My lord, spare his life!

"Those damned bastards—"

The Imperial City garrison commander smashed the table into dust with a single palm strike.

At this moment, the thought of the current situation filled her with rage, and veins bulged on her forehead. Upon learning of the danger to the Imperial Throne City, she immediately bid farewell to Lu Yuan and led her troops back to its aid. Due to the city's unique terrain, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even with a small force remaining, holding the pass until reinforcements could return was a breeze—it wasn't unheard of for enemies to lure their troops out of the city before launching a surprise attack, yet the Imperial Throne City remained unmoved.

As she expected, the defenses of the Imperial City were sound.

However, she did not expect the enemy to change their tactics.

The Imperial City is isolated, and its biggest problems are food and water.

Because of the generous "commission" given by Lu Yuan, Dizuo City immediately purchased grain, filling its granaries, and also replaced weapons, repaired armor, and reinforced city gates for its brothers and sisters. Therefore, Dizuo City did not face the predicament of running out of ammunition and food in the short term.

The only loophole that can be exploited is the drinking water.

The Imperial City is situated on high ground, making it difficult and easy to expose oneself when drawing water from the lake. Therefore, the soldiers in the city rely on well water and rainwater for drinking. Scattered across the mountain are wells of various sizes dug over the years, and there are two man-made reservoirs at the rear of the city. These reservoirs are actually small artificial lakes specifically designed to collect rainwater.

The soldiers on guard had priority to drink well water.

We only drink rainwater when the well water dries up.

We'll risk using lake water only if we run out of rainwater.

Normally, the Imperial Throne City's water supply system is quite safe, and extreme situations are unlikely. However, the enemy changed their tactics, and the Imperial Throne City's defenses were weak recently, giving the enemy an opportunity. The artificial lake was poisoned, and the hidden wells were tampered with. The soldiers in the city suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, their limbs were weak, and their defenses could not be sustained, almost allowing the enemy to breach the city gates.

The garrison commander turned back into the city by waterway, and only then was he able to hold it.

She first checked the newly purchased grain.

Only after confirming that there were no problems with the food supply did they proceed to check the water source.

As a result, all forty-nine wells on the mountain, whether frequently used or secretly hidden away as backups, were poisoned. The men sent by the garrison commander also discovered a large amount of pollution at the bottom of two artificial lakes, and it was these pollution sources that dispelled the garrison commander's suspicion that spies had infiltrated the city to poison the water.

The defending general initially guessed that it was an enemy star beast.

This was also confirmed by their own star beasts.

The lieutenant general angrily retorted: "...It's because the men left behind were too lax. Why didn't we give the enemy this opportunity before?"

The enemy raided their home as soon as they left.

The patrolling guards were completely unaware of these enemy actions?

The defending general succinctly pointed out the crux of the problem: "Previously, they were being watched by eagle eyes, so naturally they had no opportunity to strike."

The "clairvoyant" she mentioned was her beloved pet.

As a reconnaissance star beast, the Thousand-Mile Eye possesses an extremely wide detection range and is far more sensitive to unfamiliar auras than humans. Once an unfamiliar aura appears near the Imperial Throne City, the Thousand-Mile Eye can detect it. Deceiving the Thousand-Mile Eye is exceptionally difficult.

Without the all-seeing eye, the Imperial City is no longer flawless.

How could the enemy know that the clairvoyant wasn't there?

Imperial Throne City Garrison Commander: [...]

There is absolutely no need to ask this question.

The others also realized what was happening, and their faces turned ashen.

Yes, others might not immediately think of this, but the forces that have been eyeing the Imperial Throne City with longing are different. After receiving intelligence that Zhang Yang's subordinates had Imperial Throne City involved, their first thought would be that the Imperial Throne City's defenses are not impenetrable, which is exactly the opportunity they could exploit.

Poisoning the water source was an expected action.

Humans cannot live without food, let alone water. As long as this lifeline is firmly controlled, the surrender of the Imperial Throne City is only a matter of time. They even deduced from the sudden increase in the city's defenses that the Imperial Throne City has a secret route connecting it to the outside world.

Enemy strategist: [How did Chao Xiaoyu manage to return? No one knows! Whether by heaven or earth, the waterways are tightly sealed off… As long as she's alive, she should be on the path of the living; she couldn't have just appeared out of thin air in the Imperial Throne City.]

Therefore, there is only one answer.

It's most likely underwater.

Only underwater can it evade close surveillance.

The enemy's strategist suspected that Chao Tan, that madman, had dug through the mountain and built a tunnel leading directly down to the foot of the mountain in the Imperial Throne City, then returned to the city via a secret waterway. With this suspicion in mind, the strategist ordered his men to dive and search for the entrance, but after a day they found nothing.

Others on the enemy side are worried.

If there really were a road in the Imperial City that led directly to the bottom of the lake, wouldn't it be incredibly convenient for them to fetch water? Our solution—

The enemy strategist said: "Let's test the waters first."

Currently, it appears that Imperial City is indeed facing a severe water shortage.

There's no sign of rain in the near future, so it seems that the Imperial City's strategy of playing a defensive, turtling game won't work.

In order to put more pressure on the Imperial City, the attacks continued.

In addition to these, there is also a small gift.

These small gifts were the source of Chao Tan's fury.

Corpse!

A highly decomposed corpse!

The autopsies revealed that none of these bodies died of natural causes, but rather from disease, specifically an epidemic. The location of these bodies was also remarkably coincidental; they were all found near the well in the Imperial City. This was a blatant mockery, and Chao Tan was thoroughly enraged.

But even with such a provocation, she didn't act rashly.

Chao made it clear what the enemy wanted.

The enemy wants her to act rashly in a fit of anger, turning defense into offense. If she loses her temper, the defenders of the Imperial Capital will also be affected. At that point, increased casualties will shake the morale of the city's troops, compounded by the looming water crisis—

Chao Tan was absolutely right when he called the other side a "turtle grandson".

Despite his anger, Chao Tan remained calm.

Reason told her the best solution wasn't to proactively engage the enemy, but to hold her ground until either Lü Yuan or Bo Yuanjun were free to send reinforcements. Compared to life and death, what was this petty squabble? Ha, it was insignificant. She suppressed her anger.

"Burn these corpses." Those who possess the power of the Stars of Destruction have resistance, and ordinary plagues cannot harm them, but there are also completely ordinary people inside the Imperial City. Once infected with the plague, in a city lacking medical care and medicine, their chances of survival are slim.

"Wait until nightfall, then send the clairvoyant to deliver the message."

As a star beast born for reconnaissance, the Thousand-Mile Eye not only possesses first-rate eyesight and a superior sense of smell, but its flight speed is also unparalleled. With the Imperial City under siege, there is little point in leaving the Thousand-Mile Eye behind to assist in the defense; a more thorough patrol by the guards can replace it.

All it needs to do is get the message out as quickly as possible.

That night, the eagle-eyed man set off under cover of darkness.

However, things took an unexpected turn at that moment.

Just as the Thousand-Mile Eye took flight, Chao Tan heard two sharp screechs coming from the south and north, which sent a chill down her spine. She suddenly realized that the owner of the two screechs was coming for the Thousand-Mile Eye, in order to block it from sending messages to the outside world.

"clairvoyance--"

Chao Tan spotted one of the figures.

Draw the bow and aim at the target to help the far-sighted seer break through the encirclement.

These two star beasts possessed mixed auras, far inferior to the pure and spotless Thousand-Mile Eye, and also lacked its intelligence and alertness. However, in terms of hunting ferocity, Thousand-Mile Eye was far superior. Relying on their inherent ferocity, the two beasts besieged Thousand-Mile Eye, forcing it to retreat back to the airspace of the Imperial Throne City after three or four battles. Several of Thousand-Mile Eye's feathers were blown away, and it was in pain.

"Bad bird—"

"Big Bad Bird—"

The two star beasts coordinated perfectly, one surrounding and the other intercepting. Thousand-Mile Eye's wings were injured, causing him to lose his balance and making it impossible for him to escape or make an emergency landing. Chao Tan, watching anxiously from below, saw that Thousand-Mile Eye was in danger and immediately took action without regard for anything else.

The enemy was clearly prepared.

As expected, Chao was stopped by a familiar face.

Her face turned ashen as she said, "You despicable and shameless people, going to all this trouble just to make things difficult for a bird?"

The enemy general ignored Chao Tan's anger and provoked, "This is no ordinary bird. The Imperial Throne City has been able to rest easy for so many years, keeping a close eye on various regions, all thanks to this little beast! Chao Xiaoyu, today you can't protect it, and you can't protect yourself either!"

Not every star beast has powerful destructive capabilities; some star beasts have attributes that are focused elsewhere, such as the ability to see far.

The telescope can fly fast and see far, and it can even talk.

Despite its limited vocabulary, it can accurately express ideas.

Every cry of pain it uttered was like rubbing salt into Chao Tanxin's heart. The enemy general admired her reaction: "That little beast is a bird, but you raised it yourself. It's no different from your own flesh and blood, isn't it? It's only natural that you feel heartache."

Chao Tan's eyes widened in fury: "You old scoundrel!"

The enemy general gave a contemptuous smile.

"Chao Xiaoyu, you should also taste the pain of losing your own flesh and blood!"

Just then, a tired bird, half-asleep, drifted through the clouds.

Zhang Daji: "!!!"

This is what it saw.

Zhang Dagu's new friend was being kicked around like a ball by two hateful birds, feathers flying everywhere, wings stained with blood, looking quite pathetic. Zhang Daji suddenly snapped to attention, let out a sharp cry, and immediately made a sharp turn, diving towards the battle!

Although Thousand-Mile Eyes is Zhang Da Gu's new friend, and Zhang Da Gu and Zhang Da Ji are rivals, it doesn't mean that Zhang Da Ji and Thousand-Mile Eyes have any conflict. On the contrary, in Zhang Da Ji's eyes, the talking Thousand-Mile Eyes is definitely a wise and beautiful ideal.

Beautiful, intelligent, and has a pleasant voice.

It can even mediate the conflict between Zhang Dagu and Zhang Daji.

Seeing injustice, Zhang Daji, with his chivalrous spirit, naturally wouldn't stand idly by while his companions stood by. He immediately joined the battle. Like a dark blue meteor, he swooped down on one of the bad birds, striking its wing head-on like a cannonball. His sharp claws tore a small piece of the wing open—a successful sneak attack!

The star beast that was hit instantly lost its balance.

Zhang Daji made another sharp turn, kicked the bad bird on the back, used the momentum to change its flight direction, and then opened its beak to catch the Thousand-Mile Eye, which had been forced into a smaller bird. Without even glancing at the second bad bird that was chasing after it, it flapped its wings to increase its flight altitude and flew through the clouds.

Hehe, I won't fight them.

Without hesitation, Zhang Daji's body instantly expanded to several meters in size, her speed reaching its limit, leaving a trail of white contrails as she fled. This scene unfolded extremely quickly, taking only a breath or two. Chao Tan and the enemy general who was holding her back didn't even have time to react, let alone see what had suddenly appeared. Her clairvoyant eyes had already vanished from sight, and when they looked up again, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of her.

The enemy general's face turned pale and then red.

I never dreamed that I would be suddenly kicked in the crossbar.

Looking at Chao Tan's reaction, the fleeting surprise and astonishment on his face were genuine, meaning that the third force that captured Thousand-Mile Eyes wasn't her doing. Indeed, it couldn't have been Chao Tan's doing. If Imperial Throne City had the resources to raise a second star beast, they wouldn't have revealed such a glaring flaw…

The enemy general sneered, "It's a pity I can't witness your agony of losing your own flesh and blood. Chao Xiaoyu, there's plenty of time in the future!"

Before the Imperial City can react, let's retreat first.

After the two star beasts left, Chao Tan punched the wall.

She asked the people who had rushed over.

"Did you see who abducted the Thousand-Mile Eye just now?"

Chao Tan was held back, while the others had arranged for archers to distract the two star beasts, and their attention was also focused on that area, so they should be able to see what was interfering. Unexpectedly, the archers all said they couldn't see clearly, and only a few with extremely good reflexes saw a little bit.

"It was a dark blue shooting star."

Chao Tan murmured, "Azure?"

The color was unusual, reminding her of another star beast. Unlike Zhang Dagu, Zhang Daji was far more mysterious and unpredictable; Chao Tan had never seen him in person. However, she did know that Bo Yuanjun kept a star beast of this color, also a flying type. Several times when Qianliyan returned from his outings, its feathers had a strange scent on them. When asked if it had made new friends, Qianliyan would say that its new friends had treated it to delicious food.

Chao Tan couldn't help but blame himself.

The Imperial City is so poor that it can't even properly feed its children.

Thinking of this, she sincerely hoped it was Zhang Daji.

"I only hope the clairvoyant is safe." However, she couldn't be blindly optimistic and pin her hopes on this guess. Chao Tan calmed down and personally selected a trusted confidant to travel by water. Even if it was slower, the message had to be delivered to Lu Yuan or Bo Yuanjun.

What about the all-seeing eye that Chao Tan was so worried about?

It was spat out of Zhang Daji's mouth.

Zhang Daji folded its wings, its body rapidly shrinking. Then, it raised its wings, retrieved the bird feed tube hidden beneath, pecked off the cork, poured out the bird feed, and did so in one swift motion, gesturing for Qianliyan to eat—nothing could heal injuries faster than consuming food rich in pure energy. Fortunately, Qianliyan's injuries were only frightening to look at; coupled with the excessive energy expenditure, this was why it was weak and powerless.

It ate about half its fill and recovered most of its strength.

"Thanks, good bird, thanks, good bird."

Zhang Daji used the bird's beak to groom its messy feathers.

"Good, good."

Zhang Daji then mumbled and asked what had happened.

Clairvoyant roared angrily, "Bad bird, bad bird!"

Enraged on the spot, it flapped its wings and circled low in the air.

Two skilled carnivorous star beasts ganged up on it; it was utterly shameless. Zhang Daji noticed a small bamboo tube hidden under its wing and asked if it contained food as well.

The all-seeing eye immediately remembered the important matter.

"Lord Boyuan, Lord Boyuan!"

Zhang Daji knew who Boyuanjun was.

The clever creature had heard others call their new master by that name.

Is this new friend looking for a new owner?

Zhang Daji turned its head and pecked at it. Qianliyan understood immediately and nimbly leaped onto its back: "Good flying ji, good flying ji!"

It also got on a ride with the wind.

? ?|??w?`)

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