That terrifyingly fearsome Demon Suppression Department?
Where were they sending her?
She was finished!
Unfortunately, her delicate arms were no match for the brute force of the guards. No matter how unwilling she was, no matter how much she screamed, she was still dragged away.
The scene before him finally quieted down.
Liu Xingyuan also steadied his mind. He led the Liu clan in handing over all matters, big and small, to Zhang Shi, and they worked until evening.
Just as he walked out of the mansion, he saw A Xin being escorted by soldiers to be sent back along the same path.
At this moment, A Xin’s face was full of despair. The moment she saw him, she fell to her knees with a thud, facing him.
“Xingyuan, save me, save me!”
“I was wrong, I was wrong.”
“I shouldn’t have been so difficult. I shouldn’t have believed that anyone else would want to marry me besides you. I shouldn’t have kept pestering you for a divorce and angering you.”
“Let’s get back together, okay?”
“I promise, I’ll put away my stubbornness from now on. I’ll be good.”
The secret satisfaction that had stirred in Liu Xingyuan’s heart during the day surged again. So this was the right way to open the door to love.
As long as he didn’t treat love as the most important thing, he could get the love he wanted.
But when he had made love his top priority, he was as humble as a licking dog, and ended up with nothing.
Thinking this, Liu Xingyuan’s mind, which had already opened wide, became clearer than a mirror.
His approval of Lord Duke soared instantly.
His loyalty to Zhang Shi grew deeper as well.
He turned and walked away directly. Behind him came A Xin’s even more heart-wrenching cries: “Husband, husband, I was wrong, I was wrong. Let’s get back together. If not, I’m willing to be your concubine. I’ll be your concubine from now on, okay?”
Liu Xingyuan walked farther and farther away. At the place where the army was stationed, he found Zhang Shi.
Zhang Shi was just then discussing with Lu Shuang and Gu Qing how to capture the remaining grain-producing area, known as Luofeng Slope.
Regarding Luofeng Slope, Liu Xingyuan knew far more than Zhang Shi, Lu Shuang, and Gu Qing. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, “General Zhang Shi, two ladies, Luofeng Slope is actually somewhat different from our Qingchou Plain.”
“Our Qingchou Plain is where generations of farmers have gathered. The Liu clan fully handles the distribution of farming tasks, forming a sweet potato production area.”
“Luofeng Slope, on the other hand, consists of migrant refugees from various places who have settled there. In name, it is a garrison farmland assigned by the capital Yun Jing and directly governed by Pukou City. In essence, it’s Pukou City’s sweet potato base. A garrison farming commissioner has been set up there to manage everything.”
“That garrison farming commissioner is named Xie Liu. I’ve met him a few times.”
Zhang Shi nodded.
What Liu Xingyuan said matched the reports from Gu Qing and even Lu Shuang, though it was more detailed. He asked, “So you mean, as long as we can win over this Xie Liu, Luofeng Slope will belong to our imperial court?”
“Soldiers from Pukou City are stationed at Luofeng Slope year-round. It’s not entirely up to Xie Liu,” Liu Xingyuan said. “But what you said, General, is mostly correct.”
“If Xie Liu can be sincerely devoted to our cause, with his influence over Luofeng Slope and your swift cavalry, capturing the slope won’t take much effort.”
Zhang Shi nodded again.
Then he raised a crucial question.
“Does this Xie Liu have any love stories?”
Lu Shuang turned to look at Zhang Shi in surprise.
In just a short time apart, General Zhang Shi had changed!
Was this what they meant—watch out, for times change?
“This…” Liu Xingyuan was also stunned by the question. Then he shook his head and said, “I don’t really know. I only know that Xie Liu is over forty and has been married to his wife for twenty years. Although they have no children, I’ve never heard of any troubles.”
“Oh, right…” Liu Xingyuan recalled something. “I have a feeling that Xie Liu is quite poor. He lives rather tightly and dresses in… shabby clothes.”
“But, thinking carefully, he’s a garrison commissioner dispatched by Yun Jing and appointed by Pukou City. He draws a fixed salary every month. If he doesn’t embezzle, he really wouldn’t have much. That might be the reason.”
Zhang Shi nodded.
Then he felt nodding wasn’t enough.
This was like hearing nothing at all.
It was just a bit of stinginess—nothing to do with love.
“No way, I just tasted a little sweetness, and now I can’t use it anymore? Do I have to go back to swift-strike tactics?”
“Not a chance. Who uses swift-strike tactics these days, be normal?”
Zhang Shi was a bit frustrated.
But Lu Shuang’s next words reignited his hope.
“General Zhang Shi, I’ve investigated and found that Xie Liu indeed only takes his salary. Although it’s not too much, it’s twenty taels of silver a month. Normally, he shouldn’t be this poor. But I’ve dug up some information and started to see some clues.”
“His wife spends a lot.”
“That leaves their household in debt.”
Zhang Shi kept nodding.
But his mind was already getting foggy.
He tried to stay alert, yet he couldn’t piece together the answer he wanted from these clues. He couldn’t make sense of it.
“Fine, fine. If I can’t sort it out, so be it.”
“I’ll still write a letter and send someone to Xie Liu. Let him know how good it is working under Lord Duke. Let’s see how it goes.”
…
At Luofeng Slope.
Soldiers from Pukou City had already arrived. After counting each sack of sweet potatoes that had been prepared, they got ready to load them. When all was gathered the next day, they would transport them to Pukou City to meet Zhou Xiong’s military grain needs.
Throughout this process, Xie Liu, the garrison farming commissioner of Luofeng Slope, kept busy. He was either checking accounts or supervising, sweating all over.
This quite satisfied the personal guards from Pukou City.
If the Liu clan of Qingchou Plain had been like this, then the grain that Zhou Xiong had been worrying about day and night would no longer be a problem.
Pleased with Xie Liu’s efforts, one of the personal guards came over and smiled, saying, “Old Xie, you’re really on top of things. When I get back, I’ll definitely report this to General Zhou Xiong.”
“Knowing General Zhou Xiong’s temper, once this is over, he’ll surely plead for a reward for you. I can’t say whether you’ll get a promotion, but at least you’ll be given a handsome sum of money.”
At the words “handsome sum of money,” Xie Liu’s eyes lit up instantly: “Really? Will they give money? How much?”
But before the soldier could answer, he slumped again: “Ah, never mind. Even if they give money, it won’t fall into my hands.”
Seemingly unwilling to dwell on the topic, Xie Liu said, “Sir soldier, these sweet potatoes have been counted. The rest, I’ll urge them to load into the carts over the next two days.”
...
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] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
