My lord, spare his life!

"What? You said Dongju was arrested?"

This news was a bolt from the blue for the county magistrate.

The magistrate stared wide-eyed in disbelief, grabbing the arm of Du Fang's confidant: "Who is this guy challenging us outside the city?"

Du Fang was the same Du Dongsu mentioned by the county magistrate, the military general whom Zhang Yang had miraculously captured. The county magistrate took in Du Fang partly because of their long-standing friendship, and partly because he recognized Du Fang's abilities.

I never expected Du Dongsu to be caught so easily.

"The general suddenly lost his son, and in a moment of carelessness..."

The magistrate said with a headache, "What's the use of saying all this now? If the invaders take the opportunity to incite the refugees outside the city to follow the example of the rebels and launch a riot to attack the city, even if we manage to hold it..."

"A riot and siege are unlikely."

"How so?"

"The man who captured the general was the newly appointed governor of Tianyue County."

"What newly appointed prefect of Tianyue?" The magistrate's voice rose slightly. "Where would a new prefect come from at this critical juncture?"

The former prefect passed away, and Tianyue Prefecture immediately reported the matter, appointing the former prefectural assistant to act in his place. More than half a year has passed, and the royal court has still not sent a new prefect. In fact, the death of the former prefect was related to the royal court. If it weren't for the royal court's intimidation and threats, the former prefect wouldn't have been so frightened by his guilty conscience that he became bedridden and died of a cold.

Du Fang's confidant said, "They were not sent by the royal court."

The magistrate was also a clever man.

Upon hearing this, he knew there was something wrong with the newly appointed prefect outside the city. If he wasn't appointed by the royal court, then it must be someone from another force. Considering the current situation, it was most likely one of the rebel armies. Thinking this, the magistrate's face darkened further: "What are they trying to do?"

Du Fang's confidants reported the truth.

Upon hearing Zhang Yang's order for the city officials to go outside the city for negotiations, the county magistrate hadn't yet reacted, but his subordinates couldn't sit still. They hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Absolutely not! If Your Excellency goes outside the city, wouldn't you be like a lamb entering a tiger's den? The rebel army is ruthless and extremely unpredictable. Once Your Excellency falls into their hands, your fate is uncertain!"

This isn't a discussion; it's a lie.

Throughout history, all conspiracies and schemes have been inseparable from two types of events.

One is a banquet, and the other is a meeting.

Du Dongsu has already been captured. If the county magistrate is also tricked and detained by the thieves, wouldn't everyone be at their mercy?

"How could I not know any of this?"

But he knew all too well that this rebel army was very close to Tianyue, and if he didn't cooperate, the rebels could use it as an excuse to attack the eight counties of Tianyue. Thinking of the cities these rebels had massacred, the magistrate was caught in a dilemma: "What should I do?"

The subordinate officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

Someone suggested that the county magistrate's assistant could go on behalf of the county magistrate.

The county magistrate was somewhat tempted.

He didn't want to deal with the brutal rebels, but he couldn't bring himself to push others to their deaths. So, he ruthlessly removed the county magistrate's seal from his waist: "I entrust it to the Prime Minister. If these bandits go back on their word, I will not return from this trip. You will all be under the Prime Minister's command in all matters."

The county government was in complete chaos, but Zhang Yang, outside the city, was completely unaware of it.

Her attention was now entirely on the military officer, staring at him like a child who had discovered an interesting toy.

Du Fang felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze.

After a long silence, Zhang Yang said, "Your injuries have healed very quickly."

After Du Fang began meditating, his health bar surged.

Whether it was his right hand, which had been shattered by the gold brick, or his left hand, whose palm had been pierced by a spear, not only had the bleeding stopped in a short time, but the wounds were also healing at a visible speed. Zhang Yang even saw a buff under Du Fang's health bar.

【Azure Dragon, Fang Constellation, Fang Sun Rabbit】

For some reason, Du Fang's face visibly turned ugly.

The system logs kept reminding Du Fang that her favorability had decreased by one.

Zhang Yang didn't care at all, examining Du Fang's right hand, which had returned to normal, as if it were a child playing with a new toy. Curious, he asked, "Why did your hand only have three fingers left, and why are there blackish-red scales?"

Du Fang clenched his back teeth, his cheek muscles tense.

He suppressed and restrained his overwhelming hatred.

The name on his head also kept flashing between yellow and green.

Fan You pushed the wheelchair over: "My lord."

If Zhang Yang continued his "provocation," Du Fang would either self-destruct or commit suicide. He spoke, successfully diverting Zhang Yang's attention: "If my lord has any questions, just ask me."

Zhang Yang: "You know?"

Fan You laughed angrily: "How do you know I don't know if my lord doesn't ask?"

Zhang Yang thought about it and agreed.

"Oh, you can be covered in scales too?"

Why do the NPCs here have such obvious animalistic features? Zhang Yang suspected that he had accidentally discovered a hidden storyline in the homestead side quest—could the NPCs in the homestead side quest map be modified humans injected with plant and animal genes after the post-apocalyptic wasteland?

It's not impossible.

Fan You: "This kind of change only occurs within the realm of the Four Symbols."

His original star belonged to the Three Enclosures.

Even if one changes allegiance, one can only choose from the three gates.

The stars belong to the Four Symbols. Cultivating to a certain level allows one to transform a portion of their body into a beast, with seven levels in total, each significantly boosting combat power. Reaching the seventh level allows one to attract the possession of the Four Symbols. The Fang constellation symbolizes the dragon's belly; therefore, the first part of Du Fang to transform should be the torso, followed by other parts. The arms belong to the "forelegs," meaning Du Fang has at least two levels of transformation.

How could someone be defeated by a gold brick?

Fan You also felt it was somewhat outrageous.

"Can you transform by shouting 'Armed'?"

"To be precise, it's called 'Starry Sky Armament'."

Zhang Yangrui commented, "Oh, I get it. It's like having to shout out the skill name before unleashing a powerful attack—it's an old-fashioned aesthetic. Doesn't it feel awkward? It sounds so stupid."

She has also encountered many players who announce the name when using skills.

It is said that this makes it more ceremonial.

Fan You: "..."

One sentence offended the three military officers present.

Zhang Yang then asked, "The Four Symbols govern this as 'Constellation Armaments,' do the Three Enclosures also have some kind of armed force?"

Fan You: "..."

He felt offended as well.

Fortunately, the sound of the drawbridge lowering interrupted his fleeting thought of patricide. From the direction of the city gate, an official in blue robes and a dozen or so soldiers braved the wind and snow to leave the city. Upon seeing the commotion, the refugees, disregarding their fear, immediately swarmed onto the drawbridge.

More than a dozen accompanying soldiers drew their swords and it took them a while to drive the refugees away, returning them to their previous standoff.

The official in blue robes dismounted.

He was surprised that Zhang Yang's side only had so few people, but he quickly recovered and stepped forward to bow.

"Which one of you is the magistrate?"

Fan You moved the wheelchair backward, making Zhang Yang's presence more prominent.

Zhang Yang looked him up and down.

"Are you the local official?"

"That's right, Your Excellency."

"The calamity is severe, and refugees are fleeing from outside the city. Why don't you open the granaries and distribute food to alleviate the people's hunger and cold?" Zhang Yang raised his head, his imposing aura commanding respect. "Do you know how many people died in the past two days? How dare you call yourself a 'parent official' with such behavior? If you are a 'parent official,' you are supposed to be the father of the people under your jurisdiction, but what father in the world would stand by and watch his child freeze to death outside his home, naked and without proper clothing!"