Chapter 477: Head Ornaments

The Sword Saint’s sword had recovered.

Count Zheng was not especially surprised.

He had suspected it for some time and had already prepared himself for the possibility.

There were always people in this world who shone like stars.

Even when they temporarily vanished, it was only because a passing cloud had hidden them.

Once the sky cleared and the clouds scattered, you would discover they were still there, continuing to blaze with the same brilliance.

By habit, Zheng Fan reached down and stroked the Pixiu he had nearly used as a shield moments earlier, offering a small apology.

Then Count Zheng raised his head again and looked at the masked man surrounded by his armored guards.

The assassin had discovered that the saber in his hand no longer possessed its former edge.

So he had begun using his mouth, hoping words could achieve what the blade had failed to do.

The Sword Saint did not draw again.

He merely stood there in silence.

He did not explain himself.

Perhaps he could not be bothered.

Or perhaps he simply believed no amount of argument in a situation like this could change the heart of a man who was about to die.

The Sword Saint remembered something his master had once told him.

His master had said:

“There are two kinds of people in this world with whom reason is useless. No matter how well you explain yourself, they will never truly listen.

“One kind is the person your sword cannot kill.

“The other... is the person your sword is about to kill.”

Master.

Teacher and father in one.

The Sword Saint remembered many things his master had said.

Only this particular sentence had remained unclear to him for many years.

Over the past two years... he had begun to understand.

Not the words themselves.

The **state of mind** behind them.

Yu Huaping was already dead.

He had died the moment one sword pierced the old Situ Clan head’s heart.

He had died on the night he fought Tian Wujing outside the old Jin capital.

He had died on the day one man cut down a thousand cavalry before Snow Sea Pass.

The Sword Saint of Jin.

The Sword Saint of Jin.

He had plainly been only a Sword Saint.

Yet for the two words *of Jin* placed before that title, he had done far too much.

And paid far too much.

Now... he was merely one woman’s husband.

One child’s father.

And the owner of a coop full of old hens.

The Sword Saint held his sword.

Then began walking forward.

Count Zheng showed a trace of surprise.

He had originally intended to order his armored guards to swarm the masked assassin and kill him.

He had not wanted the Sword Saint to act.

The masked man was already surrounded.

Crossbows had been trained on him.

Once the first volley came, it would be difficult for him to resist the arrows with his own qi and blood.

Then the armored guards would close from every direction.

Even if he managed to make a little trouble, the wave would be limited.

After all, people as powerful as the Marquis of Jingnan and the Sword Saint were exceedingly rare beneath Heaven.

And this masked man was nowhere near that level.

When the assassin had attacked earlier, Count Zheng had even felt that if he reacted properly, he probably would not die beneath that broken saber.

At worst, he would be injured.

And that was without even counting the Demon Child intervening.

Count Zheng divided powerful experts in this world into roughly two categories.

Those who could kill him with a single strike after getting close.

And those who could not.

Obviously, the man before him belonged to the second category.

If you could not even instantly kill *him*, what kind of great expert were you?

The masked man was skilled.

But merely skilled.

Count Zheng had always taken considerable care with the Sword Saint’s mental and emotional health.

He did not want to burden him with unnecessary psychological weight.

Fine steel belonged on the cutting edge, after all.

But the Sword Saint kept walking.

And with every firm step he took, the armored guards on that side had no choice but to widen their encirclement and let him enter.

They all knew what the white robes represented.

The masked man watched the Sword Saint continue approaching.

He laughed loudly.

“What?

“Yu Huaping, are you planning to draw your sword and kill me personally in front of your master so you can beg for merit?”

The Sword Saint sighed.

“No.”

“No?

“Then what do you mean?

“Don’t tell me you intend to plead for me?

“To save me?

“Hehehehe.”

The Sword Saint shook his head.

“I do not know you.

“How am I supposed to plead for you?”

“...”

Many people knew the Sword Saint.

Wherever he went, he naturally became the center of attention.

But the Sword Saint himself knew very few people.

There simply were not many people in this world worth knowing to him.

Those words hurt.

Especially because he spoke them with such perfect seriousness.

That made them hurt even more.

You accused me.

You condemned me.

I did not argue.

I did not defend myself.

I simply asked, very seriously:

Who are you?

“What exactly do you want?” the masked man roared.

The Sword Saint continued walking.

The distance between them kept shrinking.

And in the same serious voice, he answered:

“I will not kill you to earn merit from him.”

“Then what?

“You intend to let me go?

“Let me go so you can preserve the Sword Saint’s innocence?

“Your famous name?

“Yu Huaping, do you truly believe you can still wash yourself clean?”

The Sword Saint shook his head again.

“I simply want to kill you myself.”

“What difference is there?” the masked man laughed, his voice full of mockery.

“Because what you said made me uncomfortable.”

“Yu Huaping, you dare do these things, yet fear someone speaking of them?”

The Sword Saint nodded.

“It is not fear.

“It is discomfort.”

“You still possess a sense of shame?”

The Sword Saint shook his head.

He was not admitting that he lacked shame.

He simply realized there was no path for conversation between them.

They were speaking like a chicken and a duck.

Since that was the case... there was no reason to continue speaking.

By now, the Sword Saint and the masked man stood less than two zhang apart.

Anyone who wandered the jianghu... or even possessed a little jianghu experience... understood something.

When a swordsman stood very close to you, danger had already reached your face.

Forget sparring and controlled exchanges.

In real fights and real killing, those legendary duels that lasted several days and nights were extreme exceptions.

Even the famous “three days and three nights” duel between the Sword Saint and Li Liangshen had lasted so long only because Li Liangshen had military duties in the middle of it.

He had left for two days.

Then returned and continued fighting.

So... the Sword Saint struck.

And then... a hole appeared in the masked man’s chest.

“You...”

Clang.

The broken saber fell to the ground.

The masked man raised one hand with great difficulty and pointed toward the Sword Saint.

He had never imagined that a mighty Sword Saint would actually launch a sneak attack.

This was not the ending he wanted.

Even if he had to die beneath the Sword Saint’s sword, it should not have happened this way.

His saber had not even begun to move.

More importantly... although the Sword Saint said he did not know him, the masked man had not yet had the chance to announce his own name.

The Sword Saint shook his head.

Looking at the assassin swaying on the edge of collapse, he said:

“I did not ambush you.”

I stopped your sword.

I walked toward you one step at a time.

I clearly told you I wanted to kill you.

And yet you stood there watching me approach without even raising your blade.

“You... despicable...”

The Sword Saint shook his head again.

Still speaking with utter seriousness, he answered:

“You could not defeat me anyway.”

“...”

The masked man.

Ambush or no ambush... even if they had cleared an arena, burned incense, bathed, and formally prepared for the duel, the result would have been exactly the same.

There was no suspense.

Not even a little.

Since that was true, there was no need to care whether the strike counted as a sneak attack.

Thud.

The masked man collapsed.

At last, there was no breath left in him.

Count Zheng sat on the Pixiu and watched the entire scene.

Then he ordered the soldiers beside him:

“Do not remove the mask.

“Cut off the head and throw it into the fire.”

You liked wearing a mask, did you?

Fine.

Then I will not even bother looking at your face.

Armored soldiers immediately stepped forward to carry out the order.

Count Zheng rode the Pixiu over to the Sword Saint.

“Feeling uncomfortable?”

The Sword Saint shook his head.

Then he wiped the blood from Longyuan against the Pixiu’s fur.

“...”

The Pixiu.

Under Count Zheng’s influence, aside from occasionally sneaking a lick of blood from the ground, the Pixiu usually cared quite a bit about keeping its fur neat.

But... it also understood exactly how terrifying this white-robed man and the sword in his hand were.

Count Zheng said:

“What ordinary people want is peace and a stable life.

“People like them would destroy the stability everyone finally managed to regain.”

Count Zheng was an expert at psychological massage.

The Sword Saint smiled.

“If you die, Snow Sea Pass falls into chaos.

“My courtyard would stop being peaceful too.”

Hearing that, Zheng Fan nodded and said nothing more.

When the Sword Saint had first learned the sword as a young man, he lived for youthful pride.

After mastering swordsmanship, he lived for fame.

After achieving fame, he lived for righteousness and the state.

Now... he wanted to live only for his little household.

What other people said... how other people viewed him... he no longer cared.

The heart of a swordsman was not necessarily cold.

It was simply without distraction.

That small episode ended there.

Nothing unexpected happened during the remainder of their journey to the Sun Residence.

When they reached the gates, they found the Sun Residence standing wide open.

Servants and maidservants knelt trembling on both sides behind the entrance.

Behind those servants sat Sun Ying on the ground.

Beside Sun Ying stood Sun Liang, his face ashen.

They already knew what had happened.

In truth... the moment news reached the Sun Clan’s main residence that Yan troops had charged into Sun Ying’s estate and begun fighting rebels there, everything became clear.

Sun Youdao and Sun Liang, father and son, who had known nothing before, immediately understood.

Everything had originated with Sun Ying.

This was the sort of thing Sun Ying could do.

The sort of thing he *would* do.

They had not suspected him before.

But once the truth appeared and settled upon his shoulders, it did not feel particularly surprising.

Count Zheng did not rush into the residence.

He first ordered his armored soldiers to enter and escort every servant in the Sun household outside.

Then...

Count Zheng dismounted from the Pixiu.

And stood there.

He remained standing for quite a while.

Two plaques hung on either side of the Sun Residence.

The right read:

**Loyal in Service to the State.**

The left read:

**A Bright Mirror Beneath Sun and Moon.**

Both were written personally by Situ Lei.

The “bright mirror” referred to Sun Youdao’s frequent admonitions that Situ Lei restrain extravagance and remain close to the common people.

Because Situ Lei had left behind a final decree ordering submission to Great Yan, his calligraphy was not considered politically taboo even now.

The Sword Saint spoke.

“Is the calligraphy very beautiful?”

If it was not... why had Zheng Fan been standing here staring for so long?

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“I’m waiting for you to go in first.”

The Sword Saint laughed.

“You could have said so earlier.”

Count Zheng shook his head.

“I have face to maintain too.”

“Fine.”

The Sword Saint stepped into the Sun Residence.

Count Zheng followed directly behind him.

The Savage King came third.

Sun Ying and Sun Liang had already been surrounded by armored soldiers.

Count Zheng’s personal guards had also sealed the inside and outside of the residence.

His men reported that Sun Youdao himself was sitting in the main hall.

Sun Ying sat on the ground because of his crippled legs.

He looked somewhat miserable.

Yet the moment he saw Zheng Fan enter, his eyes seemed to light up again.

His younger brother Sun Liang, by contrast, immediately knelt.

He did not beg.

Because Sun Liang understood there was no meaning in begging now.

Even if anyone intended to plead for mercy, he did not possess the qualification.

Their father would have to be the one to do it.

“Ying has admired Count Pingye for a long time.

“Seeing you today, you truly are every bit as heroic and imposing as the stories say.”

Every time a Jin man used words like “admire,” “respect,” or “yearn toward” him, Count Zheng felt something strange crawl through his heart.

Zheng Fan ignored Sun Ying.

Instead, he looked toward Sun Liang kneeling nearby.

“This Count thought you would tie Sun Ying up yourselves.”

On the journey here, the Savage King had explained the Sun Clan to Zheng Fan in detail.

Since Gou Moli had discovered the affair and punctured it open, he naturally possessed considerable authority to speak on the matter.

For example, the Savage King believed Sun Youdao had not participated.

If Sun Youdao’s influence and planning ability had been involved, what erupted in Yingdu would never have been merely a weak, hollow blaze.

That old man had once helped Situ Lei plan the defense of Zhennan Pass and defeat Chu forces several times.

He had also helped Situ Lei repel Gou Moli himself before Situ Lei’s death.

But... this was treason.

When the nature of the crime reached that level, severing yourself cleanly from the matter was extremely difficult.

Sun Ying smiled.

“Count, Ying is already a cripple.

“A scholar without the strength to bind a chicken.

“What difference would tying me up make?

“It might fool other people.

“But before you, Count, what would there be to fool?”

“Oh?

“You certainly have plenty to say.”

Sun Ying sighed.

“Things have already reached this point.

“I originally intended to take my own life.

“But I worried that dying too cleanly might make the Count unhappy.

“That you might feel it was unsatisfying.

“So...

“I deliberately kept this life and saved it for you to dispose of.

“Please use it to vent your anger, Count.”

“So considerate?”

“It is only proper.”

“Fine.

“Since you understand the situation so well, I’ll spare the lives of those children of yours.”

Sun Ying clearly had not expected Zheng Fan to be so easy to speak with.

He immediately prepared to salute.

“Many thanks, Count Ping—”

“The boys will be castrated and sent into the palace.

“The girls will be sent to the Imperial Music Bureau.”

“...”

Sun Ying.

Zheng Fan sighed.

“Ai.

“This Count simply cannot rid himself of this softhearted habit.”

Count Zheng turned toward the Sword Saint beside him.

The Sword Saint’s expression remained perfectly calm.

Unable to get any response from him, Count Zheng helplessly turned toward the Savage King instead.

Gou Moli immediately clapped his hands.

“Exactly, Count!

“You truly possess the heart of a Bodhisattva.”

The smile finally disappeared from Sun Ying’s face.

He said freely:

“The victor becomes king, the defeated becomes bandit.

“I ask only that Count Zheng grant me a dignified end.”

“Dignity?

“Why should this Count give you dignity?

“If you cared so much about dignity, why did you not think about it earlier?”

“Everything I did was for Great Jin.”

“The Three Families partitioned Jin a very long time ago.”

“But I am a man of Jin!

“Affairs of Jin should be decided by Jin people.

“Not by you Yan people.”

Hearing that...

Count Zheng laughed.

“The Savages reached the Wang River.

“You were the ones who voluntarily submitted to Great Yan and begged Great Yan to help you drive the Savages out.”

“What about the Helian and Wenren Clans?

“Did they invite you Yan people in too?

“The ambition of Yan is known to everyone beneath Heaven!”

“Heh.

“That is even less correct.

“When Great Yan’s army attacked Qian, it was the allied forces of the Helian and Wenren Clans that voluntarily crossed the Horseshoe Mountains and invaded Great Yan.

“What?

“You people are allowed to attack us, but we are forbidden to hit back?

“A fight is only interesting when blows go both ways.

“Who could have imagined the Helian and Wenren Clans were so fragile?

“One beating and they vanished.

“Tsk, tsk.”

“We Jin people—”

Smack!

Count Zheng slapped Sun Ying across the face.

Two teeth flew from Sun Ying’s mouth.

Blood immediately began running down his chin.

“This Count is utterly sick of people like you.

“You are crippled, so you are even more desperate to accomplish something grand enough to prove you are not useless.

“You miss the glory the Sun Clan enjoyed when Great Cheng still existed.

“Yet you dress all of it up as service to Jin.

“Service to Jin’s people.

“Jin affairs for Jin people alone.

“Back when the Jin Emperor still ruled from the capital region, why didn’t you take your father and run to serve the legitimate Jin imperial house?

“Instead, you stayed here colluding with Situ Lei, that rebellious traitor!

“What legitimacy did the Situ Clan ever possess?

“They were nothing more than treacherous ministers who committed insubordination, coerced their sovereign, and concealed ambitions of usurpation!

“And you... you think you are qualified to speak of loyalty and righteousness before this Count?

“You think you are qualified to shout about legitimacy?”

“Great Cheng was founded by men of virtue.

“It followed Heaven’s Mandate and the will of the people—”

“Fine.

“By your own logic, Great Cheng nearly fell two years ago.

“Does that mean Heaven’s Mandate had abandoned you?

“That the people’s will had abandoned you as well?

“Now Great Yan controls Jin.

“Wouldn’t that mean Heaven’s Mandate and the people’s will are with Great Yan instead?

“Heh.

“This Count genuinely finds you people strange.

“If you want to do something, then do it.

“You clearly act for yourselves, yet insist upon dressing yourselves up as though everything is for the state, the people, and all living beings beneath Heaven.

“Go outside.

“Ask the common people in and around Yingdu whether they want to endure another military catastrophe like the one two years ago, when they spent every day terrified they might not survive until tomorrow!”

After finishing his tirade, Count Zheng planted both hands on his hips.

Then he shouted toward the main hall:

“Grand Tutor Sun looks down upon this Count too much to meet me?

“Fine.

“Then this Count will leave.

“When the Sun Clan is confiscated and exterminated, I’ll return and browse through the female relatives.

“Perhaps I can pick out one or two pretty enough to take home.”

The implication was obvious.

You do not want to negotiate?

Fine.

Then we will handle everything according to official procedure.

At last, Sun Youdao’s voice came from inside the hall:

“Count, please wait.

“This old man is searching for a set of head ornaments belonging to my old concubine.

“I thought I might send them to Count Zheng together with everything else.”

————

[End of Chapter 477]