My lord, spare his life!

It's just that the hidden gem is quite far away.

If Zhang Yang weren't in a hurry, Fan You could send a letter, but when the recipient would receive it, whether they would receive it, and whether they would even be willing to come were all unknown. With the Dou Kingdom fragmented and war raging everywhere, a single letter was truly worth a fortune.

Zhang Yang automatically concluded in his mind that it was impossible to receive it.

"Why waste all this effort?"

Don't ask why; the answer is that game designers are disgusting. The more prophetic something sounds, the more likely it is to come true.

"Stop dawdling, just go straight there."

Once the decision is made, you can set off immediately.

From Fan You's perspective, it's quite complicated.

First, they needed to prepare provisions for the journey; second, they needed to persuade the rebels to release the prisoners; and finally, it would be even better if they could find a fellow caravan to help them along the way. The first and third were relatively easy to arrange, but the second was the most uncertain.

"We're not prisoners, why won't they release us?" Zhang Yang didn't understand the logic. When observing the sample members doing game tasks, they would often accept the task and run away without ever exchanging pleasantries or asking for opinions from the NPC who gave them the task.

Similarly, she doesn't need to care about Xie Shu's or others' opinions.

Does it matter to her whether they are willing or not?

"My lord is not, but I am."

Zhang Yang said, "Xie Shu's boss handed you over to me, so you're under my jurisdiction. Why are you still acting like you're still connected?"

Fan You: "..."

Knowing that Zhang Yang was mentally abnormal, Fan You didn't dare let her negotiate with Xie Shu. Instead, he took the task upon himself and sent a servant to invite Xie Shu. Xie Shu came to see him after returning from his shift that evening. In just two days, his external injuries had mostly healed. However, he still looked thin from the ordeal he had endured in the water dungeon, and the outline of his bones could be seen through his clothes.

A complex emotion flashed in Xie Shu's eyes.

"Did you need something from me?"

"My lord has important matters to attend to and cannot linger. She intends to leave soon after disturbing us for several days, and she must inform our master of this." Fan You's voice was extremely cold, whether due to the shadows or his own nature, his entire being exuded a chilling aura. "I hope you can convey this message to your lord."

"The world is in chaos right now..."

Before she could finish speaking, Fan You, disregarding his still-unresponsive hands, clenched his fists tightly and said sternly, "Don't try to fob me off with this nonsense. Whether this is the reason or not, you and I know in our hearts."

Xie Shu sighed, "I will pass it on to him."

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Fan You made a gesture to see his guest out. Xie Shu wasn't angry, but before leaving, he said, "Fan Shuyan, whether you believe it or not, one thing is true: he never intended to slaughter your entire family; it was just an accident."

The only response to the forgiveness was a single word.

"roll!"

The military presence near the residential area was lifted the following day.

Shen Zhichen noticed it while he was practicing.

This seemed normal to him; the rebels hadn't thrown them into prison, clearly indicating they had no intention of settling scores with them, and the surveillance would naturally be lifted after a while. He just hadn't expected Zhang Yang to tell him he was going to the market at noon to buy dry rations for the journey.

"Are you leaving?"

"It was me and Uncle Fan who were leaving, and he helped introduce us to someone."

"And what about me?"

"Go and continue looking for your brother."

Did he forget that he came out to find his brother?

Shen Zhi: "..."

He was speechless for a moment.

"I've been trying to find out my brother's whereabouts for the past two days, but I haven't made any progress. I did hear that the royal family escorted the king through Dog County to escape to Dog Kingdom County and borrow troops from Tian Tian." Shen Zhi said, while observing Zhang Yang's reaction. The latter's face remained calm. He changed the subject, "All good things must come to an end. We're not on the same path. Be careful in the future."

How difficult it must be for someone suffering from a brain disease to survive in a chaotic world.

However, considering that this brain disease patient possessed astonishing fighting skills, Shen Zhi felt that he should worry more about the others.

Falling into Zhang Yang's hands is like having your skull cracked open.

Zhang Yang wanted to buy dry rations, and Shen Zhi also wanted to buy a few guards.

He politely declined Xie Shu's offer to send him a troop of men, and prepared to go to the market. The market inside the Tenben headquarters had been bustling with activity these past few days, with fresh prisoners of war being brought there to be sold every day.

The best able-bodied men were the first to be selected, and most of them were bought by wealthy and powerful families. The best ones could be incorporated into their private troops, while the slightly weaker ones could be used for farming and land reclamation.

The quality of goods that reach the market varies greatly.

Zhang Yang walked in front, with Shen Zhi pushing a wheelchair carrying Fan You behind her—this wooden wheelchair was taken out of her game backpack, supposedly a perk given to players by the game's lead planner after he fell while skiing and broke his leg, during his recovery period.

A cane and a wheelchair.

It has no special attributes; it's purely for fun.

Zhang Yang had seen many observation subjects kidnapping zombies, strapping them to wheelchairs, and then pushing the wheelchairs in racing competitions out of boredom.

This is hard to judge _(:з」∠❀)_

The whole market felt fragmented.

A light rain fell for half the night, leaving the market streets muddy and damp. Men and women, young and old, dressed in tattered clothes, were kneeling on the ground with their hands bound, price tags stuck around their necks. Many vendors argued heatedly with customers, their faces red with anger, arguing fiercely over a few coins. Some vendors even grabbed the chins of their goods, forcing them to open their mouths, feeling that customers were bargaining too aggressively.

"Look at these teeth, look at their quality, top-notch... You're asking too low, you won't even break even... You look like a gentleman from a wealthy family, it's pitiful for our small business..."

The customer, whose price was being haggled over, looked numb and blank.

Shen Zhi reluctantly looked away, muttering under his breath, "...Many of them look like honest farmers, how did they become soldiers and bandits and be dragged here to be sold? It's utterly lawless."

"Where is the law now?"

"Where is the sky now?"

Fan You was mentally prepared for this and wasn't surprised. For one thing, the three of them had been staying at the home of the strategist close to the rebel leader for the past few days. He was used to it, but he couldn't understand why his new lord was so calm and accustomed to it.

"Doesn't my lord find this situation too cruel?"

Zhang Yang was called out by name and pointed to himself.

"You're asking me?"

"Yes, my lord is young, and young boys who see these things for the first time are always filled with righteous indignation and unable to contain their anger."

"cruel?"

Isn't it just NPCs selling NPCs?

She asked, puzzled, "Why is it so cruel?"

One set of data sells another set of data, and when this data is presented with an artfully crafted appearance, it certainly evokes sympathy.

But she didn't know what sympathy felt like, nor could she feel sympathy for a string of data that was arbitrarily erased and infinitely generated.

After Zhang Yang finished answering, he immediately urged Shen Zhitui to hurry up.

"Stop dawdling and wasting time."

Shen Zhi glanced at Fan You out of the corner of his eye. The latter's face was expressionless, but his eyes looked rather cold. He sighed and said, "Bo Yuan's mind is somewhat different from ordinary people. Saying these things may not necessarily mean he is truly cold-hearted. If he were, he wouldn't have taken the risk..."

He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.

Because he saw a familiar face among the goods.

The governor of Tianbian County.

The unfortunate soul who almost had his property seized by the princess back then.