The Lü Yuan Clone's neck was pierced directly, and it convulsed on the ground, sizzling blood.
"No way, what are you doing?" Ying Xue and Ling Yi were both startled by this scene.
"Didn't you say that Clone can't be killed?" Lü Yuan pointed her dagger at the Clone that was still trembling on the ground.
" The Clone, like the originals, are real people, or rather, they are yourselves, just Copy of yourselves."
Ling Yi took two steps back; the scene was indeed somewhat Masai.
Even though Ling Yi had seen dead people more than once, and even more gruesome scenes than this, he was still startled by Lü Yuan Duck's fierce and reckless energy.
"What if the Clone goes out of control?" Ying Xue asked, glancing at the Clone standing next to her.
This feeling of having to drive your own car is very awkward.
Ying Xue's first thought upon seeing her Clone was whether this Clone would replace her.
"You're overthinking it. Didn't Ling Yi say that if you die, I will die too, and I can Resurrection infinitely?" Ying Xue's Clone said disdainfully.
"What we should be thinking about now is how to use my Clone's ability to Resurrection infinitely to do some dangerous things we wouldn't have dared to do before after returning to the palace."
"How about we get involved ourselves to lure the snake out of its hole?"
Ying Xue immediately thought of the sordid affairs in the palace, and realized that she could indeed use the immortality of her Clone to do more things.
"Are you sure your Clone won't betray you?" Ying Xue asked Ling Yi.
"Whether my Clone will betray me is up to me. I created them, so they will naturally be under my control!"
Ying Xue breathed a sigh of relief; Ling Yi's words were enough.
As for whether Ling Yi would betray her, Ying Xue didn't ask, or even think about it.
Given Ling Yi's current abilities, let alone betraying her as Empress, he could easily storm the capital city and destroy the Great Qian Empire single-handedly.
There's absolutely no need for all this trouble and complicated procedures.
At this moment, the Lü Yuan Clone, which had been dead, flashed with golden light and stood up directly from the ground.
Touching his neck, he cursed at the Lü Yuan Duck's true form, "Are you crazy? Clone may not die, but they do feel pain, okay? I..."
"Bite!"
The Lü Yuan Clone used its own dagger to parry the Lü Yuan's attack.
"You're coming again?" the Clone roared.
"If you attack again, I'll fight back. We'll both die, no matter what."
"You're just a Clone, and you dare to fight back?" Lü Yuan Duck said angrily.
"Ding ding ding..."
The two daggers clashed rapidly. Although Lü Yuan was still unable to use her Internal Energy, her Combat skills remained.
The Clone and the original body were originally evenly matched.
Given that Lü Yuan Duck is a tall, beautiful woman, the Combat was actually quite entertaining.
Ling Yi, Ying Xue, and Ying Xue's Clone retreated to a distance to watch the spectacle.
But as the fight progressed, the tone changed.
At first, the daggers attacked each other, but after a collision, they were both knocked away.
Then the two Lü Yuan began to punch and kick each other.
Then he started pulling out her hair and rolling around on the ground.
"Where did you find this argumentative little guard? He's Supreme Pin!" Ling Yi watched with great interest.
Ying Xue covered her eyes with her right hand, shaking her head with an expression of unbearable disapproval, and said, "Her parents were both murdered by treacherous officials, leaving her an orphan."
"I felt sorry for him, and given his naive nature, I kept him by my side and mentored him."
"Are you sure it's just a naive personality, or something wrong with your brain?"
"Sometimes, it really can be both funny and frustrating," Ying Xue said helplessly.
He then yelled at the two men who were still fighting, "Isn't this shameful enough? Stop it!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Lü Yuan and its Clone were quite obedient, immediately releasing each other, exchanging a cold snort, and then approaching Ying Xue.
At this moment, both of them looked rather disheveled, as if they had just caught Xiao San or had just been caught by Xiao San.
"Time is of the essence. You must find a way back to the capital immediately. Do you understand your mission?"
Ying Xue's Clone said, "Lure the enemy away, and after returning to the palace, stabilize the court as much as possible."
Then he waved to the Lü Yuan Clone and said, "Let's go!"
The Lü Yuan Clone swung its fist at the Lü Yuan Duck main body before turning around and following Ying Xue's Clone.
The two Clone turned and walked towards the other side of the forest, quickly disappearing from sight.
"Let's go too!" Ying Xue said to Ling Yi.
Two weeks later, the three of them set foot in South of the Ridge.
The disaster in South of the Ridge is more severe than imagined.
Rivers have dried up, the earth is cracked, vegetation has withered, and skeletons and corpses are scattered everywhere along the roadside.
In villages and towns, nine out of ten houses are empty, and those who are barely alive are barely clinging to life.
The few available water sources were controlled by local powerful families or officials, who sold water and grain at exorbitant prices.
"When disaster strikes, the people suffer, yet these damned parasites profit from the calamity. They must be killed!"
In front of a county government office, soldiers are selling well water.
A bowl of well water costs 200 copper coins.
200 coins is almost half a month's income for an average family, but now it can only buy a bowl of water.
"The severity of the drought is far less than that of the man-made disaster. If these scoundrels had any conscience at all, the disaster in South of the Ridge would never have reached this point."
Ying Xue looked at Ling Yi Ling Yi pleading eyes, then bowed deeply to him. "Please, young master, save the people of my Great Qian from this Shui Huo."
"Alright, but don't forget why we're here. From now on, you must listen to me, and I guarantee that the drought in the entire South of the Ridge will be resolved within a month."
"I'll do as you say, young master."
Ying Xue was a good emperor, that much is undeniable.
Unfortunately, the imperial court was difficult to control, like a puppet, and even though it knew the situation in South of the Ridge, it was difficult to find a solution.
In the original storyline, with the help of the Protagonist Ye Feng, Ying Xue was able to develop an artificial rainmaking cannon six months later, barely solving the drought in South of the Ridge.
But at that time, the population of South of the Ridge, which originally numbered in the millions, had dwindled to less than 500,000.
The drought is so severe that not only ordinary people, but even local officials and gentry have fled.
"Let's leave first; we need to change our clothes."
The next day, Ling Yi and his two companions, dressed in Daoist robes, reappeared in the county town.
Ling Yi stood to Ying Xue's left, dressed in a white Daoist robe as a Daoist novice, carrying a golden banner with three large characters written on it: Changping Sect.
Lü Yuan stood to Ying Xue's right, also dressed in a white Daoist robe and as a Daoist boy, holding a floating object in her hand.
As for Ying Xue, she was dressed in a bright red Daoist robe and walked in the middle with a compassionate expression.
The three were already good-looking, and their outfits made them even more eye-catching.
It quickly attracted a large crowd.
Ling Yi wants Ying Xue to emulate Zhang Jue from the Three Kingdoms and cause trouble through a sectarian approach.
When faced with ordinary people struggling to survive, nothing is faster or better at building power than a religious sect or faith.
Once a sufficient number of people had gathered around...
Ying Xue brandished her sword, stepped forward, and amidst the gasps of the crowd, lotus flowers seemed to bloom beneath her feet as she rose higher and higher.
They arrived directly atop a high wall.
"I am the leader of the Changping Sect, the Immortal Changping. Perception the suffering of the people, I cannot bear it, and have come to plead for a sliver of life for all beings."
Ying Xue's voice wasn't loud, but it carried for miles around.
Almost everyone in the entire county heard it.
This naturally included the county magistrate and local powerful families.
"As long as you believe in my Changping Sect Changping Sect and become its followers, you will receive its protection."
"If you are sincere, at noon tomorrow, I can ask Heaven to send down rain to relieve your drought."
A glimmer of light appeared in the eyes of the crowd, who had long been numb.
"Changping was born to save all living beings; by joining Changping, peace can be guaranteed."
Ying Xue finished speaking, she made a gesture of holding up Guanyin with her hand, and then walked down the high wall step by step, as if lotus flowers were blooming.
He and Ling Yi, along with the other two, turned and left.
For the next day, Ling Yi and his two companions swaggered through the city, repeating the same routine at each stop.
They worked until evening before stopping and randomly found a long-abandoned house to stay in temporarily.
"I'm exhausted. Is this really going to work?" Lü Yuan Duck said weakly.
"When people are desperate and have nowhere else to turn, they are more likely to place their hopes on Void the Ethereal faith," Ling Yi explained.
"Just like the Red Lotus Sect, the reason they were able to gain power in such a short time is because they exploited this very point."
"However, the Red Lotus Sect is merely an evil sect that manipulates faith and fools the people, while we are genuinely saving lives."
"If the rain-making ritual succeeds tomorrow, the Changping Sect will be considered complete."
"Once it's done, we can lead a million soldiers from South of the Ridge straight into the capital."
"What should be done with the Changping Sect after that?" Ying Xue asked.
"Then put on another show, have your Clone Unification, use the Emperor's Zilong Aura to Intimidation the leader of the Changping Sect, and subdue the Changping Sect."
Ying Xue frowned, looking intently at Ling Yi, and said, "You should have a better, faster way to help me control the court, right?"
"Indeed, there is, but everything must be done with you in mind. Although my personal intervention could quickly help you take control of the court, it would ultimately be futile."
"Why?"
"I will tell you everything after it's all over."
Why? For the sake of disrupting the plot, of course.
Before the progress bar was available, Ling Yi could indeed do that.
But having a progress bar actually made Ling Yi feel constrained.
Whether it's an early ending or a disastrous ending, the Protagonist should be the focus.
The progress bar, however, cannot be canceled, which is what frustrates Ling Yi the most.
However, Ling Yi knew very well that even without a progress bar, the system would likely still impose some restrictions on his actions.
As for the reason, Ling Yi had already guessed it in his heart.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Ling Yi and his two companions changed into their new clothes and prepared to start their business.
When the three arrived at the designated location, it was already packed with people.
Besides ordinary people, many wealthy and powerful families, as well as officials from various county governments, also came.
After all, with the sudden emergence of the Changping Sect, these people naturally wanted to know what the Changping Sect was up to and whether it would become the second Red Lotus Sect within the Great Qian territory.
As for the claim that the rainmaking was successful, these people simply did not believe it.