A sycophant is definitely not easy to be.

To make the person above you feel that you're capable while also finding you interesting—that's a truly difficult task.

Simply put, you have to grasp the balance between seriousness and liveliness, but that's the hardest thing to control. Every time, it's like dancing on the edge of a knife.

Zheng Fan didn't really like the feeling of "performing" in front of important figures, but sometimes, when you're under someone else's roof, you have to lower your head if you want to avoid the rain.

So, he could only look forward to building a house of his own.

On the way, Zheng Fan received orders to return to Cui Liu Fort.

Marquis Jingnan didn't give him any rewards or further instructions, but sometimes, not punishing you and letting you go home as if nothing had happened was a kind of attitude in itself.

As a soldier, going to a foreign country to cause trouble without military orders, and then returning without any repercussions—isn't that encouragement?

Most importantly, Zheng Fan felt that he had deepened his impression in Marquis Jingnan's mind. Sometimes, treasures and wealth couldn't compare to being "held in the emperor's heart."

Zheng Fan wasn't planning on making money and retiring; to some extent, he was like an entrepreneur in this world, in the startup phase.

If you gave an entrepreneur two choices in his previous life:

"One million in capital" versus "knowing Jack Ma,"

Which would he choose?

When Cui Liu Fort came into view, it was already afternoon.

The walls of Cui Liu Fort had already been erected, although it would still take many workdays to further improve and enrich it. But finally, it had a bit of the flavor of a fort.

Zheng Fan took a deep breath. After wandering outside for a few days, he actually felt extremely homesick.

Blindman Bei and the others were already waiting on the road outside, their faces full of enthusiastic smiles, as if they were family welcoming a returning wanderer.

Si Niang took Zheng Fan to bathe and change first, and his wounds also needed further treatment.

After Zheng Fan left,

Blindman Bei, A Ming, Xue San, and Fan Li immediately turned somber.

Liang Cheng tied up his horse.

Seemingly prepared,

He stood still with his hands tied,

As if waiting to… face the storm!

Xue San narrowed his eyes and said,

"Did you have fun?"

Liang Cheng honestly replied:

"I had a lot of fun."

"Oh, you had a lot of fun."

Xue San jumped up and patted Liang Cheng on the shoulder.

"You had fun and forgot about your brothers, huh!"

Liang Cheng still replied calmly:

"It was the master's decision."

Liang Cheng wasn't lying; it was indeed Zheng Fan's own decision. Liang Cheng had always thought that he was just accompanying the master to the academy to arrest people that day, but after the matter at the academy ended, the master directly decided to take a stroll in Qian Country. He didn't know beforehand, but of course, he also wanted to take a stroll at the time.

At this time, Fan Li, with a deliberately serious posture, pretended to be a teacher scolding a student who had made a mistake and said:

"The master doesn't know any better, but don't you know any better?"

"…………" Xue San.

"…………" Liang Cheng.

The entire scene suddenly fell silent.

"A Li, did you eat your fill at lunch?" Blindman Bei asked.

"I ate my fill. The steamed bun at noon was very delicious."

"Oh, if you're full, go move bricks over there. If we build the fort earlier, we can move in earlier."

"Okay, I'll go now."

Fan Li turned around and went to move bricks.

The remaining people, the blind man, Xue San, A Ming, and Liang Cheng, almost simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

"A Cheng, do you know what we're most dissatisfied with about this matter?" Blindman Bei said to Liang Cheng.

"I shouldn't have gone without you guys."

"That's part of it, but that's not the main point. Actually, none of us can guarantee that we won't encounter danger in this world, and we're not afraid of encountering danger.

"But the master's safety is very important. We don't want to keep the master cooped up all the time. The master still needs to experience trials and tribulations, otherwise he won't grow. If the master can't grow, we can't grow.

"But we have one condition: if the master really encounters misfortune, it's possible that all seven of us will also..."

Speaking of this, Blindman Bei paused and continued:

"So, what we have to do is, if the master is really in danger, fine, the master can die after we die. That way, even if we die, we'll die willingly, at least, without any regrets.

"But now, it's good. You and the master went out to have fun, risking your lives in battle, leaving the five of us here. What can we do here?

"Wait to die suddenly?"

Liang Cheng shook his head and said, "I was wrong."

Blindman Bei reached out and patted Liang Cheng on the shoulder, saying:

"Do you know what I was most afraid of in the end?"

"You're a bit special, I can't guess."

"What I was afraid of was that, actually, we have the courage to face death. A cup of tea, a *erhu*, and lighting a cigarette, walking towards death like that, the artistic conception is not bad, it's not unacceptable.

"But the other day, when you guys went out to have fun, if something really happened, and I was implicated and died, I would have found it hard to accept.

"Because before I died,

"I was actually drawing construction blueprints, working as a contractor."

Liang Cheng understood and nodded.

Death was acceptable, but if there was no sense of ritual to death, then it was unforgivable.

Blindman Bei seemed to have vented his emotions.

He took out another orange from his pocket and peeled it while saying:

"Okay, now tell us about what you and the master did these past few days."

As he spoke,

Blindman Bei put a segment of orange to Liang Cheng's mouth.

Liang Cheng hesitated for a moment,

But finally opened his mouth.

"Is it sweet?" Blindman Bei asked.

Liang Cheng shook his head.

"It's a bit sour."

Blindman Bei directly threw the orange in his hand on the ground,

And said:

"I knew the oranges here wouldn't be as sweet as the oranges from Bei Feng County."

"…………" Liang Cheng.

…

"Master, how did you get this wound on your back? Tsk tsk tsk, this is too terrible."

Si Niang asked with some heartache while helping Zheng Fan treat his wound and apply medicine.

Zheng Fan was really embarrassed to say that he was stabbed by Liang Cheng,

So he could only say:

"On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes."

"This is really too heartbreaking, Master. You must never leave this servant behind next time. How would that stinky zombie know how to serve people?"

"Yeah, I was wrong."

Admitting your mistake to your woman doesn't diminish your masculinity.

"By the way, Master, didn't you bring back that governor's daughter?"

"Du Juan from the Secret Intelligence Division sent someone to take her away."

"That's really a pity."

"What's a pity?"

"Originally, they could have been a pair."

"Liang Cheng doesn't seem very interested in her." Speaking of this, Zheng Fan frowned slightly, and thought, "He seems to be like A Ming. They're both not interested in women."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about that governor's daughter and Liang Cheng. I was saying she and Fang Cao are a perfect match."

"Fang Cao?"

"That's right. One was brought back after her father was killed by A Ming, and the other is the governor's daughter whose mother was killed by A Cheng. If she had been brought back, wouldn't those two girls be a perfect match?"

"Heh heh heh…………"

Although Zheng Fan felt that he shouldn't laugh at this time, he couldn't help it.

"But it seems like it's true that men lose interest in matters between men and women when they get older."

"I used to hear about old men who were still going strong at seventy or eighty."

"That's different. Can old men compare to those two dead people? One is an immortal vampire, and the other is a cold zombie. The sum of their ages is more than dozens of old men combined."

"That's true."

"Speaking of Fang Cao, they should be coming to Cui Liu Fort in a while."

"Yeah."

"Master, would you like to rest?"

"It's okay, I'm not very sleepy. I'm a little hungry. I haven't eaten well these past few days."

"Then will this servant cook something for you to eat?"

"Okay."

"Master, you wait."

Si Niang got up and left the room to cook.

The room Zheng Fan was currently in was one of the few habitable rooms in Cui Liu Fort. Most of the barbarian soldiers were still living in tents outside the fort. They would have to wait for further improvements to the construction of Cui Liu Fort before they could move into the fort.

Sitting up straight on the bed, Zheng Fan picked up a coat and put it on, and walked out of the room.

The sun was already beginning to set, and the afterglow shone down, giving people a very unreal feeling, but this feeling made Zheng Fan a little nostalgic.

He had only "fought" in games before, but this time, he personally led troops out for a stroll, and he had also captured a city, although he ran away after showing off.

Then, there were the nearly two days of being chased by a large army.

Honestly, now that he recalled the scenes of the past few days, he didn't feel much excitement in his heart. What lingered in his mind more was the Qian soldier who died on the beacon tower, the Qian veteran who went against the tide with his gun, and the dozens of barbarian soldiers who had become corpses.

"Master, watching the sunset?"

Blindman Bei's voice came from the side.

Zheng Fan took a breath and gently patted his chest, saying:

"Can you make some noise when you walk in the future?"

"Okay, I'll carry a lantern when I go out during the day from now on."

"Heh."

"What was Master thinking about just now?"

"I just suddenly understood why you like to bask in the sun so much."

"I have to bask in the sun more. I have a lot on my mind, and I'm prone to fungal growth if I don't bask in the sun more."

"Do you have something to say?"

"I do."

"Speak."

"I used to be a psychologist."

"I know."

"So, after hearing Liang Cheng talk about Master's affairs these past few days, I came to give Master some psychological counseling."

"I don't need it. I'm fine."

"The most common thing drunk people say is, 'I'm not drunk.'"

"Okay, let's chat then."

"Yo, Blindman, your nose is like a dog's?" Si Niang walked over with a large basin of meat sauce noodles.

Blindman Bei smiled and said:

"When I went to Tu Man City to do business before, I did encounter a pretty big husky. We had a competition, and its nose wasn't as good as mine."

"You're here to find Master for something?"

"I'm hungry."

"So you've been hungry for the past few days?"

"Master wasn't here, so you didn't cook. The food that others make is really not good."

"Okay, move a stool." Si Niang wasn't stingy.

Blindman Bei clapped his hands, and four stools floated up and landed in front of him and Zheng Fan.

Two stools were put together, and the other two stools were placed sideways as chairs.

A large basin of noodles, two bowls, and Si Niang also placed two pairs of chopsticks.

Originally, she was going to dine with Zheng Fan, but now she could only let Blindman Bei have the advantage.

"Blindman, get your own noodles."

"Okay."

Blindman Bei picked up the chopsticks and started to get noodles.

"Why aren't you using telekinesis?" Si Niang asked curiously.

"The noodles that are fished out with telekinesis have no soul."

"Okay, okay, I can't argue with you. Master, you eat slowly, I'll go send some to them."

"Hey, don't go, is there garlic? Eating noodles without garlic is only half the flavor."

"Blindman, I remember you didn't used to like this."

"I suddenly want to eat it."

"Wait, I'll go get it for you."

Si Niang quickly brought a bowl of garlic, all peeled.

Zheng Fan and Blindman Bei sat opposite each other. Zheng Fan was really a little hungry, so he took a few bites with his chopsticks.

"Master, eat garlic."

Blindman Bei picked up two cloves of garlic and handed them to Zheng Fan.

"I don't have that habit." Zheng Fan shook his head.

"You have to try it."

Zheng Fan hesitated for a moment, took the garlic, put one in his mouth, and chewed it.

"Master, want another one?" Blindman Bei handed over another clove of garlic.

Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "You eat it, I can't eat it like this."

"I don't eat it. It'll make my breath smell."

"…………" Zheng Fan.

"Life is also like this, Master. You don't have to force yourself to do things that you're not used to, and don't force yourself to do things that you don't want to do. Don't feel burdened.

"Maybe, in your previous life, Master's life was too ordinary, and there were too many pressures and constraints, but in this life, in this world, just be happy."

"I understand."

"Actually, I'm not worried about Master's psychological endurance. After all, you're the one who created us."

"Are you praising me?"

"Yes, Master."

"Okay then."

"Master can talk to someone about your feelings, like me. This way, Master's psychology can be greatly relieved."

"I will."

"Yeah."

"By the way, we lost some people this time."

"I already counted them when Master came back."

"Can they be replenished?"

"In terms of immediate combat power, it's difficult to replenish them quickly."

After all, the original barbarian soldiers were from criminal tribes, and they were all excellent in archery and horsemanship. After some ideological education, coupled with excellent armor, warhorses, and weapons, they were extremely excellent cavalry. But it was obviously too difficult for the current Cui Liu Fort to continuously replenish this high-quality source of soldiers.

"However, I think that our top priority is not to recruit soldiers and buy horses. First of all, we have already done what we should do. I believe that this time, Master, you must have left a deep impression on Marquis Jingnan. Next, we are no longer suitable to stand out too much, otherwise, it will not be really interesting, but really annoying.

"Moreover, it shouldn't be long before a large number of Yan criminals will be exiled to our border. At that time, we will only dislike these criminals for being too many, not too few."

"Are you talking about the aristocratic families?"

"Master is wise."

Once the Yan Emperor sees that the time is ripe, and cooperates with Marquis Zhenbei in a show, and begins to attack the domestic aristocratic families, the aristocratic families will definitely be stained with blood.

Many, many people will definitely die, but it is not realistic to kill them all. At that time, many families will definitely be judged guilty and exiled. Batch after batch of criminals are destined to be assigned to the southern border to become the "fuel" after the war against Qian.

These criminals themselves have extremely high qualities, and they have a great desire to perform meritorious service and atone for their crimes in order to get rid of their criminal status for themselves and their families.

Blindman Bei put down his chopsticks and said:

"Master, I still have to discuss some details of the engineering drawings with those craftsmen later. I'll take my leave first and not disturb Master's rest."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Master is too polite."

After the blind man left, Zheng Fan also put down his chopsticks and sat there for a while.

Then he got up, turned a corner, walked to a very narrow doorway diagonally opposite, opened the door, and walked in.

Inside, there was a coffin. What surprised Zheng Fan was that there was a censer on the ground in front of the coffin, and there was some incense ash in the censer. At the same time, there was a bowl next to the censer, and there was a red mark left on the mouth of the bowl.

Zheng Fan walked to the coffin and sat down with his back against the coffin.

"It was the first time I led troops out to fight, I was a little nervous, and a little excited, but do you know, the Qian people are even more useless than I thought..."

Many times, when you want to find someone to confide in, it is often difficult to find the right person.

You don't want to show your weakness and your true emotions in front of others, but you want to share these things. This is a contradiction, and human beings themselves are a combination of contradictions.

Perhaps it was the habit he had developed from eating at Mei Jia Wu every day, Zheng Fan felt that Sha Tuo Queshi was a good person to confide in. He was dead, but he was not completely dead;

He seemed to be able to hear anything you said, but he seemed like he would never speak again.

Zheng Fan leaned on the coffin and talked for a long time, talking about many people and many things.

After he was tired and finished talking, Zheng Fan took a long breath. He felt that after he went back and had a good sleep, he would regain his spirits tomorrow when he woke up.

Getting up,

When Zheng Fan was about to leave the room, he hesitated for a moment. Out of politeness, he felt that he should meet Sha Tuo Queshi and say good night.

Reaching out, he pushed open the coffin lid. When Zheng Fan turned his gaze to the inside of the coffin,

His entire face,

Immediately sank:

"Why are you here?"

Lying in the coffin was actually A Ming, in a neat tuxedo, with a red paper flower pinned to his chest, cut into the shape of a rose.

The air suddenly became quiet, and the atmosphere began to be awkward;

This feeling was like you went to the secret room of a church to tell the priest all the secrets in your heart, but unfortunately, the person sitting in the secret room listening was your daddy.

"Master, I also sleep in a coffin."

A Ming began to explain.

Zheng Fan looked at A Ming without saying a word.

"Master, you went to the wrong room. Sha Tuo Queshi lives next door."

"Why didn't you make a sound at the beginning?"

A Ming reached out and knocked on the wall of the coffin, and said with some helplessness:

"This damn soundproofing effect."

"Oh."

"Master, I actually just woke up too."

"It's okay, I believe you."

"Master is wise."

"Starting tomorrow, practice archery with me."

"It is this subordinate's honor. This subordinate does know some Western swordsmanship."

"It's archery."

"Huh?"

A Ming suddenly felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

"I asked those barbarian soldiers who are good at archery, and they said that it is best to use live animals as targets to practice archery."

"This subordinate understands. Tomorrow, this subordinate will go and catch some animals for Master to let Master..."

"I'm soft-hearted and I feel sorry for small animals. I can't bring myself to do it."

"………" A Ming.