The Demon Lords

Chapter 438 51 Two-Faced_1

"Alright, then I'll..."

Li Fusheng's words caught in his throat.

It was as if a bottomless abyss had suddenly appeared on the straight road ahead.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence...

Finally, Li Fusheng pointed at Zheng Fan with a smile and said, "Chief Zheng, oh, Chief Zheng."

"Your subordinate is here!"

"How did you manage to shout 'I dare not' with such resounding conviction?"

"Sir, ever since I first met you, you've been like an elder to me. In front of an elder, your subordinate dares not hide or conceal anything. Since you, my elder, asked whether I dare or not, your subordinate will speak his true thoughts. Your subordinate dares not. I am not afraid of dying in battle. If you, Sir, ordered me to charge into the fray right now and die on the battlefield, I guarantee I wouldn't even bat an eyelash!"

Xue San, standing to one side, opened his mouth and licked his lips.

"But your subordinate doesn't want to die this way. I feel that if something were to happen inside the city, it would be an incredibly frustrating way to die."

"Scared?"

"Yes, your subordinate is scared!"

Li Fusheng let out a long sigh. This blood-soaked figure, a veritable murderous demon from the wilderness who had earlier led the charge, showed no sign of anger at all. Instead, he sat back down, patted his own knee, and said, "Chief Zheng, when living in this world, one cannot always keep their head down. Occasionally, one must also puff out their chest."

Zheng Fan puffed out his chest and declared loudly, "Your subordinate dares not!"

"..." Li Fusheng.

"Sir, we could try shooting a letter into the city with an arrow."

"Heh, Chief Zheng, do you realize what a tremendous honor, what a significant career credential it is to serve as an envoy before the capital of an enemy nation? Even five, ten, or twenty years from now, it will be the foundation of your career and livelihood!"

"Your subordinate understands."

At this moment, the Yan State army had cut off reinforcements to the Qian State capital region; it could be said that our forces were at their very gates. To act as a lone envoy at such a time—entering the Qian State capital, appearing before their imperial court, and delivering a letter to the Qian State Emperor and all his civil and military officials, conveying Yan State's demands... This was simply the ultimate way to boost one's prestige! But there was one prerequisite: you had to come out alive. If you died, what use was posthumous fame? He, Zheng Fan, had no intention of leaving an indelible mark on this world. Zheng Fan just wanted to live well, to savor life with dignity.

True, tradition dictated that envoys were not to be killed during wartime between two states. True, Qian State was known as a nation of propriety and etiquette. But what if the people of Qian State suddenly lost their minds? Although the armies of the Qian State capital region were cut off to the north by the Bian River, and the Qian forces likely wouldn't dare venture out from the imperial capital for a field battle, if he entered their capital alone and they swarmed him, could he possibly fly out? Even if he could fly, he'd be shot down by archers and turned into a pincushion.

As a transmigrator, fortunate enough to be alive and well, and accompanied by so many demon kings, wouldn't it be more pleasant to just lay low and focus on his own development? He didn't feel any urgent need to rapidly fight his way up the ranks. Besides, he had already accumulated a significant number of merits. Why on earth would he take such a risk?

"A few days ago, you asked me why your cultivation realm was still stuck at the Eighth Rank."

"Yes."

"I told you that you needed to nurture your killing intent."

"Yes."

"Killing intent—how is it nurtured? A true man stands firm between heaven and earth, weapon in hand, gazing disdainfully in all directions. That is true killing intent!"

"Your subordinate is enlightened."

"Your mindset is still too overly cautious. Perhaps this is a common problem among intelligent people like you—too prudent, excessively so."

"Yes, your subordinate is enlightened."

"The reason I want you to go is, firstly, you're the smartest one in our army, and you speak very well."

"..." Zheng Fan.

"Although I'm a coarse man, a common soldier by origin, I know that an envoy must be eloquent and smart. Otherwise, if the enemy insults you subtly, you might not even realize it and just nod along, saying, 'Yes, yes, yes.' Wouldn't that be utterly humiliating?"

"Yes."

"Furthermore, it was the Lord who first mentioned you to us, saying you were a very interesting person. The Lord also said that if that Southern Marquis hadn't refused to let you go, he would have wanted to poach you for our Zhenbei Army. However, since you're from Beifeng Prefecture, you and I are fellow countrymen. These past few days, I've seen it for myself: you, Zheng Fan, are quite the individual. Don't laugh—it's a case of knowing one's own. If you ask me to lead these lads of mine to kill, every one of them is a hero; there's not a coward among them. But if you're talking about using schemes, playing mind games, governing a territory, dividing and conquering, or calculating people's intentions, our Zhenbei Army is truly lacking in such cunning individuals. You, Zheng Fan, are a cunning one!"

"..." Zheng Fan.

Xue San, standing to one side, was trying so hard to suppress his laughter that he clutched his crotch.

"Don't mind that you're just a Commander now. Frankly, in these past few days, haven't your actions gone far beyond what a Commander does? I just want to save good opportunities for people I value. After this mission as an envoy, when merits are assessed after the war, I can guarantee you the post of magistrate of an entire city."

According to Yan's current system, where military and administrative powers were not separated, a city magistrate held full control over both the military and governance of a city. With the abilities of the demon kings under Zheng Fan's command, if they had a stable base of operations, all aspects of their development would surely get on track in a short amount of time.

But Zheng Fan still said directly, "Sir, perhaps... it would be better to offer this honor to someone else?"