Chapter 790: Execution!

“Drag him out. Castrate him!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Two Brocade-Clad personal guards stepped forward, seized Nian Yao, and began dragging him outside.

Grand General Nian showed no fear.

He did not shout or struggle.

He merely looked confused.

Puzzled.

Eighth Prince, seated beside the table, instinctively clamped his thighs together.

“Wait.”

The Blind Man’s voice came from outside.

The two guards exchanged a glance.

Then looked toward Marquis Zheng.

Their hands did not stop moving.

The Blind Man did not try to physically block them either.

He walked forward and saluted Zheng Fan.

Gou Moli followed behind him.

The Savage King had no interest whatsoever in pleading for Nian Yao.

Instead, he stroked his chin with great curiosity while watching Grand General Nian being dragged across the floor.

“Master, please calm your anger. You cannot do this.”

The Blind Man advised him solemnly.

A’Ming, sitting nearby and drinking blood, narrowed his eyes.

Zheng Fan looked at the Blind Man.

Just as Nian Yao was about to be dragged outside... he raised one hand.

“Release him.”

“Yes!”

“Master is wise. A moment’s impatience can ruin a greater plan.”

The Blind Man immediately delivered the flattery.

“Heh.”

Marquis Zheng turned and left through the rear of the hall.

Siniang followed.

When she reached the Blind Man, she stopped.

The Blind Man smiled and asked:

“Have you and the Demon Child succeeded lately?”

Siniang gave a cold snort.

“None of your business.”

“It should work. If even that fails, then choose some woman you like and have her bear one for you.”

Siniang’s phoenix eyes turned toward him.

“You’ve had that thought for a long time, haven’t you? A pity you’re a man. Surely the one who used to hand out talisman water isn’t going to become the one someone else hands talisman water to?”

There was obvious anger in her words.

Clearly... the Blind Man’s intervention just now had not pleased her.

The Blind Man raised both hands, signaling surrender.

Siniang walked past him and followed Master outside.

The Blind Man then turned toward A’Ming.

“You worked hard.”

A’Ming rose.

He looked at Nian Yao.

Then at the Blind Man.

He was visibly suppressing his emotions.

In the end... he said nothing.

And left.

The Blind Man pointed at Eighth Prince and Nian Yao.

“Lock both of them up. Guard them heavily.”

“Yes.”

Then the Blind Man left too.

Gou Moli hopped onto the threshold, then down again.

The Sword Saint happened to be the last one strolling slowly out.

“They’re actually planning to recruit someone like that?” Gou Moli asked.

The Sword Saint looked back at him.

“Then what kind of person are you?”

“I accepted the result after losing a wager,” Gou Moli protested. “Besides, look how innocent I am. Pure. Obedient. Sensible. Can Nian Yao compare with me?”

“Nothing to do with me.”

The Sword Saint had finished watching the spectacle and found the ending somewhat dull.

He intended to go back to sleep.

Gou Moli followed after him.

“This isn’t right. This really isn’t right. Why? Why should it be like this?”

“Jealous?” the Sword Saint asked.

“I just feel... this doesn’t resemble Master’s usual style.”

“People cannot have everything go exactly as they wish. Sometimes you have to make compromises.”

The Sword Saint could understand that much.

There was a saying, after all: once you entered the jianghu, many things were no longer under your control.

“Ai.”

Gou Moli sighed deeply.

“What now?”

“Suddenly the moon over the stable doesn’t look quite so bright anymore.”

...

Eighth Prince and Nian Yao were imprisoned together in the underground cells of Fan Residence.

Great Chu’s Princess had once been held in this very place.

Now... it housed Great Chu’s Grand General and one of its princes.

Brocade-Clad personal guards stood watch outside.

When the Blind Man returned, he also brought an entire detachment from Liang Cheng and placed Fan Residence under military control.

With security at that level... even an existence like the Sword Saint would find rescuing someone nearly impossible.

Nian Yao remained bound.

Eighth Prince, on account of his status as Marquis Zheng’s “relative,” had at least received a full meal and had not been shackled.

Eighth Prince was warmhearted enough.

Seeing Nian Yao’s swollen, bruised face and miserable condition, he walked over and tried helping untie him.

He worked for a long time.

His strength was too poor.

He could not loosen the bindings.

The restraint rope used by the Brocade-Clad guards had been designed personally by Xue San.

It was made specifically for binding experts.

In the end, Eighth Prince even used his teeth.

Still nothing.

If anything... he only made the knots tighter.

“Hiss... Your kindness is appreciated, Your Highness. Please stop.”

Grand General Nian could only beg him.

Eighth Prince smiled awkwardly and sat down on the floor.

“Grand General, your luck really is terrible.”

There was no anger in his tone over Nian Yao abandoning him and fleeing alone.

Nian Yao had already explained the reason plainly at the time.

He had also said the chance of escape was low.

But he had to try.

Most importantly... the two of them were both prisoners now.

Gnawing at each other in resentment would be pointless.

Nian Yao almost said that his fate was bad.

Then he remembered the calm expression on A’Ming’s face after he slashed open the vampire’s throat with that little blade.

Ai.

At this point... it was no longer simply bad luck.

“This is fine too. I was afraid Your Highness might be lonely in here, so this slave came to keep you company.”

“Enough. I can’t shoulder that anymore. Since we’re already here, stop calling yourself a slave. I’ll stop calling myself ‘this Prince’ too. Prisoners are prisoners. We don’t need to indulge in despair or self-pity, but there’s no need to keep up these rotten rules either. We’ll only make them laugh.”

Nian Yao teased:

“We should at least let them think Great Chu is a land of ritual and propriety, shouldn’t we?”

“Heh. People usually use that phrase for Qian.”

Eighth Prince rubbed his wrists, which still ached from tugging at the bindings.

“In truth, for a state, being called a land of tigers and wolves is praise. A ‘land of ritual and propriety’ is like some young woman who isn’t especially pretty, so people can only say she has a good heart.”

Nian Yao shook his head.

“A true land of ritual and propriety is one with wolves and jackals for bones and ritual for skin. It pins you to the ground with one claw and asks whether you understand proper manners. It is not the kind that gets pinned down by someone else’s claw and asks him whether *he* understands manners.”

“Heh-heh. Hahahaha.”

Eighth Prince burst out laughing.

Nian Yao laughed too.

“Grand General, you’re a slave, but you’re also not a slave. I know what slaves usually look like. You are exactly like what you just described. A jackal in the bones... wearing a slave’s skin. Every time Fourth Brother curses you as a slave, he does it while smiling. And now Great Chu’s nobility is declining. This time, Old Pillar of State Dugu probably faces disaster too. The face of Great Chu’s noble houses has only a few beams left standing. This should have been your opportunity. Grand General is not the highest rank there is. You know Fourth Brother’s temperament and breadth of mind.”

Nian Yao asked:

“Your Highness is worried about something?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Marquis Pingxi and that blind strategist are playing the red face and white face together. What for? Grand General, you’re fragrant meat. If Great Chu loses you, the court loses a commander of armies. And if Marquis Pingxi genuinely recruits you... then Great Chu...”

Nian Yao knew Chu too well.

He had managed the Chu Imperial Clan Guards for years.

His connections were everywhere.

Most importantly... he excelled in infantry formations.

Yan’s iron cavalry was unrivaled beneath Heaven.

No one had much room left to argue about that.

But northern Chu contained mountains and plains where cavalry could still operate.

Central and southern Chu were different.

Rivers and waterways spread everywhere.

Yan cavalry could no longer enjoy the same boundless freedom.

And if Yan gained Nian Yao... whether to train future infantry formations or to absorb surrendered Chu officers and soldiers, the man himself would become a banner.

Losing a shield from your own hand was painful enough.

If that same shield ended up in your enemy’s hand and became useful to him... that was a true shift in strength.

“Your Highness thinks I would surrender to Yan?”

“That depends on what Grand General wants. You are Fourth Brother’s slave, but also the person Fourth Brother values and trusts most. Fourth Brother has treated you generously.”

“Interesting. The Qu Clan enjoyed centuries of shared glory with the state. Their eldest legitimate son, Qu Peiluo, was a genuine top-ranking noble of Great Chu. Even he surrendered. I, Nian Yao, am merely a slave. If nobles can surrender, why can’t I?”

“I just said it. You are not merely a slave.”

“But in the end, I am still a slave. Ai, Your Highness. You were born noble. In this life you have seen flowers and moonlight, watched battlefields from the edge, walked roads, crossed rivers. But do you know something? The soles of your shoes... have always been perfectly clean. Not even a speck of mud has touched them.”

“I admit it. But I don’t care. Because I’m useless. I can kneel. I can lie down. I can shamelessly call him Brother-in-law and beg him to have mercy and let me go back. I’ll just be useless. Go home and eat one more share of Great Chu’s imperial grain. You aren’t.”

“Ai. There’s no point talking like this. Your Highness still doesn’t understand.”

“I understand one thing. Grand General’s wife and children are still in Ying Capital. I understand how important Grand General is to Great Chu. You can take this as me threatening you. I have to be the petty man here. I have to say the petty man’s words. Forgive me.”

“Threatening someone with his wife and children is useless. If a wife dies, you can marry another. If children die, you can have more. A man truly terrified of death would not hesitate because of that. But Your Highness must understand something. In Great Chu, slaves like me can be counted on one hand. The overwhelming majority of slaves live... in confusion. Back when the Azure Luan Army still existed, when the elite forces of every great house still stood, the Four Great Pillars of State held up the sky of Chu. Now... one pillar after another has fallen. Oh, right. Those words I told Your Highness the other day, the ones I wanted you to repeat to His Majesty... did you tell Marquis Pingxi?”

“I did. I wanted a full meal.”

“Mm. But now I have another thought. His Majesty... is wise.”

“Oh?”

“The Four Great Pillars of State have fallen one after another. Ying Capital was burned. Great Chu’s very foundations were shaken. Fortunately, His Majesty established the policy of suppressing and weakening the nobility early and began raising men from outside the great clans into court, drawing them into service of the state, just as he absorbed the Shanyue into Great Chu. Otherwise... just one Marquis Pingxi on the opposite side... one man alone... could equal one hundred thousand soldiers!”

“You’re not saying he personally fights that well?”

“When it comes to warfare, I, Nian Yao, am not convinced even now. I lost because of half a day. I lost because Yan cavalry can run wild across northern Chu and no one can stop them. I am unwilling. I genuinely want another battle. Give me the Chu Imperial Clan Guards and let me fight Zheng Fan properly one more time. That would be satisfying. Ah. I wandered off topic. Zheng Fan alone can equal one hundred thousand soldiers because he began as one of the common people and climbed step by step into the position he holds now.”

“Great Chu also has a Grand General born a slave, doesn’t it?”

“That is different.”

“How is it different?”

“When the present Emperor of Yan’s sons see Zheng Fan, they have to salute him. When Great Chu’s Grand General sees Your Highness... he still has to kowtow.”

“...” Eighth Prince.

“Enough, Your Highness. Stop worrying about it. If I want to surrender, you cannot stop me. If I do not want to surrender, then everything you say is nonsense. You should simply behave yourself and listen obediently to your brother-in-law. When the time comes... perhaps your brother-in-law will send you back to carry a message to His Majesty. Sleep. Sleep. I’m tired. This cell doesn’t even have a wooden bucket for water. Save your spit. Otherwise your mouth will be dry tonight.”

Grand General Nian turned onto his side and went to sleep.

Eighth Prince shook his head and climbed onto the bed.

His elder sister had once slept on that same bed.

After lying down and looking at Nian Yao sleeping bound on the floor...

Eighth Prince climbed back down and lay on the ground too.

He stayed there for a while.

Then felt the gesture was far too deliberate.

So he returned to the bed.

But once he lay on the bed again... his whole body felt uncomfortable.

Furious with himself, Eighth Prince kicked the air several times.

Then he rolled facedown and closed his eyes.

...

No one brought food or water the next day.

Not until well after noon.

Eighth Prince could endure the hunger.

The thirst was another matter.

Nian Yao leaned against the wall with his eyes closed and said nothing.

“Ai.”

Eighth Prince sighed helplessly.

At that moment... the cell door opened.

The Sword Saint entered carrying a food box in his left hand and a bucket of water in his right.

The instant the bucket hit the floor, Eighth Prince abandoned all dignity, rushed over, plunged his face down, and drank wildly.

The Sword Saint opened the food box.

Inside were steamed buns, porridge, and pickles.

Nothing refined.

But plenty of it.

Eighth Prince drank until his belly rounded, then sat back down.

He picked up one bun.

Took a huge bite himself.

Then picked up another and held it to Nian Yao’s mouth.

Nian Yao bit into it and frowned slightly.

Too dry.

The Sword Saint removed a bulging waterskin from his waist and handed it to Eighth Prince.

Eighth Prince took it, pulled the stopper, and fed Nian Yao some water.

Then he asked curiously:

“You people really have a lot of different things for carrying water.”

The Sword Saint said:

“Oh. That bucket was the chamber pot prepared for you.”

“...” Eighth Prince.

Eighth Prince immediately abandoned both bun and waterskin, turned aside, and began vomiting.

The Sword Saint clapped his hands.

“Good. I’m leaving.”

He had no more to say.

He simply left the cell.

Eighth Prince vomited for a while.

Eventually he stopped.

With a bitter expression, he went back to feeding Nian Yao, whose hands and feet were still restrained.

“Grand General, looks like Marquis Pingxi genuinely wants to recruit you. He sent the Sword Saint to bring us food. The meaning is obvious.”

“What meaning?” Nian Yao asked.

“The Sword Saint is a Jin man. Yet now he remains at Marquis Pingxi’s side. Marquis Pingxi is telling you to use the Sword Saint as your example and remain beside him too.”

“Oh. So that’s what it means.”

“I don’t believe Grand General failed to notice.”

“I was too busy looking at the chamber pot.”

“...” Eighth Prince.

That evening... someone else brought food.

Gou Moli.

Unlike the Sword Saint, Gou Moli talked plenty.

He could chat.

The conversation continued until midnight before he finally left.

On the way out, Gou Moli replaced their chamber pot.

He carried the old one away.

Brought a fresh bucket inside.

Then pointed at it with deliberate emphasis.

“This is the chamber pot.”

“...” Eighth Prince.

After Gou Moli left...

Eighth Prince became rather emotional.

He recognized the man.

Years ago, aboard a pleasure boat outside Yupan City, Gou Moli had knelt before him and introduced himself as “Little Dog” while paying respects.

Now... truly thirty years east of the river and thirty years west.

Nian Yao asked:

“He is the Savage King?”

“Yes.”

Eighth Prince did not hide it.

Nian Yao nodded.

“It’s very obvious now,” Eighth Prince said. “The Sword Saint of Jin. The Savage King. Heh.”

Nian Yao laughed too.

...

Another day passed.

Jin Shuke brought lunch.

He clearly wanted to stay and talk.

He was not the Sword Saint.

He did not possess the confidence to simply refuse conversation and walk away.

So at first... the exchange was awkward.

But after enough awkward chatter, Jin Shuke began asking Nian Yao about infantry formations.

Nian Yao answered several of his questions.

Jin Shuke found the discussion extremely satisfying.

He simply stopped leaving and continued asking.

Jin Shuke asked.

Nian Yao answered.

There was no real need to hide knowledge like this.

Teaching someone how to fight a war was not the same as a jianghu expert transferring internal power and instantly opening all the recipient’s meridians.

Even when Prince Jingnan taught Marquis Zheng warfare, he had kept Zheng Fan beside him.

Watch constantly.

Practice constantly.

Try constantly.

Talking about war on paper was easy.

And often useless.

Still, Jin Shuke’s talent for warfare was obvious.

He gained quite a lot from the exchange.

At dinnertime...

Fan Zhengwen arrived to take over.

After Jin Shuke and Fan Zhengwen left together, Eighth Prince sighed.

“Yesterday, a Jin man and a Savage. Today, a Barbarian and a Chu man. Marquis Pingxi is telling Grand General plainly that he genuinely uses talent without caring about origin.”

...

Another day passed.

At noon...

Qu Peiluo brought the meal.

The former eldest legitimate son of the Qu Clan said nothing.

He simply put down the food box and sat there.

Nian Yao and Eighth Prince did not speak either.

For once... everyone quietly enjoyed the silence.

When Qu Peiluo prepared to leave, he finally said:

“Truthfully, I don’t especially want you to come.”

Eighth Prince spoke first.

“Afraid Grand General will steal your position?”

Qu Peiluo neither confirmed nor denied it.

He left.

That evening... the Blind Man came.

He had been the one who stopped Marquis Zheng’s furious order that first day.

After several days of groundwork, the conversation now became surprisingly harmonious.

They talked from methods of governing a state to romance, poetry, and worldly pleasures.

The Blind Man chatted with them at length.

Before leaving... he asked:

“Grand General, have you decided?”

Grand General Nian said nothing.

The Blind Man left.

Eighth Prince lay on the bed.

Then cursed:

“Damned slave.”

Nian Yao raised his head and looked at him.

“Ai. Truthfully... even I’m tempted to surrender.”

“Then surrender.”

“But why would they want a useless man like me? Right. Have you decided?”

Nian Yao shook his head.

“We’ll see.”

...

At noon the next day, a squad of Brocade-Clad guards entered and brought Nian Yao and Eighth Prince out of the dungeon.

After several days without sunlight, imprisoned in that cold, damp underground place... stepping outside felt unreal.

Like being reborn.

Eighth Prince said:

“Looks like Marquis Pingxi is finally going to stage the grand performance.”

But they were not taken to the hall.

Instead... they were escorted out of Fan Residence.

Then through Fan City.

Then beyond the city walls.

The Sword Saint personally took over escort duty outside.

The procession traveled south from Fan City.

When they reached their destination... a great army was already standing in disciplined ranks.

At the very front... a high platform had been erected.

South of the Yan army, Chu banners could be seen faintly in the distance.

Marquis Zheng had led troops into Chu, driven westward, and crushed Dugu Mu outside Fan City.

Then he had lingered inside the city for several days.

Chu armies had begun arriving one after another.

But they did not dare attack rashly.

They established camps to the south.

Scouts from both sides now wrestled constantly in the contested ground between the armies.

The Yan showed no intention of killing every scout and beginning battle at once.

The Chu lacked confidence to leave camp and attack.

Both sides... maintained restraint.

The Sword Saint handed Nian Yao and Eighth Prince to the guards.

They were escorted onto the platform.

Above it stood the Double-Headed Eagle Banner of Marquis Pingxi Residence and Great Yan’s Black Dragon Banner.

Marquis Pingxi himself stood there in full black armor.

One hand rested on Wuya.

The Sword Saint glanced at the Blind Man beside him.

“Why do this?”

The Blind Man answered:

“Because it’s fun.”

“Fun?”

“Yes. You’ve been our old neighbor for long enough. Surely you know what kind of people we are.”

As he spoke, the Blind Man peeled an orange.

He handed half to the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint accepted it.

The Blind Man split what remained again and handed one portion to Gou Moli.

Gou Moli swallowed it in a single bite.

“Sweet?”

“Sweet.”

At this moment, the Savage King looked unusually obedient and adorable.

“Sweeter than the moonlight over the stable?”

“Uh...”

The Blind Man laughed by himself.

Then he reached into his robe, took out a small wine flask, and handed it to A’Ming standing ahead.

A’Ming sniffed.

Then shook his head.

Very ordinary rice wine.

“I brewed it myself,” the Blind Man said.

A’Ming hesitated.

Then accepted it and drank one mouthful.

“Good wine still needs age before the flavor becomes truly lingering. Right?”

A’Ming nodded.

The Blind Man folded both hands before him.

“In truth, this is not good. It may create terrible consequences.”

“Heh.”

The Blind Man continued:

“But it’s like a lot of Sichuan food. Heavy oil. Heavy spice. Terrible for the body, especially that particular flower down below. Yet people who love it... love it fiercely. Know why?”

Before A’Ming could answer... the Blind Man supplied it himself.

“Because it feels damned good.”

...

On the high platform...

Grand General Nian stood beside Eighth Prince.

And beside Eighth Prince... stood Grand General Nian.

Military strongmen beat the drums on both sides.

The thunderous rhythm rolled across the assembled army.

Below the central army’s Dispatch Officers, orderlies and temporarily gathered soldiers with particularly loud voices entered the various formations and took their assigned positions.

Marquis Zheng could not open his mouth and make his voice thunder directly into every soldier’s ear.

Fortunately... men could relay it.

Every word would still reach every soldier present.

The drums repeated their pattern three times.

Marquis Zheng raised Wuya.

The drumbeats stopped instantly.

“Soldiers.”

Below... the words began traveling from formation to formation.

The troops instinctively straightened their backs.

To the south, the number of Chu scout riders visibly increased.

Clearly, even the Chu camps were baffled by the scale of Yan’s arrangement.

This did not look like preparation to attack.

What the hell were the Yan doing?

Marquis Zheng continued:

“This Marquis has never claimed to love soldiers as his own sons. My first child is still inside the Princess’s belly and hasn’t even been born yet. Truthfully, I don’t know what loving a child is supposed to feel like.”

As the words traveled through the ranks... quite a few soldiers smiled.

Below the platform, Gou Moli muttered to the Sword Saint:

“Every time I watch Master address the army before battle, I feel as though I’m looking at my old self.”

The Sword Saint replied:

“He’s better at fooling people than you were.”

Marquis Zheng continued:

“War is war. If there were no wars, where would your military merit come from? Could your wives and children eat better, drink better, dress better? Could the lives your whole families enjoy now even be preserved? We’re all grunts. All fighting men. We live by tying our heads to our belts and gambling our lives for wealth and honor. No one dying in battle is strange. That includes this Marquis. Normally... there’s nothing much to say about it. But this Grand General Nian Yao of Chu invaded our territory. Fine. He invaded. In war, suffering a small loss is nothing. Failing to think of everything, letting the enemy exploit an opening, losing soldiers... all of that is normal. But Grand General Nian took the commanders and deputy commanders of one of this Marquis’s military stations... cut away their arms and legs... made them into human swine... and soaked them in wine jars. Tell me. Can you endure that?”

There was a brief delay.

Then one shout after another exploded from the formations.

“No!”

“No!”

Soon... the voices merged into a single rhythm.

“WE CANNOT ENDURE IT!”

“WE CANNOT ENDURE IT!”

“WE CANNOT ENDURE IT!”

Eighth Prince’s face went white.

Suddenly... the situation seemed very different from what he had imagined.

Nian Yao said nothing.

His expression turned solemn.

Marquis Zheng raised Wuya again.

The shouting stopped.

“A Buddha fights for the time it takes one stick of incense to burn. A man fights for one breath of dignity! So this Marquis led all of you... and we killed our way straight in here! We can die in battle. But we cannot be humiliated! Anyone who dares humiliate us will never hear from us about swallowing anger or preserving the greater situation. This is this Marquis’s temper. It always has been. And it should be your temper too. Because you are this Marquis’s soldiers. You obey... this Marquis’s orders! This Marquis wants you to remember one truth. A man gets only a few decades in this life. I refuse to settle. And I refuse to make you settle. Once you draw your saber, mount your horse, put on armor, and shoulder a bow... great wealth, great honor, promotion, fortune... not everyone can have them. That depends on fate. That depends on your own ability. But today... this Marquis will promise you one thing. Nothing else. Only this. Follow this Marquis... and this Marquis guarantees that in this lifetime... you will never be forced to swallow this kind of damned humiliation! And today... this Marquis declares it before all Heaven. No one gets to stand on the head of Marquis Pingxi Residence and shit! Not even the King of Heaven himself! Today... this Marquis proclaims to the world: Whoever dares affront the heavenly might of Marquis Pingxi Residence... though he be far away... shall be slain!”

Every soldier below raised his weapon and roared:

“THOUGH FAR AWAY, HE SHALL BE SLAIN!”

“THOUGH FAR AWAY, HE SHALL BE SLAIN!”

For a time... the murderous aura seemed to pierce the clouds themselves.

Below, Gou Moli smacked his lips.

“That line is damned imposing.”

Whether using the words “heavenly might” crossed some political taboo?

Whatever.

Who cared?

The Blind Man rubbed the tip of his nose.

He had heard that line before.

Gou Moli continued:

“In truth, everything has two sides. Rather than constantly trying to please your enemies, better to strengthen your own people first. Doesn’t all Xia have that saying? If you want to forge iron, the hammer itself must be hard.”

The Blind Man asked:

“Are you comforting me?”

“No. Genuine thought. Truly. Back then, I lost once at Snow Sea Pass and once beside Wangjiang. But at root, I lost because my own side was not united enough.”

On the platform...

Marquis Zheng waited until the soldiers’ chanting finally quieted.

Then he said:

“Those who humiliate us... we repay one hundredfold... to comfort the spirits of our fallen brothers in Heaven!”

With that...

Marquis Zheng dropped to one knee.

Every soldier below knelt with him.

Yet all of them kept their heads raised.

All eyes fixed upon the high platform.

Still kneeling...

Marquis Zheng spoke.

“Carry out the sentence.”

“Yes!”

Several soldiers seized the bound Nian Yao and forced him flat.

Then... they pulled down his trousers.

Eighth Prince stood beside him completely stunned.

Cold ran through his entire body.

This had been planned long ago.

It was absolutely not an impulse.

The Blind Man’s intervention that night had not been about how humiliating Great Chu’s Grand General this way would look too vicious or too dishonorable.

He had stopped Zheng Fan because such a simple punishment... would not feel satisfying enough.

And now Eighth Prince remembered the people who had taken turns bringing food every day.

They had not been trying to recruit Nian Yao.

They had been... playing with his heart.

Giving him hope deliberately.

Then crushing all of it beneath one foot.

Pinned flat on the platform, Grand General Nian suddenly shouted:

“Marquis! What excellent temperament! Heh-heh-heh! You truly have Tian Wujing’s style now. You do. You do!”

Marquis Zheng said nothing.

Nian Yao continued:

“May I ask Marquis what you intend to do with me after the blade falls?”

Marquis Zheng answered:

“Eunuch Wei Zhonghe, seal-holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial in Yanjing Palace, is very familiar with this Marquis. After that blade falls... this Marquis will have men send you to the imperial palace. In Chu, you sat in high office while calling yourself a slave. In Yan... this Marquis will let you do what a genuine slave ought to do. Great Chu’s Grand General. Pillar of the state. You will become... a eunuch slave of Great Yan’s Emperor.”

Nian Yao burst into laughter.

“Excellent! Dugu Mu’s head, plus one mutilated me. Once both are sent to Yanjing, Marquis, that should be enough to have yourself raised to Prince, shouldn’t it? Then allow me to congratulate Marquis... no. Congratulations, Your Highness! May Your Highness live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years! Heh-heh-heh... Hahahahaha!”

Then Nian Yao continued:

“I always believed you were inferior to Tian Wujing.”

“I admit it.”

“But you are actually more ruthless than Tian Wujing. Tian Wujing suffered because he obeyed rules. In the end... the rules themselves trapped him to death. But you... Zheng Fan... you have always been the kind of man who tramples rules beneath his feet.”

Marquis Zheng said:

“Use the blade.”

“Yes!”

The guards pressed Nian Yao down.

Then... the guard with the best saber technique raised his weapon.

SWISH!

The hand moved.

The blade fell.

His balls dropped.

Nian Yao’s mouth opened.

His face twisted.

Was it pain?

Pain of the flesh?

Or of the spirit?

Had he ever imagined this ending?

Had he ever been tempted to surrender?

Marquis Zheng did not ask.

Because he did not want to know.

From the moment Grand General Nian had ordered Marquis Zheng’s soldiers mutilated into human swine... there had never really been room left for reconciliation between them.

You chose the first day of the month.

Then do not blame me for choosing the fifteenth and treating your rules with the same contempt.

A broad-minded heroic ruler would cherish talent no matter what happened.

Recruit talent.

Gather dragons and phoenixes among men for his own use.

Unfortunately...

Marquis Zheng had always been petty.

The soldiers below exploded.

They roared wildly:

“MARQUIS, TEN THOUSAND VICTORIES!”

“MIGHTY MARQUIS!”

“LONG LIVE THE MARQUIS!”

Soon...

“LONG LIVE THE MARQUIS!” became the dominant cry.

Anyone who did not know what was happening might have thought Marquis Zheng had built this enormous stage not to execute Nian Yao... but to put on the yellow robe and proclaim himself Emperor.

At the center of that tidal roar...

Marquis Zheng rose.

He walked to Grand General Nian’s side.

The guards had already stepped back.

A white cloth covered Nian Yao below the waist.

Medicine had just been applied.

Blood was already seeping through.

Marquis Zheng folded his arms.

Then leaned down close to Nian Yao’s ear.

He whispered:

“Truthfully... everything I said just now was official talk. Stage talk. What I really wanted... was to make one thing clear to everyone beneath Heaven. Aiyo. I, Zheng Fan... am just that damned delicate. I simply... cannot bear even the slightest grievance.”

[End of Chapter 790]