"If you don’t believe the contents of the letter, thinking I forged it, you can heal your injuries here and reinvestigate after you return. The soldiers involved in that incident must be numerous. You could capture one for interrogation, and then the truth would come out."
Mr. Chen looked at Zheng Fan, who was seated in the wheelchair, his expression somewhat uneasy for a moment.
"I really didn’t kill him," Zheng Fan repeated.
"It was my mistake," Mr. Chen admitted readily.
"I was indeed wrong. I sought revenge blindly, wronging an innocent person and nearly killing you and your two servants. I have disgraced my name."
"You are not at fault. I am a general of Yan State, and you are from Qian State. I recently led my army to ride rampant within your Qian State’s borders. It’s only natural for you, a Qian person, to try and kill me."
"Actually, I’m not so virtuous myself. I’ve committed my share of heinous deeds, including murder and arson. I’ve been betrayed, and I’ve wiped out entire families in retaliation. I live by the understanding that what goes around comes around, and I face that openly. As long as one survives, they can recover and be a formidable man again.
I hold no grudge against you, truly. On the contrary, I admire you. You are the second person with true chivalry I have ever met."
"I don’t feel worthy of such praise. But I really want to ask, who is the first one?"
"It’s the one who beat you and left you lying here."
"That person... wasn’t living."
"Indeed, he’s dead. However, through the secret arts of the Desert Barbarians, he became a zombie after his death. He is the Left Valley King of their Royal Court.
While we were traveling, you expressed some regret about not having seen the desert landscapes. So, I summoned him to give you a glimpse. I hope you are satisfied."
Mr. Chen was rendered speechless.
"Haha, just kidding, just kidding. Would you like to hear the story of Shatuo Queshi? It’s quite similar to yours."
"Would that be convenient?"
"It’s no inconvenience at all. I used to make a living telling stories."
Out on the square, two disabled men were basking in the sun. Two little ladies were peeling melon seeds, placing the peeled kernels into the hands of Blind Bei and Xue Three, respectively.
Siniang was sewing. Including Shatuo Queshi, she now had to mend four suits of Golden Silk Soft Armor, which was quite a laborious task.
Liang Cheng sat beside Siniang, using his fingernails to help straighten the silk threads. These threads were metallic, and in this era, they had no machines for such work. Fortunately, Liang Cheng’s fingernails were strong enough for the job. For origınal chapters go to 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
Xiao Yibo walked over, his gaze sweeping across the square. He announced, "Gentlemen, someone from the Spy Bureau has arrived."
Xiao Yibo, Hongba, and Ding Hao had been responsible for slowly bringing the little ladies and other valuable goods. They had arrived at Green Willow Fortress some days later than Zheng Fan and his group. Since their arrival, Xiao Yibo generally handled miscellaneous duties in the fortress, Ding Hao acted as Liang Cheng’s assistant, and Hongba, with his men, was tasked with ensuring the safety of the residence in the village outside the fortress. After all, more than ten little ladies and a wolf cub were being kept there.
"What did they say?" Blind Bei asked.
"Reporting to Mr. Bei, the men from the Spy Bureau said that My lord is to go to Nanwang City tomorrow. Lord Jingnan wishes to see him."
"Understood." Blind Bei waved his hand, and Xiao Yibo discreetly withdrew.
"Shall I go inform My lord now?" Liang Cheng asked.
Blind Bei shook his head. "My lord is busy right now. He should be telling the story of Shatuo Queshi at this very moment."
Deep affection is seldom lasting; only clever ploys win people’s hearts. Blind Bei understood this point very clearly.
"Will it be dangerous to go to Nanwang City?" Siniang asked.
"If Lord Jingnan truly wanted to kill My lord, he wouldn’t need to go to such lengths. However, considering what happened last time, it’s best you go. A Cheng, Siniang, A Ming, and Fanli, the four of you will accompany My lord to Nanwang City."
"But we can’t accompany My lord when he meets Lord Jingnan," Siniang said.
Blind Bei waved his hand dismissively. "It’s fine. If something unexpected does happen, you’ll get to experience a sudden death up close."
Siniang was left speechless.
"Judging by Hui Wenzu’s expression when he came last, he seems to be in a very bad mood lately," Liang Cheng remarked.
"It’d be strange if he weren’t. He was subjected to an assassination attempt before even taking office. Plus, think about it: in Nanwang City and the surrounding fortresses, who are people going to listen to? Him, the outsider, or Lord Jingnan? However, he’s a smart man; he should have his own ways of dealing with things. Tomorrow, prepare some gifts. After My lord enters Nanwang City and meets with Lord Jingnan, the rest of you will deliver the gifts to Hui Wenzu’s General Mansion."
"Understood," Liang Cheng acknowledged.
"To be honest, sunbathing is quite comfortable. Suddenly, I feel that it wouldn’t be so bad to continue living ."
Xue Three chuckled. "Blind man, are you getting ready to retire and becoming defeatist?"
Blind Bei retorted, "Stepping back now is for a better leap forward later."
Having said that, Blind Bei sighed and continued, "Once this matter is resolved, we can suggest My lord devote himself to secluded cultivation for a while. A Ming mentioned before that My lord seems to have touched the threshold of an Eighth Rank Martial Cultivator. We should strive to help him break through this threshold before spring. That way, the strength of us seven can recover further. A Ming should also be close to qualifying for the First Embrace, right?"
Xue Three turned his head to look at Liang Cheng and said,