When Soldiers Come, Send Generals; When Water Comes, Raise Earth

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window lattice and fell across the desk piled high with case files, lending a little warmth to the chilly Quiet Chamber.

Chu Bai sat at the desk with a cup of tea long gone cold in his hands. His gaze, however, rested not on the case file before him but on the old locust tree swaying outside the window.

Three soft knocks at the door broke his train of thought.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Hu Hao poked his head in. Seeing no one else around, he breathed a sigh of relief, shut the door behind him, and hurried over to bow to Chu Bai.

"Lord Chu, you wanted to see me?"

"Sit." Chu Bai gestured to the chair opposite him, his expression gentle. "No need to stand on ceremony when we're alone. I'd rather hear you call me Brother Chu."

Hu Hao gave a guileless smile and sat down, though he dared perch on only half the seat. "Rules are rules. I don't want to give people anything to say about you, my lord."

After a few pleasantries, Chu Bai came to the point.

"You've been with the Third Squad for over three months now. How has it been?"

A complicated look crossed Hu Hao's face, part satisfaction and part resignation.

"Thanks to you, my lord, things have changed completely for me in the Third Squad since the Wang Sanshui case."

Hu Hao gave a wry smile. "Those old hands used to make life difficult for me because I was new and came from a humble family.

"Now they're like mice seeing a cat whenever I show up. They couldn't be more polite. Even when they assign me work, they pick jobs with good rewards and little danger."

"They're afraid," Chu