Even without cheats, we must survive the apocalypse

He is not a rough and ignorant warrior like Xin Jian. How could Li Heng, who comes from a prominent family, not recognize the "Son of Shura" who is unparalleled in talent?

Chapter 94: Small Threat

Li Heng seemed to be frozen, just staring at Lu Mu's face, as if trying to make sure that he was not dazzled.

And he was indeed not dazzled, the person standing in front of him was the Holy Son of Shura, the young master of the Lu clan.

"Master Li, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Lu Mu chuckled, his handsome face showing an indifferent and distant expression.

"……Ah."

Li Heng smiled dryly, "Nothing, I just didn't expect you to appear here."

“Do you find it incredible?”

"It is a little beyond my expectation. I didn't expect you to hide your identity and do such a small service for His Highness."

A storm of thoughts swirled in Li Heng's mind, but his face remained expressionless. He simply thought that he had met a distinguished person who was unlikely to appear here, and it was just a little unexpected, but it did not mean that he would express the doubts in his heart out loud.

But Li Heng, who came from a great clan, was not like Xia Jiuxie. Even if he saw someone who shouldn't be here, he would just let it go and treat it as an enemy. As the most astute strategist around Huang Yanyao, he could easily sniff out some secrets...

The young master of the Lu family appeared in the southern border of the empire under an assumed name, undoubtedly for Huang Yanyao, but the situation of the Xianhuang Empire was quite delicate at this time.

Outside the imperial dynasty, chaos broke out in the Central Region and there were undercurrents in the Immortal Phoenix territory. Although the Immortal Phoenix Emperor had entered the state of a saint and might still live a long life, he had already begun to consider his affairs after his death, and that was the selection of the crown prince...

The current crown prince is the eldest prince. He has many supporters and he also has some courage.

But this person may not be fixed.

The Immortal Phoenix Emperor is not a man who changes his mind every day, but according to Li Heng's understanding, such a major event of inheritance in the royal family cannot be decided so easily. If everything is correct, perhaps the eldest prince will eventually inherit the throne of the emperor.

But will others like the eldest prince?

Li Heng actually didn't like him very much, because that guy was really arrogant and lacked humility, but this kind of martial arts tyrant's image made it easier to win over other forces. He felt that Lu Mu had the same idea.

Lu Mu had also met the eldest prince before, but he was dissuaded by Lu Mu's even higher level of arrogance and contempt, which became a joke for a while.

Now that he was here, Li Heng would only think that he and Huang Yanyao had some unspeakable secrets. Maybe the Ninth Princess had won the support of the Lu clan? But what was her basis?

There are so many questions that Li Heng’s brain is almost broken.

"Although I don't know what Master Li is thinking, you should know why I am wearing a mask, so..."

Lu Mu paused, his tone still indifferent, with a hint of sneer in his eyes, "Although Yan Yao trusts you, I don't trust you that much."

Li Heng heard the threat.

But he couldn't do anything because this was a threat from the Shura Saint.

The backers standing behind him are no match for the Xianhuang Empire when combined. He is just a small strategist and cannot afford to offend them.

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency the Holy Son. I am good at keeping secrets."

"That's great. I don't think Lord Li would want to get into trouble, right? After all... maybe you are a useful person. If I kill you, I'm afraid it will ruin my relationship with Yan Yao."

Li Heng felt as if his heart and lungs were being grabbed. Lu Mu's words were like thunder, exploding in his ears. He suppressed the panic and uneasiness in his heart, and smiled: "Sir, please don't threaten me like this."

"How do you know I'm threatening you?"

Lu Mu's lips curled up slightly, and a cold light flashed across his eyes. "A lot of things happened in Tianque City last night. You can find a place to sit first. I will tell her that you are here."

After saying that, he walked away.

Li Heng was still in a daze until Lu Mu's back disappeared in the corridor guarded by numerous soldiers. It took him a while to calm down.

……

When Lu Mu pushed open the door of the bedroom, Huang Yanyao was lying on Gu Yunxi's legs, and Gu Yunxi's fingers were stroking her hair little by little, bringing Huang Yanyao a tranquility and satisfaction that she squinted her eyes and slowly enjoyed.

Well, the atmosphere of good sisters is almost making Lu Mu feel sick.

Lu Mu put the food box on the table, put the warm dumplings and glutinous rice balls on a plate, and greeted everyone.

"These are all I found. Eat them if you want."

The food was not actually rich, but it was enough to satisfy the stomachs of the two girls in front of him. He had no intention of eating anyway.

Huang Yanyao rubbed her eyes, turned over, and reached out to grab something, but she just happened to grab Gu Yunxi's soft flesh, and mumbled in confusion, "Sister Yunxi, feed me?"

"I'm still feeding you. I think you want to be beaten again."

The girl's sensitive parts were rubbed by the dirty little hands, causing Gu Yunxi's face to turn red, and she pinched Huang Yanyao's ears viciously.

"hey-hey……"

Huang Yanyao was laughing foolishly, her peach blossom eyes were shining, and her innocent appearance had lost the strongness that Lu Mu saw this morning. She looked even weaker, as if her whole body and mind had become a treasure that needed to be cared for. "Sister has no strength."

Lu Mu thought that when you pounced on me this morning, you looked very strong.

As expected, when women are looking for someone to act coquettishly, they always become particularly delicate and weak. No one is immune to this, even Huang Yanyao, who usually presents herself as a princess.

But Huang Yanyao didn't act coquettishly towards him.

Maybe somewhere in her heart, Lu Mu felt that he only occupied a small position. All in all, they had only met for less than seven days. Trust is not easy to develop after all. It is a very delicate thing that cannot be treated casually, so Lu Mu also felt that this was fast enough.

Gu Yunxi doted on her very much, or maybe she was born with no resistance to girls' weakness. She went to the table, picked up some dumplings and glutinous rice balls, and started feeding her.

Huang Yanyao leaned against the bed and ate with relish.

"After eating, take good care of yourself. During this time, don't worry too much about the affairs of Lingyun, Youfeng, and Tianque. I will help you."

"Oh……"

Huang Yanyao seemed a little dissatisfied, but Gu Yunxi's words did not seem to allow her to refuse. Lu Mu thought carefully about what had just happened in the bedroom and felt that Huang Yanyao must have been severely punished by Gu Yunxi.

So now, the Ninth Princess is well-behaved and obedient.

"Speaking of which, Li Heng is here, and he looks very anxious."

Lu Mu's words somewhat disturbed the sticky and sweet girlish atmosphere in the bedroom.

"Hmm? Ask him to come to my bedroom to see me."

Huang Yanyao frowned and spoke while chewing food, but her tone was calm and solemn.

Gu Yunxi frowned slightly but said nothing. Although it was time for Huang Yanyao to recuperate, she was still the lord after all. The incident in Tianque City was serious, and she could not refuse her subjects if they wanted to meet her. It would also be bad to prevent Huang Yanyao from intervening in all matters, lest the strategist think that she was taking the opportunity to undermine Huang Yanyao.

So Gu Yunxi called the soldiers stationed outside the door and went to notify them.

Chapter 95: Treat others the way they treat you...

Li Heng came in a short while later. When he came in, Huang Yanyao had finished eating. He bowed respectfully to Huang Yanyao on the couch and said, "Your Highness."

Huang Yanyao was lying on the bed with her eyes half closed lazily, her legs covered with a quilt under her skirt. She didn't think she was so fragile, but her arms were no match for her thighs, and she had no choice but to be obedient.

After all, Gu Yunxi was doing this for her own good.

Gu Yunxi sat next to her and helped her comb her hair.

The maid who was responsible for doing this is dead.

"Master Li, you are here in such a hurry, is there something wrong in Lingyun City?"

Li Heng would not come to Tianque City on weekdays, because Huang Yanyao sent him to Lingyun City to take charge of the affairs. It was normal to see him once a week. He would only be summoned urgently if there was something big.

But even if he didn't come, Huang Yanyao would have summoned him. After all, Tianque City was in chaos due to demonic changes, and now among the important officials around her, the commander-in-chief and the chief eunuch were both seriously injured. The strategist Li Heng was far away from Tianque City, so maybe he escaped the disaster, or maybe not. In any case, Huang Yanyao had to find out the situation.

"Reporting to Your Highness, Lingyun City was invaded by three to four thousand bandits last night. I led my army in a bloody battle until midnight and killed all the invading enemies. All the affairs in the city are safe."

"Last night they plotted to attack the city. Their fighting methods were swift and hard to discern. They were definitely not ordinary bandits. I kept two or three of them alive and interrogated them to find out some information... They are not bandits. They were expelled from the army by King Nanling six or seven months ago and fled here. They chose to act at this time, so there must be some conspiracy."

In fact, the important officials appointed by Huang Yanyao were not mediocre. Li Heng saw this very clearly. According to the time, the so-called "bandits" appeared not long after Huang Yanyao arrived in southern Xinjiang. Although a few thousand bandits were not considered a lot in front of a city and were often not a big deal, these people were not bandits at all.

But an elite fighting force.

Even without that armor, he couldn't pretend to be a rough mountain dweller.

King Nan Ling's plan had been targeting her a long time ago.

Although the two sides were secretly at odds with each other, sending people to attack her city... was obviously a bit too much. It was estimated that King Nanling was now insane due to the death of his only son, and he was no longer so calm in doing things.

Li Heng knew that this might be an opportunity.

The more a person is overwhelmed by grief, anger and hatred, the more likely he is to reveal fatal flaws.

"Humph, you really have to make multiple preparations."

Huang Yanyao was not surprised.

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Li Heng frowned.

Lingyun City was also in deep trouble last night. He had no idea what happened in Tianque City, and Gu Yunxi had already given orders to clean up the ruins and remnants of chaos in the entire city. Most of the Tongshi Palace had become a feeding ground for flesh and blood monsters, but when Lu Mu went down just now, the horrifying scene of a river of blood had been wiped out.

Although the stench of decay and blood could still be smelled in the air, even the fragrance of the flowers could not dispel it.

Li Heng didn't know, so Huang Yanyao told him. The more he listened, the more uneasy he became. His brows were weighed down by heavy thoughts and his whole face became gloomy.

"…I was negligent in not noticing the despicable tactics of that despicable villain."

Li Heng bowed his hands and apologized with a sincere and humble attitude.

Huang Yanyao smiled, "Master Li, please don't be like this. Anyway, I only have three talents left around me. I can't just deal with you for this. I still have to rely on you now."

Li Heng raised his eyes and looked at the pretty face with a bright smile but a hint of paleness. His gaze was deep and he said nothing more and retreated respectfully.

His attitude was more cautious and obedient.

It wasn't like this before, but he had already met Lu Mu. No matter what the purpose of the Shura Saint Son coming here, he was probably willing to support Huang Yanyao in doing things... Although it seemed a bit embarrassing to serve Huang Yanyao, Lu Mu was willing to condescend to come here to help her, so Li Heng immediately gave up those thoughts he had had.

At least she has the support of the Shura Saint Son. As a subject, she can just work hard with peace of mind. It will not be a problem for her to rise to a high position in the future.

Huang Yanyao could certainly sense the change in Li Heng's mind. She was somewhat dissatisfied before, but her foundation was shallow after all, and most of her subordinates might not obey her. The same was true for Li Heng, but he was still useful. As for now...

She silently glanced at Lu Mu, who was sitting beside her without saying a word and almost blending into the atmosphere.

It's because of him.

Huang Yanyao suddenly felt that she owed him a lot.

She didn't know how Lu Mu approached her, maybe it was accidental, maybe it was premeditated, but no matter which one it was, she had to accept it silently, because now he liked her more and more, and her actions became bolder.

It is difficult for people to always reject the voice in their heart, and that voice kept reminding her that he was fine.

It’s so good that I won’t encounter it again.

So she understood.

"Your Highness, the most urgent task at the moment is to gather our forces and be careful of King Nanling's next move. Now that he has dared to attack you, I'm afraid he will no longer tolerate your counterattack."

"Also, since he is colluding with the evil cultivators, you can send a letter to Tianhuang City and inform them of this matter. If the Emperor punishes him, King Nanling will not be able to bear it!"

As a strategist, Li Heng should now do his part, which is to give advice to his lord.

Huang Yanyao shook her head calmly, "I don't plan to ask my father for help."

"I am a weak woman with no roots and no friends. Even if I become a princess, there are too many people in the palace who want to see me beg for mercy and make a fool of myself. In their eyes, King Nanling is a border guard king who is not worthy of their attention. He is just a weakling who can be crushed to death with just one finger. But I can't even deal with him. How will others look at me in the future?"

The collusion between imperial officials and evil cultivators is something that Emperor Xianhuang cannot tolerate. It is natural for a daughter to ask her father for help. After all, King Nanling is deeply rooted in southern Xinjiang and controls twelve cities and hundreds of thousands of heavy troops. How can she deal with him?

Huang Yanyao needed to step on King Nanling to boost her own prestige, and Li Heng understood.

But King Nan Ling is no longer afraid of her identity as the daughter of the Emperor, and it is clear that he wants to kill her at all costs. Li Heng weighs the pros and cons...it seems that the chances of winning a head-on confrontation are slim.

But if she doesn't want to, then so be it.

Li Heng lowered his eyes, "What is your plan, then?"

Huang Yanyao pursed her lips slightly, and the light in her eyes flickered back and forth.

The surprise attack by Xia Jiuxie and King Nanling was quite effective, but there was no further movement afterwards. Given his character, he should have taken advantage of the chaos in Tianque City and then led his elite troops to launch a massive attack and swallow up her territory in one fell swoop.

If Hong Zhan did this, Huang Yanyao would not be able to stop him.

Her commander was seriously injured, the power of the army was greatly reduced, the army was not as elite as his, and the monks around him were not as strong as his... But why didn't King Nanling do this?

Is it because there is something more important than taking her life that has delayed it?