Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

Sensing the powerful killing intent emanating from Luo Yang, Yelü Dongchuang's face turned bitter. He knew that the female demon in front of him was the kind of person who was completely unreasonable and acted entirely according to her mood.

Looking at Luo Yang, whose murderous intent was on full display, Deng Mao hesitated for a moment before choosing to get straight to the point: "It was Lord Taiping who sent us to help you."

When he and Yelü Dongchuang arrived here, as long as Luoyang wasn't blind, he would definitely be able to guess that they had come with a purpose. Therefore, instead of hiding it, it was better to state their intentions directly. If Luoyang was really willing to keep them, then everyone could cooperate. If not, Deng Mao was not someone to be slaughtered at will, and he was still quite confident that he could fight his way out of Zhuolu Mountain.

"The Imperial Tutor of Northern Mang, the Taiping Order? The Grand Master of the Chess and Sword Music Academy who disappeared many years ago?" Luo Yang was stunned for a moment when she heard Deng Mao's words, and then a few doubts appeared in her eyes. She did not remember having any connection with this Taiping Order, and immediately said domineeringly, "What did he tell you? Tell me every single word."

"The great war between Northern Mang and Liyang is imminent, and Cao Changqing is also actively preparing to restore his country. The Taiping Decree asks us to help Zhulu Mountain improve its strength and to distract the Liyang Dynasty in the south..." Yelü Dongchuang, having received Deng Mao's signal, no longer concealed anything and explained the Taiping Decree's plans in detail.

"How dare you use me as a pawn! You have some nerve!" Upon hearing this, Luo Yang was instantly enraged and mercilessly slashed at Yelü Dongchuang with a palm strike.

"Be careful!" Deng Mao shouted in a low voice. His whole body was filled with ancient and powerful true energy. He brought his right hand together like a spearhead and drew an arc. He prepared to thrust his powerful true energy towards Luo Yang's palm.

The next second, their palms collided, creating a violent shockwave. Deng Mao staggered back three steps before stopping, his right hand, which had been clashing with Luo Yang's, was in excruciating pain. Luo Yang, on the other hand, only took one step back before stopping, clearly demonstrating the difference in their skill levels.

At the same time, Yelü Dongchuang also recovered from his shock and immediately stood together with Deng Mao, cautiously looking at the female demon in front of them.

Upon noticing the fighting inside the hall, hundreds of members of the Zhulu Sect rushed in armed and surrounded Deng Mao and Yelü Dongchuang.

"Stop! All of you, get out of my sight! No one is allowed to enter without my order. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!" Just as Deng Mao and Yelü Dongchuang were secretly suffering, Luoyang unexpectedly chose to drive away the followers.

"What tricks are you trying to pull, Luoyang?" Deng Mao asked coldly. Although he was slightly weaker than Luoyang, if he really wanted to leave, it would be difficult for Luoyang to keep him.

Looking at the tense two, Luo Yang smiled slightly. She had been furious at being used as a pawn by the Taiping Order, which was why she had acted so angrily. But after exchanging a blow with Deng Mao, her anger subsided considerably, and she regained her composure.

Zhuolu Mountain borders the southern border where King Yan Chi resides, and is not too far from Guangling Road and Western Shu, making it a natural strategic location. Once the rebellion of Western Chu's restoration occurs, Guangling Road will inevitably be engulfed in war, and King Yan Chi, an ambitious man, will absolutely not let go of this good opportunity to take advantage of the chaos.

Furthermore, with Chen Zhibao's entry into Shu and his subsequent declaration of kingship, the region had grown powerful and was likely to exploit the chaos of the Western Chu war for personal gain. Therefore, Zhuolu Mountain was facing crises on all sides, and Luoyang alone could hardly handle the ensuing turmoil. Thus, the arrival of Deng Mao and Yelü Dongchuang was perfectly timed, precisely when Zhuolu Mountain was at its weakest.

Luo Yang considered it for a long time and had to admire the old man Taiping Ling for seizing the opportunity so well that she couldn't refuse unless he was willing to give up the centuries-old foundation of Zhulu Mountain. But that was exactly what Luo Yang was unwilling to do. Whether it was for face or to take advantage of Zhulu Mountain's extensive intelligence network, it was difficult for Luo Yang to simply abandon Zhulu Mountain and leave.

"I can let you stay, but during this time, as long as my orders do not infringe upon the interests of Northern Mang, you must wholeheartedly help me. If you can do this, I will allow you to stay." Luo Yang stared at the two with emotionless, crimson eyes.

Deng Mao and Yelü Dongchuang exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement. Their purpose in coming here was to help Zhulu Mountain restrain the surrounding forces, allowing the rebellion in Western Chu to escalate, indirectly diverting the energy of the entire Liyang Dynasty, and contributing to the upcoming great war.

---

Danyang is a place of rugged mountains and fierce, warlike people who are skilled in martial arts and warfare, possessing great strength and elite troops. Along the way, Shen Qing also felt a completely different atmosphere in Danyang County. The people of Danyang County were more hot-tempered than those of Lujiang County, and they would often fight at the slightest disagreement. The fierce atmosphere in the county also fueled the chaos caused by the lack of order, and bandits swarmed everywhere.

Along the way, although Shen Qing's grain transport team had a size of nearly two thousand people, it was still targeted by several groups of mountain bandits. However, after realizing the huge difference in strength, they eventually retreated and gave up.

Shen Qing did not send anyone to pursue and kill them. His main objective was to escort the grain to the county seat. As for the bandits, he would have the prefect send people to wipe them out. This would also serve as training for the troops, and he hoped to train an elite Danyang army.

It is said that when General Gu Jiantang marched south to destroy Dongyue, the governor of Danyang surrendered under orders, but a captain leading 500 Danyang soldiers was a hot-blooded man. He led 500 men with blue turbans tied around their heads and wielding giant hammers, and dared to charge straight at Gu Jiantang's tens of thousands of central troops. They broke through the front line of the central army and caused nearly 2,000 casualties. Gu Jiantang was so angry that he directly beheaded a guerrilla general in the central army.

Outside Danyang County, Shen Qing saw Zhang Bianguan again. Compared to the dejected young man of yesteryear, Zhang Bianguan was now full of vigor and confidence, a completely different person.

After learning the crux of the Zhang family's predicament from Zhao Kai, he also broadened his focus from the small city of Tai'an to the broader situation of the world, using his own efforts to create a safe haven for the Zhang family. Later, when he became a high-ranking official in Yuezhou, even if Zhao Dun wanted to deal with Zhang Julu, he would have to consider his position.

"Brother Zhang, it's been a long time! You look quite different now," Shen Qing said, genuinely praising Zhang Bianguan. As a transmigrator, Shen Qing felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment seeing a tragic figure's fate changed.

"Brother Shen, please come into the city with me for a chat, so I can fulfill my duty as host." Zhang Bianguan's eyes lit up as he extended the invitation, looking at the massive grain transport convoy behind Shen Qing. After arriving in Danyang County on orders, he took over the entire county seat. Although he had done a good job in maintaining order and defending the city, the shortage of grain prevented him from achieving anything greater.

He could only watch helplessly as bandits rose up in Danyang County, ravaging the local area. Now, upon learning that Shen Qing had delivered 10,000 shi of grain, he was naturally overjoyed. With the grain, he could recruit enough soldiers to suppress the bandits in the county and restore peace and order to Danyang County.

"Brother Zhang, the martial arts examination is less than twenty days away. I not only have to transport grain to Wu County, but also rush back to Kuaiji County to assist with the examination. Therefore, time is tight and the task is heavy, so I will not go in. After Yuezhou is settled, I will definitely have a good drink with you, Brother Zhang." After a brief conversation with Zhang Bianguan, Shen Qing learned that there were no difficult matters to handle in Danyang County, so he politely declined Zhang Bianguan's invitation.

The six prefectures of Yuezhou are currently facing shortages of money and food. Therefore, Shen Qing needs to send grain to Wu Prefecture as soon as possible so that Pan Yang can recruit troops and take control of the entire prefecture.