The Demon Lords

Lord Zheng did not sit in the carriage, but rode at the very front on horseback.

When they saw their own Lord,

the commoners on both sides of the official road, regardless of gender or age, all knelt down and cried out in unison:

"Long live the Lord, might of the Lord!"

"Long live the Lord, might of the Lord!"

Inside the carriage, Xiong Liqing was somewhat stunned and sighed, "He seems... very beloved."

Sitting beside her, Siniang spoke:

"Because he has granted the people here the grace of staying alive."

The eyes of the masses are bright as snow; they know clearly on whom they now rely to live, on whom they rely to avoid humiliation, on whom they relied to get through this harsh winter.

The winter has already passed, yet during this winter in and around Snow Sea Pass, there were those who died of illness, those who drank too much and fell into ice holes and died, but not a single one starved or froze to death.

Even in times of peace and prosperity this is something very hard to accomplish, yet here, at Snow Sea Pass, which just a year ago was a war-ravaged, barren land of utter poverty, it was accomplished.

Lord Zheng drew his own blade and raised it high.

The people of Snow Sea Pass very much know how to coordinate with their own Lord, and their Lord also greatly enjoys working in concert with them.

So, after this gesture, the roaring acclamations of the people became even more fervent!

Lord Zheng held his blade aloft,

let out a long breath,

ever since entering Chu,

he had always felt very unsafe,

on someone else’s turf, with someone else’s troops,

but now,

he had come home,

here,

he was safe!

No need to worry about outsiders attacking, because under his command were the Snow Sea iron cavalry, and a crowd of commoners willing to risk their lives for him;

no need to worry about some strange expert coming to assassinate him either, because Shatuo Queshi was lying beneath his estate, though not yet awakened, and the Sword Saint lived next door, though not yet recovered, but enough to set Lord Zheng at ease.

Here,

was the home he had carefully built,

no,

it was his own,

nest!

...

After entering the city, the column split; those who should return to the barracks went to the barracks, those who should go home went home.

The remaining people then took the carriages directly into the Earl’s Mansion.

The carriage stopped in the courtyard of the Earl’s Mansion,

Eunuch Zhao, who had not forgotten his primary duty, immediately dismounted from the nearby horse and came to the carriage, ready to help the Princess down.

Regardless of whether what Lord Zheng said about that thing down there being able to grow back was true or not, Eunuch Zhao knew full well he was still the Princess’s man.

Also,

whether it was because he had long grown used to being castrated,

or because he had witnessed with his own eyes, at close range, Qu Peiluo’s miserable fate,

Eunuch Zhao suddenly felt

that being a man didn’t seem to be anything special.

Besides, with everything down there clean and tidy, life actually felt rather free and easy, spared many troubles and worries.

Xiong Liqing lifted the curtain,

but did not take Eunuch Zhao’s hand; instead she turned and proactively supported Siniang as she got out of the carriage.

"Careful, sister, the step is a bit high. Useless slave, why aren’t you on your knees!"

Zhao Cheng understood at once and immediately prostrated on the ground, allowing the Princess to support Siniang as she stepped on his back to alight from the carriage.

"Sister, you must be tired; let me help you go rest first."

From the moment she met Siniang, the Princess instantly lowered her posture. She was very clever, and clever people share one trait: they know themselves.

Siniang patted the back of Xiong Liqing’s hand and shook her head slightly, saying, "No rush."

Indeed, there was no rush,

because standing in front were Liang Cheng, the blind man, and Fanli.

The three of them walked toward Zheng Fan and bowed together, saying:

"Congratulations on your triumphant return, my lord!"

"Congratulations on your triumphant return, my lord!"

Zheng Fan nodded, stretched lazily, and said, "Finally back. Home is still the best. Next time, no matter who calls me, I’m not going out."

Every time he came back from a long journey, he would feel that home smelled so sweet, and he felt like he never wanted to go out again in this lifetime.

The Princess leaned her body slightly against Siniang and whispered in her ear:

"Sister, I want to see the Pixiu."

Pixiu,

the totem of Yan!

And a living totem at that!

The Imperial Beast Bureau of the Chu royal clan was also adept at raising demonic beasts, and Fire Phoenix blood was an enormous lure to them; yet, after all, the Fire Phoenix had long been extinct.

Yan State, however, had successfully maintained the Pixiu bloodline from generation to generation.

Although, ninety-nine out of a hundred were merely Pi Beasts, and true Pixiu were extremely rare.

There were only four known Pixiu in the present era: one with the Earl of North Border, one with Lord Jingnan, one with the Eldest Prince, and one with Zheng Fan.

It was said that Zheng Fan’s Pixiu was something Lord Jingnan personally requested from the court on his behalf. At that time, in order to persuade Lord Jingnan to accept the post of Supreme Commander for the eastern expedition, even the eunuchs who proclaimed the edict had already killed themselves twice by ramming their heads; once Lord Jingnan made this request, the court immediately granted it.

Hearing this, Siniang smiled faintly and said, "My lord, my younger sister wishes to see the Pixiu."

Siniang was in quite a good mood now; this Princess was very intelligent and tactful, an uncut jade worth carefully "training."

If she had truly been a dullard, then even as a princess, Siniang probably wouldn’t bother to tinker with her—no sense of achievement and no feedback, right?

It was just that Siniang was injured at the moment; she could wait until she healed before starting the training in earnest.

When Zheng Fan heard this, he asked, "Where’s that fellow?"

As if hearing Zheng Fan’s call, that Pixiu immediately ran out from the rear courtyard. When it first came into Zheng Fan’s hands, it hadn’t yet reached adulthood; after only a few months, it had grown noticeably bulkier.

It missed Zheng Fan as well, but now that it had grown a bit, it was no longer as ignorant as before. At first, it had taken Zheng Fan as someone like itself—a "poor wretch, man and beast alike," ensnared in the devil king’s claws.