Chapter 377: Fury

By the time Zheng Fan woke, the sun was already high in the sky.

He sat on the edge of the bed with his left hand pressed to his forehead. The lingering aftereffects of the knockout drug still left fatigue in his eyes.

Madam Ke’s voice came from outside the door.

“Count, would you like the midday meal?”

Zheng Fan ended his contemplation and answered in a slightly hoarse voice:

“Something light.”

“Yes, Count. This servant understands.”

After washing and dressing, Zheng Fan walked into the front hall.

Several light side dishes had already been placed on the table, along with a bowl of plain noodles.

For Madam Ke to prepare all of it in such a short time showed she was genuinely capable.

Zheng Fan picked up the noodle bowl and asked while eating:

“Did Siniang come back last night?”

“Replying to the Count, she returned. She left again this morning.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

He did not eat much before setting down his chopsticks and walking alone into the rear courtyard.

There was a relatively open patch of ground there, with a weapons rack and a large water vat. Count Zheng usually practiced martial arts in this area.

He stepped forward.

Drew his saber.

Aside from the fundamental movements, Zheng Fan had never practiced some rigid fixed saber routine. Whenever he needed proper sparring, he could simply grab whichever Demon King happened to be nearby and make them train with him.

After practicing for nearly two hours, Zheng Fan flicked the saber away.

The weapon flew through the air and landed neatly back on the rack.

Then Zheng Fan stripped off his upper robe and climbed into the water vat.

“Count.”

Madam Ke had been listening carefully to the sounds from the courtyard. By now, she had learned many of Zheng Fan’s habits.

She approached carrying an iced drink.

Zheng Fan reached out and accepted it.

He was just about to drink when he suddenly stopped.

“You drink it.”

“Mm?”

“Drink.”

“Yes, Count.”

Madam Ke took a sip and looked toward Zheng Fan.

When he showed no reaction, she had no choice but to drink several more mouthfuls.

Her body did not handle things this cold particularly well, but she had no room to refuse.

“Enough.

“Go prepare another cup for me.”

“Yes, Count.”

Zheng Fan leaned backward until his back rested against the wall of the vat.

Then, *Clatter!*

The cup shattered.

Madam Ke collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

Sitting inside the vat, Zheng Fan watched the scene.

He scooped up water with both hands and splashed it across his face.

Then leaned his head backward and looked toward the sky.

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

A moment later, Zheng Fan rose.

He stepped out of the water vat, walked to the weapons rack, and drew the same saber he had only just put away.

Perhaps because the weather had grown warmer, Zheng Fan found himself unusually irritable today.

Irritable when he woke.

Irritable while practicing.

Even after soaking himself inside the water vat, the irritation refused to fade.

And when Madam Ke collapsed that emotion surged through every part of his body in an instant.

Some things happened once.

You laughed.

You let them pass.

But if they happened again and again...

No.

He was not willing.

About ten minutes passed.

No other sound came from the courtyard.

There were only two people present:

Zheng Fan, standing with a saber in his hand.

And Madam Ke, unconscious on the ground.

“Come out.”

Zheng Fan spoke.

He knew perfectly well that one of them had to be hiding nearby and watching.

Finally a face slowly emerged from the pond in the courtyard.

Xue San climbed out of the water, shook the droplets from his body, and looked at Zheng Fan.

His two daggers kept sliding up from the mechanisms around his wrists and forearms then sliding back down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Meanwhile, the expression on his face constantly changed from cold indifference to awkwardness to ingratiating friendliness and back again.

In short—

Third Master Xue was deeply conflicted.

On one hand, according to the information Fan Li had given him, he should apparently go up and give Master a proper fright so he could advance the same way Fan Li had.

On the other hand looking at Master standing there with a saber in his hand—

Xue San suddenly felt... hesitant.

Truthfully, neither Zheng Fan nor the Seven Demon Kings had ever taken their supposed master-servant relationship completely seriously.

In daily life, everyone called him “Master” over and over, but none of them genuinely treated the bond like that of an orthodox lord and retainer.

Still they had been together for so long.

Actually tearing apart that relationship made Xue San reluctant.

Among the Seven Demon Kings, the one everyone publicly regarded as the biggest idiot had already advanced.

None of the remaining Demon Kings were truly stupid.

Xue San understood perfectly well that if he chose wrong if anything went off course then not only might he fail to level up, he might also face the risk of his entire “account” being deleted.

Finally—

Xue San made his decision.

His expression settled into a flattering smile.

He looked at Zheng Fan.

“Master, if this subordinate said everything here was merely an accident... would you believe me?”

Zheng Fan did not answer.

He simply raised the saber and charged.

Xue San’s gaze sharpened.

His body flashed away from the spot.

Zheng Fan’s saber crashed into the paving stones.

Cracks spiderwebbed through the surrounding tiles.

“Master! Misunderstanding! It’s really a misunderstanding!”

Xue San had barely finished speaking when Zheng Fan’s second strike arrived.

With no other choice, Xue San drew his daggers and forcibly caught the saber.

The weapons collided.

The momentary resistance gave Xue San enough time to widen the distance between them again.

“Master, how about we put down the saber?

“This subordinate can kneel in front of you and explain everything properly.”

Zheng Fan ignored him.

Another horizontal slash came.

Xue San retreated again.

Strictly speaking, because of their combat experience and the superiority of their bloodlines, the Demon Kings were almost invincible among opponents of the same grade unless they encountered some genuine prodigy like Hero Chen.

They could even challenge across grades.

So although Zheng Fan was now a Sixth Grade Martial Artist while Xue San remained Seventh Grade, Xue San’s movement techniques and battle instincts were still there.

As long as he avoided direct close-quarters exchanges, he could keep circling and evading without too much difficulty.

If you could not win you could still kite the enemy.

“Master, let’s talk properly!

“Third here will kowtow and apologize, all right?”

Another saber came down.

Xue San retreated at full speed, rolled across the ground several times, and dodged once more.

“Master, misunderstanding!

“There really is a misunderstanding!

“How about this?

“Master, rest first.

“This subordinate will go inspect the construction outside and come back later to confess his offense.”

Seeing that Zheng Fan was still furious, Xue San decided it would be wiser to avoid the storm for the moment.

At the end of the day this time he really was in the wrong.

His conscience lacked confidence.

But just as Xue San prepared to leap over the wall and escape a streak of black light smashed toward him.

It intercepted him in midair and forced him back down.

Xue San hit the ground and immediately cursed:

“Fuck your uncle!

“Aren’t you supposed to be watching the kid?

“What the hell are you joining in for?!”

The one who had blocked him was the Demon Child.

The black stone hovered above the courtyard wall, gently bobbing in place.

Zheng Fan lowered his saber.

He stared coldly at Xue San.

He did not want to hear the explanation.

At this moment, he simply did not have the patience.

Besides no explanation could change the fact that Madam Ke was still lying unconscious on the ground.

Zheng Fan had never truly treated the Demon Kings as his servants.

He did not have that kind of shameless confidence.

He possessed enough self-awareness to know better.

In Zheng Fan’s eyes, they were more like a team.

A group of companions gathered together.

He merely happened to be the nominal leader the knot tying the relationship together.

From the very beginning, after awakening in this world, Zheng Fan had constantly tried to escape the position of a helpless little white rabbit living beneath the Demon Kings’ shadows.

At minimum could everyone not treat one another as equals?

But what Xue San had done today crossed Zheng Fan’s line.

Yesterday had been Fan Li.

Perhaps because of Fan Li’s long-established personality, Zheng Fan had listened to his explanation and, no matter how absurd the entire situation felt, had decided not to pursue it.

But something could happen once.

Not twice.

Only one night had passed and now these bastards were doing it again?

Were they trying to play him to death?

At the same time, the Demon Child could sense Zheng Fan’s emotions.

Because there was no war at present, the Demon Child no longer needed to remain buried inside the hollow of Zheng Fan’s armor every day. Its professional duties had gradually shifted toward full-time childcare.

Even so, as a spiritual entity—and the protagonist Zheng Fan had personally drawn—the Demon Child still shared the closest psychological connection with him.

Earlier, while playing with the Young Prince, the Demon Child had suddenly sensed the suppressed fury coming from Zheng Fan’s courtyard.

At first, it had been surprised and assumed an enemy attack had occurred.

Then it sensed Xue San.

So the Demon Child did not immediately intervene.

It watched from a distance.

It saw Zheng Fan repeatedly swing his saber at Xue San.

It saw Xue San repeatedly try to explain himself.

And then, the Demon Child became excited.

Because it had disliked the other Demon Kings for a very long time.

The reason was simple.

*I can dislike this father of mine.*

*But I dislike even more that my father went behind the back of his biological son and adopted six other people’s children!*

The feeling resembled that of many young people in later generations when their parents announced they were having a second child.

*Dividing my parents’ affection is one thing.*

*You’re even planning to divide my inheritance?*

So when the Demon Child realized its biological father was genuinely angry—and saw Xue San preparing to escape—it did not wait for any summons.

It rushed over and blocked the road itself.

*Father.*

*You want to beat him?*

*Come.*

*I’ll help.*

*Father and son go to war together!*

Xue San was genuinely dumbfounded now.

If the only opponent were Zheng Fan, then even if Xue San could not hit back, he could still run.

But if the Demon Child joined in the problem became very serious.

Zheng Fan noticed the Demon Child.

He opened his palm.

The Demon Child understood instantly.

In the next moment the black stone flew into Zheng Fan’s hand.

“Fuck!”

Xue San cursed and turned to flee.

If he did not run now, he was completely finished.

Because father and son had already combined forces many times before, the Demon Child’s power flowed into Zheng Fan smoothly the moment Zheng Fan voluntarily lowered the defenses around his mind and body.

A black halo began circulating through Zheng Fan’s eyes.

His bones and muscles started cracking and shifting.

Before the transformation had even fully stabilized—

Zheng Fan shot forward.

*Whoosh!*

Xue San had only just cleared the courtyard wall.

His feet had not yet touched the ground when he sensed terrifying force descending from above.

He immediately concealed himself inside the shadows.

Unfortunately—

Zheng Fan was seeing through the Demon Child’s eyes now.

Xue San’s concealment art worked largely by deceiving ordinary perception.

Against Zheng Fan in his present state it provided almost no concealment at all.

*Hum!*

Zheng Fan’s arm shot out.

His hand closed precisely around Xue San’s neck.

Then Zheng Fan kicked off the ground with one leg.

*Bang!*

Xue San’s body smashed into the courtyard wall.

A hole exploded through the masonry.

Zheng Fan continued pressing him along the ground, grinding him across the surface.

Finally like rolling a bowling ball—

Zheng Fan released him.

Xue San’s body flew forward like an arrow loosed from a bow and shattered another water vat.

Zheng Fan remained standing.

He blinked from time to time.

His neck twisted slightly.

The joints in his arms and legs sat at strange, disharmonious angles.

Even the expression on his face kept undergoing tiny changes.

Perhaps because Zheng Fan was genuinely angry or perhaps because, during this possession, the Demon Child had unusually chosen not to fight for control—

Zheng Fan retained his own consciousness and complete command of the body.

“Pfft!”

Xue San struggled upward from among the broken pottery.

His clothes were shredded.

The moment his head rose, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Once the Demon Child’s power entered Master’s body, Master—already one grade above Xue San—instantly gained exactly the sort of strength that countered him.

The Demon Child could see through most of Xue San’s movement techniques.

Its speed, once layered onto Zheng Fan’s body, was also enough to neutralize Xue San’s own advantage in speed.

If some other Demon King had been here, that person might have managed several more exchanges.

Unfortunately—

Xue San’s entire specialty was almost useless in this matchup.

Zheng Fan began walking toward him.

One step at a time.

“Master, I was wrong.

“I was wrong...

“I really was wrong...

“My heart got blinded by pig fat...”

Xue San felt genuinely aggrieved.

Why had Fan Li succeeded last night while his own turn ended like this?

Fan Li should not have lied.

And indeed—

Fan Li had not lied.

But during last night’s question-and-answer exchange, Xue San had only received answers to the things he actually asked.

Anything he failed to ask—

Fan Li naturally never mentioned.

Not because Fan Li had deliberately withheld anything.

The idiot simply was not thoughtful enough to provide a complete explanation.

Then Xue San saw Zheng Fan pick up the saber that had fallen to the ground earlier.

His heart immediately rose into his throat.

A wave of enormous terror hit him in an instant.

Master.

Master he... he wants to kill me?

Kill me...

Kill me!

Xue San’s breathing grew rapid.

The entire scene felt absurd.

Yet he also understood that secretly drugging Master’s iced drink and hiding nearby to observe the result had itself been an equally absurd act.

When the cause was absurd enough an equally absurd consequence became very easy to produce.

...

Inside the small residence on North Residence Street beside the still-unfinished Count Pingye Residence, the Sword Saint was reclining on a wicker chair while watching Liu Dahu practice large-character calligraphy.

Suddenly he raised his head.

At first, Zheng Fan attacking Xue San had still fallen within the broad range of ordinary martial practice.

But once the Demon Child possessed Zheng Fan, demonic spirit aura leaked outward.

Combined with the shattered courtyard wall, the disturbance became impossible to hide from certain people inside the city.

The Sword Saint hesitated.

He could sense the aura.

But he did not know what exactly had happened.

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

Liu Dahu looked up at Yu Huaping.

Yes.

Liu Dahu had already changed the way he addressed Yu Huaping.

He called him Father now.

The old woman had taken a feather duster, ordered the boy to kneel before Yu Huaping, and forced him to change the title.

Her reasoning was simple:

Remember whose food you eat.

Remember whose kindness you receive.

Even livestock understood that much.

A human being had no excuse not to.

Yu Huaping had refused, however, to let Liu Dahu change his surname yet.

At this moment, Yu Huaping wanted to tell Liu Dahu to bring over Longyuan.

Then he felt there was little point.

Because in his present condition he could not lift Longyuan at all.

Perhaps some of his innate sensitivity remained.

But right now he was still a cripple.

Even if something truly happened, he could do nothing.

And precisely because he was the Sword Saint he hated the feeling of being powerless.

“Dahu, go outside and call one of the patrolling soldiers.

“Tell them to—”

*Creak...*

The courtyard gate opened.

Liang Cheng walked inside.

The Sword Saint’s gaze settled on him.

Liang Cheng bowed his head slightly in respect.

Then said:

“No need.

“It isn’t anything serious.”

“What does ‘nothing serious’ mean exactly?” the Sword Saint asked.

“Internal sparring,” Liang Cheng replied.

The Sword Saint laughed.

“I may be crippled, but there’s no need to fool me that badly.”

Liang Cheng thought for a moment.

Then offered another answer.

“Cleaning house?”

The Sword Saint’s brows immediately tightened.

“Internal strife?”

If internal strife had erupted—if someone beneath Zheng Fan had rebelled—then it might develop into a military disaster.

Snow Sea Pass occupied an enormously important strategic position.

If instability spread here, it might even provoke a second savage invasion through the pass.

“The problem is not large,” Liang Cheng said.

Hearing that, the Sword Saint leaned back into the wicker chair.

“Then fine.”

...

Siniang lowered the account book in her hands.

The accountants and stewards sitting below her, waiting to receive their assignments, all froze.

A moment later, Siniang stood.

“My apologies.

“I need to step away for a moment.”

The accountants immediately bowed.

“We would not dare object.”

...

Inside the ice cellar, A’Ming lay quietly.

His left hand crushed a piece of ice and dropped it into his cup of grape wine.

He swirled the drink.

Then swallowed it.

Afterward, he rolled onto his side.

The cellar was cool.

Perfect weather for an afternoon nap.

...

The Blind Man stopped peeling his orange.

Instead, he lifted the half-peeled fruit beneath his nose and smelled it.

“Tsk...”

Then he resumed peeling.

Very naturally he separated one segment, placed it into his mouth, and slowly chewed.

...

In a corner room of the rear compound, the person lying inside the coffin raised one finger.

His nail began scraping across the coffin lid.

Once.

Again.

Again.

As though he might emerge at any moment.

...

Fan Li walked along the city wall, inspecting the progress of the repairs.

The Sword Maid sat steadily on his shoulder.

“Big Guy, why do you feel different today?” she asked.

As a natural sword embryo, she was extraordinarily sensitive to changes in aura.

Fan Li habitually reached behind himself and scratched his head.

“Maybe.”

“Big Guy, did your strength improve?”

Fan Li kept scratching.

“Maybe.”

“Your realm improved and you’re not happy?”

The Sword Maid sounded puzzled.

Fan Li looked toward a certain place inside the city.

A guileless grin appeared on his face.

“I’m happy.”

...

Zheng Fan walked toward Xue San one step at a time.

Xue San bit his lip and stared at his Master approaching.

Finally—

Zheng Fan stopped directly in front of him and raised the saber.

Xue San’s mouth twitched.

But he did not beg.

He did not shout.

He simply stared back at Zheng Fan.

At this moment, black mist could clearly be seen circling around Zheng Fan’s body.

The mist spilled outward from him then flowed back toward his head.

In truth, this was a kind of egging-on.

Large amounts of negative emotion from the Demon Child were being poured directly into Zheng Fan’s sea of consciousness.

Like when something bad happened to you and your toxic best friend stood beside you constantly fanning the flames.

The stalemate did not last very long.

There was no extended emotional buildup.

No dramatic rise and fall.

No sobbing confession.

No streams of tears and mucus.

Besides the weather today was already oppressively warm.

No matter what you were doing, endless dawdling and sentimentality felt irritating.

The saber in Zheng Fan’s hand stabbed down toward Xue San.

*Hum!*

Xue San closed his eyes.

Opened his mouth wide.

The scream never came.

Slowly, he opened his eyes again.

The saber had indeed fallen.

It had fallen directly toward him.

And it had pierced the ground.

But the point of impact was between his legs.

Perhaps one inch from that particular “leg.”

It had not actually struck his body.

“Hah...

“Huh...

“Huff...

“Huff...”

Xue San began gulping air.

Only then did he manage to speak again.

“Master, I was wrong.

“This was my fault.

“Many thanks to Master for—”

Zheng Fan ignored him.

As his hand left the saber hilt he gave it a sideways pull.

The blade, embedded in the paving stone, bent under the force.

Then sprang back.

And landed perfectly against Xue San’s particular “leg.”

*Smack!*

“OOOOOH!”

The blade continued oscillating.

Its momentum had not yet faded.

*Smack!*

“OH!”

*Smack!*

“OH!”

*Smack-smack-smack-smack—*

“OH-OH-OH-OH—!”

Pain twisted Xue San’s entire face.

By the time the blade finally stopped vibrating white foam had already begun leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Zheng Fan turned away.

The black mist around his body suddenly became much denser.

As though it had not played enough.

As though it remained unwilling to stop.

Then Zheng Fan roared:

“GET THE HELL OUT OF ME!”

The black mist continued churning.

Boiling.

Clearly, the rule that the son obeys the father did not apply here.

“IF YOU DON’T GET OUT, I’LL KILL MYSELF FIRST!”

*Whoosh!*

The black mist instantly withdrew from Zheng Fan’s body and disappeared back into the stone.

Zheng Fan walked toward the shattered water vat.

He picked up the towel he had been using to wipe himself after training.

Then slowly dried his body.

Once he had finished he returned and crouched in front of Xue San.

Xue San had only just recovered from the spasms.

His eyes opened.

He looked at Zheng Fan weakly and with immense grievance.

Zheng Fan sighed.

Then raised the towel and gently wiped Xue San’s face.

He cleaned away the blood carefully.

Tenderly.

With remarkable patience.

At the same time, he spoke in a voice carrying faint concern:

“Don’t be so naughty next time.

“Look how dirty your face is.

“Listen properly.

“Be good.”

————

Good night. Sweet dreams.

[End of Chapter 377]