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

After talking with Lin Yuchuan, it was already dawn.

Only after he repeatedly assured that he would not harm anyone in the village until the crisis was over did Baili Ce agree to cooperate fully.

"Just cooperating?" Lin Yuchuan himself was not satisfied with this answer.

Bai Li Ce raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise what?"

It's already quite good that they're on Lu Jian's side; who the hell would want to genuinely risk their life for a "father-killing" son?

"..." Lin Yuchuan took a deep breath, wanting to get angry but not doing so.

But Baili Ce had something to say: "Is Lao Wu one of your men?"

"No"

"Then him?"

"When the fourth brother fell into the water as a child, I was on business in the Three Cities area and happened to pass by and rescued him. The fifth brother then promised to help me once."

“I never expected a child’s promise to be of any use, but I didn’t expect that my men would be discovered by Lao Wu when they went up the mountain to investigate last time.”

"After he found out he was from the Criminal Investigation Department, he contacted me and said he could help."

"I see......"

Bai Li Ce couldn't help but feel disappointed.

She was still thinking that if Lao Wu was an undercover agent for the Investigation Department, his dream of becoming a high-ranking official, through the recommendation of the Baili family and ten years of tireless efforts, plus Lin Yuchuan's affirmation, should be roughly realized.

It's a pity that such a cunning person isn't even a spy for the Investigation Department.

Lin Yuchuan's ability to develop his network of contacts is truly pathetic.

"The Investigation Division may not be a good place, but it's not a place that just anyone can enter."

Lin Yuchuan handed two handheld signal fireworks to Baili Ce, saying in a tone that was both a reminder and a warning, "Young lady, please don't play with fire and get burned."

"Thank you very much"

......

Bai Li Ce slept until the sun was high in the sky, thus missing another bright morning.

But what they gained was a sumptuous feast and a clear mind.

Although the tatami mats in this mountain village are far inferior to those in Kyoto, they are still a qualitative leap compared to when we first arrived.

She was referring to her ruthless bandit farmhands.

"This meat is so delicious, even the boss doesn't have any. I've only eaten it a few times, boohoo..."

Li Simei gnawed on a pig's trotter while heartbrokenly shedding tears.

The second-in-command sighed in agreement, "Who says otherwise?"

Gulp, gulp, gulp... I drank a bowl of chicken soup with tears in my eyes.

"Mmm...mmm..." The fourth brother frantically stuffed braised pork into his mouth.

Bai Li Ce sat under the shade of a tree, resting his chin on his hand, and felt that the wind was gentle and the flowers were fragrant today.

"Why don't you go and eat with them, boss?" The fifth brother walked over, holding a chicken leg in his hand.

They just rubbed it in one or two pieces, instead of just tearing it off with their hands, leaving everything greasy and the bowls weren't even washed properly.

It's like you take a bite and I take a bite, and I can't even tell which piece I've bitten. How am I supposed to eat that?

But what she said was, "I want to save it for my most respected brothers!"

"..." Knowing that Baili Ce thought they were being uncouth, the fifth brother didn't say it outright.

Even those in charge aren't allowed to eat meat casually. This is a rare opportunity for them to eat to their heart's content, so they don't care about appearances or cleanliness.

"Isn't the third leader coming out to eat either?"

"Yeah, I guess they'll be angry for a while longer."

Bai Li Ce, barely daring to express his anger, whispered a suggestion, "And you, don't you know how to go easy on me?"

I forgot to mention, the reason the third leader was lying on the ground last night was because he was caught cheating and was still not satisfied. He thought he could provoke and challenge the fifth leader just because he was older.

As a result, the fifth brother got angry and punched him a few times, causing him to lie down on the spot.

"But I've already taken a chicken with me."

"Although he was sad, he has a big appetite, so he should be fine."

Bai Li Ce, “…”

"That repeating crossbow?"

"It's almost finished. I'll go set it up after I finish eating."

Bai Li Ce nodded, having no intention of telling the fifth brother that his dream of becoming a high-ranking official was simply impossible. "In your opinion, how long can we resist?"

"That depends on how many troops the other side has."

Bai Lizhe paused for a moment, then made no attempt to hide anything, "The initial estimate is fifty thousand."

"...cough cough cough" The fifth brother almost choked on the chicken bone and coughed violently a few times before he could cough it up.

He seemed completely flustered, but fearing he might startle others, he could only whisper, "So many?!"

It's so funny, how is that possible?

But with a serious expression, he simply replied, "Hmm."

"Lin Yuchuan told you?"

He nodded.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

He spread his hands, his face full of bitterness, "I dare not."

"You...you really are...sigh!" The fifth brother paced back and forth, scratching his head repeatedly in exasperation.

With a final wave of his hand, he said, "I'll go reinforce the defenses and make some more arrows."

Then he called out to several burly men, "You, you, and you... all of you, stop eating!"

"Huh? I haven't eaten yet... Bang bang bang!!"

After the fifth brother landed a few punches, the burly men immediately begged for mercy, "Ouch...ouch!"

"No, no, don't hit us, we'll go."

"Hey, leave some for me."

"Hehehe... Leave me a stick, I'll eat it all~"

"Fuck you!"

The fifth brother slapped him across the face, yelling, "Slap! You fucking get the hell out of here!"

After everyone had gone far away, Baili Ce got up, dusted himself off, tidied his messy hair, and went to the kitchen to cook some fish soup.

As we all know, lying is not the same as concealing something.

......

The attack began at dusk.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With several loud bangs, the entire mountain stronghold began to shake.

Bai Lize spilled the fish soup he had just cooked before he hadn't even taken a sip.

"call--"

"call--"

Then came countless fireballs, raining down on everything around them.

"Bang!" The second-in-command burst into the kitchen, the fire on his feet instantly spreading to his back.

Bai Lize quickly picked up a large basin of water and splashed it on him, then pulled over a burlap sack to dry off the excess water.

"Hiss..." The second-in-command gasped as he was helped to his feet.

Fortunately, his esteemed employer reacted quickly, and not much of the fire was burned. "We can't stay here anymore, hiss... go through the tunnel, I... I'll take you down the mountain."

"what?"

Diarrhea doesn't happen this fast, does it?!

They promised to hold out for three hours!

During the brief conversation, the fifth brother rushed in, grabbed Baili Ce and the second-in-command, and with a desperate leap, sent them flying.

Then, the entire kitchen was instantly reduced to ruins by the boulders that came crashing down.

"Bang!" Before Baili Ce could even cry out in pain after falling heavily to the ground, Li Simei pulled him up and beat him as they retreated to the hillside.

Before she could react, a knife had already been pressed into her hand.

"Don't look back!" Li Simei pushed Baili Ce down the hillside and turned to save the Third Leader, whose leg had been hit by falling rocks.

Bai Li Ce paused for a moment, glanced briefly at the fifth brother who was also rushing towards the third leader, then fled into the depths of the mountains without looking back...

"Pop-boo-boo" signal fireworks lit up the sky above the three cities.

"Report! Someone is attacking Sanchengzhai!"

Lin Yuchuan was excited, "I can see soldiers and horses?!"

"No, it seems to be a spontaneous group of ordinary people, including the elderly, women, and children. Many of them are carrying sticks and hoes, and they are shouting as they beat each other..."

"What are you still shouting for?" Lin Yuchuan felt a sense of unease.

"Eliminate the mountain bandits and rid the people of this scourge."