Chapter 375: Opening the Heart

Construction at Snow Sea Pass had not stopped for even a moment.

To say that ten thousand things lay ruined and waiting to be rebuilt would not have been an exaggeration.

Fortunately human effort could overcome most things.

Once you had people, there was no need to fear that the work itself could not be done.

Those assigned to repair the walls repaired the walls.

Those assigned to “New Countryside construction” went out to build new villages.

Those responsible for making up the missed planting rushed to plow and sow.

The savage slaves were once again worked in rotating shifts like livestock.

Even the Shengle Army had been ordered to join the **labor army** and work alongside the civilians.

The storytellers once recruited from Shengle’s teahouses, together with all the silver-tongued men added afterward, were assigned standardized themes and sent throughout Snow Sea Pass to perform clapper-ballad stories about the **fish-and-water bond between army and people**.

So there were advantages to inheriting a devastated place.

When you decided to rebuild it, you were effectively working on an almost blank sheet of paper.

You could freely pour your own ideas onto it.

You could even afford to be somewhat presumptuous.

A little idealistic.

But tonight the Demon Kings, all of whom had already been assigned their own endless piles of work, gathered together.

There was one table.

A’Ming, Liang Cheng, and the Blind Man sat along one side.

Siniang sat opposite them.

Finally, Xue San entered carrying a box.

He opened it.

Inside lay the Demon Child.

Six of the Seven Demon Kings were present.

One idiot was missing.

Because the last time they had gathered this solemnly to discuss a similar issue that idiot had said:

“Why don’t we just chop Master down?”

So that idiot had automatically been removed from the list of eligible meeting participants.

Xue San reminded everyone:

“Let’s try to make this meeting as efficient as possible.

“The Demon Child is still in a hurry to go back and babysit.”

The Blind Man nodded.

Everyone was busy.

Everyone’s time was precious.

There was no sense wasting it.

But the matter being discussed tonight was far too important for them not to sit together and properly talk it through.

Without question, the Blind Man once again became the meeting’s moderator.

Everyone had long since accepted and grown accustomed to him in that role.

Even when their Master, Zheng Fan, attended these meetings, the Blind Man usually led the discussion.

“Siniang.

“You go first.”

Siniang did not hesitate.

She went straight to the point.

“Difficult.

“Very difficult.

“Master has already spoken to me plainly about this, and I believe he has spoken just as plainly with all of you.

“He has no reservations toward us.

“No concealment.

“Just as before, he has opened his mind to us completely in every respect.

“But my strength still has not improved.

“Master is even more anxious about it than I am.”

That final line—

*Master is even more anxious than I am* invited deep contemplation.

It was enough to show just how desperate their Master had become.

After all, the phrase *the favor of a beauty is hardest to endure* had always possessed a certain extremely primitive layer of meaning.

Yet even with both sides working together in perfect cooperation, Siniang still had not advanced.

And this had gone on for quite some time now.

The difficulty... tsk, tsk.

Xue San asked:

“Siniang.

“You and Master...”

His left hand formed a circle.

The index finger of his right hand thrust through it.

“...did you?”

Siniang’s gaze darkened slightly.

A cold smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

The Blind Man hurriedly said:

“That is not where the problem lies.”

“How is that not where the problem lies?

“That is extremely important, all right?” Xue San immediately protested.

A’Ming laughed.

“So what?

“If that really is the condition for advancing— when your turn comes, are you standing in front of Master or behind him?”

“Filthy!”

Xue San pointed at A’Ming and shouted.

A’Ming remained completely unbothered.

“I’m merely following your line of reasoning.”

Siniang pulled the hairpin from her hair and began trimming her fingernails with it.

“It’s late at night.

“Can you two stop being so disgusting?”

The Blind Man looked around the table.

“Everyone has tried during this period, correct?”

Liang Cheng shook his head.

“I’ve been leading troops recently, so I did not deliberately go looking for Master.

“But Master came to the military camp specifically to find me several times.

“He even patted my shoulder and told me how hard I had worked.”

“And then?” Xue San pressed.

“Then the more Master spoke, the more aggrieved he became.

“He cried.”

“Cried?” Xue San stared in disbelief.

“Master forcibly squeezed tears out of his own eyes.

“He said I fight battles for him and command armies for him, but can only sit behind the curtain while all the fame and profit go to him.

“He said I had suffered terribly.

“That my life was too difficult.

“Then Master kept working himself deeper into the emotion... until he made himself cry.”

“Haaah.”

Xue San sighed.

Siniang shook her head.

“Master truly is anxious.”

“Indeed,” A’Ming agreed.

This was no longer a matter of the Demon Kings desperately searching for ways to flatter Master.

The present Zheng Fan after witnessing the Sword Saint’s feat of cutting down a thousand cavalrymen with one sword was partly filled with yearning.

And partly instinctively nervous.

In the past, before Count Zheng had become Count Zheng, he had merely been a Lieutenant Commander or a local garrison officer.

A fingernail-sized figure.

Naturally, nobody important paid him much attention.

But as his status continued rising the kind of enemies he would face changed as well.

Perhaps some enemy was already willing to send a great expert to carry out a decapitation strike.

A snowfield savage?

Would that be strange?

Zheng Fan had planted himself directly at their front door.

If some savage expert decided to avenge his people, would that really be surprising?

A Chu expert?

Even less surprising.

Who had been the first man to issue the order to massacre forty thousand Chu soldiers?

If they decided Tian Wujing was too strong to assassinate and chose the softer persimmon instead killing Zheng Fan in a grand **one common man’s fury** act of vengeance would that not be perfectly reasonable?

Even inside Great Yan could one truly say there was nobody at court who might find it convenient to remove him?

Sha Tuo Queshi was excellent protection.

But Zheng Fan could hardly live his entire life carrying a coffin on his back.

Snow Sea Pass had cavalry protecting him.

But surely he could not remain inside his nest forever either.

Count Zheng was still dreaming about traveling down to Jiangnan someday, admiring courtesans, plagiarizing poetry, and enjoying himself.

And even if one ignored all that considering how often Zheng Fan himself “slacked off” while the Demon Kings beneath him worked themselves half to death shouldn’t he at least perform his main function and help everyone level up?

It could be treated as salary.

*I advance.*

*You advance with me.*

*Our fundamental interests remain aligned.*

*Only then can everyone stay tied together and keep moving forward, right?*

Look.

Just look.

Master had become so desperate that he had forced himself to tears.

Difficult.

So difficult.

The atmosphere around the meeting table became heavy.

At last, the Blind Man spoke.

“I think the problem is that we have not found the correct method.

“We all understand that every time we have advanced alongside Master, rather than saying we were licking—”

He paused.

“Rather than saying we were proving our loyalty, flattering him, or trying to please him... it would be more accurate to say that we were actively deepening the **bond** between ourselves and Master.

“Bond.

“I think those two words are the key we need to study next.

“How do we continue increasing that relationship?

“Everyone can offer ideas.”

“Pfft...”

Xue San suddenly laughed.

“We can’t exactly sign contracts with Master like magical beasts, can we?

“Why don’t we send someone west and ask around?

“Or send people to Yanjing and find a few western mages to question?”

Liang Cheng shook his head.

“It should not work that way.

“If this were merely some contract, then in the beginning, whenever Master advanced, we would have advanced automatically.

“And when Master fell unconscious, we spent half a year reduced to ordinary people.

“I think the connection between us and Master has long since surpassed something as simple as a contract.

“In the Blind Man’s language— that original connection itself is already a bond.”

A’Ming spoke next.

“If we follow the template used in speeches and television dramas, then I think the answer should be:

“Open our hearts to one another.

“Let our hearts communicate.”

Siniang covered her mouth and laughed.

Xue San shivered dramatically.

“So sickening.”

The Blind Man suddenly stopped speaking.

He seemed to fall into thought.

Then—

“Perhaps that really is the answer.

“We may genuinely need to change our line of thought.

“Most things in the world are relative.

“In the past, we focused entirely upon Master’s feelings toward us.

“It was almost like all of us were constantly squeezing ourselves into his heart.

“But now— at least at this stage—

Master is willing to accept us.

“And he genuinely wants to help us as much as possible.

“So the problem very likely does not lie with Master anymore.

“It lies with us.

“A bond must be mutual.

“If the relationship only travels in one direction from above to below— that is not a bond.

“That is...”

Xue San immediately supplied:

“Beast-taming.”

The Blind Man frowned slightly.

“The phrase is ugly.

“But yes.

“That is roughly what I mean.”

“But doesn’t Master already understand us?” Liang Cheng asked. “After all, Master has personally continued several of our stories before.”

The Blind Man shook his head.

“It is different.

“First— aside from the Demon Child, the six of us were originally created by other people.

“Master was not the original creator of any of us.”

At that moment, Siniang spoke.

“Yes.

“It is different.

“For one thing, when we were originally created, hardly any of us received proper prequels, side stories, or sequels.

“A great many things were never explained clearly.

“Take Xue San and Fan Li as examples.

“Their comics performed so badly that they were castrated—axed before they could even finish.”

“...”

Xue San.

Ignoring his sudden depression, Siniang continued:

“And this is no longer the world of a comic.

“Strictly speaking, we no longer count as comic-book characters.

“We have gone from characters inside a comic... to people.

“This is a... real world.

“And we are real people too.

“We have become three-dimensional.

“Every one of our memories has long since exceeded whatever settings the comics originally gave us.

“They filled themselves in.

“Completed themselves.

“Or perhaps— our self-awareness had already transcended the limits of the comics from the beginning.

“And whether you are talking about people or things— everything changes.

“We have lived in this world for years now.

“Who among us has not changed?

“Who is still exactly what they once were?

“Do you really think you are still that same youth from years ago— not changed in the slightest?”

The Blind Man nodded.

“Siniang is right.

“Sometimes merely watching one extra sunset can greatly change the thickness of a person’s life.”

“So we follow this idea and test it?” Xue San asked.

A’Ming said:

“Let’s make a schedule.

“Three days per person.

“If one person fails, the next takes over.

“That prevents overlap.

“And it stops Master from being force-fed several bowls of chicken soup for the soul in one day until he gets sick of the taste and we create the opposite effect.”

“Then shall we draw lots?” the Blind Man asked.

“You think we’re idiots?

“With you sitting here, you expect us to draw lots?” Xue San immediately shot back.

A’Ming said:

“Put the Blind Man last.”

“No, no.

“Last time this bastard deliberately arranged himself last.

“We’re not falling into his trap again.

“Let’s do this instead.

“Blind Man, leave the residence first.

“The rest of us draw.

“Whatever position remains afterward becomes yours.

“That acceptable?”

The Blind Man nodded to show he agreed.

“We still need someone to go with him,” Xue San added. “What if he doubles back and cheats?

“Who should we use?

“Fan Li.

“Where is Fan Li?

“One of you go find him.

“Have Fan Li escort the Blind Man away and watch him.

“Then we draw.”

...

“Fan Li?

“What are you doing here?”

Count Zheng had just returned from visiting the Sword Saint’s residence.

When he reached the entrance of his temporary residence, he found Fan Li squatting in a corner by the wall.

Both hands were tucked inside his sleeves.

A simple, foolish grin covered his face.

The moment he saw Zheng Fan that grin became even brighter.

“Something happen?” Zheng Fan asked.

Fan Li nodded.

Then, with all the sincerity of an idiot, he said:

“Master.

“There are some things in my heart I want to talk to you about.

“If I keep them bottled up inside...

“I feel uncomfortable.”

————

[End of Chapter 375]