The Demon Lords

Chapter 551 57 Awkwardness_1

It was deep into the night.

Wan Er had gone for a walk.

Swords had been practiced.

Little Sword Boy returned to rest on Fanli's shoulders.

The two of them, one big and one small, began to head back.

"Big Wood, what you said just now, my master also said. He said that when you truly reach a certain height, you can start to compete with yourself."

"Hmm."

"What you said about learning from oneself, is that what you mean?"

"Hmm."

"But you're nowhere near as good as my master was. Though he died rather embarrassingly, his swordsmanship was incredibly profound."

"Hmm."

"So, you were just playing word games with me just now?"

Fanli stopped. Looking up at the moon and pondering for a moment, he said,

"Hmm."

"Big Wood, stupid Wood, dead Wood!"

Little Sword Boy scratched at Fanli's hair until it resembled a bird's nest before she stopped.

"I want to grow up fast."

"Hmm."

"I want to start sword training early."

"Hmm."

"I want to kill that man named Zheng."

"Hmm."

"You're not angry?"

"Hmm."

"Isn't he your master?"

"Hmm."

"So you agree with me killing him?"

"Hmm."

"Sigh, but he killed my master. For your sake, I can leave him a complete corpse."

"Hmm."

"Or, I can leave him barely alive? But I must cripple him."

"Hmm."

"You don't seem to care at all."

"Hmm."

"I'm asking, if I really try to harm him, will you kill me?"

Fanli hesitated for a moment, then replied smoothly,

"Hmm."

"You'd have the heart to?"

Fanli gave a foolish smile.

"I would."

"Dead Wood, stupid Wood, you bastard!"

Little Sword Boy started messing up Fanli's hair again.

Ahead, A Ming's figure emerged. He was sitting on the city wall, holding a waterskin, drinking alone under the moonlight.

Little Sword Boy leaned close to Fanli's ear and whispered,

"Let me tell you, I think the most handsome one among all of you is him."

Fanli looked up and gazed intently at A Ming above.

A Ming lowered his head, looked down, and asked,

"Looking at what?"

"She says you're handsome."

Little Sword Boy was utterly speechless.

"Heh."

A Ming chuckled, unconcerned.

Little Sword Boy flushed crimson with embarrassment, wishing she could skewer this Big Wood with her sword.

Indeed, A Ming was handsome. In private, the little ladies of the mansion had once ranked the men by their looks.

A Ming was ranked first. His omnipresent melancholic demeanor was utterly captivating for young women.

That solitude, that indifference, and that quietude…

Actually, in terms of looks, the Blind Man was also not far behind. He arguably should have been the most handsome one. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to deliver Fu Water to the Captain's wife at the City-Patrolling Captain's Mansion back in Hutou City.

But the Blind Man's 'strangers, keep out' demeanor was too obvious. It wasn't that he was impolite or indifferent. Rather, the feeling that his gaze could strip one bare wasn't something everyone could tolerate.

To Little Sword Boy, the Blind Man was the most terrifying symbol.

As for Zheng Fan, he was by no means ugly. Although he couldn't match Pan An's beauty, he was the most laid-back person in the mansion. With the added aura of being My lord and what seemed like a built-in beauty filter, he still had considerable appeal.

But the ladies of the mansion clearly knew who My lord spent his nights with. They wouldn't dare contend with Siniang over a man. Even in private, they wouldn't dare to gossip about Siniang's man.

"Ah Li, how much longer will it take to repair this city wall?" A Ming asked.

"A very long time," Fanli replied.

"Not enough slaves?"

"Not enough."

"Then when A Cheng returns, we'll go capture some more."

"Hmm."

A Ming usually didn't involve himself in these matters. The workshops he was in charge of were still under construction. However, because too many people had been diverted to repair the city wall, the completion of his own workshop seemed indefinitely delayed.

It was like the start of a sandbox game. Building city walls served military purposes, while workshops were for economic development. Balancing these military and economic needs was always a significant problem.

Currently, the only way to alleviate this situation seemed to be capturing more wild people from the mountains for labor.

A Ming continued to sip his wine,

While Fanli said to Little Sword Boy on his shoulder,

"Still looking?"

"Looking at your big ghost head!"

Fanli smiled and walked into the city.

He and Little Sword Boy both lived within the City Guard's Mansion, in a small courtyard, but in separate rooms.

Little Sword Boy climbed down from Fanli's shoulders and waved.

"Big Wood, I'm going to sleep now."

"Hmm."

Little Sword Boy returned to her room. After a short while, she ran out again.

Under the loquat tree in the courtyard, Fanli was still standing there.

"What is that thing in my room?"

Fanli raised his head, somewhat confused.

"Hmm?"

"That thing! Come with me!"

Little Sword Boy dragged Fanli into her room. In a corner, a small space had been partitioned off with wooden planks, complete with a door latch. Inside was a toilet.

The toilet was wooden, with a bowl underneath. Below the bowl, a pipe led to a large vat behind the wall, used for collecting night soil.

After all, creating a complex drainage system in this era wasn't realistic, unless one were to tear down the walls and rebuild the plumbing from scratch.

Above the toilet, there was a large water tank filled with water, with a pull-chain extending down from it.

"Is this… for bathing?" Little Sword Boy queried.

She had seen similar setups in the army barracks, used for soldiers to bathe. This looked quite similar.

Fanli frowned slightly. An image of Little Sword Boy trying to bathe on the toilet flashed through his mind.

He shook his head. Pointing to the toilet, he said,

"Sit on it."

Little Sword Boy sat down.

Fanli reached for his waistband, hesitated for a moment, then decided against his usual bluntness. Instead, he said,

"You sit on it… to relieve yourself."

To be honest, Fanli usually spoke very directly. It was genuinely difficult for him to use more civilized terms.

"Relieve myself?" Little Sword Boy was puzzled for a moment, then understanding dawned, and her face instantly reddened. She spat,

"Why would you make this, you wretch!"

Fanli scratched his head. He had made this for My lord. This was the first prototype, installed right here. My lord's was the second model, and it even had patterns on it.

"Then what's this?" Little Sword Boy asked, pointing to the pull-chain.

"Pull it."

Little Sword Boy pulled it.

FLUSH…

Water cascaded from the tank, flushing into the bowl below.

"Oh, so that's how it works!"

Little Sword Boy found it quite novel and pulled the chain again.

FLUSH…

"Hey, this is fun."

FLUSH…

"Haha."

FLUSH…

"Why is there no more water?"

Fanli went out to fetch more water.

In the little courtyard that night,

A girl's laughter echoed continuously,

Along with the sight of a burly figure tirelessly fetching water from outside.

「 」

"Husband."

"Hmm."

"Siniang is truly a remarkable woman, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is."

"Husband, how did you two meet?"

"Fate, I suppose."

"Then, Husband, do you also like Siniang?"

"Why do you ask such a thing?"

"Siniang is so beautiful. Surely you must like her, Husband?"

"Our relationship is, in some ways, even closer than that of blood siblings. So, what you're suggesting isn't possible."

However, as he said this, a doubt suddenly flashed across the Blind Man's mind. Under this explanation, because the demon kings originated from the same 'workshop' and all had their existences continued by My lord, it meant they shared a bond exceeding that of 'siblings'. And... My lord was effectively everyone's father. After all, creative works are often called the 'offspring' of their creators, their 'children'. So, if Siniang and My lord were together, wouldn't that imply…

"Anyway, I think all of you are remarkable people, Husband."

"Hehe."

"Husband, I feel so fortunate to be your wife."

"As long as you don't feel it's beneath you. After all, I am blind."

"But in this world, few can see things more clearly than my husband. I consider myself very fortunate. I am deeply grateful to my grandfather for arranging this marriage, because I know that otherwise, someone like my husband would likely never have noticed me."

Just then,

The Blind Man abruptly sat up in bed.

A string of silver needles appeared in his palm and shot directly towards the roof beams.

The sound of rapid footsteps immediately came from the beams.

The Blind Man got out of bed. A cloak fell over his shoulders, and then the door swung wide open.

In the courtyard, Xue Three was kneeling on one knee, clearly having just come down from the beams.

Seeing the Blind Man walk out, Xue Three didn't seem embarrassed at all. He clapped his hands and said,

"Well, well, still not asleep this late, Blind Man?"

"My rooftop, was it fun to play on?"

"No, no. I couldn't sleep, so I was just wandering the rooftops, checking for thieves, that sort of thing. You continue, you continue."

"You used your stealth abilities to eavesdrop on me?"

"Hehe, this proves you didn't detect me, eh? HAHAHA! Too bad, though. I'd been waiting for the main event. I got bored and was just about to leave when you found me out."

"If you dare come again, you won't be so lucky."

"Oh, listen to you! As if either of us is scared. I might not be a match for the others right now, but you... tsk, tsk."

"Want to fight?"

"Go pick a fight with your wife! I'm not indulging you!"

With that, Xue Three vaulted over the courtyard wall and was gone.

After leaving the Blind Man's place, Xue Three went directly to My lord's residence in the rear compound. He carefully concealed himself in the darkness and began to approach, silently climbing onto the roof of My lord's house.

He'd been greatly agitated today, so he inevitably wanted to do something more exciting to ward off the bad luck.

However, just as Xue Three licked his lips and was about to lift a roof tile, he suddenly froze.

He turned his head.

Looking to his side,

He found a child sitting beside him, watching him with a sinister grin.

"Uh..."