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

Perhaps because he had slept too much during the day, Baili Ce opened his eyes and it was only midnight.

She didn't want to get up, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter how much she tossed and turned. She also suddenly wanted to eat something and saw the moonlight shining on the windowsill.

"Ugh......"

Finally, he had no choice but to get up, go to the kitchen to get a kettle of hot water, take out the dried fruit Wang Qingyan had given him, and sit on the doorstep to eat while looking at the moon.

Although I had seen such a big moon at my grandmother's house a long time ago, it felt completely different from here.

Even though she had lived as Baili Ce for many years.

Every blade of grass, every tree, every person, and every object here feels like it's separated by something, filled with a hazy, unreal quality.

It makes people dislike it, fearing assimilation and being forced into numbness.

So...

Touching the pattern on the food box, if Wang Qingyan hadn't been so obvious and so impatient, she probably would have truly believed that there was someone like him in this era.

Nowadays...

The last few words she added to the list that morning—

【Wang Bu Liu Xing, Dang Gui】

Even if Mingxiang doesn't understand, Anluo will definitely understand.

Your Majesty, if you leave no room for maneuver.

I will return immediately.

Grab a handful of pine nuts, put them in your mouth and chew them; they're very fragrant.

But people don't appreciate things they don't earn through hard work.

She's the same way; she often doesn't like food that comes easily.

And it's either a trap or poison.

Then, we can wait another day at most.

If An Luoshi and Ming Xiang don't come back, then she—

No need to be polite.

......

The consequence of not being able to sleep at night is that you miss another bright morning.

After dawdling through getting up, washing up, and eating breakfast, another energetic morning is lost.

"Still no sign of anyone?" Bai Li Ce asked the second-in-command who had gone to patrol the watchtower.

The village's watchtower is located very high up; from there, one can see the road below and the people on it.

"No," the second-in-command also found it strange. "Logically speaking, the first-in-command should have been back by now, so why is he..."

"Wait a minute."

"Hmm... wait, that's not right."

"I have a feeling that you..." The second-in-command looked at Baili Ce, stroking his chin meaningfully, his eyes narrowing into slits, "Do you know something?"

"Heh," Baili Ce curled the corners of his lips, but said nothing.

"Hey, hey, don't go!" The second-in-command quickly caught up with Baili Ce.

"Just tell me about it."

"I'm at least the second-in-command..."

By dusk, Anluo still hadn't returned.

The second-in-command, who had initially been joking, was now genuinely worried.

The third leader, who had spent a few days clearing land, and several skilled brothers from the village also rushed back and gathered in the Hall of Heroes, saying that they should make plans as soon as possible.

"Miss Baili, you're the most knowledgeable person here, so tell me, if the chief really... what will we do?"

As soon as the third leader finished speaking, all the bandits turned their attention to Baili Ce.

Those who make a living this way know very well what it means if they don't come back on time.

“…” Baili Ce sighed deeply, not knowing what to say.

Strictly speaking, they are already trying to reform themselves.

The second-in-command said, "Miss Baili, we're not stupid. We know who you are and how capable you are."

"We've figured out a bit about what we've been doing in the village lately and what benefits we've brought to everyone."

"They've been with the boss for a long time, so there are some things they can't say directly."

“I haven’t been up the mountain for long, and I’m straightforward, so I’ll just say it directly.”

Huh? Baili Ce looked shocked. So your rankings aren't based on the time you arrived at the mountain?

“If the chief really doesn’t come back, I hope you will continue to carry out the work of recruiting him.”

Fearing that Baili Ce would refuse, the second-in-command quickly added, "Don't worry, as long as you're willing, whatever you say, we'll do it."

"Yeah!"

Seeing that the second-in-command had spoken, the other leaders quickly chimed in, "Whether it's studying or farming, we'll do whatever you say!"

"Correct!"

"Anyone who dares to make things difficult for you, I'll be the first to kill them!"

"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Baili Ce couldn't help but feel inflated again.

The second-in-command looked around, "It's..."

"Does the imperial court's word still count? You need to give us a guarantee."

"Yeah yeah"

The seeds in the fields have sprouted, and the fish fry in the ponds have been released. Before long, the first crop of vegetable seedlings will be ready for harvest.

No more living a life of danger and being treated like a rat in the street. From now on, we can go out to buy things with dignity. Who would want to go back to being chased by soldiers and not daring to have a home or have children?

But with An Luoshi gone, whether the imperial court's offer of amnesty still counts, and whether the Wang and He families will take the opportunity to wipe them out and steal back the silver they've been given—these are all matters of life and death.

That's it.

Then she's going to start making empty promises.

"You can rest assured about the imperial court. I originally came to the Three Cities to promote agriculture and sericulture."

"Even without the offer of amnesty, as long as you cooperate with me and stop engaging in robbery and plunder, you will definitely be able to live a normal life."

"And absolutely no one will seek revenge or make things difficult for you later."

She couldn't handle the accounting before autumn.

"But......"

The third leader asked hesitantly, "If we don't hand over that silver, what will the court say... young lady? It might be difficult to explain, won't it?"

But if we hand it over, our brothers will be left without protection.

“If that’s really the case, I’ll cover the cost.”

From the beginning, she planned that Baili would pay for the amnesty.

After all, the dog emperor was so poor that he had to scrape together funds for military expenses.

"You can rest assured that there will never be a situation where the silver that has been allocated to you is taken back."

"Regarding the Wang and He families..."

"The Boss is back!" A loud announcement interrupted Baili Ce.

"Ok??"

"what?"

"The Boss is back?!"

Everyone rushed out quickly, and in the dim light, An Luoshi appeared on the mountain path, taking one slow and deliberate step at a time.

But when the people got closer, everyone stopped.

They even backed away in fear, their terror making them seem nothing like a group of bandits.

"Ugh... Ugh..." Baili Ce was so frightened that he was shaking. If he hadn't drunk so little water, he might have already relieved himself on the spot.

"No, don't be afraid," someone next to her said, helping her to stand up.

"Thump!" Even when An Luoshi stumbled and fell in front of the village gate, no one dared to go up and help him up.

"Big...Big...Big Boss?" In the end, it was the Second Boss who swallowed hard and walked over.

He picked up a stick, slowly approached, and poked Anluo, who was covered in blood and whose head was turned 180 degrees, but who was resolutely walking up the mountain.

An Luo didn't move.

The second-in-command looked at everyone and moved a little closer.

They poked it hard with the stick again!

stamp!!

stamp!!

Poke!

"Big, Big Boss?" Despite the horrifying scene, the Second Boss moved even closer.

After hesitating for a moment, I simply extended my index and middle fingers to check his breathing...

"Den!"

Unexpectedly, An Luo suddenly sat up with the back of her head facing forward!