Chapter 285: Flowers Bloom, Flowers Fall

The Blind Man’s character setup had always been clear.

Back in the comic, he had been a psychologist.

And a psychologist had to know how to talk.

A psychologist who could not talk always felt as though something was missing.

Later, the Blind Man had grown dissatisfied with having only one profession and begun moonlighting.

One thing led to another. He fooled enough people, and before he knew it, he had somehow founded a Shoe Cult.

After coming to this world, he had even set up a fortune-telling stall and earned the group the first pot of money they used to open their inn.

When it came to fooling people, the talent had truly been born into him.

Of course, deception depended on the heart.

As the saying went, a man without desires was unyielding.

And precisely because people did have desires, there was always a gap through which one could enter.

The Blind Man had seen the Sword Saint’s confusion.

That was why he extended an olive branch.

Forget everything else.

Just imagine the walls of Shengle City someday in the future.

Master stood there.

Before him elite iron cavalry.

Behind him the Seven Demon Kings.

And at his side the Sword Saint of the age.

The Blind Man felt that with Zheng Fan’s love of spectacle and showing off, a scene like that would absolutely excite him so much he would lose sleep.

The jianghu of this world was not that exaggerated.

Nor were the Martial Artists of this world that absurdly powerful.

Dynasties still rose and fell beneath waves of steel and iron cavalry.

But if they could truly bring a great Buddha like the Sword Saint into Shengle City then once war actually broke out, whichever wall he stood upon would effectively gain another thousand cavalry by itself.

Inside the carriage, Ding Heng and Cui Linfeng exchanged glances.

Both wisely kept silent.

They understood perfectly well that they were not qualified to speak here.

The Sword Saint’s reputation was simply too great.

For ten years, his name had pressed down upon the jianghu of Jin without anyone able to stand beside him.

And as for the Blind Man, who at first had seemed like nothing more than a shameless flatterer, the words he had spoken earlier to the State of Qian’s Silver-Armored Guard had already revealed no small amount of bearing.

The Blind Man knew how to seize the moment.

First, he lifted the curtain and handed the child back to Ding Heng.

Then he said, “The two of you are both well-known figures in the jianghu of the Jin lands.

“The State of Jin may be gone now, but surely both of you understand what sort of disaster will befall the people here if the savages truly break through.

“So I sincerely ask the two of you to set aside disputes between factions and sects and come to Shengle City with us to defend the frontier for the sake of the people of Jin.

“Right and wrong are things small men argue over with their tongues.

“A true man—or a true heroine—need only hold justice in the heart, and the Great Dao lies there.”

It was beautifully said.

In truth, people of the jianghu, if they had the connections, generally wanted to become someone’s dog.

Even those scholars who constantly pretended to be aloof and pure spent every day dreaming of selling their talents to the imperial household.

Ding Heng cupped his fists toward the Blind Man.

Then he looked at the Sword Saint and said, “I, Ding, am willing to follow Lord Sword Saint.

“If the brothers in my gang learn there is such an opportunity, they will naturally be delighted as well.”

Cui Linfeng covered her mouth and laughed, the heavy fullness of her chest swaying again and again.

“Same for me.

“Once we reach the place, I’ll send a letter back to the stronghold.

“The First Chief and the others will definitely be tempted.”

“In that case, on behalf of the people of the Jin lands, I thank both of you for your righteousness!”

With that, the Blind Man bowed deeply to Ding Heng and Cui Linfeng.

The two hurriedly stepped aside, not daring to accept such a salute.

The carriage continued onward, openly and without the slightest attempt at concealment.

The Sword Saint suddenly turned to the Blind Man seated beside him and said, “You are quite a figure.”

“My lord praises me too highly.”

“But now I’m even more curious.

“That City Defender of Shengle who managed to take you in as a subordinate—is he truly the lowly, doglike thing you described earlier?”

“Does my lord know why people say, ‘A fine bird chooses the tree in which it roosts’?”

“Hm? Why?”

“Because fine birds frequently have terrible eyesight.”

“Are you blind?

“Ah...”

The Sword Saint shook his head.

Then he added, “Forget I asked.”

...

The next morning, Zheng Fan had just finished washing up.

When he opened the guest-room door, he found Li Yiyong standing outside with a group of men.

They had originally been sitting on chairs, practically blocking most of the second-floor corridor.

But every one of them wore armor.

So neither the innkeeper nor the guests passing through dared complain much.

The Jin lands had only recently been annexed.

The fighting had ended less than half a year ago.

People’s fear of soldiers and weapons remained very fresh.

The moment Zheng Fan opened the door, Li Yiyong immediately stood.

Everyone else rose with him.

Then, right there in the corridor, they all dropped to their knees in perfect unison.

“Greetings, General!”

“Greetings, General!”

Zheng Fan was somewhat surprised.

He pointed into the room.

“Come inside.”

Once everyone had entered, Li Yiyong began making introductions.

“General, these are all officers of Lieutenant Commander rank and above from the entire camp.

“They have come on behalf of all the soldiers to thank the General for yesterday’s reward.”

“Sit wherever you can find room.”

“Many thanks, General.”

“Many thanks, General.”

Li Yiyong’s tact surprised Zheng Fan somewhat.

Yesterday, A’Ming had even suggested the man might take Zheng Fan’s generosity and turn it into a personal favor for himself.

Instead, Li Yiyong had behaved very honestly.

Not only had he brought the senior officers over first thing in the morning to give thanks, he had also brought some local specialties from the Jin lands.

There was no gold or silver.

Only goods from around Litian City.

Not much either.

Each man carried a small gift.

It was simply a gesture of sincerity.

After everyone had met Zheng Fan, spoken with him, and introduced themselves, Li Yiyong rose at the appropriate moment and led the officers away, careful not to interfere with Zheng Fan’s affairs.

Once they had gone, A’Ming leaned against the doorframe, shook his head, and said, “This Li Yiyong really is opening my eyes.”

“That only proves he can see farther than most,” Zheng Fan replied.

A’Ming nodded.

“Looks like we picked up a treasure.”

“Tian Wujing gave him to us.”

“I know. I know.

“Master, what do you want to eat?

“I’ll have the inn prepare something.”

“Anything is fine.”

“Master, are we leaving tomorrow?”

“Mm.

“This afternoon, I’ll try visiting the Marquis’s residence.”

They were leaving tomorrow.

By sentiment, Zheng Fan was supposed to be godfather to Tian Wujing’s child.

By propriety, he had just been promoted by the Marquis of Jingnan.

Either way, he ought to pay a visit.

Strictly according to etiquette, Zheng Fan should have gone to thank the Marquis for the promotion the previous night.

But the atmosphere at the residence was hardly suited to networking and cultivating connections.

And Zheng Fan knew Tian Wujing would not hold a slight delay in coming to offer thanks against him.

“The Blind Man still hasn’t arrived,” A’Ming added.

“Didn’t realize the two of you were so close.”

“Just a ritual expression of concern.

“Based on the distance and the timing, even if the Blind Man had ridden a donkey for the final stretch, he should have arrived by now.”

“Think positively.

“He was probably delayed by something.”

“Mm.”

After a simple lunch at the inn, Zheng Fan got up and headed for the Marquis’s residence.

But the gates were tightly shut.

The funeral had taken place yesterday.

Today the residence was sealed.

Rows of armored soldiers stood outside, and all visitors were refused.

It did not matter whether someone had come to offer incense or pay condolences.

Everyone was turned away.

Zheng Fan stepped forward and tried to use his connections.

After all, he felt he counted as someone “special.”

But the Lieutenant Commander who had given him that meaningful look last time simply shook his head.

“Lord Zheng, the Marquis issued a strict order.

“No visitors whatsoever.

“Even the palace eunuch who came today to deliver an imperial decree was unable to enter this gate.”

There was nothing Zheng Fan could do.

He could only retrace his steps and return to the inn.

“Master, couldn’t see him?”

A’Ming was sitting in the room drinking red wine.

Before Eunuch Zhang left, he had given A’Ming another supply.

Zheng Fan shook his head.

A’Ming smiled.

“Interesting.

“Has the Marquis of Jingnan shut himself away from the world?”

“I don’t know.

“Let’s focus on our own business instead.

“Have all those shopkeepers and caravan leaders been settled in?”

“They have.

“They’ll leave with us tomorrow and return to Shengle.”

“Mm.”

Zheng Fan sat down beside the bed and stretched.

He was not sleepy.

There was no entertainment here.

And with Litian City in its current mood, most places of amusement had shut their doors anyway.

Yet there was nothing serious he needed to do either.

“Master,” A’Ming said, “I heard some of the people below talking just now.

“They said the Marquis of Jingnan also ordered a Chief Commander named Chen Yang to take ten thousand men from his own formation and rotate with Ren Juan at Xinsu City.”

“I met Chen Yang a few days ago.”

The day Zheng Fan entered the Marquis’s residence, Chen Yang and Luo Ling, the two Jingnan Army Chief Commanders, had both been kneeling in the covered corridor.

“Is he making preparations against the savages?” A’Ming asked.

“Probably.

“There should be other troops sent over later as well.

“They’ll form a defensive line in case the Situ Clan really collapses and the savages ride the momentum westward.

“This is actually pretty good for us.

“Shengle City may not count as part of the main theater, but at the very least, we’ve been elevated into a supporting war zone.

“And now we have those five thousand Jin troops too.

“Once Liang Cheng and the Blind Man knock them into shape, they’ll probably become another iron cavalry force.

“After that, we’ll have much more justification when asking the court for men, money, and grain.

“We may insist on an independent, self-reliant path of development, but anyone who refuses to take advantage of public resources is a bastard.”

Back when the Demon Kings had gathered together for a meeting, Zheng Fan had emphasized the importance of infantry.

After all, they would still need infantry when attacking cities in the future.

They could hardly expect horseshoes to batter down fortress walls.

But at the end of the day cavalry was still wonderful.

A’Ming laughed.

“Master, tell me something.

“The Marquis of Jingnan suddenly gives you status, then gives you troops.

“What do you think he’d feel if he knew the Blind Man and the others spend every day at home shouting about rebellion?”

A’Ming had spoken casually.

But Zheng Fan, who had still been smiling, suddenly froze.

A’Ming looked puzzled.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

Zheng Fan drew a deep breath.

It was as though some knot in his mind had suddenly loosened.

He rubbed his chin hard with both hands.

Then slowly said, “Tell me... what if the Marquis of Jingnan saw through us a long time ago?”

...

The Marquis of Jingnan’s residence now resembled a desolate prison.

And inside that prison, one man had locked himself away.

A man who dared sever himself from the entire world.

A man whom not even an imperial decree from His Majesty could disturb.

Half the azaleas in the garden had fallen.

Half still clung to the branches.

No one dared enter to clean, so the ground was covered in petals ground into mud.

Tian Wujing sat on the stone steps.

Silently, he looked over the garden of dying flowers.

He had planted those flowers with his own hands.

A man long accustomed to holding a saber had clumsily arranged the garden himself.

And she, her belly already swollen, had sat over there.

Clumsily learning needlework, smiling as she watched him tidy the garden.

Now the flowers had bloomed.

The flowers had fallen.

She had gone away.

And never returned...

[End of Chapter 285]