Xu Bao'er truly loved fragrant, soft beauties. The world could not exist without adorable girls.
“Here, take it all.”
Xu Bao'er was somewhat drunk, a rosy flush spreading across her white-jade cheeks. She kept pulling silver notes and silver ingots from her bosom, tossing them all onto the table.
“For the beauties, not the stinky men.”
“Take whatever you want. They’re all yours.”
“Yours.”
The beauties were overjoyed upon hearing this. Overcome with excitement, they even took the initiative to kiss Xu Bao'er one after another.
Xu Bao'er grinned, contentedly bringing her little face closer, ready to accept the beauties’ sweet kisses.
Suddenly, Xu Bao'er felt someone lift her by the waist. Her head was rather dizzy at that moment.
“Everyone, get out.”
The beauties were somewhat frightened when they saw Zhou Jin. His bearing was intimidating, and he clearly appeared to be a powerful and wealthy nobleman, but no one moved.
“What do you want to do to the young master?”
“If you don’t leave now, we’ll call for help.”
The beauties were loyal friends as well. Although they feared Zhou Jin, they did not abandon Xu Bao'er.
“What does this prince want to do?”
Zhou Jin gave a soft laugh. Turning the little black tortoise in his hand over, he held Xu Bao'er’s chin and kissed her fiercely.
“Mmph.”
Xu Bao’er’s hands weakly pushed against him. She felt that a monster was bullying her, but unfortunately, she could not push it away. Her fingers lightly tightened around the dark robe.
She was terrified of falling.
The beauties blushed with embarrassment and fled in a rush.
The last beauty accidentally lost one of her shoes. She hurriedly stooped to retrieve it, and before leaving, she did not forget to close the door.
No one knew how much time had passed. Xu Bao'er was almost unable to catch her breath, and the hand gripping the dark robe tightened further and further.
“I will not allow anyone to touch you. Women are no exception.”
Darkness churned in Zhou Jin’s eyes. He directly shoved aside the small red sandalwood table, sending the fruit scattered across the floor.
Zhou Jin placed Xu Bao'er on a white silk cushion and gently removed the jade hairpin from her hair. In an instant, her black hair, like an ink-dark sea, spread across the purest white.
“If you make a mistake, you must be punished.”
Luo Qiang had escaped. The moment he left, he stripped off that damn shirt of his and threw it forcefully into the air. He casually seized a passerby’s horse and galloped toward the checkpoint.
He had to leave the checkpoint and find the stronghold chief before the sissy discovered that he had escaped.
Traveling day and night, Luo Qiang felt no fatigue. He was terrified that the stronghold chief would not be at the secret base; if so, he truly would not know where to find him.
At the secluded mountain cave, Luo Qiang gently struck the entrance three times with a wooden stick. Soon, two knocks came from within.
The signal matched. Luo Qiang happily walked into the cave.
Before he had gone far, a sword thrust out from within and slashed viciously toward Luo Qiang.
“Stronghold chief, it’s me! I’m Luo Qiang.”
“I did not betray you. I escaped from their hands.”
Luo Qiang dodged in a panic, but the sword continued to pursue him relentlessly. He had not expected the stronghold chief to attack him and had not even brought a weapon.
“You should never have returned alive.”
“Do you know why I’m still here? It’s because the people I sent failed to kill you.”
Xu Shaofei finally revealed his true form. His swordsmanship was fierce, every strike aimed to kill.
“Stronghold chief, I truly did not betray you.”
Luo Qiang hurriedly explained. He could not believe the stronghold chief would treat him this way.
Why had the stronghold chief entrusted the most important information-delivery work to him despite his low rank? It was because the stronghold chief trusted him.
For the sake of this trust, he would brave fire and water without hesitation.
Back then, to cover the stronghold chief’s escape, his entire family had died beneath the blades of the government soldiers. His loyalty to the stronghold chief was beyond doubt.
“Only the dead cannot betray you.”
Xu Shaofei could not be bothered to discuss feelings with Luo Qiang. He was simply too foolish. What feelings could there be among mountain bandits? There was only profit.
He had given Luo Qiang the work of conveying information and intelligence not because he was loyal, but because he was stupid enough.
Fools were always more trustworthy than clever people.
The blade cut across Luo Qiang’s chest. Only then did he understand that the stronghold chief truly wanted to kill him.
Ha, how laughable.
His parents, wife, and son had all died protecting the stronghold chief. Yet now the stronghold chief had turned his blade toward him. In that instant, Luo Qiang felt his faith completely collapse.
“I hate you, you coward. For the sake of outsiders, you actually abandoned even your own son.”
“Now that my parents are dead, I have no reason to live either.”
Luo Qiang remembered his wife’s furious cries before her death. She had repeatedly told him that the stronghold chief could not be trusted, but what had he said then?
“Brothers are like hands and feet; women are like clothes.”
“What does a woman know about loyalty?”
In the end, his wife and child had died horribly before his eyes. Luo Qiang had tried again and again to close his wife’s eyes, but he could never do it. She had died with her eyes open.
In a daze, Xu Shaofei’s sword pierced straight through Luo Qiang’s shoulder.
“Don’t be impatient. I’ll send you all to reunite as a family.”
“I have to say, playing with your sister-in-law was something else—quite thrilling. I didn’t even know whether that child was yours or mine.”
Xu Shaofei laughed smugly and looked at Luo Qiang with contempt.
Luo Qiang’s expression changed from astonishment to fury. That beast had actually insulted his wife.
No wonder his wife had always said he understood nothing. The stronghold chief was a beast at heart.
“Hahahaha.” Luo Qiang threw his head back and howled, tears spilling from his eyes. He had wronged his wife.
Just as Xu Shaofei was about to reunite Luo Qiang with his family with one final slash, a sharp sword arrowed through the air and pierced his throat.
Xu Shaofei’s eyes widened, and he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
Luo Qiang shakily looked behind him. The one who had fired the arrow was none other than Song Xingzhi, General Song.
So it had all been a trap.
Song Xingzhi carried a bow and arrows and nimbly jumped down from the treetop, walking toward Luo Qiang step by step.
Luo Qiang did not flee. Where could he escape to? He no longer had a home.
“Da Qiang, come back soon. The children and I are waiting for you.”
“Da Qiang, let’s live an honest life properly. Those who commit many evils will suffer retribution.”
……
“Da Qiang, I hate you.”
Luo Qiang collapsed to his knees and covered his face as he sobbed bitterly. He was truly a bastard.
He deserved to die.
Song Xingzhi did not know how to comfort Luo Qiang either. He could only stand there and wait for Luo Qiang to finish crying.
“General Song, I’ll give you everything you want.”
“But sometimes, knowing too much is not a good thing.”
Luo Qiang rose like a walking corpse and told Song Xingzhi everything he knew.
When he heard the name of the mastermind, Song Xingzhi widened his eyes in disbelief. How could it be him?
“This is evidence of guilt that can bring him down. I’ll leave it all to you.”
“Little person has one more request. Please help me, General Song.”
Song Xingzhi accepted the evidence of guilt and looked up at Luo Qiang.
“Go ahead.”
“Please have me and my wife buried together. I miss her. I want to atone to her.”
“All right.” The imperial concubine agreed readily.
Luo Qiang had no attachment to this world. He immediately picked up the sword from the ground and ended his own life with one stroke.
A smile still hung at the corners of his lips. This slash was, at last, a release.