Chapter 1 The Aberration

Things that defy expectations must be demonic, and Miss Su was the most peculiar of this trio.

At first, Zheng Fan simply thought that the silver-armored guards on the surface weren't of very high quality, which was understandable.

Just like the Embroidered Uniform Guards in the history of his familiar world, not all of them were capable of scaling walls and eaves to spy on ministers and act as spies. Some wore flying fish robes and carried embroidered spring blades, patrolling the streets and collecting protection money like city management teams.

But gradually, Zheng Fan realized that this Miss Su's intelligence and behavioral reactions were dropping below his expectations.

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that Grandmaster Chen seemed to have some affection for this foolish girl, Zheng Fan or these devils would have sent her on her way long ago.

From a creator's perspective, every character introduced in his previous life's manga had a purpose, whether it was to be slapped in the face by the protagonist or to deliver treasures to the protagonist. Even the extras in the background could collectively shout "666".

What exactly was Miss Su's role?

Yao Zizhan, the great literary figure, was different from Su Shi, whom Zheng Fan had previously compared him to. Su Dongpo was a first-class writer, but politically and emotionally, he was a complete novice.

This Yao Zizhan was an oddity. He wouldn't do meaningless things, and he had once entered the treasure vault with Helian Xiongbi, knowing that the Helian family's bloodline was needed to open the treasure vault door.

So…

Zheng Fan knew that Blind had figured this out even earlier than he had, but Blind was smart and didn't rush to say it, specially leaving the chance to play detective to him.

Right now, Yao Zizhan was admitting it.

But this also showed the meticulousness and terror of the Qian Kingdom's silver-armored guards. A woman from the Helian family had actually been brainwashed and recruited into their own yamen, and was wholeheartedly loyal to the Qian Kingdom and the official family.

This Yao Zizhan was something else. Maybe his visit this time wasn't even intended for the stronghold on Geda Mountain, but to pass by Geda Mountain as a landmark and then come here.

It was just that he was intercepted by Gesang halfway, which led to so many interludes;

Originally, Yao the Teacher, Yao the Literary Saint, could have "provided for himself".

A'ming cut Miss Su's palm with his fingernails, collected some fresh blood, and sprinkled it on the bronze mirror.

Unlike Helian Baozhu's blood last time, Miss Su's blood was quickly absorbed by the bronze mirror. Immediately afterward, a rubbing sound came from the bronze door.

The door slowly opened, but only to a width of one meter, which was enough for people to pass through.

Zheng Fan clapped his hands, stood up, and said to Yao Zizhan:

"Master Yao, is this the attitude you're using to discuss cooperation with me?"

Between the breast support and the future,

It's all smoke and mirrors.

People just want to fool him away, and if necessary, they can come here again in the future and empty the treasure vault just the same.

Yao Zizhan was also very thick-skinned, without the embarrassment of being caught trying to eat alone. Instead, he said:

"Didn't Brother Zheng take it to heart?"

"No, I really considered it. Maybe Master Yao doesn't know, but I've met your Qian Kingdom's official family."

Yao Zizhan paused upon hearing this.

The Qian Kingdom's official family was indeed a figure, with political skills that could be said to be maxed out. The only regret might be that he didn't know much about military affairs, or rather, compared to the iron triangle of the Yan Kingdom, he was indeed somewhat inferior.

After all, the Yan Emperor grew up snatching chicken legs with the Marquis of Zhenbei, and he should have personally experienced the harshness of the desert. The current Great Prince was actually carrying out the Ji family's tradition of sending a prince to Beifeng Commandery to train.

But regardless, the Qian Kingdom's official family had a similar spirit and mind as the Yan Emperor. If that official family personally extended an olive branch to him, Zheng Fan would really consider the possibility of cooperation.

But Yao Zizhan obviously didn't have the qualifications, and he didn't have the sincerity.

Yao Zizhan said apologetically, "I, the old man, have overstepped my bounds."

Zheng Fan didn't want to dwell on this matter any longer, pointed to the bronze door that had already been opened in front of him,

"Please lead the way, Master Yao."

Yao Zizhan nodded and took the lead to walk in.

Zheng Fan then turned around and said:

"Let's all go in together. A family should be complete."

Everyone entered.

Behind the bronze door, there were rows of torches, and next to them were solidified oil materials.

Xue San ran over to pick up a torch and sighed:

"I've encountered so many tombs, but this is the first time I've met such a considerate homeowner."

A'ming then said, "This isn't someone's tomb, this is a treasure vault. The purpose of building it is to leave it for future generations to come in and use."

So, there's no need to make it like it's guarding against grave robbers.

After all, not far from here, there was also a wild man's stronghold on Geda Mountain responsible for guarding this place.

Don't look at the fact that stronghold has now been destroyed by a Cheng Kingdom force, but if the Helian family was still around, these wouldn't be a problem.

However, A'ming frowned after walking not too far.

Xue San then laughed:

"Yo yo yo, that face-slap came really fast."

In front of everyone, a row of coffins appeared, each with a weapon hanging beside it.

"One, two, three, four... twelve, thirteen, thirteen!"

After Xue San finished counting, he took the initiative to go closer to check and said:

"No mechanisms."

Only then did Zheng Fan and the others step forward. The coffins were sealed, very thick and heavy.

"Master, should we try opening one?" Xue San asked expectantly.

Obviously, his old habits were returning.

Blind then said, "A'cheng isn't here, so I think we should forget it. It would be troublesome if a zombie popped out."

Although Liang Cheng's strength hadn't recovered too much, his bloodline itself had a deterrent effect on other zombies.

Zheng Fan placed his palm on a coffin, touched it, and said:

"Who's lying in here? Are there any inscriptions?"

Blind searched for a moment and said, "Master, there's no written record. The only difference is probably that the weapons placed next to these thirteen coffins are different."

There were iron hammers, swords, sabers, and crossbows, and none of the models were the same.

Zheng Fan turned his head to look at Yao Zizhan and asked;

"Please enlighten us, Master Yao."

Yao Zizhan had entered with his lover back then, and Zheng Fan felt that, based on their relationship at the time, Helian Xiongbi should have taken the initiative to introduce the situation inside the treasure vault to Yao Zizhan.

Yao Zizhan coughed lightly. He had actually been waiting for this sentence for a long time, and immediately stopped being coy and replied:

"The thirteen coffins contain the thirteen warriors who first joined the Jin Emperor when the Helian family's ancestor surrendered, also known as the Thirteen Taibao (Thirteen Protectors).

Back then, by order of the Great Xia Emperor, Marquis Yu led an army to open up the Three Jin (the area controlled by the states of Zhao, Wei and Han). The Helian family was originally a wild indigenous tribe in the Three Jin, and was only a small, insignificant tribe.

But the Helian family's ancestor resolutely decided to lead thirteen warriors from the tribe to actively join Marquis Yu's side, serve as Marquis Yu's vanguard, and fight for him throughout his life, which laid the foundation for the Helian family's rise.

Later, the Great Xia Dynasty was destroyed, and the Yu clan established the Jin Kingdom as emperor. The Helian family, which had always been loyal and meritorious, became a vassal under the Jin Kingdom. After hundreds of years of development, it eventually formed the situation of the Three Families dividing Jin.

The Helian family's ancestor has always been buried in the Helian family's ancestral tomb, but these thirteen warriors who accompanied the Helian family's ancestor in starting the business were housed here.

Later, every time they came in, they would burn incense and worship to commemorate the difficulty of the ancestors' undertaking."

These were the words Helian Xiongbi said to Yao Zizhan when they were young.

"The Thirteen Taibao are also official positions, right?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Yes, the Helian family's military system has always had the position of Thirteen Taibao. Unlike the sect titles of Jianghu people, these are proper official positions, similar to the seven great commanders under the command of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion."

"Oh, why haven't I heard much about them?"

"In the Yan-Jin War, ten of this generation of Thirteen Taibao died in battle, two were killed to protect the Helian family's bloodline from breaking through the encirclement, and only one remains missing."

"Then it doesn't seem like they're anything special." Xue San smacked his lips and said.

Zheng Fan shook his head and said:

"This generation might not be good, after all, the Helian family hasn't had any major battles in the past hundred years, and we know what the mountain savages are like now.

But this first generation of Thirteen Taibao might be different. Blind, check to see if their corpses are well preserved."

"Master, your subordinate can't do it. These coffins are too thick."

The wifi's wall-penetrating ability isn't good.

"Master, these coffins are extremely well preserved, and the sealing is excellent. Unless they were incomplete corpses when they were buried, they should be well preserved." Xue San speculated with his own experience.

Zheng Fan straightened his back, looked around, and said:

"Blind, check to see what the feng shui is like here?"

"Master, your subordinate was originally a psychologist..."

After entering this world, fortune-telling and setting up stalls was just to make a living. He really couldn't do feng shui.

Xue San seized the opportunity to curl his lips and said:

"Really useless."

Blind didn't take it to heart and continued, "It would be much easier if A'cheng was here. Even if he didn't learn feng shui, he would know where to lie comfortably after being buried so many times.

Oh, right, A'ming, A'ming, close your eyes and feel it, does this place make you comfortable?"

A'ming rolled his eyes at Blind,

and said:

"Have you ever heard of Western vampires hiring feng shui masters when they are buried?"

"What about Dracula?"

"Then ask him, don't ask me. I don't feel any different here than outside."

Seeing that everyone had started arguing, Yao Zizhan opened his mouth and said:

"Brother Zheng, I said before that the feng shui here has a hidden pattern, but it is naturally formed. In short, it is located at the intersection of yin and yang."

Zheng Fan looked at Blind, and Blind shook his head.

Zheng Fan looked at Yao Zizhan again and said:

"Master Yao."

"Yes?"

"Please speak human language."

"Uh..." Yao Zizhan was stunned for a moment, then explained with a wry smile: "What I mean is that yin objects can gather yin here, and yang objects can gather yang here.

According to the alchemists, this place can be called a creation of heaven and earth. Back then, when Helian Qing was chasing the wild man king, the reason why the wild man king stopped here and was caught was because the wild man king wanted to use a magical artifact called the Jade Man Token to summon evil spirits to help."

Jade Man Token?

Hearing this name,

Zheng Fan and the other devils exchanged glances silently.

That thing is in their hands now,

Oh no,

To be precise, it's sleeping with Shatuo Queshi.

"But how can military affairs be entrusted to these ghosts and gods? That wild man king was eventually beheaded by Helian Qing at Luofu Mountain."

"Then what was your Zang Fuzi doing in Yanjing before the Yan-Qian war?"

"This..." Yao Zizhan.

Zheng Fan turned around, rubbed his hands, stopped paying attention to Yao Zizhan, and instead said:

"These coffins, this one, this one, this one, that one, I want them all!"

A'ming nodded, Xue San nodded, Blind nodded, and Fan Li nodded three times.

According to Yao Zizhan, this was a feng shui node, and these thirteen corpses had accompanied the Helian family's ancestor in starting the army and fighting. They must have killed many people in their lives. It was easier for such people to generate evil energy after death.

So reality was so cruel. If you were meek in life, you probably wouldn't even fart after death. A ruthless person in life could probably cause trouble after death, living as a hero and dying as a ghost.

These were the words Liang Cheng had said.

Liang Cheng's strength wasn't enough now, but corpses that were well preserved and had fermented long enough were really hard to find. Under many restrictions, they were able to find thirteen of them here at once.

Tsk tsk,

Take them back, take them back,

Wait until Liang Cheng's strength recovers to that stage in the future and let him "awaken" these Thirteen Taibao.

Blind suddenly said, "Master, this is destiny."

Zheng Fan looked at Blind, with an expression that said, "I'm watching how you're going to suck up to me in style."

"After Liang Cheng summons and awakens these thirteen corpses in the future, Master will be able to declare to the outside world that he started his career with these thirteen sets of armor."

Xue San opened his mouth, somewhat incredulously, and said:

"Your flattery is really roundabout."

Blind said very calmly, "This is technique."

"Let's continue looking inside."

Zheng Fan signaled to continue walking inside. After walking not too far, he saw wooden boxes appearing in front of him under the illumination of the torches. The wooden boxes were very exaggerated and stacked neatly, almost filling most of the space inside the cave.

Xue San opened his mouth wide,

shook his head,

and said:

"We've struck it rich, we've struck it rich. So much gold and silver jewelry, I'm not just going to build a reconnaissance company this time, I can build a reconnaissance division."

Looking at these boxes, Yao Zizhan's face was heavy. He didn't want these riches to fall into the hands of the Yan people, because these riches would turn into warhorses under the Yan people's crotches, armor on their bodies, and swords and sabers in their hands.

Blind suspiciously "circled the field" once,

then said in his heart:

"Master, over ninety percent of these boxes are empty."

"Empty?"

"Yes, Master, but even if only ten percent are full, it's almost comparable to the wealth we divided in the Jingji area. This time, it can be considered that we didn't work in vain."

"No, how could it be..."

Zheng Fan took the initiative to walk to a box. The box wasn't locked. Zheng Fan opened it directly and found that it was indeed empty. He opened six in a row, and they were all empty. Only when he opened the seventh one did it contain silver ingots.

Yao Zizhan also followed immediately and checked the condition of these boxes, even helping to open them together.

Of the boxes opened, the vast majority were empty. Of course, there were also solid ones, but compared to the initial shock of being "full", it immediately felt like riding a roller coaster.

"Master Yao, why are so many of these boxes empty?"

Yao Zizhan felt much more comfortable. Looking at it this way, even if these riches were given to this Yan Kingdom warlord, the impact wouldn't be too great. He patted his hands, which were covered in dust from opening the boxes,

and said:

"The ancestor's plan was good, but later generations wanted to enjoy themselves in peaceful times, and they needed military expenses in chaotic times. When Helian Xiongbi brought me here back then, the solid boxes here actually accounted for more than half.

He once told me that in his lifetime, he would fill this place and give his descendants a more solid foundation."

"He broke his promise," Zheng Fan said.

"Yes, he broke his promise. When he was young, he was still heroic and energetic. Although he liked literature and ink, he still had a sincere ambition, but you can just look at the less than ten percent that's left here.

He actually forgot to be vigilant in times of peace, and he deserved to lose."

"What a spendthrift," Zheng Fan said with emotion.

Yao Zizhan looked at Zheng Fan and said, "Brother Zheng, Helian Xiongbi's extravagance has nothing to do with you, right? Thinking from Helian Xiongbi's position, it's better for him to use it up, otherwise all the family fortune he worked so hard to save for most of his life would fall into your hands. That's the true grievance that would make him come back to life in anger.

Besides, it's money that was picked up anyway. Whether you pick up more or less is fate. It's all a good omen, isn't it?"

"Thank you for your comfort, Master Yao."

"You're welcome, you're welcome."

There was some disappointment, but it wasn't too bleak. Even according to the results that Blind detected, the remaining amount of one-tenth was still a considerable amount of wealth.

"Fortunately, it's not the worst result," Zheng Fan said with emotion.

"May I ask, Brother Zheng, what is the worst result?"

"A chair, a cup of tea, a straw mat, and a painting, leaving behind the sentence: 'My heart is at peace, so this is my home.'"

Yao Zizhan pondered this sentence.

Zheng Fan explained directly:

"It means that the Helian family only left a cool mat for their descendants, directly saying that there's no point in making a comeback, just live a stable life as ordinary people. That's the worst result I envisioned."

It was also a result that often appeared in many film and television works.

Zheng Fan wasn't the kind of male protagonist who would have a great realization in the ending of the plot by looking at a painting. He only knew that the soldiers and horses under his command were consuming the silver and money in his hands every day.

"Master Yao, follow me back to Shengle City after we get out."

"That's natural. After Brother Zheng sends troops to transport the things here back, I'll depart from Shengle and return to Qian."

"Aren't you afraid that I'll hand you over to my Yan Emperor? Maybe my Emperor will be happy and reward me with a few thousand warhorses. That's very possible."

"Brother Zheng is joking. If I was captured on the battlefield, I think His Majesty the Yan Emperor would be willing to exchange three thousand iron cavalry for me. Da Qian has boasted of being the number one in literature and culture for many years. It's worth destroying the pride of the Da Qian people with three thousand iron cavalry;

But I came here alone, with only one or two followers by my side. Even if Brother Zheng sends me to Yanjing, His Majesty the Yan Emperor would only think that I'm a tasteless chicken rib, and might even think that you're meddling in other people's business.

To put it bluntly, the emperor's windows will never leak wind. What they want is just that beautiful appearance."

"I've learned something."

"You're too kind."

"Okay, everyone, let's head back home now."

Zheng Fan gave the order.

A'ming took his remaining water bag, stood up from a coffin, and muttered to himself:

"It's actually so plain."

"Isn't plain good?" Blind faced A'ming.

"I just feel that there were fewer twists and turns than I expected. It doesn't seem dramatic enough."

"Dramatic? Do you think you're Shakespeare?" Xue San mocked.

San'er's jealousy of A'ming was very obvious, and the assist for A'ming's advancement was still given by him, which made San'er even more unhappy.

"Okay, it's good to be able to go back safely. I have to find a stronghold on the way to buy some wine, otherwise these injuries on my body will heal a little slowly."

"Shut your mouth, why are you healing yourself, a family member?" Blind said.

"I'm not A'cheng, what am I afraid of?"

"Heh, A'cheng is unlucky, but you're not exactly a mascot, are you?"

Xue San reached out and poked Blind's knee,

reminding him, "Don't be so direct, you'll easily hurt people's feelings."

Everyone started walking back,

Zheng Fan and Yao Zizhan walked side by side,

"Master Yao, how do we close this bronze door?"

"Go out and drip some blood on the bronze mirror again to allow the mechanism to react so it can be closed."

"Then the descendants of the Helian family are probably prone to anemia."

"What is anemia? Is it an illness? Oh, lack of blood?"

"Sort of."

"Hehe, the Helian family has a lot of people, main branches and side branches, densely packed."

"What about now?"

"Sigh."

Just then,

the bronze door in front suddenly made a sound and actually started to close!

Xue San immediately darted forward, A'ming also sped forward, Grandmaster Chen jumped out, and even Zheng Fan directly took out the magic pill from his pocket and threw it directly towards the gate.

However,

the bronze door was only opened to a distance of one meter in the first place, so when it was triggered to close, the speed was very fast. The fastest was Grandmaster Chen's sword, but he only managed to stab the end of the sword into the door seam, and as the bronze door completely closed, the sword actually got stuck inside.

The others were a step slower,

and the magic pill smashed hard against the bronze door and flew back, returning to Zheng Fan's hand.

Blind looked at A'ming in front of him and said:

"The drama you wanted is here."

Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "Drama usually comes with dog blood."

Saying that, Zheng Fan said to Fan Li:

"A'li, use your loud voice to shout at the outside and ask who's outside the door."

Fan Li nodded,

first punching the bronze door three times with his fist,

then shouting loudly:

"Who's outside the door?"

"It's me, Gesang!"

A response came from outside the bronze door,

"Helian Gesang!"

Then, Gesang outside should have said a lot, but because of the obstruction of the bronze door, only a few words could be heard from each sentence, making it difficult to hear what he was saying.

Yao Zizhan pressed his ear against the bronze door and listened hard, but he still couldn't hear the meaning of the words clearly.

Zheng Fan then patted Yao Zizhan's shoulder and said:

"Master Yao, do you need me to translate for you? He's saying that he's the illegitimate son of the Helian family, but he has to stay in Geda Mountain as a savage, unable to enter the Jin Kingdom or the Central Plains. He clearly has a good talent, but he's not liked by the family, with no future and no prospects, and he has to be a savage for generations. His betrayal was forced by the family, and he's being unrighteous because the family is unbenevolent. He will definitely make a comeback in the future and reproduce the past glory of the Helian family's ancestors."

"Brother Zheng's hearing is terrifyingly good?"

Zheng Fan shook his head

and said:

"I made it up on the spot."