The old man said again at this moment:
"You, Lord Pingye, have made meritorious contributions in guarding Snow Sea Pass for Zhuxia and avenging the people of Jin. Although you are a Yan person, I owe you this favor, so I originally intended to take these so-called wife and daughter together and become the souls under your soldiers' swords, to fulfill my reputation for loyalty and righteousness, and not to be lonely on the road to the herworld.
But since you, Lord Pingye, are here, and you want to pardon me, I can only speak the truth."
Zheng Fan nodded and cupped his hands to the old man, saying:
"I would like to invite Elder Yu to enter the city to rest, and I will host a banquet in your honor."
The old man raised his hand,
and said directly:
"If I were greedy for your wine and wealth, I would say it outright. Why waste so much breath with insinuations earlier?
My surname is Yu, I am the clan chief of the Yu family. I swear I will never serve as an official for the Yan people or enjoy your riches!
Now that these two have already been captured by you, I only ask one thing of you, Lord Pingye."
"Please speak."
"I am old and weak, and somewhat afraid of pain. Although the Yu family has fallen, I haven't suffered much in this life. After all, I've lived a wasted and muddled life.
Now, I do not want to take advantage of the Yan people, nor do I want to be cared for by them. Only death can wrap up this pitiful life, avoiding being spoken of in the future as someone who sold his wife and daughter for glory.
Therefore,
I ask Lord Pingye to send me off with a stroke of the blade!"
Zheng Fan hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and said:
"It would be my honor to send you off on your journey, sir."
He no longer referred to himself as "this Lord" but as "junior".
The old man took the opportunity to gulp down another mouthful of wine, cheerfully saying:
"They say that if you are drunk, you won't feel pain when you die, so before going to the execution ground, the executioner would give the condemned a bowl of wine. Having drunk so much today, I hope that if I really face death, I won't scream in pain, which would be utterly disgraceful, haha.
Fortunately, you, Lord Pingye, are a great figure, and that blade should be skillfully executed. Being sent off by you, Lord Pingye, is quite an honorable departure!"
Zheng Fan reached out, took the knife from the hand of the soldier beside him, and approached the old man.
The old man sat up straight,
and shouted loudly:
"Please, Lord Pingye, guard Snow Sea Pass well, so that my Three Jin people are not ravaged by the wild people! I wish you, Lord Pingye, great success in your career, and fortune for ten thousand years!"
Zheng Fan swung the knife,
"Thud!"
The old man's head left his body, spun in the air before falling, and was caught by Zheng Fan with his hand.
Zheng Fan handed the old man's head to Hsu Youcheng,
Hsu Youcheng reached out and held it.
"As per Jin customs..."
Zheng Fan paused,
and continued:
"Give him a grand burial."
On the other side, the Sword Saint, who had knelt down with the crowd earlier to avoid standing out, bowed his head and muttered:
"Unworthy descendant Yu Huaping, respectfully bidding farewell to the patriarch."
————
Recently, there have been a lot of private messages from readers to Long, so I'm responding to everyone here.
Seeing many readers saying they will follow wherever I go, I'm truly touched and very grateful. Having your company and support is my honor and pride.
"Demon Reigns" is planned to be a long work, the longest of all my pieces, it's currently at 1.72 million words, and it feels like it's just beginning.
Actually, compared to the hegemony and necessary plot buildup, I prefer to write about some minor characters and side characters, making this fictional world feel more realistic, interesting, and flavorful.
Long's major contract was signed in 2019, for five years, meaning there are still three and a half years left. Long will strive to be steady and complete "Demon Reigns" here. Rest assured, those cuties who have packed their bags to run with me can put them down for now.
Lastly,
as an otaku author, the chubby Long you speak of,
I also hope that every web novel author can have their deserved equality, respect, and dignity when facing their work,
and wish for this world to become increasingly beautiful.
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