My lord, spare his life!

Wang Qi was quite frank about this.

"I haven't thought about that question. You can ask the old man."

That's all the value Wang Ba had in his eyes.

Despite being treated as a tool by his father, Wang Ba was not unhappy at all: "I actually know a little about the question that Lord Boyuan is wondering about. These star beasts do not know how to raise livestock or farm. The village's food mainly comes from external assistance."

"External funding? Animal rescue?"

The observation sample mentioned that human society has animal rescue stations.

However, animal rescue only exists when a society reaches a certain level of civilization—if humans themselves are struggling to survive, who will have the extra capacity to rescue pets? Based on Zhang Yang's limited experience, the world we live in today probably hasn't reached that level yet.

At least she hasn't reached the places she's visited yet.

"Ahem, it's not animal rescue." Wang Ba struggled to suppress the twitching corners of his mouth, and even had to cough to ease the laughter. "They get involved in the power struggles between surrounding forces, and gain benefits by assisting one side. This is also the main source of income for the village."

It's not that we haven't considered animal husbandry and farming.

However, those places have limited resources, while the star beasts require a large amount of food and energy. Considering the size of the village, they would have to expand their territory extensively, risking direct conflict with the human race and inevitably being besieged sooner or later. This is clearly not worth the effort.

The cost of raising star beasts is too high.

Even Wang Qi had to empty Wang Ba's private savings just to barely support Zhang Da Miao and Zhang Da Ji, and every now and then he had to go hunting to improve the two living ancestors' diet.

One can imagine how much the star beasts and half-beasts in a village can eat. Rather than risk invading the human race's living space, it's better to get involved in the power struggles to obtain valuable resources. It's safer, more secure, and you'll be won over by various forces. No one wants to offend them.

"Isn't this just a mercenary, no, a beast mercenary?"

A flicker of disbelief crossed Wang Ba's eyes.

"She also said back then that these star beasts were mercenaries." The "she" Wang Ba mentioned was Wang Qi's mother. The term "mercenary" did not exist in the world at that time, but one could guess its true meaning from the name. "Those star beasts were, strictly speaking, a kind of guest soldier."

"In that case, can I hire them too?"

Wang Ba nodded and then shook his head: "Yes, and no. I've heard that they deliberately weaken their forces to prevent outside interference, and they only accept one side at a time. What if the two armies facing off are from the same village? Should they fight to the death or not?"

Zhang Yang: Oh, we still have to wait for the schedule.

Wang Ba looked at her, then paused again, "That's exactly right."

"Could Hongtu send someone to find out the location of that village, and then send someone to negotiate and clarify their schedule?"

"Does Lord Boyuan mean he wants to use them?"

"If possible, I'm considering hiring them."

According to the intelligence revealed by Wang Ba, the star beasts in this village are quite trustworthy. In some ways, their loyalty and reliability are even higher than most of the surrendered generals in the mountain prefectures. Zhang Yang doesn't need to incur any integration costs or worry about anything else.

All she had to do was pay.

Perhaps the pet treats in the game's inventory are more appealing?

Wang Qi urged Wang Ba, who did not respond.

"Old man, pay more attention to this matter."

Seeing that his father was at a loss, Wang Ba said irritably, "Is this a matter of whether you care or not? Have you considered that employing guest soldiers might cause dissatisfaction among the generals under Lord Boyuan? You're just wasting people's hearts. I can't see through these issues."

Wang Qi's face was filled with an impatient disdain for everything.

"What are they complaining about?"

Zhang Yang also looked over, his face showing the same question.

Wang Ba: "..."

He suddenly had the illusion that he not only had a living father, but also a living mother in his middle age: "Don't look down on me, I agree. However, Lord Boyuan, you should also be prepared for the worst-case scenario of failure. If you raise Daji, and the village chief is still the one who attacked its mother back then, the other party will definitely eliminate it completely and will not allow Daji to continue living."

"If it's still the same person, then the village will change its leader."

Wang Ba was pleased with Zhang Yang's decisive and straightforward temperament. He said, "Alright, with Lord Boyuan's words, I am relieved."

The army only stayed in Dong Ham for two days.

On the last day, an uninvited guest arrived at Wang Ba's place.

Upon seeing the visiting card delivered by the gatekeeper, Wang Ba thought he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but the signature remained unchanged. His confidant, equally surprised, looked up to observe Wang Ba's reaction: "My lord, should we throw this person out?"

Wang Ba raised his hand and said, "Fine, we're colleagues now."

No matter how deep the grudge was in the past, we can't just tear off the mask of civility now.

"I want to see if he really has something to ask for, or if he's just asking for a beating." Wang Ba placed the letter face down on the table and gestured for his servants to bring Guan Zong in. Yes, the letter was Guan Zong's.

Guan Zong was still wearing an ill-fitting gray coarse coat.

He was already about eleven or twelve years old, his slightly youthful face displaying a mature indifference beyond his years. Wang Ba, still displeased, looked at his face: "I didn't even bother to come looking for you, yet you delivered yourself right to my doorstep. What, aren't you afraid of dying here?"

Guan Zong wasn't intimidated at all: "If I were afraid, I wouldn't have come."

"The tea here is for guests, not for unwelcome guests. Please help yourself," Wang Ba said. Guan Zong then chose a seat, not too far from the door. If Wang Ba turned hostile, Guan Zong would still have a chance to escape.

Guan Zong didn't care for his tea and went straight to the point: "Wang Hongtu, if you let me go, I'll let you go too, how about it?"

Wang Ba frowned: "Don't say such strange things."

Guan Zong: "..."

The confidant was the first to react, quickly tugging at Wang Ba's sleeve and giving him a meaningful look. Wang Ba quickly followed suit, realizing what Guan Zong had said, but instead of immediately agreeing, he asked, "Why? Why should I let you go so easily?"

Guan Zong cursed inwardly, but he couldn't show it on his face: "My lord has lofty ambitions, and my abilities would be a hindrance."

He didn't hide anything and directly stated the reason for his visit.

Back then, he and Wang Ba used underhanded tactics against each other, resulting in Guan Zong's strength declining and Wang Ba suffering heavy losses; neither gained any advantage. Guan Zong knew that as a Night Cryer, his lifespan was short, and his strength was enough to protect himself, so there was no need for him to bow down and beg for peace with Wang Ba. As for Wang Ba, as the head of a local warlord, he had plenty of men fighting for him, so his own strength was irrelevant.

The situation is different now.

After much deliberation, Guan Zong decided to go to Wang Baxian's house to apologize.

He had expected Wang Ba to mock him, but to his surprise, Wang Ba simply stared at him strangely, as if judging whether Guan Zong's words were true or not. Guan Zong: "Whether it works or not, give me a straight answer."

"I remember you are Guan Siyin's elder brother?"

"So what if he is? It's none of his business."

"How could it be unrelated? If you recover your strength, Guan Siyin will be even more fortunate with you, and you will be a greater threat to my son." Wang Ba's thoughts were uncontrollably swayed in this direction, completely unaware of Guan Zong's ghost-like gaze, while his confidant had covered his face without even realizing it.

"Wang Hongtu, have you lost your mind?"

Why are you thinking about all this nonsense?

"Oh, it's really almost eating my brain."

Guan Zong: "..."

There's really no way to respond to that.

The first person to notice Guan Zong's change was not Guan Siwang or his generals, but Zhang Yang. After the army set off, Zhang Yang planned to have Zhang Damiao and the others take turns riding him, but she couldn't resist Ge Zhou's enthusiastic invitation—sitting on her shoulders as her lord was a form of close protection, which was her duty as a guard, so why be so formal? She was much taller than Zhang Damiao and the others.

The higher you sit, the farther you can see.

Zhang Yang agreed.

Then, she saw a strange health bar from a great distance.

Looking at the name on the health bar again, she was stunned and ordered Guan Si to seize Guan Zong: "Who dares to impersonate Guan Zong!"

Guan Zong, noticing that Zhang Yang hadn't changed his appearance for days, nervously darted his eyes around, thinking his lord had ordered Guan Si to capture him to settle scores. Little did he know that Zhang Yang saw this as evidence of something sinister: "Where did you take Guan Zong?"

Guan Zong: "..."

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes: "Not going to talk?"

Upon noticing the murderous aura emanating from Zhang Yang, Guan Zong belatedly realized he had misunderstood: "My lord, I am Guan Zong."

"You're Guan Zong?" Zhang Yang stood on tiptoe, while Guan Si pressed Guan Zong's head down so Zhang Yang could gesture with his hand on the latter's head. "Then what's going on with your health bar? What kind of strange internal martial arts have you been practicing lately that has increased your qi and blood so much?"

Guan Zong's health bar was growing rapidly and strangely, almost doubling in size compared to their last meeting.

Zhang Yang then suspected that Guan Zong had been quietly replaced.

"Has the lord noticed the change in me?"

"It's so obvious, you can't ignore it."

Guan Zong felt a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.

He assumed Guan Si would be the first to discover it, or at least Wang Qi, as their strength was unmatched in the army. If neither Guan Si nor Wang Qi discovered it, Guan Zong might one day show off his skills and catch Guan Si off guard.

Unexpectedly, the lord saw through the deception the very next day.

"I am about to return to my peak."

Zhang Yang: "..."

I'm not interested; I can't beat her anyway.

Zhang Yang spared Guan Zong, but Fan You did not: "Why do you grow a year older every day, while our lord's stature remains unchanged?"

Guan Zong broke out in a cold sweat: "I don't know either."

Zhang Yang came to the rescue: "It's alright, it'll be fine in a few days."

She was so certain because she could see the "rejuvenation" state within her (gifted by Guan Zong) counting down second by second. Once the countdown ended, she should return to normal. As for why she wasn't growing a year older each day as usual?

Zhang Yang also figured it out.

She was originally an NPC in the game world.

In the game, human players have four initial body types to choose from: adult male, adult female, underage girl, and underage boy. Zhang Yang was initially coded as an adult female and did not have a complete growth process. The game developers would not have created so many different age models for an ordinary NPC.

In the real world, this period of Zhang Yang's life is a blank.

She will not experience any growth changes even if she reverts to a younger age.

Fan You met Zhang Yang's gaze and, seeing that his lord was indeed confident, temporarily put his mind at ease: "That's good then."

He didn't ask why.

Guan Zong felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he kept a low profile.

The army marched at roughly the same distance each day, balancing speed with maximum safety. Approaching Tianjiang County, the entire county was on high alert. Urgent reports poured into the county governor's hands like snowflakes: "That scoundrel Wang Hongtu has finally lost his composure."

Is this an attack on Tianjiang County?

Considering that this is still a special period, and as long as the Xuanwu Decree remains in effect, Tianjiang County will not have a moment of peace. Previously, in order to deal with the envoys sent by the royal court, Tianjiang County had to lend out two thousand soldiers and several months' worth of provisions. They are not exactly empty-handed right now, but facing the overwhelming enemy forces advancing on their front lines, they are indeed somewhat lacking in confidence.

"Go and ask Wang Hongtu what he's really up to! If he truly wants to seize Tianjiang County, we won't let him get away with it so easily!"

Unexpectedly, another strange message came back from the outpost.

The flag this army is flying does not bear the character "王" (King).

"Not 'King'? Then whose is it?"

The Prefect of Tianjiang and his advisors pondered which of Wang Ba's generals could take on the important task of command, and what that general's surname was.

"The surname 'Zhang' is written on the flag."

"Zhang? Does Wang Hongtu have a fierce general surnamed Zhang under his command?"

"Your Excellency, I have not heard of such a thing."

Prefect of Tianjiang: "Could he be a rising star?"

A newcomer I've never heard of before?

Regardless of who it was, the sheer scale of their massive army marching in was enough to make anyone's heart tremble. The governor of Tianjiang was so worried about this that he couldn't sleep. While preparing defensive fortifications, he also sent people to invite the wealthy families in the prefecture to come and devise a countermeasure together.

The garrison within the prefecture alone cannot defend Tianjiang Prefecture.

These wealthy families also had some private soldiers.

However, to their surprise, an enemy envoy had accompanied them. Upon seeing the envoy's appearance, everyone was taken aback. One of them asked in confusion, "Xiuying, how could it be you?"

Xiao Sui smiled and cupped her hands in greeting, "It's been a long time."

The other party was Xiao Sui's classmate from Tianjiang County.

The student looked at Xiao Sui with a puzzled expression, then looked towards the direction outside the city, and asked in confusion, "The Prefect said that the troops outside are...?"

Xiao Sui said, "That's right."

My classmate felt like his brain was about to get tangled up.

"I came here to pass through on my way back to Tianyue County, but I did not expect the commotion to be so great and to alarm you. My lord was worried that this might cause unnecessary misunderstandings, so he specially sent me to explain the situation and to tell you not to worry, and not to disturb the lives of the people in the county."

Classmate: "But you came from the Dongxian direction."

Xiao Sui gracefully waved her fan: "King Ba of Dongxian submits to my lord."

The classmate blurted out, "...When did this happen?"

What happened outside?

How could the situation have changed so drastically?

The last news I remember about Dong-Ham was when Wang Qi was captured and taken hostage. Dong-Ham went crazy, sometimes saying he would stir up trouble on the upper reaches of the Fang River to extort money, and other times saying he would send people to control the flooding of the Fang River. I never thought that the next thing I would hear is that Dong-Ham has surrendered?

Or did the heavenly flute descend?

How come I don't know about Tianjiang, which is sandwiched between Tianyue and Dongxian?

Such a big thing, and neither of the neighbors informed us?

At this moment, the Prefect of Tianjiang was also in a state of confusion and his thoughts were in disarray—the informant sent by Tianjiang to Dongxian had not sent back any information about Dongxian being besieged... Could it be that the informant had been exposed?

??ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

The typhoon made landfall right where Shiitake Mushroom is located.

The wind outside is so strong and noisy, it's affecting my writing. I'm also worried that if it rains too hard tonight and floods the parking garage, I'd like to be able to move the car immediately... I probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

PS: There are still spots available for the monthly pass event. You can participate before casting your monthly pass, otherwise it will be a waste.