My lord, spare his life!

While Fan You was talking to the young man in black robes inside the house, the fat, burly man, Zhang Yang, and Zhang Dami were squatting under the eaves of the mud-brick house.

The burly man occasionally glanced at Zhang Yang out of the corner of his eye.

Zhang Yang, oblivious to everyone else, used a pet comb to groom Zhang Dami, stuffing all the loose fur he plucked into his game backpack.

The two large baskets collected earlier were far from enough.

Just as Zhang Yang was about to extend his wicked hand again, Zhang Dami resolutely defended Hu Mao, preventing Zhang Yang from succeeding with his scissors. The two faced off in a stalemate before each took a step back.

With tears in her eyes, Zhang Dami discarded the loose fur.

Zhang Yang also found enjoyment in the process of "accumulating knowledge over time".

It's fun to save up tiger hair little by little to make a tiger hair sweater.

Outsiders are not fish, so they do not know the joy of fish.

The burly man simply couldn't understand her.

Zhang Yang wasn't made of stone; she naturally sensed being stared at like that. She initially wanted to endure it, but the name on the fat, burly man's head flashed yellow and green, making it impossible for her to ignore.

Zhang Yang asked him indifferently, "What exactly do you want to ask?"

The burly man hesitated for a moment.

Unstoppable Channel: "Are you really Lord Zhang?"

It was common knowledge in Weiyin County that Zhang Yang had a giant star beast by his side. Since this young man also had one, wasn't her identity obvious? There was no other one to suspect.

He also learned a lot of anecdotes about Zhang Yang.

Some say she possesses a radiant beauty, surpassing even the celestial beings descended to earth, her eyes radiating compassion and light. Her heart is exceptionally kind, regarding the hardships of the common people as her own, truly loving them as her own children. Whenever she encounters someone in distress, she generously offers assistance, displaying remarkable generosity and magnanimity.

The people of the county and district all loved and respected him.

Occasionally, a different voice would be mixed in.

Some say she is vulgar and uncouth, possessing a stunning beauty but lacking gentleness and intelligence, resembling a burly warrior with a fierce face, menacing eyes, and greedy, violent nature. Anyone with a modicum of wealth avoids Zhang Yang like the plague, or covers their face, unable to meet her gaze.

To summarize—

A vulgar and greedy woman who is ignorant and uneducated.

The burly man felt that neither of these assessments was quite accurate.

Lord Zhang looked at him with a face that retained a childlike innocence and naivety, neither as divinely gifted as the praise suggested nor as hopelessly unworthy as the slander claimed. The burly man was not surprised by this; people's likes and dislikes are always strongly biased and difficult to judge fairly.

Zhang Yang: "Could someone be impersonating me?"

The burly man replied, "No, that's not the case."

Zhang Yang was even more puzzled.

If there's nothing there, why look at her like that?

Realizing Zhang Yang was in a bad mood, the burly man dared not disturb her any further. However, his silence did not mean the two inside would exercise social restraint. Zhang Yang, with her sharp ears, caught someone speaking ill of her!

She was furious!

"What do you mean I'm ignorant and made a fool of myself? Uncle Fan, is this the kind of boss you gossip about behind your back?" Does Fan You deserve the high salary she pays? Does he deserve the trust she entrusts with the financial power? Most importantly, he even slanders her as illiterate!

This is blatant slander!

Yes, she never had a proper school education.

But then again, which NPC goes to school?

She disguised herself as a human player, diligently checking in every day for sixteen years, never missing a single daily game activity, and also studying hard, so she wasn't exactly illiterate. Damn it, if she were a player, she'd immediately report that rude and personally abusive NPC, Fan Shuyan! She'd even report the game's official team!

Players are our bread and butter.

How could a son be so disobedient and unfilial!

Zhang Yang was furious, her peach blossom eyes tinged with a vibrant hue that even the dimly lit room couldn't suppress. She flung open the door, bringing with her a chilling gust of wind and snow. The cold wind brushed against the black-robed youth's eyes, instantly snapping him out of his daze.

It was as if he had been burned, and he abruptly looked away.

Fan You asked, "Why has my lord come in?"

"If I hadn't come in, could you at least have chirped a few lines?" Her tone, which had been flat, now carried a hint of complaint. "Explain yourself first, how am I so ignorant?"

"When did I say that? Didn't those words come from his mouth? Even a lord cannot slander without evidence or proof! Nor can he doubt without distinguishing right from wrong!" As long as one is quick enough to turn the tables, one can remain righteous and self-righteous.

Fan You was indeed troubled by Zhang Yang's culture.

But he never said it himself.

Who can prove that this is what he truly thinks?

In just a few words, Fan You roughly understood that while the black-robed youth was suffering from the torment of the Fiendish Stars, he could also communicate with other ghosts through his own malevolent spirit. Because these ghosts lacked self-awareness, they could easily reveal the secrets of their master.

Zhang Yang was stunned.

After trying hard to recall, I realized that he definitely didn't say that.

Zhang Yang was incredulous. He looked down and pulled up the system log's chat history for nearby characters. The chat history was clear, with black text on a white screen stating—[The black-robed youth said loudly nearby: Oh, so you think your lord is making a fool of himself because of his shallow knowledge?]

She looked up at the strangers inside the house.

The latter had the words "Black-Robed Youth" written on his head.

Zhang Yang asked him, "Did you say that?"

Fan You: "..."

Even with his understanding of Zhang Yang's temperament, he dared not predict how the situation would develop. He had come all this way to win his old friend over to his side, not to see him to his death. Had he known this would happen, he would have been better off agreeing to that promise.

The black-robed youth's gaze shifted between Zhang Yang and the other man.

He said weakly, "I said it."

Zhang Yang: "Then I didn't wrong him."

Upon hearing this, Fan You, who was already feeling guilty, not only didn't feel guilty, but he laughed in anger: "If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason!"

Zhang Yang, unusually quick-witted, said: "If it is proven that his ability is fake, then it is naturally a case of 'framing someone,' but if it is proven that his ability is real, then it is 'conclusive evidence.'"

The person recommended by Fan You must not be mediocre.

The fact that the young man in black robes is mediocre proves that Fan You has poor judgment; not only did he not tell the truth, but he also framed her from the start. Conversely, if the young man in black robes is talented, it proves that he is very capable, and that Fan You genuinely dislikes his boss.

This is causing some congestion.

Fan You: "..."

Although he said nothing, the name above his head, quietly turning yellow, was a silent protest. Zhang Yang closed her eyes; as long as she couldn't see it, she could pretend the protest never happened. She took two steps closer to the young man in black robes so he could read her lips: "What is your honorable name, sir?"

A fleeting moment of distraction flashed in the black-robed youth's striking phoenix eyes, too quick to catch. He tightened his grip on the hand warmer, and with some effort, he climbed off the earthen bed. This simple action made his already unhealthy lip color appear even more unpleasant.

"This humble citizen, Yuan Xie, courtesy name Youzheng, greets Lord Zhang."

Which character?

Zhang Yang had been forced to read some books by Fan You, and he knew that these NPCs, who all had two names, weren't named randomly; their names were closely related. The black-robed youth's courtesy name was Youzheng, but Zhang Yang couldn't deduce which "xie" he was referring to.

Yuan Xie glanced at Fan You out of the corner of his eye: "The Records of Strange Things says: In the desolate northeast, there is a beast called Xie, with one horn. It is loyal by nature. When it sees people fighting, it will attack the one who is not right; when it hears people arguing, it will bite the one who is not just. The Xie of this commoner is this beast, so 'just' corresponds to 'Xie'."

Zhang Yang: "..."

The character "獬" was still somewhat unfamiliar to her; she only read half of the character she didn't know. If Yuan Xie hadn't proactively given his name, Zhang Yang, just by looking at the system log conversation, would have really misunderstood that his name was Yuan Jie.

Zhang Yang naturally sat cross-legged on the earthen kang (heated brick bed).

Looking at Yuan Xie, he asked, "Where does Youzheng live now?"

Yuan Xie said, "Previously, my servant and I settled in a thatched hut at the foot of the Dongfan Mountains. Unexpectedly, the bandits and soldiers entrenched in the Dongfan Mountains have recently started fighting again, and the flames of war have affected the two of us. We had no choice but to take our servant and temporarily seek refuge. At present, we have no place to live."

In a secluded corner, unnoticed, the burly man's expression was visibly unnatural. He hesitated, wanting to speak but ultimately swallowing his words. Seeing his difficulty speaking, Zhang Yang poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. He casually asked, "Do you have somewhere to go?"

Yuan Xie held a section of a bamboo tube filled with water and shook his head.

"Nowhere to go at the moment."

Zhang Yang went along with the suggestion after hearing this answer.

"Since there's nowhere else to go, why not stay in the county seat for a while? I heard from Uncle Yan that your teacher and his father were close friends, so you must have known each other since childhood. There are four great joys in life: rain after a long drought and meeting an old friend in a foreign land."

Yuan Xie did not hesitate for long and readily agreed.

"The Prefect's invitation is most honorable, and this humble subject has no reason not to decline."

Even Fan You's face showed a hint of surprise at the delight.

But what surprised him even more was Zhang Yang's words above.

While not exactly worldly-wise, he was undeniably flawless. Leveraging the childhood friendship between Fan You and Zhang Yang, he invited Yuan Xie, who had nowhere else to go at the moment, to stay temporarily, promising to formally recruit him later. Fan You even wondered if Zhang Yang's mind had been possessed by some ghost.

This was not the illiterate (crossed out) lord he knew.

"This humble subject has a question; could Your Excellency please enlighten me?"

"Go ahead and ask."

"This humble subject has lived in seclusion at the foot of the Eastern Frontier for many years, and has had dealings with the soldiers and bandits of the Eastern Frontier. Does not Your Excellency worry that my identity may be suspicious?"

Zhang Yang's gaze subtly swept over the top of Yuan Xie's head.

While the red, yellow, and green colors don't fully represent an individual's attitude towards her, it's rare to see someone like Yuan Xie jump from a red name to a stable green name after just one meeting. But what truly made Zhang Yang decide to invite Yuan Xie was a system log entry.

Yuan Xie's favorability towards you has increased by 60.

Zhang Yang: "???"

No, how much favorability did this guy increase in one go?

They gave me 60 points right away!

Generous and kind, with a discerning eye.

Unlike Fan You, whose favorability rating hovers around 60 despite constant additions and subtractions, Zhang Yang's system log would occasionally pop up with a message when Fan You got frustrated on duty: "Fan You's favorability rating towards you has decreased by one."

Zhang Yang said, "Where can I go to seek justice?"

Having received Yuan Xie's affirmative reply, Zhang Yang slightly raised his drooping legs. Zhang Dami pushed past Fan You and came over to lie down, allowing Zhang Yang's legs to comfortably rest on its back. Zhang Dami's tiger fur was thick and warm, more comfortable to step on than a blanket.

Then, as if no one else was around, she propped herself up on the low table with her elbow, maintaining the one-handed chin-resting posture, and opened the recruitment platform.

Fan You looked away.

People often make a lot of small movements when they're embarrassed, like pulling out a miniature copy of a book from a hidden box under the armrest of a wooden wheelchair. He read it with great interest by the dim light of an oil lamp. Yuan Xie hadn't expected Zhang Yang to neither invite him into the city that night nor offer his farewell. His confusion was answered when he caught a glimpse of Fan You out of the corner of his eye. He calmly looked away and began to read silently as well.

Zhang Da squinted and rested his head on the overlapping tiger paws.

The only person with nothing to do became a fat, muscular man.

He found the scene before him strangely eerie.

The previously harmonious atmosphere inexplicably turned into an awkward silence, with the main characters having no desire to communicate and each doing their own thing.

this--

Aren't you embarrassed?

Anyway, Zhang Yang didn't feel embarrassed at all.

Do players have to notify NPCs before doing anything?

Zhang Yang opened the recruitment page as if no one else was around, and sure enough, he found Yuan Xie's avatar on the left. As Zhang Yang encountered more and more NPCs, more and more recruitable avatars lit up, but most of them had rather poor attributes.

This did not arouse Zhang Yang's interest in going through the process of sifting through the sands of time.

She clicked on the Yuanxie avatar, and the thousands of stars floating on the recruitment platform on the right immediately transformed into a phantom image in the shape of Yuanxie.

The figure appeared to be no more than eighteen years old, with features still retaining a touch of childishness. He wore a long, light green robe, the hem of which was licked by flames. In his arms he held a charred ancient zither, its body mottled and its strings broken. His once slender, youthful fingers were now a bloody mess, with the bones faintly visible.

Two tiny figures were perched on the phantom's shoulder.

It was a little over three inches tall and had a ferocious, demonic appearance.

The little figure holds a knife and cuts off nearly half of a person's ear.

Behind the phantom was a menacing black shadow that almost covered the entire background. Hands were spread out, supporting the boy's head, sharp, blackened fingernails nearly digging into his ears.

【The Descending Stars: Sevenfold, The Person in the Ear】

This trip alone was enough to shock Zhang Yang.

In comparison, the other data is not very meaningful.

Zhang Yang prepared to change his posture and continue examining the area.

The slightest movement made the rustling of the fabric all the more distinct in the room. The burly man instantly became alert and turned to look, only to find his father fast asleep against the wall, the ancient book he had been holding lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) without waking him.

Zhang Yang asked in surprise, "Asleep?"

Little did he know, those two simple words struck the burly man like a thunderbolt. No one knew better than him how rare this quality of sleep was for the family…

There might not be many days like that throughout the whole year.

"Since Youzheng has already fallen asleep, we shouldn't disturb him any longer. I'll arrange for someone to come and bring him into the city tomorrow." Fan You also felt that each day was like a year, wishing he could carry the wooden wheelchair on one arm. Fortunately, now they had an excuse to leave this place.

The burly man stood up to see him off.

The two men and the tiger disappeared into the night, and he turned to go back inside. He intended to turn off the lights and go to sleep, but instead found the person who should have been asleep sitting on the edge of the earthen bed, staring blankly ahead: "Did you wake your parents?"

Yuan Xie paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, it was Lord Zhang who left."

As Zhang Yang stepped out of the fence gate, he was awakened by a sharp, ghostly wail, and a mournful, eerie wind swept past his ears.

"Lord Zhang?"

"I have never seen anyone with such abundant and pure vitality as her." Yuan Xie's weak smile had a strange quality to it. He raised his hand to touch his ears, which had been cut off but had "grown" back. They were more like ghost ears than human ears.

"Are the parents really going to Weiyin County?"

Although their relationship with the Dongfan bandits was purely based on mutual benefit and they had some conflicts of interest, they were outwardly considered "one of their own" to the Dongfan bandits. This time, they went down the mountain without investigating properly and instead carried the pots and pans to Weiyin County. If the Dongfan bandits found out, they would definitely regard the master and servant as thorns in their side.

Yuan Xie did not give a direct response.

Go and fetch me a basin of water.

The burly man didn't ask him why he wanted water.

Call it over honestly and place it on the low table.

Yuan Xie used the water as a mirror, carefully observing the haggard figure reflected there, his youthful beauty gone, before covering his eyes. The burly man comforted him, saying, "My lord has been working tirelessly lately, so it's natural that you look haggard. Just relax, take good care of yourself, and you'll naturally recover."

Yuan Xie said, "Knowing that one is attracted to beauty, one admires young women."

The burly man didn't understand why his parents had suddenly brought this up.

"What do you think of Lord Zhang?"

"A young prodigy."

The burly man silently added a sentence in his mind.

[It was also somewhat rude.]

Guests are guests, and how can guests simply leave their hosts aside and immerse themselves in their own little world?

They neither left nor spoke.

They looked at each other, speechless.

The burly man thought about it casually.

Then, caught off guard, he received a thunderous shock from his parents. Yuan Xie's tone was a little tired: "You said it yourself, she's a young person, so naturally she prefers fresh and vibrant colors. Someone like me, who's almost withered and common, probably wouldn't catch her eye."

The burly, overweight man: "???"

Damn it!

This is truly unbelievable!

No, this is even more terrifying than seeing a ghost.

Do his parents even know what nonsense they've been spouting?

The burly man swallowed hard, still feeling parched, his heart pounding, and his mind racing: "My...my parents just said...that you fell in love with Lord Zhang at first sight?"

Yuan Xie: "How could that be?"

The burly man let out a long sigh of relief.

Very good, very good, that's great, he was just hallucinating.

"It has nothing to do with love, it's all about lust." Yuan Xie's smile was even more terrifying in the eyes of the fat, burly man. "Fan Shuyan is only at the second level of the Star Descending to Evil realm, and he has never truly suffered from the torment of lust. He probably can't see what that Lord Zhang looks like."

"What does Lord Zhang look like?"

"Radiant and dazzling, if only I could receive your mercy and favor..."

The burly man understood what the parent meant.

But he still found it terrifying and outrageous.

"It's a pity that she was so young and beautiful but didn't know the difference between men and women."

Yuan Xie expressed slight regret at this point.

If Fan Shuyan were to actually follow her and she were to successfully awaken his romantic instincts, he himself might one day be able to ask to become her lover. This world is inherently extremely unfair and twisted; those in power ruthlessly eliminate everything. And for him, as someone in a lower position, to plead for the mercy of those in power—isn't that perfectly natural? Using the body as a linchpin to strengthen an alliance of interests isn't entirely wrong either.

The burly man broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

There's really nothing wrong with that...

But it's terrifying to hear these words coming from a parent.

Damn it!

This is truly unbelievable!

The seven stars descended with wrath, twisting people into such a state?

On the way back, Fan You looked around, his mind filled with worries.

His wooden wheelchair was twirled by Zhang Dami's high-raised tail—don't ask Fan You why he wasn't in a wheelchair, this stretch of road was too bumpy—he slowly followed beside Zhang Dami, while Zhang Yang sat cross-legged on the tiger's back: "Something on your mind?"

"Youzheng has completely changed."

"The seven stars descend with wrath; it would be truly terrifying if their personalities didn't drastically change." During this period, Zhang Yang was forced to catch up on his academic studies, but he was also given some background knowledge about the side quest maps of his homestead.

In her view, even if it wasn't a case of celestial beings descending upon the dead, a perfectly healthy person living in a haunted house every day, living next to ghosts, and being constantly frightened would make even the most mentally sound person become abnormal.

Fan You: "...That's true."

For example, a lustful ghost.

Even the most virtuous and pure people can become slaves to their desires.

"...No matter what his plans are, if such a person cannot be used by us, then he cannot be used by others either."

Before meeting Yuan Xie, Fan You thought it wouldn't matter if his old friend didn't help him. Now, however, he was thinking that if his old friend didn't help him, he would have no choice but to let his old friend reincarnate for free. The other party could expose all his secrets through the lustful ghost in just one meeting. If he was left to help someone else, he would suffer a lot.

Ultimately, it's because this lustful devil is so weak-willed.

Why is your mouth so loose?

What does "cannot be used by others" mean?

"Kill him."

Zhang Yang almost thought he was hallucinating, and asked again and again uncertainly, "...You two, are you really childhood friends?"

Fan You frowned: "The term 'childhood friends' is only used by our lord."

He never admitted it to Yuan Xie.

Zhang Yang: "..."

Fan You said, "His teacher and my father did have a good relationship, but all the lecturers at the academy have an extremely strong competitive spirit. Because of this, my father and I suffered a lot when we were young. As we got older, they finally calmed down a bit..."

Zhang Yang: "The teacher and the father of the 'tiger parent'."

Fan You didn't understand, but he could vaguely guess the gist of it.

"Because of our parents' relationship, Youzheng and I were both rivals and friends. Every time we met, we would have a competition first, but we stopped later. His hearing..." It's incredibly cruel to make someone who knows music theory lose his hearing. "Although he wasn't very likable before, he was still a vibrant person. When I saw him this time, I thought he was a dried-up corpse..."

Feeling sorry for him?

"No, Yuan Youzheng is the kind of person who won't do anything without a profit. It's very strange that he agreed so readily and didn't make things difficult for us."

"Perhaps a double agent sent by the Eastern Bandits?"

Yuan Xie and his servant also had conflicts of interest with the Eastern Bandits.

Fan You rejected this conjecture.

"No, he has always been arrogant and proud. Even if he briefly cooperated with the Eastern Bandits, it was just a temporary tactic. He could never truly submit, let alone infiltrate the enemy camp for them." The only thing that could make Yuan Xie act out of character is his own interests.

But what exactly is this benefit?

Fan You couldn't think of anything for the time being.

Zhang Yang, however, was quite open-minded. He said in a measured tone, "A friend of mine once taught me—'Where there's a will, there's a way, and where there's a will, there's a way!' Let things take their natural course. Just like what you said earlier, if Yuan Youzheng is a useful person, we'll use him; if we don't want to use him anymore, we won't keep him alive for someone else to use."

Fan You: "..."

The wind and snow carried the sound of their conversation.

Zhang Yang, ever the opportunist, brought up a sore spot: "Shuyan, you said you and Yuan Youzheng have been rivals for many years, isn't that right?"

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Yang glanced at the panel.

"He is more intelligent than you."

Not too much, not too little, just a little too high!

??(?_?)

Choosing names is such a pain! I feel like if I ever stop writing empress stories, it won't be because I've written too many, but because I don't have enough names to go around.

The young man in black initially named himself Yuanzhen, but after pronouncing it for a while, he realized something was wrong and had to change it.

PS: Today's chapter counts as an extra chapter, not a 10,000-word chapter... I feel like 10,000-word chapters are really hard on my butt. If all else fails, I'll just update three chapters a day.

PPS: Kids are really interfering with my career! I wasn't keeping an eye on them for a second, and the whole chapter almost got deleted... Luckily, the kindergarten teacher said classes are on Sunday (do kindergarten holidays get rescheduled?).