The Demon Lords-Chapter 625 - 108 Sister_1

Zheng Fan had forgotten how he managed to get out of the hot soup pool. He felt as if his entire being was floating in the sky. Even lying on the bed now, he still had a dizzy sensation of drifting with the waves. His soul and body felt as if they had been severed; everything seemed so unreal.

"My lord, My lord, are you okay?" Xue Three stood by the bed, his face close to Zheng Fan's.

He didn't dare tell Blind Man and the others that their lord had genuinely developed a problem from soaking in the bath; he was afraid they would beat him to death.

Zheng Fan's thoughts finally began to return. He turned his head, looked at Xue Three standing beside him, shook his head, and said, "I'm fine now."

The sensation was like having just undergone ten rounds of acupuncture. His muscles twitched, and his body felt not just empty, but as if its very foundations had been knocked out.

"My lord," Xue Three ventured, "I suspect that my body and yours might differ in some aspects."

Bullshit. Even a blind man can tell our bodies are different.

Zheng Fan was too lazy to respond to Xue Three right now. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep.

"Then, My lord, perhaps you should rest? Once you're rested, you can check if there are any changes in your body's qi and blood. I think there should still be some effect, however small."

After all, the blood of A Ming and Liang Cheng wasn't easy for Xue Three to acquire. They only provided a little each time, while Xue Three genuinely had to 'shed blood' for it. If there truly were no effects, and his lord had suffered for nothing, rendering all his prior ingratiating efforts futile, Xue Three would be beyond despair.

"Hmm."

"Then I shall take my leave, My lord."

Xue Three slipped away.

Just as Zheng Fan was about to sleep, he suddenly felt something soft and warm on his chest. He opened his eyes and saw the young lord lying there.

There was some distance between the cradle and the bed; clearly, the young lord couldn't have come over on his own.

"Mo Wan... take... him... away…"

That tone, that expression... it strongly reminded him of an irresponsible father, one who sires a child but doesn't raise it.

Mo Wan didn't move. It turned to stone and landed silently beside the bed.

The drowsy young lord glanced at Zheng Fan, then yawned, pillowed his head on Zheng Fan's chest, and began to doze off.

After a moment, Mo Wan floated up again, landed on the other side of Zheng Fan's chest, and grew still.

Zheng Fan wanted to refuse but couldn't move at all. In the end, he could only helplessly close his eyes again.

During this sleep, Zheng Fan had many dreams. In them, he first returned to the classroom before his college entrance examination, concentrating on his papers. Then, he was in his studio, working tirelessly on drafts. Next, he appeared on a battlefield, watching his fellow soldiers die before him one by one. After that, he was in a forest and saw Tian Wujing and Dujuan standing together. Finally, he found Siniang by his side.

Hmm... wait. This dream about Siniang... it feels so real...

"My lord, are you awake?" Siniang asked softly.

Oh, so it wasn't a dream.

Zheng Fan took a deep breath, attempting to sit up.

"My lord, lie down for a while longer. You've been unconscious for two days. Let me get you something to eat first."

Under Siniang's care, Zheng Fan drank a bowl of porridge.

"My lord, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's nothing serious."

Zheng Fan nevertheless sat up. Although his head still felt heavy, after clenching his fists, he found his strength abundant.

His Cultivation Base hadn't increased, but the density of his qi and blood had improved considerably, meaning the distance to breaking through to the Sixth Rank was greatly shortened.

"This medicinal bath... it's useful, it's just…" Zheng Fan said.

"My lord, this is too dangerous! We can't listen to San'er's meddling again. What does it prove if he experiments on himself? At the very least, he should have tested it on a death-row prisoner first. That dwarfish body of his is practically a medicine pot itself."

Zheng Fan nodded. Indeed, he couldn't experiment anymore. The effects this time were good, but he could clearly feel that his meridians had been expanded to an extreme, a dangerous extreme. It meant that if the dosage were any higher, his meridians would rupture. Not only would his cultivation be destroyed, but the seven demon lords would also be sent back to square one overnight.

So close, so very close. Xue Three had nearly 'factory reset' everyone.

The blood of A Cheng and A Ming, combined with an easily absorbed medicinal bath, had an explosive effect. Strictly speaking, their blood was highly toxic.

"Next time... there won't be a next time." Zheng Fan also felt a lingering fear.

"My lord, this is the military intelligence that arrived this morning. A Cheng has taken over Ningbian City. The defending general, Zhang Tong, was very cooperative and pragmatic."

"Good."

This essentially means our territory has expanded a little.

However, Ningbian City is too small and isn't a major strategic city. It primarily serves as a military fortress. Previously, it was a 'stronghold' the Situ Family used to defend against the Helian Family. But every little bit helps, right? Besides, with Ningbian City in hand, we can expand our strategic buffer, so enemies can't strike our main base directly if they attack.

"Send a message to Liang Cheng. Tell him to see if there are any nearby forts or stockades we can seize the opportunity to capture. Tell him to be bolder."

While the Situ Family is being 'assimilated' by the Yan State, we should grab as many advantages as we can. If they want us to spit it back out later, well, that can be slowly negotiated.

"Yes, My lord. Also, My lord, we just received the latest news. The Eldest Prince has engaged the Cheng State rebels. Further battle reports haven't arrived yet; they'll probably reach us tomorrow."

"Hmm."

The outcome of the Eldest Prince's battle directly impacted the future of Shengle City. Everyone in Shengle City was hoping for the Eldest Prince's defeat.

"There's one more thing," Siniang said, hesitating for a moment.

"What is it?"

"Today, someone delivered a letter. It says the new director of the Spy Bureau will be visiting Shengle City in two days to meet you."

"Spy Bureau?"

After Dujuan's death, the Spy Bureau in Jin State had practically ground to a halt. But clearly, the imperial court wouldn't let the intelligence network here remain crippled. The Yan people intended to govern the Jin land as if it were Yan territory; they wouldn't allow it to remain fragmented, letting organizations like the Qian State's Silver Armored Guard roam freely as if through an unguarded land.

However, for this new director to come all the way to Shengle City right after taking office... his intentions were likely not as simple as a mere visit.

It would be very difficult to completely hide the young lord's presence here. Ding Heng and Lady Cuilin, being street people, had already made their presence known in Shengle City and had even recruited many of their subordinates into the Shengle army. At the posthouse, they hadn't eliminated all witnesses either. The Qian State's Silver Armored Guard also knew about this. The young lord's whereabouts would be hard to keep secret from true power players; if they investigated, they could surely find out.

Yet, it was clear the imperial court had maintained a 'silent' stance on this. There had been no imperial envoy to announce a name and title for the young lord, nor any special care. Officially, the Marquise Jingnan and her unborn child were considered to have unfortunately perished.

This couldn't help but remind Zheng Fan of another figure: the legendary young lord of the Earl of North Border, whose very existence was uncertain. Legally, that person didn't exist. And now, his godson was in a similar 'unregistered' status.

"If he comes, let Blind Man receive him."

"Yes, My lord. You rest some more."

"Hmm."

Zheng Fan nodded, then turned to look at Tiantian, who was gripping the cradle and peering over at him.

When Zheng Fan had chosen this name, the demon lords had thought it too casual. But Zheng Fan had only intended it as a temporary nickname. Giving him a formal, meaningful name would feel like overstepping.

"WAH. WAH."

"Siniang, when do you think he'll start talking?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"My lord, it's still early. He'll probably start speaking around his first birthday," Siniang said with a smile.

"Alright, you can go. I'll rest a bit longer. There's nothing else."

"You rest first, My lord. I have soup simmering in the kitchen. I'll call you later to have some."

"Okay."

After Siniang left, Zheng Fan lay down again.

He wasn't very sleepy, but the profound mental exhaustion quickly pulled him into a state between dreaming and waking.

Over by the cradle, Tiantian saw his godfather fall asleep again and, displeased, began to pat the cradle's frame.

Perhaps Zheng Fan was fated to have a connection with the "Tian Family." He was close to Tian Wujing, and now, even Tian Wujing's son felt an inexplicable closeness to him. Even when Zheng Fan occasionally spanked his little bottom, he would still giggle.

Zheng Fan's prolonged unconsciousness had greatly worried the young lord. Seeing him wake up only to fall asleep again without even coming to hold him, the young lord grew discontented.

As the young lord rocked it, the cradle began to sway more and more violently.

The stone that was Mo Wan floated up and braced the cradle, preventing the young lord from accidentally toppling himself out.

The young lord stretched out a hand, pointing at Zheng Fan.

"WAH. WAH."

He wanted to be carried flying over there, just like last time. In fact, it was less about wanting to go play with Zheng Fan and more about wanting to experience "flying" again.

Mo Wan remained unmoved. Last time, Zheng Fan had been completely drained of strength, so Mo Wan could act freely. But now, Zheng Fan was merely resting and recuperating; he had recovered. Mo Wan had been annoyed with its father for a long time, but that didn't mean it was willing to risk his ire right now.

"WAH. WAH."

The young lord kept calling. Seeing Mo Wan unresponsive, he could only turn his gaze back to the stone.

"WAH. WAH... WAA... WAH... WAA... SIS... SISTER..."