this scene and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Good heavens, no wonder he's an SSR-level general in internal affairs! His mental arithmetic ability is practically a walking cheat code!"

Only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.

Lin Wan'er snapped the account book shut, put down her pen, and said calmly:

"It's all calculated."

She not only gave a total amount accurate to the copper coin, but also casually pointed out several extremely hidden accounting loopholes and traces of embezzlement in the ledger, without missing a single detail!

The hall was deathly silent.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

After a brief silence, three crisp, applauding claps came from behind the screen.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Miss Lin's talent is wasted if she were confined to her room."

With this undisguised praise, the figure behind the screen slowly stood up and stepped out.

Qin Hao, who had been looking down, slightly raised his eyelids and looked at the person behind the screen who had stepped out.

Upon seeing this, even Qin Hao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow inwardly.

"What a handsome young man!"

The newcomer appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a well-tailored moon-white brocade robe.

He had a handsome face, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a smile that seemed gentle but was actually unfathomable.

The moment he stood there, he exuded not a trace of the crudeness of a bandit, but rather a refined elegance that came from within!

That look, that aura.

Qin Hao felt alarm bells ringing in his mind, while at the same time he felt it was incredibly absurd and wanted to laugh.

"This is amazing! It's like the 'male supporting character in a female-oriented novel' trope is practically etched onto his forehead!"

Qin Hao lowered his eyes with interest, secretly calculating in his mind:

"Interesting. Is this person the mastermind behind this army of ten thousand men?"

Or is this just a puppet pushed to the forefront?

A hint of excitement flickered across Qin Hao's lips, a hunter's gaze flashing briefly as he looked at his prey.

This trip to Black Wind Mountain was definitely the right decision!