Surviving in a Collapsed World, Is Something Wrong?

Chapter 330 Conquering the enemy without fighting

The next morning.

Guanxing, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly smelled the aroma of meat. His blue eyes opened slightly and he looked to the side. He saw golden oil drops reflecting the warm firelight, flowing down from the slightly charred skin of the grilled fish, emitting bursts of aroma in the campfire.

Looking up again, Jiang Ming was carefully applying sauce and seasoning powder on the grilled fish, almost not missing any corner.

"Grandpa..." Guanxing murmured.

"Ah... Miss Stargazer, are you awake?"

Suddenly, a familiar yet unfamiliar female voice came from her ears. Guanxing was so scared that she immediately sat up and subconsciously leaned towards Jiang Ming. This action also made Jiang Ming notice her.

"Uh, Mr. Stargazer, having a nightmare?"

"No, who is she!?"

Jiang Ming looked in the direction pointed by Guanxing, and saw a girl in a purple robe, whose real face could not be seen, squatting beside a blanket, holding a few fish that she had just processed in her hands.

Jiang Ming took the fish and explained, "Ah... She is my lover, her name is Raiden Mei. With her here, we can finish our breakfast faster. But Mr. Stargazer, you got up really early. It's just sunrise now. Do you need to sleep a little longer? After all, you only slept for four hours."

"Miss Stargazing, I'm so sorry for scaring you just now."

Mei's tone was full of apology. Guanxing swallowed and calmed his rapid heartbeat: "Why don't you show your true appearance?"

"According to my calculations, sometimes appearance can lead to unnecessary trivia. Even though some of them are trivial, they are still troublesome to explain. Please forgive me, Mr. Stargazer."

Guanxing shook his head slightly: "...It was just too sudden, I got startled, that's all, nothing serious."

"That's great. By the way, I seemed to hear Mr. Stargazer say...Grandpa?"

"No, nothing... I just thought about the past." Guanxing said to himself while looking at the grilled fish on the fire.

"My grandfather, the late emperor, would sometimes take me to the pond in the back hills to fish when the maids weren't paying attention, and then roast the fish for me. Of course, his cooking skills were terrible, but he always pretended to be good at it and made all kinds of unpalatable things for me."

"I think he just wants to keep you company."

Upon hearing this, Guanxing remained silent, as if he was lost in memories of the past, and at this moment, Zi came to their side.

"My Lord, I have caught some more rabbits. I have already processed and cleaned them. Also, there are..."

Zi put her lips close to Jiang Ming's ear and whispered a few words. Jiang Ming nodded slightly: "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Zi, sit down and take a rest."

"As ordered."

Jiang Ming smiled bitterly: "You don't have to be so respectful in front of me..."

"As ordered."

"Well......"

"Who is this?" Guan Xing looked at Zi, who did not hide his figure, and asked, "What's the meaning of this title of Lord? Could it be some little quirk in your heart?"

"Haha, do I look like such a frivolous person?" Jiang Ming laughed uncontrollably, with a helpless look on his brows, and then explained.

"They voluntarily gave themselves the title of Master. In addition to Purple, there are Black, White, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, and Blue. They are sisters, arranged from youngest to oldest. Black is the youngest sister, and Purple is the oldest sister. By the way, all nine of them have reached the realm of minor success in the peak level of the universe rules, so they should not be underestimated."

The stargazers who were originally somewhat indifferent were immediately surprised when they heard this. The more they understood the rules of the universe, the more they could appreciate its power. However, there was also a point on the other hand, which was that it was difficult to improve their realm.

This is the case in the initial stage of entry, but Guanxing feels that he has no idea how to improve his realm.

Seeing this, Jiang Ming comforted him.

"The nine of them have been practicing for tens of thousands of years, and they don't rely on true meaning to practice, but a kind of poisonous insect."

"Poisonous insect?" Guanxing frowned slightly. In the eyes of the public, this poisonous insect is not a good thing.

"That's right, but don't think it's some kind of evil way. The Gu worms are made by refining the rules of the universe through special methods and carriers. They can help people achieve twice the result with half the effort in the process of practicing the rules of the universe. It's a pity that I don't have any extra Gu worms at the moment, otherwise I would have to give you one or two, Mr. Stargazer."

"The rules of the universe..."

"Mr. Stargazer, instead of continuing to comprehend the laws of the universe, why not have breakfast first? My love and I have already prepared everything. Here are some berries, and I also made some fish soup."

Grilled fish, berries, grilled rabbit, fish soup... Seeing Jiang Ming's thoughtful preparation, Guanxing couldn't help but smile.

"With you here, we have indeed solved many of our problems. Although you talked about cooperation all the time before, you are actually a person who is good at taking care of others and is very skillful."

"It's rare that Mr. Guanxing has such an evaluation of me. I guess he has really let down his guard. So I have to show it off."

Jiang Ming chuckled and then looked at Zi: "Zi, you, Cheng and Hei go and invite her over. Don't be violent. Invite her."

Zi understood and quickly agreed, then walked into the forest and disappeared.

Stargazer blinked and asked.

"What happened?"

"A guest is coming." Jiang Ming turned the grilled fish over.

Not long after, a purple-haired girl was forced here by Purple, Black and Orange. The former was holding two swords in her hands, but her face was extremely embarrassed, her silver teeth were lightly bitten, and her brows were tightly furrowed.

"Are you... Beichen Yaxin... a general under the Emperor's uncle..."

Guanxing immediately put down the grilled fish and stood up, staring at the purple-haired girl in front of him: "You have been following me?"

"...Excuse me, eavesdropping is a despicable act and it was not my intention at all. Please forgive me if I have offended you."

"No, Miss Beichen Yaxin must have not slept last night and must be very hungry. If you don't mind, please come here and eat some meat." Jiang Ming said with a gentle smile.

"Sir, you may not know this person's background. I met her once at a state banquet a long time ago. Pay attention. She is famous for her [North Star Two Swords Style]."

"Your Highness actually remembers my name? This is really...very honored..." Beichen Yaxin hurriedly saluted.

"Ah...Hokushin Two Swords Style...Would you like something to eat? I have taken out all the fish bones." Jiang Ming asked with a smile, his expression unchanged.

"Are you listening to me?!"

"...Then I will respectfully obey your command."

To Guanxing's surprise, Beichen Yaxin immediately agreed to this request. A man of insight is a wise man. No matter whether it is Black, Orange or Purple, Beichen Yaxin already knew the strength of these three from the brief confrontation just now. They were definitely not people she could afford to provoke.

Beichen Yaxin sat down with legs crossed and took the grilled fish handed to her by Jiang Ming. However, before she tasted it, she heard her say, "I am not here for anything else. Your Highness should have guessed it. Please come back with me to the Second Prince."

"Hmph, what if I say no?"

"..." Beichen Yaxin said no more. She had already seen how powerful Hei and the others were, not to mention Jiang Ming, whom they called their master. It was impossible for her to take Guanxing back with her. If Jiang Ming had no intention of hurting her and sincerely invited her to taste the grilled fish, she would have died on the spot.

"Haha, Miss Beichen Yaxin, I know you are both brave and loyal, but if you come to serve a traitor and capture His Highness Guanxing, it would be a mistake on top of a mistake."

"Traitor!? How can you be so critical of the Second Prince!"

Seeing Beichen Yaxin was angry, Jiang Ming said calmly.

"Your Excellency may have misunderstood what I meant. The Second Prince is not a traitor. I was referring to the Master next to her."

"You mean...Master Jackal?"

"Yes, it was not the Second Prince who sent you to capture His Highness the Stargazer. The real mastermind behind this was this Jackal."

"…What is the evidence?"

"Haha, what evidence does Miss Beichen Yaxin need?"

Jiang Ming did not hesitate to ask back, and the latter said: "According to the law, when the late emperor passed away, His Highness Guanxing should inherit the throne."

"Before entering the palace, I was a wanderer, not an assassin. No matter what I do, I need a reason, not to kill innocent people. The explanation given to me by Master Jackal is--"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince died young. According to the law, the throne should be inherited by the Second Prince. However, His Royal Highness Guanxing did not remember the late emperor's kindness and conspired with Prime Minister Rita to usurp the throne. He secretly altered the late emperor's will in an attempt to seize the throne and take the world into his pocket."

"Your Highness Guanxing has been well-read since childhood and knows about military affairs and national politics. He should assist in state affairs, but his current actions have disappointed the subjects. Is it that His Highness the Second Prince is wise enough to see through this treacherous plot and is about to lead his troops to the battle to harm Anren and save the subjects from the dire straits..."

"Hahaha, Miss Beichen Yaxin is really simple-minded. But at this moment, she doesn't understand what's going on."

Jiang Ming laughed three times in a row. Beichen Yaxin didn't know whether he was praising himself or criticizing himself, so he had to ask.

"Then according to your Excellency's opinion, has His Highness the Star-gazing Lord committed any crime?"

"Haha, how can it be a sin?"

Jiang Ming smiled and talked freely.

"Miss Beichen Yaxin is just an outsider after all. She doesn't understand the court, nor does she know the dirty things hidden in it. But I want to ask Miss Beichen Yaxin, if His Highness Guanxing really secretly changed the late emperor's will and attempted to seize power and usurp the throne, why would he leave Huangyue City secretly at this moment and put himself in danger?"

"With your eloquence and knowledge, and the help of Prime Minister Rita, you should be living comfortably in Huangyue City. Why would you come to this forest to suffer?"

"..."

Seeing Beichen Yaxin fall silent, Jiang Ming took advantage of the situation and continued: "It's very simple. Miss Beichen Yaxin, do you know anything about strange beasts?"

"Of course. I had heard of the name of the strange beast before entering the palace." Beichen Yaxin nodded.

"Oh, then if it were you, His Highness Guanxing left Huangyue City not because he was feeling guilty but because he wanted to deal with the strange beast that was about to appear?"

"What!?" Beichen Yaxin's pupils shrank slightly in surprise, and he quickly looked at Guanxing, and saw the latter closing his eyes and nodding. Only then did he realize that he had been deceived by the Jackal.

Seeing the obvious effect, Jiang Ming continued, "Since Yama came to the world, His Majesty the Stargazer has devoted himself to studying the method of sealing the beasts day and night, and Prime Minister Rita has also devoted herself to state affairs. Everyone in the palace knows about this. Miss Beichen Yaxin, don't let the Jackal's temporary deception ruin the important task of sealing the beasts!"

Beichen Yaxin quickly stood up upon hearing this and bowed deeply to Guanxing: "It is because of my lack of character that I was deceived by a traitor. I hope Your Highness will punish me."

"It's okay. Since you can turn back, you are still a citizen of Huangyue City. Eat this meal and leave on your own. We still need to go to the next location to set up the formation, so don't be negligent."

"To show my loyalty, I hope Your Highness will take me in and let me do my part in sealing the strange beast." Beichen Yaxin said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Guanxing looked at Jiang Ming with a questioning look.

Beichen Yaxin observed the man's expression and thought, "Who is this person? He actually has such a powerful servant. His Highness subconsciously looked at him while thinking. Could he be the young disciple who will replace Jackal in the future? Or was it even this person who made His Highness leave Huangyue City and go to seal the strange beast? No, I shouldn't think so much. The most urgent thing is to get this person to agree to my joining to show his loyalty to His Highness!"

However, Jiang Ming slowly shook his head: "There are enough people involved in this matter, Miss Beichen Yaxin, we have already felt your loyalty, don't mind it, this is His Highness Guanxing's idea, I am just responsible for conveying it."

Convey? Beichen Yaxin didn't believe it! It was just to truly reject him so as not to embarrass himself. But since he said so, it was still the intention of His Highness Guanxing. It would be bad to force him. Of course, it would not work to continue to follow him. He tried his best to hide last night, but he was still discovered this morning. It would be best to leave now.

Thinking of this, Beichen Yaxin bowed to Guanxing and said, "Then I will leave first. May Your Highness return victoriously."

After saying that, Beichen Yaxin walked into the forest with the grilled fish that she had not finished eating, and gradually disappeared in front of the crowd.

"You are truly amazing, as you have defeated the enemy without even fighting." Guanxing praised sincerely.

"No, it's just that I don't like to use force or waste time when it's not necessary. Miss Beichen Yaxin just realized that we have the advantage in numbers and she can't get any benefit. It's all help from everyone."

After Jiang Ming finished speaking modestly, he let out a long sigh.

"Huh... It's okay when facing other people, but when facing Miss Beichen Meiyi, I'm really nervous."

Jiang Ming breathed a sigh of relief. The others understood what Jiang Ming meant, except Guan Xing, who was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

"It's a family matter, don't let anyone know."

Jiang Ming lay directly into Meiyi's arms and gently rubbed her soft heart with his head, causing his lover to gasp.

"...I never thought you had this side to you."

"Mr. Guanxing is the one who hides things very well. What Mr. Jackal did was all part of your plan, right?"

Jiang Ming showed a meaningful smile: "Since the death of the previous emperor, you have calculated that the Jackal will rebel sooner or later. But the Jackal is usually cautious, and even you can't get any actual evidence. So you let the Second Prince pretend to be ignorant, wait for the opportunity, and finally take him down completely. Is this true?"

"...In front of you, there is really no secret at all." Guanxing sighed deeply.

Jiang Ming chuckled: "Haha, let's eat something first to replenish our energy before we get going. By the way, where is our next stop?"

"Can't you do the math again, sir?"

"I usually don't do this unless it's necessary. By the way, if you want to activate the rules of the universe, you need something. Mr. Stargazer, please use it with caution. After all, you don't have much in your body."

"Honkai energy, right? I will keep it in mind."

Guanxing lowered his head and took a sip of the fish soup.

"Also, the next stop is Ziyuan Town."

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