Chapter 106: The Soft-Hearted Master

Being a flattering courtier was never easy.

You had to make the person above you think you were capable while also finding you entertaining. That balance was genuinely difficult.

Put simply, you had to properly judge the line between seriousness and liveliness. Unfortunately, that line was the hardest thing to grasp. Every time you tried, it was like dancing on the edge of a blade.

Zheng Fan did not particularly enjoy “performing” himself before powerful figures, but sometimes, when you lived beneath another man’s roof, if you refused to lower your head, you could not even avoid the rain.

So all he could do was hope that someday he would build a house of his own.

Halfway through the march, Zheng Fan received orders allowing him to return to Willow Fort.

The Marquis of Jingnan gave him no reward and offered no further explanation. But sometimes, simply not punishing you and letting you go home as though nothing had happened was already an attitude in itself.

As a soldier, crossing the national border without military orders and going abroad to stir up trouble, only to come back without suffering any consequences at all—if that was not encouragement, what was?

Most importantly, Zheng Fan felt that he had deepened the impression he left in the Marquis of Jingnan’s mind. Sometimes, gold, silver, jewels, and material rewards were all inferior to simply being remembered by a great man.

Zheng Fan had no intention of earning enough money to retire.

In a sense, he was like an entrepreneur still struggling through the startup phase in this world.

If, in later times, you gave an entrepreneur two choices—

“One million in startup capital,” or “knowing Jack Ma,” which one would he choose?

By the time Willow Fort appeared in everyone’s field of vision, it was already afternoon.

The outer walls of Willow Fort had been erected. Although much work remained before they were truly complete and properly furnished, the place finally looked somewhat like an actual fortress.

Zheng Fan drew in a deep breath.

After spending several days running wild outside, he had genuinely started missing home.

The Blind Man and the others were already waiting along the road outside. Every face was covered in a warm smile, like family members welcoming a wanderer home.

Feng Siniang immediately took Zheng Fan away to bathe, change clothes, and receive further treatment for his injuries.

The moment Zheng Fan left, the expressions of the Blind Man, A’Ming, Xue San, and Fan Li instantly darkened.

Liang Cheng tied up his horse.

He seemed mentally prepared for what was coming.

He stood there with his hands obediently at his sides, as though waiting to… face the storm.

Xue San narrowed his eyes.

“Have fun?”

Liang Cheng answered honestly, “Very much.”

“Oh. You had a lot of fun.”

Xue San jumped up and smacked Liang Cheng on the shoulder.

“So once you got to enjoy yourself, you forgot all about your brothers, huh?”

Liang Cheng remained perfectly calm.

“It was Master’s decision.”

He was not lying.

It really had been Zheng Fan’s own decision.

Liang Cheng had originally assumed that, on that day, he was merely accompanying Master to the academy to arrest someone. But once the academy affair ended, Zheng Fan directly decided to go wander around Qian.

Liang Cheng had known nothing beforehand.

Of course, once the opportunity presented itself, he had very much wanted to go too.

At that moment, Fan Li put on an intentionally stern expression and adopted the manner of a teacher scolding a misbehaving student.

“Master doesn’t know any better, but you don’t know any better either?”

“…”

Xue San.

“…”

Liang Cheng.

Everyone suddenly fell silent.

“Ah Li,” the Blind Man said, “did you eat enough at noon?”

“Sure did. The buns at lunch were real tasty.”

“Oh. If you’re full, go over there and move bricks. The sooner we finish building the fort, the sooner we can all move inside.”

“All right. I’m going.”

Fan Li turned around and went off to carry bricks.

The remaining men—the Blind Man, Xue San, A’Ming, and Liang Cheng—all released a breath almost simultaneously.

“Ah Cheng,” the Blind Man said, facing Liang Cheng, “do you know what bothers us most about this?”

“I shouldn’t have gone without taking you all with me.”

“That counts, but it isn’t the main point. None of us can guarantee that we’ll never encounter danger while living in this world. And none of us are afraid of danger.

“But Master’s safety carries too much weight.

“It isn’t that we want to keep Master hidden in a nest forever. Master needs to experience storms, otherwise he cannot grow. If Master cannot grow, neither can we.

“However, there is one premise.

“If something truly happens to Master, then the seven of us may very well…”

The Blind Man paused before continuing.

“So what we need is this:

“If Master really falls into danger, fine.

“But let Master die only after we die.

“That way, even if we die, we can die willingly. At the very least, we will have no regrets.

“But look at what happened this time.

“You and Master went out running wild, risking your lives in battle, while the five of us were left here.

“What were we supposed to do?

“Sit around waiting to suddenly drop dead?”

Liang Cheng shook his head.

“I was wrong.”

The Blind Man reached out and patted Liang Cheng on the shoulder.

“Do you know what scared me most afterward?”

“You’re a little unusual. I can’t guess.”

“What scared me was that, actually, we do possess the courage to face death.

“A cup of tea, an erhu, a stick of incense—then calmly walking toward death.

“The mood would be rather good.

“It would not be unacceptable.

“But if something had happened to you while you were out having fun a few days ago, and I had been dragged down and died with you, I would have found that very difficult to accept.

“Because right before I died, I would have been drawing construction plans.

“Working as a damned building contractor.”

Liang Cheng understood and nodded.

Death itself was acceptable.

But if you did not even get a proper sense of ceremony before dying, that was unforgivable.

The Blind Man seemed to have vented enough.

He pulled another orange from his pocket and began peeling it.

“All right.

“Now tell us what happened to you and Master these past few days.”

As he spoke, the Blind Man held a segment of orange flesh up to Liang Cheng’s mouth.

Liang Cheng hesitated.

Then finally opened his mouth.

“Sweet?” the Blind Man asked.

Liang Cheng shook his head.

“A little sour.”

The Blind Man immediately threw the orange onto the ground.

“I knew the oranges here couldn’t possibly be as sweet as the ones in Beifeng Commandery.”

“…”

Liang Cheng.

……

“Master, how did you get these wounds on your back? Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is awful.”

Feng Siniang sounded genuinely distressed as she cleaned Zheng Fan’s wounds and applied medicine.

Zheng Fan was too embarrassed to admit Liang Cheng had stabbed him.

He could only say, “On the battlefield, blades and spears have no eyes.”

“This really breaks my heart. Master, next time you absolutely cannot leave this servant behind.

“That stinking zombie doesn’t know how to take care of anyone.”

“Mm. I was wrong.”

Admitting fault to your own woman did not diminish a man’s dignity.

“By the way, Master, you didn’t bring that Military Commissioner’s daughter back?”

“Du Juan of the Secret Intelligence Department sent people to take her away.”

“What a pity.”

“What’s there to pity?”

“We could have made a matching pair.”

“Liang Cheng didn’t seem very interested in her.”

At this point, Zheng Fan frowned slightly and thought about it.

“He’s like A’Ming. Neither of them seems interested in women.”

“Oh, Master, I wasn’t talking about pairing that young lady with Liang Cheng.

“I meant her and Fangcao. They’d be perfect together.”

“Fangcao?”

“Yes.

“One had her father killed by A’Ming and was brought back here.

“The Military Commissioner’s daughter had her mother killed by Ah Cheng.

“If we had brought her back too, wouldn’t those two girls make a perfect pair?”

“Hehehe…”

Although Zheng Fan felt he probably should not be laughing, he could not help himself.

“Still, it really does seem that once men get old enough, they stop being interested in matters between men and women.”

“I’ve heard of plenty of old men in their seventies or eighties who were still going strong.”

“That’s different.

“How can ordinary old men compare to those two dead things?

“One is an ageless vampire.

“The other is an ice-cold zombie.

“Add their ages together and dozens of old men still wouldn’t compare.”

“That’s true.”

“Speaking of Fangcao, they should arrive at Willow Fort before too long.”

“Mm.”

“Master, do you want to rest?”

“I’m all right. Not that sleepy.

“I am hungry, though. I haven’t eaten properly these past few days.”

“Then shall this servant make you some noodles?”

“Sure.”

“Wait here, Master.”

Feng Siniang rose and left the room to cook.

The room Zheng Fan occupied was one of the few habitable rooms inside Willow Fort.

Most of the barbarian soldiers were still living in tents outside. If they wanted to move into the fortress, they would have to wait until construction progressed further.

Zheng Fan sat upright on the bed, took a coat, draped it over himself, and walked outside.

The sun was already beginning to sink westward.

Its fading light washed over the land, producing an almost unreal feeling.

Yet Zheng Fan found himself strangely attached to it.

In the past, the only wars he had fought were in games.

This time, he had personally led soldiers out for a little excursion.

He had even captured a city himself, though admittedly he had put on a show and immediately run away afterward.

Then came nearly two full days of being hunted by an army.

Truthfully, now that he looked back on everything that had happened over those past few days, there was not much excitement left in his heart.

What occupied his mind instead was the Qian garrison soldier who had died atop the beacon fort, the elderly Qian veteran who had advanced against the tide with spear in hand, and the dozens of barbarian soldiers who had already become corpses.

“Master, admiring the sunset?”

The Blind Man’s voice came from one side.

Zheng Fan inhaled, then lightly patted his chest.

“Could you make some noise when you walk from now on?”

“Certainly.

“From now on, this subordinate will carry a lantern whenever I leave the house during the day.”

“Heh.”

“What were you thinking about just now, Master?”

“I suddenly understand why you like basking in the sun so much.”

“This subordinate needs plenty of sunlight.

“I think too much. If I don’t get enough sun, I’m liable to grow mold.”

“You need something?”

“I do.”

“Speak.”

“This subordinate used to work as a psychologist.”

“I know.”

“So after hearing Liang Cheng tell us what happened over these past few days, I came to provide Master with some psychological counseling.”

“I don’t need it.

“I’m fine.”

“The thing drunk people say most often is, ‘I’m not drunk.’”

“Fine.

“Let’s talk.”

“Oh my, Blind Man. Is your nose part dog or something?”

Feng Siniang happened to approach carrying a huge basin of minced-meat noodles.

The Blind Man smiled.

“When I went to Tuman City on business before, I did meet a rather large husky.

“We compared noses.

“His wasn’t as sharp as mine.”

“Did you come looking for Master about something?”

“I was hungry.”

“What, have we been starving you these past few days?”

“Master wasn’t here, so you stopped cooking.

“The food the others make really isn’t good.”

“Fine. Get some stools.”

Feng Siniang was not a stingy person.

The Blind Man clapped his hands.

Four stools floated into the air and landed in front of himself and Zheng Fan.

Two were pushed together to form a table.

The other two were placed normally as seats.

One large basin of noodles.

Two bowls.

Feng Siniang set down two pairs of chopsticks as well.

Originally, she had planned to eat together with Zheng Fan.

Now the Blind Man was getting the benefit instead.

“Blind Man, serve yourself.”

“Sure.”

The Blind Man picked up his chopsticks and began serving noodles.

“Why aren’t you using telekinesis?” Feng Siniang asked curiously.

“Noodles lifted with telekinesis have no soul.”

“Fine, fine. I can’t argue with you.

“Master, eat slowly. I’ll take some food to the others.”

“Wait. Do you have garlic?

“Noodles without garlic lose half their flavor.”

“Blind Man, I remember you never used to like garlic.”

“I suddenly feel like eating some.”

“Wait here. I’ll get it.”

Feng Siniang soon returned with a bowl of already-peeled garlic cloves.

Zheng Fan and the Blind Man sat facing one another.

Zheng Fan was genuinely hungry.

He lifted his chopsticks and immediately ate several mouthfuls.

“Master, have some garlic.”

The Blind Man picked up two cloves and held them out.

“I’m not used to eating it this way.”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“You should try.”

Zheng Fan hesitated, accepted the garlic, placed one clove into his mouth, and chewed.

“Master, another one?”

The Blind Man held out another clove.

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“You eat it.

“I can’t really get used to this.”

“I’m not eating it.

“It makes your breath smell.”

“…”

Zheng Fan.

“Life is the same, Master.

“If you aren’t accustomed to something, there’s no need to force yourself.

“If there’s something you don’t want to do, don’t force yourself to do it either.

“Don’t burden yourself unnecessarily.

“Perhaps in your previous life, Master lived far too ordinary a life, with too many rules and restrictions pressing down on you.

“But in this life, in this world, just make yourself happy.”

“I understand.”

“Actually, this subordinate isn’t worried about Master’s mental resilience.

“After all, you are the person capable of creating characters like us.”

“Are you praising me?”

“Yes, Master.”

“All right.”

“Master can also find someone to speak honestly with.

“For instance, me.

“Doing that can greatly ease the pressure on your mind.”

“I will.”

“Mm.”

“Right.

“We lost some men this time.”

“This subordinate already counted them when Master returned.”

“Can we replenish them?”

“In terms of troops capable of immediately entering battle, it will be difficult to replenish them quickly.”

The barbarian soldiers had originally come from penal tribes.

Every one of them was skilled in horsemanship and archery.

After a little ideological education and being equipped with quality armor, weapons, and horses, they became extremely capable cavalrymen.

But for Willow Fort in its current condition, there was simply no way to obtain an endless supply of such excellent recruits.

“However,” the Blind Man continued, “this subordinate believes recruiting more soldiers should not be our most urgent concern.

“First, we have already done what needed to be done.

“After this incident, Master has certainly left a deep impression on the Marquis of Jingnan.

“Next, it would be inappropriate for us to keep forcing ourselves into the spotlight.

“Otherwise, instead of being interesting, we would simply become irritating.

“Besides, before too long, large numbers of Yan convicts should be exiled to our borderlands.

“When the time comes, we’ll only complain that there are too many.

“Never too few.”

“You mean the aristocratic clans?”

“Master is wise.”

Once the Yan Emperor believed the time was ripe and began working with the Marquis of Zhenbei to put on their show, the knife would fall upon the aristocratic clans within Yan.

Those great families would inevitably run rivers of blood.

Countless people would certainly die.

But killing absolutely everyone was unrealistic.

Many clans would be declared guilty and sentenced to exile.

Batch after batch of convicts would inevitably be sent to the southern frontier, becoming “fuel” for the coming war against Qian.

Those convicts would themselves possess relatively high quality.

More importantly, they would have a powerful desire to earn merit and redeem their crimes, both for themselves and for their families, so they might escape their status as convicts.

The Blind Man set down his chopsticks.

“Master, this subordinate still needs to discuss some details in the construction plans with the craftsmen.

“I’ll take my leave and stop disturbing your rest.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Master is too courteous.”

After the Blind Man left, Zheng Fan put down his chopsticks as well.

He sat there doing nothing for a while.

Then he rose, turned a corner, walked to the entrance of a cramped room diagonally opposite, pushed open the door, and entered.

Inside stood a coffin.

To Zheng Fan’s surprise, an incense burner rested on the floor before it.

There were traces of burned incense ash inside.

Beside the burner was also a bowl whose rim still carried red stains.

Zheng Fan walked to the coffin and sat down with his back leaning against it.

“My first time personally taking troops out to fight.

“I was a little nervous.

“A little excited too.

“But you know something?

“The Qian people were even more useless than I expected…”

Often, when you wanted someone to confide in, it was surprisingly difficult to find the right person.

You did not want to expose your weakness or true emotions to others.

Yet at the same time, you wanted to share those emotions with someone.

It was contradictory.

And human beings were themselves creatures made of contradictions.

Perhaps it was a habit Zheng Fan had developed back in Meijiawu when they ate together every day.

He felt Shatuo Queshi made an excellent confidant.

He was dead, but not entirely dead.

He seemed able to hear every word you said, yet he also seemed destined never to speak again.

Leaning against the coffin, Zheng Fan rambled for a very long time.

He spoke about many people.

He spoke about many things.

By the time he finally grew tired and finished speaking, Zheng Fan released a long breath.

He felt that after going back and having a proper sleep, he would wake tomorrow full of energy again.

He stood up.

Just as he prepared to leave the room, he hesitated.

Out of basic politeness, Zheng Fan felt he ought to see Shatuo Queshi face-to-face and say good night.

He reached out and pushed aside the coffin lid.

The instant Zheng Fan looked inside, his entire face darkened.

“Why… are you in here?”

Lying inside the coffin was actually A’Ming.

He wore a neatly arranged evening suit.

A red paper flower rested over his chest, cut into the shape of a rose.

The air suddenly fell silent.

The atmosphere became awkward.

It was rather like entering a church confessional and telling the priest every secret in your heart, only to discover that the person sitting on the other side listening… was your own father.

“Master, I sleep in a coffin too.”

A’Ming began explaining.

Zheng Fan stared at him without speaking.

“Master, you entered the wrong room.

“Shatuo Queshi is next door.”

“Why didn’t you say anything at the beginning?”

A’Ming reached out and knocked on the wall of the coffin.

He said helplessly, “This damned soundproofing.”

“Oh.”

“Master, I actually only just woke up.”

“It’s fine.

“I believe you.”

“Master is wise.”

“Starting tomorrow, accompany me while I practice archery.”

“It would be this subordinate’s honor.

“This subordinate does indeed know some Western swordsmanship.”

“Archery.

“With a bow.”

“Mm?”

A sudden sense of foreboding rose inside A’Ming.

“I asked those barbarian soldiers who are good archers.

“They said using a living target produces the best results when practicing.”

“This subordinate understands.

“Tomorrow, this subordinate will go catch some animals so Master can…”

“I’m soft-hearted.

“Little animals are too pitiful.

“I can’t bring myself to shoot them.”

“…”

A’Ming.

(End of Chapter)