The Demon Lords

Zheng Fanli.

The Sword Saint’s originally calm expression subtly changed; this name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

The winds of the streets no longer reached the level of the Sword Saint, but he had heard of this name. Soon, he remembered that it was "Mr. Bei" who revealed his name facing the Silver Armored Guard of Qian State: Zheng Fanli.

The Sword Saint did not know how popular this name was because he lived next to Lord Zheng and did not need to rely on hearsay or idle gossip to learn about him.

But regardless,

claiming to be the first guest master in front of the actual master,

really makes it hard to hold back.

"Cough... cough..."

The Sword Saint feigned a cough to suppress his laughter.

But to outsiders, it appeared that he was frightened by the scholar’s identity.

In fact, in the streets, there are many versions of the "Zheng Fanli" story; initially known, but not very famous, given the vast and mixed world of the streets.

Many have stories, and even more fabricate stories for fame.

Yet with Lord Pingye’s rise in recent years, his reputation has spread far and wide, and the guest master named "Zheng Fanli" under his command gained fame as well.

Some say Zheng Fanli is a strategist, orchestrating behind Lord Pingye, managing supplies and troops for his campaigns;

Some say Zheng Fanli is an assassin, fading in and out of shadows; the Prince Fu of Qian State was killed by him in the city, leaving with the head calmly afterward;

Some say Zheng Fanli is a military leader, skilled in assaults; the attack on Snow Sea Pass by Lord Pingye over a thousand miles was his handiwork.

Others say Zheng Fanli is a warrior, large of stature, donned in heavy armor on the battlefield, wielding dual axes, capable of carrying a warhammer alone during sieges, charging like a bull!

The last depiction, however, is not accepted in the streets. The street folks dislike Zheng Fanli appearing to be the typical oaf, tarnishing the appeal of the name "Zheng Fanli".

Upon hearing the scholar’s claim,

Xiong Liqing looked first at Zheng Fan,

She knew who Fanli was.

But the person before her claimed to her husband that he was the top guest master under her husband?

Wouldn’t that make her the principal lady?

Lord Zheng did not laugh but bowed politely, saying,

"I’ve heard a lot about you."

The scholar saw Zheng Fan did not lower his posture, feeling undecided.

Clearly, relying on the names Zheng Fanli and Lord Pingye, even noblemen within the Yan State’s army should have shown more courtesy, yet he remained calm.

Lord Zheng did not fake shock or pretend to be awestruck to cooperate with him;

because,

Playing dumb to catch a tiger is tiring.

This thrill is for others, not himself, so why act for others in this tavern?

If it were the Yan Emperor, Earl of North Border, and Lord Jingnan sitting here,

Well,

Lord Zheng wouldn’t mind sacrificing his dignity to please them.

Living in the world requires some masks, but after years of hard work, what he sought was fewer performances in his life.

Having Lord Zheng cooperate and tease the scholar now,

was as senseless as Nascent Soul monsters fighting over women.

"The meal is served."

Zhou Bian came out.

Lard rice, two dishes of wild greens, one cold mixed, one stir-fried, and a flask of wine.

Lord Zheng leaned down, sniffed it, hmm, fragrant.

At home regularly, eating this would be tiresome, but while traveling, weary and hungry, this was apt.

Lord Zheng opened his right hand,

Xiong Liqing picked up a pair of chopsticks, poured wine over them, wiped them with her cloth, and handed them to Lord Zheng.

Lord Zheng took a bite of rice,

closed his eyes,

said,

"Hmm, delicious."

Xiong Liqing washed and wiped a second pair of chopsticks, stood up, and handed them to the Sword Saint sitting diagonally across.

The Sword Saint had already picked up a pair of chopsticks ready to eat; he wasn’t that particular.

But with the princess standing up to hand to him, he hesitated briefly, nodded slightly, and accepted the chopsticks.

He didn’t bother to stand up and accept,

because the Sword Saint saw through,

This couple could wholesale "A scholar dies for the one who knows him" extensively.

The same gesture from others would be a tale if spread or written in notes. In front of them, especially the man, it’s plentiful enough.

The three began eating the wild greens with rice.

The scholar who introduced himself was awkwardly left aside.

The drunkard licked his lips, took another big sip of wine, smiled, lowered his head, and began tinkering with the salty egg intended as a snack.

Meanwhile,

The female knight spoke:

"Come back."

This was naturally addressed to the scholar.

The scholar’s face flickered with uncertainty, clearly feeling embarrassed, yet before these three dining, he lacked the courage to retort.

The female knight stood up, walked over, grasped the scholar’s shoulder, and pulled him behind her.