Chapter 378: Son

Every person had a temper.

Zheng Fan had always restrained his because he considered himself a reasonable man.

He understood the Demon Child’s attitude toward him perfectly well. Yes, he had been the one who created the Demon Child. But the Demon Child hated him, and that was perfectly reasonable too.

Back when Zheng Fan designed the Demon Child’s story, he had not shown the slightest mercy. They might have been “father and son,” but what kind of father tortured his own son that badly?

So Zheng Fan understood the Demon Child.

And deep down, he felt guilty toward him.

As for the other Demon Kings, Zheng Fan had never repeatedly brought up the fact that he once continued their comics either. Most of the time, he was even somewhat embarrassed to mention it.

Put bluntly, those continuations had merely been his own “lingering breath” after learning he was terminally ill—a way to spend the final years of his previous life revisiting the things that had filled it.

What Zheng Fan truly appreciated was that during the half-year he remained unconscious after arriving in this world, the Demon Kings had “looked after” him and waited for him to wake.

He appreciated that all along this road, the Demon Kings had stayed beside him, clearing thorns from his path and shielding him from wind and rain.

Because they were there, Zheng Fan had never truly felt alone.

He had been reborn into an entirely unfamiliar world, yet could still smoke rolled cigarettes from a case engraved with the word **Zhonghua**.

Truthfully, there had been very little of the bitter loneliness one might expect from being cast alone into a strange world.

It felt more like a group of friends had piled into cars together and driven into some undeveloped scenic wilderness.

Outside the windows lay unfamiliar landscapes.

But the moment you turned your head, the car stereo was still playing familiar songs, and the people around you were still telling familiar jokes.

The Demon Kings had done a great deal for him.

Because of them, Zheng Fan could relax with a clear conscience when he wanted to relax, play when he wanted to play, and still have meaningful things to do whenever he felt like making himself useful.

That kind of life was exciting.

Never dull.

Zheng Fan genuinely thanked them for it.

And perhaps precisely because of that, Zheng Fan had always tried to avoid becoming nothing more than a “tool” in the Demon Kings’ hands.

That might even have been one of the greatest forces driving him to improve himself all this time.

In his previous life, he had possessed the courage to calmly accept euthanasia.

In this life, he had been personally cultivated by Tian Wujing, watched the Sword Saint wield his sword, and lived through campaign after campaign of iron cavalry and naked steel.

There was no reason he should become less of a man than he had been before.

If even the surface layer of mutual affection between them was going to be torn away, then there was no reason for anyone to keep observing the unspoken rules of their game.

Zheng Fan was angry because someone had touched his bottom line.

He remained bare-chested, sitting in the main hall.

Xue San limped in after him, then silently dropped to his knees before Zheng Fan without saying a word.

The beautiful Madam Ke had still not awakened from the knockout drug. She remained unconscious in the courtyard, ignored by everyone.

The men here, young and old alike, clearly lacked the instinct for cherishing delicate women.

Xue San pursed his lips and lowered his head as far as it would go.

He did not dare speak.

He merely knelt there.

The stone containing the Demon Child had returned to check on the Young Prince. After seeing that the child was already asleep, it silently floated back.

At first, it seemed to want to drift directly toward Zheng Fan.

But after looking at the way Zheng Fan was sitting, it obediently settled onto the chair at the lower left instead.

Not long afterward, the Blind Man entered through the gate.

The instant he stepped inside, he sensed the suffocating atmosphere and gave a faint sigh.

He walked into the main hall and quietly retreated to one side.

After hesitating for a moment he still chose to sit in the chair on the right.

He sat.

But he certainly did not dare take out an orange and start peeling it.

Siniang entered next.

She silently walked into the hall, gave Zheng Fan a slight curtsy, and did not sit down. Instead, she stood to one side.

At the entrance to the residence, Fan Li arrived carrying the Sword Maid on his shoulder.

The Sword Maid slid down.

With curiosity and worry in her voice, she asked softly:

“Big Guy, what exactly happened inside?”

Fan Li shook his head.

“I can’t go in?”

Fan Li shook his head again.

“Hmph. Then I won’t!”

Fan Li reached out and rubbed the Sword Maid’s head.

Her hair had been tied into two little buns.

Fan Li liked touching them.

Then a guileless smile appeared on his face.

He entered the residence.

Smiling all the way, he stepped into the main hall.

He saw Siniang standing there.

He saw Master and the Blind Man sitting.

He saw Xue San kneeling.

Fan Li obediently sat cross-legged on the floor with both hands resting on his knees.

At that same moment, a squad of fully armed soldiers came running down the street outside under Jin Shuke’s command.

Their destination was Zheng Fan’s residence.

Two men, however, blocked their path.

Liang Cheng.

And A’Ming.

Bits of frost still clung to A’Ming’s clothes. Liang Cheng had dragged him straight out of the ice cellar.

Jin Shuke raised one hand.

The armored soldiers behind him immediately stopped.

Several men instinctively started to salute Liang Cheng, only for Jin Shuke to bark sharply and stop them.

“General Liang! What exactly happened to the Count?”

The commotion from Zheng Fan’s residence had happened to be overheard by Jin Shuke, who was responsible for patrolling the city today.

At first, he had paid little attention.

Then he noticed the guards normally responsible for the Count’s residence had been withdrawn.

That made him nervous.

So he simply brought a group of his own soldiers over personally.

“Withdraw!”

Liang Cheng ordered.

Jin Shuke cupped his hands.

“General, this subordinate wishes to see the Count!”

“Tch.”

A’Ming laughed.

He still smelled faintly of wine as he spoke lazily:

“What a loyal dog.”

Jin Shuke answered immediately:

“This subordinate is precisely the Count’s loyal dog!”

Then, Jin Shuke drew his saber.

He pointed it toward Liang Cheng and A’Ming.

“At this moment, this subordinate must see the Count! Whatever crime follows afterward, I alone will bear it!”

Part of this loyalty came from the Demon Kings’ long-running campaign to build Zheng Fan into a mythic figure among the soldiers.

Another part came from Zheng Fan’s own legendary career.

His prestige among both soldiers and civilians had genuinely become enormous.

And not all of that credit belonged to the Demon Kings’ propaganda.

Zheng Fan himself had accomplished more than enough to deserve much of it.

Replace him with some random man, and that person could never have moved so smoothly among Tian Wujing, the Emperor of Yan, the Prince of Zhenbei, Li Fusheng, and all the great figures beneath them.

Liang Cheng did not issue another hard order.

He understood that from this barbarian officer’s perspective, Liang Cheng himself was probably already beginning to look like a treacherous subordinate plotting rebellion against his lord.

“Come with me,” Liang Cheng said.

“This subordinate obeys!”

Jin Shuke accepted at once.

Liang Cheng and A’Ming turned toward the residence, with Jin Shuke following behind.

As they walked, A’Ming nudged Liang Cheng lightly with one shoulder and whispered:

“These are still troops you trained personally?”

The mockery in his voice was obvious.

Liang Cheng had trained these men himself.

Most of the time, he even commanded them personally in battle.

And now, they would not obey him.

Naturally, it was only teasing.

To the Demon Kings, secretly fighting over military command and trying to seize direct control of troop formations was an unbearably boring idea.

Liang Cheng and A’Ming entered the residence.

Jin Shuke followed.

Zheng Fan remained seated in the place of honor.

Jin Shuke immediately dropped to one knee.

“This subordinate pays respects to the Count!”

If Zheng Fan gave even the slightest signal, Jin Shuke would immediately order his soldiers to charge inside and protect him.

But the moment Jin Shuke entered, he already sensed the situation was not what he had imagined.

Every one of the “Misters” from the old Shengle faction was here.

Even if one of them intended to rebel and commit some treacherous act, surely they could not all have turned traitor together?

“Withdraw,” Zheng Fan said.

“Yes! This subordinate obeys!”

Jin Shuke stood, saluted Liang Cheng and every “Mister” present, then left.

The soldiers outside were withdrawn under his orders as well.

The military mutiny the Sword Saint had worried about never happened.

Neither Zheng Fan as Master nor the Demon Kings beneath him had ever considered using external forces to resolve their internal conflict.

The relationship among them was too strange.

Too complicated.

Outsiders had no place inside it.

Of course, within that relationship, Zheng Fan now occupied the stronger position.

The Sword Saint might currently be crippled, but Sha Tuo Queshi still lay in the rear compound.

Most of the troops in Snow Sea Pass remained loyal to Count Pingye himself.

And in the worst possible case, Zheng Fan could simply run back to Tian Wujing and receive Tian Wujing’s protection.

The Demon Kings, by contrast, would first lose their path to advancement if they left Zheng Fan.

More importantly the Demon Kings themselves were never truly united.

Every Demon King had his own interests.

His own thoughts.

Even his own position.

Take the Demon Child.

Why was Xue San kneeling here, beaten until his face was black and blue?

Because the instant internal conflict erupted, the Demon Child had not hesitated at all before choosing Master’s side and helping beat another Demon King.

Then there was Siniang.

Her relationship with Master was obviously different from that of the others.

And then there was one guileless idiot who had already advanced.

So the situation was actually extremely clear.

One side stood in an almost unassailable position.

The other was fragmented in every direction and no longer capable of forming genuine opposition.

That had always been the fundamental reality of their relationship.

It simply had not been obvious when Zheng Fan first awakened, because back then both his strength and his temperament had still been far too weak.

Now everyone had arrived.

Zheng Fan slowly swept his gaze across every person present.

The atmosphere in the hall became even more oppressive.

Because Zheng Fan did not speak, nobody dared seize the rhythm of the room.

And this was hardly the kind of situation where anyone should try warming the atmosphere.

Finally—

Zheng Fan spoke.

“Today...

“I feel a little uncomfortable.”

As he spoke, he raised one hand and pointed toward his own chest.

“Here.

“My heart feels uncomfortable.”

Xue San lowered his head even farther.

Unfortunately for him, he genuinely was both the cause of today’s incident and the man whose actions had stirred this entire wave.

Zheng Fan opened his mouth slightly.

Paused for a moment.

His eyes grew faintly red.

Then he said:

“I tell you people I regard you as family.

“You may not believe it.

“Truthfully, I don’t entirely believe it myself.

“But let me speak from the heart.

“Since we fell into this world together—

“No.

“Sorry.

“‘Fell’ is the wrong word.

“For me, this was a rebirth.

“In my previous life I was terminally ill and had very little time left. Those final years were really nothing more than waiting to die.

“For all of you— you achieved yourselves.

“You became people of flesh and blood.

“Truthfully, this world— this Heaven and Earth whether it is trapped in war or not, whether those who eat meat at the top remain just as cruel and heartless for us for all of us it is a new beginning.

“A completely new beginning.

“Like the lyrics say— thank the wind, thank the rain, and thank fate.

“You have called me Master for several years now.

“But there has never been a single day when I truly regarded myself as your master.

“Your owner.

“Because I always felt—

I wasn’t worthy!

“Back at that inn in Tiger Head City, you were the ones who asked me what kind of life I wanted.

“Whether I wanted to spend this life as a wealthy idle man, marry, have children, and live comfortably until the end—or whether I wanted to make some noise.

“To live a little more freely.

“A little more recklessly.

“To reach the point where nobody could casually restrain or balance me.

“I chose the second road.

“Not because I was afraid you would turn on me.

“But because I genuinely felt this life had been given to me for free.

“Pure profit!

“I should already have died.

“I had already been given the injection.

“And now I suddenly had another chance to start over.

“So why the hell shouldn’t I live magnificently?

“I am lazy.

“I like enjoying myself.

“Truthfully, all of us are the same.

“If circumstances allow, every one of us wants to live a little better.

“A little more freely.

“This time, after I advanced to Sixth Grade, I also tried hard to help all of you advance with me.

“To help all of you recover more of your former strength.

“That is the most practical thing I can do for you.

“And it is also the thing you genuinely want most from me.

“But...”

Zheng Fan lowered his gaze.

It landed on Xue San.

Then, he looked toward Fan Li sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“I know you are afraid I will die.

“I am afraid of dying too.

“I haven’t enjoyed enough yet.

“I haven’t lived magnificently enough yet.

“I want to cram the good days of two lifetimes into this one and get my money’s worth.

“But there is one bottom line.

“I do not demand that you sincerely regard me as Master.

“I can even understand— and accept that deep down you may look down upon me.

“Despise me.

“Regard me as nothing more than a tool!

“Yes.

“I can understand that.

“I can accept it!

“But there is one thing I absolutely cannot accept.

“Do not fucking— do not fucking show it right in front of my face!”

The final words came out as a roar.

In an instant every Demon King in the hall, whether sitting or standing, dropped to his knees.

Zheng Fan rose.

He looked down at the Demon Kings kneeling before him.

His voice turned heavy.

“If everyone still wants to live these days properly together, then we keep living them properly.

“If you don’t want to— then at worst we break apart.

“We disband!”

None of the Demon Kings spoke.

Zheng Fan slowly sat back down.

His cold gaze remained fixed on them.

The others might not have participated directly in what Xue San did today.

But if anyone claimed none of them had known about it that would be looking down far too much on the Demon Kings.

“I have always treated the title ‘Master’ as nothing more than a form of address.

“No different from Zhang San or Li Si.

“But if that is what you want— if you insist on continuing to push me then I do not mind truly sitting firmly in that position!

“We are all people who crossed worlds.

“You came out of comics.

“I came from my previous life.

“To put it unpleasantly— every damn one of you was drawn by people like me.

“When it comes to ruthlessness, schemes, dirty tricks, and playing games—

I do not believe any one of us is inherently so much better than the others!

“When I first woke— and throughout those first few years you did not put me in chains.

“That was your mercy.

“I thank you for it.

“I thank you for remembering old affection!

“Because you gave me time.

“You gave me opportunity.

“You let me broaden my horizons.

“You let me meet so many people.

“You let me witness so many things.

“You gave me room to grow.

“To mature.

“And now— you have already lost your chance.

“So— fucking recognize reality!”

Zheng Fan kicked out.

His foot struck Xue San, who happened to be kneeling closest to him.

Xue San rolled backward several times.

The moment he stopped he immediately knelt again.

After taking that kick, Xue San actually felt far more at ease.

Punishment meant forgiveness.

Once punishment was given, the matter could be put behind them.

Everyone had a step to walk down.

As for dignity and face first, Xue San had never valued those things all that highly.

Second, he had been the one to disrespect Zheng Fan first when he drugged Master and hid nearby.

After the kick, Zheng Fan roared:

“Every damned one of us fought hard for another chance to live!

“You want to live freely?

“Fine!

“But—

I do not want to swallow grievances either!”

The Blind Man silently connected every Demon King present through his Mental Link.

The instant Zheng Fan finished roaring, the Blind Man transmitted into all their minds:

“One.

“Two.

“Three...”

The next moment every Demon King lowered his head.

Together, they said:

“We know our wrong.

“We ask Master to forgive us.”

...

“Hiss... hiss... it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”

Siniang was treating Xue San’s injuries.

“So you do know pain,” she said irritably.

“Fuck me, so this whole thing is somehow only my fault now? Don’t tell me every one of you had absolutely no idea I planned to test this today!”

A’Ming raised his waterskin and drank a mouthful of blood.

“I genuinely did not know.”

After the meeting last night, he had gone straight to the ice cellar.

If Liang Cheng had not come drag him out, he might still be cooling himself inside even now.

Of course, there was another reason for A’Ming’s leisure.

Snow Sea Pass was presently undergoing massive infrastructure construction. The workshop sector under A’Ming’s responsibility still lacked enough manpower and material to expand properly.

So, for the moment he was actually the least busy Demon King.

The others, however, would have had difficulty saying, “I knew absolutely nothing.”

The Blind Man sat nearby and, by habit, took out an orange.

He rolled it between his hands without peeling it.

“This time, we truly did go too far.

“It is hardly strange that Master became angry.

“Third, just think of it as taking a beating on behalf of everyone.

“If you see it that way, perhaps you’ll feel better.”

Xue San’s face turned miserable.

“Thinking of it that way makes me feel even worse.”

Siniang finished treating Xue San’s wounds and stepped back.

Then she looked toward Fan Li.

“A’Li.

“What you did this time wasn’t exactly honorable.”

Fan Li scratched the back of his head.

A guileless grin appeared on his face.

Liang Cheng apparently had no interest in continuing this topic.

He turned away.

“I’m going to inspect the military camp.”

Then he left.

The Demon Child was not here at all.

It had gone back to look after the Young Prince.

The Blind Man suddenly smiled.

He looked around at the remaining Demon Kings.

“Let us treat this matter as finished.

“Everyone should be more careful in the future.

“And private meetings like the one last night... we should probably hold fewer of those.

“That was my mistake.

“I accept responsibility.”

The Demon Kings had never formed an iron plate.

Trying to forcefully separate “the Demon Kings” from “Master” was unrealistic in the first place.

Under circumstances like these, the idea of some separate Demon King caucus naturally lost much of its original meaning.

“Your self-criticism is easy enough,” Siniang said. “What about me?

“When I came back last night and saw Master unconscious, I should have gone straight to A’Li and embroidered flowers all over his body with silver needles.”

Fan Li scratched his head.

Then answered:

“You can’t beat me anymore.”

“You shut up!”

Siniang snapped, silver needle already pinched between her fingers.

Fan Li closed his mouth.

“Haaah...”

Xue San released a miserable sigh.

“I took the beating.

“But my strength didn’t improve at all.

“The more I think about it, the more cheated I feel.”

The Blind Man immediately disagreed.

“No.

“At minimum, you proved that the so-called reverse-bond theory is wrong.

“That elimination was necessary.

“And if we compare your result with A’Li’s advancement, then I think the correct method has basically appeared.

“We need to open our hearts to Master.

“Break the barriers that existed between us.

“Let Master see us more clearly.

“Understand us.

“Know us.

“If we do that— we should be able to advance.”

A’Ming gave a soft “heh.”

“But the problem is that after everything that happened today, the relationship between us and Master seems to have gone back overnight to before Liberation.”

Xue San immediately said:

“I spent so long accumulating favorability.

“I licked that far in advance.

“And now I’ve thrown it all away myself.

“What a loss.”

“I don’t see it that way,” the Blind Man said.

Then he continued with his theory.

“Think about what Master said in the main hall earlier:

“Do you still want to continue living these days together?

“Arguments happen.

“If this were husband and wife, what couple never fights?

“Fight at the head of the bed, make peace at the foot.

“Sometimes it even strengthens the relationship.

“Keeping things too polite and respectful all the time is not necessarily good either.

“It creates distance.

“Now that we have already had one real argument, this may actually be the best moment to speak from the heart.

“Both sides are more likely to listen.”

Xue San stared at the Blind Man suspiciously.

“Blind Man.

“Why are you suddenly overflowing with positive energy today?”

The Blind Man shrugged.

“Because we still have to keep living.

“One should maintain an optimistic, positive, upward attitude toward life.”

A’Ming spoke.

“Blind Man, are you rehearsing?

“The moment the rest of us leave later, are you planning to immediately turn around, go back to Master’s residence, and pour out your heart?”

“Forget me.

“What about the other fellow who is as cold as you?

“Do you genuinely believe he went back to the military camp merely to inspect things?”

Naturally, he meant Liang Cheng.

Xue San immediately cursed:

“Fuck!

“He wouldn’t move that quickly, would he?”

The Blind Man smiled.

“He’s the one among us who knows how to command armies.

“You think playing a little military strategy is difficult for him?”

...

Liang Cheng appeared in the courtyard again.

He bent down and began picking up the weapons scattered across the ground one by one, returning them to the weapons rack.

Then he silently gathered the shattered pieces of the broken water vats and stacked them in the corner.

After that, he walked to the damaged section of wall.

He thought for a moment.

Then turned away.

“I thought you were about to rebuild the wall.”

At some point, Zheng Fan had sat down on the threshold.

He watched Liang Cheng from there.

Ever since becoming familiar with Tian Wujing, Count Zheng had suddenly discovered thresholds were actually rather comfortable places to sit.

Good view.

Good air.

Everything happening outside could be seen at a glance.

Of course, the feeling created by the Marquis of Jingnan sitting on a threshold was obviously very different from that of some old farmer sitting there with a rice bowl in his hands.

Heh.

That was the world.

Even thresholds knew how to treat people differently depending on who was sitting on them.

Liang Cheng walked over.

Then he slowly sat down beside Zheng Fan on the same threshold.

Not below him.

Not with deliberate humility.

More like a friend.

An equal relationship.

Zheng Fan did not immediately ask why Liang Cheng had returned.

Instead, he took out his cigarette case, pulled out two cigarettes, and offered one to Liang Cheng.

It was not that zombies could not smoke.

And a zombie hardly needed to worry about smoking damaging his heart, brain, blood vessels, or lungs.

But how to put it?

Most of the happiest things in this world damaged the body in one way or another.

Once you became cold, indestructible, and nearly impervious to harm you also lost access to many forms of pleasure.

Liang Cheng accepted the cigarette.

Zheng Fan took out his fire striker and lit his own.

He was just preparing to light Liang Cheng’s as well when Liang Cheng rubbed two fingernails together.

*Crack.*

A shower of sparks appeared.

The cigarette lit.

“Cool.”

Zheng Fan tried snapping his own fingers.

For a moment he considered forcing qi and blood into them to see whether he could create a spark.

Then he worried he might simply blow both fingers apart.

“Master,” Liang Cheng said, “truthfully, I have never regarded you as Master.”

Zheng Fan exhaled a ring of smoke.

Then nodded.

“I know.”

“I became a zombie because I refused to submit to the person standing above my head.

“Whether as a human or a zombie—

I do not like bending at the waist.”

“Mm.”

“But whenever I call you Master, I do not feel any psychological burden.”

“Why?”

“Because I know you never took the title seriously either.

“Just as you said earlier—

Master is merely a form of address.

“No different from Zhang San or Li Si.

“To me, your surname could simply be ‘Mas’ and your given name ‘Ter.’”

“Heh.”

“There is another matter.

“I want my strength back.

“More precisely— all seven of us want to recover our strength as quickly as possible.

“Without strength, we can never obtain genuine freedom.”

“I know.”

Liang Cheng flicked ash from his cigarette.

“There is one more thing.

“I actually like my present life.

“I never told you before.

“Perhaps in your eyes—and theirs too—I keep leading troops simply because I happen to know how to command armies.

“But truthfully—

I genuinely enjoy this feeling.

“When I saw the Zhenbei Army cavalry, I envied them.

“When I saw the Jingnan Army cavalry, I envied them too.”

“So did I,” Zheng Fan said with feeling.

Troops and horses were the first measure of a warlord’s strength.

Zheng Fan did not command many men now.

But imagine if he already had three hundred thousand iron cavalry beneath him.

At that point, if the Emperor of Yan wanted to choose a Crown Prince or decide who inherited the dragon throne, he might have to send someone over and discuss it with Zheng Fan first.

“Truthfully, I knew about what happened last night.

“I also knew about what Xue San did today.

“I ignored it.

“Pretended I knew nothing.”

“Oh.”

“Master doesn’t want to ask why?”

“You’ll ask and answer your own question.”

Liang Cheng smiled.

This cold zombie rarely displayed such a human expression.

“Because I did not care.”

As he spoke, Liang Cheng pressed the cigarette butt into his own palm and extinguished it.

“Perhaps it was because I knew that no matter how far Xue San went, he would never truly endanger Master’s life.

“So I did not care.

“I am sorry.

“I failed to consider Master’s own emotions.

“Or the fact that Master would feel personally violated.

“If I had been good at plotting and observing matters like that—

I would never have become a zombie in the first place.

“And there would be no present me.”

“Is that an explanation?”

“It counts as one.

“And does not.

“Master, do not laugh.

“If you gave me a choice between advancing my own strength and having those ten thousand barbarian cavalry appear in front of me this very moment—

“I would choose the cavalry without the slightest hesitation.

“Even someone as strong as the Sword Saint exhausted himself and nearly died after cutting down one thousand riders.

“Ten thousand barbarian cavalry, properly trained—even if all we did was trade pieces— could trade for ten Sword Saints.

“Where in this world would anyone find ten Sword Saints?”

It was simply arithmetic.

“Besides, Master— this world is enormous.

“Truly enormous.

“You are not a Yan man.

“Neither am I.

“I do not possess any especially deep sense of belonging toward the State of Yan.

“But I like war.

“Fight the State of Qian.

“Feel the iron hooves beneath my command trample the splendid rivers and mountains of Jiangnan.

“Fight the State of Chu.

“Enter the depths of the Great Marsh and experience the pleasure of forcing even demons and monsters to submit.

“Once those two are finished, we can wander into the desert.

“After crossing the desert, we can stroll through the western kingdoms.

“This world even has a great empire called **Rome**.

“I genuinely want to see their battle formations for myself.

“This life was already given to us for play.

“So if we are going to play— then we should play until we are completely satisfied.

“Otherwise, what would be the point of living it?”

Zheng Fan nodded.

Then Liang Cheng continued:

“Master, if you are in a bad mood, I can lead three thousand cavalry and accompany you into the snowfields for a stroll.

“Perhaps that is a little too Li Fusheng-like.

“But I must say— no matter how great your worries or how deep your depression, there is nothing that wiping out one small savage tribe cannot relieve.

“And if that is not enough— we wipe out several.”

“Our new recruits still haven’t arrived.

“The barbarian troops aren’t here yet either.”

Snow Sea Pass was already short on troops.

“Exactly.

“So at a time like this, we must not keep too low a profile.

“If anything, that would make it easier for the savages to test our true strength.

“We might as well act wildly and arrogantly instead.”

“But we only recently concluded an alliance.”

“The savages violated it first.

“That savage tribe attacked our merchant caravan.

“Plundered our goods.

“Killed our people.”

“As far as I know, Snow Sea Pass has not yet sent any merchant caravans into the snowfields.”

“Master is wise.

“This subordinate will arrange it immediately.

“The caravan that was attacked and suffered casualties will depart for the snowfields tonight.”

“You’ve worked hard.

“When everything is prepared, come get me.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Yes, Master.”

Liang Cheng rose.

He took his leave and walked out of the residence.

The instant he stepped through the gate black fire suddenly boiled inside his eyes.

His aura surged violently.

Liang Cheng opened his mouth.

A silent roar burst from him.

At the same time as though stimulated by the advancement of Liang Cheng’s bloodline the coffin lying quietly inside the secluded room in the rear compound suddenly blasted its lid away.

Sha Tuo Queshi sat upright.

Inside his eyes the same black flames now burned.

Outside, Liang Cheng’s expression gradually returned to normal.

The aura that had erupted during his sudden advancement slowly settled.

But Liang Cheng did not immediately leave.

He remained standing in place.

The latest recovery of his zombie bloodline had unlocked more of his original racial abilities.

For example, right now, he could sense Sha Tuo Queshi in the rear compound.

And he could feel that Sha Tuo Queshi was “watching” him.

Liang Cheng spoke:

“Can you hear me?

“Do you remember who you are?”

“I...

“I...”

Sha Tuo Queshi’s voice was halting and broken.

He still seemed trapped inside an extremely deep confusion.

That surprised Liang Cheng slightly.

Sha Tuo Queshi’s behavior all this time had already proven he possessed his own internal logic.

He was not completely mindless.

After all, he had repeatedly acted to protect their Master.

He had also protected Zheng Fan’s godson the Young Prince.

If a being could repeatedly perform clear, consistent actions, then it could not possess no thought at all.

Liang Cheng asked again:

“What... do you still remember?”

“I...

“My son... his surname... is Zheng.”

[End of Chapter 378]