Ishimitsu looked at Akagi with mockery, and when he saw a crack in Akagi's expression, he slowly said word by word: "You say I'm disgusting, despicable, and villainous? But Akagi, aren't we actually the same kind of people?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't! I would never hurt my own comrades!"

Akagi, hearing what Izuki said, immediately and angrily refuted him.

How could he possibly be the same person as Shimazu Yūki?

He was so sincere to his comrades! How could he possibly betray them like Shimazu Yorihiro?

岛津裕纪看着赤木一脸不服的样子，却双手按在了赤木肩膀上，眼神直直地看着赤木，一字一顿的道：“可是赤木，在最后岛下被我推出去的时候，你完全可以留下救他的，不是吗？”

"You..."

Akagi was stunned, his pupils contracted, and he was speechless for a moment.

And as Mitsuki Shimizu watched Akagi like this, he continued to chuckle lightly, as if seeing through Akagi. He went on, "At that time, wasn't Shimura actually still alive? Didn't he escape? If you truly cared for him, you should have stayed and resisted with him, instead of running away with me, wouldn't you?"

"I, I'm not... I was forced by you, it was you who dragged me along. I didn't want to abandon them, I..."

Akagi, as if accepting this somewhat unwillingly, stubbornly repeated the same thing.

He is different!

He and Isamu Takatsuki are definitely not the same person!

But Izumi Yūki didn't give him any time to soften up at all. He continued, very seriously and with a sarcastic tone: "Akagi, we are the same kind of people. We are selfish and only care about ourselves. We don't care about our teammates dying or not. In our hearts, only ourselves matter most, don't we?"

"If you truly believe yourself to be so superior, then why do you show displeasure every time I bask in the adoration of the masses? Because you crave my position, don't you?"

"You think you are noble, you think you love your fellow man, but no!"

“Oh, or let me put it another way, you might find it more acceptable. It's not just you, nor is it just me; I'm afraid that very few people in our entire nation of Eiko could be considered as noble.”

“From our very core, we are despicable, ruthless individuals who will stop at nothing to achieve our goals. We only show a sliver of sincerity when it serves our interests. In reality, we are all hypocrites.”

"You, me, Yuriko, and the rest of the islanders... are all the same..."

Island, Takeki's words, were like knives, stabbing into Akagi's heart.

He blushed, staring at Shimazu Yujiki, wanting to argue back, but it seemed like he couldn't find the words.

As stated by Shimazu Yorihisa, these people are, in fact, a group of heartless creatures!

Ruthless!

False!

Mean!

Ishimitsu patted Akagi's shoulder reassuringly and said, "Alright, don't think about those things. Let's think about what we should do next instead."

"What are we going to do?" Akagi seemed to have accepted Ishimori's words, and looked at him with a vacant expression.

"The mages should find us immediately, and we have already lost comrades. Facing them head-on is likely beyond our capabilities."

"That..."

"If it can't be done openly, then we have to resort to some underhanded tactics. I think you, Akagi, will understand..."

"What means?"

"King Kong Puppetry..."

As if to illustrate his words, a cold glint appeared in Izutsu Yoki's eyes. At some point unknown, he had taken out a dagger and plunged it straight towards Akagi's head!

Night is deep and all is quiet...

Lu Si'an sat alone in the courtyard of the General's Mansion.

And this courtyard looks very simple and rustic. If you didn't know it was the general's residence, you might think it belonged to an unknown peasant family!

Little An, who had returned with Lu Sian, was strangely hiding behind him, watching Lu Sian. He obviously didn't understand why a dignified general would turn his own general's mansion courtyard into such a mess...

"Come out, Xiao An."

Lu Sian took a sip of wine, as if he felt Xiao An's presence, chuckled softly, and shouted towards Xiao An.

Xiao An shrank her shoulders a little, but still obediently walked out and stood in front of Lu Si'an.

"General, I didn't mean to peek at you." Xia An looked at Lu Sian fearfully.

Lu Si'an looked at Xiao An's face, as if seeing another person through Xiao An. After a long while, he said: "Xiao An, you are very lucky."

"Luck? Yeah, the general saved Little An. Little An won't have to worry anymore! The general is a good person, and Little An will repay the general."

Xiao An heard Lu Si'an's words and seriously said.

"No, I didn't save you. It's fortunate that she could."

Lu Si'an chuckled lightly and said in a nonchalant tone.

Xiao An was stunned for a moment before realizing who Lu Si'an was talking about. She hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, that little girl was very brave. If it wasn't for her, I might not have waited for General you. I just don't know where that little girl went. If she could come back with the General, then life would be much better afterwards."

Lu Si'an couldn't help but a trace of wistfulness flash in his eyes upon hearing this.

He leaned slightly against the tree trunk behind him, looked up at the sky, and shook his head. "No, she'll be fine no matter who she's with or where she goes."

Xiao An didn't understand.

If it's truly true that good things can happen anywhere, then why would that little girl be sold to a house as a servant?

Besides, it would be great to follow General Lu!

General Lu is extremely favored by the emperor!

Even a prince is not as good as General Lü.

So, the little sister had no reason not to follow General Lu.

Xiao An is young, so his understanding of these things is very superficial.

Lu Si'an glanced at Xia An and waved his hand, "You go down first. In a few days, I'll have someone send you off."

"Don't send me away, General Lu! Xiao An won't leave!"

Xia An was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and kowtowed desperately, but Lu Si'an stopped him.

"Don't be afraid, you're still young. Being a servant in the General's Mansion won't be easy. I'll find a good family to adopt you, so you'll have parents and a happy home."

"Parents?"

"Hmm."

Xia An lowered her eyes. She had been sold into the Third Prince's residence since she was a child and didn't know what her parents were like at all.

If...

To be able to have parents...

It seems like there's nothing wrong with that.

Xiao An glanced at Lu Si'an. Seeing that Lu Si'an had already closed her eyes, she waved at her and then kowtowed, saying: "Xiao An will remember General Lu's kindness."

After Xiao An left, Lu Si'an finally opened his eyes and let out a sigh of disappointment.

To have a home, that's truly wonderful, but he was destined never to have one again for the rest of his life.

I thought I could help her before she passed, but...she's gone.

Gone…

She still didn't believe him, he hadn't even told her his identity.

But no matter what, even if she didn't believe in herself, Lu Si'an still wanted to pave the way for her.

"Little brother! Little brother! Are you there!"

Just then, a sweet and childish voice suddenly rang out. Lu Xin's heart skipped a beat as she turned her head to look.

Only on the wall, a small milky bun was lying on the wall, its big eyes looking around everywhere.

"Anbao?"