Chapter 1 The Beginning

"Bang!"

The ball was hit and flew, drawing a beautiful arc in the air. After landing, it rolled a long way on the grass with momentum.

Zheng Fan rested his club on his shoulder, and the blind man beside him immediately swung one as well.

More dashing, more freehand, and more stylish.

There's a common curse: "Don't you even look at what you were in your past life!"

It's a contempt without specific targeting, because even the strongest Qi refiner in the world can't figure out a person's past life.

At least,

Zheng Fan, having come this far, hasn't heard of anyone being a reincarnation of someone else.

But sadly, here, with these two people holding golf clubs, the past life has a clear indication.

The blind man is obviously more refined, pays more attention to detail, and most importantly, is high-end.

As for Zheng Fan,

If his hobbies in his past life, besides "drawing" for a living, were to be listed,

They'd probably be the same old three things as most people: reading, watching movies, and traveling.

Even with "traveling," he'd have to hesitate and see if his financial conditions allowed him to add it.

"My lord, Eunuch Zhang's job has been taken over by Zhao Cheng."

"Yeah, I instructed it."

"Understood."

The blind man just asked. Since he knew it was Zheng Fan's instruction, he didn't need to ask further.

Si Niang is the chief steward of the Marquis's wealth, while the blind man is the chief steward of general affairs. At the same time, maintaining the tranquility of the Marquis's residence is also something he needs to put his mind to.

If Zhao Cheng took the initiative to rise to power on his own, he couldn't be kept.

Of course, using Zhao Cheng to replace Eunuch Zhang also meant that the lord was extremely cautious about this matter, especially at home.

This was just a small matter, a small daily interlude.

At this moment, Sun Ying, sitting in a wheelchair, was pushed over by Chen Xianba.

"My lord," Sun Ying said.

"Speak your mind."

Zheng Fan and the blind man walked forward with their clubs, and Chen Xianba continued to follow, pushing Sun Ying.

"My brother Sun Liang sent me a letter, saying that his virtue and talent are not enough to hold the position of Prefect of Yupan City."

"So, you plan to go help him?"

"Yupan City is too important to Jindong, to the Marquis's residence, and to you, my lord. I believe that it should be firmly held in our hands, and after that, Yupan City should be used as a gateway to carry out a wider expansion into Yingdu and the Three Jins."

Zheng Fan glanced at the blind man, who smiled slightly.

No need to guess, this kind of layout for the future must be the blind man's work.

As an exchange condition, Sun Liang was transferred from the position of Transport Envoy of Yingdu to the Prefect of Yupan City. The area east of Wangjiang was tacitly recognized as the territory of the Pingxi Marquis's residence.

It was right to carefully manage Yupan City. Yupan City's geographical conditions were already excellent. During the Dacheng Dynasty, Yingdu was the political center, and Yupan City was almost the economic and cultural center.

But the management that the blind man and Sun Ying envisioned was different from ordinary management. Now that the "territory" had been officially divided, Yupan City could serve as the Pingxi Marquis's bridgehead for foreign exchanges during peacetime. Humanistic strength, spies, and many other aspects could be developed, and even further remotely control, erode, and influence Yingdu.

And once the war started, Yupan City could be directly transformed into a military stronghold, playing the role of supporting the transfer point of food and military supplies from Yingdu when attacking Chu.

Zheng Fan didn't plan to rebel now, and now was not the best time to rebel, but Zheng Fan was not a pedantic person with moral purity. It was good to prepare for a rainy day.

"Then I'll have to trouble you," Zheng Fan said.

"Please rest assured, my lord."

Zheng Fan had met Sun Liang a few times. How should he put it? He was a person with a lot of self-awareness. Not to mention that Sun Liang was already on the Marquis's ship, even if he wasn't, Sun Ying could immediately suppress his younger brother and seize real power in Yupan City after he went there.

The younger brother acted as a puppet in front, and the older brother offered advice behind the scenes. This combination was quite good.

Zheng Fan swung his club again,

After finishing,

He felt a little bored.

The blind man saw it and smiled, "My lord, shall we take a break?"

"I'm just not destined for this kind of luxury," Zheng Fan smiled.

Before Fengxin City was expanded, military defense needs were put first, so when planning, a large area of open space was reserved outside the city.

If a city's population continued to expand, even constantly dividing into inner and outer cities, layer by layer expanding outward, other aspects of the city's attributes would definitely improve, but military defense would become riddled with holes.

That's how the Prince of Jingnan raided and captured Yingdu in one battle;

Large cities, unless there were sufficient troops inside, could not be defended at all. This involved a paradox. If there were sufficient troops, there was no need to rely on the city walls for defense. They would basically line up outside the city to meet the enemy.

Spring had arrived, and the grass was lush. The blind man invited him, and Zheng Fan agreed to come and play golf together.

"It's just a pastime," the blind man said again, "My lord, it seems that Qian and Chu are really going to form an alliance this time."

"So what if they form an alliance? Didn't the Sun-Liu alliance end up failing too?"

Sun Ying, sitting in the wheelchair, blinked. He didn't understand which alliance in history this was.

The blind man heard this and said:

"But in the end, Sun and Liu didn't lose to Wei."

Zheng Fan threw the club on the ground and scolded with a smile, "Just take it as you wishing me a long life."

At this time, a general rode over on horseback. It was Liang Cheng.

Zheng Fan clapped his hands and said:

"Alright, A'Cheng is back, let's get started."

After returning from the war, Liang Cheng needed to coordinate the arrangements for appeasing the various armies. Now that he was done, he returned because there was a very important matter in Fengxin City that had been put on hold.

The group returned to the city. When they were about to enter the mansion, the blind man asked:

"My lord, when will we change this plaque?"

"We'll change it after the team that proclaims the decree arrives. Changing it early would make it seem like we really covet this title of prince."

"Yes."

Inside the Marquis's residence, Tiantian was running drills with Liu Dahu and the Crown Prince.

"Son."

"Father."

"Take your brother back to the courtyard. Father has something to do."

"Yes, Father."

Tiantian obediently took the Crown Prince's hand back to his courtyard. Zhao Cheng, who had already changed into the eunuch uniform he had been "thinking about day and night," followed behind with small steps.

"Dahu."

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You go home too. Oh, right, call your father over. I have something to discuss."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Xiao Yibo."

"Here!"

"Arrange for people to be stationed at the Second and Third Madams' residences."

"Understood!"

Afterwards,

Hundreds of Embroidered Uniform Guards entered the Marquis's residence and were stationed near the entrance of the secret chamber, carrying crossbows and heavy shields.

Zheng Fan stood at the entrance of the secret chamber, with Liang Cheng and the blind man standing beside him.

Soon, Xue San came with a package that jingled.

A'Ming walked over from the wine cellar with a pot of wine, stretching lazily. Behind him, Kahir, also holding a pot of wine, followed.

Fan Li also came, with both axes in hand.

The Sword Saint hadn't taken off his apron yet, and walked over with Long Yuan.

Si Niang also came.

"Why don't you rest?" Zheng Fan walked forward and whispered.

"My lord, I'm curious too."

"But you're pregnant after all."

Si Niang looked at Zheng Fan, and Zheng Fan looked at Si Niang.

Si Niang reached out and gently grabbed Zheng Fan's chest, pulling it.

"Alright, alright, but you have to stand back."

"I know."

"Alright, let's go down."

Marquis Zheng walked in the first place, and everyone else followed.

After reaching the bottom of the secret chamber, Zheng Fan first lit three incense sticks for Shatuo Queshi. There were many people, so he didn't say any more private words.

"A'Li, open the door."

"Alright, my lord."

Fan Li stepped forward to open the stone door. There was a mechanism at the stone door, which was not complicated, but the prerequisite was that even if you knew the method of cracking it, you had to have the same strength as Fan Li to open it.

Not long after,

When Fan Li turned the lock disc back into place,

A series of crisp sounds came from behind the stone door, and it slowly descended, revealing the passage leading downwards.

In the early years, a censor in Qian State, in order to make a name for himself, submitted a memorial to the Qian State official, requesting a thorough investigation of the cellars of the major households in Shangjing City. The larger the cellar, the greater the intention of rebellion.

The thorough investigation was not carried out. The official couldn't arbitrarily investigate the residences of his ministers, but in the next two months, more clay bricks were transported to Shangjing City than usual. It was estimated that many dignitaries were busy filling pits.

The censor's suggestion was suitable for Zheng Fan. Throughout history, there were indeed many people who built secret chambers under their residences, but most of them were excavated later when needed. Zheng Fan, on the other hand, focused on planning when he first started building his residence.

Fan Li, who opened the door, stood aside, looked at Zheng Fan, and said:

"My lord, please."

Zheng Fan stepped forward and kicked Fan Li,

Scolding;

"You have thick skin, you go first."

Fan Li nodded and went down first, followed by the thick-skinned A'Ming;

From the passage downwards, you could see thick chains falling vertically, with a boulder in the middle holding them down. At the bottom was a cage.

The person in the cage was completely bound, and his neck was also tightly locked.

The black-armored man had been a taboo since he was captured. On the way back from the snowy plains, no one had checked him to prevent accidents;

Now that the affairs outside were temporarily over, it was time to have a good chat with him.

In Hu Bamei's prophecy, this one was one of the real demon kings.

Xue San took out the key and handed it to Fan Li.

Fan Li took the key and stepped forward, first opening the small lock, and then following suit, turning the large lock.

The heavy cage was slowly opened.

Zheng Fan said:

"Everyone be careful. Although he has nails nailed into his body and some talisman paper and other things applied, no one can be sure if they'll work. Although he hasn't eaten or drank for a while, no one knows if he has secretly recovered some of his strength.

He can launch mental attacks, so first concentrate and be prepared.

Blind man."

"Yes, my lord."

The blind man walked in front of everyone and closed his already blind eyes. An invisible mental barrier spread out.

The others also moved closer.

The armor on the black-armored man was already dilapidated. His black hair covered his face, hanging there like a dried corpse.

The Sword Saint, holding Long Yuan, carefully examined the opponent he had fought before.

Xue San opened the package he brought in, or rather, spread it out;

Inside were various tools.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk..."

San Ye kept making strange sounds, echoing in the empty dungeon;

"My youth is back, my youth is back."

He enjoyed doing this kind of experiment. The more powerful and mysterious the target, the more excited he became.

Then,

Everyone else stood outside the cage, except for Xue San, who walked in with the tools.

"Where should I cut? Where should I cut?"

Xue San first bent down and scraped the black-armored man's calf with a small knife.

Then,

Xue San knocked, the sound was very crisp, a series of knocks forming a rhythm, "The Little Newspaper Vendor."

"A'Cheng, I've always felt that this guy's physique is very similar to yours."

Xue San shouted.

"Ding!"

Xue San stabbed the tip of the knife into it, and a crisp sound came.

Liang Cheng also walked in at this time, reached out, and lifted the hair covering the black-armored man's face.

The other party's eyes were closed, as if he was asleep, his face was cyan, like being frozen.

Liang Cheng spread his palm, and a wisp of baleful aura condensed from his palm, intending to test it out.

Xue San quickly shouted:

"Hey hey hey!"

Liang Cheng looked at Xue San,

Xue San said, "Let's take it one step at a time, don't skip steps, understand?"

Liang Cheng nodded and withdrew his hand.

Xue San took out a small bag from his pocket, which contained white powder. He smeared it on the other party's calf, and shouted to A'Ming, "Wine ah."

A'Ming, standing outside the cage, looked at the wine pot in his hand and said:

"I believe that water is also possible."

"I didn't bring any."

"Why didn't you bring any?"

"Because I know that you, you drunkard, will definitely bring wine, come, come, I'll give you a pot to collect if there's any blood later."

A'Ming handed the wine pot over.

Xue San poured the wine on the black-armored man's calf, which had been smeared with white powder,

Immediately,

The sound of "sizzling" kept coming out.

The muscles, originally as hard as a stubborn stone, were softening at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What is that?" The Sword Saint asked.

The blind man replied: "Corpse-rotting water."

"Does that white powder work when mixed with water?" The Sword Saint asked.

"Yes."

The Sword Saint nodded.

The blind man said: "It may be surprisingly effective to deal with martial artists with strong bodies."

The Sword Saint shook his head and said: "It's against morality."

"We will prepare a copy for you later."

"I don't want it."

"There is not much of this powder. The more you have in your hands, the less will spread out, and the more morality there will be in the martial world."

The Sword Saint nodded and said: "Good."

After the muscles softened, Xue San began to cut with a dagger. Soon, he cut off a piece of meat, wrapped it in silk cloth, and used a wine pot to collect some of the black blood that overflowed from the wound.

The amount of blood was not much, and it stopped flowing after a while, but it was enough.

Xue San finished his work, carefully put the silk cloth package into his arms, stood up, and returned the wine pot to A'Ming.

A'Ming took the wine pot and said; "Why did you choose to draw blood from the foot?"

"Damn, you really want to drink it? This blood is likely to be poisonous."

"Centipedes can also be used to soak in wine, no big deal, it's just that it's too close to the foot."

"I'm afraid I'll accidentally kill him if I mess with other places."

Xue San walked out of the cage, leaving Liang Cheng alone inside.

Zheng Fan said: "A'Cheng, try to see if baleful aura has any reaction on him."

There was a feeling that this thing might be some form of zombie, not necessarily a pure zombie, but in terms of performance, it was really too similar to A'Cheng.

During the pursuit, there was a priestess-like being who always used her own blood as a sacrifice, supplemented by the fresh blood of others, to awaken him. This way of summoning evil things was really too familiar.

Liang Cheng reached out and put his palm, which contained baleful aura, on the black-armored man's forehead.

Baleful aura began to inject,

But the black-armored man still closed his eyes and remained indifferent.

Liang Cheng turned around, looked at the crowd behind him, and shook his head.

No effect.

Liang Cheng came out;

A'Ming put down the wine pot and took a waterskin from Kahir. Looking at Kahir's crimson lips, he knew that it didn't contain wine.

He walked in and poured the blood on the black-armored man's forehead.

The black-armored man remained indifferent. A'Ming carefully observed it for a few times and confirmed that he was not absorbing the blood.

Kahir asked in confusion: "Could it be that he's already dead?"

Xue San immediately said; "No, during the days you weren't here, I noticed that he had movements, and the guard also reacted."

At this time,

Fan Li scratched his head and walked in.

Zheng Fan looked at the blind man. The blind man frowned. Nothing had been arranged for Fan Li beforehand.

But Fan Li could sometimes create miracles with his strength, so it wouldn't hurt to let him try.

Fan Li, walking into the cage, stretched his arms and waist,

And then,

He clenched his fists,

Towards the black-armored man's face,

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"…

After a series of beatings,

The black-armored man's face had a little of the cyan faded away, and reddish-purple began to appear. At the same time, the muscles and bones of his face also shifted.

But, he still didn't wake up.

Fan Li rubbed his fists, grinning, in pain.

Zheng Fan rested his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought.

At this time, Xue San said; "My lord, do you want to bring…"

"No."

Zheng Fan directly rejected it;

His suggestion was to bring Tiantian over.

That night, Xue San discovered that Tiantian seemed to have some kind of resonance with this thing.

But Tiantian was Zheng Fan's sore spot. Old Tian entrusted the child to him, not to have him do experiments.

"I'll try again."

Zheng Fan took out the Demon Pill and slowly walked into the cage.

"Son, try to see if you can wake him up."

The red stone floated up, and the figure of the Demon Pill also appeared. He looked at Zheng Fan and shook his head.

Zheng Fan nodded, signaling the Demon Pill to return to the stone.

However,

Just as Zheng Fan turned around to walk out of the cage,

Suddenly,

Black shadows radiating from the black-armored man spread along the chains to the entire cage. The cage door seemed to be attracted by a force, quickly closing.

"Roar!"

Fan Li let out an angry roar, and immediately grabbed the cage door with both arms. The Sword Saint reacted quickly, and Long Yuan was unsheathed and stuck on the door.

The door,

Failed to close.

The black shadows instantly retreated and disappeared without a trace.

Zheng Fan reached out, dusted off the dust on his sleeves, forcibly suppressed his trembling calves,

With a smile on his face,

Trying his best to keep his voice from trembling, and keeping it light and cheerful,

He said:

"Oh, you want to play the game of capturing the king by first capturing the chieftain?"