Chapter 511: I Carry My Ambition! (Happy New Year!)
Liu Er, upon hearing Shuangjing’s remarks ridiculing Du Tiechuan, did not dare to respond.
His face was full of bitterness. “Marshal Du is a dignified Soul Formation–level existence, holding great authority. Every move he makes carries thunder and wind with it. A small figure like me can only follow behind and drift along with the current.”
Shuangjing nodded and pointed a finger at Liu Er. “Your status is lowly—you’re nothing more than a Human-Demon Hybrid. If you want to climb the ladder, you cannot drift with the current. You must choose the right mountain to stand on.”
“Since you came to seek my help, and since we once fought as comrades, I will give you a chance.”
“Regarding the Heavy Armor Quota, I can defy Du Tiechuan’s intentions and assist you. However…”
Shuangjing deliberately drew out his voice and did not continue.
Liu Er immediately understood. He hurriedly cupped his fists, expressing his willingness to cooperate and asking Shuangjing to give his instructions.
Shuangjing smiled faintly. “Come. Serve me tea.”
Liu Er replied, “It would be this humble one’s honor!”
He lifted the teapot with both hands and poured the tea. Then he raised the cup with both hands and respectfully presented it to Shuangjing.
But Shuangjing did not take it. He remained seated and sneered. “Liu Er, you are somewhat confused.”
“In terms of status, I bear the royal surname and come from a noble clan. You, a mere mixed-blood—even if you drape yourself in the banner of the Blood Slaughter Dynasty—are still like mud compared to clouds when placed beside me.”
“In terms of cultivation, I am at the Nascent Soul stage, while you are merely a small Golden Core.”
“And as for the current situation—you are the one asking me for help. You urgently require heavy armor. Without it, your Three Generals Camp cannot execute the Military Art—Iron Flow Across the Plains. You will inevitably become cannon fodder and die on the battlefield.”
“Have I made myself clear enough?”
“In such circumstances, you offer me tea—yet you are still standing?”
Shuangjing stared coldly at Liu Er, and the atmosphere in the room instantly turned icy.
Liu Er froze in place. The muscles on his face twitched.
His heart trembled, and a tide of humiliation surged within him.
He gritted his teeth and forced a smile. “Lord Shuangjing is correct in his lesson! It was I who failed to understand propriety. Please… Lord, drink your tea.”
His legs trembled slightly as he slowly knelt halfway, offering the tea.
Only then did Shuangjing smile. “Now that looks somewhat proper.”
He took the cup, drank a sip, and immediately spat the tea onto the floor in front of Liu Er.
“It’s a little cold.”
“Do you know? Tea must be drunk while it is hot. If you miss the moment, it becomes difficult to swallow.”
“In life, when opportunity appears, one must struggle with all one’s strength and seize it firmly. Otherwise, if you miss it, you may regret it for the rest of your life.”
“You understand this principle, don’t you?”
Liu Er nodded. “Thank you for your guidance, my lord. I will remember it in my heart.”
Shuangjing sneered again. “Merely remembering it is not enough. Wipe the floor clean first.”
Liu Er froze again.
Shuangjing narrowed his eyes, looking down at Liu Er who was half-kneeling. “What? Someone as lowly as you is perfectly suited for cleaning work like this.”
“You should know that many people dream day and night of having this opportunity—and cannot obtain it.”
Liu Er nodded repeatedly, forcing a smile. “Yes, Lord Shuangjing is correct! I will wipe it immediately.”
As he spoke, he bent down and wiped the floor with his sleeve.
Soon, he cleaned the floor until it was spotless.
Shuangjing threw his head back and laughed loudly, pointing at Liu Er. “You performed well.”
“I’m starting to think somewhat highly of you.”
“Alright.”
“Now do one more thing, and I will help you use the quota to purchase heavy armor.”
Seeing that Shuangjing had finally relented, Liu Er let out a breath of turbid air and hurriedly asked what he needed to do.
Shuangjing said, “Very simple. Your entire Three Generals Camp will merge into my White Jade Camp as auxiliary soldiers. Especially your strategist—I think highly of him.”
“He has a very close relationship with the Red Flower Camp. You need to persuade your strategist to join as well.”
Seeing Liu Er about to speak, Shuangjing immediately raised his hand to stop him.
“Of course.”
“I only want to see your performance.”
“I don’t truly intend for you to merge in.”
“To be honest, if you mud-legged peasants joined, I would have to expend considerable effort convincing my own generals.”
“But since you want to take refuge under me, you must demonstrate your loyalty.”
“If you don’t rely on me, why should I offend Du Tiechuan for your sake?”
Liu Er fell silent for a long time.
After a moment, he cupped his fists and bowed deeply.
“Lord Shuangjing, my two sworn brothers and I advance and retreat together. I am confident that I can persuade them to join you.”
“But our strategist comes from a great clan and has long invested large sums of money to support the Three Generals Camp.”
“In truth, without him, our financial strength would never have reached its current level.”
“Moreover, he has fought alongside us, and deep bonds of camaraderie have formed.”
“If I were to scheme against him, would that not be repaying kindness with enmity?”
Shuangjing sneered. “Liu Er, you should slap your own mouth! Are you saying that joining me is equivalent to scheming against Ning Zhuo?”
“Is serving under me such a disgraceful thing?”
“That it would make you repay kindness with enmity?”
Liu Er hurriedly apologized.
Shuangjing’s gaze turned icy as he scanned Liu Er from head to toe.
“Now, I’ll give you two choices.”
“The first choice—you agree to my final request and do as I say. Not only heavy armor, but even entering the court as an official in the future—I can arrange it for you.”
“The second choice—you refuse me. Although you will have wasted my time and feelings, I will not make things difficult for you. Slap yourself thirty times, and I will forgive you. Then crawl back to wherever you came from.”
Liu Er was silent for a moment.
Then he suddenly raised his right hand and fiercely slapped his own face.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Without stopping, he truly struck himself thirty times, until his cheeks were swollen and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.
Shuangjing snorted coldly, very displeased.
“Just now I thought you were somewhat promising. Now it seems your capacity is nothing remarkable.”
“You, a mere mixed-blood—of low birth and low status—still want to possess morality?”
“Heh.”
“Ridiculous!”
“You are not worthy to serve under me. Continue living in your humiliation. One day you will regret today’s foolishness and pay the price.”
“Now, get out.”
“This humble one takes his leave!” Liu Er bowed deeply, slowly backing away until he reached the entrance of the Commander’s Tent. Only then did he turn around, lift the curtain, and exit.
When Liu Er left, Ning Zhuo suddenly felt the restraint around him disappear.
He immediately pushed the door open and stepped out, bowing to Shuangjing. “Lord Shuangjing, why go this far? With your magnanimity, how could you not tolerate a foreign Golden Core?”
Shuangjing looked deeply at Ning Zhuo. “Then tell me, Ning Zhuo—what do you say?”
Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo bowed again. “Please forgive me, but I will take my leave.”
“Heh heh heh.” Shuangjing laughed coldly three times and pointed toward the curtain door. Considering Ning Zhuo’s identity as the son-in-law of the Grand General’s Mansion, he refrained from telling him to get lost.
Ning Zhuo immediately departed and ran after Liu Er.
“Lord Liu! Lord Liu!” Ning Zhuo called urgently.
Liu Er turned around. Seeing Ning Zhuo chasing after him, his heart stirred.
Ning Zhuo held nothing back and told him everything that had happened inside Shuangjing’s tent.
Liu Er burst into laughter. “Strategist, your intelligence surpasses even my expectations.”
Ning Zhuo sighed deeply. “It is unfortunate that Lord Shuangjing stands high above and looks down upon us, causing General Liu to suffer such humiliation.”
“Not at all.” Liu Er shook his head. “What does this humiliation amount to?”
“As Lord Shuangjing said, countless cultivators long for such an opportunity but cannot obtain it. With my identity, being given such a chance is already fortunate.”
“It’s just that I cannot grasp such fortune.”
“That is my own problem.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head as well, gripping Liu Er’s arm and speaking earnestly. “My lord has treated me with deep kindness. I am deeply grateful.”
Liu Er grasped Ning Zhuo’s arm with his other hand. “Strategist! Though our ages differ greatly, we speak from the heart. The Three Generals Camp has survived until today largely because of your contributions.”
“What I said earlier was not empty flattery—it came from the depths of my heart.”
“What virtue or ability do I possess to attract Lord Shuangjing’s attention?”
“I am nothing more than a mixed-blood Human-Demon Hybrid.”
At this point, Liu Er paused and pointed toward a distant hill.
“Strategist, look at that hill. Let us land there, and I will explain my true feelings to you.”
Naturally, Ning Zhuo did not refuse.
The two flew down to the nearest hill and rested among the rocks.
Liu Er took out a jug of wine and poured himself a drink.
“My father was a Demon Cultivator, and my mother was human. I was raised entirely by my mother.”
“At first things were alright. The demon blood in my body was not obvious.”
“I even had days like ordinary children—carefree, playing and laughing.”
“That was the only bright color in my childhood. Perhaps because of that, the pain that followed felt even sharper.”
Liu Er drank another mouthful of wine.
“The playmates I once had began to give me fear, suspicion, and distance.”
“As I grew older, what I received from my peers were cold stares, ridicule, and whispered gossip behind my back. They called me mixed-blood, bastard, half-demon, or monster.”
“I was isolated. I no longer had companions. When I played alone, I feared encountering children from the same village. They would mock me as a demon, surround me, push me to the ground, and deliberately throw stones at me.”
“For a time, I deeply hated my identity. I even argued with my mother, demanding to know why she had not given birth to me as a pure human.”
“But when I began to understand some truths, I realized my mother’s helplessness. I gradually learned to stay away from crowds and protect myself.”
Liu Er poured Ning Zhuo a cup of wine.
“Near the mountain village where I lived, there was a single cultivation sect.”
“It was the place I dreamed day and night of joining.”
“My cultivation aptitude was decent, and my mind was fairly clever. I treated joining that sect as the hope of my life.”
“But it was laughable. When the sect held its triennial recruitment, I did not even pass the first round.”
“The human cultivator guarding the gate saw me and waved his sleeve, throwing me far away.”
“The words he spoke remain etched in my memory—‘Something born from a union of demon and human dares to cultivate alongside us?’”
Liu Er clinked his cup with Ning Zhuo and drank.
“I was thrown to the ground, battered and bruised, surrounded by mocking laughter.”
“I don’t even know how I got up afterward.”
“I wandered through the mountains like a lonely ghost.”
“Late that night, my mother found me with her hair disheveled and pulled me into her embrace. But I shoved her to the ground and screamed at her, pointing at her face and asking why she had given birth to me.”
“My mother allowed me to curse her until I had no strength left. Then she carried me on her back for several miles through the mountains and brought me home.”
Liu Er’s eyes reddened and his voice choked.
“If my mother were still alive, I would honor her properly. Unfortunately, I was too ignorant back then.”
He looked at Ning Zhuo.
“So, Strategist, you need not worry. Since childhood I have endured ridicule and humiliation. What happened today with Lord Shuangjing is nothing in comparison.”
Ning Zhuo raised his cup in respect. “Seeing that my lord now carries great ambition, marches forward bravely, possesses outstanding ability, and treats others with warmth—it naturally makes people wish to follow you.”
“There is an old saying that proves very true: When Heaven is about to place great responsibility upon a man, it must first torment his mind, exhaust his muscles, starve his body, impoverish him, and frustrate his actions. Through this it strengthens his will and increases his abilities.”
Liu Er laughed heartily. “Back then I understood none of this.”
“Even if a wise man had advised me, I wouldn’t have listened.”
“Three years later, however, a famine struck—and everything changed.”
“The mountain village nearly collapsed because of the disaster. To survive, the villagers chose me as a sacrificial offering to the gods.”
“My mother begged every villager. She wailed and pleaded for three days and three nights—but could not obtain my freedom.”
“On the day of the sacrifice, just as I was about to be thrown into the fire, my mother rushed forward and leapt into the flames in my place.”
Liu Er paused.
Ning Zhuo remained silent.
Liu Er took several deep breaths before continuing, his voice hoarse.
“But the villagers still did not spare me. They threw me into the fire as well.”
“The god secretly saved me.”
“It turned out that before becoming a god, it had been a sect’s guardian demon beast. With the sect’s support, it gathered Incense Offerings and became a deity.”
“Over the years, every so often it would unleash divine power to create famines—making it easier for the sect to eliminate rising local forces and harvest the wealth of the rich.”
“In this way, the sect could maintain its status, reputation, and interests.”
“I begged the god to revive my mother, but it refused. It too was bound by circumstances. Only because it was moved by my mother’s sacrifice and pitied my half-demon identity did it secretly spare my life.”
“From that day onward, I understood everything.”
“In this world, even a Demon Cultivator who becomes a god is still merely someone else’s puppet.”
“Is there any paradise for demon cultivators in this world?”
“And even if there were, would a mixed-blood like me be accepted?”
“I secretly left the mountain village and wandered for years, begging for survival. Eventually I met my master and began cultivating.”
“As my horizons widened, I despairingly discovered that the people of this world treat demon cultivators and half-demons with nothing but contempt and rejection.”
Liu Er looked up at the sky.
The sky stretched vast and clear for thousands of miles.
Then Ning Zhuo heard Liu Er speak again, his voice filled with suppressed emotion.
“Since this world has no pure land, then I will create one myself!”
“That is my ambition.”
“I will establish a land where mixed-bloods like me can live freely—without disdain, mockery, exclusion, or suppression.”
“For this goal, I can devote my entire life!”
Ning Zhuo was stunned.
Liu Er withdrew his gaze and turned to Ning Zhuo with a smile.
“So compared to the ambition I carry, what does such humiliation amount to?”
Ning Zhuo stood there speechless.