My lord, spare his life!

Puyang Kui and the others were all taken aback.

Their eyes had different expressions.

Some saw him as a madman, some as a fool, and others as childish ramblings, but no one believed Zhang Yang was speaking the truth. Naturally, no one took his words to heart. Puyang Kui laughed for a long time, until her wound was aggravated and bled profusely, at which point she finally stopped, tears already welling in her eyes.

"I've... hahaha, I haven't been this happy in a long time." Puyang Kui almost choked on his breath, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes as he asked Fan You with a laugh, "Everyone says children say the truth, how come you believe it and join in the nonsense?"

Fan You: "She's serious."

He could sense Zhang Yang's determination regarding this matter.

Puyang Kui, sensing the situation, stopped laughing and simply rubbed his aching stomach: "Alright, alright, being serious is good too. Life is but a fleeting few decades; if you can find something you're truly determined to do, then this life won't have been lived in vain."

As for whether it will succeed?

That's a different matter altogether.

It's a good thing that young people have ambition, so let's not discourage them.

She turned to her former subordinates, signaling them to stop laughing, and said with a smile, "What are you laughing at? In my opinion, some of these arrogant and ignorant attitudes are only present at this age. After a while, they all lose their spark, their spirit, and their pride, turning from pearls into dull, uninteresting fish eyes. It's a good thing that Lady Zhang has this idea."

Who hasn't been praised as a genius by those around them when they were young?

Which genius hasn't harbored the arrogant thought of shaking the sun and moon?

Puyang Kui recalled the outrageous things she had said in her youthful arrogance, and he disliked people pointing fingers at him just because they were a few years older than others. The more someone used their shallow life experience to criticize others, the more resentful they became.

"Absolutely, absolutely, we are all just fish eyes."

The atmosphere was cheerful, and the gloom in everyone's hearts was swept away.

Both were headed to Tianyue, so they decided to travel together, and Fan You benefited the most. He and Puyang Kui were both injured, and Zhang Yang was clearly not the type to take care of people. Traveling together would also allow him to get help from Puyang Kui's former subordinates.

Puyang Kui and others were also very satisfied.

Their forces were outnumbered and outmatched, many wounded, and the chances of a successful breakout if they encountered enemy pursuers in the short term were slim. Now, with the addition of Zhang Yang, whose strength was unknown, and the mysterious Fan You, even if something went wrong, their forces would have more confidence. Zhang Yang's mere demonstration of power during the kidnapping was enough to earn their trust.

Neither side lingered there.

The longer they stay, the easier it is for the Tianbian rebels to discover them.

The group set off under the cover of night, only stopping at a secluded spot as dawn broke. Puyang Kui and his companions hadn't had time to prepare food, so they had to go hunting for sustenance. They planned to buy dry rations in populated areas after leaving the Tianbian forces. The group divided tasks clearly: some hunted, some scouted. Puyang Kui, still unable to move easily, had to stay behind.

Perhaps she had a fever, for her cheeks were flushed an unnatural red.

The guard helped her untie the strip of cloth that was almost stuck to her skin, and she didn't even flinch, waiting silently for it to be over.

The shallower wounds have already begun to scab over.

The deeper ones are not healing well; some have become red and swollen with abscesses.

"After all, he'd been soaking in that filthy water dungeon for days. It's normal to have maggots and rotting flesh. Just cut him off." She comforted the guard in a hoarse voice, picked up her outer garment, and dressed herself. "Where's Uncle Fan?"

"Mr. Fan said he needed to go out for some fresh air."

He didn't need anyone to push him; he just turned the wheelchair with both hands and went out.

Just as Puyang Kui was about to speak, he saw a figure in a wheelchair slowly approaching from afar. For some reason, Fan You's expression was not good. Looking at them, his first question was, "Have you seen my lord?"

"When Lord Boyuan heard that there was going to be a hunting trip, he went along as well."

Fan You's expression changed drastically: "When will you return?"

"I don't know, but I'd guess before noon?"

Hunting requires prey to hunt.

Because the damned royal family collected taxes so many years ahead of schedule, the common people were driven to desperation. Regardless of whether it was a year of famine or a year of plenty, many families were forced to eat tree bark and grass roots to survive. Leaving aside how many people have died over the years, the land has been almost completely depleted. If people are eating this, what will the game in the mountains eat? Forget about large prey; even pheasants and rabbits are hard to find.

Fan You: "..."

He pursed his lips tightly and remained silent.

But the fingers gripping the wheelchair armrests were pale and bluish.

Puyang Kui asked him, "Why is your face so red?"

Could it be that the high fever was caused by a festering wound?

Fan You: "Give me some space to be alone, and don't let anyone disturb me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he suddenly doubled over in pain, most of his body falling off the wheelchair. The guard tried to help him up, but was sharply rebuked and forced back: "Get out! Don't touch me!"

In just a few breaths, the pale red color deepened by three points.

They look just like shrimp that have been blanched in boiling water.

Puyang Kui saw the inexplicable shimmer in Fan You's eyes, felt a jolt of surprise, then realized what was going on. He swiftly reached out and dislocated Fan You's jaw and arms, hoisted him up with one hand and tossed him to a secluded spot, ordering his guards to fetch Zhang Yang: "Go quickly."

This type of star-descending wrath is not uncommon.

They either had to endure it themselves, or, unable to bear it, kept male and female concubines like the princess. Those who disliked such debauchery would find relatively stable partners. Zhang Yang was also Fan You's lord; with such a powerful and ruthless ruler, their relationship was unlikely to be innocent.

The guards dared not delay and hurriedly searched for someone.

What is Zhang Yang doing right now?

She's catching a pet.

Other NPCs struggle to find prey, but she has it easy.

Looking around, wherever there's a health bar, there's prey. I thought I'd encounter a bunch of twisted, bizarre, and ferocious red-named beasts, but instead I saw textbook examples of wild animals. Look at them, chickens are chickens, ducks are ducks, birds are birds—they're all so distinctive!

"It's completely copied from the textbook."

Despite the apocalypse, humanity firmly believes that things will return to normal someday. Therefore, each survivor base has a library of varying sizes, filled with books collected by the survivors during their explorations. Zhang Yang dislikes books with text and prefers photo books.

After seeing so many, I became interested.

There is a pet-catching feature in the game.

Players can capture, tame, and subdue exotic beasts. Once tamed, these rare beasts can become powerful allies. However, only a handful of beasts can be tamed, and among them, those with decent appearances are extremely rare.

Zhang Yang also took a player's animal-catching rope, but after so many years he still hadn't encountered the exact beasts marked in the photo book.

I never expected that the Homestead side quest map would have this!

At this moment, a large, brightly colored insect was lying beside the pool.

Sunlight bathed its thick fur, making the rich, orange-yellow coat gleam with a warm sheen, its black stripes flowing and imposing. It lay there, the muscles of its broad shoulders and back rising and falling with its breath, its eyes closed, its nose appearing thick and soft. Its short yet erect ears stood tall, enticing Zhang Yang. Wild, rugged, refined, and beautiful—a true masterpiece of creation.

Zhang Yang took out the animal-catching rope.

Bending over and crouching, they slowly approached.

She lowered her voice and called out sweetly, "Mimi."

How could the wary tiger not know that Zhang Yang was approaching?

It was just its innate intuition that made it feel this person was dangerous.

It bared half of its snow-white fangs and growled menacingly. The tiger's roar echoed through the mountains, startling countless birds into flight.

"Mimi, come here."

Zhang Yangchong hooked his hand.

Seeing that Zhang Yang was advancing instead of retreating, the giant tiger's eyes flashed with ferocity.

Another tiger roared, and Zhang Yang clearly saw its health bar turn red. But she wasn't afraid at all; instead, she felt it was being affectionate, and her peach blossom eyes curved into satisfied smiles: "Don't be shy, come here, come into Mommy's arms, let me pet you."

She took another step.

This distance was already making the giant insect feel offended and threatened.

With a third roar, its muscles tensed, and it pounced on Zhang Yang with lightning speed. The massive shadow almost completely enveloped her, its sharp claws already aimed at her vitals.

"What an enthusiastic little one, Mommy loves you."

"Sucking?"

Zhang Yang recalled how the observers cuddled and kissed their pets, and mimicked them, tucking the large insect under its armpits, half-dragging it up, and pressing his head against its furry head. This was the bizarre scene that the guards witnessed when they arrived.

A large adult tiger, weighing forty or fifty shi (a unit of weight), had a rope about two fingers thick tied around its neck, the other end of which was in Zhang Yang's hand. The tiger, fearing Zhang Yang, howled and whimpered, tugging its colorful tail between its legs, its fur seemingly standing on end. Because of its long body, a significant portion of it was crouching on the ground, while its upper half was forcibly held flat by Zhang Yang's hands.

Konoe: "..."