It’s just that the hidden gem in the Vast Sea is a bit far away.
If Zhang Yang weren’t in a hurry, Fan You could send a letter over.
But when the other party would receive it, whether it would even get there, and whether they’d be willing to come—those were all unknowns.
The Dou State was fractured, and fighting was raging everywhere.
A single letter really was worth its weight in gold.
Zhang Yang’s mind automatically concluded that it would never arrive.
“What’s the point of wasting all that effort?”
Don’t ask why.
The answer was that the game designers were just messing with people.
The more something sounded like a prophecy, the more likely it was to come true.
“Quit dithering. We can just go there ourselves.”
Once they’d made up their minds, they could set off right away.
But Fan You saw it as a much more complicated matter.
First, they needed to prepare provisions for the journey.
Second, they had to get the rebels to agree to let them go.
Finally, it would be even better if they could find a merchant caravan traveling in the same direction, so they’d have company along the way.
The first and third points were easy enough.
The second was the biggest unknown.
“We’re not prisoners. Why wouldn’t they let us go?” Zhang Yang couldn’t understand the logic behind it.
Whenever the observation samples did quests in games, they usually just accepted the quest and ran off.
They never bothered to exchange pleasantries or ask the quest-giving NPC for permission.
Likewise, she didn’t need to care what Xie Shu and the others thought.
Did their willingness or unwillingness have anything to do with her?
“The lord didn’t, but I did.”
Zhang Yang said, “Xie Shu’s boss handed you over to me. That means you’re under my authority. Why are you still trying to keep one foot in each camp?”
Fan You: “…”
Knowing Zhang Yang’s mind worked differently from most people’s, Fan You didn’t dare let her negotiate with Xie Shu.
He took it upon himself to handle the matter and sent a servant to summon Xie Shu.
Xie Shu came to see him after returning from her evening shift.
In just two days, his visible wounds had mostly healed, but he had endured too much torment in the water dungeon and still looked gaunt, the outlines of his bones showing beneath his clothes.
A complicated look flashed through Xie Shu’s eyes.
“Did you need something from me?”
“The lord still has important business to attend to and can’t stay much longer. She says she’s troubled you for many days and would like to set off soon, so she should at least inform the head of the household.” Fan You’s voice was icy.
Whether it was the shadows or simply his nature, there was an oppressive, sinister air about him.
“I hope you can pass the message on to your lord.”
“With the country in turmoil right now…”
Before she could finish, Fan You, ignoring the fact that his hand still wasn’t fully usable, clenched it around the armrest and said sharply, “Don’t fob me off with that nonsense. You and I both know whether that’s really the reason.”
“I’ll pass it on to him.”
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Fan You made a show of ushering her out.
Xie Shu wasn’t offended.
She simply said before leaving, “Fan Shuyan, whether you believe me or not, one thing is true: he never intended to slaughter your entire family. It was an accident.”
The only response Xie Shu got was one word.
“Get out!”
The next day, the troops guarding the area around the house were withdrawn.
Shen Zhi noticed during his morning training.
It seemed perfectly normal to him.
The rebels hadn’t thrown them in prison, which clearly meant they didn’t intend to settle accounts with them.
Given enough time, they would naturally lift the surveillance.
What he hadn’t expected was Zhang Yang telling him to go to the market at noon to buy provisions for the road.
“You’re leaving?”
“Fan Shuyan and I are leaving. He’s helping me find someone.”
“What about me?”
“You’ll keep looking for your brother, of course.”
Surely he hadn’t forgotten that he’d come out here to look for his brother?
Shen Zhi: “…”
For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
“For the past two days, I’ve been probing for news of my elder brother, but so far I’ve made no progress. I did hear that members of the royal clan escorted the ruler out through Gou Commandery, then fled to Gouguo Commandery to ask Tiantian for troops.” As he spoke, Shen Zhi studied Zhang Yang’s reaction.
The other showed no change of expression.
Shen Zhi changed tack.
“All feasts must end. We’re headed in different directions, so take care of yourself from now on.”
How hard must it be to survive in chaotic times while suffering from a brain disorder?
Still, considering this brain-disorder patient had astonishing combat power, Shen Zhi decided he was better off worrying about other people.
Anyone who crossed Zhang Yang would have their skull cracked open.
Zhang Yang needed to buy provisions, and Shen Zhi needed to hire a few bodyguards.
He politely declined Xie Shu’s kind offer to send him a troop of men and prepared to look around the market.
The market in Tianbian Administrative City had been bustling these past few days, with fresh batches of prisoners of war brought here for sale every day.
The strongest young men were the first to be picked out.
Most were bought by wealthy gentry and powerful families.
The very best could be organized into household troops as private soldiers, while those a little weaker could be put to work farming and reclaiming land.
The goods that made it to market were of wildly varying quality.
Zhang Yang walked in front, while Shen Zhi pushed Fan You along behind her in a wheelchair.
She had pulled the wooden wheelchair out of her game inventory.
Apparently, the game’s lead designer had gone skiing, taken a fall, and broken his leg, so he’d given players these perks while recovering.
Neither had any special attributes.
They were just there for the laughs.
Zhang Yang had seen plenty of observation samples kidnap zombies out of boredom, tie them onto wheelchairs, and race around pushing them.
There was really no way to judge this.
(:з」∠❀)
The whole market felt deeply disjointed.
A light rain had fallen for half the night.
The market streets were muddy and damp, and men and women, young and old, dressed in rags, were tied up and kneeling on the ground, price tags stuck into their collars.
Plenty of stallholders were arguing with customers until their faces turned red, squabbling endlessly over a few coins.
Some stallholders even got so annoyed at customers haggling too aggressively that they grabbed their wares by the jaw and forced their mouths open.
“Look at those teeth, look at their condition. Top quality… Your offer is far too low; I can’t even recoup my costs… You look like a gentleman from a wealthy family. Take pity on a small-time trader like me…”
The goods being haggled over wore numb expressions, their eyes vacant.
Shen Zhi reluctantly looked away and muttered under his breath, “…So many of them look like honest farmers. How did they end up dragged here by the bandits and sold? This is utterly lawless.”
“What law is there left now?”
“What heaven is there left?”
Fan You had been prepared for this and was no longer surprised.
Never mind anything else: the three of them had spent the past few days living in the home of a strategist who served one of the rebel leaders.
He had seen plenty of this, but he didn’t know why his new lord could remain so calm, as though it were all perfectly ordinary.
“Does this scene not strike you as cruel, my lord?”
Zhang Yang, called out, pointed to herself.
“You’re asking me?”
“Yes. My lord is still young, and when young children first see things like this, they’re always filled with righteous indignation, unable to contain their anger.”
“Cruel?”
Wasn’t it just NPCs selling other NPCs?
She asked, puzzled, “Why is it cruel?”
One string of data selling another string of data.
When that data wore a carefully designed appearance, it certainly invited sympathy.
But she had no idea what sympathy felt like, nor could she feel it for data that could be casually erased and generated without limit.
After Zhang Yang finished answering, she immediately urged Shen Zhi to hurry up.
“Quit dawdling and wasting time.”
Shen Zhi glanced at Fan You out of the corner of his eye.
The latter showed little expression, though his gaze seemed rather cold.
He sighed.
“Boyuan’s mind is a little different from other people’s. Even if she says things like this, it doesn’t necessarily mean she’s truly cold and heartless. If she were, she wouldn’t have risked…”
He broke off mid-sentence.
Because he’d spotted a familiar face among the merchandise.
The governor of Tianbian Commandery.
The unlucky fellow who had nearly been swindled out of everything by the Princess all those years ago.