My lord, spare his life!

"Lü Bafeng, what do you know!"

He roared in fury, which resulted in his other leg being broken.

The instant excruciating pain coursed through his entire body, Lu Yuan's winged fire serpent spear slammed into his shoulder and into the ground, while his other hand lashed out a long rope to bind his neck. By the time he recovered from the agony, Lu Yuan had already bound him into a bloody, mangled mess in no time.

"you--"

Lu Yuan did not respond, but instead gathered his strength and tightened the rope.

The young man's hands were forced together, bound and restrained, and both his legs were broken, so he couldn't struggle at all. The rope was more like a whip, tightening when wet, becoming tighter the more he struggled. Given the young man's current injuries, the possibility of breaking free was almost zero.

His eyes widened in fury: "Let me go!"

Lu Yuan raised a smirk, revealing a mischievous smile.

With a deft flick of her fingers, a soft dislocation clicked, and the young man's jaw was dislocated, utterly robbing him of any chance to argue or shout. She looked down at his bloodshot eyes, her tone casual yet laced with a cruel, teasing softness: "Don't be angry. Be a good prisoner. After your sister and foster mother deal with your lord, we'll reward you according to our merits and then take you back. Don't be impatient or angry."

Lu Yuan touched his eyelids with his blood-stained hands.

"Good boy, don't glare at me like that."

The young man's neck veins bulged, his body convulsing violently, his eyes filled with resentment and anger. Lu Yuan chuckled, casually patting the young man's cheek before handing him over to his personal guards. He paid no heed to whether Sun Ban's relatives would die, nor did he care about the young man's current state of mind.

Even the most intense anger of the weak will only turn into a soft moan to onlookers, adding a touch of morbid amusement but unable to shake the overall situation.

Having experienced the massacre of her entire family, she understood this better than anyone.

I imagine the young man will understand this deeply after tonight.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that her adoptive mother's golden spear seemed to have an extra human head pendant, and she murmured, "This is fair."

Only through shared experiences can one truly empathize; only by going through the pain she once felt can one truly open their heart and treat her with honesty. The prisoner captured by Lü Yuan was no ordinary soldier; he would bring Lü Yuan considerable benefits when it came time to reward him. His personal guards dared not neglect him in the slightest and kept him under strict surveillance.

He Zhi soon discovered the young man.

Even though the young man was covered in blood, the filth could not conceal his superior bone structure and physique: "Did General Lu capture you?"

The guard replied, "Yes, General, he was captured alive on the battlefield."

He Zhi looked down at the young man who was bound hand and foot, his displeasure evident, and his words carried a hint of gritted teeth: "Heh, she really can't change her ways. Why bring her old flame back? And why tie him up in this wretched and grotesque state?"

Incorrigible!

Whether Lu Yuan killed someone, tied them up, or brought them back as a prisoner, none of these actions would have aroused He Zhi's resentment. But she deliberately brought back her old flame, bound like this. What, does she want to take him back?

If he hadn't retained some reason, and if he hadn't been a strategist who had to prioritize his lord's interests, He Zhi would have wanted to do something to kill the young man quietly. Since he had been severely injured by Lü Yuan, it was only natural that he wouldn't survive, so he held back.

hehe--

As long as the lord's forces remain in the mountains, this scene is very likely to repeat itself. He Zhi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to let the torrential rain extinguish the anger in his heart, but an impatient thought arose in his mind—the lord's forces must expand!

Once the war is won out, there's no need to worry about Lu Yuan bringing back any old flames during future battles. After all, no matter how promiscuous or outrageous this woman may be, she wouldn't stray to someone outside the mountain's sphere of influence.

It is not feasible due to time and geographical constraints.

After a few breaths, He Zhi's expression returned to normal.

He skillfully put the young man's dislocated jaw back into place.

The young man was weak, but still conscious. He keenly sensed the fleeting killing intent emanating from He Zhi. Although he didn't know where the killing intent came from, it didn't stop him from seizing the opportunity to deliberately seek death: "...Why don't you kill me and present my head to that traitor Zhang! Even if you capture me, I will not be used by the traitor."

He questioned him, "Are you an orphan?"

youth:"……"

The other party's silence is the best answer.

He Zhi sneered, "Since you've been captured, then stay put and await your fate. Whether you're used or not isn't something a prisoner can decide. If your lord wants to use you, you have to agree, no matter how unwilling you are. You may feel you've had enough of life and don't want to live anymore, but your family may not think so. You're not alone; where do you get the confidence to die for Sun Ban?"

In a fit of rage, the young man bit his lower lip, letting the strong taste of blood spread through his gums, constantly stimulating his nerves.

A surge of intense resentment and hatred filled his chest, and he stared intently at He Zhi with bloodshot eyes. At this moment, his hatred for He Zhi even surpassed that for Zhang Yang, who had killed his mentor on the battlefield: "...Traitor, if I have the chance, I will make you wish you were dead!"

He Zhi sneered, "Am I the only one destined for a terrible death?"

The young man was panting heavily, with little rationality left in his mind.

He Zhi calmly met those crimson eyes, a mocking smile playing on his lips, his heart churning with a wicked rage: "If you're going to kill, kill both of them. If you have the ability to make me suffer a terrible death, then I'll send Lü Bafeng down to be buried with me too."

The young man's mentor was killed by his lord, Zhang Yang, and his legs were crippled by Lü Yuan. He had merely passed by and made a few sarcastic remarks, yet he was held hostage and brought about his own demise—it was utterly unreasonable. But if the young man truly possessed such abilities, He Zhi would be completely convinced. He might even help the young man take another life, making it a double blessing.

youth:"……"

He was so shocked that he regained his composure.

The look in his eyes as he looked at He Zhi was filled with astonishment and confusion.

He Zhi waved his hand: "Take him away and find a military doctor to treat his wounds. Lü Bafeng is ruthless; if such a deep wound isn't stopped bleeding, bleeding him out could take half his life."

These are no ordinary prisoners of war.

There's a 30-40% chance they'll be future colleagues.

Hmm, as for the remaining 60-70%?

There's a 50% chance they'll be chopped into minced meat by the lord's sword, and the other 50% will be taken by Lu Yuan as a reward.

As long as He Zhi exists, the latter is absolutely impossible.

Zhang Yang, who had failed to secure three job offers, was unaware that a group of young men was recruiting and waiting for her. She grew increasingly frustrated with each attack. Perhaps the nickname "pretty boy" did indeed attract hatred; she found that the deeper she ventured into enemy territory, the more red-named individuals—some excited, some annoyed, some hostile—appeared. The smaller bosses with thicker health bars were particularly reckless, yelling "thief!" and charging at her with bloodshot eyes. Zhang Yang became wary.

"...Is there an eye disease outbreak in Sun Zhaoruo's camp?"

The infection range is quite wide.

Although the situation doesn't seem serious at the moment, Zhang Yang couldn't just ignore the soldiers suffering from eye diseases if her own side were also infected. Caring for them would consume medicine, and Zhang Yang was currently short of medical supplies. Left with no other choice, she could only try to instruct Zhe Meng to relay the order.

"Please give your instructions, Godmother."

Zhang Yang gradually drew away the toughest members of Sun Ban's forces, leaving Zhe Meng with virtually no formidable opponents. Ordinary soldiers could only pose a fatal threat when they formed a well-coordinated battle formation, combining offense and defense. Their surprise attack from the rear gave them an advantage, and the terrain wasn't suitable for large-scale deployments, so Zhe Meng faced little pressure.

She kept a close eye on Zhang Yang's movements.

At Zhang Yang's shout, the adoptive mother, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, decisively grabbed her weapon and charged through the crowd, the mother and daughter rushing towards each other. Ha! What could Lu Yuan, who could still run into his old flame on the battlefield and couldn't bring himself to kill him, possibly compare to her? Even if he arrived first, so what? The adoptive mother's most considerate and beloved adopted daughter was still her.

Break the fierce, break the rabid dog.

Seeing Zhe Meng covered in blood but with bright eyes, Zhang Yang knew that he was not seriously injured: "Order the army to pay attention to hygiene and protection. There seems to be an eye disease in Sun Ban's camp. We must not let them get infected."

Zhe Meng: "A serious eye disease?"

Zhang Yang's long spear swept away the enemy general, who was blinded by rage.

"These guys are crazy. They came here with bloodshot eyes as soon as they saw me." She didn't try to hide anything and told Zhe Meng right in front of them. Zhang Yang even wondered if these guys could see the red health bar above his head, otherwise how could they find him so accurately?

These words shocked Zhe Meng and nearly angered the enemy general to death.

He immediately went on a self-destructive attack and fought Zhang Yang to the death.

Zhe Meng: "..."

The battlefield is a place where swords and spears have no eyes; it's clearly not a good time for explanations.

She even thought with a touch of humor that she could actually cure these people's eye ailments, all she had to do was hide the golden spear in her adoptive mother's hand, which was adorned with a string of human heads. These heads were those of her colleagues, people she had spent every day with or who were related to her, who had died in battle and whose heads had been cut off by the enemy and hung on the spear as decorations, their heads bumping against each other as she swung the spear.

amount……

These people were never intimate enough to touch each other's faces or foreheads during their lifetimes.

Put yourself in Zhe Meng's shoes; if he were on the other side, he would be so enraged he'd be ready to kill Zhang Yang without a second thought. In his fury, he might forget the bigger picture: a battle can be lost, but the traitor must die! And this traitor, after committing such a shameless act, then turns around and pretends to have an eye disease—isn't that just adding fuel to the fire?

They killed Zhang Yang and retrieved his head.

The torrential, cold rain did nothing to quell his murderous intent.

Wang Qi and Guan Si had virtually no teamwork; they fought independently, their sole aim being to create a disturbance and distract Sun Ban's men. Initially, this was quite effective, but as Zhang Yang's troops emerged from the mountain path and established a foothold, the two realized something was amiss.

Instead, Sun Ban used miscellaneous fish and rotten shrimp to delay them.

Sun Ban's main force moved towards Zhang Yang's troops.

That won't do.

Although the two were unaware of the battle situation on Zhang Yang's side, they knew that given the limited terrain, Zhang Yang, on the offensive, did not have a numerical advantage. Wang Qi glanced at Guan Si out of the corner of his eye, gritting his teeth inwardly—how could he let the large cargo fleet overtake him?

He focused his energy in his dantian, and his voice carried far and wide with tremendous penetrating power.

Wang Qi did not directly name anyone—

"If we don't act now, when will we?"

Sun Ban naturally heard it too.

At this moment, she was also overwhelmed and had lost her usual composure. Beneath her seemingly calm surface lay a suppressed rage that was about to explode. She was not angry at how many people Zhang Yang had killed, but rather furious at his provocative act of cutting off heads and using them as ornaments. As the ruler, she was naturally furious, but this emotion was still within a controllable range, and she would still prioritize the "greater good."

A temporary setback will not affect her choice.

however--

Look what the thief on the other side did.

She severed the heads of the defeated soldiers who had died at her hands, hung them on her long spear, and used the severed heads as tassels. How could Sun Ban's men remain rational when they saw their friends and colleagues being so humiliated? How could they possibly care about the "greater good" of their lord?

What utter nonsense about the overall situation!

If she dares to say "the big picture is more important" today, or if she shows weakness to Zhang Yang for the sake of the big picture, the general's knife may not fall on Zhang Yang's head, but it will definitely fall on Sun Ban's neck, tearing her to pieces! Therefore, Sun Ban not only cannot be rational, she must also show a more radical hatred and a stronger fight to the death than her general!

Sun Ban was completely put in a difficult position by Zhang Yang.

She has a way out, but she can't back down now!

Sun Ban exhaled a breath of stale air, her hands clenched into fists within her sleeves, desperately suppressing the negative emotions within her. Hearing Wang Qi's words at this critical moment, she looked around warily, her expression turning tense: "Who is it?"

Did the thieves actually have reinforcements?

Where are these reinforcements now?

Sun Ban was like a frightened bird; the slightest disturbance could trigger her most sensitive and vulnerable nerves. She gripped the sword hilt tightly with her right hand, drawing a sense of security from the touch beneath her palm, while her mind raced, trying to guess from where the new reinforcements would arrive.

Just as I was starting to get a clue, the ground shook violently beneath my feet, and a surging shockwave exploded overhead—wait, this is happening too close!

"My lord, kneel down!"

The guards immediately stepped forward to protect Sun Ban.

Once the explosion subsided, Sun Ban's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Without needing a messenger, she already knew the identities of the reinforcements. She gritted her teeth: "Wang! Hong! Tu!"

At such close range, the enemy hasn't even been hit yet.

Right now, the only person with the opportunity to do this is Wang Ba, no one else! That old bastard Wang Hongtu betrayed her!

"You filthy old bastard—" Zhang Yang's provocations were nothing compared to Wang Ba's betrayal at this moment. Sun Ban had completely lost her composure; her features were contorted in a ferocious grimace, and her anger surged like a mountain. "Wang Hongtu, you filthy old bastard in human skin, you treacherous and heartless coward! I treated you with sincerity, and you betrayed me!"

mad!

I'm so angry!

Her anger pierced through the rain, drowned out the battle cries, and reached Wang Ba's ears clearly and directly. Wang Ba picked at his ear. As someone whose organs had been devoured by Lie Xing Jiang Li, he was naturally devoid of morality, and had no moral burden or guilt whatsoever.

He just found it a bit noisy.

"She only ate her military rations for a few days, not anything else. Why is she acting like she was deceived?"

Sun Ban's anger couldn't dampen Wang Ba's elation—yes, elation. He hadn't felt this wonderful emotion for many years, but when Wang Qi shouted those words, he experienced it again. That undisguised elation filled him with joy. At this moment, even if Wang Qi offered to open his heart to all his brothers and sisters, he would agree without hesitation.

"bother!"

Wang Ba Ci smiled and slashed down one person with a single blow.

? ?|??w?`)

How did everyone do on the college entrance exam?

PS: However, I feel like I can't ask this question right now; I'll ask it after the exam.

PPS: Ahem, Zhang Yang and Shen Tang's names got mixed up _(:3」∠?)_ This usually doesn't happen, but I've been revising the manuscript for the second volume of "Retreat the Emperor" these past few days (the first volume was all original text, which I just downloaded from the backend and sent to the publisher, but the publisher wants to speed up the progress for the second volume, so I have to delete and adjust it chapter by chapter, without affecting the continuity of the plot. It's driving me crazy, and I haven't finished revising it yet).