My lord, spare his life!

Puyang Kui pondered for a moment.

Given the current chaotic situation, Zhang Yang and his companion's scheme is quite clever, but the risks are also significant. Puyang Kui reminded them, "That's true, but have you considered that there are only two of you? Even if you take office with this letter of appointment written by some unknown rebel force, who will recognize you? Tianyue, no matter how remote and impoverished, is still a prefecture, and it's not easy to take over."

Zhang Yang clearly hadn't considered these things.

Her mind was preoccupied with titles, but since Puyang Kui had pointed out the problem, indicating it was also part of the mission, Zhang Yang couldn't ignore it: "Just kill whoever objects, right?"

She was quite confident in her abilities; after all, she appeared to be a max-level player. As the homestead side quest was one of the casual gameplay features, the game developers probably wouldn't set the difficulty of the quests too high.

Puyang Kui choked for a moment, feeling exhausted: "It's not something you can eliminate completely by killing. Even if you were to kill all the dissenters, who do you plan to hire to manage such a vast territory as Tianyue? Tianyue has eight counties, each with just over ten thousand people, which adds up to one hundred thousand. Can you two handle all the taxes, corvée labor, dispute resolution, promoting agriculture, water conservancy, and selecting teachers for those one hundred thousand? Even without a truly loyal core group, you still need a group of people who can temporarily help keep the counties running..."

In short, two people can't do it.

Killing alone won't do the trick.

Puyang Kui said earnestly, "Persuade people with reason."

Zhang Yang: "..."

Fan You had previously mumbled similar things.

She had only one thought: these NPCs were really annoying.

Real humans adhere to the principle of "no talk, just action," and PVP players always subdue others with strength.

"...So you mean two people aren't enough, and we need more?"

"If you can understand it that way, then there are only two people in office, right?"

She could tell that Zhang Yang hadn't given up on the idea of ​​"killing anyone who opposes him." This guy usually knew how to grasp the key points, and this time, after listening for a while, he came up with a solution of "lacking manpower."

Isn't this just a clear case of someone who hasn't given up on their thieving intentions?

"You'll need to recruit soldiers later, and the local militia will also need your help..." Puyang Kui's words were truly heartfelt, but it was unclear how much Zhang Yang would heed. "In my opinion, we shouldn't release this appointment letter yet. Let's accumulate some troops first, and then... Lord Boyuan, are you even listening to me?"

"But I've thought of a good idea."

Puyang Prime Minister asked, "What method?"

"I can borrow some of your people."

Puyang Kui's lips curved into a stiff smile, his gaze sweeping over the silent Fan You, trying to find evidence on his face that he was the culprit: "Did Uncle Fan instigate her to say that?"

Fan You shouldn't be blamed for this.

He joked, "Do I look like someone who can be manipulated?"

This is not someone who listens to the advice of their strategist.

Fan You felt that his future was predictable.

"What do you mean he instigated me? Am I the lord or is he the lord? This was my own idea. Didn't we say we were short-handed? You happen to have some people here, so I can borrow them. Is that wrong?"

Puyang Kui was nearly dumbfounded, and the others looked at Zhang Yang as if he were a monster. They had never seen anyone so confident in asking for or borrowing money, as if it would be unreasonable for Puyang Kui not to lend it.

How can a person be so shameless?

Puyang Kui managed to maintain a forced smile.

"It's not convenient to lend this out."

"Fine, if you don't want to lend it, then don't."

Now it was Puyang Kui's turn to be uneasy.

Zhang Yang gave up so easily?

"I have other ideas." Zhang Yang's gaze turned towards the official road. "I may not have enough manpower, but what about the people I just killed? Since there are all sorts of strange abilities in this world, and you're not even surprised that I can cut off my head and put it back on, it's clear that resurrection isn't that rare. I can mold myself into their appearance and body shape, which should be enough to fool them for a while. After using them to achieve my goals, I can silence them before my identity is exposed, killing two birds with one stone."

Zhang Yang thought this plan was also acceptable.

She had no idea what kind of uproar her words would cause in the ears of Fan You and Puyang Kui. Puyang Kui exhaled a breath of stale air and said to Fan You, "Your assessment is quite accurate."

Zhang Yang is indeed a hollow, clay-sculpted stubborn rock.

If anyone else had said these words, Puyang Kui would have thought them cold-blooded, ruthless, and bloodthirsty, but Zhang Yang was different. When she spoke of killing, there was no contempt or disdain for the victims in her eyes, but rather pure indifference and disregard, devoid of personal emotion.

Or rather, she has no feelings at all.

Fan You also closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

"Qin Shiming is indeed up to no good."

At first, he didn't understand what Qin Huang meant by sending him away, and how she could allow Zhang Yang to take him away. Now he understood. He had unwittingly made Zhang Yang his Star Lord, which allowed him to temporarily escape the torment of the Stars' Descending Calamity, but he was also firmly bound to the other's side, tormenting each other. Either he would find a way to kill Zhang Yang and regain his freedom, or Zhang Yang would kill him one day.

Either way, it will benefit Qin Huang.

One move solves two problems.

Zhang Yang tilted his head in confusion, observing the two NPCs: "What are you two talking about? What do you think of my idea? This way we can get over a hundred people to fill the ranks without lifting a finger."

Fan You replied expressionlessly, "That's inappropriate; it will give us away."

Not to mention that Zhang Yang's mind isn't capable of such scheming and intrigue, even if it were, her personality wouldn't allow her to engage in such activities. Someone who constantly talks about fighting and killing, and is quick to threaten to wipe out everyone, would she have the patience to use her brain against someone?

Ha ha.

Fan You denied it, and Zhang Yang could only give an "oh" and give up.

Somewhat distressed, he turned his gaze to Puyang Kui.

Peach blossom eyes are inherently amorous, and Zhang Yang's troubles only added to their allure, vulnerability, and pitifulness—who wouldn't feel a pang of sympathy? But as soon as Puyang Kui considered the nature of the person who owned those eyes, all that remained in his mind was emptiness: "Will this be returned?"

Zhang Yang: "That's natural."

Humans can steal, but they can't borrow and not return!

Puyang Kui sighed and relented: "I'll lend it to you for a little while."

She agreed to lend the money not because of a honey trap, but because she thought Zhang Yang was an empty shell with no feelings—if Zhang Yang could think of substituting someone else for someone else, wouldn't he think of replacing her? Compared to a complete stranger, Zhang Yang had spent quite a few days with her and knew her to some extent.

It is far less difficult to impersonate her than to impersonate the deceased.

Sigh, let's just treat this as a temporary game of pretend.

As long as he can't make a splash in the end, Zhang Yang will behave himself.

Zhang Yang was completely bewildered.

Why did Puyang Kui, who just refused, agree to it now?

How can NPCs change their expressions faster than players?

To evade pursuers, the group had to avoid the main road and find a mountain cave to rest. But when Zhang Yang woke up the next day, he was bewildered. Outside the cave, a cold wind blew and snow fell, and everything in sight was white.

Zhang Dami, sitting at his feet, squinted comfortably.

He took a few quick steps and started rolling around in the snow.

"Why is it suddenly snowing?"