Chapter 137 Reality, After All

Zheng Fan held his saber, following the ranks of armored soldiers charging forward. He wasn't directing them, unlike when he was at the prince's residence during the day, savoring the feeling of these elite personal guards cooperating with him.

Now, he was more like a withered leaf, buffeted and swept along by the waves, simply walking, simply drifting, without knowing what to do.

Marquis Jingnan's words, "Leave no one alive, not even the dogs and chickens,"

were like a thunderclap, still ringing in Zheng Fan's ears.

This was different from Xiao Yibo. Xiao Yibo, under the threat of Si Niang's death, killed his own father to save his own life.

You could despise Xiao Yibo's character, despise his choice, but you could at least understand it a little. It was an animal's instinct for survival. It didn't belong to human ethics and morals, but at least, it was still a beastly thing.

But Marquis Jingnan's order was personally ordering the extermination of his own clan!

Was Marquis Jingnan being coerced? Was Marquis Jingnan being forced with a knife to his throat? Was Marquis Jingnan trying to save his own life?

The most terrifying thing was:

He wasn't.

The Elegant Garden (雅苑) was surrounded by an inner river, originally designed to evoke the elegance of a winding stream, but now, it had become the best geographical condition for surrounding the Tian clan.

Inside the Elegant Garden, nearly a thousand members of the Tian clan continued to flatter, fawn over, and hope for the best from Master Tian and his wife, men and women, their faces filled with smiles.

In this era, the concept of "when one achieves enlightenment, all his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" (一人得道鸡犬升天) was paramount.

Tomorrow, Marquis Jingnan would be crowned a king, and the status of their Tian clan would be further elevated. In the future, the Tian clan would enjoy even greater benefits, both among the common people and in the imperial court.

When groups of Jingnan soldiers surrounded the four exits, most people didn't realize what was happening, still reveling in the family's indulgence that night.

Little children surrounded Master Tian and his wife, entertaining them at their knees. This was the scene the elders loved most, and the Tian clan naturally brought their children along, specifically to accompany and amuse the ancestors.

Some Tian clan members sitting on the periphery seemed to have noticed the sudden appearance of the armored soldiers. However, before they could question them, the captains at the four exits had already issued the order:

"Arrows!"

At the four entrances, the soldiers either held crossbows or drew their bows.

Compared to the scene of indulgence and joy among the Tian clan, these cold, emotionless soldiers seemed to be from another world.

Two originally unrelated scenes were forcibly pieced together at this moment.

Like black ink being poured into clear water.

"Release!"

The ink,

began to spread!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!!!"

One after another, Tian clan members still holding their cups were struck by arrows. They didn't understand what was happening until their deaths.

The Tian family's residence was adjacent to the capital, and the residence not only had many guards, but also the thousands of elite Jingnan troops that the family's marquis had brought back today. How could thieves have silently infiltrated this place?

Arrows flew horizontally. At this distance, with the ability to aim, the arrows were incredibly powerful.

Zheng Fan even saw several clan members who emitted light after being shot, clearly also martial artists of some rank, but they either died instantly from a fatal hit or, even if they weren't killed by a single arrow, it was questionable whether they could still wield their blades after being shot. Moreover, this was a banquet, and because the Empress would be present, none of the clan members dared to carry weapons.

Arrows had no eyes, but the location where Master Tian and his wife were sitting was the spot most frequented by the arrows.

Zheng Fan saw this clearly. Rather than saying that the first volley of arrows was intended to cause the most casualties, it was more like everyone had tacitly agreed to strike at Master Tian and his wife, the birth parents of their own marquis.

Master Tian and his wife, as well as those surrounding them, were all shot to death there. Master Tian and his wife were even nailed to their armchairs by the arrows.

Zheng Fan understood why they did this. The order came from the marquis, and they didn't dare disobey it, nor would they. But if the first volley of arrows didn't directly kill Master Tian and his wife, who would go up and deliver the final blow after the close-quarters combat? That person would have a hard time explaining themselves.

So, they simply pretended that Master Tian and his wife had died in the chaos of the stray arrows. Everyone had done it together, and everyone would bear the responsibility together.

Zheng Fan opened his mouth, still panting, feeling his mind was getting hot.

After the first volley of arrows, all the Jingnan troops at the four exits dropped their bows and crossbows and began charging in with their weapons.

They were well-coordinated, originally elite soldiers, and there was no shortage of martial artists among them. Even if there were some skilled individuals among the Tian clan, they found it difficult to resist these Jingnan soldiers in this situation.

This was a one-sided... slaughter.

And the person who ordered the slaughter was the family's... young master.

Zheng Fan wasn't being pretentious. Honestly, he had killed many people. He had led troops to attack the cities of Qian, and even swaggered into the yamen of Mianzhou after the city fell, cutting off the heads of the officials and taking them back to claim credit.

Each and every one of these events proved that Zheng Fan was by no means a kind and gentle person, not even close to being a "good person."

But at this moment, Blindman Bei's face, Mo Wan's face, Si Niang's face, their faces, one by one, began to appear in his mind.

Zheng Fan suddenly wanted to ask himself a question:

Were he and his seven subordinates,

truly demon kings compared to people like Marquis Jingnan?

Screams,

cries,

the sound of weapons entering flesh constantly came from all directions.

Zheng Fan didn't kill anyone, he didn't move his saber, he wasn't frightened by the scene before him, but suddenly, everything that was happening in front of him made him feel somewhat ridiculous and absurd.

Amidst the surrounding slaughter, no one paid attention to what Zheng Fan was doing, or rather, even if some soldiers saw Zheng Fan doing nothing, they wouldn't suspect anything.

Because the orders they had received earlier and the people they were currently killing were already enough to make them lose their minds. What controlled them to continue raising their butcher knives was an instinct that Marquis Jingnan had instilled in the Jingnan army soldiers for over a decade.

With the Marquis of Zhenbei's estate to the north as a warning, the Yan emperors of previous generations had always been wary of the position of Marquis Jingnan. Not only did the person in that position have to be their confidant, but also, for the sake of insurance, they would choose to transfer them if necessary. As for checks and balances, that was the foundation of imperial power, lest another Marquis of Zhenbei's estate be cultivated in the south.

But after this generation of Yan emperor ascended the throne, he made his brother-in-law, Tian Wujing, the Marquis Jingnan in less than three months, and the entire Jingnan army was entrusted to him alone.

Training, rewards and punishments, and even the selection of generals within the Jingnan army were all decided by Marquis Jingnan alone. The Yan emperor never said a second word.

The person in charge of the Silver Wave County Secret Intelligence Division even became Marquis Jingnan's woman. In other words, not only the Jingnan army in Silver Wave County, but also the spy system in Silver Wave County, was in Marquis Jingnan's hands.

More than a decade was enough for Marquis Jingnan to infiltrate his influence into this army. At the same time, the middle-level generals were all promoted by Marquis Jingnan.

To put it bluntly, not to mention slaughtering the Tian clan, if Marquis Jingnan ordered them to attack the imperial palace, they would immediately carry it out.

The Jingnan army didn't obey imperial edicts, only Marquis Jingnan's orders!

Zheng Fan sat down on a chair that had been knocked over, his saber at his feet, his left hand stroking his forehead.

At this moment, he somewhat wished that Si Niang or Blindman Bei were by his side. He wanted to talk to them.

The stone on his chest began to heat up slightly. Zheng Fan lowered his head and suddenly noticed wisps of bloody mist gathering from all directions, converging towards the stone on his chest.

It was Mo Wan, absorbing the fresh blood essence here.

This was done very discreetly, no one would notice it, and with the shouts of killing all around, no one would observe it.

Zheng Fan chuckled and

didn't stop Mo Wan.

He had no feelings for the Tian clan, so naturally he wouldn't feel indignant for them.

Perhaps he had been trying too hard to keep himself clean in the past.

Whether it was assassination or counter-assassination, scheming or being schemed against, leading troops to gallop through Qian, Zheng Fan felt that he was mostly doing things with a game-like mentality.

The incident in Chacha Village wasn't something he did, and he wouldn't do such a thing, because the slaughter of women, children, and civilians wasn't within the scope of his game.

If reality could be like a game, allowing people to simply play without any psychological burden, how wonderful that would be.

Suddenly, Zheng Fan's gaze was drawn to a candied fruit under his boot.

This candied fruit looked familiar,

and it was stained red with blood.

Zheng Fan took a deep breath,

then tilted his head back and took several quick breaths,

a feeling of wanting to curse but not knowing who to curse filled his heart,

he had just wanted to be a little sentimental,

but a bucket of ice water had been poured over his entire body, shattering everything that had come before.

Reality, after all, wasn't a game.

Zheng Fan reached out and picked up the candied fruit.

He didn't want to look for her, didn't dare to look for her, and didn't even dare to look around anymore. He didn't want to see the figure of that little girl called "Spicy Girl" here.

Zheng Fan, who had been an original comic artist in his previous life, suddenly understood a principle at this moment.

Fictional comic stories, comic plots, no matter how bizarre or meticulously designed, always have a logic belonging to the creator.

But reality,

often has no logic.

Zheng Fan didn't want to stay here and listen to the screams anymore. Because of that candied fruit, he didn't want to look at the scene behind him anymore. He picked up his saber, got up, and walked to the stream, wanting to scoop up some water to wash his face and clear his head, but when he lowered his head, he found that the blood of the Tian clan had already stained this stream, which originally symbolized the elegance of flowing water and winding streams, red.

"Heh..."

Zheng Fan straightened up and walked out.

"Tian Wujing, Tian Wujing, you beast, you beast!!!"

Outside, a woman's shrill cry suddenly rang out, filled with anger, filled with heart-wrenching pain.

Just then, Zheng Fan saw a group of soldiers, their bodies soaked in blood, rush past him.

Zheng Fan drew his saber and immediately rushed over.

The woman was wearing a long purple dress, her hair undone, obviously she had been sleeping, but at this moment, she was kneeling disheveled on the opposite bank of the stream outside the Elegant Garden, surrounded by a group of panicked eunuchs and palace maids.

When this group of blood-soaked Jingnan soldiers rushed over, the palace maids and eunuchs screamed in terror.

"Presumptuous, stop!"

Zheng Fan shouted loudly.

The dozen or so Jingnan soldiers in front stopped their advance and turned to look at Zheng Fan.

Their eyes were bloodshot, he didn't know if it was because they had been stained with too much blood.

However, Zheng Fan knew that they had gone somewhat mad because of the excessive slaughter, almost to the point of killing anyone who wasn't one of their own.

This was a normal phenomenon. Even the most well-trained elite soldiers, once they let loose and killed to their hearts' content, would often become addicted to it.

"By order of the Marquis, leave no one alive inside the Elegant Garden, but outside the Elegant Garden, no one shall be killed!"

A soldier knelt down on one knee to Zheng Fan. They recognized Zheng Fan.

After someone took the lead, the remaining dozen or so soldiers all knelt down.

Their previous actions had almost violated the military order.

"Where is Tian Wujing? Tell Tian Wujing to come see me, tell Tian Wujing to come see me!"

The Empress broke free from the restraint of the palace maids around her and rushed towards Zheng Fan with her hair disheveled.

Zheng Fan held his saber horizontally, blocking the Empress's path.

The Empress crashed into Zheng Fan, and because he was wearing armor and was a martial artist of some rank, the Empress fell directly to the ground after crashing into him.

"All of you, get up and guard this place!"

Zheng Fan ordered.

The dozen or so soldiers immediately got up, standing with their sabers, guarding the road.

"Get out of my way, get out of my way!"

After getting up, the Empress began to beat Zheng Fan's armor like a madwoman.

"Ah ah ah..."

At this moment, a girl's cry came.

Zheng Fan looked in the direction of the sound and found that a porcelain doll was standing there crying in the group of palace maids and eunuchs. Who else could it be but Spicy Girl?

Did the Empress think she was cute, so when she left the Elegant Garden to rest, did she take her away as well?

Zheng Fan suddenly felt a little better in his heart. People always have an instinct to find self-comfort in tragic events. While people ridicule Ah Q, they don't know that everyone has an Ah Q living in their hearts.

However, Zheng Fan suddenly saw the Empress actually pull out a hairpin.

Zheng Fan immediately reached out and grabbed the Empress's wrist before she could stab down.

Having lived two lives,

this was the first time Zheng Fan had ever grabbed the hand of a woman with such a noble status!

"Presumptuous, do you know who I am? Do you believe I can have your nine generations exterminated!"

Hearing this,

a smile appeared on the corner of Zheng Fan's mouth.

Can you use your brain a little or open your eyes to see who is being exterminated right now when you threaten people?

After seeing the smile on Zheng Fan's face, the Empress's face turned pale with anger. This was definitely not makeup, it was because the Empress was now extremely angry.

Zheng Fan pushed his arm forward, and the Empress staggered back several steps, supported by the palace maids and eunuchs behind her.

Zheng Fan then took a few steps back. What a joke, he didn't want to continue standing here and being a target for the Empress. It didn't matter if the Empress hit him, anyway, he had armor to protect him, so he would just treat it as an imperial spa leg massage;

but if she poked a few holes in him with a hairpin, Zheng Fan didn't want to suffer that loss.

After taking a few steps back, Zheng Fan shouted:

"The Marquis has ordered that no one shall be left alive inside the Elegant Garden. Anyone who dares to enter the Elegant Garden will be killed without mercy!"

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

The dozen or so soldiers shouted loudly, pointing their sabers forward, directly at the Empress.

The Empress was frightened by this formation. She knew that her identity, at least at this moment, was of no use at all. If she dared to step forward, these soldiers might really kill her.

Just then,

a muffled thunderclap suddenly sounded from a distance,

followed by an extremely hoarse, sharp shout:

"This old man smells blood! Who dares to trespass on my Tian family!"

………

This New View Garden (新观园) was built by the Tian family in the name of welcoming the Empress back to her home for a family visit.

Originally, the Tian family's residence was divided into the East and West residences. This time, the West residence was renovated and expanded into the New View Garden. In the Elegant Garden, as the Tian clan members were slaughtered, the smell of blood began to permeate, and the blood began to flow into the East residence along the stream.

There was a Taoist temple in the East residence. The Tian family had always passed down such a story. It was said that the position of the Tian clan leader would not have fallen into Master Tian's hands, because when Master Tian's father, the previous Tian clan leader, died, Master Tian was only in his early twenties, too young. The Tian family was worried that he would not be able to command respect, so they wanted Master Tian's father's younger brother to take over the position of clan leader.

But Master Tian's uncle, the grand-uncle of this generation of Tian clan members, did not like these secular affairs and was wholeheartedly obsessed with Taoism. Seeing that everyone wanted him to be the family head, he directly hid in the Taoist temple built in the East residence of the Tian family and refused to come out.

Only then did the position of family head fall on Master Tian. In fact, putting aside today's events, Master Tian did manage the Tian family very well.

"Who is that?"

Du Juan, standing next to Marquis Jingnan, asked.

Someone who could speak like thunder was definitely not an ordinary person. Ordinary experts simply could not do that.

Marquis Jingnan released his grip on Du Juan's hand

and replied:

"He is your and my grand-uncle."

"Grand-uncle?"

"Grand-uncle has locked himself in the East residence Taoist temple for decades, wholeheartedly seeking the Dao. Few outsiders know of him, and even the family members think that Grand-uncle has long been insane and is just an old lunatic locked up at home.

However, I know that my grand-uncle is not crazy, because when I was a child, he wanted to lead me into the Dao and once tempered my body for me. It's a pity that I have no affinity with Taoism after all and yearn for military campaigns more.

You wait here, I'll go take a look. It must be the bloody smell from the Elegant Garden that has disturbed Grand-uncle's tranquility."

………

"Who dares to be presumptuous in my Tian family!!! Tian Bokai, where are you, where are you!"

An old man with completely white hair was standing on top of the Taoist temple, shouting loudly. If you looked at him up close, you could see that his eyes were already cloudy. If Zheng Fan were here, he would definitely think that this old man had severe cataracts, and the kind that couldn't be cured.

Of course, Zheng Fan wouldn't discriminate against blind people.

After all, there was a very difficult blind man at home.

"Someone, come here, someone!"

The old man's mind was already somewhat unclear, and the Taoist robe on his body was already tattered.

He had confined himself for decades, wholeheartedly seeking the Dao. Food and drink were provided, and in the early years, it was always provided by the Tian clan members. But later, the Tian family's servants found that he suddenly didn't eat anymore. The food that was sent over was the same the next day when it was collected.

Tian Bokai had even specifically entered the Taoist temple to see, and after coming out, Tian Bokai simply instructed that there was no need to send food in the future.

If it weren't for the occasional laughter or chanting coming from inside, the Tian clan members might have really thought that this grand-uncle was dead. But this posture of not eating or drinking was really strange.

"Someone, where is Tian Bokai, where are all the people, come here!"

The old man kept shouting, and with his movements, wisps of green light could be seen circling around him.

"Grand-uncle."

Marquis Jingnan walked to the entrance of the Taoist temple and bowed respectfully.

"You... who are you?"

The old man faced Marquis Jingnan and suddenly sniffed,

saying:

"This smell, is so familiar. Little Jing, is that you, Little Jing?"

"Answering Grand-uncle, it is Wujing returning to see you."

"Ahahaha, Little Jing, so you're at home, hahaha, that's good, that's good. Although you didn't learn the Dao from me that day, I know that you have always had extremely high martial arts talent.

With you at home, nothing bad will happen to the family, the bloody smell I'm smelling must be from those villains who came to invade, right?"

"Answering Grand-uncle's words, the villains have already been killed by Wujing."

"Yes, they should be killed! That's good, that's good, I thought something had happened, haha, it's good that you're at home, with you at home, what else do I have to worry about.

By the way, tell your father, he's already old, don't be reluctant to give up power, and don't take concubines every now and then, he's such an old man, doesn't he feel ashamed, isn't that delaying those young girls.

Tell him to come here tomorrow to find me, if he wants to live a few more years, he can accompany me in reciting the Taoist scriptures, he should hand over the family affairs to you."

"Answering Grand-uncle, Father, won't be able to come tomorrow."

"What's wrong, is he sick?"

"Father should already be gone."

"What? That brat Bokai is already gone? When did this happen, why didn't anyone notify me? Oh, that's right, I told you not to send food twenty years ago."

"Today, just now."

"Just now, Little Jing, are you saying that the villains who came have already killed Bokai?"

"He's dead."

"Damn it, how dare they! Which family did it? Is it the Situ family or the Wu family? No, could it be the barbarians? No, no, could it be the Ji family?"

"It's Wujing."

"............" The old man.

"This old man has been blind for many years, and now my ears are getting worse and worse, I can't even hear clearly, Little Jing, what did you just say?"

"It's Wujing who is leading the Jingnan army to exterminate the Tian clan."

"You, you, you! You're absurd!!!"

The old man, wisps of green light shot out, the tiles on the roof of the Taoist temple were instantly crushed, and a surging aura began to vent.

"Little Jing, Little Jing, why, why did you do this?"

Marquis Jingnan reached out and unbuttoned the clasp on his neck, and the blood-red cloak fell to the ground in the wind.

At the same time,

he slowly said:

"We Yan people have defended the East against the barbarians for hundreds of years, it's time to go out and take a look."

————

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