86: It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark!

"Zhuge Liang?"

Lin Yue almost lost his voice; who else could the person before him be but Zhuge Liang, the guide of the Lost City?

"Shh, keep it down, Mr. White Emperor. It is not yet convenient for my identity to be known. Why not call me Kongming while we are outside?"

"..."

So calling you Zhuge Liang is a problem, but calling you Kongming means no one will know who you are?

"So... Xiao Liang, didn't you say you guys couldn't leave the Lost City? How did you get out?"

Lin Yue coughed into his fist and raised an eyebrow as he asked.

"I used some special means; I can only walk within the main city for a short period of time."

Zhuge Liang waved his fan, acting mysterious.

"Forget it, if you won't say, I won't bother asking. I'm leaving if there's nothing else. It's raining, and I'm in a hurry to go back and bring in the laundry."

Not planning to waste time with Zhuge Liang—this guy was too mysterious and always spoke in riddles—Lin Yue turned to leave.

"Wait, Mr. White Emperor, I am here to help you resolve a matter."

"Resolve a matter? What matter?"

"The matter of Wang Chongshan."

As soon as Zhuge Liang spoke, the playful look on Lin Yue's face vanished. He stared intently at Zhuge Liang, his gaze carrying a hint of killing intent.

"Are you spying on me?"

Anyone would be upset to find out they were being watched, and Lin Yue was no exception. He even briefly considered secretly getting rid of Zhuge Liang.

"No, this was deduced by us."

Facing Lin Yue's killing intent, Zhuge Liang remained as calm as a still well and spoke placidly.

"Deduction? You mean like fortune-telling?"

"You could say that. Mr. Old Lord helped us deduce the secrets of heaven and calculated that Mr. White Emperor and Wang Chongshan are destined to be entangled, and deeply so. I was specifically ordered to come and assist."

Now another 'Old Lord' popped up. Grand Supreme Old Lord?

Lin Yue was getting confused by Zhuge Liang. One moment it was deducing heavenly secrets, the next it was the Grand Supreme Old Lord—he certainly made it sound convincing.

"Go on, I'm listening."

Since he didn't understand, Lin Yue simply crossed his arms and waited to hear what the other had to say.

"Heavenly secrets must not be leaked. Mr. White Emperor, you only need to know that I am here to help you."

Zhuge Liang looked like a composed sage; after saying that, he fell silent.

Good grief, stopping halfway again.

Lin Yue almost laughed out of frustration. He turned to leave with a cold face. Zhuge Liang, realizing he was losing his audience, quickly grabbed Lin Yue.

"Mr. White Emperor, please listen. Wang Chongshan's transfer order will arrive within three days. Before that, he has already informed the City Lords of Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger cities about you razing Demon Dragon Mountain."

Zhuge Liang spoke clearly this time, and Lin Yue understood instantly.

No wonder Wang Chongshan let him go so readily; he was playing a hand of 'killing with a borrowed knife' behind his back just to spite him.

"Is that it? So what if the three City Lords know?"

Lin Yue frowned. This shouldn't be enough for Zhuge Liang to come specifically to help him, unless... "Mr. White Emperor should have guessed it. It's because the three City Lords are going to issue a Kill Order against you!"

A Kill Order!

When those three words were uttered, Lin Yue was truly moved.

The so-called Kill Order was a method used by the City Lords of major cities in special circumstances against players who had committed heinous crimes.

According to Jianghu rumors, once a Kill Order was issued, it would be a fight to the death until the player dropped back to Level 0.

During this period, those who took action were not official city NPCs, but bounty-hunting organizations that roamed between various factions.

These organizations were full of experts who would not stop until they reached their goal. At this stage, besides Lin Yue, no player had the strength to survive under a Kill Order.

The key was that escaping was useless; the other party would stick to you constantly, sending expert after expert.

Although Lin Yue wasn't afraid—even if he dropped to level zero, he just wouldn't be able to wear his equipment, which wouldn't affect his other attributes.

But it would be very annoying and would severely impact Lin Yue's current plans and progress.

"I only razed Demon Dragon Mountain, surely it's not that serious?"

Lin Yue remembered that in his past life, Demon Dragon Mountain had indeed been trampled by players, but he had never heard of a Kill Order being involved.

"Razing Demon Dragon Mountain indeed wouldn't be enough, but what if we add the deaths of the Guard Commanders of the three cities?"

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly, his feather fan stopped swaying, and he looked at Lin Yue quietly.

So, it was all waiting for him here.

"The Guard Commanders of those three cities were all direct relatives of the City Lords. Wang Chongshan diverted the trouble, blaming the entire cause on you."

"And the three City Lords actually believed such a clumsy lie?"

"Whether they believe it or not isn't important. What matters is that they don't dare move against Wang Chongshan, but they still need an outlet for their anger. This is Wang Chongshan's Overt Plot."

Zhuge Liang's words truly broke Lin Yue's composure. He punched the wall heavily, creating a significant indentation that quickly returned to normal.

This was the first time he had been put in such a passive position by an NPC.

Wang Chongshan, huh? I kindly helped you become the Lord of the Royal City, and you pull this on me in return.

Just because I didn't join his faction, he actually started playing the hypocrite.

"Don't be anxious, Mr. White Emperor. I am here to help you."

"True, you haven't said how you plan to help me yet."

Lin Yue pulled back his fist and calmed down.

He truly hadn't expected Wang Chongshan's underhanded move, but Zhuge Liang was a top-tier strategist; with his help, this matter would be much simpler.

Players didn't have much of an advantage against these main city lords, but when it was NPC against NPC, the result would be different.

"Actually, the strategy is very simple. If we make it so Wang Chongshan cannot become the Lord of the Royal City, this matter will be easily resolved."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Yue realized something.

If Wang Chongshan were already the Lord of the Royal City, Lin Yue really wouldn't have many options against him.

Lin Yue wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on a Royal City yet.

But if it were just a main city, the result would be completely different.

"So, you have a way to persuade the City Lords of the three major cities?"

Lin Yue asked curiously. Logically, Zhuge Liang, as an NPC from the Lost City, shouldn't have that much influence.

"Not at all. I do not need to communicate with any of the three City Lords to resolve this."

Zhuge Liang's fan began to sway again, exuding an Aura of someone who had everything under control.

"I wonder how Mr. Zhuge plans to do it?"

Lin Yue grew interested, his eyes fixed on the constantly moving feather fan.

"Heavenly secrets must not be leaked. Mr. White Emperor, please wait for the good news."

When that familiar phrase appeared again, Lin Yue suppressed the urge to punch Zhuge Liang, held his forehead, and waved his hand.

"Fine, then I won't waste any more words. Can I go now?"

"Mr. White Emperor, please suit yourself. I will notify you as soon as there is news."

"Very well."

By the time Lin Yue turned and walked out of the alley, Zhuge Liang's figure had already vanished, as if he had never been there.

Stepping back onto the main road of the city, before he had gone far, countless players around him began running, gathering toward one place.

"What's going on?"

Before Lin Yue could react, the System's notification sounded from the Void Realm.

"System: Announcement. The Xuanwu City bulletin board has been updated with a major quest. Players, please head there to confirm."