Chapter 179: Meet the Enemy

The Yan army began crossing the river.

Zheng Fan's force was among the first detachments across.

Liang Cheng sent scout riders outward to expand the security perimeter while reorganizing the troops into a defensive posture.

At the same time, he detached part of the force toward the ferry settlement to tear down houses and collect wooden planks.

Crossing a frozen river still carried considerable danger.

The ice was solid enough but too many men and horses would need to cross afterward.

To avoid an accident, they needed to build a temporary bridge as quickly as possible.

That was the purpose of a vanguard army.

When mountains blocked the way open the road.

When water blocked the way build a bridge.

Under Liang Cheng's arrangements, everything proceeded in perfect order.

Zheng Fan, meanwhile, brought several of his people to the place on the riverbank where Yuan Zhenxing had died.

The man had clearly possessed something wrong with his brain.

That was not merely Zheng Fan's judgment anymore.

Every Demon King had already reached the same conclusion.

Yuan Zhenxing had genuinely impressive strength.

Yet what had he accomplished?

Broken some ice.

Performed an impressive display.

And wasted a tiny handful of Yan arrows.

As for those arrows the Yan genuinely had no shortage of them.

The situation resembled what had happened during the First Sino-Japanese War in Zheng Fan's previous life, when Japanese troops landed and continuously captured Qing supply depots.

From the moment Li Fusheng's force began marching south they had never once suffered from a shortage of supplies.

If anything they constantly acquired so much material that they could not possibly carry all of it.

They had repeatedly ended up playing generous philanthropists and giving goods away.

When Zheng Fan reached the riverbank the little sword attendant was using every scrap of strength in his body to drag his master's corpse away.

The child might have been small.

But he possessed surprising strength.

Then again someone capable of carrying three swords alone naturally possessed a certain amount of power.

Yuan Zhenxing's body had been shot into a hedgehog.

Truthfully if the swordsman had remained hidden somewhere and waited until night to assassinate people, or simply waited for the army to cross and then charged into the crowd he probably could have inflicted far greater casualties.

Instead he had failed to kill a single Yan soldier.

A'Ming shook his head.

He removed his armor.

Then jumped directly into the freezing river.

A short while later—

A'Ming surfaced again.

Two swords were in his hands.

There was naturally no need to worry about A'Ming freezing.

Had anyone ever heard of a vampire dying from the cold?

These were the two swords Yuan Zhenxing had abandoned on the ice.

After Yuan Zhenxing's death both had fallen into the river.

A skilled swordsman naturally used fine swords.

Sometimes the value of a sword was rather similar to that of an antique.

A thick gold chain owned by some ordinary person and a chamber pot once used by an Emperor.

Which one was more valuable?

Zheng Fan accepted one of the swords.

He did not use swords himself but even he could feel that the weapon was extraordinary.

Exactly how should he describe it?

Zheng Fan genuinely lacked the vocabulary.

So he settled on the most grounded possible expression:

This thing was worth a fucking fortune!

Zheng Fan accepted the second sword too.

It was excellent as well.

Even in his hand, the blade carried a cold sensation distinctly different from the chill left by the icy water.

It felt almost as though the slightest carelessness would allow the sword to wound him by itself.

Unfortunately—

Zheng Fan was not a swordsman.

Though in his opinion carrying a sword really did look more handsome.

Across history how many swordsmen had initially chosen a life with the sword because it looked cool?

Probably quite a few.

"Keep them.

"If any of you feel like playing with them later, take one.

"Or give them away as gifts."

The swords were excellent.

But Zheng Fan spent most of his time on horseback.

Using a sword to stab people from the saddle was nowhere near as convenient as a saber.

Meanwhile, the little sword attendant was still dragging Yuan Zhenxing's corpse.

Every now and then, the child looked up and secretly glanced toward Zheng Fan's group.

Then continued pulling.

"Hey."

Zheng Fan called out.

He had been the one who ordered the archers to shoot at this little sword attendant earlier.

But if someone now asked Garrison Commander Zheng to order the child's execution directly to eliminate future trouble at the root he genuinely could not bring himself to be that ruthless.

At the same time he saw no real need.

The little sword attendant looked up at Zheng Fan.

Then said very seriously, "I'll give you those two swords.

"But I need to take my master's body."

"What are you taking it for?" Zheng Fan asked.

"To bury him."

As the child spoke he pulled out the third sword Yuan Zhenxing had still been holding when he died.

Not to attack anyone.

Instead he explained, "I need to sell this sword.

"Then I can buy my master a coffin."

This child was somewhat interesting.

"Don't bother.

"We'll bury him for you.

"Give me that sword too.

"All right?"

The three swords were probably a matched set.

When collecting things naturally, having the full set was preferable.

The little sword attendant hesitated.

Then nodded and threw the sword at Zheng Fan's feet.

"Help me bury Master."

"Ah Li.

"Find a coffin.

"Help bury the man."

The ferry settlement was a small town.

Tiny though it was, it still possessed all the necessary shops.

Including a coffin shop.

Fan Li nodded.

He walked forward.

Lifted Yuan Zhenxing's body onto his shoulder then strode into the town.

Not long afterward—

Fan Li returned carrying a coffin on his left shoulder.

Yuan Zhenxing's corpse should already have been placed inside.

"Where do you want him buried?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Want us to find some auspicious geomantic ground?"

"Master died here.

"So bury him here," the little sword attendant said.

"The river floods in summer," the Blind Man reminded him.

"The coffin may be submerged."

"Serves Master right.

"He only did something this stupid because his brain was filled with water.

"After death, he can soak in some more."

"Fine.

"Then we bury him here."

Zheng Fan nodded toward Fan Li.

Fan Li grunted in acknowledgment.

He set the coffin down.

Then began digging.

"What are you planning to do afterward?" Zheng Fan asked the little sword attendant.

The child did not answer immediately.

Instead he asked Zheng Fan, "What's your name?"

"My name is Li Fusheng."

"Li Fusheng.

"I'll remember you!"

"Then what?"

"Master said I was born as a sword embryo.

"I'll go back and practice the sword for twenty or thirty years.

"Then I'll come find you and take revenge."

"You're not worried I'll simply kill you now?

"Then you won't have any future."

"You won't."

"Why?"

"Because you're falsely benevolent and fake righteous.

"You're a genuine petty villain.

"If you kill me, your conscience will bother you.

"A person like you would never willingly make yourself suffer."

"............" Zheng Fan.

A smile appeared at the corner of the Blind Man's mouth.

Killing the child really would make Zheng Fan uncomfortable.

But hearing the child say it aloud made Zheng Fan even more uncomfortable.

Still truthfully, Zheng Fan was not especially afraid of some promise twenty or thirty years in the future.

Ignore whether he could even live safely for another twenty or thirty years.

If he did survive that long and still had not made something of himself then he really might as well let this grown child finish him off.

Fan Li dug extremely quickly.

And the pit was deep.

Watching him—

Zheng Fan felt that if Fan Li had lived in his previous world, construction bosses would have absolutely adored him.

He was practically a human excavator.

Soon—

Fan Li lowered the coffin inside.

Then began covering it with soil.

Before long, an extremely perfunctory grave stood beside the river.

By next summer rising Bian River water would probably submerge it completely.

"Thank you, big idiot."

The little sword attendant bowed to Fan Li.

Fan Li scratched the helmet on his head with a rather foolish expression.

Then reached out and rubbed the child's head.

"Master.

"This little girl is interesting," the Blind Man suddenly said.

The little sword attendant froze.

Zheng Fan looked surprised too.

"It's a girl?"

"Mm.

"A little girl."

If the Blind Man said she was a girl then she was naturally a girl.

He might not be able to see with his eyes but his mental perception worked almost like X-rays.

Whether someone was a woman disguised as a man or a man dressing as a woman there were certain fundamental parts that could not truly be hidden.

Then, the Blind Man turned toward the little sword attendant.

"Do you think I would kill you?"

Fear appeared in the girl's eyes.

She nodded.

"You would."

The Blind Man nodded in satisfaction.

"Since you understand that—then follow us."

"Give her to the Fourth Lady?" Zheng Fan asked.

The Blind Man shook his head.

"She bears a blood feud against us.

"Giving her to the Fourth Lady isn't suitable.

"We'll simply keep her close for now.

"A natural sword embryo...

"Although I don't practice swordsmanship myself, I understand roughly how this world's cultivation works.

"The young girls under the Fourth Lady all need to learn disguise and deception from childhood.

"That could cloud a sword embryo.

"It would be too wasteful."

Then, the Blind Man pointed toward Fan Li.

"Ah Li.

"She follows you."

Fan Li nodded.

He bent down.

Lifted the little sword attendant.

Then placed her on his shoulder.

The girl looked baffled.

"You people are my enemies.

"And you actually dare let me stay with you?"

"You've seen too little of the world," the Blind Man said disdainfully.

At the same time—

Fan Li turned his head toward the girl.

"You've seen too little of the world."

Then, Fan Li reached up and rubbed the girl's head again.

From the very beginning—

Fan Li seemed to possess a kind of fondness for the little girl, almost as though looking at a younger sister.

One had to remember this giant might normally look slow and foolish.

But his favorite pastime was still using an axe to carve people into human sticks.

"............" The little sword attendant.

"Let's make an agreement.

"Twenty years from now—we'll give you the opportunity to kill our Master.

"But during these twenty years, if you dare use even the slightest scheme or trick against us—you won't have the chance to grow up."

The little sword attendant pursed her lips.

She looked at the Blind Man.

Then said, "I originally thought only my Master had water in his brain.

"Turns out... your brains are a little waterlogged too."

"Do you agree or not?" the Blind Man asked.

"I agree.

"Only an idiot would refuse.

"You people have to feed me.

"And give me somewhere to live!"

"We're not short of that little silver."

Zheng Fan waved one hand indifferently.

There was already more than one "filial child" living at Green Willow Fortress.

Adding another little girl hardly mattered.

Truthfully if this little girl genuinely grew into a great swordsman in the future the feeling of raising her might be rather enjoyable.

Especially if she became a female Sword Immortal.

Imagine it.

Years later—

Zheng Fan's hair would be half white.

He would sit in a grand armchair.

Before him a female Sword Immortal of peerless bearing would bite her lip, struggling over whether she should kill him while calling him Adoptive Father.

Zheng Fan would remain seated.

Watching her approach one step at a time with sword in hand.

Watching her cry.

Watching tears gather in her eyes.

He would remain perfectly still.

Maintaining absolute dignity.

Then roar at her:

What are you hesitating for?

Didn't you swear you would kill this old man?

"Adoptive Father..."

"You old villain!

"Stop forcing me!

"Stop forcing me!"

"Kill me!

"Hurry up and strike!

"Kill this old man!"

"Why aren't you dodging?

"Why won't you dodge?"

Heh.

Now that had artistic flavor.

Just then a scout rider came thundering back.

He shouted, "QIAN TROOPS DISCOVERED TWENTY LI SOUTH!"

The cry ripped Garrison Commander Zheng straight out of the dramatic scene he had been directing inside his own head.

He glanced once more at the little sword attendant sitting on Fan Li's shoulder.

Then, drew his saber and mounted.

And shouted, "MEET THE ENEMY!"

(End of Chapter)