It doesn't matter what the lord is.

If you think about it carefully, whether it was He Yue, Fang Shisan or Xi Luo, Alaiya didn't see me saving their handsome figures. The only one she saw was Felita, but Felita was apparently rescued by Alaiya. Now these people have settled in Yuxi City for a while, and they are all living well. They don't look like homeless people at all.

and many more.

Wait a moment.

Speaking of homeless people...

My eyes couldn't help but fall on Liushi.

Become!

Although Liushi resisted this, he could no longer stop it. At that moment, I suddenly realized everything and felt that everything was so natural: Liushi was the most suitable person to do this because he was an older married man. If it was an ordinary girl, Alaya might be unhappy. [Ah, anyway, you helped because you are beautiful] If Alaya thought so, everything would be ruined.

But Ryusei is a man, so it doesn't matter.

This is the purest way to regain the original feeling of being touched. Without any other emotions, it will not cause any other negative effects. It only extracts the most touching part. This precious emotion will surely become a beacon for me and Alayya to move forward side by side.

Alayya has been practicing swordplay every day recently, seemingly trying to find a sword technique that suits her.

So Liushi and I waited for an opportunity to ambush her in the corridor where she would pass by when she was practicing swordplay. It was noon that day, and Alaya came back from swordplay. Her golden hair was neatly tied into a high ponytail, revealing her snow-white neck. There seemed to be a faint vapor around her body, and the sweat stained the air with a sensational smell. She had a snow-white towel on her shoulders, and her sword was inserted into the scabbard at her waist. She walked towards Liushi and me while adjusting her wrist armor.

coming!

I gave Liushi a signal, and Liushi suddenly rushed out like an old lady trying to scam people, then quickly fell to the ground, blocking Alaya's way forward. At the same time, he covered his chest and said expressionlessly:

"Ah... I'm so sad, I'm so sad. I'm dying of sadness. In such a big world, isn't there a place that can take me in? What should I do?"

Although the tone of these words sounded dry and emotionless, they had already achieved initial effect.

The initial effect was that Alayya had stopped and did not move forward.

In the dark, I made a gesture to Liu Shi, saying "keep going, hurry up," and made a few faces, suggesting that he put more emotion into it.

Liu Shi sighed, and at first he spoke in a tone without any emotion, like a student who was unwillingly called by the teacher to read a text, but as he spoke, his tone suddenly changed:

"Ah... This world is too cruel, too cold, and too inhumane. I will be despised wherever I go, and I have to endure the strange looks from others all the time. The merchants who sell me forging materials all say, 'Come and take them.' Many people just throw things at my feet and ask me to pick them up myself. When I think about it, I think I might as well die. After all, if I die, no one will care about me, as I am just an ant..."

Wait a mininute.

Although there are more and more emotions involved, it always feels heavier and heavier.

He must be stopped before it gets out of control!

As soon as I thought of this, I descended from the sky and shouted:

"Keep your head up, Flowstone!"

I squatted down and held his hand. Liushi raised his head with a look of confusion, helplessness, and the vigilance and distrust of a wounded beast.

At that moment, I seemed to see the helpless Alayya many years ago.

The gentle words came out of my mouth uncontrollably:

"From now on, I will take care of you. We will be together forever and ever!!"

Yes, that’s the feeling!

At that moment, I seemed to see the beautiful scene of me and Alayya walking hand in hand to the church. The weather was fine and the years were gone. She was wearing a white wedding dress and holding my hand. Yes, it was these hands, slightly rough, with calluses from sword practice. But that smile was so gentle, so infatuated.

Grow up, Alayya.

I close my eyes.

Tears flowed down.

Let's go and welcome our future together——

"Lord City Lord, that girl has already left. Speaking of which, isn't it time to let her go? Ah...how should I put it, this is a bit disgusting."

I opened my eyes and the beautiful scene suddenly disappeared.

All that was left was this man in front of me, whose eyes and voice were completely devoid of emotion.

I blinked, turned around, and saw Alayya's cold back.

A-la-ya-a ...

Why, why is this happening!

I slammed my fists on the floor in frustration and rage, watching Alayya disappear into the distance.

Confessing my love to a married man in front of the girl I like, can I forget this matter in a lifetime? I don't know. I only know that the sun shines on me at this moment, but it can't bring any warmth.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

27. Destruction before construction

The fire crackled.

I lowered my head, and Liushi didn't say anything. Inside the forge, an atmosphere of despair flowed between us.

"It shouldn't be like this..."

I crossed my fingers together, tilted my head involuntarily to one side, and looked at Liushi tiredly.

Liushi clenched a fist and placed it to his mouth, thinking about how the piece of iron in front of him was forged.

Because we are not very familiar with each other, He Yue and I did not tell him that [Yuxicheng actually wants you to take over the work of armament manufacturing], and just let him do some ordinary forging. Yuxicheng will invest in purchasing materials for him, and his forged products will also be sold by Yuxicheng on his behalf, and the final net profit will be divided according to a certain ratio. This system means that although Liu Shi lives in Yuxicheng, he is not currently considered a member of Yuxicheng, but just works here.

"It was definitely unexpected that things would turn out like this. No matter how you look at it, it's already a dark history. Even now, I still feel a chill down my spine when I think about it... But it was a blessing in disguise, and I did get some information."

Liu Shi replied to me, stared at the iron block for a while, and then said:

"For example, this method doesn't work. It's not because the performance is not dedicated enough, but because she won't be moved by such things. People's emotions are unpredictable. In the absence of sufficient information, speculation becomes a very important thing... Ah, if I knew the past of that blonde girl, I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble."

I sighed:

"I know. But I can't find it. And Alaiya herself has no memory of the past."

Liushi used a file to polish the surface of the iron block and said:

"Just because she has no memories doesn't mean she has no past life. As long as she has had any interactions with someone in the past, we can definitely find out something. For the former Fourth Young Master of Yunyang and now the Lord of Yuxi City, this shouldn't be difficult."

I get angry when I think about this:

"I investigated it a long time ago. From the day Alayya came to work for me, I planned to settle the previous matters. Putting aside other things, those who chopped her all over her body, in my opinion, must have died or been skinned alive. But after almost two years of intermittent investigation, there is no clue at all. Alayya herself can't remember why she was so seriously injured, so I had to give up. Until today, this matter is still a mystery."

Alaiya's past is indeed hard to guess.

If she was just an ordinary person, it would be fine, but in fact, when I was training her, I found that she seemed to have practiced swordsmanship before, but she didn't remember it. And from some of her habits of using swords, I guess she might have unexpectedly had talent in the past. According to this logic, the injuries on her body at that time might have been caused by someone deliberately cutting her meridians, causing her talent and cultivation to be lost. In addition to the loss of memory, she also forgot her original swordsmanship completely, and became completely useless.

But she herself didn't know about these things. Fortunately, she met someone like me who knew how to use my sword energy to nourish her body, and she practiced hard, so she recovered to an above-average level.

At present, there is actually a little more clue about Alaiya, that is, the maid Xi Que who follows Fang Yuan, who seems to know something. However, Fang Yuan and Yu Xicheng are already at odds, so it is not appropriate to ask about this matter now.

I naturally wouldn't tell Liu Shi about these things, so when it comes to this, I changed the subject and said:

"But for me, this sense of mystery is also part of what makes up Alayya."

Liu Shi was not interested in this kind of thing at all. It would be better to say that he seemed to have no interest in anything other than forging.

But it was also because of this that he could answer calmly and objectively:

"Mystery... huh? That's not wrong. Humans are curious about unknown and mysterious things. This kind of thing is also completely consistent with emotions... But I don't know anything about her past, and that girl doesn't show her emotions on her face, so normal methods don't seem to work..."

Liu Shi observed the changes on the surface of the iron block closely. His overly long bangs had touched the red-hot iron block without him noticing. When he raised his head, the ends of his hair were slightly curled, giving the impression that he had had his hair permed.

He took out his hammer and prepared to forge iron, and I took the opportunity to ask:

"So that means there is still a chance to find another way?"

Liu Shi said as a matter of course:

"Wouldn't it be better to just go and confess?"

I shook my head:

"That's impossible. If I fail, either Alaya will leave me, or I'll be in a super awkward situation. Even though my confession was rejected, I still have to meet her all the time. That kind of life is definitely hell, isn't it? I don't want to spend my youth in such an atmosphere."

Liu Shi responded with a few “yes” and “yes”, but his eyes never left the iron block. He kept knocking on it while muttering:

"In the end, you still have to find out how that girl feels about you, haha... Is that how she really thinks? [Don't fight a battle without preparation], and keep testing her again and again with this idea, is this part of youth? I'm not qualified to say anything. But if that's the case, Lord Mayor——"

At this point, he suddenly raised his head, looked into my eyes, and said:

"Just go and show your affection with other girls in front of her."

I asked in confusion:

"What kind of theory is this? Isn't this just asking for trouble? Alayya will definitely be angry."

Liu Shi swung his hammer twice, with a hint of impatience in his tone:

"That's right, angry, really angry! Both of them know nothing about relationship issues, just like a pool of stagnant water, too calm. If you want to make ripples in her heart, you have to throw some stones into her heart, understand? "Anyway, I will just live as the young master's sword, so that I can follow the young master and protect him for the rest of my life." Isn't that what the golden-haired guy thinks? When you have a very good relationship with a girl and ignore her a little, she will naturally realize that "the young master will be snatched away by other girls." This sense of crisis can make her attitude towards you change... This is what is called "no destruction, no construction." Ha... That's why I said I really don't want to get involved in this muddy water. There must be a limit to the abuse of power... And if people know that it was my idea, I will definitely be killed by that golden-haired guy. The last thing I do in my life is to give such advice to others. Just thinking about it makes me want to commit suicide..."

He smashed the hammer hard on the iron block in front of him, and also on my heart.

I only felt that at that moment, Liushi seemed like the god of love sitting high in the clouds, his wise words seemed like a wake-up call, and his dazzling golden light guided me out of confusion.

I couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder:

"Liushi, you are indeed suitable to chant in the temple."

28. News from the Outside World

"So? That's why you came to see me?"

He Yue rubbed his brows, looking distressed:

"Because if you find someone else to play this role, you are worried that Alaiya won't believe it, right?"

I sat opposite He Yue and replied:

"Rather than worrying that Alayya won't believe it, I'm more worried that other people will mistake it for the truth. After all, think about it, two people pretending to be lovers develop real feelings while getting along with each other, and finally get together smoothly. Isn't this a common story?"

"That's true."

He Yue said, pinching my cheeks with both hands, showing a not-so-friendly smile, and asked:

"So it's okay for me? It sounds weird and unpleasant."

I flattered him without changing my expression:

"Because I think you are already a mature adult, He Yue, and you can definitely become a reliable teammate."

He Yue didn't buy it at all. She took a small pile of materials from the desk, put them in front of me, then sat down again and said with a smile:

"Mature adults, that sounds good. But the city lord is already an adult, right? Shouldn't he be more reliable? You've been consulting Liu Shi about love affairs every day, and you haven't touched any official documents at all."

I bowed to him:

"So all this time is thanks to you. He Yue has devoted himself to the cause and is truly a role model for our generation. Later, I will make a banner for you and hang it from the east to the west of the city with a few big characters on it: [My family's Minister of Internal Affairs, He Yue, is the best in the world]!"

He Yue looked at me suspiciously and asked:

“Do you have money to customize the banner?”

I shook my head:

"No. But I can give the order to the Ministry of the Interior to do it."

He Yue said indifferently:

"As the Prime Minister of the Interior, I rejected it on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior."

I slapped my head and cried out in mock grief:

“I’ve been sidelined—!!”

He Yue reached out and patted the document in front of him, saying:

"Anyway, you can issue a city lord order to enforce it. I am just opposing wrong policies on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior. Well, there is no need for banners. The silk business in Yuxi City has just started, and we can't waste so much at one time. You approve these documents, and then I will spend half a day with you."

"Didn't I just approve it last time..."

I complained halfway and suddenly realized that there must be some changes in the situation outside, and He Yue was waiting for me to make a decision. She is a very smart person, and this intelligence is not only in domestic affairs, but also in the ability to deal with people. In terms of key strategies, she has always waited for me to come up with ideas, and then designed countermeasures based on my ideas.

I took a copy of the document she gave me, took a look at it, and was shocked by the words on it.

The Lingwu lord fought off the giants' attack and returned in triumph. It was described that this time the giants' attack was more fierce than any other time before. The Lingwu army suffered countless casualties before they could barely hold off the giants heading south. According to the news from there, there were four main forces that emerged in this battle. The first was the great swordsman in the Lingwu territory, who killed 220 giants by himself. The second was the Lingwu lord, who went deep into the enemy territory alone, returned on the snow with his robe stained with blood, and silently hung the head of the red copper giant, one of the seven commanders of the giants, on the city wall. The third was Lingwu's signature, the 80,000 iron cavalry, which was the absolute main force and held back the frontal attack of the giants.

Fourth, it is a weapon that no one has ever seen. That weapon is embedded in a huge wall that is hundreds of miles long. The scale, materials and style of the wall are unheard of. Once the weapon on the wall is ignited, it can instantly launch a powerful projectile. The projectile is not gunpowder like fireworks, but highly concentrated magic power. The moment it hits the giants, it will explode into a sky full of flames, which is almost equivalent to a volley of fire from an eighth or ninth level magician. It can be called an absolute weapon of mass destruction. Moreover, the wall is also very solid. It can withstand the giants' huge fists without collapsing. It is called the [Iron Wall Covered by Ice].

Because of what happened in the royal capital, a hole was broken in the national defense formation. This time the large-scale invasion of the giants was also related to it. They did not have the wings of the dragons, and could not fly quickly from high altitude to the heartland of humans, so they could only attack from the border.