True Friend

Leona arrived by carriage.

The old butler served as the coachman, while the girl sat sulking in the carriage. Kang De and Hong San rode ahead to lead the way. Leona leaned out of the carriage window, watching Kang De's retreating figure, and said resentfully, "Aren't they afraid we'll run away?"

Kang De turned around and said, "Don't worry, the city is under martial law and the gates are closed. Where can you run to? Besides, you're a member of the Vidal Chamber of Commerce and a conscript the mayor specifically wants to arrest. If you run away, the mayor will be even more anxious than I am and will definitely try to find you. So, no matter where you run, I will eventually kill you."

For some reason, the girl got really angry every time she saw Kang De's arrogant demeanor; she was completely devastated and couldn't stand the sight of him. "How could your wife have fallen for a guy like you!"

Kang De shrugged, didn't answer, and thought to himself, "I don't know either."

After all, besides being honest, reliable, gentle, honest, upright, handsome, refined, and erudite, my only advantage is that my penis is big.

Throughout their conversation, the words "Kang De" and "Tina" never appeared, perhaps out of a tacit sense of caution, as these two names have been appearing very frequently in Goth recently.

Leona said maliciously, "You must have used some evil Eastern martial arts to bewitch her, right?"

Kang De pulled on the reins, gave a quick kick, and the horse beneath him obediently slowed down and came to the side of the carriage. He turned his head, gave the girl in the carriage window a wicked smile.

"Yes, she was affected by my Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Flower Garden Seduction and Arrogant Overbearing Aura. This martial art can make the victim fall head over heels in love with the caster, becoming utterly loyal, unleashing their full potential, and undergoing a drastic personality change, becoming tolerant and gentle, never jealous, and willing to share her husband with other women..."

He blinked and smiled, "Young lady, I think you're quite pretty..."

It has to be said that Kang De's acting skills have really improved. It's true that art imitates life. If he were to enter the entertainment industry now and specialize in playing villains and madmen, he could probably take over the mantle from actor Feng Yuanzheng and become the new generation's chosen target for online legal education campaigns.

After all, having such a real experience is something that no amount of acting skills can match.

Leona was clearly startled and fell backward with a small cry of surprise. Then she realized she'd been tricked—what martial arts technique could be so convenient?

She was both angry and furious, and shouted sharply, "You!"

Kang De laughed heartily, spurred his horse forward, and came back to Hong San's side.

The girl was left stomping her feet angrily in the carriage, spouting nonsense like "Run him over," which the old butler would never actually do.

After witnessing all this, the old butler felt no anger at his master's offense, but rather a sense of relief—thank goodness, someone could actually control such an eccentric young lady.

That wasn't easy.

He also felt quite sorry for her. Such a person was clearly a good match for Miss Leona. He was capable, resourceful, intelligent, and handsome. Most importantly, he could keep Miss Leona in check and prevent her from doing anything disreputable... Unfortunately, Princess Tina beat him to it.

Kang De, however, was unaware of the old butler's thoughts.

In fact, teasing that woman was just a casual thing to do. He was skeptical of her story and didn't take it seriously. Compared to Leona, the person he was more concerned about... was Hong San.

When Kang De was teasing Leona, he spoke quite loudly and even came up with that long and strange name for the technique. It must have sounded very interesting to the Cathayan. But when he rode back again, Hong San was still riding in silence, with a stern face and no smile at all.

In fact, after hearing the mayor's assignment at the meeting, he fell silent, losing all his usual optimism and cheerfulness. He had just confronted and fought with the old butler, and his actions were even more explosive and decisive, unlike his usual timid self. Kang De knew that Hong San's mind was probably in turmoil.

"Hello."

He asked, "Are you alright?"

Hong San's reaction was clearly a beat slow; he stammered, "Huh? What?"

Kang De shook his head and remained silent.

He knew what Hong San was thinking and could understand the other man's hesitant and complicated emotions.

Not long ago, the mayor summoned him, and he left amidst pairs of eyes filled with reliance, trust, and longing. The people he protected yearned for protection once again, but what they did not know was that the leader they revered and followed was not as omnipotent as they imagined. Faced with a more powerful and ruthless power, Hong San had no way to resist or argue.

There are 1,600 places available.

Men, women, and the elderly all must face the battlefield.

This is the answer Hong San brought back... How should he explain it to the people who are full of expectations?

Kang De sighed silently.

Although he couldn't fully empathize with Hong San's situation, he could understand Hong San's dilemma.

Sometimes, kindness and a soft heart mean helplessness and confusion.

If he were the same Hong San that Kang De had previously seen—a man who drifted with the tide, utterly spineless and shameless—he would have run away long ago, and wouldn't have even bothered to protect that group, much less walk into the trap of Valentan City... But now, Hong San is different; he can't let go.

Unbeknownst to him, Hong San underwent a transformation without his awareness.

With a sense of responsibility, concern, and duty.

Kang De sighed, "How about we go to the Vidal Chamber of Commerce first?"

Hong San looked up abruptly as if he'd been electrocuted. "Good!"

"..."

"..."

Fuck.

Kang De said with a subtle expression, "Shouldn't you have said something like 'We'll have to face this sooner or later' and then decided to return to the Heaven and Earth Society immediately, instead of wasting time?"

Although Hong San's face remained gloomy, he shook his head and replied, "No, no, no, if we face it later, things might take a turn for the better, right? What if?"

Kang De sighed helplessly.

Humans are fucking interesting.

When I told Leona gave me a look that said, "Are you kidding me?"

"Come to our place?"

She looked Kang De up and down, then suddenly asked warily, "What do you want?"

"We can talk business anywhere," Kang De said casually. "I doubt you'd dare harbor any ill intentions. The mayor is definitely watching you, and besides, you know what I've done, don't you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Leona shuddered. She immediately thought of this man's two great achievements—the destruction of Glittering Sand was only a legend, leaving behind a large number of records, intelligence and false information. Leona had not witnessed it with her own eyes and could only yearn for it. However, the other annihilation incident happened on the territory of the Vidal Family. She saw the corpses all over the ground and the terrible scene with her own eyes and directly felt the man's methods.

That's why the girl was wary, and even though she was treated rudely by this person, she maintained the utmost restraint. It wasn't because she was of high character, but because the other person was too ruthless.

In a flash, Leona immediately understood Kang De's plan.

You want to target our chamber of commerce!

She was both shocked and furious. "Don't you dare do anything reckless! We... we're not easy to bully either!"

Kang De was both amused and exasperated. "What are you thinking? Do you think I'm such a cruel person?"

Leona rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. "You should say that to the people who died by your hand."

In short, it was the girl who absolutely refused to let Kang De go to the Vidal Chamber of Commerce. The compromise was that the old steward drove the carriage to a deserted square, where Hong San and he stood guard to watch for eavesdroppers, and then let Kang De and Leona go into the carriage to talk.

It was easy to find quiet places because the city gates were closed, rumors were flying, and people of all social classes hurried home. The streets, no longer bustling, had become deserted.

Inside the carriage, Kang De and Leona sat facing each other.

After glancing at the decorations in the carriage, Kang De knew what was going on—this man was really rich.

Leona, with a cold expression, recounted the events.

In the Glittering Sand Incident, Princess Tina openly appeared in a city within the Empire, delivering a speech that exposed the ugly betrayal that had occurred within the Glittering Sand Viscounty, and subtly pointed out the disgraceful role played by the Empire's Crown Prince, as well as his ambiguous relationship with the elves.

Then Princess Goth raised her banner, declaring that the mission to the capital was pointless. She wanted to recruit all young people who sympathized with Goth and aspired to great achievements to return with her to Goth, defeat the evil spirits, protect human territory, and uphold the free nation.

Upon hearing this news, Leona immediately headed north to see Tina, after all, Tina was her good friend. Although she looked down on Tina's soft and easygoing nature, a friend is still a friend.

Who would have thought that Tina's personality had drastically changed? Although she still appeared beautiful and gentle, a murderous intent had appeared between her brows. The knowledge and wisdom she had accumulated from reading extensively had all transformed overnight into schemes and tactics. She was already putting into practice some plans and methods that she would never have carried out before...

The things recorded in those historical books and writings.

Leona wanted to see if she could help in any way, but Tina gave her a sarcastic rebuff.

She is the heir to the Vidal Family. From a young age, she has been exposed to business and is adept at it. The first priority in doing business is to be able to recognize people.

From Tina's eyes, she could tell that the other person no longer trusted her.

"The ship of friendship has capsized, and you're still running around trying to help her?"

Upon hearing this, Kang De interrupted, "And why did you come looking for me?"

Leona retorted arrogantly, "Do you even know what a friend is? Tina's current state is understandable, after all, that [beep--] Hannah betrayed her, and it's understandable that she doesn't trust me. Of course, I can scold her, sever ties, and be done with it. Let her live or die as she pleases, but I won't!"

"I'm going to help her, make her realize that I'm her real friend. When she's thanking me with tears in her eyes, I'll give her the middle finger and call her a stupid idiot!"

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PS1: Second update, 3000 words. Time for bed.