Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

"..."

Liang Kuan looked down at the sharp sword piercing his chest and the bright red blood flowing from the wound, but his expression remained unchanged, and he did not utter a sound.

Bao Bingqing's cane sword didn't pierce very deeply, and as a transcendent being of the Myriad Manifestations Realm, even if Liang Kuan was a support, and even if his level was suppressed in this place, this minor injury was nothing to him.

"You seem to have forgotten how many of our brothers died at the hands of the dark races."

Bao Bingqing spoke expressionlessly, took a step forward, and thrust his cane sword inward a little further: "How many more brothers' families have fallen into the hands of the dark races, and been tortured to the point of wishing for death?"

"And now, you're going to abandon your last shred of humanity, become a traitor, and personally hand your fellow human beings over to the dark race?"

“Of course I remember, boss,” Liang Kuan said calmly. “But I also remember that the reason we ended up like this, living in this godforsaken place, is because we have no money, no power, mediocre talent, and offended those nobles. They could banish us with a single word.”

"Those guys who once caused us so much pain that we wished we were dead were also human, our blood relatives."

Bao Bingqing: "..."

“Boss, you’ve softened your heart.” Liang Kuan said slowly, “By walking this dark path, we’ve decided that we must be as cold-blooded, greedy, and ruthless as a pack of hyenas, only caring about ourselves. Soft-heartedness is the biggest taboo. Since the human race doesn’t treat us well, why should we care about the lives of those who are irrelevant to us? Since we’ve already walked this dark path, what’s wrong with us cooperating with the dark races?”

"But don't forget," Bao Bingqing narrowed his eyes, "what has enabled us to achieve what we have today, to build such a large force in the wilderness, and to have so many brothers willingly follow us? Do you really think it's just because of the Blood of Darkness?"

“Loyalty, as well as your ability, methods, and mind,” Liang Kuan said. “So you can continue to maintain your image of ‘loyalty.’ In front of the brothers, you are still the good boss. I can handle the things in the shadows.”

"..."

Bao Bingqing stared at his eyes with a gloomy expression.

Liang Kuan met his gaze without the slightest fear.

Blood continued to flow onto the ground, forming a small pool of blood.

"puff"

Bao Bingqing put away his cane and sword and turned around.

"I don't agree with this matter."

Bao Bingqing said expressionlessly, "Madman, Yang Yin, Old Dog, and Fat Dragon, their wives, children, parents, and families all died at the hands of the Dark Race. I promised them I would avenge them. You are not allowed to mention this matter again, nor are you allowed to have any dealings with the Dark Race."

Upon hearing this, Liang Kuan sighed softly.

"All right......"

Liang Kuan then asked, "What should we do with Ye Ge and his group?"

"Just proceed according to the original plan." Bao Bingqing placed his two palms on his cane. "It should be almost done in the next few days. The Night Watch should be arriving soon, right?"

“Hmm,” Liang Kuan said, “The patrolling scavengers have also discovered traces of the Night Watchers outside the Hundred Souls Forest.”

Bao Bingqing nodded: "You may leave."

"Yes." Liang Kuan bowed slightly, then withdrew and left the room.

Ye Ge leaned against the window, lost in thought.

It seems the situation within their faction is quite complex...

......

A brightly lit room.

Long Ying sat alone in the room, cross-legged on the bed, meditating and cultivating.

"call......"

After an unknown amount of time, Long Ying exhaled a deep breath and opened her eyes.

She was preoccupied with many things, which prevented her from calming down and cultivating.

Having spent so many days in this dark city, she had many questions in her mind.

These past few days, Ye Ge has been hanging out with Bao Bingqing and his fellow rebels.

Bao Bingqing and his group seemed to have always treated him like an honored guest.

There must be something wrong with this.

What exactly did they talk about?

Long Ying was somewhat anxious. Apart from Ye Ge, the others had been under constant restriction, essentially under house arrest. Their cybernetic watches and spatial rings had been confiscated, leaving them unable to contact the outside world. And according to Ye Ge, their memories would be erased before they left...

Then they'll forget about what happened here.

"knock knock"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Long Ying hesitated for a moment, then walked over and opened the door.

Standing outside the door was a tall, refined-looking young man, Liang Kuan.

Liang Kuan smiled and said, "Your Highness Long Ying, you're still awake?"

"Are you one of Bao Bingqing's subordinates?" Long Ying glanced at the door, and seeing no one else, asked, "What do you need me for?"

"It's something, and it's very important." Liang Kuan took a step forward and said in a low voice, "Can we go inside and talk?"

Long Ying's eyes flashed with vigilance and suspicion.

“I know Your Highness is wary and doesn’t know why I’m here.” Liang Kuan took out a silver token: “Do you recognize this?”

Long Ying glanced at the token, then at him: "This is Duke Wang En's family token. Just who are you?"

Liang Kuan smiled and said, "Now you can believe me, right?"

Long Ying nodded: "Come in."

Liang Kuan closed the door and went into the room with Long Ying.

"Your Highness, I apologize for my previous disrespect." Liang Kuan knelt down on one knee before Long Ying.

"No need." Long Ying stood with one hand behind her back, looking at him expressionlessly: "Now you can tell me your identity."

Liang Kuan slowly stood up: "I am an undercover agent planted by Duke Wang En here with Bao Bingqing."

Long Ying's eyes flashed with surprise: "Oh? Duke Wang En actually had this trick up his sleeve? He's already planted spies within the rebel forces in the wilderness?"

She paused, then asked, "If that's the case, why hasn't Duke Wang En made any progress in investigating the rebellious forces in the wilderness? Why hasn't he reported it to the court?"

“The Duke naturally wants to catch a bigger fish before reporting to the court for credit.” Liang Kuan smiled. “Otherwise, if we told His Majesty so early that we had infiltrated the rebel forces, His Majesty would definitely be eager for results, given his personality. But you should understand that these things cannot be rushed.”

“…Indeed.”

As a daughter, Long Ying naturally understood her father's personality best; he was just that impatient and too eager for quick success.

"So what brings you here to see me today?"