My lord, spare his life!

"Captured alive? Who captured her?"

Within a short hour, Changsun Wang's emotions went through a dramatic ups and downs, and for a moment he was so stunned that he forgot his joy.

Lu Yuan curled his lip: "Who else could it be? My sworn brother, Guan Zong."

She admired and appreciated her sworn brother, but also felt a little bitter.

The sworn brother met the sworn mother earlier and showed her more favoritism.

Look, he's so biased that he's stuffing all of Sun Zhaoruo's military achievements into his pocket. Lu Yuan felt very jealous, but he couldn't say it out loud.

Changsun Wang was not familiar with Guan Zong, and it took him a long time to find a vague image of the young man. He felt a mixture of regret and envy, regretting that he could not capture his enemy with his own hands, and envying Guan Zong's achievements at such a young age. He sighed, "A young talent."

Lu Yuan almost choked on his own saliva.

"Ahem, what young prodigy? Who are you talking about?"

My sworn brother is not old, but he's not exactly a teenager either.

Changsun Wang then noticed that Lü Yuan addressed Guan Zong as "sworn brother." While sworn brotherhood with a godmother/godfather might not be based on age, as long as one or both parties were shameless enough to facilitate it, sworn brotherhood among peers was definitely based on age. Since Guan Zong was the sworn brother, he was certainly older than Lü Yuan. His self-description as a "young prodigy" was truly offensive and ridiculous, no wonder Lü Yuan reacted so strongly.

Changsun Wang said awkwardly, "...General Guan is too young."

Lu Yuan recalled his sworn brother's rugged, mature face, which was completely incompatible with the word "young." He then remembered that when Changsun Wang saw Guan Zong, Guan Zong still looked like a young boy, so it was no wonder he misunderstood. Lu Yuan didn't waste any words explaining.

He simply said, "You'll know when you see your sworn brother."

Changsun Wang was both nervous and expectant: "Yes."

Because of his numerous injuries, the army medics spent a considerable amount of time treating his wounds. He had not only lost a lot of blood, but several of his wounds also contained mixed poisons of varying strengths. If it weren't for the star power protecting his heart, his robust physique, and the ghost residing within his body, he would have already met his maker. Despite such severe injuries, he recovered after only half a day of rest and was even able to ride a horse back to camp with the army.

On the way, Lü Yuan and Guan Zong successfully met up.

Guan Zong stepped forward and said, "Ba Feng, I've finally waited for you."

Lu Yuan dismounted, a hearty smile on his face. He bowed and said in a mocking tone, "I haven't yet congratulated my sworn brother on capturing the bandit leader. You have made a great contribution this time, and my godmother will surely rely on you even more. Your future is bright and your prospects are limitless."

"This is what you want, not what I'm interested in."

Guan Zong realized that his adopted sister was on a one-way street, playing the role of a filial daughter, and he didn't know if she had become mentally unstable due to being suppressed for too long under the previous target, or if Lu Yuan was genuinely enjoying the process of being a filial daughter. Guan Zong didn't understand, and he didn't comprehend it.

Lu Yuan turned his head and said, "My sworn brother doesn't know what's good for him."

Guan Zong punched her shoulder in annoyance, and commented sharply: "If I knew what was good for me, I don't know how long you would have been badmouthing me behind my back."

The brother and sister simultaneously sensed a strong, dangerous gaze.

Lu Yuan thought it was He Zhi, but before he could even curse him, he realized that the source of his gaze was Guan Si, who was resting on a wolf's head in the distance.

Guan Zongdao said, "Ignore him, he's just jealous."

She's definitely jealous of having a stepsister who can laugh, joking, and scolding.

Lu Yuan dared not give a hasty reply.

Although Guan Si and his sworn brother Guan Zong were half-brothers, their personalities were worlds apart. Unless there was an unavoidable situation requiring their contact on official business, Lü Yuan would avoid offending Guan Si if possible. Lü Yuan very naturally changed the subject.

"Brother, did your capture of Sun Zhaoruo go smoothly?"

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because it only made Guan Zong angry.

Sun Ban had only a few dozen men left, each one nearing their breaking point in terms of both mental and physical strength. Logically, taking them down should have been a piece of cake; a single charge and melee should have been enough to call it a day. But what happened? The result was that all those few dozen men were fighting for their lives!

They're even willing to damage their own foundation to unleash a desperate burst of energy!

All for the sake of protecting Sun Ban's safety.

These dozens of men, having managed to break through the encirclement and hold out until now, were naturally quite skilled. Their bursts of power, achieved at the cost of depleting their lifespan and essence, were even stronger, allowing them to hold their own against an army five or six times their size. Guan Zong, wearing shoes, felt it wasn't worth risking his life in this situation and continued to focus on blocking and capturing them. His opponents, however, were barefoot and reckless, frantically trying to tear an opening for Sun Ban to escape. In a moment of carelessness, Guan Zong nearly lost control, and Sun Ban almost escaped as well.

And the result?

Kui Mulang, who was as tall as a three-story building, walked with a leisurely gait, his paws touching the ground without raising a single speck of dust!

It carried Guan Si and blocked the path.

Don't panic, he's just a nobody. I'll hold him off!

The man who uttered these words was beheaded after only two rounds against Guan Si, and the others failed to cross the line drawn by Guan Si. Guan Zong seized the opportunity to make amends, changing his military strategy from encirclement and capture to a pincer attack.

At this point, Guan Zong began to grimace.

"Sun Zhaoruo is simply insane."

Lu Yuan: "What's wrong with her?"

Guan Zongdao said, "When we first intercepted her, I told her to surrender. If she had been more sensible and admitted defeat then, the dozens of men following her could have saved their lives. But she refused to be humiliated and even shot several arrows at me herself. Fine, then let's fight. I admire her fierceness. We fought dozens of men until only two or three were left half-dead. Seeing that there was no way to turn the tide, they actually surrendered!"

His expression at that moment was more painful than if he had eaten shit.

Either don't fight at all from the start, or fight until everyone is wiped out.

Either way, Guan Zong could have preserved his reputation. As long as he secretly omitted a small detail when he rushed to write the military report, no one would know that he almost met his end in a ditch. Who would have thought that Sun Ban would surrender at the last moment, making it impossible for Guan Zong to kill her even if he wanted to.

If you can't kill them, you can't hide the details.

Guan Zong was heartbroken.

He ordered his soldiers to tie up Sun Ban with thick ropes.

His gaze swept over the corpses scattered on the ground, and his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Guan Zong became increasingly uneasy: "I've seen plenty of tough guys who refuse to back down even in the face of death. I admire even the smallest ones. This time, there were dozens who risked their lives to protect me. Think about it: someone who can inspire dozens of people to risk their lives to protect them, even if they aren't saints, must possess extraordinary abilities, magnanimity, and character. Otherwise, how could they possibly repay the loyalty and fervor of dozens of people who risked their lives for them? People repay me when I'm around; heroes repay me when I'm around. These people repay me with their lives. If we extrapolate from that, Sun Zhao should have risked her life. But she knew that breaking through would be futile and she would only lose her life, yet she insisted on fighting, and after the fight, she wanted to surrender because she was afraid of losing her life... I'm not comfortable with this."

Guan Zong is impersonating these people who have died.

He felt uncomfortable if he were in their shoes. This discomfort wasn't just because Sun Ban was cowardly and unreliable, but also because such an ending didn't do justice to the sacrifices of dozens of people.

Guan Zong: "It wasn't worth dying for."

Lu Yuan could understand Guan Zong's emotions.

She said, "I think it was expected."

This is more in line with Sun Ban's true nature. If Sun Ban, surrounded, had chosen to commit suicide rather than suffer humiliation, that would have been unexpected. Sun Ban chose to fight because she had people around her; these people could still pave a way for her, even if it was just a slim chance, it was worth trying. She could afford the price, because the price was the lives of others, not her own.

"Sun Zhaoruo was born into privilege, growing up in luxury from birth. In her mind, everyone around her was inferior to her, and their purpose in life was to protect her. How many people died was irrelevant to her; the only thing that mattered to her was her own life."

Therefore, Sun Ban truly didn't care about these people's deaths, felt no regret, and certainly didn't regret not surrendering sooner to save the lives of these loyal men. Their lives were as insignificant as grass; how could they compare to her dignity, which was as heavy as Mount Tai?

The two are not equivalent.

Guan Zong waved his hand: "Stop talking, it'll only make me feel worse."

He clutched his chest and squatted down to calm himself.

The battlefield had been cleaned up by the time Lü Yuan arrived to join them. The three seriously wounded were left aside, given only basic first aid, and left to their fate. Their own bodies were collected and disposed of, while the enemy bodies, after being examined, were thrown into a large pit and buried in one place.

Guan Zong also erected a rough, wordless stele for them.

He looked at the blank tombstone and sighed, "I thought I had died a worthy death, but it turns out I was as worthless as dust. My death was not worth it at all."

Although she was a prisoner, she was protected during the melee, and Sun Ban only suffered minor injuries, managing to tidy herself up without looking disheveled. Guan Zong couldn't mistreat her yet, so he could only tie her up and put her in a cage.

She sat cross-legged in the cage with her eyes closed, her expression serene, as if she would remain unmoved even if the heavens and earth collapsed.

A few strands of hair hanging down added to his disheveled yet handsome appearance.

Lu Yuan placed a jar of wine on the prison cart, the slight noise startling Sun Ban, who lifted his eyelids and said calmly, "It's you."

"Want a sip? It's been years since we last drank together. Who knows when the next time will be?" Lu Yuan generously shared his celebratory wine with the other party in advance. Sun Ban wasn't worried about Lu Yuan poisoning the wine, but she couldn't bring herself to do the crude thing of Lu Yuan holding the wine jar and drinking directly from the mouth of the jar.

Lu Yuan cursed inwardly that this guy was still putting on an act even when he was about to die.

He turned around and found a bowl: "Here you go."

Sun Ban silently took two sips.

I thought you would come over and laugh at me.

Having just discovered she'd been tricked, she'd considered cursing Lu Yuan's ancestors upon seeing him again, but when she actually met him, only silence remained. She couldn't bring herself to behave so vulgarly. Being utterly defeated by someone's schemes was already humiliating enough; to display such a sore loser's hideous and unforgiving attitude would be a desecration of her family's refined upbringing. Similarly, she couldn't accept the humiliation of others as a prisoner. When Lu Yuan arrived, she appeared calm on the surface, but her back was tense.

Lu Yuan said, "You're overthinking it."

I'm not a particularly boring person myself.

Why lord it over a complete loser? It only makes you look like a complete scoundrel.

Of course, targets are an exception.

The two men drank a jar of wine across the threshold of the carriage.

"I had the bodies of those you brought out buried properly," Lu Yuan said before leaving.

Sun Ban merely raised an eyebrow indifferently, without uttering a word.

There was neither gratitude nor sorrow, as if only some insignificant outsiders had died. The two stared at each other across the prison cart for a long while. Seeing that she hadn't left, Sun Ban sneered, "You're telling me all this because you want me to thank you, praise you, or remind me how dazzling your military achievements are? When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. Whether the remains left in the world are exposed to the sunlight or buried deep in the yellow mud, they will eventually rot into a skeleton."

Lu Yuan was only moved by herself.

This place is remote, and since Lu Yuan doesn't send anyone to collect the corpses, they won't harbor any pathogenic energy or cause any epidemic. On the contrary, they can serve as food for the wild animals in the mountains, allowing them to have a few full meals during the winter.

Lu Yuan was so angry at these arrogant words that he laughed.

So he said, "What you just drank was my victory celebration wine."

Sun Ban: "..."

Her features twisted and contorted in a grotesque expression for a moment, all composure crumbling at that instant, her hands gripping the wooden railings of the pallet cart tightly.

"Lü Bafeng! Have you no shame?!"

"I'm busy, I can't keep you company for now."

Sun Ban was no ordinary person. To prevent her from using any means to escape, her cage was heavily guarded, and no one was allowed to approach without Guan Zong's permission. Changsun Wang was also unable to get close, so he could only turn to Lu Yuan for help.

"This humble general only has two questions for her."

Sun Ban's fate was to be decided by Zhang Yang. Changsun Wang naturally couldn't kill her, but he had some questions in his mind that he needed to clarify.

Lu Yuan patted his shoulder lightly, giving him a heads-up.

"It's fine for you to talk to her, but be prepared not to get too angry." Lu Yuan felt that Changsun Wang had brought this upon himself. She had almost been seriously injured by anger just now. Someone with a bad temper might have gone berserk and killed someone after saying a few more words to Sun Ban.

Changsun Wang nodded and noted down the instructions.

Sun Ban refused to pay attention to Changsun Wang, the traitor.

If this man hadn't been disloyal and unjust, she wouldn't have lost so badly.

"Lord Zhaoruo, do you feel any remorse for my mother's death?" Changsun Wang looked at the person imprisoned in the cage, his mind filled with the image of the man in his fine clothes, surrounded by civil and military officials, full of vigor and confidence. He never imagined that in such a short time, his situation would be so drastically different.

Sun Ban looked him up and down.

Sun Ban did not have a deep impression of those whom his relatives valued.

The most memorable incident was when a relative, in a moment of great joy, mentioned wanting to change Changsun Wang's surname. Those who rose to prominence under Sun Ban were either related by blood or by marriage; in any case, they all expanded their influence around the "Sun" clan.

Changsun Wang did not touch either of the two points.

Changing his surname was actually for his future prospects.

Out of consideration for their kinship, Sun Ban casually suggested, "Since that's the case, let him change his surname to Changsun. There were also members of the Changsun clan in a collateral branch of our ancestors. If he changes his surname to Changsun, it will not only distinguish him from other members of the Sun clan but also appear more intimate. What do you think?"

It is not uncommon for people to change their names due to special circumstances.

That's how Changsun Wang's surname was decided.

To this day, he is still very proud of it.

Sun Ban: "No."

Changsun Wang's face instantly flushed red: "You—"

Sun Ban ignored his anger and instead asked, "Changsun Wang, do you feel any remorse for betraying me and Uncle Sun? You, a disloyal and unrighteous man, can spout such nonsense, so why should I regret the death of an old woman? I didn't kill Bo Ren, so I have a clear conscience. But you, you cowardly chose to submit to the traitor Zhang, did you ever consider this deep-seated hatred?"

Lu Yuan's reminder was clearly not enough.

Changsun Wang was already injured, and now he was so angry that his wounds almost burst open. He couldn't utter a complete word for a long time.

"You...you...our teacher died on the battlefield. Swords and spears have no eyes, so he can't blame anyone else. But my mother was just an ordinary woman. If you hadn't sent someone to force her, how could she have been bewitched into committing suicide? Didn't you come to her door yourself, but instead had someone else do it? Does that mean you didn't cause her death? She was extremely grateful to you, and regarded you as a god..."

"What does that have to do with me?"

These five words shocked Changsun Wang into silence.

Sun Ban frowned impatiently, his patience running out.

"To regard them as deities?"

"Then how did this foolish woman raise you to be so unfaithful and unfilial?"

"You said it yourself, I didn't personally visit you, nor did I personally persuade you, so why are you framing me for this death?"

"So, are you also going to hold that roof beam accountable? Pursue the weaver who wove that white cloth? Kill the cloth merchant who sold the white cloth? If the roof beam hadn't been there, if the weaver hadn't wove that cloth, if the cloth merchant hadn't sold the white cloth to your mother, your mother wouldn't have died? Since you want to pursue the revenge for your mother's murder, then you should find all the murderers."

Changsun Wang was so shocked that he retreated repeatedly.

Sun Ban closed his eyes, out of sight, out of mind.

"puff--"

Changsun Wang clutched the ruptured wound on his left shoulder and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

What followed was a series of chaotic scenes.

Sun Ban sneered inwardly.

I wonder who Changsun Wang is putting on this hypocritical act for. But can a few words really make him angry to death?

When Lu Yuan received the message, he was not surprised at all.

After hearing the guard's account, she waved her hand and said, "I understand. Have the medic examine Fuming's injuries, tell him to apply some medicine, and let Fuming sleep for a day or two to allow the wound to heal properly."

Finally, she said, "I told you he brought this upon himself."

Guan Zong clicked his tongue: "What's in it for him?"

Lu Yuan: "I regret it now, because of those two words."

Changsun Wang actually wanted to hear the answer of "regret".

It wasn't to comfort himself, but to comfort his deceased mother in the afterlife. If Sun Ban had any remorse, his mother would feel better in the afterlife. After all, the remorse of a superior is a fatal temptation for an inferior; even if one has suffered a great injustice, just a little bit of remorse can easily make any suffering seem insignificant.

Guan Zong muttered, "What's the point of those two words?"

Lu Yuan: "That would be extremely useful. Look at the court, there are always some officials who have been unjustly demoted and had their property confiscated. Once their cases are overturned, and the very lord who wronged them says sincerely, 'I regret it,' who wouldn't be moved to tears and prostrate themselves in gratitude, praising the lord as wise? My sworn brother is capricious and doesn't understand these twisted and strange mindsets."

Guan Zong: "..."

Lu Yuan said, "Everything, everything, was for that one moment."

Guan Zongyu choked on his words, then turned his head and muttered, "He's quite ill."

With such pampering and indulgence, it's no wonder that Sun Ban is so ill.

Zhang Yang's campaign was going very smoothly, so she wrote a letter to Lü Yuan, whose expression became subtle and complicated.

"What did the lord write?"

Lu Yuan showed the letter.

Guan Zongnian said, "Flowers bloom and butterflies flutter along the path; the landscape remains, but the people are gone?" Was she mocking Sun Ban or implying something?

"My stepmother probably meant that I can come back slowly."

"...Then can't you just speak like a human being?" Although he could express his pride by writing doggerel, he couldn't stand Zhang Yang's casual and indiscriminate use of language.

No matter how slowly they returned, they arrived at the camp the next day.

Oh, this used to be Sun Ban's camp.

But now it belongs to Zhang Yang.

The character "Sun" on the banner was replaced with "Zhang".

The camp bore the marks of a chaotic battle: fire, flooding, and cratered ground from arrowheads. The air was thick with the lingering stench of blood. Lu Yuan, helmet tucked under his arm, stood tall and moved with lightning speed, calling from afar, "Godmother! Godmother! Your son has fulfilled his mission; I have brought Sun Zhaoruo back to you!"

Guan Zong found it strange even after watching it several times.

I admire Lu Yuan's shamelessness even more now.

Zhang Yang, ever the smooth talker, happily came out to greet her when her adopted daughter called her. The mother and daughter, who hadn't seen each other for only a few days, managed to create a touching scene of a long-awaited reunion. Lu Yuan, standing three or four steps away from Zhang Yang, knelt reverently, his eyes gleaming with anticipation of praise.

Zhe Meng, who had come with Zhang Yang, was speechless.

She appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil.

That scoundrel Lü Bafeng is a master of flattery and sycophancy; he actually resorted to this tactic!

She interrupted Zhang Yang, who was trying to bend down to help, and then grabbed Lu Yuan's arm, pulling him up with a swift motion. She said considerately, "Godmother, it's cold and windy outside. Let's go inside first."

Ritsumoto: "..."

Taking advantage of Zhang Yang turning around, she stomped on Meng's instep and broke it.

Zhe Meng pulled his foot out and stomped back.

These two are pushing and shoving each other.

Zhang Yang: "Where is Sun Zhaoruo?"

"Order him to be taken away and await his adoptive mother's judgment."

Lu Yuan suddenly stepped forward to give a report, and Zhe Meng, who was caught off guard, almost fell to the side, but fortunately he managed to steady himself.

"Why didn't you just kill them?"

Zhang Yang didn't know what use Sun Ban was.

Why bring someone back if they've already killed and buried them in the wild?

Lu Yuan used his peripheral vision to complain about Guan Zong.

Guan Zong: "..."

Lu Yuan said, "Once the news of the adoptive mother capturing Sun Ban alive spreads throughout the mountain prefectures, it will be enough to suppress a bunch of restless villains. The adoptive mother's influence in the mountain prefectures is not yet deep, but many prominent families in the mountains are on her side. Her surrender will nip the last thought of these people disrespecting the adoptive mother in the bud. It will make those with ulterior motives wary and dare not cause trouble for a short time."

Sun Ban still serves as a warning and deterrent.

Zhang Yang pondered Lü Yuan's words.

Lu Yuan asked, "Does your godmother want to see her now?"

"Go ahead and see him, you have to see him no matter what."

Lu Yuan sent someone to bring Sun Ban up.

Before the people arrived, Lü Yuan subtly probed his adoptive mother's attitude, trying to find out whether she wanted Sun Ban to live or die.

Zhang Yang retorted, "How is there still a way to survive?"

Ritsumoto: "..."

"Has Changsun Wang given up on avenging his mother's death?"

Lu Yuan: "He was so angered by Sun Zhaoruo that his old wounds ruptured, and he almost lost half his life. Now he wanted to kill her but was powerless to do so."

"Then let him recover from his injuries and have the strength to kill again."

She gave the old man's mercury essence to Lu Yuan to use as a target, and naturally, she wasn't stingy in handing Sun Ban over to Changsun Wang. In any case, Changsun Wang certainly saved her a lot of trouble. Sun Ban wasn't unfit to stay, but keeping him would only cause her more problems.

Then let's just kill him.

I just didn't expect that Sun Ban thought the same way.

Seeing Zhang Yang occupy her camp and cut down her banners to burn as firewood, she was so humiliated that she exclaimed in anger, "I'd rather be a broken piece of jade than a whole piece of tile! How can I stoop to suffer the humiliation of such a petty person?"

? ?|??w?`)

This chapter has 6,000 words.

You really shouldn't blindly buy perfumes just because you're buying a cake; eating it directly is much more enjoyable. It smells so strongly of cosmetics, yet they lied to me and said it was a small cake… All those recommendations are lies.