Chapter 1 The Army Camp is Attacked by Gu

Fu Qingyang led his five teammates out of the barracks. Looking around, they saw dark masses of insects covering the military camp, buzzing with the sound of vibrating wings.

Fu Qingyang narrowed his eyes and took a closer look. The insects flying in the sky resembled flying mosquitoes, but were several times larger, with blood-red bodies. Their slender mouthparts gleamed with metallic light, like sharp needles.

The soldiers hugged their heads and charged left and right within the swarm, falling down with miserable screams, frantically scratching their faces and chests, tearing their skin and flesh, leaving them covered in blood.

Some soldiers hid in houses, closing doors and windows. The insects clung to the doors and windows like flies, trying to squeeze through the cracks.

The experts in the army displayed their skills. Fire Masters drove fire dragons into the sky, burning the insect swarm; Water Ghosts made well water pour out, condensing into giant hands to grab the swarm, but the speed of the gu insects was too fast, and the effect was not ideal.

Wood Demons lit insect-repelling incense, trying to drive away the gu insects with the scent.

Tianxia Guihuo's body "whooshed" with flames, summoning flames covering his entire body. He strode to a corpse, took a close look, and saw that the corpse was shriveled, most of its blood had been sucked dry, and dense red insect eggs were attached to the broken wounds.

The insect eggs were crystal clear, and the life inside was rapidly gestating and growing.

Tianxia Guihuo was shocked. He flicked out a tongue of fire, burning the insect eggs and the corpse to ashes, and shouted loudly:

"These gu insects not only suck human blood, but their eggs also adhere to corpses and reproduce rapidly. We must eliminate the swarm as soon as possible, or the entire Linxia City will be finished."

His words made the experts in the army feel heavy.

"No wonder the Northern Dynasty's army has remained inactive these past few days. It turns out they were cultivating gu insects, wanting to use this despicable method to weaken our forces without bloodshed." Lingjun sneered, opened his inventory, grabbed a green bamboo flute, and began to play a mournful tune.

The sound of the flute rose higher and higher, reaching the sky and drifting into the mountains.

Soon, the birds in Linxia City flocked to the barracks, and from the continuous mountains outside the city, a dark cloud of birds soared, drifting in mightily.

The birds circled above the barracks, sometimes swooping down, sometimes flying high, chasing the scurrying flying mosquitoes.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the gu insects attacking the barracks were eaten clean.

"Fortunately, it's not winter yet, otherwise the gu insects would be difficult to deal with." Fu Qingyang's solemn expression relaxed slightly. He issued orders at a rapid pace:

"Tianxia Guihuo, Zhao Chenghuang, you two take people to collect the corpses. Demon Eye, go to the city wall and maintain military morale. Lingjun and Xiahou Aotian, deal with the poisoning of the soldiers in the army."

As he spoke, he soared into the clouds on his sword, leaving a cold sentence behind:

"I'm going to meet the experts of the Northern Dynasty."

Lingjun and the others knew that Fu Qingyang wanted to restrain the Northern Dynasty's army with his own strength, creating chaos and preventing them from attacking the city at this moment.

Therefore, they did not dare to waste time and quickly took action.

Half an hour later, the five people who had finished their affairs returned to the barracks and saw Fu Qingyang sitting shirtless at the table, wrapped in bandages, looking seriously injured.

"Injured?" Lingjun immediately rushed forward to check the injuries.

"A minor injury." Fu Qingyang waved his hand, not letting Lingjun touch him randomly. He took the pill handed over by Xiahou Aotian and said:

"I fought with the experts of the Northern Dynasty and discovered a very heavy fact: the number of experts in the Northern Dynasty's army is several times greater than ours. In addition, the Right Commander of the Juque Army is an eighth-level Mist Lord, whose strength is slightly inferior to mine.

"Even if I used all my skills, I didn't see that legendary first expert of the Northern Border, Tuoba Guanghe. From this, it can be seen that Tuoba Guanghe is likely to be at the peak of the eighth level."

What is the concept of the peak of the eighth level? It is a level that Fu Qingyang, as an eighth-level, possessing a Swordsman Cloak, and skills close to the Dao, would not dare to say he could win in a one-on-one fight.

Once at the Lord stage, even if both are at the eighth level, the difference between the early and late stages is worlds apart.

Demon Eye Heavenly King frowned and said: "In this case, once the war starts, there will be a bitter battle."

Zhao Chenghuang, Lingjun, and Tianxia Guihuo suddenly rejoiced that they had Fu Qingyang and Demon Eye, two great experts, sitting in command, giving them a full sense of security. Well, Xiahou Aotian counts as half.

Although this guy has a weird personality, his business ability is exceptionally outstanding.

Fu Qingyang said, "Report on your situation."

Xiahou Aotian immediately said: "Our well was poisoned by spies. The poison is very strong, but with this protagonist here, the poisoned soldiers have recovered. I threw a water purification bead into several wells in the barracks. I hope the organization can reimburse me after leaving the dungeon."

"I also planted a large number of water vines in the well that can absorb toxins. In the future, we can judge whether the well water is poisonous by seeing if the vines turn black," Lingjun added.

Zhao Chenghuang said: "We lost a total of six hundred soldiers, but fortunately they were all low-level soldiers, so the loss was not too tragic."

Fu Qingyang said in a deep voice: "Under my command, they are all brothers. This revenge must be avenged."

He then looked at Demon Eye Heavenly King and said, "With the strength of the Northern Dynasty, retreating to the capital, we will definitely lose. Don't worry about Yuan Shi's situation for now. Trust him."

Chapter 2 Tea Flavor

"The beauty's singing sounds like celestial music!" Zhang Yuanqing clapped his hands and shouted "Good" three times.

Then he added in his heart: The tea flavor is pungent!

This Wan beauty knows how to compete for favor. She "accidentally" met the emperor in the imperial garden and used her singing to lure him. Today, she inserted tender leaves and sprinkled salt water at her door to stop the stag.

Hearing Zhang Yuanqing's voice, the Wan beauty on the second floor turned her head and said with "surprise": "Oh, it's Your Majesty!"

Immediately, she lifted her skirt and ran downstairs, looking like she had met her ideal man, the love of her life, and was about to throw herself into Zhang Yuanqing's arms.

Suddenly remembering that this was against etiquette, she hurriedly stopped, saying shyly, "Your Majesty, this concubine misses you so much."

Zhang Yuanqing carefully examined her and couldn't help but sigh that the fatuous emperor's aesthetics were indeed not to be underestimated. This woman was about sixteen years old, like a lotus emerging from water, pure and refined, truly a delicate little flower.

"Wan beauty, a day apart feels like three autumns. I miss you very much too." Zhang Yuanqing held Wan beauty's hand tightly, revealing a lustful smile.

As soon as he held those white and tender hands, he felt an irresistible force pull them back.

The pure and refined Wan beauty said shyly: "Your Majesty, in broad daylight, how can you be so unrestrained? After sunset, please rest in my palace. This concubine wants to serve you."

Who is this guy? Zhang Yuanqing looked at her pure and refined face, responding with a full smile on the surface, but analyzing her identity in his mind.

He found another one.

Well, suspected.

Having the example of Jiang Jingwei, Zhang Yuanqing discovered a quick way to find his teammates, which was to have physical contact with the concubines in the harem. Those who resisted must be it.

After all, in their eyes, the fatuous emperor is just an NPC. There is no need to be taken advantage of by an NPC. The Lingjing won't have a dungeon that requires non-dedication, and it's not a special dungeon for the Lust profession.

As for whether the spy might resist physical contact, Zhang Yuanqing thought it was impossible, because the spy's job is seduction. The more the fatuous emperor favors her, the happier the spy should be.

Among my gang, there are so many scheming... well, many, but those who love acting so much are either Xie Lingxi or my little aunt... Zhang Yuanqing said:

"Beauty, I still have something to do, so I won't go in. Prepare to serve me tonight."

After saying that, he looked up and down Wan beauty's delicate body with a lustful look, and then left with his guards and eunuchs.

Wan beauty's eyes darted around and she smiled, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Leaving the pavilion where Wan beauty lived, Zhang Yuanqing immediately went to Concubine De's palace. On the way, he summoned a eunuch and asked in a relaxed tone:

"How do I usually treat Concubine De?"

The eunuch replied with a smile: "You are very kind to her."

Which woman is the fatuous emperor not kind to? Zhang Yuanqing said, "Compared to other beauties and concubines?"

The eunuch replied with a smile again: "Your Majesty is most kind to Concubine De."

Zhang Yuanqing knew what was going on in his heart. Perhaps because he killed Concubine De's entire family, Zhao Shun was particularly indulgent towards Concubine De.

Soon, they arrived at Concubine De's palace. Under the guidance of a palace maid, they went straight into the garden. Looking around, there were unknown white flowers blooming, adorning the entire garden with a cold and elegant atmosphere.

In the gazebo in the garden, a beauty in plain clothes was playing the zither, her waist was slender, her posture was graceful, her eyes were like autumn water, and her eyebrows were like spring mountains. Her skin was like snow, and she had a fresh and elegant charm.

She was truly a beautiful woman.

The eunuch called out loudly, "Your Majesty is here," but Concubine De in the pavilion lowered her head and played the zither, turning a deaf ear.

"Is she always so arrogant?" Zhang Yuanqing whispered to the eunuch beside him.

The eunuch didn't understand what arrogant meant and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Zhang Yuanqing modified his wording: "Has Concubine De always been like this?"

The eunuch nodded, but dared not comment.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the sky. It was still early, so he said, "Let her play. Go and summon all the palace servants in the palace."

The eunuch obeyed and retreated. Before long, all the palace maids in Concubine De's palace were summoned.

Zhang Yuanqing actively interacted with the charming palace maids according to his "theory". He pinched, patted, and kissed them. The palace maids were full of coquettishness, but they had no intention of avoiding him.

They all felt that being molested by His Majesty was a blessing they had cultivated for eight lifetimes, and they even wanted to go further and climb onto His Majesty's bed.

At this moment, the sound of the zither stopped, and the graceful Concubine De walked over with a palace maid holding the zither.

"Your Majesty!" She saluted indifferently.

"Concubine De, my beloved concubine..." Zhang Yuanqing used the same trick and took Concubine De's hand, saying, "I miss Concubine De and have no interest in political affairs. Tonight, I want Concubine De to serve me. Let the people below prepare."

Concubine De, with a cold expression, said lightly, "I just served you a few days ago. Your Majesty has three thousand beauties in the harem. You can't favor me alone. I'm tired. I'll go back to my room to rest first."

She brushed past Zhang Yuanqing with a cold expression and led the palace maid into the house.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't stop her or insist. He sighed, "Since my beloved concubine is not interested, then let's do it another day."

He needed to continue playing the role of Zhao Shun.

Next, Zhang Yuanqing went to see Madame Ya and the Empress, but Madame Ya claimed to be ill and refused to see him, while the Empress left the palace to visit her parents' home, the Yang family, so he didn't see them.

At dusk, Zhang Yuanqing met the Wang singer in the Yuyin Workshop. This singer was plump and beautiful, wearing colorful clothes, with a full forehead, almond eyes, and a natural charming look.

"Your Majesty, I miss you so much. Why haven't you asked me to sing in the past three days?" The Wang singer happily approached and bowed gracefully.

To her, Zhang Yuanqing went straight to the point and snorted coldly:

"I was poisoned by treacherous people. The Imperial City Division is secretly investigating this matter, so it is kept secret. Wang singer, you have served me before and after I was poisoned."

The Wang singer's face changed:

"Your Majesty, even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare to harm you."

Zhang Yuanqing changed the subject and smiled:

"Of course I'm not suspecting you. I want to tell you that if you have any suspects, immediately report them to the Imperial City Division."

The Wang singer turned from worry to joy and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, are you trying to scare me to death? I'm just a singer. I don't know any traitors. I only know how to play the zither and sing. Why don't I play for you..."

Before she finished speaking, Zhang Yuanqing took a step closer, put his arm around the Wang singer's waist, and said with a smile:

"There's no need to sing. Come into the room with me."

The moment his palm touched her soft waist, he clearly felt the Wang singer's body stiffen, her muscles tightened instantly, and then relaxed in the next second.

"Your, Your Majesty, you've just recovered from a serious illness. How can you be so tired?" The Wang singer gently pushed the Emperor's chest, smiling softly: "When you recover your health, I'll serve you."

If she's a spy, she should be happy to contact me. Even if she doesn't assassinate me on the spot, she'll let me stay to poison me. Wang singer also resists having physical contact with me. Zhang Yuanqing let go of her hand:

"Serve me tonight!"

After saying that, he turned and left with his guards and eunuchs.

At dusk, Zhang Yuanqing, riding in a deer cart, returned to his bedroom, lay down on the couch, and began to review today's gains.

Beauty Chu is Jiang Jingwei, and Beauty Wan is temporarily unknown, but it's confirmed, and Madame Ya and the Empress weren't seen. As for Concubine De...

Zhang Yuanqing couldn't be sure, because Concubine De didn't resist him holding her hand, which meant she wasn't repulsed by physical contact. As for not wanting to serve him and having a cold attitude, it was because there was a "family feud" between the two characters.

But the Wang singer was quite interesting. According to the daily records, the Wang singer was often favored by Zhao Shun. Logically speaking, everyone has been on the bed countless times, so it's impossible to resist physical contact.

So the Wang singer may also be it.

Although he didn't find the spy, today's harvest was great - he got bodyguards!

"There are no clues about the spy at all. It's almost impossible to find them in 24 hours. My correct operation today should be to dig out teammates in the harem, and then ask my teammates to protect me and wait for the spy to throw themselves into the net."

As for not being able to reveal his identity, it's of course a difficulty added by the dungeon. Otherwise, as long as he takes the deer cart and yells "chicken you are so beautiful" along the street, he can easily contact his companions with the secret code.

The difficulty setting of sealing cultivation and the inventory would lose its meaning.

Fortunately, Zhang Yuanqing wittily discovered a way to find teammates that can be called a "bug", and successfully found three teammates. Now he's just waiting for them to come to serve him tonight.

At this moment, a strong smell of medicine wafted into his nose. Zhang Yuanqing frowned and looked over, only to see Li Changshi, with white hair at his temples, walking in with a palace maid.

The palace maid was holding a bowl.

Zhang Yuanqing immediately reverted to the fatuous emperor's posture and said impatiently, "I've already said I won't drink it, you dog slave. Can't you understand my words?"

Li Changshi's face twitched, and he endured his temper, saying in a muffled voice:

"Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that you were poisoned with a strange poison. If you don't take medicine on time, the residual poison will accumulate in your body and there will be future troubles."

Strange poison? Why didn't you say that during the day? Zhang Yuanqing took the opportunity to inquire about information: "What strange poison? How come I don't know?"

Li Changshi said in a deep voice:

"According to the imperial physician, it is a strange poison mixed with a variety of poisons. The medicinal effect is strong, but they restrain each other, so it won't kill you immediately, but it's also difficult to find the poisoner based on the poison, because they may not have been fed to you on the same day."

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly understood. So he hasn't caught the murderer yet, and the concubines in the harem are all the emperor's women, and the Imperial City Division doesn't dare to use torture to extract confessions.

So finding the spy may be a long-term task, and finding bodyguards is the best way to crack "surviving for 24 hours"! Zhang Yuanqing pretended to be impatient, picked up the bowl, and drank the medicinal soup in one gulp.

Of course, he didn't forget to let the palace maid taste the poison first.

Although Li Changshi is from Zheng Taihou's faction and is unlikely to be the murderer, the process cannot be omitted.

After having dinner, Zhang Yuanqing looked forward to it in his bedroom, and finally heard the eunuch's shout outside the palace:

"Beauty Chu is here!"

Immediately afterwards, the tall lattice door was pushed open, and Beauty Chu, who looked fourteen or fifteen years old, fair and pretty, entered the bedroom surrounded by two palace maids.

"Your Majesty!"

Beauty Chu said loudly: "This concubine is shy. Can you dismiss the others and only let this concubine serve you?"

Zhang Yuanqing had this intention, after all, he wasn't really favoring Beauty Chu. It was inconvenient to act with the palace maids in the bedroom, so he let the palace maids leave.

"Pa pa!"

Zhang Yuanqing patted the bed, "Come, come, Beauty Chu, sit down quickly."

Beauty Chu didn't move, and she pricked up her ears, listening to the footsteps going away, and then came forward.

Then, Zhang Yuanqing saw a bright dagger slide out of her sleeve.

(End of this chapter)