Chapter 761 Admitting Fault

"Mo Wan himself is a Nine Lifetimes' Grievance Infant; in truth, he understands best the loneliness of a child born without a father or mother.

Why else would he care for Tian Tian so much?

Setting aside the spiritual constitution’s attraction to spiritual objects, isn't it also because Tian Tian lost his mother at birth, and that father… what difference does it make if he’s there or not?

Born without parents, Mo Wan naturally feels differently toward him.

Furthermore,

tonight's commotion is rather baffling. In recent years, everyone, everyone's life, has changed quite a bit.”

A Ming raised his wine glass,

and said,

"It's you all who have changed. Romance and even contact with the opposite sex are not what I desire. My life has remained the same, only blood and fine wine."

Cahill in the cage raised his glass,

and said,

"Oh, Lord A Ming, your words perfectly encapsulate the essence of my blood clan. Let us drain this cup!"

His words were ignored.

"My meaning is that since the lord has taken women into his home and Mo Wan has already made his fuss and grown accustomed to it, this commotion should be because he sensed the consequences of this elixir.

Also,

that elixir, in all likelihood, was brought back from Chu by that Chu princess; she herself probably doesn't realize what it means to take it."

A Ming smiled at Xue San,

and said,

"You're questioning the lord's and the princess's feelings."

"Oh, for that unquestionable love, let's drink another cup!"

Cahill raised his glass again.

"Is it true love?" Xue San said dismissively. "Is it true love between Si Niang and the lord? I reckon Si Niang looks at other men and sees only things with a moldy dough dangling beneath.

Has Liu Ruqing ever spoken of love with our lord? As for the princess, hehe.

Where does so much profound love come from in this world? Most couples simply make do with each other.”

"Oh, Lord San's words deserve to be written into poetry, worthy of draining this cup!"

A Ming, lying in his coffin, shifted to a reclining position and said,

"Alright, let's believe the princess didn't know the elixir's side effects. That makes sense, because the one who gave it to her should be her imperial brother."

"Oh, for the deeply moving brother-sister affection, let's drain this cup!"

Xue San chuckled coldly twice,

"Actually, some secrets can be kept, while others cannot. For instance, our lord, our Marquis of Pingxi, though he has a foster son, has no legitimate heir.

Outsiders don't know the real reason, nor do they need to know what it is. In any case, it's inevitable that the Marquis of Pingxi will have difficulty conceiving. Perhaps he was injured on the battlefield, like the Palace Grandfather in the Yan imperial palace.

Under these circumstances, if our lord's only heir has half Chu imperial blood in him, then..."

A Ming said dismissively, "Then it's like having another filial son."

Blood ties mean little to those at a high level.

At that moment, Cahill finally stopped raising his glass and asked, "Can't the countries merge? Who is whose heir, who has the right of succession, a king can inherit the throne of another country..."

"The situations are different," Xue San said.

"Oh, for the different situations, let's drain this cup!"

Xue San twisted his neck and said, "But from the perspective of the Regent of Great Chu, replacing his sister with a nephew, especially one who is the direct heir of the Marquis of Pingxi's household, is a good deal.

This deal is like the Min family's from back then. However, I think that Regent wouldn't bother playing into someone else's hands. But undoubtedly, it's more reliable than those alliances that are signed only to be torn up later.

Alright, enough talk. I'm going to Xuehai Pass."

A Ming said with some surprise, "Aren't you going to tell the lord about this?"

"Tell him? Of course, I'm going to tell him. Since we've guessed the truth, why would we keep it a secret and let their misunderstanding deepen? This isn’t a TV drama.

I'm leaving first. You go tell him."

"I've advanced."

"Useless. This time, we have to take the hit for the lord. We'll see if there's a chance on the snowy plains. Oh, and don't forget."

"Alright, I'm going now."

A Ming got up, left the coffin, and, while straightening his collar in front of a mirror specially placed in the wine cellar, began to speak:

"There's also one more thing..."

"Say it if you want to," Xue San urged. He was ready to depart.

A Ming spoke slowly and deliberately:

"I've always found it strange. It's one thing for us to have reproductive isolation, after all, we're not ordinary people, but why does the lord also have it? I mean, it's one thing for the lord and Si Niang, but why with other women as well?

If that's the case, then it means that we, as 'transmigrators' to this world, have an additional layer of reproductive isolation. But that's self-contradictory. Existence is reasonable, and since we exist, there shouldn't be any additional discrimination. Otherwise, it's like denying our existence. Then what are we doing here?"

"Oh, for this profound philosophical question, let's drain this cup!"

"So, what are you trying to say?" Xue San asked.

"Did you notice anything special when Mo Wan attacked today?"

Xue San paused, scratching his head,

"Me, anything special..."

"Apologies, I forgot, you haven't advanced this time. Perhaps your perception is somewhat lacking compared to mine."

"Heh, are you foreshadowing a payoff here?"

"Tonight, when I saw Mo Wan attack, he had become even more powerful."

"Keep talking nonsense. If the lord asks me tomorrow why I'm still at the Marquis's mansion, I'll say I listened to your nonsense all night and delayed military matters."

"The ghost energy in him has completely transformed into resentment."

Xue San raised his head in confusion, looking at A Ming, and said,

"Keep talking."

"Before, because Mo Wan's cultivation was too low, his body was mixed with a great deal of ghost energy. In the beginning, he was just a simple ghost infant.

Then, with each advancement, the ghost energy in him became less and less, gradually transforming into resentment, a higher-level power.

He himself is completing the transition from ghost infant to spirit body.

By the way, you should know who is the most insistent that the lord should have children, right?"

"The blind man, of course," Xue San immediately said.

What the blind man wants is to rebel for fun. Without descendants, it's hard to pull off, the hearts of the people can’t be stabilized. Most people following you aren't just after a good time like the devils; they want riches for their descendants. If you don't even have descendants yourself, how can you give them that promise?

"Right, it's the blind man. Actually, the last time Mo Wan didn't advance, the blind man noticed it. He even specifically asked me to pay attention to Mo Wan's changes.

Because Liang Cheng is mostly leading troops outside, while I'm mostly by the lord's side, plus my own attributes make me more sensitive and able to capture the ghost energy, this sinister power, on Mo Wan.

The blind man asked me to watch for changes in the ghost energy on Mo Wan."

"You mean?"

"We may have reproductive isolation because our life levels are what they are.

But the lord shouldn't have it because the lord descended into this world as an ordinary person, as ordinary as can be, with no connection to the Chosen One or the Arbiter of Destiny or anything like that.

The lord has relied on his own efforts and maturity to get where he is these past few years.

Therefore, the blind man speculates that the reason the lord hasn't gotten other women pregnant is because of Mo Wan's mischief."

"The word 'mischief' is really fitting here, but… how exactly does it work?"

"That, I'm not very good at explaining. The blind man's guess is that Mo Wan can manipulate ghost energy to have some extremely subtle effects on the lord's body.

And the lord is already accustomed to this feeling of being haunted."

"It can't be done now?"

"Now, of course, it can be done, but as the lord himself becomes stronger, and mainly because after Mo Wan's ghost energy transforms into resentment, using resentment to affect the lord's body can't be done as silently as it was with ghost energy.

The lord would immediately be alerted and be able to eliminate this interference, just like when Mo Wan wouldn't allow the lord to touch women. Later, the lord simply threw him out of the bedroom, and he couldn't do anything about it."

"Heh… pfft…"

Xue San doubled over with laughter,

and said,

"So Mo Wan has been giving his dad artificial safe periods?"

"That explains why Mo Wan has been holding back from advancing."

"That explanation is really far-fetched. He's deliberately suppressing his desire to advance just so his dad won't have new children?"

The devils are truly eager to regain their strength, it surpasses everything else.

"Far-fetched, right?" A Ming said with a smile.

"Yes, very far-fetched."

"Therefore…"

Xue San nodded and said, "Therefore, it's probably true."

Only this kind of far-fetched reason can make a devil put aside practical benefits and desires.

The other devils are whimsical enough, but Mo Wan is truly childish. He really could do something like that.

A Ming nodded and said, "However, when the lord was assassinated on the Wangjiang River, Mo Wan couldn't suppress it any longer and had to advance."

"I heard that the woman in the assassin couple mocked Mo Wan for being a bastard. You know, she could have said anything else, but she had to say that, see how angry our kid got, he didn't even bother giving his dear old dad an artificial vasectomy.

No, no, I need to laugh some more, laugh some more."

"Laugh away."

"By the way, that means the lord is back to normal now, right?"

"You can only say that there's a possibility."

"Ah, you know, can't Mo Wan just tell the lord about this directly? He has to go through all these roundabout ways," Xue San said with emotion.

"Saying it directly wouldn't fit his character."

"Oh, I haven't heard that word in a long time. You know, if the princess knew the truth, would she cry?"

She put in so much effort for nothing, and her hope was crushed.

What Xue San and A Ming didn't know was that a Shanyue tribe was exterminated for that elixir.

Of course, even if they knew, they wouldn't care.

A Ming said, "Do you know what the blind man would say if he were here?"

"I know. Let the princess know about this, and she'll be completely disillusioned with her brother. Actually, the princess can tell the difference; she's quite genuine. That's why I said earlier that she probably didn't know the side effects of this elixir.

What she wants is status through her child, not to sacrifice everything and just give birth to a child for the lord.

It's good this way too. After telling her about this, she can completely sever her ties with that side."

Having said that,

Xue San reached out and patted A Ming's knee,

and said,

"Alright, thank you, brother. I owe you a favor. You go back to your coffin and drink and sleep."

"You're not in a hurry to go to Xuehai Pass?"

"No delay, no delay. I think telling the lord such explosive news might lead to miracles."

The first discovery, he felt, wasn't enough.

But with the addition of the second guess, the weight suddenly became more than enough.

Xue San thought he could try it. After all, he didn't care whether the lord had more children. In his eyes, advancing was still the most important thing.

"Alright, then go," A Ming said, having straightened his clothes.

"You have a good rest. Many thanks, I'll personally steal wine for you next time.

Come,

Lord A Ming,

I'll personally send you back to your coffin."

……

Xue San went to the main courtyard with great excitement, but he found it empty because the lord wasn't there.

Zheng Fan, at that moment, entered Tian Tian's courtyard.

Everyone has their own selfish side, and Zheng Fan never hides his selfishness. Between public interest and private relationships, he always helps his own.

For the past few years, he's been calling him son over and over again. Between them, it's not exactly a so-called father-son relationship, it's hard to say.

But undeniably, of all the devils, the one who has saved his life the most is his own son.

Without him,

he might have been shot dead by a cold arrow on the battlefield long ago.

Not long ago on the Wangjiang River, he wouldn't have survived without Mo Wan's final outburst.

It's laughable, isn't it?

Knowing that his son most wants his dear old dad to die,

but the problem is, it's he who has saved his dear old dad time and time again, haha.

If not for his son's sake, at least for the sake of his lifesaver, Zheng Fan couldn't be indifferent to Mo Wan's "rejection."

Actually, he wasn't unaware of Mo Wan's little tricks before, but he just took it as childish behavior. This time, however, it's gone too far from Zheng Fan’s perspective, and it means that the nature of the matter has changed. He can't be an irresponsible dad like before.

Pushing open the door,

Tian Tian was already asleep in bed.

Zheng Fan approached quietly,

Tian Tian was sleeping very well, with that red stone placed beside his pillow.

Zheng Fan's gaze shifted,

reached out,

and gently lifted the bed curtain on the side.

In that corner sat a dark infant.

He sat with his back to him, in the corner of the bed.

Seeing this scene, Zheng Fan couldn't help but laugh.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he reached out and lightly stroked Mo Wan's back.

Mo Wan didn't turn around;

Zheng Fan stretched out a finger and gently poked Mo Wan's head, not daring to do it too hard for fear of poking right through.

"Alright, I was wrong, I apologize to you."

Mo Wan didn't budge.

"It's my fault. I neglected your feelings. Actually, not just in this life, you've saved me many times. In the previous life, for a long time, I was supported by you."

In his previous life in the manga studio, "Dwarf Xue San", "Woodcutter Fan Li" and others were flops. The rest barely broke even. The most popular one, the one that really supported the manga studio, was "Mo Wan".

"It's quite laughable, ah, I'm talking about myself; being a dad for two lifetimes, other people's sons are shouting about screwing over their dads, me, I'm a dad who's screwed over for two lifetimes.

Maybe I'm too greedy. I reflect, I examine myself. It doesn't matter in other things, but when it comes to you, I should think things over carefully.

Actually, life isn't bad now.

Living in a big house, with many soldiers protecting me.

Now, I can be considered living the life of someone above others;

I have a foster son, and I already have a biological son. What else is there to be dissatisfied with?

Even if I'm dissatisfied, I should be dissatisfied in other aspects, not just staring at my belly all day long and blindly making trouble.

There are many other things to do in this world.

Next time, if Yu Huaping shows off his child to me again, well, if he wants to compare biological children, I'll take you over to play with his son and see whose son is better.

I won't dwell on this matter anymore, nor will I think about it. When the blind man comes back, I'll tell him not to keep trying to find a way to deal with this matter.

One Tian Tian is enough.

Let's, father and son, live like we used to, okay?"

Mo Wan still didn't move.

"It's settled then, the two of us are the real family, even if you've always hated me, and I know you hate me, but I guess I can't change this habit in this lifetime. When something happens, my first reaction is still to call my son.

Hehe…"

Zheng Fan reached out and rubbed his face, then got up, looked at Mo Wan still sitting in the corner with his back to the outside, and suddenly his eyes became a little moist.

Blinking hard, Marquis Zheng walked out of Tian Tian's bedroom and gently closed the door.

Standing in the courtyard,

raising his head,

the moon was bright and the stars were few,

Marquis Zheng stretched,

as if he had suddenly returned to that early morning in Tiger Head City;

himself,

what else was there to be dissatisfied with?

……

Inside the house,

Tian Tian opened his eyes,

the little guy was already very sleepy, but at this moment he was still trying to stay awake. He crawled towards the corner of the bed, reached out, and gently hugged Mo Wan, but because Mo Wan was an incorporeal body, Tian Tian lost his balance and fell onto the bed, but he quickly got up again and continued to hug him.

"Daddy apologized, Sister, please forgive Daddy."

Mo Wan turned around, looking at Tian Tian.

"Actually, I also want a younger brother or sister."

Tian Tian grinned,

and continued,

"Hehe, then I can trick my younger brother or sister into thinking that the dragon chair is the best shaqima (a type of Chinese pastry) in the world."