Chapter 371: What Does It Have to Do with Me?

“Achoo!”

Ji Chengjue, sitting inside the carriage, could not help sneezing.

The night outside still carried a chill.

And lately, he had clearly been indulging himself a little too heavily.

The morning after Young Lady He’s first night, the sight of her getting up early and calmly dressing herself had struck Sixth Highness’s masculine pride like a hammer.

So naturally he had needed to redouble his efforts day and night until the dignity of the husband was restored!

At last, after Ji Chengjue’s tireless work—

Young Lady He learned how to fake an orgasm.

“Master, you should get inside the carriage and avoid the wind. It’s cold outside,” Eunuch Zhang advised.

Ji Chengjue shook his head and gestured forward with his chin.

A graceful woman stood there.

His future elder sister-in-law.

The Barbarian King’s daughter.

The Pearl of the Desert.

This entire group was waiting outside Yanjing for the First Prince to return.

As a defeated commander, even though Ji Wujiang had later redeemed part of his failure through service, there was naturally no triumphant welcome waiting for him.

He could only return quietly at night.

Preferably without disturbing anyone.

And because he was bringing so many women back with him, his convoy had been unable to travel quickly.

Still tonight, he had finally returned.

When the carriage convoy appeared in the distance, the Barbarian Princess removed a wineskin and knelt on the ground.

This was a custom among women of the desert tribes.

When welcoming a husband home from war the first thing he should drink upon returning was milk wine brewed by his wife.

Ji Chengjue straightened and wiped his slightly damp nose.

The convoy came to a stop.

The First Prince stepped down.

Ji Chengjue immediately bowed.

“This younger brother welcomes Elder Brother home from campaign.”

As he spoke, Eunuch Zhang presented a small tray.

On it sat one egg, one rice cake, and a bowl of rice wine.

This was an old Yan custom used by common families welcoming sons and soldiers home from war.

There had been a time when sons of the Ji Clan had returned beneath the very same ritual.

The First Prince walked past his wife first and came to his younger brother.

He helped Ji Chengjue upright, lifted the rice wine, and drained it.

Then he took the rice cake and bit deeply into it.

After that he bit into the egg.

Only then did he go to his wife, accept the milk wine from her hands, and drink a large mouthful.

The Barbarian Princess finally stood.

A sweet smile appeared on her face.

She had little guile.

Her nature was as clear as a spring in the desert.

Compared with that Commandery Princess the contrast was enormous.

Perhaps the Barbarian King himself understood that no matter how scheming a daughter he sent into Yanjing, she would never outplay the people already there.

He might as well send one who was simple and sincere.

The Barbarian Royal Court and the Ji Clan carried a blood feud soaked through generations.

Several emperors and princes of the Ji Clan had died in the desert.

Had the Barbarian Royal Court suffered any less?

But the Barbarian King believed that no matter how ruthless the men of the Ji Clan were, they should still disdain harming a woman who was genuinely innocent and simple.

Even if she was a barbarian.

“Husband has lost weight.”

In front of his younger brother, the First Prince clearly was not comfortable with such intimacy.

So he answered:

“There are some women in the carriages behind me.”

“Pfft...”

The Sixth Prince could not hold it in.

He laughed so hard his stomach hurt.

The Barbarian Princess smiled and nodded.

“This concubine will arrange everything for them.

“Husband need not worry.”

“Good.”

Then, the Barbarian Princess walked toward the rear carriages.

She knew her husband wished to speak with his Sixth Brother.

Men liked women who were simple.

But simple did not mean stupid.

“Elder Brother, let’s talk inside the carriage.

“We can take our time on the way back into the city.”

The First Prince and Sixth Prince climbed into the carriage together.

“Thinking back now,” Ji Wujiang said, “I do somewhat regret not listening to you.

“I should have made greater use of Zheng Fan earlier.”

“Elder Brother’s defeat was not truly a fault of battle.”

“Save the pretty words between brothers.

“This time I’ve come back and my marriage is imminent.

“Keep the pretty words for the wedding day.”

“Among all of us brothers, Elder Brother understands military affairs best.

“How can you sink into despair so easily?”

“I made the mistake.

“So I have to carry it.

“The lonely ghosts inside the Wang River come into my dreams often.

“They were all good sons of Great Yan.

“Yet because of my failure— they ended inside the bellies of fish.”

“That part, Elder Brother can finally let go.”

Ji Chengjue leaned back slightly.

“An eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch arrived yesterday.

“The Prince of Jingnan slaughtered the Azure Luan Army clean from commander to common soldier.

“He even had their corpses thrown into the Wang River so they could drift downstream the same way.”

The First Prince’s expression shook.

Then he released a long breath.

His eyes closed.

He slowly savored the news.

“The court is furious.

“Imperial Father looks quite furious too.

“So he issued an edict stripping the Prince of Jingnan of his princely title.

“He’s the Marquis of Jingnan again now.

“The decree-bearing eunuch only left Yanjing today.”

“Heh.”

The First Prince laughed.

Then, his fist clenched.

“They deserved killing.”

Naturally, he was not referring to Tian Wujing.

He meant the Chu.

Then the First Prince looked at Ji Chengjue.

“In that case, Second Brother’s wedding will be delayed again.”

“Exactly.

“After slaughtering all those Chu prisoners, Heaven knows how Chu will react.

“Elder Brother’s wedding, on the other hand, will probably be accelerated.”

Great Yan needed to prepare for threats from the east.

That meant it needed to soothe the desert as quickly as possible.

The marriage alliance had to be pushed forward.

Besides, Ji Wujiang was returning as a defeated commander.

His wedding could easily be handled quietly and simply.

The Crown Prince’s marriage was different.

That required great ceremony.

And great ceremony was inappropriate under the present circumstances.

“When I stayed at the last relay station,” the First Prince said, “I heard you’re handling affairs at the Ministry of Revenue now?”

“This younger brother rested long enough.

“Eventually I had to find something to do.

“We both know what Imperial Father wants above all else.

“But if he intends to accomplish those great undertakings, money and grain are indispensable.

“It just happens that this younger brother understands merchant affairs slightly better than most.

“That’s the only reason Imperial Father remembered the son he had thrown into a forgotten corner.”

“If you have the opportunity to work, then work properly.”

“Yes.

“This younger brother understands.”

The carriage continued swaying onward.

After a long silence the First Prince spoke again.

“Your sister-in-law comes with ten thousand barbarian cavalrymen as her dowry.

“The Barbarian King is old.

“He needs to prepare the road for his successor.

“Great Yan, meanwhile, has to face Chu and Qian.

“So for the next several years, no one wants war in the desert.

“We absolutely have to accept this dowry of ten thousand cavalry.

“But I cannot command them.”

The corner of Ji Chengjue’s mouth lifted.

He immediately guessed the answer.

“So Zheng Fan gets another bargain?”

“Zheng Fan said four words to me:

“Use barbarians to control barbarians.”

“That fits perfectly.

“Throw those four words into court and the ministers will all nod and praise them.

“It scratches exactly where they itch.”

“Then tell me.

“Should I give them to him or not?”

“The decision isn’t really ours anymore.

“Whether you want to give them to him or not will not affect whether Zheng Fan receives them.

“First Tian Wujing is made Prince.

“Then his title is stripped.

“But to our dear uncle— what difference does it make whether he is Prince of Jingnan or Marquis of Jingnan?

“The Jingnan Army still obeys him.

“And now the entire Eastern Expedition Army has effectively been added beneath his command too.

“Imperial Father and the Marquis of Jingnan are singing a duet.

“Only my poor Second Brother actually believed all this treaty business mattered and worked himself half to death over it.

“Truthfully— no one important ever gave a damn about that bullshit treaty.”

The First Prince listened and slowly nodded.

“These ten thousand barbarian cavalry will definitely be transferred into Jin territory.

“Leaving them inside Yan proper would be unsafe.

“And once they enter Jin, given how the Marquis of Jingnan favors Zheng Fan— if he doesn’t give them to Zheng Fan, who else would receive them?

“So Elder Brother should simply marry with peace of mind.

“The dowry was basically decided long ago.”

A bitter smile appeared on the First Prince’s face.

“But the two of us aren’t completely useless either.”

“You can still help Imperial Father manage money and grain.

“What exactly can I do?”

“There really is something.

“The earlier Zhenbei Army campaign trampling the great clans moved too quickly.

“There are still quite a few loose ends that need cleaning up.

“As long as Elder Brother isn’t afraid of offending people—

I’ll go speak to Imperial Father for you.”

“As long as I’m not imprisoned inside some princely residence for the rest of my life—

I’m not afraid of offending anyone.”

“Heh.

“This younger brother was waiting for exactly those words.

“Elder Brother, relax.

“The two of us will not waste away in idleness.”

“If I sit on your ship, I may genuinely drown.”

“And yet Elder Brother still chose my ship.”

“If I sit on Second Brother’s ship— that ship will never move again.”

“True.

“That’s the logic.”

The carriage continued forward.

The First Prince lifted the curtain.

Outside was darkness.

Nothing of Yanjing’s nighttime outskirts could really be seen.

After a while he spoke again.

“Zheng Fan is ambitious.”

The First Prince had turned the thought over repeatedly.

In the end, he still decided to say it.

Even if he had effectively chosen to stand on Sixth Brother’s side, he remained a son of the Ji Clan.

Some things had to be spoken aloud.

“Who isn’t ambitious?” Ji Chengjue asked.

“That’s true.”

The First Prince nodded.

“If someone had no ambition at all, why would he climb aboard our ship?

“Wouldn’t following Second Brother be safer?”

“Indeed.”

“Elder Brother has commanded armies.

“You understand the importance of military power far better than I do.

“How did Imperial Father break the deadlock years ago?

“It wasn’t by dividing alliances.

“Not by balancing factions.

“Not by slowly plotting step after step.

“At the root of it— the Marquis of Zhenbei and Marquis of Jingnan led iron cavalry into the imperial palace that day and followed behind Imperial Father.

“They broke the situation open with naked steel!

“And they broke it cleanly.

“Like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

“So we need one of our own who commands soldiers.

“In the Ministry of Revenue’s next round of money and grain allocations to the Three Jin—

I’m directly tilting resources toward Snow Sea Pass.

“Heh.”

“Even so,” the First Prince said, “aren’t you afraid people will become suspicious?”

Ji Chengjue smiled.

“Our Imperial Father is far too proud.

“Whoever I try to win over— he’ll try to win over even more generously.

“The better I treat Zheng Fan, the more Imperial Father will throw at him.

“And besides— when I used to hide my abilities and bide my time, did people stop suspecting me?

“Brother.

“Speaking from the heart— sometimes I genuinely wish Imperial Father had not liked me so much when I was young.

“I wish he had never said I resembled him.

“If he hadn’t— perhaps I could learn from Fifth Brother.

“Sit quietly at home.

“Do a little carpentry.

“And while working, watch the rest of you fight until your brains splattered all over the floor.

“Wouldn’t that be delightful?”

...

Inside the coffin stood Sha Tuo Queshi.

Outside the tent stood Tian Wujing.

One was the former Left Guli King of the barbarians.

The other the present Prince of Jingnan of Great Yan.

One had been dead for a very long time.

One was still alive.

Had Sha Tuo Queshi not died years ago outside the Marquis of Zhenbei’s Residence because of the Sha Tuo Tribe affair, then perhaps the two men might eventually have met on a Yan–Barbarian battlefield.

But fate had played its tricks.

Their first meeting came under these circumstances.

And the only witness was the infant inside the cradle.

Tian Wujing showed little shock at Sha Tuo Queshi’s appearance.

Long ago, while in Shengle City, he had already sensed a peculiar aura inside Zheng Fan’s General’s Residence.

The Sword Saint had sensed it too.

Once cultivation reached their level, a person naturally developed a certain resonance with the surrounding world.

And Sha Tuo Queshi was now a great zombie.

No matter how tightly he suppressed his aura, at close range he could not completely hide from the sixth sense of experts on Tian Wujing’s level.

Tian Wujing did not personally know Sha Tuo Queshi.

But that did not prevent him from guessing.

“The former Left Guli King of the barbarians died outside the Marquis of Zhenbei’s Residence.

“His corpse was later stirred by the rites of barbarian priests and escaped during the disturbance.

“The world believed that body must have returned to the Barbarian Royal Court.

“Unexpectedly— it was here.

“In that brat’s hands.”

As Tian Wujing spoke, a smile gradually appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He did not mind Zheng Fan possessing secrets.

The more potential a person possessed, the more secrets he tended to carry—and the more hidden things he could rely upon.

Tian Wujing had always been extremely tolerant toward Zheng Fan.

Sha Tuo Queshi did not speak.

Nor did he greet Tian Wujing.

He simply stood there in silence and watched him.

“Left Guli King.”

Tian Wujing spoke the identity aloud.

And he understood perfectly well that Sha Tuo Queshi was here to protect someone.

Put differently—

Zheng Fan had been willing to place an existence of this level beside Tian Wujing’s son as a bodyguard.

That alone showed how seriously the godfather regarded the child.

But when Tian Wujing took another step forward—

Sha Tuo Queshi’s eyes widened instantly.

The aura around his body locked onto Tian Wujing.

The desert barbarian priests had long practiced corpse-refining arts.

Similar methods had once been popular among Chu shamans as well.

Tian Wujing knew that existences revived through such methods had indeed acquired another form of “life,” but their minds often became extremely simple.

Still he had already come this far.

He could not simply turn around and leave.

He had no idea when he would get another opportunity to see his son.

So Tian Wujing took another step.

*Hum—!*

Sha Tuo Queshi moved.

His figure vanished from the coffin.

Then appeared directly in front of Tian Wujing.

One fist drove straight toward Tian Wujing’s face.

With the reinforced body of a zombie layered atop the flesh of a man who had once been a Third Grade Martial Artist, Sha Tuo Queshi might no longer possess his old cultivation realm.

But in pure physical strength he was stronger, not weaker, than an ordinary Fourth Grade Martial Artist.

Tian Wujing’s gaze sharpened.

He raised a hand.

*Thoom.*

A dull impact sounded.

Tian Wujing caught Sha Tuo Queshi’s fist directly in his left palm.

The shockwave drove his white hair backward.

His body did not move at all.

More importantly as a zombie, Sha Tuo Queshi did not dare create too much commotion.

Somewhere in the unseen world, he could sense a pair of eyes watching him from the heavens.

That was also why the Demon Child usually behaved with unusual restraint.

Evil things like them if too careless were liable to be struck by lightning.

Tian Wujing likewise had no desire to create a large disturbance.

He had come only to quietly look at his son.

So their first exchange made almost no spectacle.

It began with the force of thunder and storm.

Yet landed like spring wind brushing the face.

Still the ease with which Tian Wujing received Sha Tuo Queshi’s punch was astonishing.

Sha Tuo Queshi’s attack did not end there.

While alive, he had once stood alone outside the Marquis of Zhenbei’s Residence and faced thousands of Zhenbei cavalrymen without fear.

Now that he was dead fear mattered even less.

In the next instant, baleful qi erupted from Sha Tuo Queshi’s body.

Seen from a distance it looked like black fire burning around him.

Tian Wujing stepped forward.

He forced himself directly into Sha Tuo Queshi’s guard.

Then both hands seized Sha Tuo Queshi’s shoulders.

With an overwhelmingly brutal movement—

Tian Wujing forced him downward.

*Boom!*

Sha Tuo Queshi’s entire body was driven into the ground.

Only his head remained above the surface.

That was the nature of combat between Martial Artists.

It lacked the elegant beauty of Sword Immortals.

It lacked the dazzling spectacle of Qi Refiners.

What remained was heavy, plain, brutally substantial force.

In short not particularly worthy of the audience’s ticket price.

Only true experts understood how terrifying the power inside every apparently simple exchange actually was.

In the distance, the Blind Man had been closely observing the fight.

He could not help asking A’Ming beside him:

“How would that punch feel if you took it?”

A’Ming shook his head.

“I wouldn’t even get the chance to regenerate.”

“Huu...”

The Blind Man exhaled.

He had already ordered the soldiers guarding the perimeter to withdraw.

In effect he had proactively cleared the entire area.

Some matters could be ignored by Zheng Fan as Master.

The Blind Man, as chief steward, could not afford to overlook the small arrangements required in advance.

The migration column had crossed the river.

The Prince of Jingnan was in the nearby military camp.

Under circumstances like these, it was perfectly natural that Tian Wujing might want to come secretly see his son.

And of course he would come in secret.

Removing outsiders from the area was essential.

Unfortunately, they could not send Sha Tuo Queshi away either.

Far too many factions were watching the Young Prince.

There might be hidden experts nearby at any moment.

So after balancing one consideration against another they had ended up with the scene before them.

Fortunately—

Sha Tuo Queshi did not seem to be Tian Wujing’s match.

Yet even that “fortunately” made the Blind Man slightly uncomfortable.

No matter how powerful Tian Wujing was, Tian Wujing belonged to himself.

Sha Tuo Queshi was one of theirs.

The Demon Kings often joked privately that Sha Tuo Queshi was the godfather their Master had somehow picked up outside.

And Sha Tuo Queshi had performed better than any godfather had a right to.

Flawlessly.

Once emotion became involved, the Blind Man naturally wanted to cheer for his own man.

“The Prince of Jingnan is genuinely terrifying,” A’Ming said.

Even if Tian Wujing had been placed inside their old comic he would unquestionably have carried a protagonist template.

For a Demon King to offer that judgment was already extraordinarily high praise.

Meanwhile, Sha Tuo Queshi had not given up despite being driven into the ground.

His body shook.

The surrounding earth immediately began collapsing across a small area.

Tian Wujing showed slight surprise.

This opponent’s current realm did not appear especially high, yet the toughness of his body exceeded common sense.

And this man happened to be his son’s bodyguard.

After tonight—

Sha Tuo Queshi would continue protecting the child.

So Tian Wujing did not want to injure him severely.

Even from Tian Wujing’s own perspective, having such a powerful protector beside his son would obviously make the boy’s future much safer.

Add the Shengle Army’s protection and almost no one under Heaven could easily reach his child.

As for whether Sha Tuo Queshi was a zombie whether he counted as some evil creature the Prince of Jingnan genuinely did not care.

The next instant—

Tian Wujing’s aura suddenly surged again.

It felt as though streak after streak of white force descended from above and crushed directly onto Sha Tuo Queshi’s body.

That terrifying zombie flesh was completely sealed in the blink of an eye.

“Wrong.

“Something’s wrong.”

The Blind Man, still “watching” the battle, immediately whispered.

The strength Tian Wujing had just revealed exceeded his previous estimate.

A’Ming placed one hand on the Blind Man’s shoulder.

“When the Sword Saint killed that savage commander outside Snow Sea Pass— a similar aura appeared.”

Meaning what they called:

**forcing open Second Grade.**

Before the power of a Second Grade Martial Artist no matter how unusual Sha Tuo Queshi’s zombie body might be, it still appeared painfully weak.

The instant Sha Tuo Queshi’s body was restrained, blue light spilled from the fingertips of Tian Wujing’s left hand.

This was a Mystic Cultivator’s technique.

A seal for suppressing evil creatures.

The blue light struck Sha Tuo Queshi.

His body immediately fell silent.

His eyes closed.

Only then did Tian Wujing return fully to the ground.

His body swayed slightly.

At the same time his gaze shifted toward the distant location where the Blind Man and A’Ming stood.

“Hiss...”

The Blind Man immediately withdrew his mental probe.

Cold sweat broke across his back.

A’Ming closed his eyes as well, unwilling to meet the invisible gaze Tian Wujing had cast toward them.

At that exact moment the Prince of Jingnan was still inside the final lingering period after forcing open Second Grade.

Then, Tian Wujing took several steps backward.

His left hand pressed against his chest.

His breathing became somewhat heavy.

The forced realm had closed.

But the burden upon his body was considerable.

Still it was precisely while Second Grade stood open that his spiritual perception had expanded violently outward, allowing him to discover the Blind Man and A’Ming.

Both Demon Kings understood.

Tian Wujing knew they belonged to Zheng Fan.

That was why he had not casually walked over and pinched them to death.

For Demon Kings, the phrase *pinched to death* was somewhat damaging to their pride.

All they could really say was:

*So annoying.*

But the truth could not be denied.

Even without forcing open Second Grade, Tian Wujing’s ordinary strength would make killing the two of them in their present condition hardly difficult.

People were strange creatures.

The more badly frightened someone became, the more urgently he wanted to do something afterward to repair the dignity he felt he had lost.

“Tsk, tsk.

“Wasteful.

“Extravagant.”

The Sword Saint had forced open Second Grade outside Snow Sea Pass.

He killed a savage commander.

One sword destroyed a thousand cavalry.

And afterward the man was basically ruined.

Now look at Tian Wujing.

He forced open Second Grade just so he could see his son once.

Luxury beyond reason.

“What do we do now?” A’Ming asked.

“Nothing.

“Stand here and wait.

“Unless your hands are itching and you want to go up there and exchange a few moves with the Prince of Jingnan?”

A’Ming took out his waterskin.

He removed the stopper.

Then drank a mouthful of blood.

While savoring it, he said:

“I feel like I just got stimulated again.”

“Envious?” the Blind Man asked.

“Yes.”

Because A’Ming had once possessed strength like that himself.

“We’ll get there slowly.

“How fast the train runs depends on how powerful the engine is.”

“Crude phrase.

“Correct principle.”

“This advancement is probably going to be difficult.

“Especially if Siniang still hasn’t advanced by tomorrow.”

“That sentence was completely useless.”

“What else can I say right now?

“That I finally finished my oranges?

“Oh, right.

“Once we get to Snow Sea Pass, help me build an off-season fruit-and-vegetable greenhouse.

“I want a separate orchard devoted entirely to oranges.”

“Fine.”

“Aiya...”

The Blind Man stretched.

“The road stretches long and far ahead.”

...

Sha Tuo Queshi remained sealed outside.

Completely motionless.

Tian Wujing entered the tent.

Inside, he saw an infant standing on tiptoe while both hands clutched the bars of the cradle.

The child was looking at him.

The mountain of corpses and sea of blood created by forty thousand dead Chu soldiers a few days earlier could not compare with the weight of this single infant’s gaze.

Because that gaze made the Marquis of Jingnan’s eyes begin to redden.

Some people were destined never to shed tears in this life.

Nor were tears suitable for them.

Because they had already been stripped of the right to weakness, loneliness, and grief.

Even Zheng Fan, amid his life of armored cavalry and drawn steel, deliberately reserved certain moments and spaces in which he could indulge himself emotionally.

In Count Zheng’s view, what was the purpose of struggling through life?

Not struggle for struggle’s sake.

The point was that after succeeding, one could stop without guilt and appreciate the scenery.

And at such moments the scenery was always especially beautiful.

It was like the pastoral countryside many people dreamed of.

To the wealthy the countryside was pure land.

To the poor the countryside was nothing but land.

That was also what the Demon Kings were working toward.

Their present period of hiding and endurance existed so that one day they could live freely and outrageously.

Rebellion itself was never the true objective.

The true objective was simply reaching the point where no one stood above them with the authority to control them.

They had been reborn.

Given another life.

Surely they should pursue genuine freedom at least once.

Tian Wujing was different.

He had already lost too much.

Including his future.

The end of his road was a tomb built long ago.

Yet no matter how solid that tomb might be the gaze of one infant pierced straight through it in an instant.

Tian Wujing walked toward the child.

Then lowered himself onto one knee so their eyes were level.

The child widened his eyes.

He studied the stranger.

A moving scene of father and son reunited after long separation did not suit him.

His little world had not yet accumulated enough impurities.

Nor could it yet contain emotions so complicated.

Tian Wujing extended one hand.

He gently stroked his son’s cheek.

It was obvious the boy had been raised well.

That bastard Zheng Fan had not embezzled the wet-nurse money Tian Wujing sent.

The child seemed unaccustomed to this kind of touch.

Most of the time, he played alone.

Previously, the Demon Child had accompanied him.

But the Demon Child had also been gone for quite a while now.

So the Young Prince took two steps backward.

Without the cradle bars supporting him his bottom dropped directly onto the bedding.

His lips pouted.

But he did not cry.

Instead, he silently turned around and presented his little backside toward his biological father.

What Tian Wujing did not know was that Zheng Fan, the godfather, most enjoyed playing the butt-smacking game with his godson.

Fortunately, the Young Prince still could not speak.

Otherwise—

Count Zheng probably...

Tian Wujing reached out and lifted his son into his arms.

How could an infant possibly resist a terrifying Martial Artist capable of forcing open Second Grade?

The Young Prince was also very practical.

He might not enjoy excessive intimacy but he already understood the wisdom of adapting to circumstances.

He even lifted his head and smiled at Tian Wujing.

Then lowered it again and resumed playing with his own fingers.

An infant truly weighed very little.

So light.

Almost weightless.

Yet when Tian Wujing held the child in his arms this Great Yan commander with hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry beneath him felt as though he were carrying ten thousand catties.

The problem was no one had ever taught Tian Wujing how a father was supposed to play with his child.

No one could teach him.

No one dared.

Even Zheng Fan, despite being the godfather, merely gave occasional hints from the side.

So Tian Wujing holding his own child looked strangely helpless.

Then suddenly the Young Prince began twisting his body toward one side.

Tian Wujing gently put him down.

The child crawled toward a bundle.

Then used his head to push it open.

Inside lay a great many snacks.

Every so often, Siniang secretly replaced the collection so nothing would spoil.

In this respect, she was extremely careful.

After all the boy was Tian Wujing’s son.

If expired snacks made him sick, the resulting trouble would be enormous.

The Young Prince reached inside.

He took out a piece of sachima.

He hesitated.

Then finally held it in both hands and placed it before Tian Wujing.

When Tian Wujing did not move the Young Prince even patted the sachima with one little hand.

“Chi.

“Chi...”

Tian Wujing reached out.

He picked up the piece of sachima.

Brought it to his mouth.

And took a bite.

Sweet.

Very sweet.

As a father this was the first thing his son had ever personally offered him to eat.

The sensation was almost impossible to describe.

Then, images suddenly surfaced inside Tian Wujing’s mind.

His father.

His mother.

His elder sister.

And others.

Memories he had sealed away completely cracked open because of one piece of sachima.

Tian Wujing raised his head.

Closed his eyes.

His body trembled slightly.

But when his eyes opened again the violent emotional surge had already disappeared.

He was a man carrying enormous sin.

He had already chosen the method through which he would atone.

But this child before him his son was the one thing over which Tian Wujing allowed himself a little selfishness.

He wanted the boy to grow up safely.

Only now did Tian Wujing finally calm down enough to truly study his son’s face.

This was a scene he had once imagined.

Back then—

Dujuan had still been beside him.

Husband and wife together might have pointed at the child’s eyebrows, ears, lips, and argued playfully over which parent each feature resembled.

But the warmer the imagined scene the deeper the pain it brought him now.

Perhaps the greatest enjoyment in a human life was being able to settle down and slowly savor the warmth and beauty of the past.

The Marquis of Jingnan had lost that forever.

Some things could only be understood after truly experiencing them.

Becoming a father for the first time that alone could change a man enormously.

Looking at your own child your instincts wanted to give him everything you could possibly give.

Fine clothing and rich food.

Wealth.

Gentleness.

Peace.

Titles.

Power.

Even...

At that thought—

Tian Wujing’s gaze slowly turned cold.

*You became a father before I did.*

*So you understand this feeling, don’t you?*

Tian Wujing reached out and took his son’s plump little hand.

If the child could speak now if he said he wanted that golden seat then Tian Wujing... might genuinely be unable to refuse him.

Even if doing so meant committing the greatest taboo under Heaven.

Tian Wujing lowered his head.

Unable to restrain himself, he gently rubbed his cheek against his son’s.

The Young Prince endured the humiliation and forced a smile.

Usually, the person he interacted with most was Siniang.

And Siniang always smelled wonderful.

Suddenly being pressed close to a strange man naturally felt uncomfortable.

“Do you want... the realm?”

Tian Wujing asked softly.

He should not have asked.

But he did.

Because the realm did not belong to him.

Yet Tian Wujing had the qualifications to seize it.

And the power to seize it.

The Young Prince merely giggled.

Then reached for another snack.

A peach shortcake.

He looked reluctant.

Even so, he held it out to Tian Wujing.

These were all snacks he had been saving for his big sister, the Demon Child.

He really hated giving them away.

But looking at this man the man still seemed hungry.

Tian Wujing drew in a deep breath.

He accepted the peach shortcake.

He did not eat it.

He merely held it beneath his nose and smelled it.

Then, the Marquis of Jingnan stood.

He placed his son back inside the cradle.

The child’s existence had stirred the blood-soaked night of the Tian Clan from the frozen depths of Tian Wujing’s memories.

The suffocating smell returned.

It forced him to examine again the choice he had made back then.

Only when he walked out of the tent and the night wind brushed across his face did Tian Wujing become the Marquis of Jingnan again.

Become the Prince of Jingnan again.

As though the man who had existed inside the tent had remained there forever.

The dead could not return.

He had no other choice now.

He hoped that day would come sooner.

Then he could return sooner to the place where he truly belonged.

Tian Wujing walked back to the pit.

He extended one hand.

The seal on Sha Tuo Queshi dissolved.

Sha Tuo Queshi remained standing there.

Motionless.

Apparently, he would not attack Tian Wujing again.

Tian Wujing no longer paid him attention.

Instead he fell into thought.

Some things he had not understood before.

Or perhaps simply had never had time to consider.

Now he could.

The corpse of the former Left Guli King of the barbarians had appeared inside Zheng Fan’s camp.

And the first time Zheng Fan met Little Sixth he had saved Little Sixth’s life from Sha Tuo Queshi.

That was not coincidence.

That was calculation.

Arrangement.

It was difficult to imagine that the young man who had merely been a Lieutenant Commander of Merchant Protection in Tiger Head City back then had already possessed the ability to draw an existence like Sha Tuo Queshi into helping arrange and push pieces across the board.

*Li Liangting.*

*You thought Zheng Fan had a rebellious bone behind his head and needed to be ground down.*

*But I think—*

*his entire heart is turned backward.*

Tian Wujing clasped his hands behind his back.

His gaze rose toward the night sky.

But what did that have to do with him?

Beneath the night a solitary man in a white python robe walked along the riverbank.

The Sword Saint, who carried the hatred of a destroyed state and a murdered younger brother toward the Marquis of Jingnan, had once said that of everyone in the world the man he believed suffered most was this southern Marquis.

After Yao Zizhan returned from Jin to Shangjing, he once attended a banquet in a restaurant.

There he overheard a group of young scholars denouncing the State of Yan as a land of barbaric brutes.

They especially cursed the Marquis of Jingnan as a true beast who had dyed his hands in the blood of his own parents and kin.

From there, they argued that when warriors controlled a state, ritual order inevitably collapsed.

Their real target was the current Emperor of Qian, whose policy of elevating military officers, they called a reversal of fundamentals and a sign of national ruin.

Yao Zizhan immediately erupted and rebuked them.

He said:

“That southern Marquis of Yan— above, he has failed his clan.

Below, he has failed his wife and child.

But there is one thing he has never once failed Great Yan.

“You gentlemen read the books of sages and worthies.

“What do you seek?

“To have your name proclaimed at Donghua Gate.

“To have your family’s farmland exempted from taxes.

“To bring glory to your ancestors.

“To wear a purple robe and walk beneath a cool parasol shielding you from rain.

“My Great Qian does not lack literary elegance.

“We do not lack poetry.

“We do not lack songs or fine essays.

“What Great Qian lacks— are a few men like Tian Wujing!”

[End of Chapter 371]