Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Feng Zhen laughed. “Based on observations, he might be one who brings a huge blessing.”

Judging from Jiang Pengi’s character, if she had nothing to gain, why would she be so hardworking?

Truthfully, Jiang Pengji had experienced many grievances this time. She didn’t think of scheming against anyone, but she helped for curiosity’s sake.

She understood the deeper meaning behind Feng Zhen’s sarcastic remarks. She answered helplessly, “You are such a boring person. In your eyes, is your lord a person who pursues fame by benefiting from others? Am I not capable of being benevolent, of lending a helping hand to others and saving someone in dire circumstances? It isn’t solely for my advantage.”

Feng Zhen was afraid of the cold and he kept his cloak tightly shut. As he nagged, his breath formed a cold mist in the air. He refused to show any signs of retreat in this battle of words.

“My lord has a rich history; you cannot blame me for my suspicions.”

Wei Ci raised his brows. “Since he is from Nansheng, why did he come to Dongqing and join the Red Lotus group?”

Regardless of how aggressive the war between the Red Lotus group and Tsing Yi army in the north of Dongqing was, in many people’s eyes, they were a group of unruly people. Nevermind the well-known fact that the Red Lotus group traveled far and wide to brainwash others, they spread an evil religion across the lands. Tsing Yi army dominated and conquered with violence as if a horde of locusts had passed through.

Let alone the aristocrats who looked down on them, even the average people commenting on these two self-righteous groups had more words of disgust and mockery compared to praise.

She shook her head, then replied, “Who knows how this guy thinks. Perhaps he wished to borrow some troops from Dongqing and reinstate himself in Nansheng. Otherwise, he escaped here to save his life. Except now he’s changed his name and chosen to live anonymously among the people. Now that Dongqing’s situation is so messy, it’s a suitable time to seize the opportunity.”

Her words gripped Wei Ci’s heart. His complexion turned pale white.

The Red Lotus group was in Dongqing. The last of the royal bloodline of Nansheng desired to use the troops to reinstate his country, hoping to take advantage of the situation… These key facts made him feel very uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong, Zixiao? Your complexion doesn’t look good.” She noticed Wei Ci’s face become devoid of blood, looking deathly white. Out of concern, she told him, “The wind and snow are very heavy. Please return to the carriage to keep warm.”

Wei Ci was in a daze momentarily, but he regained his senses after he heard her speak. He bashfully said, “It’s a small matter, just an old ailment.”

Of course, he couldn’t return now. He must stay and see who this person was!

While Wei Ci was in deep thought, the man in question finished his bath.

He put on the clean clothes given to him by the soldiers. His body measurements were similar to those of the soldiers, so they fit rather comfortably on him.

However, his cold sores had spread over a large surface area, so his condition was still serious. As soon as his body increased in temperature, the cold sores became very itchy, as if countless insects were crawling over him. It was too unbearable not to scratch. Somehow, the man controlled his urge to scratch. His facial expression remained neutral.

“My lord, the man is here.”

The soldier brought the man before Jiang Pengji. She was with Feng Zhen and Wei Ci, discussing the internal situation within Nansheng country.

Nansheng country had indeed been wiped out. Let’s ignore whether or not the four factions of Nanman had successfully conquered the southern borders and get to the crux of the matter. This was about the atrocities they’d committed as they traveled down. Judging the day the capital city had fallen, the number of lives taken by the four factions of Nanman made them contemptible. Scholars all over the world were inconsolable.

The men of the imperial family were beheaded, their heads hung from the city walls. The females were forced to become army prostitutes. From 3 to 60 years old, not one was spared. Some of the women would not accept the humiliation and turned to suicide. Some of the noblewomen hugged their young daughters as they died together.

Aside from all the blood they spilled, the cannibalism exercised by the four factions of Nanman caused one to feel disgusted.

After the imperial family of Nansheng was killed, the aristocrats of Nansheng country had no choice but to form a coalesce to resist the four factions of Nanman.

As previously mentioned, the power the aristocrats wielded was great. They were mighty enough to influence the court’s decisions and control the Emperor’s will.

How could such a mighty county like Nansheng be exterminated?

Importantly, each aristocratic family had their own selfish ambitions. Between them were infighting and love-hate relationships. They complemented each other.

In the beginning, regardless of whether Nansheng country was defeated or not, it didn’t matter to the aristocratic families for three main reasons.

Firstly, the deaths of the Nansheng imperial family were inconsequential. They could easily raise up a new king. Whoever became the Emperor was unimportant to them.

Secondly, the noblemen were proud beyond measure. Although they hated the four factions of Nanman, they never regarded them as a threat.

Thirdly, Nansheng country courted their own deaths. They made many useless allies who attempted to suppress the descendants of the feudal aristocrats, damaging their vital interests.

Unsurprisingly, after Nansheng country was defeated, they didn’t receive any benefits.

The four factions of Nanman were completely unreasonable. They didn’t care about the worthiness of the aristocrats.

Are the aristocrats rich?

Kill and plunder them!

Are there women in aristocratic families?

Kill and plunder them!

Are they rich in rations?

Kill and plunder them!

When the four factions of Nanman exterminated Nansheng, they massacred countless noblemen. Men were cruelly killed while women became sex objects to satisfy their lust and carry on their bloodlines. If their rations were not enough, they were boiled as food for consumption.

At that point, the scholarly families in Nansheng finally came to realize the reality of their situation. They recruited troops and bought horses. An army arose to resist the cruelty of the four factions of Nanman as they invaded their lands.

Under these circumstances, could many have escaped to other countries to take shelter?

Jiang Pengji, Wei Ci, and Feng Zhen discussed this matter. They certainly didn’t hold the four factions of Nanman in high regard.

Wei Ci cautioned Jiang Pengji, “My lord, you must not be careless.”

Jiang Pengji said, “I despise the four factions of Nanman and mock them, but not because of their fighting abilities. Contrarily, these Nanman men are skilled warriors. Nansheng country was facing a weakening of might, their political situation was a mess, and they were deserving of defeat. In this chaotic world, the winner is the victor at war. In this sense, the four factions of Nanman are indeed stronger than Nansheng country. Yet what follows after they win? For someone as foolish as the four factions of Nanman, at most, they could boast of their powers around the central plains momentarily. For them to establish a strong political foundation that could carry on for generations to come? Keke, Dream on!”

Fighting a war wasn’t difficult, the aftermath and rebuilding were.

“As a community who only knows how to destroy but not preserve, create, or prolong anything for a long time, they are destined to be less powerful.” Jiang Pengji sneered as she said, “To put things more pleasantly, those who reign supreme come and go. Who can guarantee that the people of Nansheng will not fight back? Judging from Nanman’s situation, there could be a lot of disunities internally. If their enemies are successful in rebelling against them, what awaits them is the extermination of their tribe!”

Feng Zhen heard this and raised his brows. “The four factions of Nanman have been conquered? Based on Nansheng’s present situation, I find it rather incredulous that the people haven’t had any time to rest. The Nanman people only have to raise their swords to kill someone. Meanwhile, the people of Nansheng still must raise their children. That will take them more than 10 years.”

Before the Nanman tribe was killed off, Nansheng was probably dead already.

Unexpectedly, Wei Ci begged to differ. “Not necessarily.”

“Eh?” Feng Zhen was surprised, “Why?”

Feng Zhen didn’t know why, but Wei Ci was certain that the Nanman tribe would cease to exist.

How could he tell them the truth, but he could only vaguely mix the truths and lies together and present it.

“The heavens will stand forever. For every event, there is a season. All things are predestined. Even one’s food and drink are causes and consequences. The four factions of Nanman killed more than 30,000 men from Nansheng; their crimes are unpardonable. Isn’t it an instinct for the people of Nansheng to exterminate the entire Nanman clan?” Wei Ci maintained a stoic face as he spoke, trying to cover up his feelings.

The side of Feng Zhen’s mouth raised. He scolded Wei Ci as he smiled. “To think I’d fall for your lies. You may be able to hoodwink others, but do you think you can fool me?”

Wei Ci smiled bitterly.

The four factions of Nanman had indeed been exterminated. They’d had a total of 638,000 people. Whether they were males, females, old or young, or even infants who cried pitifully for food, almost none survived.

The person who had ordered that massacre was Wei Ci’s previous lord — An Cui.