My lord, spare his life!

"Even if you don't tell me, I'll find out sooner or later."

The young man kept a close eye on his confidant's reaction.

To his disappointment, the other party's expression was as calm as a still lake, seemingly possessing some humanity, but in reality, it was as bland as air.

"I can't say much more, and I won't make things difficult for you."

The confidant said, "Thank you for your understanding, sir."

The young man changed the subject.

"Whether someone is a formidable rival or not, you always seem to be able to give a hint."

The young man initially didn't want to get entangled with Lu Yuan's henchmen—he had been trapped here for years, initially forbidden from leaving his residence for the first two years, and then confined to a small area within the city for the next few years, unable to interact much with others. Lu Yuan's henchmen were constantly watching him, and any unusual movement risked a violent death in the streets. For the sake of his life, he had to endure humiliation and subservience to gain some breathing space. Therefore, he harbored deep hatred for Lu Yuan, and anyone associated with Lu Yuan was seen as a thorn in his side.

The confidant was stunned, considering whether or not to answer.

Even though the person in front of them had been under house arrest for several years and had been living a carefree and unambitious life for the past two years, no one dared to bet on whether he was truly obedient or just waiting for the right moment to break free of his shackles.

The confidant had followed the master for many years and naturally knew how ruthless and difficult the young man had been. The master was worried that the people in the house would be tricked into revealing information, so he strictly forbade the guards from communicating with him, and even the servants serving here were carefully selected mute and deaf servants.

"It is indeed a bit tricky."

When trusted confidants are hesitant, choose to trust your intuition.

Then, she added sarcastically, "You were once a subordinate of the prefect, so you should know what kind of person that is. To her, the head of the family is like a handy and sharp knife. In any dangerous situation or war, she thinks of her first and doesn't care if the knife breaks."

The prefect of Chesi County only needed to issue an order.

If Lu Yuan returns victorious, he can simply distribute the spoils; if he doesn't, it's just the death of an adopted daughter. To these warlords in chaotic times, adopted sons and daughters are worthless resources: "If they're not troublesome, they can't even think of their parents."

Young man: "Is your life in danger?"

When his confidant heard this question, his heart sank.

She didn't know if the young man was genuinely worried about his parents' safety or testing her: "In war, people always die."

Give an ambiguous answer.

The young man sneered, his eyes surging with hatred: "People do die in war, but if she dies, I'm afraid I won't survive either."

The confidant secretly thought the other party had guessed correctly, but on the surface he appeared innocent: "What you're saying, sir... means that if anything were to happen to your parents, you would be willing to die for them, to follow them to the ends of the earth?"

One sentence caused the young man's expression to shatter.

Shock, disbelief, and disgust mingled with a hint of utter disdain, she couldn't understand how a human being could utter such absurd words. Him? A living dead man, manipulated and imprisoned for years, would choose to die for his perpetrator?

The young man fell silent.

I have absolutely no idea how the other party came to this conclusion.

Do you think I would?

The confidant is lying through his teeth.

"I once read a few poems from the Book of Songs in my spare time, and there was a line that said, 'A man's infatuation can be explained, but a woman's infatuation cannot.' However, throughout history, how many tales have emerged of famous generals dying in battle and beautiful women following them? I feel that the Book of Songs is somewhat biased. There is no difference in feelings between men and women. Although you and your parents have had past grievances and grudges, you have also had children together, and you have carefully raised your children for many years. Therefore, it is evident that your relationship is similar to those tales of famous generals and beautiful women."

The young man stared in disbelief.

The young man was furious.

The young man pointed to the door and shouted, "Get out!"

Upon receiving the news, the confidant immediately got up and "got out".

She was afraid that if she continued to be in the same space with this person, her secrets would be exposed, so it was safer to stay outside the door.

Upon seeing this, the young man clenched his fist tightly inside his sleeve.

He secretly told himself that he was being paranoid.

This wasn't the first time Lu Yuan had passed by during a military campaign without seeing him and the children.

Whether it was truly an urgent military situation, or whether she had been distracted by her newly acquired beauty and was using this as an excuse to avoid coming, only she herself knew. The young man looked at the child and sighed, "A man's infatuation can be explained. A woman's infatuation, however, cannot."

That's really not believable.

And he was the one who believed it and became a sucker.

That's why they let their guard down and were tricked into this situation, losing their freedom.

Darkness fell slowly in Chesi County, and Zhang Yang grew sleepy as the sun set, passing the time by repeatedly reviewing the planned itinerary. This time, they divided the work: Zhang Yang would infiltrate the county government to carry out the assassination. Wang Qi was dissatisfied with this arrangement, feeling that the Chesi County governor's head should have been his: "I didn't even inform the old man, so this should be prioritized for me first."

Prefect Che Si and Wang Ba have been sworn enemies for many years.

If Wang Qi takes the head, the old man will know he'll never have the chance to personally kill his enemy again in his life, and just thinking about it makes him feel good.

Xiao Sui objected: "That won't do."

Wang Qi stared at Xiao Sui's slender but fragile neck.

"Um?"

Do you dare to repeat it again?

Xiao Sui, unfazed by the danger of death stares, calmly fanned herself: "Lu Bafeng hasn't made a move for so many years, what do you think is the reason? Because her godfather has many doubles, and even she doesn't know where the real one is. If she kills the wrong person and misses the best opportunity, she will face utter destruction. We have fewer people on our side, and we have less time."

The most important thing in this operation is to control the city gates.

Once the city gates are closed, the garrison outside cannot come in to provide support, and it will take time to force the gates open. During the crucial period between closing the city gates and their eventual breach, the number of troops that the prefect can mobilize within the city is extremely limited, mainly concentrated near the prefectural government.

These guards are much easier to deal with.

Everything must be settled before the city gates are breached.

Therefore, they have too little room for trial and error.

Don't kill the wrong target; kill with one blow!

Hearing this, Guan Si basically understood what was going on and had no objection to Xiao Sui's arrangement for Zhang Yang. He had worked with Zhang Yang once before and knew that the other party possessed extraordinary skills, capable of accurately capturing the figure of the enemy within a certain range and even locking onto the enemy's identity.

Only she could identify the target and behead him.

Wang Qi had no idea.

"If I can't do it, then the Mountain Spirit will?"

"Since our lord possesses such martial virtue, she will naturally be able to do it."

Wang Qi was very unhappy, but he had no choice but to compromise.

Xiao Sui continued to make plans, instructing Guan Si to use the military tally left by Lü Yuan to command the remaining personal guards, control the city gates from the inside, and then provide support for Lü Yuan's troops to open the gates for him. The next task was to lead the troops in defending the city, holding out for as long as possible, doing their utmost.

Wang Qi was the last to be introduced.

Wang Qi was displeased: "Why are they being given the job of killing?"

Xiao Sui smiled gently, trying to comfort her.

"Don't be angry, Gongsun Jun. This time I will definitely satisfy you."

"Sure, who to kill?"

The fan, gently waving, created a sweltering breeze, yet Xiao Sui's words were chilling: "The adopted sons and daughters, and even the biological sons and daughters of the Prefect of Chesi County, any potential threat that could contend with the Eight Winds for Chesi County, will be eliminated without exception."

This arrangement indeed satisfied Wang Qi.

He was extremely satisfied.

This was a task tailor-made for him.

Even Xiao Sui seemed much more pleasing to the eye now.

With the plan in place, the three parties could then divide their forces and cooperate. Guan Si, with the most pressing matter at hand, acted first, while Wang Qi left with a trusted confidant of Lu Yuan to guide them. They were just waiting for the signal to act, and today they could unleash their killing spree. Although they weren't killing the old man's adopted sons and daughters, or his own children, their identities were still those of the old man, and he considered it a practice run for future use.

Zhang Yang's task seemed the easiest, but it was actually the most dangerous.

Xiao Sui said, "If our lord is outmatched, his own safety should be the priority. Even if this assassination attempt fails, but other operations succeed, it will still ensure that Lu Yuan captures most of Che Si County, which is still advantageous to us. But if something happens to our lord, then—"

Zhang Yang interrupted her to reassure her.

He said firmly, "There's no 'if'."

The difficulty of red-named bosses in quests will be controlled to a level that players can solo. Only dungeon bosses of the current level require players to form a group. The Prefect of Chesi County is at most a regular quest boss, not comparable to a dungeon boss.

Zhang Yang still can't kill his opponent in a one-on-one fight?

Xiao Sui said, "The area around the prefectural government is heavily guarded and patrolled. My lord, do not reveal your whereabouts before you find the target. Once you reveal your whereabouts, you will alert the target and give them ample time to escape."

Zhang Yang: "Is the area around the prefectural government heavily guarded?"

She also owns a county government.

Thinking back carefully, the area around Tianyue County was quite spacious; even commoner children could sneak up on the walls to deliver food to Zhang Yang.

This rhetorical question left Xiao Sui speechless.

She was obviously also thinking of Tianyue County, which she had only visited a few times.

Xiao Sui's lips twitched unnaturally: "As a strategic location within the prefecture, the prefectural government has always been a heavily guarded place. It is truly unprecedented for a lord to allow commoners to approach freely. Your lord must not confuse the two and be careless."

If you just swagger over it because of this—

Xiao Sui didn't even dare to imagine that scene.

Zhang Yang took notes carefully and accepted the situation in a second.

"Okay, I'll be careful."

To put it simply, it's a mission involving infiltration and assassination.

She was familiar with this task.

Any gamer who has ever cleared the map and completed missions has done infiltration missions. Whether it's infiltrating to assassinate the enemy leader, infiltrating to gather information, or infiltrating to steal someone out, it's all within Zhang Yang's comfort zone.

Xiao Sui looked at Zhang Yang's expression and confirmed it again and again.

The latter, as always, had no expression, and she couldn't discern anything from him: "In that case, I will wait here for good news from my lord."

Zhang Yang: "Isn't Xiu Ying going to fight?"

Xiao Sui: "..."

What are you saying, my lord?

As a strategist, she should be able to sit in the center and plan ahead; why should she learn to fight like a warrior? That's not in line with the elegance of a noble family's scion. Thinking this to herself, she said aloud, "How can a mere grain of rice compete with the brilliance of our lord and his valiant generals? With our lord here, this battle will surely be invincible. As for me, I'm too weak to even kill a chicken, so I shouldn't cause our lord any trouble."

Zhang Yang stared at the top of Xiao Sui's head and agreed.

The opponent's health bar is indeed too short.

Zhang Yang suspected that if he unleashed a powerful attack, the opponent's health bar would be completely depleted, while simultaneously leaving him with seven or eight health bars to lose.

"Okay, be careful here."

As the last rays of sunlight were swallowed by the horizon, darkness fell completely. Over the years, Lu Yuan had endured hardship and bided her time, finally gaining the complete trust of the Prefect of Chesi County. Her men were now able to make contact with the city's defenses, and she had even secretly bribed the deputy commander at the city gate.

Guan Si, carrying the military tally, seized the opportunity during the change of guard at the city gate to subdue the gatekeeper, snapped his head, and hid it in a secluded corner. Meanwhile, the deputy general helped clean up the mess.

The latter's face was somewhat pale and agitated. With the help of his personal guards and deputy general, the commotion did not arouse any suspicion.

After a long while, a low bird call rang out from outside the city gate.

A troop of disguised people could be vaguely seen in the distance.

Coo coo, coo coo coo.

They vary in length and height.

The lieutenant suddenly woke up, sweat already beading on his forehead. He stared nervously at Guan Si, whose strength was unfathomable, and whispered as he drew closer, "General, do you think this is—"

Guan Si has been raising birds for many years.

He can distinguish between real bird calls and bird calls imitated by humans.

He said succinctly, "Go down and open the city gates to investigate."

Guan Si also kept a watchful eye on things.

The more people involved in a mutiny, the easier it is for things to go wrong. No one can guarantee that one of the seemingly insignificant individuals won't suddenly panic and betray them. To put it bluntly, the person beside him isn't one of his own men, and he doesn't trust those bribed by others. If this person's identity is questionable, then the troops outside the city aren't Lu Yuan's men, but rather those of the Prefect of Chesi!

I can take him down with a single arrow!

Unaware of Guan Si's thoughts, the deputy general immediately left the city.

Below the city walls, the scouts of that army also noticed the attire of the person opening the gates and confirmed their identity. Lu Yuan, who had disguised himself, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand, and waved his troops in an orderly and quiet manner as they entered the city.

Not all the guards at the city gate were her men.

These are the people she needs to eliminate right now.

With the old man's military tally in her possession, Lu Yuan could easily find an excuse to lower their guard and launch a surprise attack to capture them. In just a quarter of an hour, her men, under the cover of night, completely took over the city gate without alerting the patrolling troops further away.

"Even if the old man's men arrive, it will take time." Lu Yuan pulled off her black veil, revealing a taut and resolute face. Her eyes held no worry about the outcome of the mutiny, only a firm resolve for revenge. She had endured for so many years, all for this day!

Guan Si said, "I can't come."

They only need to focus on guarding the city gates.

With the prefectural government under attack, the few remaining troops in the city would swarm towards that location, leaving them with neither the energy nor the ability to coordinate with the garrison outside the city to launch a pincer attack. Guan Si stared at the direction of the prefectural government within the city: "Now we just wait for her to make her move."

Lu Yuan also stared intently at the dark night sky.

She had never felt time passing so slowly.

The sound of my heart beating louder and louder in my ears.

finally--

The silence in the city was shattered by a huge explosion.

It startled everyone.

Lu Yuan suddenly looked at Guan Si, his pupils filled with shock.

Is this what they call stealth assassination?

Guan Si: "..."

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Zhang Yang's infiltration was indeed flawless. The moment she stepped into the prefectural government's security perimeter, all the NPCs' yellow names turned red, and a large warning zone appeared around them. Zhang Yang ignored these warnings and completely blended into the darkness.

The structures of each prefecture are largely the same.

Zhang Yang infiltrated the prefectural government without breaking a sweat. Although the density of red names inside was even higher and denser, with personnel stationed in almost every corner, leaving no blind spots, this did not deter Zhang Yang. She moved as if she were in an empty place, reaching the core of the prefectural government.

He stepped onto the roof beam.

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