Chapter 762 March!

That night, San'er finally found his lord and said all that he wanted to say.

Full of anticipation, San'er didn't get the thrill of his aura soaring, only a faint reply of three words from his lord:

"Understood."

Not much disappointment, even less loss; Third Master was still Third Master.

Even an iron rod wasn't as durable as his… resolve, let alone his will?

Saying goodbye to his lord,

With a flick of his sleeve,

San'er rode his horse out of Fengxin City.

Next,

What the demon kings needed to arrange and face was the "fated showdown" from the far north of the snowy plains; well, let's call it that for now.

………

Marquis Zheng had a short nap, not a long one. When he woke up, his head was a little groggy and his throat was sore.

He hadn't fully recovered, and he'd caught a cold wind last night, coupled with some mental stimulation and fluctuations. In short, for various reasons, the Marquis of Pingxi of the Great Yan Dynasty, a fifth-grade minor grandmaster, had caught a cold again.

At that moment, Marquis Zheng even missed the days on the battlefield. In that atmosphere, his spirit could naturally be raised to the extreme, and a little cold wouldn't have been anything.

But staying at home, his bones immediately softened, and all sorts of minor ailments came knocking.

After washing up, Zheng Fan headed to Tiantian's courtyard.

When he was home, he always had breakfast with his adopted son. Zheng Fan had lamented in Yanjing City that he missed his adopted son, and he wasn't lying.

The boy was obedient, well-behaved, sensible, and cute; how could anyone not love him?

Entering the house, he saw Tiantian tidying up his books. Because his adoptive father was a habitual late sleeper, he had to do his homework first after getting up, and he should have just finished.

He Chunlai had already set up a pot in the small courtyard, preparing breakfast.

He had actually been transferred out a long time ago and wasn't a cook anymore, but since he was about to follow Marquis Zheng on an expedition to the snowy plains, he might as well put aside his current affairs and pick up his old trade to warm up.

There was also someone else here.

That was Princess Xiong Liqing.

She was sitting on a small bench, breaking steamed buns.

From time to time, she looked up at Tiantian, smiling, asking if some things had been prepared.

She was completely different from her distraught state last night.

However, Zheng Fan wasn't surprised that she was here; he would have been surprised if she wasn't.

A woman who grew up in the palace would never allow herself to hold a grudge overnight.

An emperor who loves beauty more than the country is rare, and if you want to be a Lin Daiyu (a fragile and sentimental woman), you have to see if the person next to you is a Bao Yu (a romantic and compassionate man).

Marquis Zheng wasn't an emperor, but in the JIndong area, he wasn't much different from a local emperor. More importantly, Marquis Zheng and Bao Yu really weren't comparable.

Xiong Liqing noticed Zheng Fan's arrival and turned to look at him with a sweet smile.

This man didn't come to comfort her last night.

She had chosen this man herself, and on their wedding day, she had chosen to leave the Chu Kingdom with him.

But he was also a heartless man. Even when he was at home, he was always so kind, seemingly easy to talk to, but that was just a decorative layer of skin over his selfish and sinister nature.

However, thinking about it from another perspective, wasn't Qu Peiluo more reliable than him back then?

But who told her she couldn't stand him?

Whether it was the Qu Peiluo of the past or the man in front of her, even now, she would still choose the one in front of her.

She chose this path herself.

She knew that she could be angry, she could deliberately hide herself in the courtyard and not see anyone, but this man could go to Ru Qing's small courtyard to listen to music in the afternoon of the next day. The day after tomorrow, Si Niang would be back, and the day after that, he would directly take his adopted son on an expedition.

With Si Niang's methods and prestige in the back house, if she continued to be ignorant and self-imposed, she would have to prepare to spend the rest of her life with a blue lamp and ancient Buddha.

But clearly, the princess didn't have that idea.

If she wanted to worship Buddha, wasn't the Chu Kingdom good enough? Why did she have to come to the Jin area? Could it be that it was easier to become a Buddha in the Jin area?

"Husband."

"Mm."

Zheng Fan sat down on a small stool next to her.

"Father," Tiantian greeted Zheng Fan and then sat down as well.

"Here, just eat from my bowl." The princess said with a smile as she saw Tiantian breaking the steamed bun.

Tiantian said, "Breaking it for Father."

"Don't break it. You two eat paomo (a type of soup with bread), I'll eat noodles. Chunlai, make a bowl of noodles for me later."

"Yes, Marquis."

Marquis Zheng liked to eat roujiamo (meat sandwiches), but he really wasn't used to paomo.

Marquis Zheng sniffed, and the princess quickly asked, "Caught a cold?"

"A little."

"Then you should take care of yourself before going out."

In this day and age, a cold was no small matter.

"Can't delay it," Zheng Fan said.

"I'll make some medicine for you later."

Marquis Zheng nodded with a smile.

The paomo was ready, and Tiantian ate happily. Children were growing up, so everything tasted good.

The princess ate elegantly.

After Zheng Fan's noodles were served, he took two sips of the soup with chili and immediately felt his nose clear. He ate with great relish.

After breakfast, Tiantian said to Zheng Fan:

"Father, Brother Hu Zi said he's taking me to run drills today."

"Run drills?"

"It's just running around the mansion," Tiantian asked cautiously. "Didn't Father say he was taking me on an expedition?"

"Okay, you can go find him now, but you have to wait a while after eating before you can run."

"Yes, Father. Teacher Bei taught me, and Brother Hu Zi will also teach me how to meditate."

Liu Dahu was able to stand out in the schoolhouse because of the Sword Saint's teachings and foundation-building.

"Go ahead."

"Son will take his leave."

He Chunlai also cleared the table and left.

Only Zheng Fan and the princess were left in the room.

Tiantian's room didn't have any servants left for use. Someone would come to clean up every day, but no maids would be stationed in this courtyard.

The princess fetched a basin of hot water, wrung out a towel, first wiped Zheng Fan's mouth, then folded it and wiped his hands.

Zheng Fan looked at her and said, "Don't take some things to heart."

"I won't."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Really, really?" Zheng Fan asked with a smile.

The princess suddenly threw the towel on the ground and pounced on Zheng Fan.

Marquis Zheng was sitting on a low stool, catching a cold, maybe even with a slight fever, and he was caught off guard. Who would eat breakfast and have their blood and qi protecting them?

Now,

They both fell to the ground.

Luckily, Marquis Zheng was experienced in battlefield combat. When he fell backward, he twisted his neck upward, preventing the back of his head from making direct contact with the brick floor.

The princess kept hitting Marquis Zheng's chest and scolding:

"Zheng, you bastard, you're not human, you're a heartless man. All I want is a child, all I'm hoping for is a child. I'm not having a child for someone else, I'm having a child for you. The child will be surnamed Zheng, why are you treating me like this!

Good,

Before the wedding, you tricked me, touched me, said sweet words to coax me, and tricked me into returning to the Jin area with you.

Now that I've been slept with by you, you've played with me, you've used me, and you don't care anymore, right?"

Marquis Zheng reached out and grabbed the princess's hand,

And said:

"That pill, there's a problem with it. It can indeed help with pregnancy, but the price is that your body will be drained."

Silence,

Silence…

The princess got up, and Marquis Zheng also sat up.

Marquis Zheng sat on the ground, and the princess sat on Marquis Zheng's lap.

"Really?" the princess murmured.

"Do I need to make up a reason to lie to you?"

"It should be true," the princess said.

Because her brother could do something like that.

She hadn't thought about it before because she hadn't thought in that direction. Now, deducing from the result, it was something her brother could do.

The princess didn't continue to cry or make a fuss after learning the truth, but just sat quietly.

"My leg is numb."

The princess moved and asked, "Uncomfortable?"

"Maybe I lost weight from the back and forth trip to the Chu Kingdom."

The princess glared at Zheng Fan and got up, reaching out to help Marquis Zheng up.

Then,

The princess asked in a low voice:

"So, that pill can still have children, right?"

"The child isn't as important as his mother in my eyes."

"I'm willing, really, you can't be without an heir." The princess rested her head on Marquis Zheng's chest. "I'm willing."

Zheng Fan knew that was a lie,

Even,

The princess also knew that Zheng Fan knew that what she said was a lie.

But the princess still said it,

Zheng Fan also put his hand on the princess's hair and stroked it.

Harmony was needed at home.

The princess's temper tantrum was deliberate, and Zheng Fan was actually waiting for it. A little fuss and a little quarrel, and the matter would be settled. There was no need to nail a knot there.

The words that the princess had scolded earlier weren't really out of line. The words she scolded were not only painless to a man's ears, but also sounded more like love words.

Both of them were experienced players and cooperated with each other to give each other a way out.

This wasn't a matter of playing tricks when a family lived together; this was called… management.

"I'll take a bath and sweat it out."

"Okay, I'll help you draw the water."

Marquis Zheng didn't practice his saber this morning.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Marquis Zheng walked to the training ground refreshed.

The cold air that had entered his body last night should have been forced out, but it seemed like his body was a little more empty.

The princess was also tired from helping to draw the water and went to take an afternoon nap.

Fortunately, Zheng Fan never paid attention to fancy moves when practicing his saber. He would never deliberately show off his qi and blood to create any light, but only used simple and practical moves.

After practicing his saber, he had his servants bring him a hot towel to wipe his body, and then went to the signing room to deal with some matters.

As it was getting dark, Si Niang and the Blind Man returned.

They were more than a day earlier than expected, which showed that they had been traveling without delay.

In the evening, the family had another reunion dinner.

The next morning, the team set off, really without any slack.

The movement out of the city was very light. There was no need to put on any airs. The later the outside world knew that the Marquis of Pingxi of the Great Yan Dynasty was inexplicably going on an expedition to the snowy plains, the better.

As usual, the Blind Man stayed behind to guard the house. It was really impossible for such a large business to be left without anyone to manage and operate it.

The rest of the demon kings all set off with Zheng Fan.

After a quick handover of family matters, the rest would be facing the clash of metal and horses.

This was a very simple expedition, because the strength of the opponent couldn't be that great, but it was also a conquest that they didn't want to have any mistakes in.

……

The day after Marquis Zheng and his party left Fengxin City,

The Blind Man walked into the Marquis's mansion.

Xiong Liqing received the Blind Man.

"Teacher Bei, what brings you here?"

The Marquis of Pingxi's mansion wasn't like the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion. When the man wasn't there, the woman held the power of speech.

To be precise, even when the Marquis of Pingxi was at home, he basically didn't manage anything, let alone when he wasn't there.

Therefore, Xiong Liqing understood that the Blind Man had come to her not to ask for her opinion on any political affairs.

"Madam, you should know about the pill, right?"

"I know."

"Madam is intelligent and has always been able to distinguish things clearly, but this subordinate still has to say this. The palace is the palace, and the Marquis's mansion is the Marquis's mansion."

"Teacher Bei, just say what you want to say directly." The princess wasn't being sarcastic. She really didn't have the confidence to treat the Blind Man as a subordinate.

"In the palace, everything can be sacrificed, but in the Marquis's mansion…" The Blind Man smiled, paused, and continued, "As long as you consider yourself a member of the Marquis's mansion, we won't abandon any of our own people."

The princess raised her head slightly and looked at the Blind Man,

Nodded,

And said:

"This palace understands. Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Bei. Also, did Teacher Bei meet this palace today just to say these words?"

The Blind Man shook his head and said, "No, that was just the opening and foreshadowing."

"Oh? What do you want to say to this palace?"

The Blind Man said:

"Although the possibility is small, for the sake of insurance, from today onwards, you have to…"

"What does this palace have to do?"

"Be careful with your diet."

……

Finally,

Marquis Zheng's team arrived at Xuehai Pass (Snow Sea Pass). They needed to rest here for three days, and wait for the gathering of the barbarian warriors from the Hailan Tribe and other tribes close to the pass.

Xue San had already taken his men into the snowy plains to scout ahead.

Si Niang went to check the stored medicinal herbs, A Ming went to inspect the grain and grass, and Liang Cheng was responsible for assembling and organizing the barbarian warriors who were arriving one after another.

Fan Li took the sword maid to find the saplings they had planted together outside the city.

Zheng Fan took Gou Moli and the Sword Saint to the city wall to view the scenery and "reminisce about the past."

Wrapped up like a little zongzi (rice dumpling), Tiantian struggled to walk up the steps one at a time. The child's clothes were too thick, making it difficult to lift his legs.

Liu Dahu, with a knife at his waist, followed closely beside Tiantian, step by step.

This time, he was Zheng Fan's personal guard, and his main task was to ensure the safety of his Tiantian.

"Heave-ho… heave-ho… heave-ho…"

Tiantian finally walked up the city wall, bent over, and took two breaths.

In fact, his clothes weren't just thick. Inside, there was also a children's version of the Gold Silk Soft Armor woven by Si Niang. In addition, the red stone where the Magic Pill was located was also made into a large sachet and hung around his neck.

Zheng Fan was really good to this adopted son. He had put his own protective measures on this adopted son.

Tiantian looked at the three adults standing over there, didn't go near them, but went to the crenellations on his own and tried to jump up a few times, but couldn't.

Liu Dahu smiled,

Squatted down,

And said:

"Your Highness, come up."

Tiantian hesitated for a moment.

"Little brother, get on brother's shoulders."

Tiantian got on Liu Dahu's back, Liu Dahu carried Tiantian up, and Tiantian finally saw the vastness north of the Snow Sea Pass.

"Wow…"

The child exclaimed.

It was a boundless snow scene, extremely vast, and anyone who saw it for the first time would be shocked.

In the distance, groups of barbarian warriors summoned by the Marquis of Pingxi were gathering in the camp below the city wall.

Liu Dahu held Tiantian's legs with both hands,

And said to Tiantian:

"These barbarians used to break in from here and killed many people, according to Grandma."

Then,

Liu Dahu added:

"But they were driven back by the Marquis."

……

"Back again."

Zheng Fan said with emotion.

Gou Moli and the Sword Saint didn't say anything. They had both left memories in the Snow Sea Pass for themselves… oh no, for this world.

The Sword Saint broke through a thousand riders alone in front of the Snow Sea Pass, establishing a life for Jianghu swordsmen.

Gou Moli led a barbarian army into the Snow Sea Pass, almost realizing the dream of the Holy Race's restoration after eight hundred years.

But the problem was that their memories clashed.

Zheng Fan reached out and patted the snow on the crenellations, and said:

"It's freezing cold, so going on an expedition to the snowy plains isn't a good time."

Gou Moli bowed and responded, "What the lord says is true."

Fortunately, this time he was mobilizing barbarian soldiers. The Marquis's mansion could let these wild dogs, who had been fattened by the Marquis's mansion, lose some weight, and secondly, he could minimize his own losses.

But even for barbarian soldiers, a winter expedition to the far north was an extremely difficult task.

Zheng Fan smiled,

And said:

"So now I understand why the First Emperor did such an absurd thing as seeking the elixir of immortality, which was seen as extremely absurd by later generations."

Gou Moli didn't understand. He only thought that Zheng Fan was talking about a certain emperor from a long time ago. He was a barbarian, and it was reasonable that he didn't have a comprehensive understanding of the history of the various Chinese dynasties.

The Sword Saint frowned slightly. Which emperor was this First Emperor from?

Some people's plans are destined to be incomprehensible to many people around them, just like his expedition. Even the Sword Saint, who knew the inside story, still felt that Zheng Fan was too suspicious, and was as eccentric as a Qi cultivator.

Gou Moli was in the attitude of, "As long as you're happy, Lord."

Whatever you want to do, we'll help you do it. Who told you to be the lord?

Zheng Fan spread his arms,

Facing the vast expanse in front of him,

He closed his eyes,

Didn't speak, and didn't sigh anymore.

Two days later,

The north gate of the Snow Sea Pass opened,

Three thousand cavalrymen, personally led by Liang Cheng, escorted their Marquis out of the Snow Sea Pass.

Marquis Zheng, wearing black armor, rode on the Pixiu (a mythical beast), with Tiantian sitting in front of him.

When the surrounding barbarian auxiliary troops saw the two-headed eagle banner and the Pixiu and the figure above, they all knelt down and worshiped the Marquis of Pingxi of the Great Yan Dynasty.

In this scene, Tiantian's little face was flushed with excitement.

Zheng Fan looked down at his adopted son,

Then laughed loudly,

Drew out Wu Ya,

And ordered:

"Advance!"

————

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