Chapter 223: Chapter 116: Lord Summons_1
"Are you tired of living?" Siniang said, looking at the blind man.
Everyone knew Blind Bei’s abilities. With him around, they could all sleep more soundly at night. However, no one could stand it when he idly used his psychic power to pry into their privacy.
"Huh? Did you really call me ’Daddy’?" Blind Bei asked in surprise.
"Don’t you try to fool me."
"I’m not. I really just guessed," Blind Bei said. "Everyone’s been young, right?"
With that, Blind Bei turned his wheelchair back towards his room and added, "You all get ready. We have to accompany My lord to Nanwang City tomorrow."
Xue Three watched Blind Bei leave and, trying to stir things up, said to Siniang, "See? He’s feeling guilty!"
Siniang didn’t get angry. Instead, she covered her mouth, chuckled, and said, "He wasn’t lying. We changed how we address each other a while ago."
Xue Three was stunned. He immediately turned his wheelchair and shouted as he moved away, "I’m still a kid!"
「The story is over.」
Fortunately, Shatuo Queshi’s story was indeed excellent. It had elements of tragedy, the bold passion of a true man taking action in anger, and no shortage of grand scenes, like a single man bravely facing a thousand horsemen.
Furthermore, how to lay the groundwork, create atmosphere, develop the plot, and build to a climax were all Zheng Fan’s old tricks of the trade.
After Mr. Chen finished listening to the story of Shatuo Queshi, he let out a long sigh and said, "A true man should indeed be like this."
"Indeed."
"I never expected that among the Barbarians, there would be such heroic figures."
"Yes."
"Can you fulfill one request of mine?"
"We are friends, and I admire you deeply, Mr. Chen. There’s no need to be so polite. It’s only natural for friends to help each other."
"Once I’ve recovered from my injuries, I will return to Qian State and kill that garrison commander."
"That’s understandable."
"I failed to distinguish right from wrong and nearly killed you by mistake; that is my sin. You didn’t hold a grudge, didn’t kill me, and even helped me heal. That is a debt of gratitude I owe you."
Zheng Fan shook his head modestly, though inwardly he was ecstatic. Keep talking, he thought, I’m waiting. Oh, I’m waiting.
"After I return to my country and have my revenge, I will have someone deliver my head to Green Willow Fortress."
"..." Zheng Fan.
Are you messing with me?
"Mr. Chen, I don’t want you to..."
"I understand Brother Zheng’s meaning."
"It’s good that you understand."
"Then, there’s no need to send your head."
"Mm, it’s good that you’ve thought it through."
"I will leave my body intact and have someone send it to Green Willow Fortress. Although Shatuo Queshi was a Barbarian, he was a true man of his time. I wish to emulate him!"
"..." Zheng Fan.
"Brother Zheng, are you still not satisfied?"
"I don’t want you to die."
"Having done such a thing to Brother Zheng, only death can redeem my crime!"
"I don’t need you to atone."
"Even if Brother Zheng is magnanimous enough to forgive me, I still cannot forgive myself. I confused black and white, nearly killed the wrong people. How am I different from those vicious thugs who prey on the weak?"
"But in my eyes, Mr. Chen, you are a man of chivalry and righteousness, acting decisively on your feelings. Besides, who can live a lifetime without making a single mistake?"
"No, no, no. After I take my revenge, I will be too ashamed to continue living in this world."
"To feel shame and then act with courage—that is a true man."
"But, Brother Zheng, I am a Qian person, and you are a Yan person."
Zheng Fan paused. Tsk. This Mr. Chen might be a bit dense, but he’s certainly no fool. It’s quite possible he’s already figured out why I didn’t kill him and instead kept him here to heal his wounds. Indeed, my official identity is that of a Yan person; moreover, I am a soldier of Yan State. If war were to break out between Yan State and Qian State, I would even bear the distinction of having fired the first shot in the Yan and Qian war. Mr. Chen understands my intentions. He chooses death. The greatest of heroes serve their country and its people. To have Mr. Chen serve under me, a ’Yan bastard’ in the eyes of Qian people, to become a traitor to Qian—he would surely never accept that.
Fortunately, I had already prepared for this situation. Since the most perfect outcome is unattainable, the next step is to settle for the second-best and maximize the value of what I can obtain. After all, Mr. Chen’s head, or even his entire corpse, is useless to me. Liang Cheng can’t create Corpse Puppets yet, and I don’t have the Barbarian Royal Court’s grand shaman team to perform a sacrifice.
"How about this, Mr. Chen? Let’s both take a step back. Can you help me kill three people?"
Mr. Chen was about to speak when Zheng Fan cut in, "These three individuals are not Qian people. Furthermore, they are people you are capable of killing. Most importantly, they are undoubtedly evil men, overflowing with wickedness, who deserve to die! What do you say, Mr. Chen? Once you’ve killed these three, the debt between us will be settled, and we’ll owe each other nothing."
Mr. Chen shook his head.
Zheng Fan felt somewhat exasperated and said, "You disagree?"
"Mm."
"Alright then, Mr. Chen. You focus on recovering here. Once your injuries are fully healed, you can leave and return to Qian State to avenge the people of Chahe Village. Our meeting was fated. We can even say we wouldn’t have known each other if we hadn’t fought. I genuinely wish to be your friend, Mr. Chen."
Zheng Fan turned the handle of his wheelchair, preparing to leave. But just then, Mr. Chen spoke, "Remove one condition."
"Which condition?"
"Within my ability."
「The next morning,」
Zheng Fan dressed with Siniang’s help. He didn’t wear armor, nor did he wear the Golden Silk Soft Armor underneath. Because Zheng Fan was currently in a state where walking itself was a great effort, any additional weight could easily strain his wounds, which hadn’t fully healed.