My lord, spare his life!

"What lord would risk his life alone?"

Fan You and the others naturally disagreed with Zhang Yang's choice.

Her lord can travel around even while staying in the army, as long as he remembers to come back after dark. How did she become a "fixed-location NPC"? When has she ever been "fixed"? When she sees a village during the march, she goes to explore it. If a house is broken, she repairs it. If water is hard to come by, she digs a well. The army usually marches thirty to fifty miles a day and has to worry about falling behind, but her lord can plow a hundred or eighty acres in one go without panting.

He doesn't sleep when he gets home at night.

Ge Zhou took Ge Zhou and wielded a hoe to dig for minerals and collect medicinal herbs everywhere.

When they were bored, they would go to raid snake nests, catching snakes regardless of whether they were poisonous or not, and then playing with them until they were done. After that, they would throw them to Zhang Dagu and the others as a treat.

What lord has as much freedom as her?

Where did she get the term "fixed point" from?

Fan You could only earnestly advise, "Qin Shiming and the others have met with the Lord. From the royal family to the officials, everyone is being watched by Qin Shiming's spies. What if someone recognizes you and the Lord's identity is exposed? Wouldn't that be dangerous? Rest assured, Lord, I will prioritize the greater good on this trip and will not let personal blood feuds affect important matters..."

Zhang Yang looked at him with her chin propped up on her hand, without saying a word.

Fan You gritted his teeth in secret and made a difficult and rebellious decision. He was going to issue his lord a long-term mission to get him away from Dog Kingdom County! However, his lord, who had always accepted any mission, refused this time.

"Why doesn't the lord want this mission?"

"Why take on a task you don't want to do?"

Players have a quest limit; they can only accept 50 quests at a time. These quests can be completed or ignored, to be completed later when remembered. If the quest limit is reached, one quest will be randomly canceled. Cancelled quests can be re-accepted from the NPC who issued them without any impact. There is no rule that requires completing a quest upon acceptance.

Players are the center of all world rules.

Fan You pursed his lips, feeling utterly helpless against Zhang Yang.

"There's no place in this world I can't go. If you're worried about this face being exposed, I can change my character's appearance, adjust my body shape and age, and even my aura." Zhang Yang wasn't particularly interested in Dog Kingdom, but he couldn't resist the obstruction from Fan You and the others.

The more they tried to stop her, the more interested she became.

Having said that, Fan You could say nothing more.

Referring to her previous transformation into a child, Zhang Yang adjusted her body size, height, and facial features to keep her appearance at around twelve or thirteen years old. She was to play the only daughter of a wealthy family, with Fan You as her accountant, Ge Zhou as her bodyguard, and the others taking on their respective roles.

From now on, you shall call me Young Master.

Zhang Yang looked in the mirror to check if he had any flaws.

She took out a male character customization item from her game inventory and had Fan You put it on. Compared to Zhang Yang, who had only met Qin Huang a few times, Fan You's face was much easier to spot. However, Fan You couldn't refuse to come. His identity made it easier to contact scholars with Mingde connections.

In a hurry, Zhang Yang chose to travel by water.

Fan You acquired a large ship, and twenty or thirty soldiers disguised as cooks loaded goods onto it. The crucial section of the river leading to Dog Kingdom was simultaneously controlled by Qin Huang and Zhao Chai's forces, who plundered passing merchant ships. A single ferry fare wasn't expensive, but the practice of charging two fares couldn't withstand the pressure.

Nevertheless, many merchants still chose to travel by water.

Waterways are safe and fast, allowing for the transport of more goods at once. While the Zhao and Qin factions collect fees, they also genuinely work; as long as the full amount of ferry fees is paid, the route is safe, and river bandits dare not cause trouble. If trading by land, the same quantity of goods requires more wagons, cooks, and escorts, and merchants have to spend significantly more money to bribe bandits along the way.

Some thieves don't follow the rules; they take money one minute and break their promise the next.

Murder and rob, leaving no survivors.

This was all intelligence gathered by Du Guan, including information on which ferry crossing was controlled by which faction and which bandits gathered to rob. Zhang Yang listened with interest: "It's better if they don't come. If they do, I'll show them what it means to be double-crossed... no, double-crossed. Maybe I can even recruit some people."

Fan You looked down on the river bandits: "Those who can stir up trouble on the water are far more ruthless than those in the mountains. How could they be easily recruited?"

Even if they are recruited, they can easily corrupt the atmosphere.

The first and second days after the launch were calm and peaceful.

Zhang Yang took out a small stool, sat on the deck, and started fishing. He fed each fish he caught to the cats. The large ship had a family of five cats, kept to catch mice. Without their hard work, mice would have gnawed through the wood without anyone noticing. Zhang Yang fed the kittens small fish, and took turns feeding Zhang Da Gu and Zhang Da Ji larger fish.

Zhang Dami and Zhang Damiao are both large, making them the most suitable to stay in the military. Zhang Da'ao is already a registered officer and will remain in the military on standby.

The clairvoyant is used for communication. If there's any situation with the army, it can fly over and inform them immediately. As birds of prey, Zhang Daji and Zhang Dagu only appear when necessary and roam freely when not, making them less likely to attract the attention of enemy spies.

In fact, Zhang Yang didn't even want to bring Da Gu and Da Ji along.

But Wang Qi was too much for them to handle, so he tried to sow discord among them.

[Hmph, is it because the mountain spirit won't bring those two along that they'll interfere with your pleasure-seeking and finding new star beasts?]

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dagu's feathers nearly bristled.

It transformed into an angry bird, crashed into Zhang Yang's arms, and refused to leave.

Zhang Yang: [...]

Left with no other choice, she took the two birds with her. However, as revenge, she left Wang Qi behind in the army, without him.

Surprisingly, Wang Qi did not react negatively to this.

Zhang Yang: [Why aren't you angry?]

[Does the mountain spirit know that a scholar should be viewed with new respect after three days of separation?]

Wang Qi also had his own plans. The Mountain Ghost wouldn't stay in Dog Kingdom County for long. Whether it was an alliance or something else, he would return once he had achieved something, so there was no need for Wang Qi to keep a close watch on him. He could also use this time to secretly work hard and impress the Mountain Ghost.

With the alliance details finalized, Wang Qi will be a key fighting force, whether it's fighting Qin Huang or Zhao Chai, and will naturally have more opportunities to make contributions.

Without Guan Si to divide it up, he could enjoy it all by himself.

Wang Qi gave Guan Si a cold glance.

Since we've gone, let's protect the mountain spirit well.

If anything happens to me, I should just commit suicide to atone for my sins.

Living is shameful, and Wang Qi can laugh about it for decades.

Guan Si ignored the provocation.

The barking of an incompetent dog is not worth a second glance.

Zhang Yang caught another river fish as long as his arm. The temporary boatmen on the deck stared in disbelief, and some even mustered up the courage to ask Zhang Yang what his secret was: "How does the young master do that? You catch one fish with every cast. I've been making a living on the water for so many years, and I've never caught as many fish as the young master in half a day."

Most of the time, I come away empty-handed when fishing.

If you want to eat fish, you have to rely on fishing nets or catch them directly in the water.

"There's no special technique involved, just cast the fishing rod down."

Zhang Yang's words saddened the boatman.

Boatman: "No special bait?"

Zhang Yang shook his head: "No, I don't use bait when I fish."

The boatman's gaze towards Zhang Yang held an indescribable mix of jealousy and envy. He stared intently at the fishing rod, wishing he were its owner and the one catching the fish. If it weren't for the exceptionally high commission, the boatman would have dared to ask the offensive question—didn't this young master secretly send someone underwater to hook the fish he caught?

How can someone catch a fish every time, never missing a fish?

Even the River God's own daughter couldn't be this powerful.

Zhang Yang pointed to the fish in the bucket and said, "There are still some left over. If you don't mind the strong earthy smell, you can share them."

Speaking of which, this river is quite fertile.

Most of the fish caught are large; small fish are rarely seen.

The boatman said, "This fish isn't very palatable."

Seeing Zhang Yang's puzzled look, the boatman hurriedly said, "It's not that I don't know what's good for me, it's just that the fish in this river can grow so big, and the food they're fed isn't very palatable."

The boatman phrased it tactfully, but Zhang Yang understood.

"Did they throw corpses into the river during battles?"

"It's more convenient than burying the body."

The boatman still remembers the scene from months ago: the river was stained red with blood, and countless corpses floated downstream. The bodies piled up, carried by the current, blocking the river bend. After being submerged for so long, they rotted and swelled, causing the river to stop flowing. Nearby fishermen who relied on the river for their livelihood had to go into the water to clear the blockage.

Boatmen have had similar experiences.

With more corpses, the fish in the river are more likely to grow larger.

The boatman's family hasn't been poor these past two years, so they don't like to eat this kind of fish.

The young master who hired them at great expense is clearly a sophisticated person, raised in luxury. Rather than waiting for them to discover the problem with the fish, it's better to take the initiative and speak up, thus creating a positive connection.

Zhang Yang looked at the fish in the bucket and suddenly lost interest.

Several boatmen were inspecting the masts and sails. One of them pointed to the shimmering river surface and asked, "Is there someone over there?"

Zhang Yang was drawn over by the movement.

Look in the direction the boatman is pointing.

From a great distance, I could see a small yellow dot. The ripples on the water near the yellow dot were also different from those elsewhere, so there was definitely a person there.

Several boatmen looked at Zhang Yang.

Rescuing people isn't difficult; the difficulty lies in providing them with food, drink, and other necessities afterward—all of which belong to the employer. Since the employer, Zhang Yang, doesn't speak up, they can only pretend they didn't see it.

Zhang Yang looked at the yellow health bar and wasn't worried about the person dying.

She had a question: "There are no boats nearby, and we can't see the shore on either side. How did this person get here?"

A boatman asked nervously, "Are they pirates?"

Zhang Yang said, "I don't know either."

Because Huang's name is "The Man Who Fell into the Water," not "The Thief Who Fell into the Water" or "The Water Thief in Disguise."

Boatman: "So we're just going to ignore it?"

Zhang Yang gestured towards Zhang Dagu with her chin, "Go ahead, Dagu!"

Upon receiving the order, Zhang Dagu flapped its wings and soared into the sky. Amidst the exclamations of the boatmen, its body swelled dramatically, and it flew towards the person who had fallen into the water like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, it grabbed the person's arm with one claw, lifted the person up, and then threw the person onto the deck.

The person who fell into the water still had wounds on their body.

The blood was diluted by the river water and pooled on the deck.

The boatmen were experienced in rescuing drowning victims. Seeing that the person in the water was a woman, they called out to one of the female boatmen to help. That boatman was weathered by the sun and wind, and had a rugged appearance with thick arms that looked thicker than many people's thighs.

She picked the person up and hung them upside down on her shoulder to force out the water.

They performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions.

A short while later, the woman who had fallen into the water slowly opened her eyes.

"She's awake! Is she alright, young lady?" The boatman brought out some warm clothes he had brought from his deck watch and draped them over the woman. The woman had regained consciousness from drowning, her mind still a little muddled. Once she recognized the boatmen, she suddenly came to her senses.

Ignoring my weakened state, I wanted to kneel down and express my gratitude.

"I can never repay the kindness that saved my life—"

"No, no, no, it wasn't me who saved you, it was our employer." The boatmen hurriedly searched for Zhang Yang's whereabouts, making way for the woman and helping her to Zhang Yang's side. "How did you fall into the water, lady? And how did you get injured? Are your family members fishermen from around here?"

The woman who fell into the water was pretty, but not exactly exquisite.

Even natural beauty cannot hide the roughness caused by wind and sun, unlike the fair-skinned nobles on the ship.

They guessed that the other person was most likely a fisherwoman from some family.

The boatman's series of questions reminded the woman of her memories before she fell into the water and drowned. She knelt down at Zhang Yang's feet with a thud, forced herself to kowtow and thank him, and said frankly: "I am indeed a fisherwoman from the shore. I came out to fish with my mother and encountered a group of thieves."

After she went into the water, she swam desperately, trying to send a message and save people.

However, her injuries were too severe, and with pirates relentlessly pursuing her, she lost her bearings and had no idea where she was.

Hearing about the rampant river pirates, the young man before her didn't even flinch; his eyes remained calm, as if she were hearing about a group of passersby, not ruthless bandits. The fisherwoman thought that perhaps her savior was too young to understand the dangers.

The boatmen, however, realized the gravity of the situation and exclaimed in alarm, "River pirates?"

This section of the river was within the protection zone of the warlords.

The local fishermen pay a monthly ferry fee and are generally not worried about being harassed by river pirates. Those pirates are also wary and value their lives, daring not to cross the line. After all, no matter how well the pirates hide, they can't stay ashore forever; once they do, they're no longer in control!

Judging from the fisherwoman's expression, she really thinks some water pirates are that bold.

"Where did you encounter the pirates?"

The fisherwoman mentioned a place.

This place isn't far from here.

The fisherwoman cried out, "Have you seen my mother?"

The boatmen shook their heads: "We only saw you."

There was no one else nearby, nor any floating corpses.

Seeing the fisherwoman's tears streaming down her face, the boatmen thought of their own families and felt saddened. They said with sympathy, "Your Majesty, don't be too sad. It's good news that you didn't see anyone."

Perhaps the fisherwoman was captured by river pirates but is still alive, or perhaps she was a good swimmer and escaped by hiding underwater.

In short, keep hope in your heart.

"The Water Goddess will surely protect her."

"Yeah yeah."

The fisherwoman gradually calmed down with the comfort of the boatmen.

However, hearing that there were pirates active nearby, the boatmen were still panicked and wanted to ask Zhang Yang if they should dock at the nearest ferry to rest, so they could report to the authorities and avoid the pirates' activity time. When they looked up, the boatmen and fisherwomen were all dumbfounded.

Where is that rich young man in brocade clothes now?

The boatmen looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

The injured fisherwoman who fell into the water was rescued, but the employer didn't say how to settle her. Should they go ashore and drop her off, or leave her on the boat? They didn't know the details of the pirate gang, how large they were, or whether the guards on the boat could hold them off.

Ge Zhou didn't understand why his lord had left so abruptly.

"Young Master, shouldn't we leave that fisherwoman alone?"

Zhang Yang said, "Yes, we will."

How can we ignore someone with a red name?

? ?|??w?`)

Another August 828th is approaching, I must snag a ticket this year.