My lord, spare his life!

Du Guan stammered and couldn't give a reason.

Zhang Yang lost patience and went straight for the final result.

"Never mind, that's not important. Who won between them?"

The desire to win is ingrained in every PVP player.

Why play PVP if you don't care about winning or losing?

Du Guandao: "It looks like the junior lost."

Zhang Yang looked surprised; the actual result was vastly different from her prediction: "You mean Shuyan actually lost? How could he lose? No matter how you look at it, Shuyan's physique and complexion are far superior to Youzheng's. Youzheng looks so weak and frail!"

It wasn't that she looked down on Yuan Xie.

Yuan Xie's physique was simply too frail. Upon first meeting, he looked sickly, as if he might faint at any moment. The crucial point is that he was at the seventh level of the Star-Descending Calamity realm! On the other hand, Fan You's Star-Descending Calamity realm, while at the second level of the Lustful Demon realm, was practically nonexistent. He only looked pitiful at first glance; he recovered completely over the next few months.

How could you lose like that?

Shu Yan used his own experience to prove a point.

You can't judge a person by their appearance, and the same applies to NPCs.

They were all speechless and had no words to reply.

I wonder what expression my junior will have when he hears what the Lord says.

The answer is that there was no expression.

Fan You could remain calm no matter what heartless, hypocritical remarks Zhang Yang made. What truly unsettled him was that Yuan Xie actually harbored such thoughts! Who knows how intense the feeling of the sky falling and the earth collapsing was when he realized this? The same thought kept replaying in his mind—

How is that possible!

Yuan Xie smiled as he played with his chipped sword.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his fingertip: "Why is it impossible?"

Fan You's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at him.

"You won't take this path, but why won't you allow others to take it? It's a waste of talent for Lustful Ghost to follow you. If he followed me, I—" Yuan Xie wanted to say that he would definitely make good use of him, but when he thought of Lustful Ghost's terrifying ability to corrupt, he realized he wouldn't even last seven levels. So he vaguely skipped that part and just chuckled, "Well, it's fine as it is now."

Fan You stared at the swollen, red handprint on Yuan Xie's cheek, his chest heaving violently: "Yuan Youzheng, your family has a pure and upright tradition, your teachers are virtuous and upright, you uphold integrity and honesty... How could you, how could you harbor such sycophantic and despicable thoughts, abandoning all principles and using your beauty to flatter your superiors? How shameful it is that you have received the teachings of your ancestors and teachers... How will you face your ancestors in the afterlife..."

Yuan Xie said solemnly, "Fan Shuyan."

His tone was neither too loud nor too soft, yet it successfully silenced Fan You.

Fan You snapped out of his daze, realizing he had spoken too harshly. He blushed with embarrassment, worried that he had hurt Yuan Youzheng, when he heard Yuan Xie say in a casual tone, "As a subject, who else should one flatter if not the emperor? No matter what, the lord is still a woman."

Speaking of which, there's a rather strange trend in this world.

When both ruler and subject are men or women, even if there are romantic scandals between them, and both have their own families, the world will only laugh it off and treat it as a topic of conversation. But this is not the case when the ruler and subject are of opposite sexes. Yuan Xie only had this thought and worked towards it, yet he encountered such fierce resistance from Fan You. If Fan You had the same thought, one could understand his jealousy, but Fan You, who is a lustful man, did not have this thought, so his resistance seemed strange.

Yuan Xie's expression turned somewhat strange.

"You wouldn't be—"

Fan You became alert: "Could it be something?"

Yuan Xie did not answer directly, but his gaze became even stranger.

Fan You was initially puzzled, but the two had grown up competing with each other since childhood, and even after many years apart, that subtle understanding remained. When he finally came to his senses, his face turned ashen. If it weren't for his upbringing, he would have already cursed.

"Zhang Boyuan is mentally ill, are you mentally ill too?!"

"How can a subject address his ruler by his given name?"

Fan You nearly fainted from anger: "How dare you say such a thing? Who taught you, as a subject, to covet the emperor?"

Yuan Xie remained silent.

However, he understood to some extent the reason for Fan You's anger.

to be honest--

Years of upbringing and rationality made Fan You resist entering the distorted world of the Starfall Demon, and even more so, he refused to adapt to the new rules. Upon closer reflection, this fellow was only at the second level of the Starfall Demon realm. As a lustful demon, the fact that he still retained his primordial yang energy showed that he had never truly suffered. Never tormented by pain, he retained this naive, old-fashioned way of thinking, stubbornly adhering to the old order.

He said, "This is only natural."

Fan You nearly choked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"You're saying...it's only natural?"

Yuan Xie leaned close to Fan You's ear, seemingly angry at his lack of self-control: "If I were you, Fan Shuyan, it would be perfectly reasonable for me to beg for the master's favor and pity. After all, I'm a lustful man, and I can't live without the pleasures of marriage. It's just a pity you're useless. The master is oblivious, and I have to pretend to be reserved, so I have to choose a roundabout way... If you were... hehe, I would thank you."

This lustful devil is utterly useless.

This really disappointed Yuan Xie.

Fan You felt his blood pressure soaring.

It was unstoppable.

He took several deep breaths, but ultimately couldn't hold back.

He landed a punch on Yuan Xie's other cheek.

Fan You wasn't unable to accept that his friend wanted to have an affair with his lord; he simply couldn't accept that this person was Yuan Xie. The Yuan Xie before him was completely different from the one from years ago—the change was too drastic. In particular, Yuan Xie could now alleviate the negative effects of the Fiendish Stars with Zhang Yang's help, and could completely regain his former upright and untainted appearance, even picking up his beloved zither again.

result--

Yuan Xie's appearance infuriated Fan You, who was furious at his lack of ambition.

In addition to that, there is another reason.

Lord Zhang Yang is a hypocrite, naive and cruel, with a muddled mind. What could such a person understand about emotions and desires? Getting entangled with her would not be good for either her or Yuan Xie. Fan You was considering things entirely from the perspective of a subject and friend.

Yuan Xie really wasted his efforts.

"Lustful demon—"

Fan You was taken aback: "What?"

The next moment, a familiar heat swept through my entire body.

The ghost within him seemed to be stimulated by something, suddenly becoming restless. Fan You's eyes widened abruptly, staring in disbelief at the smiling Yuan Xie, his legs went weak, and he was forced to curl up like a shrimp. Then, he was firmly grabbed by the back of his collar and half-dragged, half-thrown into the nearest pond. The pond wasn't deep, barely reaching his chest.

"Won Youzheng!"

Fan You choked on a mouthful of water and looked utterly disheveled.

Yuan Xie stood on the shore, hands on his knees, leaning down to stare into Fan You's eyes, and said coldly, "You seem to have forgotten what it feels like to be possessed by lust... So what reason do you have to judge my choice? You can still harbor those naive and foolish ideas, trying to assist a normal ruler and bring this abnormal world back on track, but I have never had such a thought."

He had long ago nipped such a naive idea in the bud.

"Don't mention the zither in front of me, just like... I've never mentioned the pain of your family's massacre in front of you." Yuan Xie watched with satisfaction as Fan You's reason and desire clashed, looking utterly pathetic. "Some things, once broken, are broken. Just because they don't hurt now doesn't mean they're still intact, still the way they were before they shattered. You don't understand this, because you haven't been completely broken yet."

Therefore, one can still retain some naive thoughts.

The descent of stars is like life and death; there is no turning back.

"Sweetie, now enjoy the experience."

Yuan Xie stared at Fan You, who barely managed to suppress his desires with his rationality, his eyes bloodshot as he met Yuan Xie's gaze. Yuan Xie remained silent, and Fan You didn't utter a sound either. Only the violent heaving of his chest betrayed that his emotions were not as calm as they appeared.

"Yuan Youzheng——"

The lustful demon's counterattack was more intense than ever before.

Fan You trembled all over, unsure whether it was from the cool pond water or from the lustful demon. Just as he felt the world spinning and even his breath turning into scorching white mist, the heat that had reached its peak plummeted. A familiar voice came from the rooftop beside him.

"What are you two doing?"

Fan You looked up first.

Yuan Xie, sensing something was amiss, followed the gaze.

Upon seeing that the newcomer was his lord Zhang Yang, Yuan Xie's eyes darkened slightly. His face showed no sign of panic, but inwardly he thought—his lord had appeared so silently, he hadn't noticed at all, and he wondered how much of the conversation she had overheard. He gave Fan You a meaningful look.

Did Fan You already know that his lord had arrived?

Hmm, why does this scene feel so familiar?

He calmly bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Greetings, my lord."

Fan You also climbed out of the pond.

Yuan Xie glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and made the following judgment—

Soggy and pitiful.

"How did Uncle Yan fall into the water?"

Yuan Xie did not respond, so Fan You had to cover for him, saying with a frustrated tone, "I stepped on some moss and slipped into the water."

Zhang Yang said, "The temperature is low now, and you'll easily catch a cold if you fall into the water. Go and change your clothes and take a hot bath to warm yourself up."

Fan You: "Thank you for your concern, my lord."

Yuan Xie: "My lord, I will escort Shu Yan back."

Zhang Yang nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

Her reaction left Fan You and the other man somewhat puzzled.

Once they were sure Zhang Yang couldn't see them, Fan You and Zhang Yang immediately separated, one needing no support and the other needing no assistance, as if they were separated by thousands of miles: "Did my lord hear you, or didn't he?"

Correct answer——

Zhang Yang heard it.

If she hadn't heard anything, she would have asked the two injured people instead of letting them back down without saying anything. However, she didn't find it strange that she had heard anything. The NPCs in the homestead side quest map are designed to charm players, providing emotional value and immersing them in a pastoral experience.

It's perfectly normal for someone to like her and want to take things further with her.

To put it bluntly, players are the lifeblood of this game. How can game designers expect these paying customers to go through the trouble of winning over NPCs? Letting NPCs win over players and do their best to please them is the treatment that players deserve.

Does Yuan Xie like her?

This is only human nature.

Zhang Yang wouldn't mind what he likes.

She dusted herself off, then suddenly remembered that she might have forgotten to mention something, but couldn't quite recall. She had to pull out her system log, then slapped her forehead: "The red name thing!"

Zhang Yang ignored Fan You's need to take a bath and change clothes, and immediately chased after them, stopping them: "Look at my memory, there's something I forgot to tell you, spies have been discovered infiltrating the city."

Upon hearing that it was important business, Fan You's tense nerves relaxed.

"spy?"

How many people?

"The number is still increasing, it's uncertain."

The enemy wouldn't expect a mere hundred-odd people to stage a mutiny; such a small force couldn't even be controlled by the county government. The red-named individuals Zhang Yang discovered were most likely just the first batch; more would infiltrate in the coming days. Once everything was in place, the assassination could be arranged.

Yuan Xie calmly replied, "I'll go and inquire."

"Inquire? Youzheng has such connections?"

"I don't have any personal connections, but I do have some connections through connections in the underworld."

The seventh level of the Star Descending Calamity meant that the person within his ear had also undergone seven transformations. Ghosts of this level have a significant influence on other ghosts; Yuan Xie can even obtain a large amount of information through communication without alerting the ghost's host.

Zhang Yang said seriously, "Then I'll have to trouble Youzheng."

Yuan Xie wasn't worried about not being able to find out. In this world that was rapidly falling into the abyss, there were more and more ghosts, and among the elites sent out by the enemy, there were always those who possessed the power to bring down evil spirits.

Once the target is found, the purpose can be achieved by communicating with the ghost within its body. Unless the host can communicate with the ghost, it is impossible to detect Yuan Xie's subtle actions; otherwise, Yuan Xie can move freely without hindrance.

After Yuan Xie left, Fan You hesitated several times before finally saying tactfully, "My lord is young and should prioritize the cause of establishing a great empire."

Zhang Yang said, "Of course."

Even setting aside her lack of understanding of the emotions and feelings described by the NPCs, even if she did, she wouldn't feel such emotions towards them. She clearly understands that she is a self-aware NPC, while the others are ordinary NPCs pre-programmed by the game. Are their displayed emotions and desires truly their innate instincts, or merely a pre-programmed sequence of events?

As the observed samples have stated—

[...Don't fall in love with a two-dimensional character, it'll bring misfortune! Waaaaah! Do you even understand that feeling, that feeling of my two-dimensional husband being a gigolo, like the sky has fallen... Damn game company, damn it, why isn't it going bankrupt yet?!]

Zhang Yang: "..."

She didn't quite understand the cries of those observing the samples.

However, she remembered one thing.

Don't fall in love with a two-dimensional character; it will bring you misfortune.

but--

"...If they insist on liking me, then there's nothing I can do... It's only natural for someone as outstanding as me to be liked." Zhang Yang stroked Zhang Dami's neck fur. "Right, Dami, are you also fascinated by me?"

Zhang Dami suddenly shivered.

Its fur was practically standing on end.

Ever since overhearing Fan and You's argument, Zhang Yang felt like she had opened a new world. She discovered that the common people of Weiyin County had a favorability rating of over 50% towards her. Every time they saw her, they would greet her warmly and bow, their eyes filled with undisguised affection.

Zhang Yang: "Shuyan really should go out and see the world."

Love cannot be hidden; she just hadn't noticed it before.

The entire city is filled with people who want to win her over!

nature--

Hatred and hostility cannot be hidden.

A few days later.

Zhang Yang looked with interest at the young man kneeling on the ground, dressed in mourning clothes. The young man was not particularly burly, but he was tall and well-proportioned, with dignified features and no aggressive angles. At this moment, his face was bloodless, his lips were pale, and he was pleading for justice.

Zhang Yang: "..."

To take the lead?

Her?

Give them a red name?

??|??w?`)

Zhang Yang had previously assumed that NPCs would try to increase her favorability, so she felt it was only natural that many people liked her _(:3」∠?)_