After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

In the cool prison, Wang Qingyan stood up from the wall as soon as he heard Lu Jian's footsteps approaching.

"I heard you have something important to report?"

"Your Majesty, please dismiss your attendants."

"Really?" Seeing Wang Qingyan's serious expression, Lu Jian waved his hand, signaling the jailers and accompanying investigators to retreat outside the prison.

"Say it"

"You shouldn't have let her go and kill someone."

Lu Jian looked puzzled: ? ?

Unfortunately, Wang Qingyan couldn't see it.

Lu Jian had no choice but to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Do you know why we still find and kill man-eating beasts even if they escape?"

"Because once a wild animal has eaten a human, it will never forget that delicious taste. It will become fearless and reckless, and it will become increasingly intelligent."

"..." Lu Jian frowned, immediately realizing what Wang Qingyan really wanted to say.

He then realized that this guy might be bluffing him.

Unexpectedly, Wang Qingyan really didn't hide anything this time. "She and I are like mother and child Gu. The child Gu is violent and restless, and I can naturally feel it."

“In recent days, especially just now, her bloodlust has been increasing. So, just how many people have you made her kill?”

Lu Jian, who was still guessing Wang Qingyan's intentions, suddenly laughed.

“Patriarch Wang, although I do bear some responsibility for this, I must remind you that Baili Ce’s success today is entirely due to you.”

If Baili Ce hadn't been forced to this point, none of them would have had to go to such extremes.

"Instead of reflecting on your own actions, you're adept at blaming others, and you even pretend to care about her. It's truly shameful and ingenious."

"You're just as good."

"I am indeed not a good person, but as an ally, I have always respected Baili Ce's choices."

"What's the difference? You both drove her to the brink of despair. What's so noble about that?"

"Of course they are different. Besides, how do you know that Baili Ce can't carve out a way out for himself?"

"And if I'm not mistaken, the farther away Baili Ce is from you, the less influence you should have on her."

"..." Wang Qingyan's fists clenched slightly.

A moment later, he feigned composure and relaxation, saying, "The connection between the mother and child Gu never changes because of distance."

“Like His Majesty’s beloved, she must be in more pain than Baili Ce right now.”

Lu Jian's eyes sharpened. "What do you mean by that?"

"He Yao must have killed quite a few people for His Majesty, right?"

“…” Lu Jian’s heart sank suddenly.

Suddenly, I remembered that seven years ago, after the He family was destroyed, He Yao hid in Chen Yue Pavilion for more than half a month and did not see anyone.

"The reason why those afflicted by Gu are exceptionally fierce is because Chao Sheng invades every bloodline of the host, mobilizing the full potential of their body."

"But because the morning glory is an external thing to the host, this process takes time."

"I am very clear about this process." Not only am I clear about it, but I also vividly remember every day and night spent developing the antidote.

"Does Your Majesty know that killing will stimulate Chao Sheng and increase the host's bloodlust?"

Lu Jian's expression changed drastically, "What?!"

"Now that things have come to this, I might as well be more explicit. The Gu in He Yao's body should be the most primitive Chao Sheng. Although she survived like me, she did not rely on Chao Sheng to develop the ability to control other Gu sufferers."

Perhaps He Yao lacked willpower, or perhaps she was too resistant to Chao Sheng... In any case, He Yao could not become Chao Sheng's master and could only be controlled by him.

And thus, they were controlled by him.

Even though he no longer has the strength to live.

"Although I don't know what methods He Yao used to hold on until she completely lost control, but she..."

"Enough!" Lu Jian was greatly alarmed and vehemently denied it, "Stop spouting nonsense!"

"If Ayao is truly controlled by Chaosheng, how could I, her husband of many years, have been completely unaware of it!"

"Whether it is because you did not notice, or because you did not want to notice, or because you were blinded by favoritism, Your Majesty knows the truth."

Bullshit! Bullshit! It's all bullshit!

He doesn't believe a single word that scoundrel says!

Lu Jian waved his sleeve and turned to leave, saying, "Nonsense! Completely incomprehensible!"

But Wang Qingyan's "reminder" still came from behind—

"If Your Majesty is still unsure, you might consider He Yao's mental state after she used force in the past."

......

After the prison fell silent again, Wang Qingyan returned to his spot by the window.

In his cell, this was the only spot that received a little sunlight at midday.

Just like Baili Ce injured his eyes because he insisted on dissolving the power of the rising sun, as the warmth gradually rose and flowed to his limbs and bones, Wang Qingyan felt much more comfortable.

Even...

Touching his eye sockets, which were covered with thick scabs, Wang Qingyan suddenly had the same feeling he had when he was at the Star Gazing Temple.

Those seemingly peaceful twenty years and the rare leisurely days we enjoy now are remarkably similar.

Unfortunately, imprisonment is imprisonment, and humiliation is humiliation.

No one can take advantage of him or attempt to manipulate him.

Therefore, regardless of whether Lu Jian believed him or was intentionally putting on an act, no matter how much ambition and scheming Baili Jiangluo had, everyone's fate was the same.

Both are dead ends.

......

On the fifth day after arriving in Jiangzhou, the wealthy and powerful families in the ten prefectures had gone from being arrogant to feeling insecure.

Even Sun Niangzi and Yu Cheng were linked by all sorts of completely unrelated connections.

But none of this has anything to do with Baili Ce.

Anyway, after all the exorbitant taxes and levies disappeared along with a large number of dead contracts, the poor people were very happy.

Especially after hearing that after this "punishing evil and eliminating wickedness" storm, they were able to be allocated land or rent good rice fields at normal rent.

Did no one resist? Of course, they did.

On the night the Shi family was attacked, the Cheng and Zheng families mobilized a large number of people to fight Baili Ce and his men to the death.

They were shouting for an explanation and yelling things like "Is there no law?"

Now you understand the law?

Unfortunately, Baili Ce only held the butcher's knife, constantly reminiscing about the days she spent on the grasslands.

Back then, she was skilled in everything from fighting and brawling to horse taming and wolf hunting.

So, by the sixth day of the killing, the high-ranking officials who had scoffed at and ignored the imperial decrees just half a month ago were now longing for the upright and incorruptible Imperial Censor Xue.

They began a frantic search for him, reprimanding each of their henchmen and accomplices, urging them to quickly bring out Xue Zuzong.

At the same time, they kept sending messages to her and the capital through various channels, hoping that important figures in the capital would help them.

On the one hand, they begged her for a few more days, saying they were willing to plead guilty and accept punishment, but needed time to make arrangements for their innocent family members.

Isn’t that perfect?

They've all confessed and accepted their punishment, so why can't they be killed?

Innocent family members? Whether they are innocent or not, intelligence will tell.

So Baili Ce led eight hundred light cavalry and fought even more fiercely.

On the eighth day, during the siege of Dujiazhuang, which refused to surrender, someone discovered more than half of the children.

He crawled out through a dog hole in the outer wall of the village, and as soon as he came out, he slipped into the farmland when they weren't looking.

At that time, the crops were growing well, and this boy, whom we'll call Twenty, was not tall, so he "naturally" became a fish that slipped through the net and escaped Ruanjiang City with great difficulty.

Yes, after cutting down so many heads in one fell swoop, they only managed to reach the three central counties.

This was all thanks to intelligence provided by Baili's spies, Lin Yuchuan's arrival with the Investigation Division to cover their retreat, and the help of the Ancestral Gu.

It is evident that the ten prefectures of Jiangzhou were rotten to the core, from top to bottom.

But things are different now.

When Baili Ce personally followed the child and found the liaison between the Jiangzhou officials and the capital, he smiled to himself, extremely happy.

"Young lady, can we stop now?"

He turned his head and stared lifelessly at Xue Fengshi...

In fact, she had already found Xue Fengshi the night she went to the Shi family to offer them warmth.

Shi Shiyuan was clever and wanted to leave himself a way out, so he did not heed the advice of the Cheng and Zheng families to kill Xue Fengshi.

But she didn't want to leave these people a way out.

Xue Fengshi, of course, firmly opposed this kind of massacre that disregarded the law.

But now, Baili Ce doesn't listen to so many grand principles.

They directly took control of Xue Fengshi and carried out a targeted purge that lasted for several days and nights.

Seeing the truly terrifying atmosphere, Madam Sun quickly stepped to the middle, saying, "No, no, no, let's talk this out properly, let's talk this out properly."

Pushing Sun Niangzi aside, Xue Fengshi met Baili Ce's dark eyes, unafraid of death, and declared, "If this continues, the people of Jiangzhou will surely fall into chaos!"

"Please keep your promise, young lady! Order a halt to the massacre!"

Raising his blood-soaked right hand and looking at it, Baili Ce was increasingly pleased with his appearance. "...A promise?"

Did she make any promises?

It seems not.

No, there are some.

"Then please... Lord Xue, wait aside while I... complete the final step... for my promise to take effect."

"..." Xue Fengshi's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap several flies.

After their attempts to stop him failed and they were even restricted in their personal freedom, he and Baili Ce did indeed compromise and came up with a middle ground.

But at this moment, Xue Fengshi was really worried that Baili Ce was in a state that would be difficult for him to control.

"..." Bai Li Ce was unaware of Xue Feng Shi's thoughts, and only looked at the liaison who was tied up on the ground.

His eyes held fear, resentment, and expectation... but he refused to acknowledge that he was wrong.

But when he saw Xue Fengshi turn and walk away, he panicked, "No...no! Xue Fengshi, you can't leave! You...you come back!"

"Lord Xue?! Xue Fengshi, you are an official appointed by the imperial court! How can you allow this woman to disregard human life so easily...?"

"Shh~" Bai Li Ce stepped on him and made a shushing gesture.

Her promise to Xue Fengshi was that once they captured the liaison between Jiangzhou and the capital, interrogated him about who in the capital was covering for these people in Jiangzhou, and obtained evidence, they would stop this precise but extreme massacre.

Lu Minhang, hurt by being stepped on, lost his temper and yelled, "Pah! You... Ah!"

Before he could finish cursing, Baili Ce chopped off one of his fingers. Next to him was his son, who had just died.

Then came the bone-chilling screams...

When Baili Ce came out with her testimony, the people outside were all pale-faced and looked at her with trepidation.

"Lord Xue, the rest is up to you."

......