The Demon Lords-Chapter 596 - 90 On the Road_2

"So, Your Excellency, you are...?"

"I can't let him, Tian Wujing, go to the snowy plains to fight the wild people while injured. That would be too improper."

"Your Excellency, you truly understand what's most important."

"Don't flatter me. My younger brother died under the hooves of his Jingnan army, but ultimately, this is a war between nations. For a general to die on the battlefield is a kind of destiny. It's my duty as his older brother to avenge my Ah Brother."

"But if Tian Wujing is leading his troops to fight the wild people, I can only wait for him. Wait until he has finished the war, wait for him to return, and then we can have our showdown."

"Yes, yes."

"Who would have thought that what I was waiting for would turn out to be this."

The Sword Saint glanced back at the carriage compartment.

"Could this child be…?"

"Didn't you guess long ago? Otherwise, why would you follow me?"

The blind man nodded discreetly.

"That Tian Wujing is a madman who wiped out his own family. His wife... she's ruthless enough. Reeking of blood, carrying her newborn child, she found me and handed the child directly to me."

As he spoke, the blind man could clearly feel an intensely sharp aura emanating from the Sword Saint, a clear sign that his emotions were spiraling out of control.

"I came to fight her husband again, perhaps even kill that Southern Marquis of Yan in our next clash! And her husband's hands are stained with my Ah Brother's blood! Yet, this woman... she actually gave this child... directly to me! How could she? How dare she!"

The blind man could vividly imagine the scene in the inn room: the Sword Saint confronting his enemy's wife, and the look on his face—an almost twitching mask of deep despair—as she presented her husband's own flesh and blood to him.

"Your Excellency, I truly admire your magnanimity."

These were the blind man's heartfelt words.

"I have a feud with this brat's father, but no matter the feud, it shouldn't extend to a newborn child."

"Presumably, the Marquise believes the child is safest in your hands."

The blind man wasn't entirely clear on what had transpired in Li Tian City, as he had been rushing along the road with the Sword Saint and the others for the past few days.

However, he could guess that the atmosphere in the city must have been exceedingly strange. Dujuan had chosen a 'protector' for her child. With Tian Wujing absent and his return uncertain, she had entrusted her child to... their family's enemy.

With the Sword Saint's power, and the child by his side, who in all the world could snatch the child from him, unless they mobilized a massive force?

And Dujuan, that woman, had also perfectly gauged the Sword Saint's character. The Sword Saint was a sword, an exceedingly pure sword.

"This brat has wet my clothes with urine several times on our journey."

"Your Excellency, where are we headed…?"

Actually, from the past few days' journey, a guess had formed in the blind man's heart, and there was a high probability it would prove true.

"That woman said the child could be given to his godfather."

"Er…?" the blind man uttered.

"His godfather is in Shengle."

「 」

"Shengle City is indeed a fine place."

On the flatbed cart, Yao Zizhan sighed, holding a wine jug in his left hand and a handful of fennel beans in his right. Behind them, Shengle City gradually receded into the distance.

Hearing his words, Mr. Chen, who was pulling the cart, chuckled. "Can't bear to leave?"

"Yes, I truly can't. I'll miss those children who've just begun their studies. In all my life, I've never been a private tutor for such youngsters."

"Now that I think about it, those promising literary talents from the Hanlin Academy used to seek my advice on their compositions. Compared to these children... Heh! The experience is worlds apart!"

Mr. Chen continued to pull the cart without speaking. In his eyes, those gentlemen from the Hanlin Academy were true scholars; he, Mr. Chen, only knew his way with a sword and hadn't read many books. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"What about you? Can you bear to leave? I see you've taken quite a liking to that little sword maid."

"She's a natural-born Sword Embryo, her aptitude is even better than mine."

"Tsk, that Zheng Fan, why is he so fond of collecting these children? There's even a young Desert Barbarian in my school whose recitation of poems and calligraphy skills often leave me in awe."

"Hehe," Mr. Chen chuckled.

Yao Zizhan turned to look at Miss Su, who was following beside the cart. After the recent events, Miss Su's temperament had mellowed considerably; much of her naive, supercilious nature had been worn away.

Moreover, whenever she looked at Mr. Chen pulling the cart, there was a distinctly different light in her eyes.

Yao Zizhan chuckled. "Miss Su, after we return to our country, I'll have a word with that Lu fellow, and we'll get you betrothed to our great hero here."

Miss Su ignored the old geezer.

"But, to be frank, our hero is an honest man. You, being from the Silver Armored Guard, are ultimately not an ideal match."

Miss Su gritted her teeth and retorted, "Old man, who are you looking down on?"

"I am looking down on this accursed fate! A few days ago, the Jingnan army suddenly departed. Do you know why?"

"It was said that news came from over there that Lady Jingnan met with a mishap. It seems... she's gone."

"And do you know who this Lady Jingnan was?"

"Dujuan. The former head of the Spy Bureau in Yinlang County. How could I not know?"

"Hehe." Yao Zizhan took a mysterious sip of wine. "Then do you know she had another identity?"

"Another identity?" Miss Su scoffed. "She couldn't possibly be one of our Qian people."

"Actually, she was indeed one of our Qian people."

"How is that possible!"

"Back then, I was still composing poetry in the Hanlin Academy, and that Lu fellow hadn't yet become the Grand Commander of the Silver Armored Guard. He and I were on good terms."

Mr. Chen, pulling the cart, chimed in, "It seems you're on good terms with everyone."

Yao Zizhan tossed a fennel bean at the back of Mr. Chen's head and chided, "Nonsense! If you lack ability yourself and don't make connections early on with those who are capable but unrecognized, what will you eat in the future?"

Hearing this, Mr. Chen nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense."

Miss Su, however, was impatient. "Then Dujuan?"

"That day, that Lu fellow brought a four-year-old child to me, said she was his goddaughter, and asked me to help choose a name. As it happened, the Rhododendrons in the Hanlin Academy were in bloom, so I named her Dujuan."

Miss Su struggled to digest this information, murmuring, "This matter... how could you just tell..."

"Now that she's met with a mishap, there's no longer a need for secrecy. Originally, very few people should have known about this. As Dujuan rose through the ranks of the Yan State's Spy Bureau, the number of people aware of her true identity dwindled. If it weren't for my title as Literary Sage, that Lu fellow might have 'invited me for tea' long ago."

"Heh, I reckon even Lu himself never anticipated it. While there are many extraordinarily talented individuals in this world, those who also enjoy a smooth-sailing official career are extremely rare."

"She entered the Spy Bureau, climbed step by step to become the head of the Spy Bureau in Yinlang County, and then became Lord Jingnan's consort."

"Lu himself must have been quite startled, haha."

Miss Su then asked, "So, this incident... was it orchestrated by His Majesty, using Miss Du's death to make..."

Yao Zizhan interrupted her before she could finish. "What kind of man is Tian Wujing?"

"What?" Miss Su was taken aback.

"He is a man who would dare to eliminate his entire clan for the sake of his country! How many emperors in this world yearn for a Tian Wujing under their command, yet cannot have one!"

"Tell me, would such a man allow himself to be coerced by threats to his wife and child, to break away from his own country?"

Miss Su pondered for a moment, then had to shake her head. "Unlikely."

"If it were you, would you use such a vital pawn in this way, to achieve this so-called objective, especially before the child was even born?"

"No, I wouldn't. This pawn is too... too important. She... or even he... could be invaluable for the next generation. Too precious, far too precious."

"It seems you're not stupid."

For a moment, Miss Su didn't know how to respond to this assessment.

But Yao Zizhan's next words left her utterly dumbfounded: "Then, is it our Emperor who's being foolish?"