My lord, spare his life!

Chapter 89 The Strategist Ran Away

Yuan Xie found a piece of old cedar wood at a woodworking shop during the day.

At first glance, he knew this was excellent material for making a zither. This old cedar was perfect for the backboard, and for the soundboard, century-old paulownia wood would be the first choice. Tomorrow he'd go to the woodworking shop to see if they had ebony, which could be used for the tuning pegs. As for the varnish? He'd look for it later.

He hadn't been in such a mood for many years.

While in a good mood, he also casually sketched the decorative patterns on the back of the new zither. Yuan Xie couldn't hear the sounds around him, but he could sense the subtle changes in the air inside the room. As soon as he finished the last stroke, he knew an uninvited guest had arrived.

The living quarters were small, and the uninvited guest only took two steps closer before his massive, oppressive shadow completely enveloped Yuan Xie. The breath emanating from the other's nostrils was icy cold, devoid of warmth, carrying an evil, violent, chilling, and bloody scent; even the slightest touch to the skin could evoke a shiver and fear from the very soul. Yuan Xie calmly adjusted his robes.

He raised his hand to support himself on the table and stood up, tilting his head slightly.

Sure enough, he met a pair of eerie, ferocious green beast eyes.

This giant wolf was formed from a hazy gray mist, appearing to be on the verge of dissipating, like a beast spirit roaming and hunting at night. An ordinary person would probably feel their heart skip a beat if they saw it.

Yuan Xie remained calm and composed: "Why did you break into a civilian's house at night, General?"

The giant wolf transformed into a thick fog and surged outside the door.

A tall figure appeared on the spot, and he sneered, "A private residence? How come I didn't know you owned property here?"

Yuan Xie responded: "This happened in the last few days."

If Zhang Yang and his companions were here, they would immediately recognize the young man speaking to Yuan Xie as Guan Zong's younger brother, Guan Si, whom Zhang Yang affectionately called "Easter Egg Bro." Yuan Xie poured Guan Si a cup of tea and asked, "General, why have you come here?"

Taking advantage of Guan Si's absence from his stronghold, the Eastern bandits sent men to harass Guan Si's men and burned down his hideout. Given his vengeful nature, even if he wasn't chasing his enemies to the ends of the earth, he should at least be rebuilding his stronghold. Why is he here alone in Weiyin County? Isn't he afraid his men will be bullied again?

Guan Si said, "I've come to collect something."

Yuan Xie: "Go get something?"

"Yes, the collection is temporarily held by someone else."

Yuan Xie's curiosity was piqued upon hearing this: "What priceless treasure could make the General personally come down the mountain for this?"

Guan Si was one of the strangest people Yuan Xie had ever met. He didn't care about anything that ordinary people cared about; wealth, status, luxury cars, and beautiful women—none of them caught his eye. His only hobby was killing his own brothers when he had nothing else to do.

Is there anything in this world that he can label as a collectible?

Yuan Xie was curious and wanted to see.

Guan Si did not hesitate to tell the truth.

"It's a human skin."

Upon hearing what it was, Yuan Xie instantly lost interest.

"How could such bloody filth exist?"

"You haven't seen it, so you don't know its beauty."

Yuan Xie said that even if he saw it, he would not be interested. In his aesthetic view, human skin only has some beauty when it is covered with flesh and blood. Once it is completely peeled off, the human skin loses its vitality and support, and piles up on the ground in a wrinkled and limp state.

This is no different from a worn-out leather jacket lying on the ground.

Guan Si didn't intend to dwell on this topic, and instead steered the conversation back to Yuan Xie: "My informant told me that you went down the mountain to investigate the theft of the granary and treasury. Have you found out the details?"

Yuan Xie said, "It's inconvenient to tell you."

He had many business dealings with the Eastern Barbarian rebels, and was closest to Guan Si's group. Although he wasn't exactly Guan Si's subordinate, he had indeed extracted a lot of information from the Eastern Barbarian rebels over the years and passed it on to them.

However, these are all just stopgap measures.

Therefore, things that could originally be said can no longer be said.

Guan Si's expression visibly turned serious: "Inconvenient?"

Yuan Xie said: "It's inconvenient."

"I thought you, Yuan Youzheng, were smart, but I didn't expect you to be a fool. Do you think any of those bastards could be my match? They've only survived this long because free-range animals can run faster, not because I'm incapable of killing them all." Guan Si thought Yuan Xie was refusing him because the other Eastern Bandits had promised him more generous rewards, and he was very unhappy.

"It has nothing to do with them."

"What does that have to do with?"

"It's related to my desire to reform myself." Yuan Xie's lips curled slightly, revealing a smile. "Officials and thieves are worlds apart. You may call yourselves soldiers of the Eastern Frontier, but in the outside world you are still thieves of the Eastern Frontier. I am willing to be granted amnesty by the government and reform myself from now on."

Guan Si: "..."

His long-held, cold expression nearly crumbled; he momentarily doubted whether he, not Yuan Xie, was the one who had gone deaf. He pressed for confirmation, "You want to reform? To submit to these corrupt officials who hold positions without doing their jobs?"

Yuan Xie nodded: "Yes."

Quiet, still, deathly quiet!

Guan Si blinked.

How could he not know that Yuan Xie also harbored a desire for fame and fortune?

"You...you wanted to be an official, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Guan Si was almost speechless.

If Yuan Xie had confessed his dream of becoming a government official earlier, leaving the civil service would have been easy. Given the current corrupt and chaotic situation, with money and power, he could easily obtain a high-ranking position with a little maneuvering.

There's absolutely no need for them to accept anyone's offer of amnesty.

Yuan Xie was able to set up his own office and indulge his desire for officialdom.

Guan Si came up with a simple and brutal solution: "Youzheng, how about this? In three days, I'll lead my men to conquer a county for you, and you'll be the magistrate. If you think the magistrate's position is too low, I'll just take the prefect's head off as well, and you'll be the prefect."

Yuan Xie: "You know perfectly well that this is impossible."

Guan Si's Hundred Ghost Guards were indeed composed of battle-hardened elites with exceptional mobility, but their strength lay mainly in dealing with bandits from the Eastern Frontier in the mountains. In a real siege or defense battle, the sheer size of the Hundred Ghost Guards would hardly determine the outcome, making it simply not worthwhile.

Guan Si completely suppressed his emotions.

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, followed by a cold laugh.

"Then I can only kill you in three breaths."

He did indeed harbor murderous intent.

Those who cannot be used by him cannot be used by others either.

Yuan Xie said calmly, "You know perfectly well that this is impossible."

Dealing with Guan Si, a bandit from the Eastern Frontier who kills his own flesh and blood as naturally as breathing, Yuan Xie was naturally not naive enough to think he wouldn't become one of his own. In fact, he was prepared for Guan Si to turn on him and kill him from the very first day they met.

Guan Si: "..."

He loosened his grip, and the murderous intent vanished.

"Which corrupt official are you going to work for? May I see him?"

Yuan Xie said, "She is not a corrupt official."

Based on his understanding of Guan Si, he figured that saying he was just "taking a look" probably meant killing the man and hanging him on a flagpole as a flag. As long as Yuan Xie's superior was dead and his official career was ruined, Yuan Xie would still have to obediently go back to be Guan Si's strategist and worry about a bunch of trivial matters for him.

He understood Guan Si's thoughts all too well.

Guan Si merely snorted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. On the surface, he had quieted down, but only he knew what he was really thinking.

Perhaps because the strategist he had chosen had run away, Guan Si was in a bad mood and didn't want to retrieve the collection for the time being. He brazenly occupied a bedroom, and Yuan Xie couldn't get rid of him. Fortunately, not many people knew Guan Si, so his lingering wouldn't cause any trouble.

Not long after, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

The burly man went to open the door, and as soon as he opened it, he saw Guan Zong.

Guan Zong was on night patrol when he caught a faint, familiar scent in the vicinity. The owner of the scent made no attempt to conceal their presence, and Guan Zong followed the clues to this location: "Has anyone suspicious appeared at the residence?"

The burly man replied, "No."

Guan Zong frowned and glanced at the house.

Next to this courtyard is Fan You's residence.

and so--

Guan Si came to see Fan You?

Guan Zong thought to himself that something was wrong.

Without even greeting the burly man, he turned and went next door. Fortunately, Fan You wasn't home that night, but was working overtime at the temporary prefectural government. Local forces in various counties were secretly plotting a rebellion; if this hidden danger wasn't handled properly, there would be more trouble in the future.

"What did you say? Guan Si infiltrated the city?"

Upon hearing this, Fan You's drowsiness vanished.

Guan Zongdao said, "Yes, I won't mistake his aura."

After a pause, Guan Zong added, "We also need to strengthen the protection of our lord. I'm worried that Guan Si is here specifically for our lord's sake; he's always acted recklessly... He said he wanted something, so he'll definitely use any means necessary to get it..."

Last time I said I wanted Zhang Yang's human skin.

What else could be the reason for this sudden appearance?

Fan You said, "Don't worry."

He privately asked Zhang Yang how much of a chance she had of winning in a real fight against Guan Si, and Zhang Yang's reply was quite confident. Even disregarding some of Zhang Yang's exaggeration, even if Zhang Yang couldn't defeat Guan Si, she wouldn't let Guan Si easily skin her alive…

Fan You: "My lord has the ability to protect himself."

Guan Zong: "..."

Is it wrong for a lord to be subordinate and have to fend for himself? But Fan You doesn't care, so Guan Zong has even less reason to worry. This isn't just about his lord: "Besides, the Chief Clerk's new neighbor, Yuan Xie, is very likely also connected to Guan Si."

Fan You was not surprised by this.

Yuan Xie dealt with the Eastern Barbarian bandits, and Guan Si was the most active among them; it was common for both sides to be part of the same group.

only--

Fan You underestimated Guan Si's arrogance.

The next day, Guan Sitang appeared in front of everyone in a grand manner.

To be precise, they appear in front of breakfast stalls.

The Hundred Ghosts Guard operates on a standard military camp model, with food and supplies meeting marching standards. They eat primarily to replenish their nutrition, not to satisfy their appetites. When they hunt wild game, they simply clean, cook, and roast it, perhaps adding a few seasonings for flavor.

The taste is so mild it won't kill you.

The place where Yuan Xie and his servants lived was very close to the bustling city center.

Various breakfast stalls sprang up, and the steaming aroma of food wafted through the courtyard wall into Guan Si's nostrils, whetting his appetite even though he wasn't particularly fond of food. Guan Si always did what he wanted, so since he wanted to eat, he decided to go out and eat.

Steaming hot porridge, tangy and salty pickled vegetables, thin-skinned and generously filled steamed buns, crispy and fragrant wheat cakes... The hot oil sizzles in the iron wok, and the steamed buns are neatly arranged... The pan-fried buns are sold out as soon as they come out of the oven, pre-ordered by the queuing customers...

Zhang Yang alone took half the pot.

Guan Si looked around and sat down directly opposite Zhang Yang. Firstly, he didn't care to snatch the sizzling pan-fried buns that had already been handled by others; secondly, the second batch had just been put in, and it would take some time for the buns to be ready. Taking Zhang Yang's buns was the most convenient option.

Zhang Yang: "...Easter Egg Bro?"

Under her gaze, Guan Si snatched a fried bun, then swept his wolfish, aggressive eyes over Zhang Yang's face, checking for any damage to his human skin. As it turned out, Zhang Boyuan had preserved the human skin very well, and he was quite satisfied.

Guan Si nodded, which was considered a greeting.

and also--

"My name is Guan Si. You can call me Siyin, not Egg Bro." Perhaps because Zhang Yang was taking the human skin artifact he had his eye on seriously, Guan Si showed a rare friendly expression.

Zhang Yang declined, saying, "No, that's too intimate."

Just as Guan Si was about to grab the second fried bun, Zhang Yang swiftly pressed his chopsticks down on him, saying, "What's wrong with you? Why did you snatch my fried bun without even saying hello?"

Guan Si frowned, displeased, and said, "I've already given you permission. This human skin you're wearing is mine, let alone a few fried buns?"

Zhang Yang: "..."

Sometimes she really wanted to call the police and have the game designers arrested—what kind of mental state did these people have to design such a bizarre and illogical NPC as Guan Si?

"How did my skin become yours?"

Did Guan Si manage to snatch it?

He keeps saying it's his.

Guan Si: "What I set my sights on is naturally mine."

Zhang Yang glanced at the system log notifications.

"...Are you serious?"

Guan Sidao: "Of course."

Zhang Yang: "..."

She was silent.

The reason for her silence was that she had just tried to use a beast-catching rope on Guan Si—Guan Zong had also said that if they encountered Eggman, they should try to subdue him. This move was crucial to their future development, and it could also open up trade routes blocked by the outside world, achieve free trade, and revitalize Tianyue's economy—Guan Si had delivered himself to their doorstep, how could she miss it?

As a result, several strange notifications popped up in the system logs.

[Capture failed.]

[Giving a gift you like will increase your capture success rate.]

Zhang Yang checked Guan Si's favorite items.

[Zhang Boyuan's human skin], not obtained.

[Description of the item "Zhang Boyuan's Human Skin": This is a flawless human skin, something Guan Si is currently determined to obtain. If you can give him this gift, the capture success rate will increase by 50%, and Guan Si's favorability will increase by 30.]

Zhang Yang: "..."

Whose skin?

Zhang Yang frowned: "You really want my human skin?"

Guan Si paused in his chewing of the fried bun, a chilling glint in his eyes: "Yes, I'm here to take it!"

Zhang Yang was uneasy about leaving this human skin in his hands.

What if Zhang Yang doesn't pay attention and gets hurt?

He was fully prepared this time and would carefully and meticulously peel off her human skin bit by bit, completely!

Zhang Yang's expression became somewhat complicated.

Reluctance, melancholy, and hesitation eventually turned into decisiveness.

"Alright, if you really like it that much, you can have it."

Guan Si: "..."

The fried bun I was holding in my mouth almost fell onto the table.