Chapter 506: - Advancement

Children going to school?

What was that about?

As the ultimate hands-off boss, Count Pingye genuinely had no idea any of this had happened. But that did not stop him from hearing the second half of what the Sword Saint had said:

I’ll kill people for you.

Well then.

Letting children study was a good thing, wasn’t it?

If the Sword Saint was willing to keep killing people for him, Zheng Fan could absolutely support those children all the way through the imperial examinations, send them into the Hanlin Academy, and let them compile things like the *Snow Sea Compendium* or the *Complete Library of the Four Treasuries*. No problem at all.

Count Pingye looked at the Sword Saint and said, “I have always believed children should read more books. They are the flowers of the future of my Great Yan... no, of all our Xia lands.”

The Sword Saint simply looked at Zheng Fan in silence. After a long while, he said nothing and merely nodded.

He left the head where it was, picked up his sword, and turned to leave.

Count Pingye untied the bundle. The moment he saw the head inside, his eyes narrowed and he blurted out:

“Qin Yueyue of Xinian Manor.”

The Sword Saint stopped and turned back.

“You actually know her?”

“No, wait. You thought I wouldn’t recognize her, yet you still brought me a gift this valuable without even explaining it? Weren’t you afraid I’d have no idea how heavy this gift really was?”

“Someone under you would have known her.”

The Sword Saint knew Count Pingye had no shortage of capable people beneath him.

There was Mr. Feng, rumored to be capable of weighing the entire world in his hands, and Mr. Bei, whom even Gou Moli feared.

There was Third Mister, who had personally built Snow Sea Pass’s intelligence network, and General Liang, who took command of the army whenever war came.

Even that enormous fellow who looked honest, dull, and somewhat foolish was no ordinary man.

The Sword Maid had once told the Sword Saint that whenever she practiced one of the sword forms he had taught her in front of that big fool, he could understand it almost instantly.

The Sword Saint paused, then said again:

“I’m still a little surprised you recognized her.”

“Back by the river, my eldest brother-in-law and my... fifth brother-in-law? Anyway, they were discussing war beside the river and I saw this woman there. Was she here to spy on Snow Sea Pass?”

“I don’t know. Probably.”

Zheng Fan glanced at Longyuan in the Sword Saint’s hand.

“It must have been beneath you. In my eyes, your sword ought to be a rainbow in the heavens, yet you have been forced to use it for these earthly affairs.”

“If you hadn’t sent me to kill pigs last time, I might actually believe you.”

“Look at you, taking things so seriously.”

“I killed her willingly. Just remember what you promised me. Children should stay where children belong.”

“I promise.”

“Zheng Fan, do you know why I still brought my whole family here and chose to live at Snow Sea Pass?”

If the Sword Saint wanted to leave, he could leave whenever he pleased.

Depart Snow Sea Pass at dawn and stand in the Son of Heaven’s hall by dusk.

And even if one lowered the standard by ten thousand steps, the Sword Saint could simply find some place of clear waters and green mountains, build a cottage or open a little shop, and use his sword to protect whatever life he chose.

“Why?”

“There are many things the Count’s Residence does that I cannot fully agree with. But I like the atmosphere under your rule. If one day you change...”

“You’ll leave?”

“I’ll kill you with my sword.”

“That’s a little extreme.”

“At least then, in my memories, you will still be Count Pingye. You will still be the General of Shengle.”

“That is extremely Jin of you.”

Count Pingye stood and said:

“Let me speak from the heart...”

“Gou Moli once said that whenever someone uses that phrase as a preface, it usually means the next thing out of his mouth will be a lie.”

“That bastard is really narrowing his own road.”

“But I’d still like to hear it.”

“Truthfully, I am not a good man.” Count Pingye pointed at the Sword Saint. “Neither are you. Whether true saints exist in this world, I don’t know. But you and I certainly do not count as saints in the strict sense. Take Yao Zizhan of Qian, the Literary Saint. I heard he took a thirteen-year-old concubine just last year. Tsk, tsk. Perhaps they consider that a charming tale, but to me it is still less than beastly.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that I have never wanted to become Emperor. Do you believe me?”

“You spend all your time thinking about rebellion, and you’re telling me it’s only because you find it entertaining?”

“If I follow that question by nodding and saying yes, you won’t believe me, will you?”

The Sword Saint said nothing.

Zheng Fan walked over and reached for Longyuan.

The Sword Saint did not stop him. He naturally let Zheng Fan take the sword.

Years ago, the Sword Saint had been defeated by Tian Wujing outside the capital region and left Longyuan behind.

Later, when Tian Wujing invested Zheng Fan as General of Shengle, he gave Longyuan to him.

Eventually, Longyuan returned to the Sword Saint’s hands.

“Was she difficult to kill?”

“No.”

Count Pingye nodded.

“Right. I suppose not.”

And in truth, she genuinely had not been difficult to kill.

The Swordsmith had placed a restriction on Longyuan that specifically broke the Phoenix-Locking Hand, the secret technique only members of Great Chu’s imperial clan were meant to cultivate.

If the details of that battle ever spread, the Swordsmith would probably have a very difficult time entering the imperial palace again.

Shing...

Count Pingye drew Longyuan.

He flourished the blade once and said:

“Longyuan may be a famous sword of this age, but in the end its blade is only four feet long. Neither you nor I are saints. And yet the world is vast. I only concern myself with the four feet before me.”

The Sword Saint’s expression changed the instant he heard those words.

He murmured:

“The world is vast. I only concern myself with the four feet before me.”

The next moment, Longyuan suddenly trembled in Zheng Fan’s hand.

The sword flew free by itself, shot toward the Sword Saint, and began circling around him.

Count Pingye jumped in fright.

He knew exactly how sharp that sword was.

If he had been even slightly careless just now, all his fingers might have dropped cleanly to the floor.

“The world is vast. I only concern myself with the four feet before me.”

The Sword Saint continued repeating the sentence while Longyuan floated around him.

“No matter how vast the world, my sword is only four feet long.”

The Sword Saint fell into deep thought and sat cross-legged where he stood.

“What does the vastness of the world have to do with me? My sword is only four feet.”

He began asking and answering himself.

“The four feet before me are me. Beyond those four feet lies the world.”

Longyuan kept trembling as though it possessed a spirit, circling its master in delighted celebration.

“The four feet before me are my world.”

Hum!

Longyuan dropped in front of the Sword Saint, half its blade sinking into the floor tiles.

The Sword Saint slowly closed his eyes.

“Within four feet before me... I am invincible.”

A pale blue barrier gradually manifested from Longyuan’s blade, like the shade of a lamp enclosing the Sword Saint inside.

Standing nearby, Count Pingye’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

Of course he knew what the Sword Saint was doing.

He was gaining enlightenment.

He had found an opportunity.

For someone at the Sword Saint’s level, he already stood at the very end of a hundred-foot pole. Taking even half a step higher, or moving the slightest bit forward, was incredibly difficult.

Unfortunately, this bastard seemed to have been born with the fate of a protagonist.

Count Pingye could only envy him, resent him, and hate him.

All Zheng Fan had done was tell him a little piece of worldview.

Yet once it entered the Sword Saint’s ears, it became a supreme principle of the sword.

The saying about giving someone roses and having their fragrance linger on your hand sounded beautiful enough.

Count Pingye still felt sour inside.

This enlightenment probably would not increase the Sword Saint’s formal grade.

But his understanding of swordsmanship and his comprehension of sword forms would clearly enter a new realm.

Third Grade was itself an enormous realm.

And actual killing was never decided purely by grade.

Otherwise, whenever two jianghu cultivators met, they could simply compare grades and let the lower-ranked one admit defeat. There would be no need for so much bloodshed.

Xue San killing Prince Fu was a perfect example.

Prince Fu had drugged himself into a realm far above Xue San’s.

It had not helped him much.

A realm mattered.

But a realm still needed techniques and practical principles to support it.

It was like giving the same army to an excellent commander and an idiot.

Count Pingye had never possessed an especially broad heart.

It took him a long time to suppress the sourness inside him.

Damn it.

Why couldn’t he enlighten himself?

He shook his head, picked up the teapot from the table, stole two oranges from the fruit plate and stuffed them into his pockets.

After hesitating, he decided to leave Qin Yueyue’s head where it was.

Then he stepped around the Sword Saint, walked outside, turned around, and closed the door.

Count Pingye sat on the steps.

The Sword Saint was in enlightenment.

Fine.

He would stand guard for him.

He tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and drank a stream of cold tea straight from the spout.

It carried a faint bitterness.

Not far away, Xiao Yibo was waiting.

Perhaps the Sword Saint had made no attempt to conceal himself when he came in, so Xiao Yibo had remained outside in case Count Pingye wanted something, like a midnight snack.

The moment Count Pingye emerged, Xiao Yibo hurried over.

“Send someone to the neighbors next door. Tell them their man has been found. He is safe and will be home tomorrow. Make the story sound convincing. Then send a message to the Blind Man. Tell him children ought to spend their time properly studying in school.”

Count Pingye might not have known anything about the child-soldier business, but the Blind Man was responsible for that area.

He did not need to think very hard to know the Blind Man must have been stirring something up.

“Yes, Count. This subordinate understands. Count, do you need...”

Before Xiao Yibo could finish, Count Pingye waved him away.

Xiao Yibo immediately bowed and withdrew.

Count Pingye glanced behind himself again.

He set the teapot to one side and felt around his clothes.

Only then did he realize he had left his Zhonghua cigarette tin inside.

Going back in now would be inconvenient, so he had no choice but to forget about it.

He raised his head.

Looked at the sky.

The weather tonight was excellent.

It would not rain.

At this time of year, even Snow Sea Pass would not see snow.

If only there could be hail.

Then when the Sword Saint came out, he would see Zheng Fan with his face swollen and bruised from being battered by hail while standing guard for him.

Mm.

But wasn’t that treating himself a little too harshly?

...

In the Blind Man’s courtyard, Dai Li knelt before him and reported everything that had happened over the past few days.

Once he finished, the Blind Man nodded.

“You’ve worked hard these past few days.”

“Serving the Count’s Residence is no hardship, sir!”

“You are still wounded?”

“Minor injuries. Minor. There is no need for Mr. Bei to concern himself.”

“Make sure compensation for the men under you is handled properly. They died for Snow Sea Pass. The rest of your people will all be rewarded.”

“This humble officer thanks Mr. Bei and the Count on behalf of the brothers.”

“Mm. You may go.”

“Yes. This humble officer takes his leave.”

After Dai Li departed, Yuexin came over carrying a thin blanket and draped it across the Blind Man’s knees.

“The damp is heavy at night. Come inside,” she said softly.

The Blind Man shook his head.

“A little brat is coming over later. Make me a bowl of wontons for afterward.”

“All right.”

Yuexin went to the kitchen.

The Blind Man’s household had no permanent servants. Only one older woman came during the day to clean the house and wash clothes.

Yuexin normally worked beside the Fourth Lady.

And as long as the Blind Man was inside Snow Sea Pass, he always had work to do.

But barring unusual circumstances, husband and wife ate dinner and late-night meals together.

Yuexin did the cooking.

While they were in Yanjing, besides “chatting” with Wen Sutong about several matters that could easily be called treasonous and listening to the old man analyze the political situation in the capital, the Blind Man had also spoken with him about his quiet life with his granddaughter.

It was all rather ordinary.

Wen Sutong was already quite satisfied.

This was an age of great contention.

To stand inside the whirlpool and still manage to live an ordinary life was itself something exceedingly rare.

The Blind Man could not say he was satisfied with this wife.

More precisely, she fit.

As a Demon King who had already gone through so many things, asking him to fall wildly and passionately in love with someone was simply asking too much of a demon.

Once someone had experienced enough, every category of emotion gradually became numb.

The threshold rose higher and higher.

It was like something the Fourth Lady had once told Count Pingye:

In this lifetime, this old lady is probably never going to be interested in men again. But Master is the only one who doesn’t make me feel disgusted.

The Blind Man had also wondered why all of them had ended up living this way.

Eventually, he arrived at a conclusion.

All human ethics and morality were built around lifespans measured in less than a century.

Ordinary people rarely lived to a hundred.

Seventy was already close enough.

In this era, the average lifespan was even lower.

So within a life that was both limited and insufficient, human existence was divided with extreme compactness into several stages.

Those stages connected and even overlapped.

As children, people hurried to grow up and study.

As adults, they hurried to earn a living and support themselves.

At the same time, they had to find spouses and reproduce.

Once the next generation appeared, they spent their strength on that next generation.

If they were lucky, by the end they had saved enough money to buy their own coffin in advance.

The life of an ordinary person passed very quickly.

So quickly that for most people, when faced with love, affection, longing, and every other emotion, there was barely enough time to determine whether it was truly real or merely inertia.

Marriage was supposed to mean mutual affection.

But never mind this age.

Even in that familiar modern world, if two people sharing the same pillow could still “look at each other without growing tired,” one could already chant Amitabha.

So the Blind Man did not believe there was anything wrong with turning life into nothing more than ordinary daily living.

“Mr. Bei.”

A wolf cub’s head appeared over the courtyard wall.

The Blind Man emerged from his thoughts and beckoned to him.

Zheng Fan had once given the wolf cub a name:

Zheng Man.

After entering school, the wolf cub had gone through a period when he disliked it.

His classmates kept calling him “barbarian, barbarian.”

Yan people and Jin people, at least when it came to racial discrimination, were remarkably united.

Zheng Man did not dare ask Count Pingye to change the name.

Count Pingye had been the one who gave it to him.

Admittedly, the Count had chosen it rather casually.

So the boy went to the Blind Man instead.

The Blind Man gave him another name:

Zheng Shi.

A year later, however, the wolf cub voluntarily went back to his teacher and changed his school name to Zheng Man again.

The Blind Man knew about that too.

Even adults could suffer greatly under discrimination like this.

Yet this child had needed only one year to come through it.

He no longer saw the character “Man,” barbarian, as shameful.

Instead, he took pride in it.

For one thing, more and more Barbarian soldiers were joining Zheng Fan’s army.

For another, he was deeply fascinated by Sha Tuo Queshi’s story and especially by the line:

“I was born a barbarian of the desert.”

The wolf cub climbed over the wall and came before the Blind Man.

He gave a proper little salute.

“Mr. Bei, I did what you asked pretty well, didn’t I?”

The Blind Man nodded.

“You did.”

The Sword Saint had already been gone for many days.

“Then can I go on the campaign against Chu this time?”

“Yes.”

“Hahaha!”

Zheng Man laughed happily.

“But you are not going to the front line.”

“I understand. Even if all you let me do is brush the horses, I’m willing!”

“Mm.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bei. Thank you!”

Zheng Man gave another formal salute, then left the courtyard.

He had come over the wall.

He left through the gate.

Just then, Yuexin returned carrying two bowls of wontons.

“We should have asked the child to stay and eat with us.”

The Blind Man shook his head.

“He gets nervous eating with me. Forget it.”

Yuexin smiled.

“True.”

She set down the bowls and distributed the spoons.

The young husband and wife sat together in the courtyard and ate their late-night meal.

The broth was fresh.

The wonton skins were thin, the filling generous without being greasy.

A little chopped scallion floated on top, along with several drops of sesame oil.

Fragrant.

Yuexin said quietly:

“That family next door has already gone to the authorities. They say he has been missing for days.”

The Blind Man nodded.

“You arranged that, didn’t you?”

The Blind Man nodded again.

“If you leave traces while scheming against him, it won’t look very good.”

Clearly, Yuexin knew the Sword Saint’s identity.

Of course, anyone who was not a fool would notice that a household permitted to live immediately beside the Count’s Residence could hardly be an ordinary small family.

Besides, Yuexin spent most days helping the Fourth Lady with the accounts and entered and left the Count’s Residence constantly.

She had seen the Sword Saint before.

“I only reminded him of what he ought to be doing right now. Helped his thoughts flow smoothly.”

The Blind Man spoke without hurry.

“It is still dangerous. I heard his sword once killed the Emperor of the Situ Clan.”

“The clan head.”

“But what difference was there?”

“Now that you mention it, not much.”

“I only mean that men like him are difficult to control. Husband, I’m worried about you. Don’t think I’m nagging.”

“Why would I? I know. I know.”

The Blind Man took a sip of broth.

Seeing that his wife still looked concerned, he smiled.

“All I did was have the wolf cub encourage Liu Dahu to sign up for the front.”

“That requisition was also something you asked me to take to Elder Sister Feng for approval.”

“Mm. That is all I did. Even I didn’t know the Sword Saint would actually leave the city and help us kill Chu spies.”

“You didn’t know?”

“He is the Sword Saint. How could I possibly control him? I only knew he should do something. War is coming. Leaving him at home unused would simply be too wasteful. If he went to the Count’s Residence to speak with the Fourth Lady, or waited for Master to return and spoke with Master, it would only take one sentence to settle the matter. But for this campaign, there is no chance he escapes now. A gentleman may be deceived through his own sense of righteousness. He is not a good man, but he is a gentleman. Still, he acted more aggressively than I expected. A swordsman’s temper really is direct. No, ‘direct’ isn’t quite right. It should be called unobstructed. Able to pick something up, able to put it down, and after putting it down, able to pick it back up whenever he wants. Tsk, tsk.”

“Husband is saying things I don’t understand again.”

“Keep them in your heart and savor them slowly.”

Just then, someone knocked at the gate.

One knock, then three in quick succession.

One knock, then another three.

A voice called between them:

“Mr. Bei? Mr. Bei?”

“Come in.”

The Blind Man placed the last wonton into his mouth.

Xiao Yibo pushed open the gate and stood at the entrance.

“Mr. Bei, the Count asked this subordinate to bring you a message. Children should still spend more time studying.”

“I understand.”

“Is there anything sir wishes this subordinate to relay back to the Count?”

“No need. I’ll go to the Count’s Residence with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Blind Man rose and told his wife:

“Sorry to leave the cleanup to you.”

Normally, Yuexin cooked and the Blind Man washed the bowls.

The Blind Man washed dishes more thoroughly than ordinary people because he was a clean freak.

Of course, this also counted as one of the tiny pleasures of ordinary life.

Since they had chosen to live as human beings, they had to live with at least a little human flavor.

Yuexin smiled and nodded.

Then she handed the Blind Man a lantern.

He took it.

After he stepped outside, Xiao Yibo reached over and took the lantern from his hand, walking ahead to lead the way.

“Mr. Bei, the man next door just returned.”

“Mm.”

“Mr. Bei, careful. There’s water on the road here.”

“Mm.”

...

Glug... glug... glug... glug...

Liang Cheng used a large dipper to scoop fresh blood from a barrel and pour it into a bamboo tube extending into the coffin.

In truth, they could have simply poured the blood straight inside.

The reason for using such a long bamboo tube was that inside the ice cellar, the blood cooled during the journey.

By the time it reached the coffin, the temperature was just right.

Pleasantly chilled.

Some people simply insisted on this sort of atmosphere.

After emptying more than half the barrel, Liang Cheng walked to the coffin and knocked on the lid.

“Freeze the remaining half for you?”

The coffin lid slowly slid open, revealing A’Ming’s face.

A moment earlier he had clearly been soaking in blood.

Yet once he sat up, there was not the slightest trace of blood on him.

“Today’s batch is pretty good.”

“I deliberately picked Savages from the battlefield who knew some martial arts and drained them.”

“Thoughtful.”

“You’re welcome.”

“When you get injured next time, I’ll treat you well too.”

“Are you cursing me?”

“You’re afraid of curses?”

“Fair point.”

A’Ming rested an arm on the edge of the coffin.

“We’re going to war again.”

“What, tired of it?”

A’Ming shook his head.

“How could I ever grow tired of something so interesting? My favorite fireworks are lives withering away by the field.”

“You don’t sound very excited.”

“I’ve been lying down too long. I’ve gotten lazy. Almost feels like I rediscovered hibernation.”

“You’ll feel better after taking a few more arrows.”

“Believe it or not, next time you’re injured I’ll arrange a whole pile of dead pigs beside you to provide baleful energy.”

“I generally don’t get injured very often. You stay beside Master, and Master... well. In short, you get injured easily. So next time, I can consider placing you inside the workshop that makes pig-blood sausage.”

“I was joking.”

“So was I.”

A’Ming turned around, produced a red-wine glass from inside the coffin, then used one fingernail to dig a bottle of wine from the ice packed behind it.

He poured half a glass, swirled it lightly several times, and took a sip.

Then he handed the glass to Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng accepted it and drank the whole thing in one gulp.

“Damn. Other than the Blind Man, nobody here knows how to appreciate wine. Such a waste of my things.”

“What about the Fourth Lady?”

“For her, it’s a project.”

“Keep resting. I still have work at the army camp.”

“Go ahead. I’ll come out when it’s time for us to march against Chu.”

“Rest well.”

...

“Hey, big guy. Where do you think my master went? I’m worried sick.”

Under the moonlight, the Sword Maid sat in the courtyard cracking sunflower seeds.

Fan Li scratched his head.

“Couldn’t tell.”

“I’m genuinely worried.”

“Good.”

“Do you think Master got tired of living here and left without saying goodbye?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Feeling.”

“I shouldn’t have asked you.”

“Correct.”

“Could Master think I’m too stupid and not want me anymore?”

“Possible.”

“...” The Sword Maid.

She puffed her cheeks in anger.

“Aren’t you supposed to tell me I’m very smart and talented? I’m a Natural Sword Embryo! A Sword Embryo!”

“Good. Sword Embryo.”

“...” The Sword Maid.

Fan Li crouched and began sharpening his axe on an enormous whetstone.

“Hey, big guy. How come you’ve never thought about finding a wife?”

“Never thought about it.”

“Why?”

“Women. Trouble.”

“There are women who aren’t troublesome. Look at Mr. Feng. Or look at the one in Mr. Bei’s household. I think she’s very virtuous.”

Hearing this, Fan Li frowned.

“What kind do you like? Come on, tell me. I’ll help you look.”

Fan Li said:

“Big ass. Big chest. Big body.”

The Sword Maid lowered her head and looked at herself.

“There are plenty of those in the pigpen.”

Fan Li split into a broad grin.

“I never imagined you were this shallow too. Men really are all garbage.”

“Correct,” Fan Li agreed solemnly.

“I want candied hawthorns.”

“Good.”

“I want He Chunlai’s candied hawthorns.”

“Good.”

Fan Li set down the axe, lifted the Sword Maid, and placed her on his shoulders.

The enormous man and tiny girl walked out together.

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Daole and He Chunlai were drinking away their gloom inside Snow Sea Pass’s government-run Red Tent.

Their drinking session had just ended.

They had also finished lamenting the autumn wind and grieving over their lives.

Each had selected a young woman and was preparing to retire to a room.

Neither man had ever visited a place like this inside Snow Sea Pass before.

But ever since Zheng Fan took them to Yanjing on his last trip and returned, both men had been somewhat dispirited.

In Yanjing, the Blind Man had sent the two of them to deliver goods into the imperial palace.

At the palace gates, they had looked at each other.

Two hot-blooded men who had once devoted themselves to resisting Yan and restoring Jin.

They had done absolutely nothing.

Precisely because they had done nothing, it had hurt the most.

But after returning, work still had to be done.

Today the army returned in triumph.

They were given leave, so they came here to drink together.

Once they drank enough, their minds became hazy.

And once a man was hazy enough, certain things simply followed the current.

Identity.

Status.

Future.

Restoring the realm.

All of it seemed to be broken apart piece by piece by the soft hands of the young yet experienced women beside them, scattering across the floor until stepping on those fragments almost seemed capable of producing a crunch.

Chen Daole was inside his room taking off his clothes when he suddenly heard noise from next door, followed by a woman’s scream.

He immediately stood and went outside to see what had happened.

At Red Tents elsewhere, people causing trouble were common.

At Snow Sea Pass, absolutely no one dared.

This place belonged to the Count’s Residence.

And it was the only one inside the entire city.

No branches.

Chen Daole pushed open the door.

He saw Fan Li walking away with He Chunlai tucked under his left arm.

He Chunlai had already taken off his upper clothes.

His face was bright red.

Not because of the alcohol.

Anyone who got dragged away at a moment like that and told to make candied hawthorns would suffer.

Chen Daole wanted to laugh.

And he did.

One hidden identity from the past had somehow led to such enormous karmic consequences.

Why had you chosen to disguise yourself as a candied-hawthorn vendor back then?

And why did you have to make the damned things so well?

The Sword Maid, sitting on Fan Li’s shoulders, puffed her cheeks and said:

“See? Men really are all garbage.”

...

The Blind Man entered the Count’s Residence and saw Count Pingye sitting on the steps.

He came closer and sat beside Zheng Fan.

“Cigarette,” Count Pingye said.

The Blind Man took them out and handed one over.

The two men lit up together.

Two glowing tips brightened and dimmed in the dark.

“Master, the Sword Saint is inside?” the Blind Man asked.

“You need to ask me?”

The Blind Man replied with perfect seriousness:

“There are some people you cannot casually probe with mental power. You’ll go blind.”

Zheng Fan asked in confusion:

“You’re afraid of going blind?”

“Master, what is the Sword Saint doing inside?”

“Enlightenment.”

Count Pingye felt too embarrassed to say he had poured a bowl of motivational chicken soup into the man and accidentally sent him into enlightenment.

The Blind Man frowned.

Then smiled.

Count Pingye immediately asked:

“Jealous?”

Zheng Fan knew the Blind Man still had not advanced.

In truth, he had hinted many times that the Blind Man should work harder, but the man remained extremely calm.

The Demon Child was equally calm.

As for Xue San, who desperately wanted to advance, he was thousands of li away.

The Blind Man nodded.

“Yes.”

Count Pingye had finally found someone who understood him.

He put an arm around the Blind Man’s shoulders and, cigarette between his fingers, pointed toward the room behind them.

“I swear, the longer I stay around people carrying the protagonist’s script, the more I feel like some nameless extra.”

“Master feels that way too?”

“The way you pretend to be shocked really doesn’t fit your character.”

“And what is this subordinate’s character?”

“Even when you understand absolutely nothing, you can still act as if you have everything completely under control.”

“Master’s misunderstanding of this subordinate is truly profound.”

“I’m not joking with you. Look, I don’t exactly train myself to death every day, but I haven’t been lazy either.”

“Master’s progress is already extremely fast. We’re not in a hurry. Besides, we are all still young. Master, you are still young too. A newborn’s age begins counting from the first day it arrives in this world. By that calculation, Master and every one of us are actually not even five years old yet. A group of children under five established Snow Sea Pass and now command more than twenty thousand elite cavalry. Master, before even reaching five years of age, you are already a Sixth Grade expert. Where in this world could anyone find a second peerless martial genius like Master?”

Count Pingye patted the Blind Man’s back and sighed in admiration.

“This is why education matters. Look at the angles you find for flattery. Always so fresh.”

“Master praises me too highly.”

“So I’m genuinely curious. Why aren’t you in any hurry to advance this time? San is too far away, so being anxious won’t help him. As for the Demon Child, I know why it isn’t in a hurry. But you?”

“This subordinate does have a reason. I also want to open my heart to Master.”

“Then open it. Whatever secret it is, whatever fetish you have, I can understand and accept it. After all, you’re not the Demon Child.”

“But inside this subordinate’s heart, there is nothing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Master. This subordinate means exactly that.”

“But you work harder than anyone. You have the most drive. And you want rebellion more than anyone.”

That was universally acknowledged.

The Blind Man smiled.

“Master, this subordinate believes that working seriously, seeking improvement, and striving for the best possible result are not secrets. Nor are they shameful things that cannot be spoken aloud. This subordinate believes that as human beings, everyone ought to possess qualities like those.”

Count Pingye sighed.

“I feel like you’re insulting me.”

“This subordinate would not dare.”

“Keep going.”

“This subordinate does not know what I actually want to do. I only know how to take whatever is in front of me and do it seriously. Back during our first half year in Tiger Head City, before Master awakened, this subordinate did one business deal and brought the Fourth Lady her first pot of gold to open the restaurant. After that, I sat outside the restaurant for half a year, sunning myself, and did not close a single additional deal.”

“Didn’t delivering talisman water count?”

“Master still remembers that?”

“I wonder whether that Lieutenant Commander’s wife ever remarried.”

“Ding Hao once sent her a sum of silver. She should be doing fairly well.”

Now it was Zheng Fan’s turn to look surprised.

“You even know that?”

“I do.”

“All right. Keep going.”

“Truthfully, this subordinate is extremely lazy. I have been human. I have been a ghost. I have been something neither human nor ghost. Precisely because I do not know what I should do, and do not know what I want to do, I desperately try to make whatever is in front of me as good as possible. Push it as far as possible. Take Master. Following this path of development, if you ultimately never sit on the dragon throne at least once, this subordinate would consider it a regret. So this subordinate’s drive comes from not wanting to stop. Because the moment I stop, I have to think again: what exactly do I want to do? I dislike that feeling. That is why I work seriously and live seriously.”

“I understand. You’re lost.”

“Yes.”

“I never imagined even you could feel lost.”

“As long as one is alive, one can feel lost.”

“Yes.”

The Blind Man took a large orange from his pocket and peeled it.

Then he held one segment to Zheng Fan’s mouth.

Zheng Fan opened his mouth, accepted it, and chewed.

A strand of white pith remained near the corner of his lips.

The Blind Man pointed at the corner of his own mouth to indicate it.

“Disgusting,” Zheng Fan said.

“If this subordinate personally reached over and wiped it away for Master, that would be truly disgusting.”

“No. That still wouldn’t be the most disgusting version.”

“Oh?”

“The most disgusting version would be if you wiped it away and then advanced. If that happened, it would disgust me for an entire year. No. Ten years.”

“Master is making me genuinely want to try.”

“Don’t.”

“This subordinate is joking. Still, it seems Master really hates this kind of thing. Makes sense. Back then Master always looked down on both female harems and male harems.”

“No. Actually, after the studio shut down and I needed more money, I secretly drew some.”

“Harems?” the Blind Man tested.

Zheng Fan nodded.

“Do you know how expensive euthanasia is? And how difficult it is to find a channel for it? I didn’t want to sell the only apartment I owned while I was still alive, so I had to earn money like mad.”

“This subordinate boldly asks...”

“Shut up.”

“This subordinate is curious.”

“Shut up.”

“Then this subordinate will go tell the others.”

“Fine. Ask.”

“Female harem?”

Zheng Fan nodded.

An understanding smile appeared on the Blind Man’s face.

“For the sake of making a living, understandable.”

Who would have thought Count Pingye would answer:

“I drew it. Then it flopped.”

The smile froze on the Blind Man’s face.

So...

“What’s with that expression?”

“This subordinate is simply a little surprised.”

Count Pingye said:

“It was for survival. Surely that is understandable, right?”

The Blind Man did not answer.

“Right?” Count Pingye asked again.

“Sigh.” The Blind Man sighed. “Master suffered greatly.”

“Actually, it wasn’t too bad. Besides, that stuff really does make money. If my illness hadn’t gotten worse back then, and if I’d known earlier it would work like that, the studio might never have collapsed. It’s the same as the perfume we make now. From ancient times to the present, women’s money has always been the easiest to earn.”

“That was also because Master drew well.”

“Why do I feel like you’re insulting me again?”

“This subordinate would not dare.”

Count Pingye took out the two oranges he had stolen from the room earlier and peeled one.

He ate a segment himself.

Then peeled another and held it to the Blind Man’s mouth.

The Blind Man did not open up.

Count Pingye glared.

“Open your mouth.”

The Blind Man opened his mouth and accepted the orange segment.

He chewed.

“Sweet?”

“Master, this subordinate...”

“Heh-heh.”

Count Pingye smiled.

“Master, now it should be this subordinate’s turn to say what the most disgusting possibility would be. If this subordinate finishes this orange and immediately advances, then this subordinate would... no!”

Suddenly, gray light burst from the Blind Man’s body.

Wind rose around them without warning.

A vortex formed from mental power and began turning through the courtyard.

Before he could even finish the sentence, he advanced.

The Blind Man raised a hand and pressed it against his own forehead.

Then he let out a sigh.

“Ah...”

[End of Chapter 506]