Chapter 752: Mother and Son Are Safe

Marquis Zheng had developed a fever.

And it was a high one.

Every time the Demon Child possessed him, the strain on his body was enormous.

This time, on top of that, he had stirred the resentment of hundreds of thousands beneath the river and then been forcibly "invited" away into a spirit-wandering state through the Great Void.

Any one of those things alone would have been enough to cost an ordinary man half his life.

Marquis Zheng had endured all three in one go.

He looked miserable, weak, and utterly exhausted... but the fact that his life was not actually in danger was already extremely fortunate.

After crossing the Wang River and heading east, they soon encountered scout riders belonging to Marquis Pingxi Residence.

From that point onward... everything became much easier.

A carriage.

A brazier inside it.

And outside... an escort of nearly a thousand cavalry organized into three Standards.

"Old Yu, you should go home. Sister-in-law is about to give birth."

Zheng Fan could no longer ride.

Traveling by carriage naturally slowed them down.

The Sword Saint shook his head.

He did not speak.

But the refusal was obvious.

"Aiyo. Between the two of us, is this really necessary? Look outside. There are so many guards here. What could possibly happen now?"

"I'll take you home."

"Fine."

Zheng Fan could not be bothered arguing anymore.

Then he sighed.

"I'm still too weak."

The Sword Saint looked at Zheng Fan.

"You're already good enough."

The Sword Saint had never expected anything from Zheng Fan's cultivation in the first place.

Even now, Zheng Fan was a Fifth Grade Martial Artist.

In the jianghu, that was already enough to count as a minor grandmaster and establish one's own sect.

But in the Sword Saint's eyes... even most Third Grade experts were already little better than chickens and dogs.

How much less Zheng Fan at Fifth Grade?

Besides, although cultivation realms did not formally divide people into upper, middle, and lower tiers, there were always superior, ordinary, and inferior people within the same Grade.

Some cultivators... were simply the best within their realm.

For example... the gentlemen of Marquis Pingxi Residence.

Even though several Grades still separated them... the Sword Saint had never looked down on any of them.

As for Zheng Fan... perhaps he really did rely mostly on that stone.

But the stone clearly had serious problems.

In some respects, it was almost another version of driving silver needles into one's acupoints.

"This grudge is settled now. Sooner or later, I'm going to collect on it. I'm easy to talk to about most things, but I have one rule: Anyone who threatens my life... I will never let go."

The Sword Saint knew Zheng Fan meant Back Mountain.

The Savage King could hold what was effectively a Grand Commander position inside Marquis Pingxi Residence.

Marquis Pingxi Residence had only just finished fighting Chu... and could immediately resume doing business with Chu afterward, even smuggling warhorses.

On the surface, all of that made Marquis Pingxi look magnanimous and broad-minded.

In truth... neither the Savage King nor Chu had ever directly threatened Zheng Fan's life in a private setting.

Put simply... public matters could be mixed together and compromised.

Private grudges... were remembered forever.

"Can Yan still fight wars now?" the Sword Saint asked knowingly.

"That's why I said later. Eastern Jin's development and recovery have already entered the proper track. Give me another two years to accumulate strength and I'll have a true hundred thousand iron cavalry under my command."

The framework had already been built long ago.

What it still lacked... was flesh and blood.

And that required time to nurture.

"You still want war."

Marquis Zheng immediately caught the shift in the Sword Saint's mood.

He understood perfectly.

The Sword Saint had never possessed much interest in war.

On a battlefield, his own value would be reduced again and again.

More importantly... once war began, beacon fires rose everywhere.

How many people would be forced to lose homes and families?

The Sword Saint was perfectly willing to fight Savages.

That was much like the way Yan people viewed fighting Barbarians.

For Jin people... fighting Savages was politically correct.

During the last campaign against Chu, Zheng Fan had explained the matter to the Sword Saint this way:

Only by taking Zhennan Pass could they guarantee the security of eastern Jin, keep the war outside the Jin lands, and further stabilize Snow Sea Pass.

Once those two gates were shut... the common people of Jin could remain safely at home, farming, raising children, and recovering.

But the next foreign war Zheng Fan might provoke... was different.

As a Jin man, the Sword Saint naturally felt some resistance.

If Marquis Pingxi Residence mobilized again... the common people who had only enjoyed a few years of peace would once more be dragged into upheaval.

Marquis Zheng's body was weak.

But at least his mouth still worked.

And there was nothing else to do right now.

So he decided to begin another round of ideological and political education for the Sword Saint.

"Old Yu. Why do you think the states of all Xia have fought one another without end for hundreds of years?"

"Just tell me the answer. Whatever I say, you'll only answer, 'That's true, but...'"

"Heh. Fine. I think the root cause is simple. Everyone still calls themselves states of all Xia. Everyone still claims to be people of Xia. But in truth, the realm was divided and enfeoffed long ago. Each state has its own king. Its own Emperor. And today, Yan, Qian, and Chu are drifting farther apart in the structure of their courts, their customs, their rites, and everything else. How many more years can the name 'all Xia' still be used? There is one thing about the late Emperor I truly admired. For example, after the Helian and Wenren clans were destroyed, we learned that the main force of the Situ Clan had gone out onto the snowfields. Yet the Yan army remained where it was. We did not seize that opportunity to launch a surprise attack against Great Cheng."

The Sword Saint nodded.

"But Chu could ally with the Savages and use Jin commoners as two-legged sheep for military provisions. In the eyes of Chu people, Jin people have probably long since become no different from Savages. And Qian people look at Yan people much the same way they look at Barbarians. They even call us Yan barbarians. Once a family has been divided for long enough... it stops being one family. And the issue stops being some quarrel between brothers."

"Get to the point," the Sword Saint said.

"There is only one way to rebuild the glory of all Xia... and end war beneath Heaven."

"Let Yan unify all Xia?" the Sword Saint asked.

He had already guessed what Zheng Fan was leading toward.

"Exactly. Let Yan unify all Xia. Destroy Qian. Destroy Chu. Destroy every little state wedged between them. Let the whole realm become one again. From that day onward, there will no longer be Yan people, Jin people, Chu people, Qian people, Liang people, Wu people, Yue people... none of those names will matter anymore. Everyone... will belong to one family. Once all Xia is unified, even if we tear down Snow Sea Pass... would the Savages still dare march south? Even if Marquis Zhenbei Residence were abolished... would the Barbarians still dare march east? Would the native chieftains of Qian or the mountain tribes of Chu dare rise in rebellion again? They wouldn't. And if they stop rebelling for long enough... eventually they will be assimilated."

The Sword Saint smacked his lips.

Then nodded.

"You make it sound better than a song."

"The course of the world has always been this way. Long division ends in unity. Long unity ends in division. Right now, Yan is the state most capable of completing that unification."

"You said it yourself. Long division ends in unity. Long unity ends in division. Even if Yan truly unifies all Xia, after a hundred years, or several hundred years, chaos will return."

"At minimum... future generations will have seen what true unification looks like. And from then onward, any Prince, Marquis, general, or Chancellor who still wants even a scrap of face and a place in the historical record... will have to aim for reunifying all Xia."

"Heh."

The Sword Saint was clearly not inspired.

"Don't treat this like it doesn't matter. This is important," Zheng Fan said.

"I'm not saying it doesn't matter. I simply don't understand these things. My eyes can only see about as far as the length of my sword blade. Anything beyond that... I can't see clearly."

"But I can tell you with certainty that this is an achievement that will benefit a thousand autumns."

"And I know even more clearly that you, Zheng Fan, are not the kind of man who lives solely for some grand achievement."

Men like the Emperor of Yan.

Men like Tian Wujing.

Those were the people who lived that way.

"That's exactly the problem. I want to go to Jiangnan in Qian, admire flowers, and visit brothels. I want to go to Chu and listen to their music. But right now... I don't dare. And when the matters here are finally settled... I want to travel west too. See different scenery. Go find... Old Tian."

The Sword Saint nodded.

Then finally sighed.

"When all is said and done... it's still one general's success leaves ten thousand bones to bleach."

For the desires of one man... millions upon millions of common people could become dried bones beneath war.

"Listen to you. You make it sound as though without me there'd be no wars. Wars will still happen. Sunshine or rain... someone is always going to fight. People are always going to die. So if they have to die... better that the deaths carry a little more value. Better that later generations have something meaningful to say about them."

"Enough. Enough. You really should have become a Qi Refiner. Forget cultivation. Just that mouth of yours is perfectly suited to it."

"A pity. That road doesn't work for me."

"Why?"

Marquis Zheng blinked.

Then sighed.

"In Great Yan, the best path to becoming a Qi Refiner... is castration."

...

Fengxin City.

Marquis Pingxi Residence.

Next door.

The chickens in the courtyard had long since been locked inside their coop.

One duck had been forcibly stuffed in with them and was almost unable to breathe.

Three midwives had arrived.

Ten maidservants from Marquis Pingxi Residence had also been assigned to assist with the birth.

The midwives were already prepared.

Inside the room... the work was about to begin.

The maids were busy boiling water, carrying basins, and preparing ginseng soup.

Marquis Pingxi Residence had fully demonstrated the spirit of neighborly friendship.

The household next door was having a child... so the Residence had enthusiastically extended both hands.

No.

Many pairs of hands.

Chief Steward Xiao Yibo stood in the courtyard overseeing everything.

The old woman, meanwhile, simply stood there.

She wanted to help.

Wanted to find something to do.

But there was genuinely nothing left for her to do.

And at a moment like this... having nothing to do except wait was the most agonizing thing of all.

Third Master sat atop the courtyard wall.

Three legs swung gently beneath him.

In his hands, he idly turned a pair of scissors and a dagger.

Both were newly designed and forged.

Third Master was the final contingency.

The last line of defense against the worst possible outcome.

The dwarf had dissected countless corpses.

His familiarity with the structure of the human body was astonishing.

If things truly reached a critical point... serving as an emergency physician and performing a cesarean section would not be too difficult for him.

The only pity was that Siniang was not here.

If she were... even the suturing afterward would be handled.

She could even use fine beauty stitching so no obvious scar remained.

At another corner of the courtyard... stood two older children and one younger one.

Sword Maid stood in front.

Her presence was imposing.

At the school, she was basically the big sister and undisputed leader.

And she was also the girl many of the young boys dreamed about and secretly smiled over.

Naturally...

Liu Dahu standing beside her was among them.

Behind the two... stood Tian Tian.

Because of his special identity, Tian Tian had possessed almost no playmates growing up.

Most of the time, he simply played alone inside his room.

When the Demon Child was home... he played with a ghost.

Later, he gained two little spirit creatures to keep him company.

After that, the Chu Princess's green python would also stay in his courtyard and play with him.

Ever since Zheng Fan had brought him next door and formally introduced him to the family there, Liu Dahu had begun visiting Tian Tian frequently, in accordance with Zheng Fan's wishes.

The little gate between the two residences had remained open.

Coming and going was easy.

As for Sword Maid... although the girl would still occasionally say she intended to avenge her First Master Yuan Zhenxing when she grew up, the Demon Kings trusted her character.

No matter what else happened... she would never harm Tian Tian.

So over this period... the two older children often took the younger one along with them.

Tian Tian behaved well.

His mouth was sweet.

Put aside his identity... and the older brother and sister genuinely adored him.

"So this is what having a baby is like?"

Tian Tian stared curiously at all the activity.

"Yep. A baby's coming. I'm going to be an older brother. Tian Tian is going to be an older brother too."

"Mm..."

Hearing that...

Tian Tian smiled happily.

"I'm going to be... an older brother too?"

"That's right. He'll be born today. After that, Tian Tian can bring the little brother or little sister along when we play."

"Mm! Good! Good!"

Tian Tian kept smiling.

Then suddenly frowned.

He had only remembered to save snacks for Demon Child Big Sister.

He had not saved anything for the little brother who was about to be born.

What should he do...

Should he take some of the snacks he had saved for Demon Child Big Sister... and split them with the little brother first?

Tian Tian hesitated.

Would Demon Child Big Sister get angry?

Probably not.

After this... he could bring the little brother along and play with Demon Child Big Sister together.

It was fortunate the Sword Saint had not yet returned.

If he knew the Prince of Jingnan's heir had already planned to let his newborn child play with a ghost... well...

But Tian Tian had not finished making plans.

He was still thinking about taking the little brother to play with the big snake.

And to visit his god-grandfather.

Tian Tian had grown accustomed to being alone since childhood.

He did not yet understand that some things he could play with perfectly well... other children could not even touch.

"AH!"

"Push! Push, young madam!"

"AH!"

Screams came from inside the room.

Worry immediately appeared on Liu Dahu's face.

The woman giving birth inside... was his mother.

For the moment... he forgot about talking with Tian Tian.

His eyes locked onto the inner room.

He desperately wanted to hear the cry of a newborn soon.

That would mean his mother's suffering had finally ended.

But the maidservants continued carrying basins of bloody water out.

More ginseng soup was sent inside.

Time dragged on.

Longer.

And longer.

Liu Dahu's expression became increasingly anxious.

His hands clenched into fists.

His nails dug directly into his palms.

Sword Maid had experienced more of the world than he had.

She was every bit as worried about her master's wife... but she still reached over and patted Liu Dahu's shoulder.

"Don't worry. The best midwives in the city are all here. It'll be fine."

"Mm."

Liu Dahu nodded hard.

But then another piercing scream sounded from inside.

His expression grew even tighter.

Sword Maid pointed toward Xue San sitting on the courtyard wall, his legs swinging.

"See him? Mr. Xue San is sitting right there. See the scissors and dagger in his hands? Nothing's going to happen. And even if something really does go wrong... once Mr. Xue San steps in, it'll still be fine."

Liu Dahu instinctively looked toward Xue San sitting there with three legs swinging like pendulums.

He did not care about any notion of propriety between men and women.

Nor did it occur to him that Mr. Xue San was male and entering the birthing room to see his mother would violate ritual decorum.

Liu Dahu already knew he was the Sword Saint's stepson.

But at heart... he was still a child born from a common household.

Poor families did not have the luxury of so many useless rules.

During the busiest farm seasons, women in the fields might bare their chests and work right alongside the men.

More importantly...

Liu Dahu believed in Mr. Xue San's abilities.

More precisely... he knew every gentleman of Marquis Pingxi Residence was formidable.

After his son refused to learn the sword from him and instead wanted to learn the saber from Marquis Pingxi... the Sword Saint, having already suffered repeated blows on this front, had eventually become accustomed to it.

He even reminded his son to watch the gentlemen of Marquis Pingxi Residence closely.

If he saw something he wanted to learn... then he should go ask to become a disciple.

As for whether they would accept him... well... the Sword Saint owed favors.

What else was a father's face for... if not for his son to use?

Right now, Liu Dahu stared only at the scissors and dagger in Xue San's hands.

They looked rather frightening.

He asked:

"Can... a knife really be used to deliver a baby?"

"Of course. Cut the belly open, take the baby out, then sew the belly back together."

Liu Dahu swallowed instinctively.

He could not imagine a scene like that at all.

At that moment...

Tian Tian lowered his head.

His eyes widened curiously.

He touched his own belly with one small hand.

Then murmured:

"You really can cut open a tummy and take a baby out?"

Sword Maid answered casually:

"Wasn't that how your mother gave birth to..."

She stopped abruptly.

What was she saying?

What the hell was she saying to this child?

Had water gotten into her brain?

Right now, Sword Maid wanted nothing more than to stab herself.

She knew exactly how precious this child was to that Zheng fellow.

How deeply he valued him.

How much he liked him.

But that was not even the real reason for her regret.

She genuinely liked this little brother.

This obedient, sensible, painfully well-behaved child.

Fortunately... she had not finished the sentence.

And another scream from inside the room drew Liu Dahu's entire attention away.

He had not noticed what she almost said.

Sword Maid released a long breath inwardly.

Good.

She had stopped herself in time.

Then she lowered her head and looked at Tian Tian.

He was still looking down... touching his belly.

Sword Maid walked over.

She rubbed his stomach gently and joked:

"All right. Tian Tian is a boy. Boys can't carry babies. Only Big Sister's tummy can have babies."

Tian Tian looked up at Sword Maid.

"Uncle Fan Li is so big. Wouldn't he stretch Big Sister's tummy until it breaks?"

Sword Maid's face instantly turned crimson.

Of course she knew Tian Tian meant Fan Li was so enormous that Fan Li's child would probably be huge too, and he was wondering whether her belly could hold it.

But the problem was... she understood the other meaning!

AAAAAAAHHHHH!

Still, Sword Maid did not get angry.

As long as the child had not understood what she almost said earlier... that was all that mattered.

She smiled and pinched Tian Tian's chubby cheek.

"You don't need to worry about that for Big Sister. Big Sister will keep growing too. And Tian Tian will slowly grow bigger as well."

"Mm-hm."

Tian Tian smiled and nodded.

Then... the cry of a newborn finally came from inside the room.

Everyone released a long breath.

The worst possibility... had not happened.

One of the midwives emerged and shouted:

"It's a boy! Mother and son are safe!"

Everyone in the courtyard immediately turned toward her.

Many began moving closer.

Only Tian Tian... remained where he was.

The smile on his face... had disappeared.

What remained... was the pure sadness belonging only to a child.

He reached down.

Touched his belly again.

And murmured:

"Mother must've hurt so much back then..."

[End of Chapter 752]