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I made Fang Thirteen rest for a while longer and left with Aleya and Fang Lita in tow.

When we walked to a place with nobody around, Fang Lita immediately recovered his usual spirit and asked me:

“How was it, Li De, aren’t my acting skills pretty good?”

Aleya was lugging a package on her back which had smashed up pig bones. The sounds of bones being broken just before were actually just imitations. Fang Lita was currently perfectly healthy like how he always was. In reality, if I wanted to beat him up, I could do so and release the resentment in my heart by doing so. But after weighing the pros and cons, I ultimately chose to let him off.

On a night several days ago, I went to the prison, found the imprisoned Fang Lita, and asked if he wanted to return to being City Lord.

Fang Lita naturally wanted to, so I used this as blackmail to make him cooperate. The content of the cooperation included the scolding that he had just given Fang Thirteen instead of the usual crying and holding his sister’s thigh. In other words, I desired for him to make a clean break in his relationship with Fang Thirteen and not use his identity as her little brother so that he could coax her and retaliate against me. In return for doing this for me, I could make him City Lord once more. Fang Lita agreed in a heartbeat, but he also raised a condition. This condition was for me to prove that I would abide by my promise and for me to guarantee his personal safety during this period of time.

I accepted this condition.

And so, when Fang Lita asked me that, I replied with a smile:

“Your acting skills are not bad and can be considered pretty good. Go, you can first seek out Moon and inform him of the entire process of events. If she doesn’t believe you, then you can hand over this letter to him and he’ll help you return to being City Lord.”

Fang Lita immediately rejoiced and expressed his gratitude towards me over and over, no longer asking about his older sister.

I looked at his young, inexperienced, and immature face and found it a bit funny for a bit. Towards him, I said:

“If you become a prisoner again in the future and aren’t able to endure the beatings any longer, remember to inform your captors of my name in order to escape death. Remember, only if you’re unable to endure them any longer, then tell them my name, otherwise it won’t work.”

Fang Lita’s face showed visible confusion, but all I did was chuckle and wave at him while telling him:

“Go, you will be Sky Star City’s City Lord once more. Star-Commanding City and Starless City will also be returned to your control. You’re considered a three-city City Lord right now while I’m just a one-city City Lord, why be polite to me.”

Fang Lita thought it over for a while and as if he felt like my words were correct, he joyfully departed.

After he left, the only ones remaining here were Aleya and I. Wandering through the deserted streets along with me, Aleya had been silent the entire journey. I turned my face, looked over at her, and asked her with a smile:

“Not feeling well?”

Aleya replied:

“Young master didn’t need to pretend to be a villain.”

I didn’t explain myself, instead shooting a question back at her:

“Aleya, have you ever raised a dog?”

Aleya shook her head.

I explained:

“I’ve seen other people raise dogs in the past, the type of dog that’s extremely loyal. That person was very poor, to the point where he couldn’t afford to eat meat every day, so that dog of his naturally had no bones to gnaw either. But if you used a meaty bone to entice that dog to leave with you, his dog wouldn’t follow you. Even if it ate something from you, it would ultimately return to his owner like the obedient dog it was. For that dog, nothing was more important than its owner.”

I continued with a neutral tone:

“This kind of dog is the type that can’t be driven away or lured away. Even if its owner threw it to some very distant place, it would use its nose to sniff its way back. If it were kidnapped, it would go wild and bark nonstop, using every means at its disposal to return to its owner. It was so loyal that even if its owner died, it would guard its owner’s gravestone without moving, without eating, without drinking, until it finally succumbed to death in front of its master’s gravestone.”

Aleya remained silent as she listened to my words and didn’t interrupt my words at all.

I changed the topic:

“If you wanted to make this sort of dog leave, the only method would be for its owner to hold a stick, guard the doorway, and beat it. On the first time it comes back, break its leg. On the second time it comes back, blind it. Beat it until it’s covered in blood from head to toe, until its flesh is lacerated, until it’s hurt, afraid, and has given up all hope of returning to its home. Only then will it leave. Apart from this, there are no other methods.”

Aleya looked pensive.

I yawned. It wasn’t raining outside anymore. The sun was shining high up the skies and flowers had bloomed, but I unfortunately didn’t have a good rest last night, so I didn’t have the energy to appreciate this fine autumn day. After a while passed, Aleya asked out of nowhere:

“But young master, why……”

“Why did I act like a villain in front of Fang Thirteen today?”

I finished her question. Aleya nodded.

I knew she couldn’t bear to see me be subject to any grievances, so I answered her with a smile:

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s something I don’t care about, but for Fang Thirteen, it’s the best way to greatly reduce the guilt in her heart. When she recalls today’s events someday in the future, she won’t feel so sad. After all, I had her little brother in my hands and was using him to threaten her. As his older sister, it was only natural that she would choose to bow her head with no other choice left to her. Furthermore, she was even able to secure three cities for her little brother so that he could stand up for himself. In the view of the outside world, her actions would cast her in a better light. Compared to being deceived into bankruptcy and defecting to the enemy side, protecting her little brother and being forced to commit herself into being her enemy’s subordinate is clearly the story that will garner more people’s sympathy. Since I have tacitly approved of her being West-Resisting City’s person in the future, then I can’t help but to think about her image.”

Aleya whispered:

“Young master is still as good-hearted as he was in the past.”

I nearly choked myself on my saliva and asked as I coughed:

“How did you arrive at this conclusion? I was the one who deceived 7 of the 10 cities Fang Lita had and I was the one who made Fang Thirteen become covered in a mass of cuts and bruises because I incited contradictions between the two and nearly killed her. Even after all this, I’m good-hearted? Can’t you put a bit more heart into your praises for me??”

Aleya exposed a hint of a smile as she responded:

“Because it’s just like that year young master endured his siblings’ mockery and offered shelter to me. This time, young master is choosing to act as a villain. ‘Forced with no alternative’, ‘no way out’, ‘have no choice but to sacrifice myself for my little brother’, when everyone looks at Fang Thirteen, they will also recall the villain young master put himself out to be and give him condescending looks.”

I forced a smile:

“What a load of crap……my head hurts just thinking about it. All I want now is for Moon to not hold a kitchen knife and try to get revenge when I tell him about it. I don’t even need to think to know that returning three cities in exchange for a not-an-instant-effect Fang Thirteen is a disastrous short-term decision.”

Aleya giggled in response.

I lifted up my head and looked towards the sky, slowly remarking:

“However, I still am quite fond of dogs. A loyal dog that will follow me and give me its loyalty when its owner doesn’t want it anymore. As long as I’m not like its owner and beat it at the doorway, it will always stay by my side.”

Aleya suddenly inquired:

“If there is a day when young master doesn’t need Aleya anymore, will he also stand by the doorway and drive away Aleya?”

I turned my head and looked her in the eyes. Before any words came out of my mouth, Aleya abruptly added:

“If there really is such a day, then I hope young master won’t start off leniently. Even if Aleya is to die by the doorway, she won’t move even a half-step.”

I grinned:

“How could I even be willing to do so.”

Even though the words that came out were these, my mood had inexplicably turned for the better. Taking a deep breath, I told Aleya:

“Let’s go, I still have something else to do. Next, we need to visit the families of the soldiers who died this time.”

Even though Fang Thirteen responded positively, the mess caused by all of this still requires a lot of energy to handle.