My lord, spare his life!

Zhang Yang falls asleep quickly and wakes up on time.

When I opened my eyes, it was already bright daylight outside the latticed window.

She kicked off the thin blanket covering her stomach, sat up abruptly, and her brows furrowed slightly. Outside the door, a maid was already waiting with water to help her wash her face and rinse her mouth. As an NPC, she didn't have the ability to change outfits with a single click; some complex appearances required assistance.

She pushed open the door and walked a few steps to her work stop. Her commute was short, so she wasn't in a hurry to leave; she just frowned and pondered. A maid brought her breakfast, which she ate without even looking at what it was. When she came to her senses, her mouth was filled with a strange, unpleasant taste.

Stuffing tomatoes and watermelon into steamed buns?

"Tell the kitchen staff not to come up with any sudden ideas."

She finished the last bite, clapped her hands, and went to work.

Before the morning was even over, Fan You and the others noticed that Zhang Yang was acting strangely, frequently spacing out and daydreaming.

"Is my lord troubled?"

A rich fragrance wafted into Zhang Yang's nose.

Zhang Yang snapped out of his daze: "Xiu Ying?"

Seeing the fish in the pond gather around, Xiao Sui said, "My lord, please continue feeding them. These fish are going to die from overfeeding."

Zhang Yang: "..."

Xiao Sui steered the conversation back to the topic they had just discussed.

Compared to her, who would lie in bed until late morning when she felt lazy and be listless all day, her new lord's energy was unbelievable. Zhang Yang was interested in everything, from ants moving house to poultry production, she could watch with great interest. It was rare for her to be so obediently sitting by the pond feeding the fish like this morning, so it made people worry that she was sick. Xiao Sui then came to ask her about it.

Zhang Yang paused for a moment, then said, "I had a dream."

Xiao Sui murmured, "Dreaming?"

Judging from the other person's mood, this dream probably isn't good.

Zhang Yang looked completely bewildered and confused, and said, "I don't know if that counts as a dream you're talking about..."

As an NPC, she is just a piece of data.

What kind of things might you dream about if you have a certain amount of data?

She also lacks the physiological function of dreaming.

Therefore, for Zhang Yang, the word "dream" was just a word. She knew that people dream when they sleep, and that dreams contain all sorts of absurd and disordered content. She ate and slept only to restore her physical strength and energy, so as not to suddenly feel dizzy and faint on the roadside.

Sleeping is simply closing your eyes and turning off your computer. However, yesterday Zhang Yang strangely discovered that even after "turning off" her computer, she could still see colorful things, and she clearly knew that she was experiencing a "dream".

Can a cyber creature also have cyber dreams?

Xiao Sui asked, "What did you dream about, my lord?"

What you think about during the day, you dream about at night; and for these special beings, some of their dreams can foreshadow certain aspects of the future.

I wonder what kind of terrifying dream could have caused my lord to become so listless.

Zhang Yang sighed and said, "Fight."

Xiao Sui: "Fight?"

Zhang Yang frowned: "I dreamt that Brother Easter Egg was shouting some kind of title, and he charged at my face with a weapon. The survivor base was teeming with countless savage brothers, swarming in like persistent ghosts, each yelling for a fight. Uncle Yan turned into a book, trapping me in the exam hall and forcing me to answer questions and do homework. You Zheng appeared and pulled me out, and then I turned around and saw the bedroom beams covered in poisonous mushrooms with his face on them… I burned them all, pushed open the door, and went to your room…"

Xiao Sui asked with a smile, "And then?"

Zhang Yang: "Your clothes hanger is covered with human skin."

In her dream, Xiao Sui set a trap for her, hanging her upside down while muttering something like, "One more, one more."

Zhang Yang tumbled from a high mountain into a waterfall, and the next second she entered a forest forged from cold metal. The forest guardians were Du Fang, Guan Zong, and their companions, along with Zhang Dami and her three beasts. Upon seeing Zhang Yang, they shouted, "I'll form the head, I'll form the hands, I'll form the feet..." and charged towards her with a thunderous roar. She knocked them away, and then there was another strange escape.

In my dream, I was always running.

Finally, she ran into a completely dark space and found a mirror. However, the giant mirror did not reflect her face, but rather the normal daily office work of Tianyue County. She pounded on the mirror but could not budge it an inch, and called out everyone's names but no one responded.

Just when she was exhausted, the world changed.

She felt herself transform into a blazing golden fire, drifting aimlessly in the boundless space, until she was drawn to a ball of cool, black water, as if all her unease had been soothed. However, this blissful moment was short-lived; a bolt of lightning struck.

Something warm was peeled away from my heart.

Then the object shattered into pieces and scattered in all directions.

The excruciating pain remains vivid in her memory.

"...I subconsciously chased after it, and then the same thing happened again...I had this dream for a long, long time, it was so tiring..." When Zhang Yang woke up, he found that his physical strength was full, but his energy was at a critical level, and he couldn't muster any energy.

After speaking, she opened her peach blossom eyes and looked at the erudite Xiao Sui.

"Can Xiuying interpret dreams?"

Xiao Sui: "..."

This was just a bizarre and chaotic ordinary dream.

It's strange that my lord can remember it so clearly.

Xiao Sui gently comforted him, "Perhaps the pressure of worldly affairs is too heavy, and the lord is also worried about the people and the heavens. So what he thinks about during the day, he dreams about at night. That's why he is being pursued so urgently in his dream."

Zhang Yang felt a pang of sympathy: "No wonder."

For some reason, she subconsciously concealed a detail.

As the dream was about to end, she saw a scene of the sky collapsing and the earth splitting apart. A group of people jumped into the sea, and countless other "people" with identical configurations floated on the surface. An invisible force kneaded the heavens and earth into a ball, and everything returned to chaos, until starlight burst forth from within.

As time passed and the stars shifted, the world was reborn.

Mountains and rivers appeared one by one, and mud splatters transformed into people.

When she woke up, her mind was completely blank.

Despite the sweltering summer heat, she was drenched in cold sweat. Every time she looked around, she felt a surreal sense of disorientation, wondering if this place was different from the game maps she was used to. But once she saw the system logs, that sense of disorientation would quietly disappear.

Zhang Yang was listless all day because his energy level was too low.

Until I accidentally clicked on my own panel.

Name: Zhang Yang, courtesy name Boyuan

Age: Unknown (disguised)

[Power]: Tianyue County

[Stars]: None available

[Talent]: Extravagant spending

Loyalty: -13 (Upgradeable)

Morality: 33 (Upgradeable)

[Strategy]: 33 (Upgradeable)

[Ambition]: 100 (Max)

[Title]: Children are at odds, the elderly are immoral

[Current Status]: A minor prefect of Tianyue County

Why did she feel something was different? With this question in mind, she checked the system logs and found that her [Loyalty] had decreased by 10 at some point, but fortunately, her [Morality] had also increased by 10, so the two canceled each other out and it was neither a rise nor a fall.

"I just don't know why the strategist hasn't made a move..."

Zhang Yang suspected that the changes to the panel were related to that dream.

Thankfully, I didn't dream that night.

When I woke up, I was full of energy and stamina.

Zhang Yang breathed a sigh of relief; she really didn't like dreaming.

"First, persuade Lu Yuan. Once there's clear progress, then send someone to meet him." After a day of rest, Xiao Sui was ready for her business trip. She did nothing else that day but bought a set of armor at a high price.

Zhang Yang bid farewell to Xiao Sui with a resentful look in his eyes.

Along with Xiao Sui, there was also a guy with an extra egg who left.

Before leaving, Guan Si's gaze toward Zhang Yang grew increasingly deep and dark, his thin lips pressed tightly together, as if he had a bellyful of resentment with nowhere to vent it.

Zhang Yang was baffled by his gaze.

"Is this guy bragging to me that he can go out?"

That's a complete provocation!

Zhang Yang turned around and went to complain to Fan You.

"One Easter egg guy is simply not enough..."

A mutiny would trigger a chain reaction, and the power distribution among the mountain prefectures was not simple. Besides Chesi Prefecture, there were two other warlord factions. Even if Lü Yuan's mutiny resulted in the capture of Chesi Prefecture, would these two warlords simply stand by and watch Lü Yuan consolidate his power?

They'll only take advantage of the chaos.

The difference lies in whether it's a test of pressure or a full-scale war.

Fan You: "It's rare for my lord to return..."

Even if Zhang Yang really needs to go on a business trip, there's no rush. We should wait until the cooperation between the two sides is clear and we're ready to take action before sending Tianyue's reinforcements in. Sending Zhang Yang there now, aren't they afraid that Lü Yuan might betray them at the last minute?

Zhang Yang's head is now also valuable.

However, Fan You's decision not to let her go now wasn't entirely due to official business; there was also a personal reason he was ashamed to admit.

As long as she was there, the lustful ghost dared not act recklessly, and Fan You was indeed tormented by those episodes, which left him with psychological trauma.

Fan You: "Furthermore, the matter of rainfall still requires the Lord's presence."

Zhang Yang's attention was immediately diverted.

Yes, she has this important matter to attend to.

"Where did Wild Man go? With his personality, how could he be well-behaved for two days? I thought he would cause trouble everywhere and end up being sued by the victims." Zhang Yang knew Wang Qi's tendency to kill at the drop of a hat. Even if he restrained himself from killing in Tianyue, he couldn't possibly be well-behaved and not cause any trouble. It was completely unlike his usual persona.

Fan You: "You've gone out hunting, haven't you?"

Zhang Yang: "Hunting?"

Fan You's expression turned strange for a moment.

Who would have thought that Wang Qi, a ruthless killer, would enjoy eating?

After the welcoming banquet the day before, Wang Qi seemed to have developed a great interest in Tianyue's cuisine. He initially stubbornly insisted that such complicated cooking was boring and that raw food was much more enjoyable. But then, in the middle of the night, he went deep into the mountains and hunted a whole bunch of animals.

I took two bites, but couldn't swallow.

Finally, he returned with a bunch of prey and dumped them in the kitchen.

In the middle of the night, who would be in the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for him?

He barged directly into the cook's room and was slapped in the face as a lecher. In the past, such a person would have been torn to shreds by Wang Qi with his bare hands, seasoned, and fed to the dogs. But this time he restrained himself because Zhang Yang's refusal to give him the cook during the banquet made him realize that this cook of the prefecture had some value and could not be killed.

As soon as the fragrant cooked food entered his mouth, Wang Qi's body would produce a strange reaction, and a warm, tingling sensation would overflow from his chest.

This reaction wasn't strong, but it was incredibly intoxicating.

Once it got going, it clung to the cook like a vengeful ghost.

Disdainful of the ordinary ingredients procured by the prefectural government, he would drag Zhang Damiao to hunt in the deep mountains outside the city when he had nothing to do. Zhang Damiao even brought back a large worm. The two beasts, carrying the worm, circled around Zhang Damiao, exuding a fierce killing intent even through the air.

Not long after, Zhang Dami brought a leopard from somewhere.

Both beasts tacitly refrained from catching the bird.

Zhang Dagu is the second oldest, but he's the most powerful.

Ultimately, it was the officials under the jurisdiction of the prefecture who benefited or suffered.

Wang Qi couldn't possibly eat that much by himself, and the hunted ingredients didn't keep well; in this weather, they'd develop an off-putting smell after just half a day. With Wang Qi's permission, the excess ingredients were served in the prefectural canteen. After consuming such a large amount of nourishing food, many of the officials were so hot that they couldn't sleep all night. The married ones fared better, but it was pitiful for those who were still single.

When Zhang Yang found Wang Qi, the other man was having a barbecue.

Upon recognizing Zhang Yang, the latter slightly raised his eyes and snorted, "Mountain Ghost is quite the busy man; it's kind of you to remember me."

"If you don't come soon, you'll wipe out all the wild animals around Tianyue." Zhang Yang sat down directly opposite the campfire and unceremoniously took the meat skewers he had just grilled. "I remember you're Azure Dragon Jixiu?"

Wang Qi didn't hold it against her for having his barbecue stolen. Actually, he was also a bit too full to eat anymore. Zhang Yang even came to his aid, saying, "If you can't even remember this, I'll pin you to the spot with a skewer."

Zhang Yang: "Can you do me a favor?"

Wang Qi raised an eyebrow: "I'm just a hostage."

Zhang Yang: "You know you're a hostage. If you want to live comfortably here, you have to do some things for me."

Wang Qi's smile took on a hint of bloodlust.

"Help you with something? Help you get Che Sijun? Tsk, I thought you were a kind and honest god, but I didn't expect you to be just like those people, full of scheming and plotting. The old man is still grateful to you for your help, who knew you'd try to steal his thunder!"

"How did you know?"

In that instant, Zhang Yang had already figured out how to kill him to silence him.

Wang Qi was also taken aback.

"Not because of that?"

"Don't change the subject, answer how you knew first!"

"...The wind told me that the Jishui Leopard can control the wind, and I have a considerable degree of control over the wind." Wang Qi's eyes darted around, but he had only gotten to the point. There was no point in hiding the rest. "If I hadn't been careful when I first arrived, I wouldn't have lived this long."

Wang Qi may lack formal education, but that doesn't mean he's brainless.

The fact that he's survived all this time and even dared to come to an unfamiliar place with Zhang Yang suggests he must have some hidden skills. Otherwise, given his ruthless and vicious nature, he would have been a pile of bones long ago. Forget about his strength; how many powerful experts in this world have been killed by momentary carelessness?

Zhang Yang: "It was my carelessness."

She was thinking about where, inside or outside the city, the body would be suitable to be disposed of.

Wang Qi's eyes darted around: "You didn't notice, but that Guan Siyin did. What, didn't he tell you?"

Zhang Yang looked at Wang Qi expressionlessly.

Wang Qi couldn't hold back his laughter any longer, slapping his thigh and laughing wildly. In a strange tone, he imitated Guan Si's words from the other day: "Without a name or status, you just summon me and dismiss me at will. What do you take me, Guan Siyin, for... Hahaha, you're just like a pitiful stray dog ​​looking for its master. It's hilarious, hahahaha..."

Zhang Yang: "...What do you mean, 'stray dog'?"

Wang Qi suppressed his smile: "A dog without a kennel is looking for its owner."

He had assumed Guan Si was a wild wolf, but it turned out she was also interested in being kept as a pet dog—this was completely beyond Wang Qi's expectations. Wang Qi acknowledged Shan Gui's strength, but he didn't know what charm she possessed that made Guan Si so devoted to her. He didn't understand, so he asked.

"Don't use derogatory terms for my people." Zhang Yang frowned as he corrected Wang Qi, then added, "Because Egg Bro also likes my human skin. But the difference is, he likes this one."

Wang Qi only loves that internet celebrity face-pinching image.

All I can say is that this is a world that judges people by their appearance.

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