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

Upon receiving another letter from Baili Ce, Wang Qingyan deeply felt the despair of "even the landlord's family has no surplus grain."

So, while I was worrying about you day and night, you were thriving in the bandit's den?

Really...

I'm furious, but I don't want to do anything to her.

"Master, everything is ready, but... Yang Jinbao has already been taken away by the Criminal Investigation Department."

"That's it..."

After listening to Mingchuan's report, Wang Qingyan casually grabbed a handful of dried fruit, crushed it, and removed the shells. "Then let's wait a little longer."

“...Yes,” Mingchuan replied after a moment’s hesitation.

Although he was half a head taller than Wang Qingyan, the worry in his expression was still clearly seen by the latter in the instant he lowered his head.

This is troublesome for people who haven't been fed "morning" (or "early birth").

However, Wang Qingyan was happy to explain, "You can rest assured, she's fine, so your sister will naturally be fine too."

Hearing him say that, Mingchuan understood everything.

But it really put my mind at ease. "Yes, I will go and keep an eye on the movements in Thorn City."

Wang Qingyan paused in picking out the nuts, glancing sharply at Mingchuan.

Mingchuan lowered his head in astonishment, "Your subordinate misspoke!"

Damn!

How could he forget that besides the He family's spies, the Baili family also had spies in Jicheng?

"What do you mean?"

Wang Qingyan crushed another handful of dried fruit. "Just keep an eye on Shucheng and don't let any irrelevant people in."

Pick out the kernels one by one, sort them, wrap them up, and pack them into boxes.

He wanted to see how Anluoshi would manage to get outside help.

"Yes," Mingchuan replied, not daring to ask another question.

Fortunately, Wang Qingyan was in a good mood today and didn't hold it against him. "Send this up the mountain first and then go."

Mingchuan quickly moved his sword to his lower back, took the box with both hands, and carefully left the room, as if he were handling a newborn baby with a hundred times more care.

......

"Wow~" The bandits were blinded by the silver.

"Wow!" Bai Li Ce was dazzled by the exquisite food box.

this......

Even if Wang Qingyan's real identity isn't her sister, she'll still cry, okay?

Having just come out of the latrine without washing his hands, the second-in-command scoffed, "Tch, that's all you've got."

After saying that, he shoved Baili Ce aside from the several large boxes of silver, saying, "Go away, go eat over there."

Bai Li Ce sat down in the haystack next to her, holding the food box. Her clothes and appearance no longer resembled those of a young lady from a wealthy family.

My hands are also a bit rougher than before.

However, he remains the same as before, a picky eater.

"Wow, it's even divided into layers. He's so thoughtful." Mingxiang came over as soon as she opened a paper package in the food box.

Bai Lize generously handed over the food box, "Have some~"

"No, no, no, thank you," Mingxiang said quickly, pushing the box back as if the nuts were poisonous.

Realizing he had gone too far, he forced a casual smile and said, "I don't like eating this."

There's no need to be so nervous if you don't like it, right?

However, Baili Ce didn't ask any more questions, and opened another paper package... It was her favorite pine nuts!

But this stuff is so hard to peel, and she peeled so much for her all at once... I'm afraid...

Suddenly, Bai Lize recalled the image of Wang Qingyan peeling all ten of his fingers bare, then taking off his shoes and using his incredibly nimble toes to peel dried fruit for her.

Next to it, there was a kerosene lamp lit.

And he sniffled frequently...

"He's so thoughtful!"

Bai Li Ce laughed it off, "Why don't you go and divide the silver?"

"Don't cry if they rob you of everything."

Opening the third paper package, you'll immediately see mouthwatering walnut kernels and a note that says "It's heaty, eat less."

It's easy to see that Wang wasn't as disgusting as she thought.

Mingxiang put her hands behind her head, leaned back in the grass, and smiled faintly. It was hard to tell whether she didn't care or was genuinely unconcerned. "The boss is always fair. He'll keep my share."

"..."

"What? Don't believe it?"

"No," he said, "I'll eat another jujube, then repackage all the dried fruit and put it back in the box."

Then, satisfied, she hugged the box and lay back. She had actually wanted to ask this for a while, "You..."

"Hmm?" Mingxiang tilted her head to look at Baili Ce.

Bai Li Ce thought for a moment, then changed his approach, "How long have you been on the mountain?"

It's been three years.

"For the past three years, have you been living on... this?"

"Otherwise what?" Mingxiang looked at her with a "you're so naive" expression.

Seeing that Baili Ce was genuinely puzzled, he explained, "However, in the past year or so, the number of robberies has decreased. Usually, the chief will only take us when we encounter prey that is so fat it's practically dripping with oil."

"Such as you."

"Yeah......"

Assuming Mingxiang is telling the truth, it means that Anluo's cooperation with the He family did not last very long.

Moreover, the money the He family gave An Luo should not have been enough to support a considerable army.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone down the mountain to rob people himself, and he wouldn't have wavered so easily in the conditions she offered.

Moreover, based on her observations over this period, she could conclude that while the bandits were strong and fierce, they lacked discipline and were not very good at speaking Mandarin, unlike those who had received military training.

Therefore, we can rule out the possibility that they are hiding their strength.

This means that they... are very likely being used as scapegoats by the He family.

So where exactly is the private army that the He family maintains?

Or perhaps, there was no such thing as a private army at all.

But if it's not used to support the army, where does all the money the He family earns each year go?

Or is the He family also being used as a shield by someone else?

"If that's the case, why don't you use me to extort even more money?"

“…” Mingxiang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, which made the bandits who were dividing up the silver glance at them for a few moments.

After laughing, Mingxiang reached out and pinched Baili Ce's cheek. "This is the first time I've ever seen a hostage be so cooperative."

"I'm starting to suspect you have a grudge against Wang Qingyan."

Bai Lize continued, his face serious, "So, why don't you extort more?"

"The Wang family, the dog emperor, and even our Baili clan, why won't they let me write a few more extortion letters?"

What she wanted to know was just how powerful these bandits, who had been entrenched in the three cities for many years, really were.

"Hahaha, you..."

Mingxiang laughed even louder, and just as she was about to say something, a shadow fell over her.

"I am greedy, but I don't want to die yet," An Luoshi said, throwing down a bag of silver next to Baili Ce.

Bai Li Ce looked bewildered and confused. "This?"

No way, she got a share too?

Do they really think of her as one of the bandits?!

"...You two can chat at your leisure." Under An Luoshi's watchful gaze, Ming Xiang finally wisely walked away.

An Luo then sat down with his arms crossed, without saying a word.

After a while, Baili Ce took the silver and gently placed it next to An Luoshi.

She dared not accept the money.

He only glanced at it before tossing it back to Baili Ce.

"Ouch..." Her hand hurt from being hit by the large bag of silver.

Then An Luo said, "This is what I saved up before I became a bandit."

"Hmm?" Baili Ce frowned.

"Consider it my way of showing respect to you, my employer."

"what?"

You're serious.