"I investigated the surrounding situation; in our area, the slave trade typically rotates every six months. For the remaining six months, Lord Hui Yao doesnât show himself. Judging by the trade routes and the scale of nearby big cities, itâs most likely that Lord Hui Yao resides in Thunder City."
The one who understands you best might not be your friend, but your enemy.
The Kite Trio Gang, quite ambitious.
Fang Yu took another sip of tea.
"If, six months later, Hui Yao doesnât appear in Sunset City as scheduled, then the slave trade in this area will be yours."
Xi Xinyueâs eyes widened instantly. Such bold words from the other party honestly left her a bit staggered.
"Such... well then, I, a humble woman, thank you in advance for your generous gift, sir!"
"No rush, letâs see in six months."
Fang Yu stood up to leave, but then heard Xi Xinyue hastily say.
"Sir, about the territory of Qu Gang..."
"Some things must be fought for yourself. Move quickly, Leader Xi."
Leaving an ambiguous remark, Fang Yu strode away and vanished into the night with a few leaps.
Standing there, Xi Xinyue was still pondering the deeper meaning behind those words.
"Leader, that guyâs gone."
"Leader, if you ask me, this kidâs all talk, clearly a pretender. We shouldâve just subdued and questioned him directly, why the politeness!"
The three guards spoke in succession, but Xi Xinyue raised her hand to quell their doubts.
"Qu Gang was shattered overnight. The person has extraordinary skills, and must have significant backing. We canât tear that façade. He says to give me Qu Gangâs territory, so letâs fight for it! Weâll see if itâs true!"
...
A night had passed.
As the sky brightened, the turmoil of the previous night had subsided.
After leaving the Kite Trio Gang, Fang Yu actually made a visit to the House of a Hundred Clans; this time, he smoothly infiltrated unnoticed.
The vigilance level of the House of a Hundred Clans was far less sharp than that of the Kite Trio Gang.
Following the principle of capturing the ringleader first, Fang Yu went directly to the Sect Leaderâs residence. People were absent, but a row of account books was neatly arranged on the table with a note.
"My lord, your late-night visit is quite laborious. These records are the House of a Hundred Clansâ supply lists for the year, please review them."
The people werenât there, but everything was prepared.
Fang Yu found that although these slave factions were weak, their intelligence was exceptionally swift.
The account books seemed hastily prepared; having gone through a couple, Fang Yu could differentiate real from fake.
With a quick glance, he swiftly left through the window.
However, Fang Yu didnât know that by dawn, the Sect Leader of the House of a Hundred Clans had not returned, planning instead to hide out for a while.
After a night of busy work, Fang Yu returned to the Hai Family.
"Brother Diao, youâve stirred things up quite a bit."
As soon as he returned, Hai Ruoyin approached him.
She had been the one to connect Fang Yu with the slave powers.
Shortly after providing intelligence, those slave factions erupted in major incidents. Without much thought, it was obvious who was behind it.
Fang Yu did not refute, only smiled.
"Just rid Sunset City of a scourge. The mere Qu Gang, could it be that the Hai Family canât suppress it?"
"Mere Qu Gang?"
Hai Ruoyin looked subtly.
"Does Brother Diao not know yet?"
"Know what?"
This time, it was Fang Yuâs turn to be puzzled.
"Qu Gangâs slave prison broke open, and all slaves rushed onto the streets, turning into marauders causing mayhem, killing upon sight, leaving countless innocent civilians dead or injured. There were demons hidden among the slaves, devouring people in the streets. Itâs uncertain if itâs entirely cleaned up or where they escaped. In just one night, over three hundred people were dead or injured in Sunset City; even without counting the slaves, at least dozens of civilians were killed."
Slaves... marauders? Over three hundred dead or injured?
Fang Yuâs mind buzzed with ringing in his ears.
He could foresee demons eating people.
There were many demons hiding in the prison; such a large prison, he couldnât patrol the whole area.
After the slaves escaped, who knows how many demons were lurking among them.
And demons causing havoc was inevitable.
Even if he hadnât released the slaves, those demons disguised as slaves would eventually come out to harm and eat people sooner or later.
But the slaves causing havoc... honestly, that was unexpected for Fang Yu.
He never thought that these slaves, whom he pitied and wanted to help by freeing them, would turn into felons and kill more innocent citizens of Sunset City after gaining their freedom.
In a sense, these people indirectly died by his hand!
A good intention, yet it led to evil deeds.
Fang Yu slowly clenched his fist, his expression gradually growing somber.
"Brother Diao! You should have consulted with me before making such a huge mess! Itâs not that the consequences are too severe, but the Hai Family isnât prepared! You told us, and if the Hai Family had been prepared, you could proceed with your matters. I guarantee the Hai Family would have your back, making sure the blame doesnât fall on you. But now, the news has spread, and secrets are no longer safe... Brother Diao? Where are you going?"
Fang Yu returned to his room.
Bam!
The door closed, keeping Hai Ruoyin outside.
"Are you back?"
In the room, a lazy voice echoed.
Ding Hui stretched leisurely, wearing a thin satin nightgown, and walked slowly towards Fang Yu.
"Why do you look so grim?" she asked, puzzled.
Fang Yu was silent for a moment and then said, "I caused the deaths of some people."
To his surprise, Ding Hui said something astonishing.
"Is it about the Qu Gang incident?"
Fang Yu looked at Ding Hui in surprise.
"How do you know?"
Ding Hui smiled and took out a small scroll of paper from her sleeve, handing it to Fang Yu.
Fang Yu opened it in confusion.
The note documented last nightâs chaos in the Qu Gang, as well as news about the slavesâ evil deeds, demon havoc, and more.
Fang Yu frowned.
"Where did it come from?"
"Just a pigeon mail, I have my methods. Even though weâre backed by the Hai Family now, we must have our own intelligence network."
Although she spent the entire day in the laboratory, her mind was still meticulous, never missing any details.
Fang Yu sighed and sat on the bed.
"I killed the Qu Gang Leader."
"I know."
"You know?"
"It was easy to guess."
Why did Ding Huiâs gaze seem to say I was foolish...
Fang Yu shook his somewhat confused brain and continued, "...Those slaves, I released them."
"Causing turmoil and escaping, thatâs quite good. Itâs a pity there wasnât a fire to eliminate Qu Gang and expand the chaos," Ding Hui earnestly commented.
"Thatâs not the point, Ding Hui. The slaves I freed went on to kill innocent citizens! This isnât the result I wanted..."
Ding Hui understood.
"So why did you release those slaves?"
"I saw them imprisoned with demons lurking close by. Even without the Qu Gang, their future days were doomed to be harsh. Out of compassion, I decided to free them. But I didnât think..."
"So you were wrong," Ding Hui said seriously.
"Was I... wrong? Did I err in saving lives?"
Fang Yu looked at Ding Hui.
Despite knowing that the world is cruel, canât one retain a speck of their moral compass...
"You were wrong in lacking resolve."
Ding Hui sat beside Fang Yu, gently holding his hand.
"You wanted to save lives? Thatâs fine! But you shouldnât save with indecision, without purpose, and certainly not spontaneously! If it was spontaneous, then you should have the attitude of a spontaneous savior. You saved those slaves, your benevolence has ended. Whatever they do afterward, the evil they commit, has nothing to do with you, because by saving them, you saved them like ants. What ants choose to do with their lives is not your concern."
"But thatâs not the point. Since youâre feeling guilty now, you should have thought about giving your all to save before you acted."
Ding Hui gradually tightened her grip on Fang Yuâs hand.
"Once you saved those slaves, you should have led them to kill all the people of Sunset City, making the slaves the new overlords of Sunset City!"
"If you couldnât achieve that, then take the next best step, lead the slaves to fight their way out of the city, either kill everyone in sight, kill every demon, or use your principles to absolutely restrain their behavior."
"Then lead them to the wilderness, find a new place to live, and start a new life. And during this process, what you should have done was, before leaving Sunset City, come to Hai Family to take me away with you."
"Thus, you would have fulfilled the belief of thoroughly saving lives, and wouldnât be feeling guilty or uncertain."