My lord, spare his life!

"Coo coo".

The unfamiliar bird tilted its head and hopped a couple of steps on the perch.

Seeing that the guard's pet hadn't eaten the birdseed from the basket, the strange bird flew and hopped to the other side of the perch, continuing to tilt its head and peer closer. Although it was about the same height as the guard's pet, it looked plump and rounder, quite large.

"Coo coo coo coo coo".

The bird's claws rhythmically trod on the perch.

His voice also carried a hint of anxiety and urging.

Finally, the guard's beloved pet cautiously approached to peck at the food.

The Imperial City's garrison commander: "..."

Why does this falcon sound like a pigeon?

Once the basket of birdseed was empty, the strange bird raised its wing, patted the guard's pet on the head, cooed a few times, and then flew away. Before leaving, it glanced in the guard's direction and nodded slightly as a greeting, showing it was quite well-mannered.

The Imperial City garrison commander immediately recognized the falcon as a Star Beast, and one approaching adulthood at that. These Star Beasts are extremely sensitive to their surroundings; even the slightest movement can provoke their rage, easily harming innocent bystanders. She observed it closely, avoiding any approach that might cause tension or misunderstanding, until the bird flew far away. Only then did she approach her beloved pet and inquire in detail, "What did it feed you?"

There is also a competitive and hostile relationship between the star beasts.

Food scarcity means energy scarcity, and for star beasts about to reach adulthood, energy is as vital as life itself. All star beasts, to varying degrees, exhibit food guarding; it's in their nature. Actively sharing food would actually go against their instincts.

unless--

This star beast is either extremely powerful or has a wealthy owner.

Food was so plentiful that it forcibly reversed the instinct to guard food.

The pet answered crisply, "Delicious, delicious."

The guard looked embarrassed and flicked his finger, but the bird dodged it: "You ungrateful little thing, I save up food for you every day, and I try my best to hunt and feed you anything you want to eat. And you, you never say a word about how delicious it is."

If a strange bird shares some food with it, does it forget its roots?

The guard didn't argue with it much, but just told it to be more careful and not to eat birdseed from unfamiliar birds.

The pet turned its head away and began to play dumb.

The garrison commander: "..."

The old mother who raised it with so much care couldn't compete with a basket of birdseed—it's outrageous! The guard chuckled and ruffled its feathers, which angered his beloved pet, who then began frantically cleaning itself.

Under normal circumstances, star beasts will avoid humans.

Especially the young star beasts that have not yet reached adulthood.

The fact that it showed itself and then ignored her means that the strange bird not only had an owner, but that owner was not an ordinary person.

The garrison commander muttered, "They must be under the command of Magistrate Zhang."

It's also possible that it was a bird raised by Magistrate Zhang himself.

"...He's just gotten a little chubby."

The star beast was so fat that it was clear it not only had enough energy to overcome the barrier to adulthood, but also had plenty.

"Have you gained weight?"

"Where have you gained weight?"

That's an exaggeration.

Zhang Yang picked up Zhang Dagu, who had just returned from his outing, and weighed him in his hands. He was indeed a bit heavier than last time, but not by much: "Do you even know what it means to 'always feel indebted' in love?"

Zhang Dagu has to conduct reconnaissance by plane during the day, which takes a lot of effort.

How can we work if we don't eat our fill?

Guan Si's immediate request for Zhang Dagu to go on a diet was utterly baffling. Zhang Dagu nestled into Zhang Yang's arms, resting her head on his shoulder, making gurgling noises in her throat, looking utterly weak and boneless. This scene made Guan Si's blood pressure rise. He closed his eyes and restrained himself, ultimately suppressing the urge to snatch the beast away and pluck its feathers with boiling water.

"A star beast nearing adulthood..."

"In a mother's eyes, her child is never a child."

"They're likely to grow up with a fat head and big ears..."

Zhang Yang: "..."

She looked at Zhang Dagu, and Zhang Dagu looked at her in return.

The next second, the loving mother pushed it away with both hands. Its somewhat horizontally growing body drew an arc like a ball, and with a soft thud, it landed steadily in the arms of its former master, Guan Si.

Both the bird and the person were stunned for a second.

Zhang Yang's expressions change as easily as turning the pages of a book.

He said coldly, "Go on a diet, go skip a couple of meals."

She certainly possessed a motherly heart, but at the same time, she also had an unattainable aesthetic sense, akin to that of the goddess Nuwa. While chubby pets were undeniably cute, the greasy, overweight human figures challenged her aesthetic sensibilities. It's worth noting that Zhang Yang meticulously crafted every face she sculpted, and her figures, regardless of gender, were always fit and well-proportioned, featuring muscular, lean, handsome men and beautiful women.

Zhang Dagu's feathers were about to stand on end, but its despicable former master, Guan Si, grabbed its wings, preventing it from escaping.

That night, Zhang Dagu wasn't the only one forced to lose weight.

Zhang Dami and Zhang Damiao were sleeping sprawled out when someone picked them up by their hind legs and pinched their limbs repeatedly. Zhang Yang noticed that their muscles were indeed losing muscle mass, so he put them on a diet.

Oh no, forced dieting.

"Awoo awoo awoo—"

That night, no matter how pitiful Zhang Dami and his two beasts screamed, they could not shake Zhang Yang's heart of stone in the slightest.

Wang Qi woke up to find that Zhang Da Miao had fallen out of favor.

He laughed and scolded, "You little beast, your new master has a new lover already?"

Upon learning that he had been forced to lose weight, Wang Qi's lips twitched violently, his curiosity piqued: "No matter what I said before, the mountain spirit wouldn't listen to a word. How come it suddenly changed its mind overnight?"

Guan Si: "I said that if the Star Beast accumulates too much energy and transforms into human form in the future, it might become a fat man with a big head and big ears..."

"...The mountain spirit is truly heartless."

Just because he's fat, he'll change his mind?

After the troops were divided, the main army set off, while Wang Qi was left behind.

The commander of the Imperial City then saw Wang Qi suddenly looking at his reflection in the water.

Feeling that his knowledge had recently improved significantly, he happened to meet Guan Zong and stopped him to ask, "Who is fatter, I or Guan Siyin of the Eastern Prefecture?"

Guan Zong: "..."

I always feel that if I give the wrong answer, my neck will be in danger.

The task of Lu Yuan and his group was to buy time.

This task wasn't difficult for Lü Yuan. If Zhang Yang had asked her to delay for thirty or fifty days, she definitely wouldn't have been able to continue, but delaying for three to five days was easy. Guan Zong asked his sworn sister about her plans, and Lü Yuan had some wine prepared.

Guan Zong: "Good wine?"

Lu Yuan said, "You can't invite someone for drinks if you're going to offer them inferior wine."

Guan Zong's expression shifted, and he couldn't help but ask, "Ba Feng, do you really think the other side also has someone you... had a fleeting romance with?"

"Why isn't it there?"

Guan Zong: "..."

Lu Yuan laughed heartily, "My godmother understands me best. She took He Feiye away on her own initiative, which makes things easier for me."

Guan Zong: "..."

He was certain that Zhang Yang did not have this idea.

He Zhi was taken away simply because he knew about the situation in the mountains.

"Although you're grown up now, and I can't control you much, there's something you need to know..." After much deliberation, he pulled Lü Yuan aside. "Fan Shuyan doesn't want our lord to become more enlightened, so you should tone down your philandering ways. Besides, our lord is determined to conquer the mountain prefectures; he can't possibly kill everyone. Tell me, if our lord takes in one, that one becomes your philandering sin. Is that appropriate?"

Lu Yuan nodded: "Xiu Ying also mentioned that."

Guan Zong said irritably, "...She's not much better."

Fan You's first hint and warning was to Xiao Xiuying.

Lu Yuan said, "I know what I'm doing. Now that the children are growing up, and I can't kill He Feiye, I naturally have to settle down. Wine and women lead to ruin, and I'm already preparing to quit drinking... oh no, I mean quitting women. This time is just to see an old friend and catch up."

Honestly, she never thought of it that way.

The enemy is right in front of us; who would want to roll around with the enemy for no reason?

Lu Yuan laughed and said, "We'll just drink and not talk about sex."

She also has principles.

Guan Zong believed it.

Lü Yuan led over five hundred men, carrying more than a hundred jars of fine wine, and went to seek out the troops of Zongren County. Before he could get close, he was stopped by two scout teams. Lü Yuan smiled, presented his name card, and explained his purpose.

The scout hurriedly relayed the message back.

This surprised both the chieftains of Zongren County and Bodu County.

"What is Lü Bafeng trying to do?"

How many people did she bring?

"Only five hundred or so people? Is she just asking for trouble?"

Upon hearing that Lu Yuan had brought not only over five hundred people but also hundreds of jars of fine wine, the crowd exchanged bewildered glances. The summons presented to them contained nothing more than a request for drinks, further escalating the awkward atmosphere in the tent. All eyes lingered on two particular individuals.

Should we drink this wine or not?

"It seems that drinking was a pretense, and the real intention was to persuade him to surrender."

They didn't believe that Lu Yuan had brought about 500 men to launch a sneak attack. Those 500 men weren't even a match for their 10,000-strong force; daring to harbor such thoughts was suicidal. They guessed Lu Yuan had only two intentions: one, to drink; two, to persuade them to surrender.

And then think about Lu Yuan's mouth—

"Is she planning to get him drunk before trying to persuade him to surrender?"

Someone roared in anger: "What does she think the battlefield is! We have received favors from our lord, and we would never associate with her, let alone betray him. Let her take her wine and go back to where she came from!"

"But if you don't take a look, you'll only make yourself look foolish."

"We should also know what kind of medicine the Eight Winds Gourd is selling."

Lu Yuan only has a little over five hundred men at most; what kind of threat can she pose? Once she arrives on their territory with those five hundred men, their lives will be in their hands. Regardless of Lu Yuan's intentions, let's send her over first, and then we can ambush and capture her.

Why drive people away?

On the contrary, it makes it seem like someone is trying to cover something up.

So, unsurprisingly, Lü Yuan arrived with his entourage.

She brought only a few trusted guards, but was met by a group of familiar faces in full armor and weapons. She remained calm and composed, gesturing for everyone to sit down, as if it were a private matter: "Why make such a big fuss? It's making me quite nervous."

"Eight Winds!"

"The wine, buried for over a decade, is perfectly preserved."

These fine wines naturally didn't belong to Lü Yuan; they were confiscated from Zhang Yang's home. Zhang Yang knew how to drink, but she only drank strong liquor. These wines were too cloudy and bland for her. Therefore, they all had to be stored away.

"What are you doing here, acting crazy?"

Why the sudden attack on Zongzheng County?

The questions asked by the individuals were all different.

But their questions can also be answered all at once.

Lu Yuan rested his chin on his hand, frowning, and said, "So many questions, where should I begin to answer? Why attack Zongzheng County? Naturally, it's because I feel there are too many people who can make decisions on this land. If everyone disagrees, they'll start fighting, and fighting back and forth might not even yield a result. Wouldn't it be better to fight it out once and for all, and bring down someone who can truly make decisions? Wouldn't that save us a lot of trouble?"

"Just because of this?"

Lu Yuan said, "It's just because of this."

"...Arrogant."

"The last Zongzheng County that called me arrogant is gone. If you gentlemen think I pose no threat, why gather your forces here? Wouldn't it be easier to just stay home and wait for me to come and visit?"

"You only led a little over five hundred men. If you die—"

His troops were immediately leaderless.

Lu Yuan sneered: "You're not even as good as a mad dog; she could guess part of the truth. If I were truly the mastermind, why would I risk coming here? It's because there are always people more capable than you, and mountains beyond mountains. You gentlemen are in the mountains, yet you can't see the true face of Mount Lu."

Everyone: "..."

Lu Yuan laughed and said, "Drink up, this is a rare and excellent wine."

"So...you're here to persuade them to surrender?"

None of them asked who the mountain behind Lu Yuan was.

"Half and half, mainly because I can drink." Why not take advantage of a chance to eat on public funds? This time, Lu Yuan was on a business trip, and all her travel expenses were reimbursed, including the alcohol. Brewing alcohol consumes grain, which is precious and scarce, so even when she was under the command of the archery target, she couldn't drink to her heart's content. "Drinking alone is boring; it's much more fun drinking with familiar people..."

Everyone: "..."

Since Lu Yuan admitted she was there to "persuade" him to surrender, she naturally had to promote her adoptive mother to make the performance convincing. Her adoptive mother was young and not particularly cunning, but she was incredibly wealthy. In chaotic times, everyone was just trying to make a living, so it was better to follow someone rich, generous, and good-natured than some old fogies. Plus, her adoptive mother was beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

She felt comfortable every time she saw her adoptive mother.

I can talk to my stepmother all day without getting tired, but I feel nauseous after being in the same room with the old woman for half an hour. It's practically a work-related injury.

She wanted nothing more than to lavish praise on Zhang Yang's wealth and good looks in the most elegant and refined style. A person's joy shines through their eyes and cannot be faked. This scene left the officials of the two prefectures exchanging bewildered glances.

"How superficial! You don't talk about your lord's civil and military achievements, only her looks and wealth? Lü Bafeng, are you crazy or am I?"

"Money and looks aren't enough? That's enough for me." Lu Yuan's face was slightly flushed, his eyes seemed to be misty, and his smile revealed a bit of naivety. "You guys are blind to talent."

Everyone: "..."

Lu Yuan continued to urge, "Drink, drink, think as you drink."

She had no intention of going back.

Pure drinking, pure praise.

Even Zhang Yang's promises were revealed—how do you know that your adoptive mother, a humble woman, is going to buy her the Red Hare of Red Hare?

Those waiting outside the tent saw their commander raise his cup heavily several times, then shove the wine into his mouth and drink it all down.

How to put it—

If Lu Yuan could keep quiet, his murderous intent wouldn't have flickered.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Zhang Yang divided her troops and borrowed a route from the capital city to bypass the troops of the two prefectures. However, this increased the distance and made the army's rapid march even more burdensome. She entrusted the troops to Fan You and Guan Si for temporary command, while she led Zhe Meng, riding on Zhang Da Gu's back, to go ahead. Zhe Meng went to deceive people, while she went to steal grain.

I'm taking my parents to get mammograms done on Monday. _(:3」∠)_

Waking up early for two days in a row, ugh, a nightmare for people with low energy.