I Only Know How to Build Roads

As soon as Lan Hanqing transmigrated, he stumbled into a bandit stronghold. The bandits refused to admit they were bandits, insisting they were fallen nobles from the previous dynasty. They proclaimed that they would restore the realm, reclaim lost territory, become overlords in this chaotic age, and give the people of the world a safe home. Then they demanded he declare where he stood: The nobles don't keep idle mouths. Every newcomer has to contribute. You can go up the mountain to gather firewood and steal birds' eggs, go down to the river to catch fish and pick snails, or cook meals and fight people until blood flows. Which will it be? Lan Hanqing looked toward the "overlord" surrounded by the crowd. The overlord was strikingly handsome, enough to make a heart tremble, with muscles and testosterone to spare. His arms were thicker than Lan Hanqing's legs. The day he fished Lan Hanqing out of a mountain stream, he nearly snapped his waist in half. The overlord thought he was too skinny and bony to hold, so he hunted a deer and roasted the whole thing for him. He thought Lan Hanqing was too weak and slow, so he carried him all the way back to the stronghold. He thought Lan Hanqing's throat was too delicate for coarse grains, so every day he either hunted tender game or went out to fight for food... The world was one giant makeshift operation. "I only know how to build roads... Would that work?" After those words, the fate of the Dragon and Tiger Stronghold changed completely. Where there were mountains, they built roads; where there were rivers, they built bridges; where there were cities, they built roads. From then on, natural barriers became easy routes, ragged men became armored troops, conquered lands became a paradise, their battles went more and more smoothly, and more and more people came to join them... What kind of treasure had their lord found? They had to guard their treasure at all costs! They could never let the enemy steal it! Whenever the men of the Dragon and Tiger Stronghold heard the bugle, the first thing they did was send their treasure to the lord's room, to his horse, and into his arms... They could lose their heads and spill their blood, but they could not lose their treasure! "Damn it, that old bastard in the west actually wants to use a beauty trap on our treasure! What a dirty mind! I'll steal the beauty. Lord, go use your good looks to keep our treasure here!" "Damn, that brat in the east wants to shower our treasure with antiques, fine carvings, and all sorts of fancy new things! What a show-off! I'll sell the stuff. Lord, find a way to keep our treasure here. Use your charm or take that brat's city and give it as a present, whatever works!" "Damn it, on a stormy night like this, someone actually managed to sneak into the back courtyard and steal our treasure, even on a road where a mouse would get lost! Someone, come quick! Catch that man with the jade-like face, slim waist, jade pendants and purple sash, his clothes all improper and his collar open down to his abs, prowling around at night like a cat in heat... Huh? Lord! What are you doing here?" The lord looked at the door just inches away, locked tight. The hem of his light robe fluttered in the enchanting night breeze. "Didn't you tell me to kiss our treasure?" A construction-focused story about a civil engineer and his scheming, thick-skinned, ridiculously powerful lord. Theme: There is always a torch in the darkness