Chapter 1 Superior Room in the Inn

Inside the superior room of the inn,

Zheng Fan looked at Long Yuan in front of him but said nothing.

A’ming looked at Long Yuan in front of him but said nothing.

Li Yiyong looked at the Long Yuan sword and the two people and asked,

"General, why aren't you saying anything?"

A’ming answered,

"Because you're here."

"............" Li Yiyong.

Zheng Fan reached out and patted Li Yiyong on the shoulder, laughing:

"Haha, he likes to joke. Don't take it to heart."

"This humble subordinate wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare."

"Li, First Captain, you go back to camp and let the brothers get ready. We'll set off for Shengle City the day after tomorrow. It'll be like returning home. The foreign soldiers under my command outnumber the Yan soldiers by far."

"It's this humble subordinate's blessing to be able to serve under the General."

Zheng Fan touched his sleeve, looking at A’ming.

*Did you bring money?*

A’ming shook his head.

Zheng Fan had no choice but to look at Li Yiyong again, saying:

"Li, First Captain, do you have any money there?"

Li Yiyong was stunned, somewhat surprised that this new superior was so straightforward.

"Please forgive this humble subordinate, General. This humble subordinate was just rushing here after receiving the military order, so I haven't prepared anything yet. I'll personally deliver it tomorrow morning when I return. Please accept it with a smile, General!"

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood. I, uh, came back with the Marquis this time in a hurry and didn't bring any silver. The brothers are about to follow me, so I have to give them a little welcome gift. If it's convenient for you, Li, First Captain, advance a sum of silver first to let the brothers buy wine and meat and have a good feast. I'll reimburse you when we return to Shengle."

"This, no, no, absolutely not, how could there be..."

"Alright, it's settled then. Don't worry. We might be short of other things there, but we definitely don't lack silver. Also, tell the brothers that when you get to Shengle, your monthly salary will be the same as the Jingnan Army."

The soldiers of the Jin camp naturally couldn't have the same treatment as the Jingnan Army; to put it bluntly, they were just traitors who had surrendered.

But in Zheng Fan's territory, the salaries were equal.

As for the extra expenses this would incur, let Blind and Fourth Niang worry about that. General Zheng was only responsible for spending money to win people's hearts.

"This humble subordinate thanks the General for his great kindness on behalf of all the brothers in the camp!"

"Alright, go get busy."

"This humble subordinate takes his leave."

After Li Yiyong left,

A’ming opened his mouth and said,

"Doesn't Master want to personally visit the military camp?"

"Too lazy to go."

"Then maybe that First Captain Li will turn around and take the credit as his own, giving it to his subordinates."

*The treatment was what I forced the Yan people to give. The wine and meat were bought with my own money to treat everyone.*

This kind of trick was something every military head could do; it was a basic skill.

"It doesn't matter. After we get to Shengle, let A'cheng and Blind tidy things up."

A’ming nodded upon hearing this, saying,

"That's true."

Zheng Fan cleared his throat, pointing at the sword in front of him, saying:

"This is the sword of the Jin Kingdom's Sword Saint. Tell me, why did Tian Wujing send it to me?"

"Master can wait for this subordinate for a moment before answering."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for this subordinate to gouge out his own eyes."

"............" Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan's hand caressed the hilt of the sword, sighing:

"This is a good sword."

"Master can switch to practicing swordsmanship."

"Forget it, forget it. Let's practice the saber first, and then purely to look cool, practice the sword. In the end, I'll end up with something that's neither fish nor fowl, which will only screw me over on the battlefield.

Let's seal this sword away for now.

The Sword Saint was only defeated by Marquis Jingnan back then, but he wasn't killed. It's said that this sword was specially forged for the Sword Saint by a Chu Kingdom swordsmith. Maybe one day, that Sword Saint will come and ask me to return this sword."

"We have quite a few people under our command now."

"Not every expert is like Shatuo Qieshi, liking to charge into crowds. You saw how Brother Bai Li and his sister played with you in the Imperial City last time.

I'm not afraid of that Sword Saint declaring war on me; I'm afraid of him acting like an old fox, occasionally coming out and giving me a hit. Those days would really be unbearable."

"That's true."

"Tell me, where has that Sword Saint been since he was defeated by Marquis Jingnan? Is he still in the Three Jins area? Or did he go to Cheng Kingdom?"

...

"I've always been in Litian City."

The Sword Saint answered while driving the carriage.

"Litian City? Isn't that right next to Marquis Jingnan?"

"That time was my negligence, and also because Tian Wujing was formidable, actually using battlefield formations and fighting methods in a Jianghu duel. It was also his ability. I lost unconvincingly, but not unjustly." (Jianghu refers to the martial world)

"Actually, Tian Wujing just took advantage of tricks. In terms of real strength, he's definitely not your match, sir."

"You don't need to flatter me. Losing is losing. I can afford to lose."

"Yes, yes, sir, you have a broad mind."

"But in any case, this time I lost, and all the swordsmen in the world might be humiliated because of it. I have to find an opportunity to fight Tian Wujing again."

"So, you went to Litian City?"

"I went there a long time ago. After I treated my injuries a little, I went there and stayed in an inn not far from his Marquis Jingnan's mansion."

"This..."

"What's wrong?"

"It's too dangerous."

"It's alright. I think he should know I've come, because I haven't deliberately hidden my tracks."

"Then..."

"Surrounded by soldiers? Didn't see any."

"You've been staying in Litian City to recuperate from your injuries?"

"The injuries have actually healed a long time ago. I originally wanted to go directly to his Tian Wujing to compete again, but who would have thought that he, Tian Wujing, would receive an imperial decree from your Yan Emperor, ordering him to lead troops to the snowy plains to fight the wild people."

"So, you?"

"I couldn't let him, Tian Wujing, go to the snowy plains to fight the wild people with injuries. That would be too ungentlemanly."

"You are truly righteous, sir."

"Don't put a high hat on me. My brother died under the hooves of his Jingnan army, but ultimately, this is a national war. A general dying on the battlefield is a kind of destination. It is my duty as an older brother to avenge my brother.

But since he, Tian Wujing, is going to lead troops to fight the wild people, I can only wait for him to finish the battle and come back. Then we can compete again."

"Yes, yes."

"Who would have thought that what I was waiting for would actually be this."

The Sword Saint turned his head, glancing at the carriage.

"This child, could it be..."

"Didn't you guess it a long time ago? Otherwise, why would you follow me?"

Blind nodded discreetly.

"He, Tian Wujing, is a madman who exterminates his own family. His wife is also ruthless enough, actually carrying the smell of blood, carrying the newborn child, finding me, and then directly handing the child to me."

Speaking of this,

Blind clearly felt an extremely sharp aura rippling around the Sword Saint, obviously, the Sword Saint's emotions were in a state of loss of control,

"I came to find her husband to fight again. Maybe the next time we compete, I can kill this Yan Marquis, and her husband still has my brother's blood on his hands;

As a result,

This woman,

Actually gave this child,

Directly to me!

How could she,

How dare she!"

Blind could imagine the scene in the inn room when the Sword Saint faced the enemy's wife, and the expression on the Sword Saint's face when the enemy's wife sent the enemy's own flesh and blood to him, almost depressed to the point of twitching.

"Your magnanimity is truly admirable, sir."

These were Blind's heartfelt words.

"I have a feud with this bastard's father, but no matter what the feud is, it shouldn't involve this newborn child."

"It seems that the Marchioness believes that the child is safest in your hands."

Blind didn't know what exactly happened in Litian City. He had been traveling with the Sword Saint and others for the past few days.

But roughly, the atmosphere in the city at that time was already very strange. Du Juan chose a "reliance" for the child, and entrusted the child to... her own enemy, in a situation where Tian Wujing hadn't returned and it was unknown when he would return.

With the Sword Saint's strength,

With the child by his side,

Under the heavens, unless a large number of people were mobilized, how many could snatch the child from his hands?

Moreover, the woman Du Juan had also accurately grasped the Sword Saint's nature. The Sword Saint was a sword, an extremely pure sword.

"This bastard has wet my clothes several times along the way."

"Sir, are we going to..."

In fact, through the past few days' journey, Blind already had a guess in his heart, and the possibility of this guess coming true was very high.

"That woman said that the child can be given to his godfather."

"Uh..." Blind.

"His godfather is in Shengle."

...

"Shengle City is indeed a good place."

On the flatbed cart, Yao Zizhan held a wine pot in his left hand and fennel beans in his right, sighing with emotion as Shengle City receded into the distance behind them.

Chen the Swordsman, who was pulling the cart, laughed upon hearing this:

"Reluctant to leave here?"

"Yeah, reluctant, really a little reluctant, reluctant to leave those newly enlightened children. I've never been a private tutor in my life.

Now that I think about it,

Compared to those literary seeds in the Hanlin Academy who used to ask me about essays,

Hey,

The flavor is far different."

Chen the Swordsman continued to pull the cart, not speaking. In Chen the Swordsman's view, the adults in the Hanlin Academy were all real scholars. He, Chen the Swordsman, only knew the sword and hadn't read much.

"What about you? Aren't you reluctant to leave here? I see you're quite fond of that little sword servant."

"She's a natural sword embryo, with even better aptitude than me."

"Tsk, why does Zheng Fan always like to collect these children? There's also a desert barbarian kid in my school. He recites poetry and writes characters, which makes me greatly admire him."

"Hehe." Chen the Swordsman laughed.

Yao Zizhan turned his head to look at the Su girl who was following the cart. After this experience, the Su girl's temper had subsided a lot, and that silly, arrogant nature had been worn away by a lot.

Moreover, every time she looked at Chen the Swordsman pulling the cart, her eyes carried a slightly different look.

Yao Zizhan "hehe" said:

"Su girl, after returning to the country, I'll tell the Luo fellow, and we'll betroth you to our Swordsman."

The Su girl didn't pay attention to this old geezer upon hearing this.

"But one thing is for sure, our Swordsman is an honest person, and you come from the Silver Armor Guard, so you're not a good match after all."

The Su girl bit her silver teeth and retorted:

"Old man, who are you looking down on?"

"I'm looking down on this damn fate. The other day, the Jingnan army suddenly returned. Do you know why?"

"It's said that news came from there that something happened to Marquis Jingnan's wife. It seems that she's gone."

"Then do you know who that Marchioness Jingnan was?"

"Du Juan, the original head of the Silver Wave County Secret Intelligence Division. How could I not know?"

"Hehe."

Yao Zizhan pretended to be mysterious, taking a sip of wine, and said:

"Then do you know she has another identity?"

"Another identity?" The Su girl "heh"ed and said, "It can't be that she's a Qian person."

"She really is a Qian person."

"How is that possible!"

"Back then, I was still writing lyrics in the Hanlin Academy, and that Luo fellow hadn't become the Grand Commandant of the Silver Armor Guard yet. I had a good relationship with him."

Chen the Swordsman, who was pulling the cart, opened his mouth and said:

"You seem to have a good relationship with everyone."

Yao Zizhan threw a fennel bean in his hand at the back of Chen the Swordsman's head and scolded:

"Nonsense, if you don't have the ability yourself, why don't you befriend those who have the ability but are not recognized at the time? What will you eat in the future?"

Chen the Swordsman nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, affirming:

"That makes sense."

The Su girl couldn't wait any longer and asked:

"That Du Juan?"

"That day, the Luo fellow brought over a four-year-old child, saying she was his goddaughter, and wanted me to help her pick a name. It just so happened that the azaleas in the Hanlin Academy were blooming at that time, so I named her Du Juan."

The Su girl found it difficult to digest this news, muttering:

"How could you just tell this matter to..."

"Something happened to her, so there's no need to keep it secret. Originally, not many people should have known about this. As that Du Juan rose higher and higher in the Yan Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Division, fewer and fewer people would know her identity. If I didn't have the name of Literary Saint, that Luo fellow might have called me over for tea.

Hey, I guess that Luo fellow didn't expect that in this world, there are not a few people with extraordinary talent, but those who can have a smooth career can only be said to be rare.

Entering the Secret Intelligence Division, then rising step by step, becoming the head of the Secret Intelligence Division's Silver Wave County, and then becoming Marquis Jingnan's pillow partner.

The Luo fellow himself must have been shocked, haha."

The Su girl then asked:

"Then this time, was it His Majesty's intention, to use Du girl's death to let..."

Yao Zizhan interrupted the Su girl directly before she could finish speaking:

"What kind of person is Tian Wujing?"

"What?" The Su girl was stunned for a moment.

"That's a person who dares to exterminate his own family for the sake of the country! How many emperors in the world yearn for one Tian Wujing under their command but can't get one!

Do you think such a person would turn around and sever ties with his own country because of the coercion of his wife and children?"

The Su girl pondered for a moment, and finally had to shake her head, saying:

"Unlikely."

"If it were you, would you let such an important chess piece achieve this so-called goal in this way when the child hasn't even been born yet?"

"No, I wouldn't. This chess piece is too... too important. She, he, can even be left to the next generation to continue using. It's too precious, too precious."

"It seems you're not stupid."

The Su girl didn't know how to respond to this evaluation for a moment.

But Yao Zizhan's next sentence made the Su girl's whole body stunned:

"Then does that mean our official family is being stupid?"