"The faster you win, the faster you die."
The moment Lin Yuan said it, the laughter above the clouds faded.
Lü Yue turned toward him, a strange look on his blue-and-red face.
Until now, he and Lin Yuan had known each other only by reputation. This was their first meeting. Everyone in the Interception Sect knew the Daoist Heir liked saving people. They also knew he had sharp eyes, was formidable with formations, and could run fast. But telling someone "you're about to die" to his face the moment they met was rather blunt.
Lü Yue studied him for several breaths, then laughed. "Daoist Lin, I only just arrived at the front and laid low three West Qi camps. If you call that courting death, Junior Brother Wen Zhong must wish I'd die a few times every day."
Wen Zhong happened to fly up through the clouds just then. Hearing this, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Senior Brother Lü Yue, leave me out of it," Wen Zhong said. "The result is impressive, but I was about to raise the trouble that comes after it."
Lü Yue raised an eyebrow. "You think there's a problem too?"
Wen Zhong pointed toward the rear of West Qi. "I'm glad the soldiers in those camps have fallen. I'm less glad that ordinary towns are catching the plague too."
Lü Yue glanced where he pointed, his expression barely changing.
"The Shang and Zhou are at war. The common people of West Qi are already caught in it. Armies consume grain, conscript labor, and need transport. What town can truly separate itself from the front?" Lü Yue waved a hand, and the plague banner behind him rolled up a vast sweep of gray-green air. "Since I came down the mountain to help Great Shang, I