Chapter 808: Demon Kings

Bug.

Yes.

For Zheng Fan and the Demon Kings, they were complete outsiders to this world.

Unstable variables.

If, back in that inn at Tiger Head City, Zheng Fan had chosen the other option... to become a wealthy gentleman, marry one principal wife, take several concubines, and live out his days without worrying about food or clothing... then whenever war approached, he could simply flee.

The world was enormous.

There would always be somewhere without war, somewhere a man could live peacefully.

Even if they had gone deep into the Great Marsh, with the Demon Kings’ abilities they could still have ensured Zheng Fan lived a comfortable life.

In that case... the impact the group had on the world would have been much smaller.

As the saying went, once the forest grew large enough, every kind of bird appeared.

Whether in a merchant guild or an imperial court, what did it matter if there were a few extra freeloaders who ate their fill, drank their fill, and did absolutely nothing?

Nothing.

It would not matter at all.

Unfortunately...

Zheng Fan had chosen... to make trouble.

Siniang spoke:

“So if we strip away everything we did, what remains is what this world was originally supposed to experience?”

The Blind Man had finished peeling an orange.

He tossed it to Xue San.

Then said:

“That line of reasoning only works if we begin from the premise that the prophet was absolutely correct. Let’s lay out the course of history first. Then, starting from the beginning, calculate the effects we introduced. At Tiger Head City, at first, everything we did was small-scale.”

Xue San immediately said:

“Marquis Zhenbei Residence. Sha Tuo Queshi. Master.”

“Sha Tuo Queshi was already seeking death,” the Blind Man replied.

“Because of the Sha Tuo Tribe,” Xue San reminded him.

The Blind Man continued to reject the point.

“The Commandery Princess used laborers as bait and induced the warriors of the Sha Tuo Tribe to attack the labor convoy. If I remember correctly, you and A’Cheng were protecting Master at the time, yes?”

Liang Cheng nodded.

“Yes.”

The Blind Man continued:

“What you did was protect Master’s life and distinguish yourselves in the laborer camp, which earned Master the title Lieutenant Commander of Merchant Protection from the Commandery Princess. One irregular lieutenant commander. But the fact remains that you did not prevent that labor convoy from being destroyed. No. Whether you were there or not, the Sha Tuo warriors would still have attacked the convoy. And you were not the ones who destroyed them either. You only chipped away at the edges and helped Master see a little blood for the first time. So, with or without you, that Sha Tuo force would still have been wiped out by the Zhenbei Army under the Commandery Princess. Once the Sha Tuo Tribe lost the warriors protecting it, the Commandery Princess would inevitably have taken the opportunity to exterminate the entire tribe. So if the tribe was doomed regardless, Sha Tuo Queshi would inevitably have made the same choice. He would have stripped away his identity as Left Guli King at the Barbarian Royal Court, gone to the gates of Marquis Zhenbei Residence... and demanded an explanation. Sha Tuo Queshi... would still have died in the end.”

“But he didn’t die,” Liang Cheng said.

“Lying in a coffin, serving as our hired muscle and babysitter... isn’t very different from death,” the Blind Man replied. “I seem to remember the Barbarian priests originally wanted to reclaim him and turn him into a living corpse. But at most, that would merely have given the Royal Court one more weapon of war. The Royal Court’s strategy would not have changed because it lacked, or gained, one living corpse no stronger than Fourth Grade. They would still keep pretending to be weak. Keep pretending and pretending until the Yan Emperor died. And then... they would still be destroyed.”

“That’s too far ahead,” Siniang said.

“Mm. Right. We’ll move step by step and avoid skipping wherever possible.”

The Blind Man took out another orange.

“Our activities all the way through Cuiliu Fort did not really affect the greater situation. Nothing we did touched the ‘main plot.’ All right, Siniang.”

Siniang rose.

She walked to the bed and picked up Tian Tian.

Outside... the black cat and fox came running over.

The green python came with them.

When Tian Tian had been beaten earlier, all the demon beasts in the Residence had been “alarmed.”

“Take good care of the Young Master.”

The black cat and fox immediately lowered their heads.

Siniang set Tian Tian atop the green python.

The python would carry him back to his courtyard.

The black cat and fox would help watch him.

Once Siniang returned... the Blind Man continued:

“Next came Master crippling the Third Prince. But the Third Prince himself was only a tool. And in my view, the principal cause was never the Third Prince. Whether Master existed or not, whether we existed or not, Prince Jingnan would still have chosen to annihilate his own clan to help the Yan Emperor trample the great families and centralize imperial power. After that came the campaign against Qian. Tsk. That entire campaign was basically a feint from the beginning. We... were only minor bit players.”

Xue San immediately said:

“We played bit parts for that damned long? What were we doing, bathing in soy sauce?”

The Blind Man raised one hand.

“Don’t rush. Afterward, Master went to take office in Shengle City. On the road there, we were actually traveling the same route as the Emperor of Jin. Then the Emperor of Jin started screwing around. And mixed into that was the Sword Saint screwing around together with his younger brother. If I remember correctly, at the time we were holding a fortified manor, yes?”

“Yes,” Liang Cheng confirmed.

“Because we were there, the fort held. So the Emperor of Jin remained in our hands. That caused the Sword Saint’s younger brother, Yu Huacheng, the so-called Capital Region General of Jin, to fail in that rather fantastical plan of theirs. Afterward, Prince Jingnan took only a handful of personal guards and came directly beneath our fort to rescue Master. At this point... we had already begun affecting events. Because without us, the Sword Saint’s younger brother Yu Huacheng would not have returned in defeat. And Prince Jingnan would not then have taken command of one garrison force, led the troops directly into Jin’s capital region, and fought his way inward. Prince Jingnan later dueled the Sword Saint outside the capital region and defeated him. The Sword Saint withdrew after losing. A grudge was formed. So if we had not existed, that famous showdown between Martial Artist and swordsman probably never would have happened. With Prince Jingnan’s temperament, unless there were some practical need, he had no interest in playing at single combat against some wandering swordsman from the jianghu. In reality, back then it was precisely because we had few troops around us and feared the Sword Saint might interfere that Prince Jingnan deliberately remained behind and waited for him.”

Xue San asked with some doubt:

“Haven’t we gone off topic?”

“No,” Zheng Fan said. “The Blind Man’s point is that if the Sword Saint had not lost to Old Tian, then the Sword Saint would not have been dissatisfied and intent on healing before challenging him again. And if he had not wanted that rematch, he would not have been waiting in Litian City for Old Tian at that exact time. When Zhao Jiulang moved against the pregnant Du Juan... there would have been no one there for Du Juan to entrust the child to. First, character. The Sword Saint’s character speaks for itself. We’re still benefiting from it now. Second, strength. At that time, how many eyes were fixed on the infant Tian Tian inside Litian City? Only the Sword Saint could protect that child through the combined pressure of the jianghu, the court, multiple factions, and even elite Silver-Armored Guards... and bring the child safely to Shengle City.”

Zheng Fan pressed his lips together.

“Without us, once half of Jin had been conquered, Prince Jingnan would still have chosen to march into the snowfields and aid Great Cheng. He would still have left Litian City. Zhao Jiulang would still have moved against Du Juan. The Sword Saint would not have been there at that exact time, waiting to receive the child. Tian Tian... would have been lost.”

Siniang nodded.

“Without us, Tian Tian’s childhood would certainly have been filled with darkness. We’ve watched this child grow up. We all know he is extraordinary. Once he began cultivating, his progress would inevitably be twice as effective for half the effort. He is absolute genius material. Even the Sword Saint could not resist wanting to take him as a disciple, despite the fact that he is Tian Wujing’s son. Because we appeared, the child not only avoided being lost... he grew up extremely well. Sunny. Warm. Obedient. Sensible. And very lovable. But he might originally have grown into someone completely different. He might have carried resentment while growing up. Carried fury while cultivating. And then... when we connect that with the deaths of his parents... he might eventually have transformed into a...”

“His father’s death?” Liang Cheng asked.

Xue San said:

“I’ve always felt that if Master had not existed back in Ying Capital, Prince Jingnan originally intended to seek death. Using Ying Capital as his burial ground... wouldn’t that have been perfect?”

The Blind Man interrupted:

“No. Not there.”

“Hm?”

The Blind Man smiled.

“Whether we appeared or not, Gou Moli would still have risen on the snowfields. Because before that, Gou Moli had no interaction with us. Great Cheng and the Situ Clan had no interaction with us either. So the Savages would, in all probability, still have entered the passes under Gou Moli’s leadership. I do not deny that Prince Jingnan and Great Yan’s iron cavalry would have had the ability to defeat and expel Gou Moli’s Savage army. But precisely because we existed... we launched a surprise attack on Snow Sea Pass. We sealed Gou Moli’s route of retreat completely. That was what turned the Savage army that had entered the passes into dogs trapped behind a closed gate. It caused Gou Moli to lose any realistic possibility of rising again. And the foundation he had built on the snowfields was immediately devoured by tribes he had not yet managed to fully subdue. Under the circumstances at that time, Gou Moli never intended to fight to the death. If he couldn’t win, he had already planned to flee. No one understood the strength of Zhenbei Army cavalry better than he did. So even if he ultimately failed to seize land inside the passes, he could at least have led his main force back to the snowfields. This region became a wasteland because the Savages carried huge numbers of Jin people back with them, along with an ocean of wealth. With that as a foundation, combined with Gou Moli’s ability and the prestige of such a great victory, plus those visible, concrete benefits... he would inevitably have been able to truly consolidate the tribes of the snowfields. Perhaps even unify them completely. And become, in both name and reality... the King of the Sacred Race upon the snowfields. Yan might occupy Jin. But if it wanted to march beyond the passes and launch a long-distance campaign across snowfields whose conditions were terrible and whose tribes had already been forged into a single slab of iron... that would not be realistic. National strength could not sustain it. Gou Moli would probably lie low on the snowfields. Repair internal governance. Build strength. And then... the black-armored man would awaken. As the only king on the snowfields, Gou Moli should have received news of him. The black-armored man should also have been able to find Gou Moli. The two could use one another. You all know what that bastard is like. So the ‘King of the Sacred Race’ the black-armored man was roaring about... should have been the predetermined... Gou Moli. The prophecy in the Jade Figurine Token once said that the king protected by the Stars would lead the Sacred Race into a great revival. In truth... that is probably how things were meant to unfold. But our appearance changed it. We changed Gou Moli’s life. And even the fate of the snowfields. Meanwhile, with the Savages eyeing the passes like tigers and wolves outside, Zhennan Pass would still remain in Chu hands. For Yan to open the situation... would become extraordinarily difficult. And think about Prince Jingnan again. He would not only have lost his wife... but also... his child. Without Master’s appearance... how extreme would Prince Jingnan become? He might choose to disregard everything. Even if he had to die in battle... he would still tear open one ray of hope for Great Yan. Zhennan Pass. Zhennan Pass. Prince Jingnan. Prince Jingnan. I’m not superstitious. But don’t you think... this is getting just a little too coincidental?”

“So Tian Tian was supposed to be an orphan?” Xue San said. “Both parents dead. Incredible aptitude. Tsk-tsk. That’s a classic tragic-protagonist template full of bitter hatred.”

Zheng Fan glanced at Xue San.

Xue San immediately realized his tone was wrong.

He shut his mouth.

Liang Cheng asked:

“There’s still one problem in the timeline. The black-armored man obviously appeared too early. Why would he come looking for Tian Tian when Tian Tian is still only a child?”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“There is no problem with the timeline.”

“Oh? Master?”

Zheng Fan pointed toward Xue San.

“Remember how we learned about the prophecy in the first place? Because I went to Chu. You helped me abduct the Princess. Then you split into two groups and drew away the pursuit so I could escape. Xue San took the Qishan route. Then he reached the State of Liang. He helped them fight a war there. Something went wrong in the fighting. He fell off a cliff, if I remember correctly. Anyway, Hu Bamei saved him. And after one detour after another... we finally obtained the prophecy from Hu Bamei.”

Xue San proudly puffed out his chest.

“Hu Bamei is only a village girl. She should have continued living as a hidden master, something like the Tomb of the Living Dead beneath Mount Zhongnan. Most likely, she would not have entered the world until her grandmother truly died. Only then would she have revealed the prophecy to others. But although her grandmother is old... her body is absurdly sturdy. Even the backlash from divining fate last time failed to kill her. She recovered and went right back to jumping around. So... she should still have many years left to live. Because we appeared... Hu Bamei released the ‘prophecy’ ahead of schedule. And we... happen to be unusually sensitive. While at the same time... having extremely strong ability to act.”

Yes.

Back then, from the Sword Saint’s perspective... mobilizing troops into the snowfields over some vague, insubstantial prophecy had been utterly incomprehensible.

But Zheng Fan had done exactly that.

Without hesitation.

“And on top of that, we pulled in two monks whose fortunes were obviously unusual. We truly did confirm the location.”

At this point...

Zheng Fan drew in a breath.

He looked seriously at everyone.

Then gave his conclusion.

“Actually... there is nothing wrong with the timeline. You all saw the black-armored man’s condition. He obviously did not awaken only after making full preparations. His body has always had major problems. That’s why he is conscious for a while and asleep for a while. The power inside him is badly depleted too. When he saw Tian Tian, he asked: ‘Why are you so young?’ Because when those two monks found the location in the farthest north of the snowfields, they also told those people that Marquis Pingxi Residence was preparing to come. So... the real reason is that the black-armored man never intended to awaken now. Maybe it was supposed to happen ten years later. Perhaps fifteen. Perhaps twenty. At the very least... the earliest he was supposed to awaken should have been after Tian Tian grew into a young man. But because we interfered... it was as though we dug him out of the ground before he had finished growing. That is what caused his present congenital incompleteness. In other words... we did not merely change Tian Tian’s predetermined fate. We also disrupted the events inside the prophecy. We even destroyed the rhythm by which that prophecy was supposed to unfold.”

At this point...

Zheng Fan began to smile.

He raised one hand.

Made a “six” gesture.

Then... changed it into “seven.”

“I don’t know what role Tian Tian originally occupied inside that prophecy. Whether he was meant to be the Master... or one of the Demon Kings. But something very interesting is true now. We still have seven opponents. And something even more interesting... is that there’s a very good chance... right now... they’re still a bunch of little brats.”

[End of Chapter 808]