Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

The slap landed squarely on my face; I was stunned when it hit me, and tears welled up in my eyes. It must have hurt.

But when he realized that His Majesty wasn't angry with him, but rather was trying to bewitch someone, he stopped feeling pain. He was just a little nervous, afraid that he might ruin His Majesty's plans as before.

His Majesty's cool fingertips touched his face, and Bian Yushu could feel the tenderness beneath those fingertips.

He gently shook his head, his eyebrows curving slightly, showing no trace of resentment. "Yu Shu knows that you're doing this for others to see."

Qin Ji knew how afraid this kid was of pain. Usually, he would shed tears like beads when each of the small bamboo slaps was applied, but this time he was so nonchalant about it.

My heart felt as if it had been touched by the soft tentacles of a snail. Because I felt no aggression, I let it crawl out a wet trail.

Qin Ji raised his hand and patted Bian Yushu's head. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, so he sighed and said, "I've made you suffer again."

Bian Yushu keenly noticed the word "again," as this seemed to be the second time His Majesty had said this to him in just a few days.

He shook his head vigorously and said firmly, "I'm not wronged at all. His Majesty treats Yushu very well."

After saying that, as if remembering something, Bian Yushu gently tugged at Qin Ji's sleeve, smiling like a silly son of a wealthy family seeking praise, "Teacher~ would you say I was wounded for the country?"

The warm touch on his fingertips lingered. Qin Ji tapped the chessboard, and the lentils, hidden in the shadows, revealed themselves.

Qin Ji moved his fingers, and Bian Dou leaned close to his ear.

Bian Yushu didn't know what His Majesty and Biandou had discussed. He only saw Biandou leap down from the window and disappear into the crowd like a drop of water flowing into the ocean.

Qin Ji stood the fallen backgammon pieces up again. "Don't make a sound for a while, kick them a few more times."

The cryptic words left Bian Yushu bewildered. He nodded obediently and arranged the black and white chess pieces accordingly.

...

Bian Dou did not leave Jin Yu Man Tang Ge. After jumping out of the window, he knocked out a thug on patrol, changed into the thug's clothes, and returned to the lobby on the first floor.

He swapped a faulty die with the cheating gambler and quietly placed it on the person closest to the gambler who was following him.

The waitress carrying the drinks walked gracefully by, then suddenly bent her knee and bumped into the person following her.

"Click!" A die fell from the tracker's body and landed on the ground.

The maid hurriedly apologized softly.

Bean quickly patted the shoulder of a patrolling thug and gestured for him to look over.

The thug's gaze fell on the die, and his expression suddenly changed. He immediately notified the manager.

With a single glance from the manager, several thugs quickly surrounded them.

Such a commotion alerted many people, who turned their attention to the follower and discovered he was a merchant from another race, prompting whispers among themselves.

The cheating gambler sensed something was wrong. When he saw the dice lying on the ground, his pupils contracted, and he reflexively touched his sleeve, only to find it empty.

The die he had tampered with was gone.

His hands trembled violently beneath his sleeves. Without hesitation, the gambler picked up the dice and handed them to his follower. "Brother, you dropped your dice."

As soon as he finished speaking, the stalker frowned, wanting to refute him.

The thugs on patrol swarmed in.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "These aliens came together! They're definitely a group!"

Soon, some of the losers chimed in, "Damn it, they cheated! All the money I've lost has been won by these heartless bastards!"

The stalkers' expressions changed drastically. They tried to leave the Golden Jade Pavilion, but their path was blocked by the gamblers.

"We can't let them get out of here. We'll skin these aliens alive!"

The shouts and commotion drowned out the lone, isolated "not me" of the pursuer in the noisy environment.

The scene was instantly chaotic.

The alien tracker became the target of everyone's hatred, and every now and then he would trip over someone who was blocking his way and get punched in the dark.

The lentils concealed their merits and fame, and returned to report.

After the three trackers thoroughly enjoyed the gamblers' "enthusiasm," they were then tied up and gagged by the thugs, and thrown out of the Golden Jade Pavilion with bruises and swelling on their faces.

Instead of accomplishing their goal, they ended up in a mess. The three of them huddled together in a miserable state, back to back, trying to untie the knots binding them behind their backs, blaming each other as they did so.

"It's all your fault! What did you do? Go and explain to the deputy leader yourself."

The most badly injured alien, whose head was swollen like a pig's, cried out in protest, "It wasn't me! I don't know how that die fell off me! Damn it, if I find out who framed me, I'll..."

Halfway through their indignant speech, a sack fell from the sky, trapping all three of them inside, and everything went black.

"You son of a bitch cheated! I've lost half a year's wages! I'll kick you to death!" Flat Bean said gruffly, kicking the men several times until they screamed in pain.

"It's not us, you've got the wrong people..." the three said weakly.

After kicking, Lentil gracefully stepped aside, having accomplished his mission.

Qin Ji nudged Bian Yushu in the back. Bian Yushu already knew why he had been slapped; His Majesty had explained it to him properly.

He stepped forward with great momentum, "on orders," keeping his mouth tightly shut and kicking with extra force, making the men howl in pain.

After kicking her enough, Bian Yushu scurried like a rabbit into the carriage parked on another street, laughing so hard her shoulders swayed and her eyes curved into crescent moons.

Qin Ji's voice carried a barely perceptible hint of amusement. "Go to the border residence."

Bian Dou obeyed, gave the reins a slight tug, and the horse's hooves clattered as the wheels moved forward.

...

The three unlucky trackers struggled for a long time before finally emerging from the sack, and with great effort, they managed to untie each other's ropes.

The alien, whose head was swollen like a pig's, spoke with a lisp, "You're not like me, Yinchao Yin, why don't you listen to Yin's explanation?"

His two companions exchanged a glance and saw their own miserable state reflected in each other's pupils. The sack was put back on, this time exclusively for the pig-headed aliens.

"Hey, don't hit my buddy! Haven't you guys had enough yet?" The buddy punched him hard a few more times.

"Why are you back again? Just you wait, I'm going to report you to the authorities!" The two companions kicked him, one with their left foot and one with their right.

"Awooo, I've reached the gate of propriety, the gate of propriety is dry!"

Who put the dice on him?

who is it?

He wants revenge! Waaah~

...

Lentil rubbed his nose and sneezed.

Qin Ji straightened his clothes and looked up to meet Yu Shu's bright eyes.

Bian Yushu's face still held the excitement of "being ordered to do bad things." "Thank you, teacher."

"Thank me for what? Did I slap you?" Qin Ji said with a hint of self-deprecation.

"No, that's not it." Bian Yushu squatted down beside Qin Ji's legs, looked into Qin Ji's eyes, and said seriously, "Thank you for standing up for me."

Qin Ji reached out to touch the head beside his knee.

Bian Yushu boldly rubbed his face against Qin Ji's hand. His voice was very soft, like a feather, trying to dispel the guilt in Qin Ji's heart. "Your Majesty, Yushu is not wronged, really."

Qin Ji moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but the carriage stopped in front of the Bian residence. "We've arrived."

Bian Yushu seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up again. "Teacher, could you come to my house as a guest today?"