Chapter 20: Reborn as a Marquis from Among Enemies (Part 8)

The rain drizzled down,
the weather was gloomy,
but Su Chen felt the weather was exceptionally good today.
Yu Zhengde gritted his teeth, his aged body kneeling directly before Su Chen.
"Young Marquis, I beg you, save Tianlu! He's my only child! I can't watch him die!"
Yu Zhengde knew
whether to retreat or not was not in his hands,
but in the hands of the young man before him.
Su Chen's fingers tapped on the chair, making a soft, rhythmic sound that mingled with the patter of raindrops outside the tent.
Yu Zhengde's heart pounded in rhythm with the sound.
A faint smile played on Su Chen's lips as he said calmly, "I understand Marquis Xuanwu's feelings."
Yu Zhengde's face lit up with joy.
Could it be that the young marquis had agreed to withdraw the troops?
But what he said next sent Yu Zhengde's heart plummeting.
"But I know this war is not child's play. My Tianfeng Kingdom has already suffered countless casualties. If we retreat so easily, how can we face those fallen soldiers?"
Su Chen's words were calm.
"This war cannot be decided by the life or death of one person."
"General Yu, please return."
Su Chen waved his hand, signaling the kneeling old man to accept his fate.
Without Su Chen's permission, if Yu Zhengde withdrew his troops,
that would be disregarding the royal decree.
Everything he had gained would vanish overnight.
With just a few words from Su Chen, he could declare Yu Zhengde a traitor who had defected to the Canglan Kingdom.
Yu Zhengde raised his head, looking at the cold young man so close to him, and gave a bitter laugh: "Young Marquis... I understand."
He didn't say a word, nor dared he.
He wanted to ask Su Chen who had started this battle.
But a last shred of reason restrained his thoughts.
Yu Zhengde didn't know how he left the tent.
His mind was a jumbled mess.
Cold raindrops pattered against his skin.
He could only be like a helpless wild beast.
He roared in the rain.
He was like a chess piece on a board, manipulated at will.
Inside the tent
Su Chen leisurely sipped his tea, while the gray-robed elder behind him scoffed, "A force without a Spirit Soul Realm expert at its helm is destined to be nothing more than a dispensable pawn. If my Feng Clan lets him live, he's a marquis second only to the emperor."
"If my Feng Clan decides he dies, he's a fish on the chopping block."
Su Chen chuckled.
This damned world
It really fits the fantasy world's characteristic of martial arts supremacy.
...
Seeing that the Tianfeng Kingdom had no intention of withdrawing, the Canglan Kingdom directly brought Yu Tianlu to the front lines.
"Father, save me, I don't want to die!"
Yu Tianlu knelt on the high platform, an executioner beside him holding a large knife to Yu Tianlu's neck, making him tremble with fear.
"Yu Zhengde, if you withdraw your troops, we will return your precious son to you!"
Yu Zhengde's lips were white, tears streaming down his face.
"Tianlu...son, it's not that your father doesn't want to save you...but that your father cannot save you, your father dares not save you."
A piercing pain shot through his heart with the force of the hand. His throat tightened, and after a long while, he finally managed to utter a hoarse word.
"Kill!"
The overwhelming army pressed in, making the Canglan Kingdom's generals' faces extremely grim.
On the high building, the executioner, receiving orders, directly severed Yu Tianlu's head.
Yu Zhengde, witnessing this, stared blankly until the army repelled the Canglan Kingdom's forces. Only then did he woodenly walk to Yu Tianlu's corpse, placing Yu Tianlu's head on the headless body, again and again.
"Please accept my condolences, General Yu,"
Su Chen walked to Yu Zhengde's side, his tone calm.
Startled, Yu Zhengde looked up and met Su Chen's indifferent gaze.
He saw a pair of deep eyes,
looking down at him with a haughty gaze.
The eyes seemed to hold mockery.
Su Chen, however, paid no heed to the pair of venomous eyes he saw.
If Yu Zhengde couldn't control his rage and attacked him,
he could easily crush this General Yu.
Yu Zhengde restrained himself.
This left Su Chen somewhat bored.
But this game could go on a little longer; it wouldn't end so quickly.
Back in his tent, Yu Zhengde could no longer control himself, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
He had witnessed his child die before his very eyes.
A parent burying their child.
No tragedy could be greater than this.
He only hoped to end this battle quickly and return to the Yu family.
Unfortunately, Su Chen wasn't finished yet and naturally wouldn't let Yu Zhengde withdraw.
He could only become Su Chen's henchman, acting on Su Chen's orders.
One month later, on a certain day.
Yu Zhengde received a mysterious letter.
From the Canglan Kingdom.
But it bore familiar handwriting.
"Your Majesty...His Majesty wants to use this opportunity to eliminate this young Marquis Feng Chen!"
Yu Zhengde's eyes widened; he couldn't be mistaken.
This letter was written by the King.
He suddenly understood.
A genius like Su Chen is a major taboo for any ruler.
No ruler can tolerate the birth of an uncontrollable powerhouse under their nose.
He wanted to cooperate with the Canglan Kingdom to set an ambush and eliminate Su Chen.
Without hesitation, Yu Zhengde decisively agreed.
He hated the Canglan Kingdom, but he hated Su Chen even more for refusing to come to his aid.
Besides, he had no other choice. Although he didn't know why the young marquis insisted on attacking the Canglan Kingdom, continuing the war like this, if he made even one mistake, would likely lead to utter destruction.
He still had a family, and grandchildren; he couldn't die on this battlefield.
...
"Just as the old marquis predicted, this king is truly persistent!"
The gray-robed elder beside Su Chen sneered.
Under his careful observation, Yu Zhengde's every move was observed.
Su Chen, however, fell into deep thought.
This guy still won't give up?
He'd seen that fatso before; he always had a smile on his face, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
In this life, he would never let that fatso get away with it.
"Is this king just plain stupid, or is he doing it on purpose?"
Su Chen felt the situation was becoming increasingly confusing.
If he was just stupid, that would be fine.
If it was intentional, Su Chen would have to re-evaluate the king.
Yu Zhengde was completely unaware of this; he was blinded by hatred, willing to gamble even on the slightest chance.
Ultimately, as the army advanced deeper, Yu Zhengde 'unintentionally' transferred the guards protecting Su Chen.
The night was dark and windy.
A figure appeared ethereally in the tent.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe, his white hair casually styled, and a powerful surge of Yuan energy emanating from him. His mere presence seemed to cause the very energy of heaven and earth to tremble.
“Lord Purple Lightning, I didn’t expect the Canglan Kingdom to send you.”