My lord, spare his life!

Guan Si was momentarily lost in thought.

He shifted his gaze somewhat awkwardly, his voice unusually hoarse: "You'd better keep your word, otherwise—"

Zhang Yang didn't get a reply: "Otherwise what?"

Guan Si sneered, his name above his head in scarlet: "Otherwise, you will see what a vengeful ghost is, what a demon is. If you cannot help them transcend and ascend to heaven, they will hold you tightly, cling to you, and bite you, making you stay with them for eternity, unable to be reborn."

"Don't say such eerie things so late at night." Zhang Yang rubbed his arms, complaining about Guan Si's foul mouth. Even if he wasn't unlucky, he would still be unlucky because of him. "They are all living, breathing people. How come they become mutated demons and monsters in your mouth? I know you want to say that you are like them, burdened by the wrath of the stars and have a strange personality. You turn on people at the drop of a hat, and for a long time, the foundation of trust between us was extremely fragile... However, this is really not your fault."

Wearing this human skin, who wouldn't want to be a decent person? Yet the cruel environment grinds and molds them into alien beings wearing human skin. Zhang Yang isn't an unreasonable NPC; she can even empathize with the pain in Guan Si and the others' hearts.

As a string of data, she possessed human self-awareness, but while she had her own soul, she lacked a physical body to carry it. Whether among NPCs or humans, Zhang Yang was unique. Even if the NPCs and the observed samples didn't know, Zhang Yang was acutely aware of how out of place she was.

However, due to the pressure of survival, she had to focus more on survival and ignore the pain caused by the differences.

"It's the world's fault."

"It is Heaven's way that is unjust."

"It's just that fate is unfair."

"Over the long course of history, a few destined individuals will emerge, but none of them can turn the tide. That is because the problem lies at its root."

Life has its ups and downs, that's normal.

But if it keeps going up and down... that's not normal.

Instead of wasting time searching for answers that may not even exist, it's better to look outward for mistakes. Is there a bug somewhere? Or is it that the game planners were lazy and didn't fix it? No matter what the mistake is, it can't be the fault of a tiny speck of dust.

Guan Si looked up at the dark and calm sky.

After a long pause, he finally asked, "What if we truly cannot be reborn?"

Zhang Yang countered, "So you've considered the possibility of being entangled with me in the eighteenth level of hell for countless lifetimes?"

Guan Si: "...Stop being cheeky, I'm genuinely asking."

Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow, a rare smile reaching his eyes, making his whole face come alive: "Believe it or not, I'll lead you through hell and back!"

What kind of hellish dungeon is this? How could it possibly trap her?

She could thrive for sixteen years in the dark and chaotic world of small-scale games, let alone a real world where NPCs and monsters can't spawn infinitely. Except for a very few who can be resurrected, everyone else truly dies when killed.

A hint of a smile appeared on Guan Si's lips, which were pursed into a straight line.

"Arrogant."

Zhang Yang snorted: "Either peace or nuclear peace."

She may lack many things, but she certainly doesn't lack patience.

Peace with people is peace, but why isn't nuclear peace without people considered peace? If she's willing to fight her way to the top and provide a home for the widowed, orphaned, lonely, and elderly, then don't force her to choose the latter.

Guan Si's smile deepened: "Overbearing."

Zhang Yang: "..."

These days, nobody believes you when you tell the truth.

After having his fill of supper, Zhang Yang returned to his tent to sleep.

The tent had no roof, and Guan Si, unable to sleep, moved to another spot to while away the long night. Traps and poisons to scare away wild animals were set up around the temporary camp, and due to the season, the surroundings were quiet. Guan Si casually chose a high spot with a good view, crossed his arms behind his head, propped one leg up, and laid the other flat. He had just leaned against the stone wall and closed his eyes to rest when his knee suddenly felt heavy. He opened his eyes to see a huge wolf's head resting on his knee.

He is the wolf king of the wolf pack that was there during the day.

Guan Si's fingers sank into the thick fur on the wolf king's head.

The wolf king closed his eyes and made a gurgling sound in his throat.

Guan Si: "But what difficulties have you encountered?"

The wolf king opened its eyes, revealing calm, deep green pupils. As a descendant of an unknown generation of star beasts, its star beast bloodline was already very diluted, but it possessed exceptional talent, exhibiting a level of thinking beyond that of ordinary wild beasts, and its eyes held no trace of naive savagery. It was even capable of breaking the tradition of this special wolf pack to become the wolf king.

When Guan Si approached them, they agreed to cooperate.

"Have the injured wolf cubs been properly taken care of?" The wolf king uttered a series of sounds, some long, some short, some calm, some rapid. Guan Si's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. "That's a good thing."

By sacrificing some wolves, they obtained enough food to survive the winter.

With more food and fewer wolves consuming it, pregnant she-wolves in the pack have a greater chance of reproducing during the resource-scarce winter. Surviving the harsh winter and growing up, the following spring will be much easier. Guan Si let the wolf king kneel before him, casually stroking its thick fur. The wolf king greatly enjoyed his scent, its massive body able to curl into a large ball.

The wolf king howled a few more times.

Guan Si was wide awake: "Hmm?"

The wolf king stood up and nudged the back of his hand with his wet nose.

Guan Si chuckled and scolded, "You're quite the thinker."

The wolf king's eyes brightened, and he lowered himself down.

Guan Si patted its big head: "No need."

Having said that, he leaped down from the height, letting the cold night wind whip the wolf tail draped over his body. The wolf king followed closely behind. The man and the wolf quickly approached the camp with a few leaps.

The next day, early in the morning.

The army began packing before dawn.

As the ruler, Zhang Yang was able to have a breakfast to replenish his strength.

For some reason, she felt her energy was being depleted quickly. She hadn't even taken a bite of the large white steamed bun when she heard Guan Si say that some talented individuals wanted to join her. Zhang Yang hastily ate one: "Bring them up. I'll see what the conditions are before deciding on their treatment."

but--

"We just gave Sun Ban a small defeat yesterday, and today one of Sun Ban's men is defecting to us? Could it be a trap?" At this critical juncture in the war, if someone comes to defect, they are most likely on the enemy's side. Zhang Yang thought his logic was sound.

"He's not one of Sun Ban's people."

"So it's wild then?"

Guan Si: "It is indeed wild."

However, Zhang Yang didn't see any unfamiliar yellow/green names nearby, not even any unfamiliar red names: "Easter Egg Bro, where are you?"

Guan Si pointed to the wolf king, who had been patiently lying at his feet.

Upon receiving the command, the wolf king stood up, took two steps forward, and performed three standard downward-facing dog poses towards Zhang Yang, with his forehead touching the ground.

Zhang Yang: "..."

Guan Si: "It said that it went back and thought about it yesterday, and felt that the government's meals would be more stable and more conducive to the continuation of the tribe. If it continues to move around in the three counties, the tribe will be hunted as its size increases, and it is impossible to control whether the old or the young die."

How large is a typical wolf pack?

They are ten to twenty times larger than ordinary wolf packs.

Humans have devised numerous methods to eradicate them, the most ruthless being the targeted hunting of wolf pups and mother wolves, especially the mothers. They are currently able to gather together, defying their natural bloodline to maintain a massive size, because their star beast bloodline hasn't been diluted to a certain degree. Once that happens, the wolves will be no different from ordinary wild wolves, and driven by instinct, they will disperse, forming smaller packs, becoming vulnerable to predators and being picked off one by one by humans.

Therefore, after tossing and turning all night, the wolf king made a decision.

There is no future in staying in this habitat.

As the human population in the three prefectures increases and they venture deeper into the wolves' habitat, hunting becomes increasingly difficult. At this rate, it's hard to predict what will happen in the future. Zhang Yang, this human, has food, and his instincts tell him that this food is good.

The Wolf King thought this trading method was quite good.

When Guan Si brought them food, the star beast named Qianliyan was also circling nearby. It envied how well Qianliyan was raised, so it tried to communicate with it.

Thousand-Mile Eyes: [Greetings, Lord Boyuan! Greetings, Lord Boyuan!]

That country bumpkin wolf actually suspects Bo Yuanjun!

The wolf king then asked for specific details.

Upon hearing that Thousand-Mile Eye had devoured a valuable creature with Zhang Yang's help and was nearing adulthood, the Wolf King grew increasingly envious. As a star beast of the Imperial Throne City, Thousand-Mile Eye's hunting range naturally overlapped with the wolf pack's habitat. When food was scarce, the wolf pack was a frequent guest on Thousand-Mile Eye's menu. The Wolf King had suffered at Thousand-Mile Eye's hands before, but it was certain that Thousand-Mile Eye's aura hadn't been as terrifying as it was now.

These were all brought by Lord Boyuan.

The mixed-race wolf from the countryside began to have a knack for making plans.

It dared not seek out the clairvoyant; how could a wolf on the ground, flying in the sky, possibly find it? The wolf king chose to find Guan Si, who possessed the scent of a wolf and resembled a human wolf king. Guan Si was indeed a good wolf; he did not drive it away but instead helped it.

The Wolf King remembered Guan Si's advice to be polite.

Those in a lower position are expected to bow and submit to those in a higher position, so the wolf king took this opportunity to prostrate himself deeply.

Zhang Yang: "..."

Who could resist a wolf that can bow once, twice, and three times?

This was the most polite pet she had ever seen. She wished she could immediately pull out a trap rope and tie it around the wolf king's neck, but Zhang Yang kept a straight face: "No need for formalities. What kind of treatment do you want?"

The Wolf King stood up and looked up at Guan Si.

Zhang Yang couldn't help but exclaim, "What a clever wolf!"

Guan Si said, "That's right, wolves are the most loyal and devoted."

Zhang Yang: "...I was praising her intelligence."

Guan Si said, "Just organize them into a separate beast battalion. After all, they are wolves with some star beast blood. Once they are of sufficient size, they will be more useful than humans in many situations. There is no need to pay them military pay; just ensure their daily food supply."

Raising these wolves is much cheaper than raising humans.

Soldiers need cotton-padded clothes when they get cold, while wolves come with their own warm fur coats; the rations for one soldier can feed several wolves, and soldiers receive compensation when they die, but wolves don't; soldiers can even break camp due to combat pressure, while these wolves have an extremely high stress tolerance!

Upon careful counting, the wolf pack has already won three times.

What reason is there not to raise wolves?

"But... no one communicates with them." Zhang Yang said this, but his eyes were fixed on Guan Si. It was obvious what he was up to. Guan Si saw through him immediately.

He said, "Some of the Hundred Ghost Guards also understand animal language."

Guan Si also raised wolves when he was in the Dongfan Mountains, but on a small scale. Ever since the Hundred Ghost Guards followed him out of the Dongfan Mountains, he released the wolf pack. This was because those wolves only possessed spirituality but lacked the bloodline of star beasts, making them unsuitable for the mundane world.

He really liked this pack of wolves.

If we can recruit them, we can legitimately raise them.

Zhang Yang said, "Then I'll accept it."

She asked Xiao Sui to draft a contract for her.

Two copies of the contract are made.

"As the wolf king, you will place your paw print on this contract and sign it. Then you and your pack will no longer be wild wolves, but retainers. As long as you fight for me in the south and north, you will have a piece of meat as well as a share of my spoils." Zhang Yang pointed to the blank space at the end of the contract and placed his fingerprint on it. The wolf king didn't quite understand Zhang Yang's words and subconsciously cast a pleading look at Guan Si.

Guan Si repeated Zhang Yang's words.

The wolf king immediately dipped his paw in the ink.

The wolf pack was officially sold to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang found it strange: "We're clearly saying the same thing, so why can it understand yours but not mine? It's like a TV drama where all the characters are speaking the same language, but the audience is tricked into thinking one of them is speaking a foreign language."

The samples were criticized.

Can't the production company even afford professional foreign language voice-over?

Guan Si: "...Look for the problem within yourself."

He couldn't understand the complaints, but his intuition told him they weren't good things.

Zhang Yang: "I've checked, there's no problem."

Guan Si: "..."

Because the Wolf King had come to apply for a job and sign a contract at the last minute, Zhang Yang waited a while, giving the Wolf King an hour to go back and bring his family. As the sun was about to reach its zenith, the army assembled and set off.

Chao Tan saw Zhang Yang off with deep regret.

She was not comfortable entrusting the Imperial City to anyone else.

"...On the day you return victorious and become the master of the mountains, if you do not despise my humble status, I, Chao Tan, am willing to serve you and follow you to the death." Chao Tan blushed with shame as he spoke these words. Zhang Yang had tirelessly traveled back and forth for the Imperial Throne City, relieving its crisis and saving the lives of many of its garrison soldiers. It was only right for him to lead his men in bowing down to her. Now, the Imperial Throne City was going to fight Sun Ban, while he was clinging to his selfish desire to defend it.

Such selfishness is truly dishonest.

"You're wonderful. I'll be waiting for that day."

Zhang Yang mounted his horse, his gaze kind and tolerant.

She was unaware of Chao Tan's plans and didn't mind his selfish motives; the high number of friends on her friend list was enough to vouch for him. Despite only knowing him for a few days, Chao Tan's favorability rating was actually quite high, even slightly higher than that of Du Fang, Xu Jin, He Zhi, and He Wen.

After resting, the army was in high spirits and full of morale.

Lü Yuan led his troops ahead as the vanguard, while Zhang Yang guarded the central army. Under Guan Si's command and coordination, the wolf pack dispersed and entered the mountains to search for enemy scouts. Zhang Yang's departure was quite commotion, naturally not escaping the notice of Sun Ban, who was keeping a close watch. Within two days, the two sides clashed three or four times, with several enemy units being precisely intercepted and none surviving.

In terms of quantity, the loss is negligible.

However, these people who were lost were the "eyes" of the army.

There's something that's been going on for a while now.

Sun Ban couldn't help but question him.

"Have you still not found the location of the bandits' supplies?"

According to the intelligence gathered by the scouts, the bandits' troops did not deliberately economize on their daily rations. Each soldier consumed over three catties of cooked rice daily, along with a considerable amount of oil in their side dishes; this was the practice throughout the entire army. Leaving aside the question of where Zhang Yang's provisions came from, the real issue is how such a large-scale supply was stored, and where was it kept?

How could there still be no movement?

When his own grain supply line was attacked, Sun Ban wanted to retaliate in kind, but he couldn't even find a target, which was abnormal.

??ヾ(???ゞ)

Tomorrow there's a loquat festival in my hometown. If the quality is good, hehe, I'll have enough canned loquats for this year.