The Deception Continues

Yexi shook her head. “They’re gone now.”

Ard grumbled, “By the way, why didn’t you tell me we were being followed before?”

“I did,” Yexi replied. “But you weren’t in a state to listen.”

Ard knew she was right; his mind had been a complete fog.

Yexi continued, “I didn’t take the most direct route to the Sunstone stronghold. I took a detour. Only after they stopped following us for a while did I turn back to the main path.”

“Phew~” Ard breathed a sigh of relief. Yexi might not be a master strategist, but she was cautious and meticulous. And her chest size was not indicative of a lack of brains.

“I feel like you’re thinking something rude.”

Ard said righteously, “Not at all. My aching back is a constant reminder to be respectful to Lady Yexi.”

Yexi shot him a sideways glance. “What’s your next move?”

“To the Sunstone stronghold, of course,” Ard said. “We should remove our disguises. From now on, I am a steward of the Baron’s manor. I should dress a bit more formally.”

“Mm.” Yexi took out her collection of bottles and jars from a pack on the drake’s back. “Come here. I’ll remove your makeup.”

Ard was stunned. “Is it that complicated to take off? Can’t I just wash it off with water?”

Yexi said with disdain, “Low-class. Bumpkin. Trash. Haven’t I already told you? This is a disguise, not makeup. Now, bring your face over here.”

“Yes, my esteemed lady maid!” Ard obediently brought his face close to hers.

“Too far. And you don’t need to stretch your neck out like a giraffe.” Yexi grabbed him by the neck from five meters away and pulled him to within two.

Ard looked at Yexi’s face, so close to his. Though she was still in disguise, he knew what kind of peerless beauty was hidden beneath that plain facade.

“Do we need to be this close?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s more efficient this way. Some of the agents needed for removal are corrosive if they come into direct contact with the skin. Do you want to test if your half-dragon hide is tough enough?”

“I do not, thank you. By the way, can I make a suggestion?”

“What?”

“Can you take off your disguise first, and then do mine?”

“…” Yexi’s cold gaze fixed on him. “Reason?” she asked slowly.

“Huh?” Ard felt that “it would be more pleasant to look at” was not the right answer. He came up with an excuse in a fraction of a second. “Because my disguise represents an identity. If something unexpected happens mid-removal, I can still use this face to deal with the Baron’s men. But yours doesn’t matter, does it?”

Yexi pierced through his lie without mercy. “Your reasoning is a bit far-fetched.”

Ard took a deep breath and said with brazen honesty, “Yeah, I’m lusting after your body! So what?!”

Yexi praised, “Hah, a true man.”

And then Ard had two black eyes. He squatted obediently in front of her as she removed his disguise. The process looked complicated, but her movements were swift, opening various bottles and jars to wash the special pigments from his face. It only took ten minutes, but the intricate process left Ard bewildered.

“Here’s a towel. Just rinse your face with water and wipe it dry.” Then, Yexi took out a mirror and began to remove her own disguise.

Ard quickly finished washing his face and then sat cross-legged on the ground, watching her. The process was like watching a lotus bloom from the mud, a refreshing and transcendent experience.

“Yexi,” he couldn’t help but sigh, “you’re so beautiful.”

“Yes. So beautiful that your eyes have turned into a pair of titanium alloy dog eyes, constantly emitting a dangerous light. May I remove these useless, dangerous things for you?”

Ard said sheepishly, “Let’s not, please. They still have some use.”

Afterwards, the two of them set off again. They traveled from noon until dusk and finally saw Sunstone Peak. With the token the Boss man had given him last time, they entered the stronghold without any trouble.

The Boss man was very pleased to see them and received them in private. But in contrast to his host’s delight, Ard’s expression was not good. After the others had left, he said coldly, “I came this time to bid you farewell, Boss man.”

The chieftain was shocked. “What do you mean by that, brother?”

“What do I mean?” Ard sneered. “I should be asking you what you mean, Boss man. Why did you not listen to my advice and send your men to attack Quentin’s treasury again?!”

“Well…” The Boss man looked awkward. He had promised Ard not to act without his instructions, but in the end, he couldn’t resist his greed and had taken a chance.

He tried to explain, “Don’t worry, brother. We covered our tracks well. They won’t know it was us.”

“Hahaha!” Ard burst out laughing. “I originally thought the Boss man of the Sunstone Gang was a hero of some renown, but in the end, you are just a short-sighted fool! It seems I was mistaken!”

The Boss man’s face darkened at Ard’s disrespectful words. “Aren’t you going a bit too far, brother?”

“Too far?” Ard’s laughter died, and his voice turned to ice. “Is it not laughable that you are burying your head in the sand?! Did you not say yourself that your forces are the largest in this hundred-mile radius, and that you would easily be suspected? Have you forgotten your own words?”

The Boss man’s expression flickered. Seeing Ard’s aggressive posture, he realized the situation was not good. “We were exposed? That shouldn’t be. Our identities shouldn’t have been revealed.”

Ard sneered. “Heh. The bodies of your men who died attacking the treasury are currently lying in the Baron’s manor morgue! All he has to do is summon some of your former men to identify them, and the truth will be out.”

The Boss man said fiercely, “I’ll order all those connected to that fat pig to be eliminated today!”

Ard said coldly, “And then, when the Baron receives no reply, even a Kira Monkey will know something is wrong. Besides, whether it was you this time or not, the Baron will target you as the prime suspect for elimination. And it won’t be long now.”

“Why?” the chieftain asked, alarmed.

“You should know the Baron’s personality. His treasury has been robbed, and besides the heartache, his first thought is how to make up for the loss. He doesn’t care about evidence,” Ard said, a corner of his mouth lifting as he looked at the Boss man. “The incident happened in your territory, and it happened twice. He can openly blame you and then lead a crusade against you. He is already impatient to cut his losses. If he wasn’t unprepared, and if I hadn’t strongly advised against it, your Sunstone Stronghold would probably be surrounded by the lord’s army tomorrow. Regardless of the outcome of the battle, do you think you could escape unscathed?”

“That damned fat pig is too shameless! I’ve bribed him plenty, and the moment something happens, he thinks of using me to cut his losses!” The Boss man ground his teeth, his anger finally dissolving into a sigh. “Alas, this is my fault. Brother, I trust you didn’t come here just to mock me. Tell me what to do. I’ll listen to you from now on and will not act rashly again.”

Ard’s expression softened. “It’s not that I’m being harsh, Boss man. But our ambitions are great, and we want to get out of this with our lives. We cannot afford to be careless.”

“Sigh, it was my greed that got the better of me. Please, brother, give me a solution.”

Ard nodded. “Of course I didn’t come here unprepared. After all that bad news, let me tell you some good news. I’ve already made contact with the leader of that guard troop. After I handed over your ledgers, they have already agreed to help us deal with Baron Paunch.”

The Boss man’s eyes lit up. “When will they make their move?”

“That is what I came to discuss with you. Their condition for helping is that we must first lure that fat pig away. This will make it easier for them to take control of the lord’s city and subdue his army.”

The chieftain frowned. “They’re not going to do it themselves?”

Ard said dismissively, “Why would they do something so thankless? How could those hypocritical, pretentious nobles get their hands dirty? If it weren’t for their greed for the Baron’s assets, they wouldn’t have agreed at all. But this is within my expectations. I never placed my hopes in them anyway. Our main purpose is to legitimize ourselves, to get them to help us shed our bandit identities.”

“Oh?!” This was something the Boss man hadn’t expected. “They can even do that for us?”

“Of course. It’s just a matter of a single word from that high-ranking person. After all, we are handing over the Baron’s two treasuries and his entire domain on a silver platter.”

The Boss man rubbed his hands together. “That’s great! So how are we going to deal with that fat pig?”

“Simple. Lure the tiger out of the mountain. Isn’t that fat pig obsessed with money? In a few days, after we’ve made our preparations, when we raid the third treasury, I will inform him beforehand that his vault is being emptied. Knowing him, the loss of a little property is enough to drive him mad. If his entire treasury is emptied, he will surely lose all reason. He will rush to the third treasury in a hurry, and his men will not be fully assembled. You will lie in ambush and annihilate them in one fell swoop!”

“Excellent! Brilliant, truly brilliant!” The Boss man was extremely excited, clapping Ard on the shoulder. But then he remembered something. “But how do we solve the problem of this recent attack?”

“That’s easy. I still have that former Counselor in my hands. With a letter written in his hand, we should be able to buy a few days. The main purpose of my visit this time was to remind you, Boss man, not to do anything out of line again. That fat pig is a shallow and incompetent man, with no great ambition, who values money above all else. If he is provoked any further, even me won’t be able to control him.”

The Boss man replied with grave seriousness, “Don’t worry, brother. I will not make the same mistake twice.”

Ard finally nodded, relieved. This one was almost completely in the bag.