Flick, slide, grab the leg.
All in one go.
The generals who saw this scene were all dumbfounded, and the soldiers resting against the tree trunks were even more wide-eyed.
Is this really their Grand Commander Hei?
Inconceivable.
In their lives, they had never seen Master Hei treat anyone so obsequiously.
Many beastmen in the legion couldn't help but discuss amongst themselves. Quite a few in the legion had followed Black Donkey from the very beginning, and by now, they had become squad leaders and section chiefs. These first citizens of the Free Town all knew Chen Yu, so they explained to the new recruits.
Upon learning that this person before them was the mysterious great lord, many beastmen cast curious glances.
Although Chen Yu had been away from the city for some time, legends of Chen Yu were everywhere in the Free Town. There was no resident of the Free Town from the first batch who did not look up to and admire Chen Yu when his name was mentioned.
Chen Yu's existence was like a god in the hearts of the people of the Free Town.
He was their faith!
Now that they finally saw him in person, the beastmen in the legion stared at Chen Yu with wide eyes, unable to stop looking.
The few generals were even more stunned, their faces full of disbelief.
What was going on?
This human was Master Hei's boss.
He didn't look particularly special, just a perfectly normal human. He had no rough features, nor fierce eyes.
He exuded no killing intent, nor any bloody aura.
This seemingly ordinary human was capable of building a Free Town that countless people yearned for, all by himself?
If anyone was shocked, it was Lauren, who had accompanied Chen Yu.
Looking at the young man's attitude towards Chen Yu.
It was clear that Chen Yu was the boss of this youth, whose strength was at least Rainbow Three. This meant they were all on the same side.
If they were all one group, why were they attacking the city?
What was the point of doing this?
He couldn't understand.
Regardless of what others thought, Black Donkey, who had latched onto Chen Yu's leg, refused to let go.
"Boss, you have no idea how much I've missed you during this time," Black Donkey said, tears flowing freely as he rubbed his head against Chen Yu's leg. "I've thought of you day and night, lost my appetite, couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. When I received the message from Kailin saying I should bring troops to find you, I rushed here without a moment's delay, bringing my core group to charge towards you."
"Charging? Rushing to attack my city, to usurp my position?"
Chen Yu leaned down slightly, looking at the tearful Black Donkey with a smile.
"Do you want to miss me, or do you want me dead?"
At that moment, Black Donkey hugged Chen Yu's leg even tighter.
"Boss, it's a misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding. I, Black Donkey, am not that kind of person. There was a slight deviation in this siege."
"You're a donkey, not a person," Chen Yu murmured.
"Boss~"
Seeing that Chen Yu wasn't listening to his explanation at all, Black Donkey simply hugged Chen Yu's leg and began to shake it, acting coyly.
"My loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and moon."
Chen Yu, who had been maintaining a stern expression, couldn't help but laugh at this sight.
"What's with you, acting so cute?" Not wanting to tease Black Donkey any further, Chen Yu reached out and helped him up from the ground, patting the dust off his leg. "You've learned a lot in the city recently, you're spouting idioms like a seasoned orator."
Among Chen Yu's divine generals, Black Donkey was the one Chen Yu trusted the most.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have assigned him to his side.
Although there had been a slight hitch in the siege just now, Chen Yu still believed Black Donkey's words about a small deviation. He had only been trying to scare him.
Seeing Chen Yu smile, Black Donkey knew that the matter was settled and breathed a sigh of relief, grinning.
"Ah, I absolutely follow the boss's arrangements. If the boss says we should learn, then I wouldn't dare to delay. I'd go to the schoolhouse whenever I had a spare moment."
Half an hour later—
Black Donkey's legion cleared a space for Chen Yu and his companions. Chen Yu leaned back in his rattan chair, leisurely sipping his cool tea, with Lauren standing by his side. Black Donkey, along with his generals, stood before him.
"Boss, these are my capable generals."
Chen Yu slowly looked up and took a general glance at these warriors.
Their strength was not weak.
These generals were all masters above the Rainbow realm. The bull-headed man standing in the center had even reached Rainbow Four. In less than half a year since leaving the city, Black Donkey had managed to expand his core group to this scale, which truly shocked Chen Yu.
Black Donkey's transformation was even more astonishing.
His realm had now reached Rainbow Six.
Chen Yu vaguely remembered that when Black Donkey left the city, he had only recently entered the Black Obsidian realm. Such rapid progress in such a short time was likely due to the fusion of divine generals.
The souls of the generals who once served gods were definitely not limited to this.
Perhaps in another six months,
Black Donkey could reach Saint!
Sensing Chen Yu's gaze, these generals, who had been at the forefront of breaking through the city, facing any danger without flinching, now stood with trembling hearts and downcast heads, not daring to meet Chen Yu's eyes.
Seeing the fear these generals had towards him, Chen Yu couldn't help but glance at Black Donkey.
"Follow Donkey Grandpa well, and you will have great development in the future," Chen Yu said softly, gazing at the generals. The generals, with their heads bowed, nodded incessantly, and the bull-headed man in the center, shrinking his neck, said, "Great Lord, regarding the siege, this subordinate truly did not do it intentionally."
"Speaking of the siege, I heard you have great strength. With one axe strike, the city walls trembled."
"I've been strong since I was a child."
"Natural divine strength, that's not bad," Chen Yu nodded with a smile. "For a general to be at the forefront, fearless of death, and to charge into battle, he is indeed a good general."
The bull-headed man stuttered, wanting to say some words of thanks, but being uncultured, he couldn't form a complete sentence.
He could only look to Black Donkey for help with pleading eyes.
"Boss, they are all rough folk and don't know how to speak. Please don't mind them," Black Donkey said with a smile. "The siege just now, it was because they couldn't read that caused trouble. They didn't recognize the three characters 'Feng Qi City' outside your city."
"Not being able to read, that's not good."
"Great Lord, please rest assured, we will definitely study and read properly in the future and will never repeat the situation as it is today," the bull-headed general replied anxiously.
Seeing that they were indeed uncomfortable standing there, Chen Yu waved his hand.
"Go and rest."
Only then did the generals feel as if they had been granted a great pardon. They bowed and scraped, offering sheepish smiles to Chen Yu as they retreated. Chen Yu also noticed Black Donkey still grinning foolishly, and picked up a stone to throw at him.
"Laugh!"
"What exactly did you tell them? Did you make up stories?"
"Heh, they are all new and don't know you well. Your legends have always circulated in the city, and they kept asking, so I embellished a bit and told them your stories." Black Donkey grinned.
Embellished?!
No matter how Chen Yu looked at it, it didn't seem as simple as Black Donkey's embellishment.
Chen Yu didn't mind. How others viewed him was not important to him. As long as the people around him understood his character and left a good impression on the common folk, then with the influence radiating from both the top and bottom, the people in the middle would naturally be loyal to him.
As for how they viewed him, did it matter?
Whether they saw Chen Yu as a devil or a benevolent person would have no impact on him.
"These people are quite strong. Where did you poach them from?" Chen Yu gestured towards the generals. Black Donkey glanced at them and said softly, "When exploring the treasure map, I met them in a secret chamber. I fought them, and to my surprise, I defeated them. They insisted on following me. I thought they were indeed skilled, good material for generals, so I brought them back. They are quite capable of leading troops, it's just a pity their brains aren't very sharp."
"If their brains were sharp, they wouldn't be following you," Chen Yu quipped.
Black Donkey immediately broke into a foolish grin. Seeing a familiar person appear before him, Chen Yu was also in a much better mood. Although he had been thinking about how to deal with Black Donkey not long ago, he now cast that matter aside.
"Is the city alright?"
"Everything is fine," Black Donkey said, moving closer to Chen Yu and throwing a straw mat down to sit on. "Our city's development is progressing at an astonishing pace. If you returned to the city, you might not even recognize it. The population of the city has exceeded one million, and various facilities have become complete. Although it's just a town, it's almost comparable to a major city."
"Oh?"
Chen Yu's eyes held a hint of suspicion.
"Our city now radiates to dozens of surrounding city-states."
"The population of these city-states is flowing towards our town, and trade is centered around our city. I think if it weren't for the Tatu royalty holding things up, the lords of those city-states would want to rely on our town for survival. Our city controls the food supply of these dozens of city-states."
"Our city also possesses formidable troops, and no one dares to disobey."
"Within a hundred miles of the town, there are no bandits. The happiness index of the people in the various cities is incredibly high. With no bandits, merchants are also willing to travel there. Although our place is remote, it shows signs of development."
Black Donkey's expression was filled with immense pride, and Chen Yu listened and nodded silently.
Although he occasionally learned about the city's situation from Kailin, Kailin only provided data reports and worked diligently. It was difficult to hear about the specifics that Black Donkey was mentioning from Kailin.
"Developing well, no foreign enemies, and the people living in peace and contentment, that's enough."
Chen Yu smiled with satisfaction. Given the current situation of Feng Qi City, he absolutely couldn't return for the time being. Although the city's development had already put on the right track, he still felt some concern. Hearing about the situation in the Free Town from Black Donkey relieved him considerably.
"Don't worry, our city is doing great," Black Donkey said with a grin. However, as he was grinning, he felt a chill blowing from above his head.
He slowly looked up and saw Chen Yu staring at him with murderous intent.
"The city's development is excellent, and I am very satisfied. Unfortunately... your efficiency in marching troops, I am very dissatisfied with. Do you remember how much time I gave you?"
"Seven days."
"How long has it been since you left the city?"
"Over a month."
Chen Yu spread his hands and waited for Black Donkey's explanation. Black Donkey, who had just sat down on the straw mat not long ago, quickly stood up with a distressed expression.
"Boss, I had special circumstances."
"What special circumstances? Did you go out for a picnic? Don't you know I urgently need troops?" Chen Yu frowned. Black Donkey licked his lips and said, "Well... I was attacking cities along the way, and fighting and such, so... you understand."