At these words, the other personal guards became excited as well, and one after another joined the discussion.
“Hey, you know what? Don’t dismiss it—we really do think it’s a great idea. General Zhang Shi is especially ruthless toward outsiders. He killed twenty-seven naval commanders without a second thought, yet he’s extraordinarily generous to his own men. He’s practically the God of Wealth! We could absolutely follow him!”
“I’ve actually had the same thought. If we followed General Zhang Shi, our lives might well become easier.”
“Exactly. We’re all in the same camp anyway. It makes no difference who we serve. Besides, it’s not as though we’d be surrendering to Ren Tianye. I really think this is worth considering!”
“Definitely worth considering…”
…
The more the guards talked, the happier they became, and before long their voices had risen without them realizing it. Then they heard a noise at the entrance. A moment later, the curtain of the main tent was lifted, and Zhou Mengyan emerged, cloak draped over his shoulders.
“What is definitely worth considering?”
Zhou Mengyan frowned as he asked the question.
The guards were terrified and fell silent at once.
“What exactly is worth considering?”
“And I distinctly heard you mention Zhang Shi. What was that about?”
Zhou Mengyan asked another question, his voice suddenly turning stern.
One of the guards reacted quickly and called out, “Grand Commander, we were just saying that General Zhang Shi and General Zhou Buzhang are working hard to develop the navy. We’re certain to be able to withstand Ren Tianye’s army!”
“Oh, is that what this is about?” Zhou Mengyan said. “Then you could have said so directly. Why were you being so furtive?”
Zhou Mengyan was quite displeased, but he did not pursue the matter.
For some reason, he had felt restless all night and could not sleep. In the end, he simply got up and decided to take a walk around the military camp.
He immediately brought two personal guards with him and began strolling through the camp.
He had not gone far when a buzzing sound once again reached his ears. It seemed that some soldiers were discussing something.
He looked up and saw two sentries outside a nearby tent, speaking in hushed voices. Carried over by the wind, their words reached him.
However, they were too far away, and by the time the sound reached him, he could no longer make out what they were saying.
Frowning, he asked, “What are those two doing?”
“Go ask them!”
One of the guards hurried over. Not long afterward, he returned and reported, “Grand Commander, those two were just making small talk.”
“But I vaguely heard something about Zhang Shi and stones…”
“The Grand Commander must have misheard.”
“Misheard again?” Zhou Mengyan felt his head grow hazy. He continued walking forward, and before long, he heard another commotion.
This time, he saw several soldiers gathered together, quietly discussing something. Whenever they became excited, they even waved their hands about, looking remarkably cheerful.
“What are they so happy about now?”
The guard hurriedly said, “Grand Commander, I’ll go ask them at once.”
Not long afterward, the guard returned to report, “Grand Commander, they were also just making small talk. Standing watch can be rather dull, after all. As long as it doesn’t interfere with their duties, chatting a little is allowed in the military camp!”
Zhou Mengyan’s brows drew together even more tightly.
He simply felt that something was not right. It seemed he had once again heard the names “Zhang Shi” and “Zhou Buzhang,” but he was not certain. Perhaps he was merely exhausted lately and had become somewhat muddled.
He continued walking…
And continued listening…
Zhou Mengyan listened all the way, feeling as though countless sparrows were chirping incessantly around his ears. It drove him nearly mad and made him increasingly suspicious.
Most importantly, this suspicion had not arisen just once. After it continued day after day for more than half a month, Zhou Mengyan finally could not bear it any longer.
He bypassed Ruan Fei’s inspection unit and summoned his own trusted aide, ordering him to investigate.
The result of the aide’s investigation was entirely different from the report Ruan Fei had submitted.
“Grand Commander, this subordinate’s investigation has revealed that morale in the military camp has been unsettled lately. Many soldiers, and even officers and generals, have been discussing something in private…”
“Whether they should pledge themselves to Zhang Shi!”
“They… have all begun entertaining the thought of following Zhang Shi!”
…
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
