It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"No, but... I'm very tired. I'm afraid I can only protect the young master alone for a short time. I can't charge into the enemy's army like this again."

Lid touched her head and said with a smile:

"Got it. From now on, just stay by my side and protect me."

Bedimo limped over, one of his arms was bitten by the [Demon Wolf], and the sharp teeth gouged through it, and now it was hanging on the side of his body. The other hand held the sword, with a bitter smile on his face, and he said to Lid:

"Lord City Lord, although we were ambushed by the demon army and had to fight against an unusually powerful demon, we still managed to repel them. This should teach the demon army a lesson."

Lid glanced at him, was silent for a moment, and said:

"Ambush?... I hope it's an ambush."

Beidimo was stunned for a moment, not understanding why his city lord said that, and blurted out a question:

"what do you mean?"

Lid didn't look at him, but looked at the demon corpses on the ground and answered simply:

"When I was fighting the tree monsters, I pinched some of the dirt on their feet and found that the dirt had dried up. Tree monsters are creatures that, if they don't move for more than half a day, will dig their roots into the soil and absorb nutrients, water, and magic from the land in the form of trees. The dried dirt on their roots means that they were not lying in ambush here, but were on their way and happened to meet us."

Lidd continued:

"When we were fighting the demons just now, they were clearly stronger than us, but we took the initiative. This is not an ambush. How can we ambush others and be caught off guard? If it was really an ambush, there should at least be supporting tactics and strategies, a demon general who can command on the battlefield, a strong encirclement network and continuous follow-up support. They don't have any of these. Speaking of which, I don't think the demon generals would be smart enough to expect us to bring such a small number of people to launch a surprise attack."

Beidimo still didn't understand what Lid meant, and asked in disbelief:

"But the Lord City Lord just saw that the demons are incredibly powerful. They are completely different from the goblins we fought before. If the demon generals didn't deliberately ambush us, could it be that all the demons sent to invade Yuxi City this time are like this..."

As he was speaking, Bedimo suddenly stopped, his face looked as if he was facing a great enemy, and cold sweat instantly flowed down.

Reed glanced at him and said nothing more.

Beidimo's guess was also what Lid wanted to express: the demons probably did not set up an ambush on purpose, but this also meant that the army of Yuxi City encountered only a small group of regular demons. And among this small group of demons, there were already some that were difficult for Alaiya to deal with. If this number was multiplied by hundreds or thousands of times -

Beidimo looked horrified and kept repeating:

"No, no!"

Lid was already 70% sure that the commander of this operation was most likely not Lizardman Ji, but at least Amifars, Lizardman Ji's immediate superior. This made sense. He was somewhat glad that Fang Shisan sent troops to test them, and was also glad that he followed. Otherwise, when the other side had gathered, this terrifying demon torrent would instantly devour the small army of Yuxi City. No matter Alaya, Felita or Shiloh, they would not be able to stop it. Yuxi City would be conquered by the demons again like 20 years ago, and there would be another catastrophe on human territory.

But now that I'm here, I can't just sit back and watch everything happen.

Lid thought for a moment and said to Beidimo:

"Bedimo, I want you to lead your troops to meet up with Qian Teng immediately, and return to Fang Shisan by the same route."

Lid's mind worked quickly, and he gave orders while thinking:

"Then go to the house at the end of Lane 72 in the east of Yuxi City and knock on the door seven times. No one will answer, and you don't have to wait for someone to reply. After knocking, stand outside and say the four words [Emergency on the Front Line], and the people inside will naturally know what to do."

"Then go to the City Lord's Mansion to meet He Yue and ask him to go to the third row of cabinets on the left in my room to get two letters. The one marked in red is sent to Nan Chu. He knows the address because he helped me mail it last time. Let him open the other one himself."

"Also, when you return to Fang Shisan, tell her to retreat to Yuxi City if necessary, clear the countryside and fortify the city. Even if there is only one isolated city, we must defend it. Don't think about saving me, just win the battle at hand."

Even if Bedimo was stupid, he could still hear something and said in surprise:

"Lord City Lord, you are not planning to--"

Lid exhaled and said with a smile:

"There are too many demon troops. Yuxi City cannot resist them if we fight normally. I can't go back with you. I will take Alayya to the north to attract some of the demon troops and reduce their direct pressure on Yuxi City as much as possible. You talk to Fang Shisan, she will understand, and when she understands, she will know what to do. After you finish these things, take good care of your injuries, stay with Fang Shisan, and see how she plans and plots."

After saying this, he did not give Bedimo time to refute. After confirming that Bedimo had remembered what he had just said, Lid waved his hand and walked north with Alaiya without hesitation. Bedimo stood there, thinking about it, and finally stomped his feet hard, turned around with his army and rushed towards the direction of Yuxi City.

After this battle in which he suffered heavy casualties, his mind suddenly became much clearer, and he remembered that his strengths were not in command, but in his decisive character. What Lid told him at this time must be very important, and he must first ensure that he personally conveyed these things to the corresponding people.

As for whether to send troops to rescue Lid, he knew he couldn't make the decision, so he left it to the people above to decide.

9. Not That Cool Actually

Reed took Alayya and separated from the team. The fact that the two of them continued to head north towards the heartland of the demon clan could not be concealed for long. The two of them did not try to hide it and made a big fuss along the way, fearing that the whole world would not know that they were secretly doing bad things inside the demon clan.

This naturally attracted the attention of the demons. After all, these two people were really good-for-nothings and never fought the demons head-on. However, they were capable of doing anything from sneak attacks in the middle of the night to setting fire to the mountains. These evil acts attracted the great attention of the demon leaders.

Lizardman Ji advocated getting rid of these two people first, because he couldn't stand having flies flying around him. Demons are not like humans. Low-level demons basically have no intelligence, and they can only convey very few battle reports, at most "someone is in a certain direction" or "many companions were killed". Because of this, Lizardman Ji couldn't tell whether he was attacked by the army or the two humans, and the army was messed up.

But Lizardman Ji himself did not have absolute command over the army. This time he was not the commander of the demon army, but only a general. There were many people in this position this time, including his old rival, Brother Brown.

It shook its scales and walked through the strictly disciplined demon army. It came to a man sitting high on the back of an ice elephant and said angrily:

"Lord Amifars, if we send troops to capture the Lord of Yuxi City now, the morale of Yuxi City will surely be weakened, and then we can achieve twice the result with half the effort. If we let the two of them continue to make trouble, even I will feel ashamed."

The man sitting on the ice elephant crossed his legs, bare-chested, revealing his strong chest and abdominal muscles. His skin was much whiter than that of an average person. He glanced at the lizardman Ji, his expression unchanged, and said in a cold tone:

"Got it. Since you asked me to do so, I'll give you a chance to choose. Do you want to follow me to attack Yuxi City, or do you want to lead the troops to chase after the city lord?"

Lizardman Ji hesitated for a moment and replied:

"I want to... go with you to attack Yuxi City."

Amifars said lightly:

"Then take care of what you should be responsible for. I have already sent troops to encircle and suppress the city lord, and I will not let him return alive. But don't forget what that lord has told you to do, and don't forget the real purpose of our coming here. If anything goes wrong, I won't protect you."

Lizardman Ji lowered his head and said nothing for a long time.

……

The affairs of the demon clan are naturally their own privacy, and the Yuxi City army has no way of knowing them.

When Beidimo brought the news back to Fang Shisan, Fang Shisan looked very calm and just said:

"In that case, you should return to Yuxi City immediately and do as Lid said. Don't worry, it's not a big deal. Since he did this, he must have his reasons. Alaiya is also very strong, so nothing will go wrong."

Beidimo admired Fang Shisan even more in his heart and hurried back to Yuxi City.

What he didn't know was that after he left the military tent, Fang Shisan clutched his shirt collar and slowly leaned down, his face showing an extremely painful expression, like a drowning person unable to breathe. The maid Tira soon discovered this and shouted in panic:

"Sister Thirteen! Quick, someone come——"

Before he could finish, Fang Shisan suddenly raised his slender arm, blocking Tiara's eyes, and whispered:

"Don't scream."

Tira shut up.

Fang Shisan stood up slowly, but her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Tiara rushed to her and held her shaking hands. Her hands were cold and covered with beads of sweat. Tiara had never seen his young lady like this before, and was panicked for a moment. He didn't know what to do, so he quickly poured her a cup of hot tea.

Fang Shisan held the teacup and couldn't help but spill a lot of tea on his hands.

She didn't drink, but leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, she exhaled and said softly:

"It'll be fine... I can't take matters into my own hands."

Tiara tilted his head and looked at Fang Shisan in confusion.

Fang Shisan smiled weakly, took a sip of tea, choked by the hot steam of the tea, coughed several times in succession, and said to Tira:

"Call Fileta."

Fang Shisan returned the tea in his hand to Tiara, who carefully placed it on the table to cool, then hurried out.

After Ti La left, Fang Shisan clasped his hands together and began to calculate silently in his mind.

The fact that Lid left the Imperial Army and acted alone with Alaiya could not be concealed, because the soldiers who returned with Bedimo witnessed the scene with their own eyes, and the news would spread quickly. She could not show the slightest panic, otherwise it would be a heavy blow to the morale of the entire army. Even though she was extremely worried, she could only pretend to be calm and tell everyone with a smile that everything was going according to plan.

But her influence was limited to the military.

What Fang Shisan is really worried about now is that something will happen in Yuxi City. In this case, no one knows what will happen when the city lord is not here. Just like the previous trip to the capital, after King Xi held the king hostage, the situation in the entire capital instantly became a mess. Once the news of Lid's in-depth involvement in the demon clan spreads, let alone what will happen to Yuxi City, the most important thing is that the situation in the other four cities that have just joined the jurisdiction of Yuxi City can only be worse.

Fang Shisan is extremely worried now. She is not only worried about Li De's safety, but also worried that Li De's situation will be ruined because of this incident. The various departments in Yuxi City have no direct subordinate relationship. Because many official positions have not found suitable candidates, there is no specific level of official positions. No one can give orders to anyone, just like she has no power to dispatch the Anbu. The only one who can control the situation is He Yue, but He Yue's power in Yuxi City is too great. Except for the military, most of the documents of the departments will be submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for approval. If something happens to He Yue, or she has other ideas...

When Fileta entered the military tent, Fang Shisan was still immersed in thought.

She thought about it and felt that those people who were reliable before suddenly became blurred. It seemed that no one had a necessary reason to stay in Yuxi City, and no one had the obligation to be loyal to Yuxi City. It was strange to say that although Lid was always slacking off, when he was there, everything was always calm and peaceful, and even the biggest conflicts could be easily resolved, and everything could run smoothly. Once he was in danger, everything was different in an instant.

Fang Shisan had experienced betrayal before, so he was quite cautious about this.

"that--"

Fileta called softly.

Fang Shisan raised his head, closed his eyes, looked towards Fileta, and suddenly asked:

"Filita, if you attack Yuxi City from the outside, how confident are you that you can capture the city?"

Fileta looked at Fang Shisan in surprise. Fang Shisan smiled kindly and said softly:

"Don't be afraid, it's just a deduction."

10. Decadent Persuasion

While Fang Shisan was still thinking about the next countermeasures, the news had already reached Yuxi City.

Qian Teng galloped all the way, even almost hitting pedestrians on the road several times, which naturally attracted waves of complaints from passers-by. No one dared to scold this wounded general in person, but they could not help but say a few words behind his back. Qian Teng followed Lid's instructions and went to the strange alley to knock on the door, then ran to the city lord's mansion and met He Yue.

He Yue listened to him speaking breathlessly, then politely bowed and said:

"Thank you for your hard work. Qian Teng, you should have a good rest first, and then go back to Fang Shisan to wait for the transfer order. The city lord only took Alaiya deep into the demon clan, I will find a way to deal with it."

Qian Teng bowed deeply, jumped on his horse, and left the city again.

Watching him leave, He Yue closed the door, leaned against it, and rubbed her forehead with the lower part of her palm.

This was not the first time that Lide had taken risks. He had been to many places, including Yunhai, Zhaochen, Wangdu, and Huaiwang. But He Yue was not particularly worried at that time, because as long as he was in the human territory, whether it was killing or imprisoning, he had to follow the rules. Lide could take advantage of many situations and get out of the seemingly dangerous situation unscathed.

But the demons were different. Once they left the human territory, there was no chance for them to take advantage of the situation. The rules of the human territory were no longer applicable. At some point, a demon might suddenly appear and kill them with one claw. The demons who killed people didn't even know that they had killed the city lord of the human border. Even though Alayya's swordsmanship had greatly improved, it was impossible for her to guarantee that Lid would be safe in this situation.

He Yue couldn't help feeling a little tired.

"He shouldn't have gone there..."

He muttered something quietly, as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was talking to Fang Shisan who was far away.

However, He Yue soon returned to normal and did not tell anyone the news. Instead, he went to Lid's house first.

He opened the corresponding cabinet according to the message conveyed by Qian Teng, and saw two letters and a scroll inside. One of the letters was marked in red as Qian Teng said, and He Yue temporarily put it aside. He Yue tore a hole in the other letter, poured out the letter inside, opened it and looked at it carefully.

There are many letters, but only a few words:

"When you see this letter, I'm already... probably not dead yet. Something is wrong, it feels like I'm telling you what to do after my death. If the pressure from the demons is too great and Yuxi City can't cope with it normally, you will recruit adventurers from the entire Yongtian Kingdom in my name. The armies from other territories won't come, and Yunyang won't help us either. Only those profit-driven adventurers may come to the demons to hunt for high-quality materials. The power of a single adventurer is limited. If there are enough of them, they can be a life-saving aid for us. In addition, Yuxi City will be handed over to you when I'm not around."

He Yue put down the letter in his hand and opened the scroll beside him. There were three blank city lord orders. The city lord's seal was stamped at the end of each chapter of the order, which meant that He Yue could write anything on it and it would be considered as Li De's order. In addition, Li De was not in the city at the moment, so He Yue, who held these three city lord orders, could be said to have unlimited power.

He Yue looked at the blank City Lord's Order silently, her eyes were quite deep, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

Suddenly, a female voice sounded from behind:

"I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister in advance."

He Yue turned around and saw a woman wearing a red veil.

The head of the Anbu organization in Yuxi City, another person with great power in Yuxi City. However, unlike He Yue who appeared in the front, Shuang has always been hidden in the Anbu and has not been noticed by others.

He Yue asked:

"Congratulations for what?"

Frost smiled and said:

"Congratulations to the Prime Minister for his rising status. Starting today, he will officially become the absolute core of Yuxi City. It is not impossible for the Prime Minister to take another step forward. After all, the City Lord does not interfere in government affairs. All internal affairs are entrusted to the Prime Minister. Now, I don't know how many people only follow the Prime Minister's lead. This time, the City Lord is in danger. The Prime Minister should consider the future."

He Yue also laughed and asked:

"Do you have any ideas?"

Shuang said calmly:

"Let me be frank. As a member of the Anbu organization, I know more about the Prime Minister's past than anyone else. At the beginning, the Prime Minister was also full of passion and wanted to assist Lord Tiancheng to accomplish something, but unfortunately Lord Tiancheng only used you as a tool to plunder the people's wealth. When you pointed your spearhead at his son, he immediately threw you into the sea of ​​clouds to perform a play. After going through all this, the Prime Minister should understand that it is better to control your own destiny."

He Yue shook his head:

"Lid is different from Lord Tiancheng."

"That's because he's still young. He has no wife or son. There aren't even many women around him. He'll be turning 18 soon, and his relationship with Alayya is progressing steadily. Imagine if he has a child in 20 years, will he still hand over power to the Prime Minister? Many people are selfless when they are young, but they become selfish after they have a family."

Shuang seemed to be talking about something very rare and ordinary, perhaps because she had seen this kind of thing too many times.

Of the founding heroes of the Yongtian Kingdom, few survived in the end.

He Yue replied: