My lord, spare his life!

"Stepmother—"

Zhe Meng pulled his spear from the corpse's chest and rushed towards Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang, panting as she leaned against the flagpole, couldn't help but straighten her back slightly upon hearing the call, a mechanical, indifferent smile playing on her lips as she tried hard not to show any weakness in front of her child. The observational data suggests that even the slightest vulnerability from parents, the pillars of the family, could erode their towering and majestic image in their children's eyes.

Zhang Yang didn't take it seriously at the time.

I only realized this truth after becoming a parent myself.

This is probably what they call "pretending to be dead".

He reprimanded her gently, "Why are you running in such a hurry?"

Wang Qi, standing to the side: "..."

When did the Mountain Spirit start acting like that pretentious He Ning? She's clearly exhausted, yet she stubbornly refuses to sit down and rest, and now she's trying to act like nothing's wrong. Also, when did Zhe Meng become the Mountain Spirit's adopted daughter? When did she become her sworn sister?

Wang Qi glanced downwards and said sarcastically, "Tch, at least she can run a couple of steps. You try running one!"

If it weren't for the skirt armor covering her legs, you could definitely see her swaying legs.

"I just wasn't paying attention and exhausted myself. I'm not crippled, so why can't I run?" Zhang Yang admitted that she had been a bit careless and forgot that stamina consumption would be accelerated under excessive load. When she came to her senses, her stamina had already crossed the danger threshold.

Sixteen years of experience in the gaming world had instilled in her the rule that "low stamina and fainting make one more likely to appear on the black market." Therefore, she stopped without hesitation.

They did not continue to carry the banner and chase after those with bad names.

Little did she know that her choice brought some comfort to Fan Yousheng.

While our lord may have acted rashly, he wasn't truly reckless; he knew not to pursue a cornered enemy relentlessly. Tonight's night raid was a resounding success; the enemy was caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance of the imperial banner, losing all their supplies and provisions. Unable to return to Zongren County and without logistical support, they faced two choices: either escape the surveillance of the Imperial City and risk fleeing towards Jiuhe to seek refuge with other forces in the mountains, or flee to Bodu County and submit to Zhang Yang. Those leading the troops who considered the former had to assess whether they could quell a mutiny, and those who chose Bodu had to consider Bodu's current precarious situation.

Perhaps no sooner had we passed by than Zhang Yang's army besieged the city.

They had to flee in panic again.

But if you choose the last one—

Fan You said the time was not yet right.

There are always some people who won't shed a tear until they see the coffin; they'll always cling to foolish wishful thinking until they're forced into a corner with no way out.

Fan You: "Greetings, my lord."

Lu Yuan arrived late: "Greetings, Godmother."

Zhang Yang glanced up and saw that she only had a small amount of health left. Knowing that Lu Yuan was also exhausted, he invited her to sit down and rest: "Call a military doctor to come and stop the bleeding."

Lu Yuan wiped the blood from his face, which had not yet dried: "No need for a medic to come. It's just a minor injury; it will heal on its own."

Even minor injuries should not be taken lightly.

Lu Yuan's health bar was indeed gradually recovering, and the recovery speed was getting faster and faster, but this did not mean that the wounds could be ignored. There were still several negative status effects hanging below her health bar, two of which were poison. Even if the poison could be decomposed by her own star power, with the intervention of the military doctor to detoxify, every little bit of recovery could be faster.

Lu Yuan accepted Zhang Yang's kindness.

The military doctor arrived shortly afterward with his medicine kit.

Lu Yuan directly removed her upper body armor, including her breastplate and shoulder guards, in front of everyone. She tore off the sleeves, which were soaked with sweat and blood and smelled foul, revealing a gruesome wound on her shoulder. While the medic cleaned the wound, she sat on a small stool, bit open the cork of her water bottle, took a sip to moisten her throat, and casually asked, "I only learned from the 'rabid dog' comment that we haven't yet celebrated the birth of my godmother's son. How come I haven't heard a word about such a joyous occasion?"

"You naturally don't know what happened a couple of days ago."

"Is it because the adoptive mother and the rabid dog are compatible?" Surely it's not just the lord talking to himself and forcibly taking her in as an adopted daughter again, is it?

"The rabid dog asked me about his military achievements, so I accepted them."

Ritsumoto: "..."

She was so frightened that her eyes widened.

Looking at Zhang Yang with disbelief, then at Zhe Meng, his eyes clearly saying—Zhe Meng, are you having a rabies attack? Zhe Meng stood guard behind Zhang Yang with his arms crossed, listening to Lu Yuan's several veiled, sour questions, inwardly sneering. When he received a look from Lu Yuan, Zhe Meng glared back at him directly. Good things can be taken by anyone, even one's adoptive mother.

What are you staring at?

Why should Lü Bafeng be allowed to have it all by himself?

Lu Yuan and Zhe Meng had been close friends for years, so she naturally knew what that look meant. Because she understood, she was even more speechless. Zhe Meng was just a rabid dog, not a real dog, so why was he acting like one and trying to steal food?

They even used military merit as leverage.

It's really—

That's really shameless.

The stepmother, being easily swayed, actually agreed.

Lu Yuan was lost in her own thoughts, silently enduring the burning pain in her shoulder. Besides this wound, she also lifted her clothes to make it easier for the military doctor to treat the penetrating wound in her lower back.

Other areas have shallow wounds, so there's no need to waste military doctors' energy.

Wounded soldiers, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, were treated and saved if possible—because Zhang Yang was not short of food at the moment, and naturally would not kill prisoners due to food shortages, prioritizing his own troops over food supplies. Against this backdrop, medical resources in the army were still extremely strained. Lu Yuan took a clean shirt from his personal guard and put it on.

"Where is He Feiye?"

Fan You said, "He led a group of men to chase after the remnants of the army."

Wang Qi: "Isn't it said that you shouldn't pursue a cornered enemy?"

Fan You laughed and said, "It's not really a chase, it's more like a pursuit. We'll symbolically catch up a couple of steps to control the direction of the fleeing remnants and make them more dispersed so that it will be easier for us to gather them up and gradually annihilate them."

So-called enemies are like domesticated poultry.

They're terrified while running, but if they realize no one is chasing them, they'll stop and gradually regroup with their companions. In these situations, sustained intimidation is necessary to prolong the control of fear over the brain.

Wang Qi sneered: "Fancy and frivolous."

Rather than "don't pursue a cornered enemy," he preferred to eliminate them completely.

To say that one shouldn't pursue an enemy with nowhere to run, leaving them some leeway to prevent them from turning on one's prey in desperation, is frankly a sign of weakness and soft-heartedness. If he were in command, he would not only pursue but also kill the enemy, lest the tiger be released back into the mountains!

Fan You did not engage in any further arguments with him.

No one noticed Lu Yuan's expression.

Intuition told Lu Yuan that He Zhi's gentleness was far from merely a symbolic gesture. This man was extremely vengeful!

Reality has confirmed her suspicions.

The tactic of the banner falling from the sky not only caught Fan You off guard but also stunned the enemy general. Even though he had broken through the encirclement, his mind was still like a rusty gear, working slowly. It wasn't until a night wind blew against his face, and the cold seeped into the back of his neck through the gaps in his armor, that he suddenly shuddered and regained his senses.

"General, what should we do now?"

He said, "There's no going back to Zongren County..."

The only way to go back is to fight back.

But now they have lost most of their supplies and provisions, and their troops are exhausted. How can they possibly return before Zhang Yang's army and seize the city? He sat on his horse, letting it carry him through the pitch-black night, his mind a jumble: "We can't return to Zongren County, and Bodu is likely doomed too..."

The only way out is within the surveillance area of ​​the Imperial City.

This situation made him feel frustrated.

"General, the enemy is catching up again—"

"What?"

That persistent, menacing shout of killing rang out once more.

The battle cries were remarkably unified, as if a thousand voices were emanating from a single mouth, and the morale of a thousand soldiers stemmed from one body. The voices were loud and resonant, covering a wide area, and the resulting psychological pressure was extremely powerful.

These pursuers were extremely hateful, stopping every two steps.

It looked just like a wicked cat playing with a mouse.

The soldiers' morale was low.

Now, with no clear shared destination and flags scattered about, his troops were severely scattered, their numbers decreasing by more than 30% after several such incidents. This number was still growing, and if it happened again, the percentage might rise to 50%.

Fortunately, the elite troops around him were preserved intact.

"What a bluff!" He gritted his teeth in anger, the image on the map flashing through his mind. He thought, "Once we get past this place, the terrain will open up considerably. If the thieves dare to pursue us, we can set up a battle formation to meet them."

Tonight can only be described as chaotic.

Not only was things chaotic on his side, but things were also chaotic on the thieves' side.

The two groups of people did not seem to have communicated a battle plan in advance at all—the two groups of people were dressed differently, and he even saw that when the two groups of people came into contact, they almost drew their swords to kill each other—in addition, there was that ridiculous banner that fell from the sky, which made both groups of soldiers go crazy and lose control. He guessed that the enemy probably did not expect the subsequent developments tonight, so it was impossible for them to have set up an ambush along the way in advance.

Even without an ambush, we can still put up a fight by setting up a battle formation, at least enough to deter the thieves from continuing their cat-and-mouse game.

That's what he thought.

And so they believed it.

Just as his remaining troops were barely forming ranks and his mind relaxed slightly, a cold arrow, clear and indistinguishable from the night, silently left the bowstring. The arrow pierced the air without a sound, unnoticed by anyone, until it pierced his heart, at which point the wounded man noticed.

He looked down in shock and saw a transparent arrowhead, its outline stained with blood, piercing through his left chest.

Realizing he had been tricked and ambushed, he clenched his teeth in rage, the sound of them grinding together echoing through the air. His heavy breathing was agonizing, his lips trembling uncontrollably from the pain, and the veins on his forehead bulged, appearing menacing and terrifying in the flickering torchlight. Trembling, he raised his hand, snapped the arrow shaft in two, and pulled it out. Blood gushed forth, the remaining starlight mingling with foul, malevolent energy, gushing wildly from the wound, filling the gap.

It looks like it's about to get blocked...

The guards around him also realized what was happening.

"Enemy attack—"

Several guards surrounded him.

However, the archers in the shadows acted even faster.

The second, transparent arrow pierced one of the guards with a soft thud, its blood splattering precisely into the back of his hand, pinning it to his waist and abdomen. He slumped on his horse, coughing up blood, and weakly said, "Quick, get away from here immediately—"

The enemy's battle cries rang out once again.

Only after they escorted the bleeding general to safety did a force of several hundred men hastily arrive. The leading general was none other than a former member of the Zongzheng Commandery who had been captured along with Zhe Meng. His wounds from the previous battle had mostly healed, and seeing the opportune moment, he disregarded his reserve and joined the fight, earning a small victory. He leaped off his horse with swift and powerful movements, but suddenly seemed to sense something, abruptly raising his eyes to gaze at the lone pine tree atop the distant mountainside.

A figure stood silently on it.

He Zhi wore soft armor inside and a scholar's robe outside, and held a longbow in his hand.

Even a scholar with simple hands possesses the archery skill to shoot such cold arrows.

A hazy, ghostly figure floated behind him. As the figure came into view, the blood-red eyes of the dark, misty head silently closed, returning to its host body. He Zhi leaped down, using a few strokes to descend the mountain. Seeing this, the general instinctively retreated.

He Zhi has murderous intent towards me.

In the blink of an eye, that murderous intent vanished without a trace.

He swallowed hard, his scalp tingling, wondering what he had done to offend He Zhi—this wasn't the first time He Zhi had harbored murderous intent towards him; the last time was the same, He Zhi clearly wanted to kill him, not force him to surrender—and he had no idea what the unfortunate fellow had done to offend He Zhi. Besides, He Zhi had been imprisoned by Lu Yuan for so many years; they shouldn't have had the time or opportunity to form a feud. Even if there had been friction before, it wouldn't have reached the point of a life-or-death struggle.

He subconsciously lowered his voice, trying to ignore He Zhi's fleeting murderous intent. What good would it do for He Zhi to harbor such intent? They were on the same side now, they were one of their own! He Zhi had killed him for no reason; their lord wouldn't let him get away with it: "Should we still chase after him?"

"Not for now, he won't survive, let him die first."

Good military doctors are extremely rare. He Zhi's troops first raided the tent where the military doctors were located, capturing those who could be captured alive. That guy had no medicine, no military doctor, and his heart meridian was being eroded by yin energy. He had also been seriously injured by his lord earlier. If he could still live like that, He Zhi might as well change his surname to that guy's.

Military general: "Lord He's archery skills are truly divine."

This fellow is a vengeful spirit who has descended from the heavens!

Silent, colorless, and without a sound—it's so insidious!

"You saw it?"

"I saw him... I didn't see him."

The treacherous scholar before me is a perfect candidate for assassination.

He Zhi sneered: "It doesn't matter if we see it."

The military officer, after careful consideration, humbly sought guidance, even using a rather modest self-reference: "This humble general has a question. Do I have any old grudge against you, sir? You seem to have some reservations about me..."

"We serve the same lord together, so we are comrades-in-arms. How could there be any discord? I have no complaints about you. Just do your duty." He Zhi spoke calmly with a calm expression, but the military officers listening to him felt no calmness at all.

He was still worried that He Zhi, that treacherous and despicable scholar, might one day launch a sneak attack on him from somewhere and deliver a cold arrow.

No rush, he'll find out the truth eventually.

Before dawn, Zhang Yang saw the enemy general's corpse.

It was a complete corpse, not a severed head.

Zhang Yang exclaimed in surprise, "So it was you who took his head!"

She recognized the man lying dead at a glance.

Last night, due to her severely weakened physical condition, she was forced to miss her target. She thought the target was going to escape, but unexpectedly, she still failed. Zhang Yang looked with satisfaction at the surrendered generals who had joined Zhe Meng.

He's just as considerate and brave as Zhe Meng.

Do you also want to adopt a godmother?

At this moment, Lu Yuan intervened: "Although this person has many wounds, the truly fatal one is not those, but the arrow wound to the heart."

She looked at He Zhi through the crowd.

He Zhi hated her like a ghost.

His stare made her scalp tingle.

? ?|??w?`)

I failed to update my blog. I woke up this morning with a stiff neck that wasn't relieved. I felt like I couldn't move my neck at all, and the area between my ear and neck was twitching like it was having a cramp.

PS: I'll try again tomorrow.