Chapter 5

“Sure enough.” After hearing these four words from Bai Qi, Zhao Kuo nodded. He had guessed Bai Qi’s plan when Bai Qi mentioned “bandits.”

To complete the task issued by the system, given their situation, the easiest way is to find a hill where bandits are active, rush in, crush their stronghold, take over the territory, and become the king of the mountain.

If they could find a location that is easy to defend but hard to attack, it would greatly benefit Ying Yue’s future development. After all, owning a small piece of land is just the first step. The main task of the system is to dominate the world and compete for the Central Plains.

For a prince aiming to conquer the world, the first piece of land is crucial. It will be the foundation for her future rule and the home she will never give up, no matter how many territories she acquires.

After exchanging “secret codes” with Bai Qi outside the carriage, Zhao Kuo turned back to the stunningly beautiful girl beside him and explained their plan to Ying Yue, who had no idea what her two companions were discussing.

He said to Ying Yue, “First, occupy the mountain and become the king. In the short term, build strong defenses, stockpile food, and slowly grow your power. Gather strength, wait for the opportunity, and then plan to rule the world.”

After saying this, Zhao Kuo suddenly asked Ying Yue a question: “The king here is called the emperor, right?”

Although she didn’t understand Zhao Kuo’s meaning, the girl nodded.

Then, she heard him continue, “Then sister, you will unify the world and become the empress in the future.”

“Ah?” The boy’s unexpected words made Ying Yue blink her beautiful phoenix eyes in confusion, her expression hazy.

If the person who summoned Bai Qi and Zhao Kuo through the system was a strong-willed person or a girl used to humility, they might have felt excited or anxious about Zhao Kuo’s treasonous words, seeing this as a chance to change their destiny.

But for Ying Yue, who had nothing but beauty, hearing the word “empress” in relation to herself felt… unreal. After all—

“How can I become an empress? I am just a waste…”

The extremely beautiful girl lowered her long eyelashes like crow feathers and spoke softly.

Though she had caught a glimpse of the cruel battlefield from the young man’s words and the system promised to train her as a capable lord to conquer the world, these sounded less impactful than the word “empress” that Zhao Kuo just used.

It was like seeing something vague and unclear suddenly come into focus, revealing its true form without any warning.

—From a term that only existed in books, it suddenly became a tangible idea in reality.

Hearing the girl’s words, Zhao Kuo fell silent.

He thought maybe… the day he wanted to see his young master rule the world seemed endless.

Ying Yue lacked the most important quality a lord should have—ambition to become emperor.

She had no unshakeable confidence in her ambition to dominate the world.

In fact, it was too much to say this now. Ying Yue had no confidence at all.

Realizing this, Zhao Kuo straightened his expression and gently held the girl’s thin shoulders.

“Ying Yue.” He called her name seriously and said solemnly, “You must believe that you, chosen by the system, possess extraordinary qualities that others do not. You can achieve things ordinary people cannot.”

“As the Lord, remember this.”

“There are no useless lords in the world, only incompetent subjects.”

Encouraged by Zhao Kuo, the pretty girl clenched her fists, though her voice was still soft, “Even if I can’t wield a knife and I’m not good at reading, I will definitely work hard to learn to be a good mountain king!”

As she spoke, the girl bared her teeth at Zhao Kuo and raised her voice a little, as if this would make her sound fiercer. “I, I’m super fierce!” 

Hmm… being a mountain king should make you more intimidating, right? 

Ying Yue, who had only heard from her mother that bandits were all vicious, thought to herself with some uncertainty. 

But the overly beautiful girl didn’t realize that with a face like hers, her fierce expression came off as overly cute instead. 

To put it in simple terms, if the enemy dies, it’s all because of cuteness. 

Originally, Zhao Kuo should have been overwhelmed by his young master’s cuteness, but before he could succumb, he picked up on a word. 

“Why the mountain king?” he asked. 

Zhao Kuo’s question confused the little girl, and she asked back in bewilderment, “Aren’t we going to become bandits?” 

Zhao Kuo: ??? 

The young man slowly typed a series of question marks, sounding somewhat upset. “Sister, why do you have to speak so harshly about our great cause? We are called occupying the mountain and becoming the king!” 

“Is there any difference between these two?” asked the little girl, not good at studying. 

The young man tried hard to maintain his stubbornness. “Even if the meaning is the same, saying ‘Occupy the Mountain and Become the King’ sounds more powerful!” 

Ying Yue nodded, not quite understanding. “Oh.” 

Listening to the two in the carriage “arguing” about this for a while, the young man couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows, and a small smile appeared on his lips. 

…two idiots. 

Even though he had won the “debate,” Zhao Kuo, who still felt he lost, wanted to say something else. However, after feeling the carriage suddenly bump violently, the young man fell silent. 

It wasn’t for any other reason but because he knew the bump came from crossing the threshold of the main gate — their carriage had now driven out of the mansion. 

They could talk freely in the palace where only they were present, but they couldn’t discuss such topics so openly when outside on the streets with pedestrians. It would be bad if the army was attracted to arrest them for “trying” to rebel. 

***

T/L Notes:

Hey everyone! I’ll be unlocking chapters for this novel every Sunday.