The atmosphere in Li Tian City was very oppressive, so much so that Zheng Fan believed even the dogs in the city could sense it.

The new Jingnan Marquisate was located in Li Tian City. Although it wasn't explicitly acknowledged, it was, in effect, a kind of "appanage."

A marquis in the Great Yan was the highest-ranking noble with a different surname, equivalent to a "king" in other countries. Moreover, the titles of the two marquisates, North and South, were the most prestigious. Establishing the Jingnan Marquisate here meant that the imperial court and the Emperor had tacitly agreed to the Jingnan Marquis's responsibility of governing the newly acquired territories with Li Tian City as its center.

But now, an accident had befallen the mistress of this city. As newly subjugated people of a newly conquered land, they were deathly afraid of Yan and the Jingnan Marquis, a figure they saw as a "demon king."

If the city gates weren't tightly locked down with strict inspections, many residents would probably have already tried to flee, seeking safety. After all, who knew what the Yan Marquis would do to vent his anger!

In front of the Marquisate's gate, rows of armored soldiers stood guard. Zheng Fan dismounted, took out his waist token, and handed it over.

The captain guarding the gate recognized Zheng Fan. He routinely took the token, examined it, and returned it to Zheng Fan, nodding solemnly.

Zheng Fan pretended to understand, nodding back and taking a breath.

In reality, Zheng Fan had no idea what the captain, whom he only vaguely recognized, was trying to convey. He just didn't want to disappoint him out of habit.

After entering the Marquisate,

Wow.

Good heavens.

Rows of armored soldiers were kneeling in the courtyard. They looked like they'd been there for a long time; most of their lips were cracked and bleeding.

But everyone maintained the most standard kneeling posture. No one was supervising them, yet no one dared to slack off.

These soldiers, unsurprisingly, were supposed to be protecting Du Juan.

Zheng Fan walked around them and continued inside. In the corridor, two generals were kneeling.

One was named Chen Yang, and the other was named Luo Ling.

After Ma Kui delivered the news, Tian Wujing had ridden his *pi xiu* alone to return. The army he'd originally led out was also immediately preparing to move, but mobilizing a large army took time, and the journey would be long. So, Zheng Fan simply didn't go with them, choosing to ride ahead with two horses, chasing after Tian Wujing.

Even now, Zheng Fan couldn't forget the scene of the Jingnan army camp roaring in fury after Tian Wujing left alone, wishing they could immediately rush back to avenge their mistress, no matter who the enemy was.

Shaking his head, Zheng Fan wanted to find someone to report to, but he didn't see anyone except for the two kneeling generals.

At the end of the corridor was the main hall.

The Jingnan Marquisate wasn't extravagantly large because neither Tian Wujing nor Du Juan liked luxury. The Marquisate was originally the residence of a Wen family scholar, its layout and furnishings being quite elegant. As for the Wen family's ancestral home, which resembled a palace, Tian Wujing wasn't interested in living there.

Standing in the corridor, one could see white banners hanging in the main hall at the end, with some white wax scattered on the floor.

Clearly, it had been prepared as a mourning hall.

However, when Tian Wujing returned last night, everything here had come to a halt.

Those who should plead guilty were pleading guilty.

Those who should be silent were silent.

Those who should wait... were waiting.

When Zheng Fan walked over, he noticed the two generals looked up.

Chen Yang looked down again after seeing him.

Luo Ling responded with a soft voice:

"The Marquis is inside with the Madam."

Madam?

Du Juan's body had been found?

Zheng Fan was stunned for a moment, his mind racing.

On the way here, the Blind Man had accompanied him, because time was short, and there was no time for detailed explanations before setting off.

The Blind Man had ridden alongside him, explaining his analysis.

Among all the analyses, there was one that Zheng Fan personally wanted to believe.

Ma Kui had come to deliver the news, but he wasn't an eyewitness. At the time of the incident, he was in the Marquisate. It had taken him a lot of time to receive the news and rush over. According to Ma Kui, the Madam had an accident on Heavenly Tiger Mountain and was gone.

Here, "gone" didn't mean "dead," but "missing."

Du Juan was heavily pregnant and, according to calculations, was close to giving birth. Her sudden "disappearance" couldn't help but cause alarm.

But the Blind Man speculated that there was a possibility that the Jingnan Marquis and Du Juan had set up a scheme. The Jingnan Marquis's child was too sensitive a matter; a girl would be fine, but a boy would inevitably touch the nerves of various parties.

Even Tian Wujing having an heir in itself was enough to make some people uneasy.

So, the Blind Man asked if there was a possibility that this accident was a deliberate design, a "golden cicada shedding its shell," a "Zhao clan orphan," a "cat exchanging for a prince"—different stories, but with the same essence.

Zheng Fan was more willing to believe this possibility, using a feigned death to "transcend," both to avoid future political tragedies and to jump out of this terrifying quagmire that was destined to swallow many people and would inevitably occur in the future.

Furthermore,

Tian Wujing was a god of war, skilled in calculation. He could unravel even the most complex situations on the battlefield. Du Juan was once the head of the Secret Intelligence Division.

If these two wanted to play such a trick, to "deceive the heavens and cross the sea," both the hardware and software conditions were perfect.

But now they were saying that Du Juan had been found?

Looking at the oppressive atmosphere outside in the courtyard and here,

What had been found was definitely not a living person.

The Marquis was inside with Du Juan…

A chill immediately exploded in Zheng Fan's chest, and his eyes began to turn red.

Because on the way to Li Tian City, he had been comforting himself with this guess.

It's okay, it'll definitely be okay.

I'm going to be the child's godfather, right?

Zheng Fan had even imagined that maybe ten years later, after the wars had ended, he would ride his horse into a remote mountain valley and see a thatched cottage.

Outside the cottage, the Marquis would be standing with a hoe in his hand, and behind him, Du Juan would be feeding chickens and ducks with a food bowl.

And a cute little girl would run towards him,

Calling him "Godfather,"

While taking the food he had specially brought.

The scene was so beautiful, so peaceful. Zheng Fan had even thought that he could return to his old profession and paint a family portrait for the Marquis's family there.

No, no,

How could this be, how could things be like this?

But now he couldn't talk to the Blind Man about it, because the Blind Man couldn't handle the physical strain of such a long journey. After all, his body was different from Zheng Fan's martial physique. The Blind Man had to drop out midway to rest, so only Zheng Fan had entered the city.

Chen Yang continued to kneel there.

Luo Ling also lowered his head and continued to kneel.

The emotions of these two generals seemed very calm, but Zheng Fan knew that behind this calm might be a true storm.

They were now more like two weapons waiting for their master's command.

The Jingnan army inside and outside Li Tian City was now like a huge powder keg, and a single spark could set it off.

And outside, there were still the returning expeditionary forces, carrying the fresh killing intent that hadn't faded away.

Zheng Fan looked up, looked at the end of the corridor, and started walking inside.

Even now, he was still unclear about what had happened, because no one could clearly tell him the details. All he knew was that Du Juan had an accident on Heavenly Tiger Mountain.

Everything else was unclear.

But, the corpse, could it be fake?

Making a lifelike corpse and sending it over, declaring to the outside world that Du Juan was dead, that the Jingnan Marquis's wife and the young heir were gone, it wasn't impossible!

Zheng Fan seemed to have found another spiritual support.

He began to walk inside.

Of course, he knew that if his thoughts were wrong, then the current Jingnan Marquis would be the most terrifying existence, frightening in both power and personal strength.

But Zheng Fan wasn't afraid of that. The ever cautious Zheng City Guard just wanted to see, to see what the outcome would be.

The corridor wasn't very long, but Zheng Fan felt like he had walked for a long time.

As he walked, Zheng Fan subconsciously lowered his head, and his breathing began to quicken.

The words the Jingnan Marquis had said to him began to appear in his mind.

"Tell me, what should you pay attention to when a woman is in confinement?"

"In the future, let my child recognize you as godfather."

When Zheng Fan first woke up in this world, he thought it was a game, and everyone in it except himself was an NPC, even the seven Demon Lords under his command were, strictly speaking, seven high-level NPCs.

People instinctively reject unfamiliar environments, but once you stay in that environment for a long time, you will inevitably integrate into it.

You will empathize with their emotions, you will be angry, and you will also… feel heartache.

"You… came…"

Tian Wujing's voice came from the front.

It seemed that everything, everything, was unchanged.

Zheng Fan looked up, looking ahead, he wanted to know the truth of the matter from Tian Wujing's mouth, he even hoped to share the joy of this successful "deceiving the heavens" with Tian Wujing.

However,

When Zheng Fan really looked up,

He was stunned.

Tian Wujing was sitting on the threshold of the main hall.

This scene,

Made Zheng Fan feel extremely familiar.

When he and Tian Wujing first met,

He was sitting on the threshold in front of the mourning hall of the Nanwang City General,

And he was below.

It was as if everything in the world was a circle, and after going around and around, you returned to the starting point, but this coincidence, this starting point, was not something people wanted to accept.

At this moment,

Zheng Fan instantly knew in his heart,

All the luck, the so-called "deceiving the heavens," were products of his imagination, they could not be true.

Some things,

Had really happened, and had left extremely deep marks.

Because,

The Jingnan Marquis sitting on the threshold,

Overnight,

His hair had turned white.