This villain has become a ghost

If you say kill, kill.

Xia Ruozhi raised his knife and swung it down, and a strong smell of blood filled the dark alley.

...Instead of asking him for answers whose truth or falsity you don't know, it would be better to eliminate this hidden danger directly.

After the killing, Xia Ruozhi roughly dealt with the body, then took Qiu Shuangwan away from here and came to the bustling street.

Dongdu is a city that never sleeps, and the night may be even more lively and prosperous than the day.

Xia Ruozhi stared at Qiu Shuangwan and asked softly, "Shuang'er...do we need to kill the next one?"

"No need," Qiu Shuangwan shook her head and said, "His Majesty said that we only need to take care of the affairs of the Military Equipment Bureau."

Other things will be handled by others.

Then, Qiu Shuangwan said, "Um... I'll go back to the palace first."

Xia Ruzhi is indeed a gentleman, but Qiu Shuangwan still feels a little uncomfortable with him and can't help but want to escape.

Xia Ruozhi quickly grabbed Qiu Shuangwan's sleeve and said, "Wait a minute, the East has been in chaos these past few days. His Majesty asked me to protect your safety. I... will take you back."

"it is good."

Qiu Shuangwan nodded decisively.

Compared to your life, being uncomfortable is nothing.

The streets are brightly lit, just like daytime, bustling with people, and the cries of various vendors can be heard one after another.

"Shuang'er..."

Xia Ruozhi was about to speak when Qiu Shuangwan interrupted him. He smiled awkwardly and said, "General, could you please stop calling me 'Shuang'er'?"

After all, he is a man, and every time he hears the affectionate name "Shuang'er", his scalp tingles.

Xia Ruozhi was silent for a long while before she gave a wry smile and said, "My Lady..."

"No, no, no--" Qiu Shuangwan hurriedly stopped him.

Two grown men, can you please be a little more normal, like ordinary friends or good buddies?

Qiu Shuangwan suddenly had an idea and said, "Just call me Lao Qiu, or Lao Tie. I won't call you idiot anymore, and will call you Xiao Xia. How about that?"

Xia Ruozhi: “…”

What the hell is "Lao Tie"?

Xia Ruozhi: "...Okay."

Although he felt that Qiu Shuangwan's train of thought was a bit strange, he still agreed to his request with a helpless smile.

Hearing this, Qiu Shuangwan felt less awkward. She chatted with him like an ordinary friend, talking about everything under the sun.

Suddenly, a familiar figure flashed by in the dim light.

The man was wearing a mask that covered the upper half of his face. He passed by an empty jewelry stall like a ghost and stayed beside the stall.

If you look closely, you can see some bloodstains on her plain dress.

Qiu Shuangwan's breath was choked.

Depend on.

Isn’t that Nangong Wanqing?

In the eyes of others, she is now in prison.

Although she was wearing a mask, what if Xia Ruzhi was sharp-eyed and recognized her?

Seeing that Xia Ruzhi was about to glance over here, Qiu Shuangwan quickly grabbed him and dragged him to the stall selling river lanterns on the bridge next to him.

Qiu Shuangwan coughed lightly and said with a smile, "Xiao Xia, look at these river lanterns, aren't they beautiful?"

Xia Ruozhi smiled and said gently, "Shuang... uh, cough, my friend, you still remember."

Qiu Shuangwan's mouth twitched at the sight of this serious "old friend" and she wanted to laugh.

But then I heard him say "I remember". I was confused and couldn't help but stand there in a daze, laughing awkwardly: "Ahaha, of course I remember..."

...what is this.

Xia Ruozhi picked up a river lantern, as if lost in long memories, and said:

"Back then, we were still young, and the Qiu and Xia families were close friends. You loved to drag me out secretly, and you also loved to release river lanterns with me..."

"But now..."

Now...times have passed and things and people are no longer the same.

The Qiu family was confiscated and exterminated by the previous emperor. Some died, some were exiled.

The Xia family is no longer as prosperous as it used to be. He is the only general who is struggling to maintain the status of the Xia family and prevent it from being eliminated by the court.

Qiu Shuangwan... has also become the emperor's concubine.

Without the emperor's false favor, she would be lonely, cold and miserable in the deep palace.

If you are favored by the emperor, you will become the target of criticism from all the concubines in the harem and be plotted against by them. Every step you take will be like walking on swords.

The carefree days of the past, the innocence and joy of youth, have long since disappeared.

Qiu Shuangwan didn't know what to say.

Xia Ruozhi gave a bitter smile.

Qiu Shuangwan hesitated for a while before finally sighing, taking out some money from her purse, handing it to the stall owner, and saying:

"Boss, two river lanterns for sale."

"okay."

Qiu Shuangwan patted Xia Ruzhi's shoulder generously, handed him the river lantern, and said:

"Let's go. Today... my friend invites you to release river lanterns."

Xia Ruozhi stared at him blankly for a long while, her eyes filled with endless tenderness, and she said softly, "...Okay."

-

Nangong Wanqing stood in the distance with great interest, guarding the jewelry stall and looking at the two figures releasing river lanterns.

An ancient stone bridge spanned the shimmering river, and moonlight shone like water on the bridge.

The two carefully placed the river lantern on the water, then gently pushed it, allowing it to slowly drift away with the current.

Nangong Wanqing raised her eyebrows and chuckled.

Tsk.

What are you doing, Brother Liu?

Are you two a little ambiguous?

Her stall is well hidden in the bustling city and almost no one pays attention to it.

Not long after, the burly man suddenly appeared and whispered a few words to her with a serious expression.

"Sir, the spy we sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion was murdered on the way back..."

Nangong Wanqing frowned and asked, "Do you know who did it?"

The sturdy man's eyes were red, as if he had just cried, and he sighed, "It has not been found out yet."

……That's good.

Of course she did it.

Nangong Wanqing glanced at the burly man and asked, "Are you sad?"

A big and strong man actually loves to cry so much.

The strong man smiled bitterly and said, "Sir, you are in a high position, so you naturally don't know the pain of us little people."

After he finished speaking, he seemed to realize what he had said and hurriedly said, "Please forgive me, sir. I was confused for a moment and spoke without thinking."

"It's okay, keep talking." Nangong Wanqing said nonchalantly.

The burly man hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Although... we've given up everything since the day we became spies, I always feel sad when I see my brothers sacrificed."

"Their deaths constantly remind us that we are getting closer and closer to death."

Nangong Wanqing was silent for a while, then asked, "If you weren't a spy, what would you do?"

The strong man scratched his head and said, "We are all orphans without parents. We have been trained as spies since we were young so that the tribe can give us food."

"If we weren't spies, we would have... starved to death long ago."

Nangong Wanqing asked, "It's just to make a living... Have you ever thought about betraying the organization?"

"I don't like to hear lies. If you tell the truth, I will spare your life."

After all, being a spy...will lead to death sooner or later.

The strong man was frightened by these words and his face turned pale. He knelt down and expressed his loyalty, saying, "Sir, we have never thought of betraying the tribe!"

"We were born and raised in the Red Plover. Even though we started out just to make a living and have something to eat, in the end, what sustained us was... our belief in serving the tribe."

Their love for that land surpasses everything else.

Just as people in every country are unconditionally loyal to their motherland, they also love their tribe.

Being born as a human being is not easy.

Just the stance is different.

So I'm sorry.

When necessary...

She would still kill them without hesitation.