The clamor below the city was incessant.
Such arrogant words enraged all the generals and soldiers on the city walls.
"Stop spewing so much nonsense, then come and attack."
"That's right, attack the city."
"Go on, try and see if you can breach our fortress."
"We live and die with the City Lord!"
"Live and die!!!"
The shouts continued, echoing from the soldiers' mouths, each rallying cry growing louder and more filled with fighting spirit.
The morale of all the generals within the fortress soared.
Chen Yu, however, frowned deeply, his eyes filled with solemnity.
He, it seemed, had truly made a mistake!
"Chen Yu, are you mute? Speak up!" Liao Dao's defiant voice boomed from below the city.
Hei Lü, standing by Chen Yu's side, observed his expression.
Seeing Chen Yu remain silent for a long while,
He directly snatched a bow and arrow from a nearby soldier, condensed an energy arrow between his fingers, and shot it towards Liao Dao with a "swoosh."
Liao Dao calmly took half a step back.
He sneered as he looked at the arrow on the ground.
"It seems Chen Yu, you're nothing special. Since you can't say anything, I can't be bothered to waste more words with you." Liao Dao stretched lazily, "Same as before, surrender and I'll ensure your glory. If you remain stubborn, don't blame me for forgetting our past acquaintances. I'll give you time to consider. If you make up your mind, send someone to my outer camp to find me. Don't worry, I won't kill them."
Liao Dao laughed wildly,
Leaving behind an arrogant silhouette as he disappeared from the front of the fortress.
Even after Liao Dao retreated, Chen Yu, standing on the city wall, seemed not to have snapped back. He kept his brows furrowed and remained silent for a long time.
"Boss."
Hei Lü gently nudged Chen Yu's shoulder, and Mi Mu also raised his hand, waving it in front of Chen Yu's eyes.
"You dumb soldier."
"How could this be? Are all my calculations wrong?"
Chen Yu muttered to himself, his brows still tightly knitted.
If everything was as Liao Dao said, then all of Chen Yu's considerations would have to be overturned.
"Hei Lü, you stay here and guard."
"I need to go handle some matters."
Chen Yu patted Hei Lü heavily on the shoulder. Without waiting for Hei Lü's response, he hurriedly descended the city wall and, first thing, sent a video invitation to Jiang Yaqing.
The moment the invitation was sent,
Those few seconds felt like eons to Chen Yu.
About half a minute later...
Jiang Yaqing finally accepted the video call.
"What's up?"
Within the frame, as expected, there was nothing but ice and snow. Jiang Yaqing stood amidst the frost and snow, her eyebrows knitted in suspicion as she stared at Chen Yu's projected face on her end.
"What's with that face? Constipated?"
"Jiang Yaqing, tell me the truth. Is there anything you're hiding from me?"
"Ah?!"
Instantly, Jiang Yaqing in the projection froze, somewhat at a loss for a moment.
She'd been found out?
Jiang Yaqing thought in shock.
That shouldn't be right.
She had kept her inheritance from the Snow Emperor a secret so well that even the Merfolk Kingdom, with whom she had a close relationship, didn't know who the Snow Emperor was. How could Chen Yu possibly know about this?
If it wasn't for this matter, she had nothing to hide from Chen Yu.
"What are you talking about?" Jiang Yaqing asked, confused. "What could I possibly be hiding from you?"
"I believe you."
Chen Yu nodded solemnly, his eyes still furrowed.
"If you're not hiding anything from me, then we've both been fooled. I just saw Liao Dao and he mentioned something about Ye City. He doesn't recognize Ye City at all. I can bet my life on it, my judgment is absolutely correct."
"How is that possible? Ye City, he..."
Unaccountably, Jiang Yaqing also moved her lips, unable to speak, while Chen Yu pressed on.
"Where did you get your information?"
"People in the circle told me."
Jiang Yaqing whispered. Her momentary pause was because she had just recalled the source of the information, which wasn't absolutely reliable.
"The problem is, he has no reason to lie to me."
"Tell me, what's the point of lying about this? Ye City, you, Liao Dao, the three of you... no, no, no, this is impossible, there's no need for it."
Jiang Yaqing was somewhat lost.
She couldn't confirm this information.
"Perhaps the person who gave you this information had no ill intentions, but the information they received was definitely fake, or they simply fabricated this false information to appease you or me. Normally, this information wouldn't have any impact on us, but precisely because of my current situation, all these coincidences have made this false message seem inexplicably real." Chen Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. "Ye City and Liao Dao have no direct connection. Liao Dao is not backed by Ye City."
"Then what are you thinking?" Jiang Yaqing frowned.
"I don't know."
Suddenly, Chen Yu grabbed his hair and paced back and forth like a madman.
"I don't even know what I'm trying to say."
"It's just..."
"My mind is a mess, can you understand?"
"I feel like I should grasp something, but it always feels like it's just a little bit short. I already had a complete plan for Liao Dao's appearance, from beginning to end, a series of reasons and connections, I had everything straightened out. Liao Dao's appearance just now overturned everything."
Jiang Yaqing remained silent.
She silently watched Chen Yu vent his inner turmoil, her heart aching but feeling powerless.
This was the first time she had seen Chen Yu like this.
In the past, no matter when, Chen Yu always gave the impression of being in control, with everything within his grasp.
This time, the confusion in his eyes was not fake.
He was truly in trouble.
This only strengthened her resolve; Chen Yu needed her to stand behind him.
"I can understand you."
After a long silence, Jiang Yaqing slowly exhaled.
"You're probably lost right now, unsure of where to start. The disruption of your plan has left you not knowing where to begin reorganizing. I've had similar experiences. If, and I mean if, you really can't find a starting point, and you're lost and don't know what to do, try working backward. Perhaps this method can help you now."
"How so?"
Chen Yu looked up, his eyes somewhat bloodshot.
"What do you fear losing the most?" Jiang Yaqing said seriously. "Start with what you fear losing the most, and ensure it is absolutely safe. Then, conduct a weight analysis, considering from heaviest to lightest, deliberating and arranging. As long as what you fear losing the most remains safe, and you can avoid losses for the high-priority items, then even if the situation becomes irreversible, you won't be utterly defeated."
The bewildered Chen Yu seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
He stared blankly at Jiang Yaqing for a long while, a look of gratitude in his eyes.
"I understand."
With that, Chen Yu hung up the video call with Jiang Yaqing and, in an instant, found Kailin's page in the chat window.
Video, invite!