Zong Ge gave the rapier, Silver Lightning, to the body double.
Behind Zong Ge, Tripleblade explained: “When the blue dog fox wolf at the gate organized a final charge, that gigantic worm also participated. However, it encountered Lord Zong Ge and was routed once more.
“It was Lord Zong Ge who saw the sword stuck in its body, he risked falling into the hole to retrieve this rapier.”
Zhen Jin was relieved: “It always returns, I was worried Zong Ge would have kept Silver Lightning.”
The body double nodded, he looked at Zong Ge: “It must have been a marvelous fight. Many thanks! Its return is very timely, now we can pursue the retreating enemy.”
“What? Pursue the enemy?” Zhen Jin was secretly gob smacked.
But the body double’s following words were reasonable, if they let it slide, the future would be more dangerous. Instead, they would take advantage of the weakened magic beasts and pursue now.
The body double sought help, however when he looked around, the people either lowered their heads or turned their eyes, avoiding his gaze.
The body double was very determined: “Fine, it's your choice, I will not force anyone. Even if it is just me, I will dispose of those blue dog fox wolves.”
“My Lord!” Zi Di cried.
The others were also emotionally moved.
Zhen Jin scowled to himself: “You are courting death, scoundrel, do you know how much it cost us to purchase you?!”
Lan Zao, Zong Ge, and Tripleblade came up and joined the body double in the attack.
“This group of idiots, to pursue the magic beast corps through the forest, is following the path of doom!! This is simply insane; we just suffered a crushing defeat that ended with the entire camp burning!” Zhen Jin blew his top endlessly, but he couldn’t stand up to refute this plan.
In fact, he also believed the body double must have his reasons.
“Let me at least heal your injuries.” Zi Di insisted, stopping the body double.
“I must make every second count.” The body double shook his head.
Zi Di fixed her eyes on the body double, and as if forgetting about everything nearby, tears flowed from her beautiful amethyst eyes.
“During the time I was gone, Zi Di must have been worried for me. Actually, I have enormous confidence, as long as someone attracts the firepower for me. But I cannot tell her these things, I can only allow her to be deeply worried about me.”
The body double also gazing at Zi Di, concealing the truth caused him to feel guilty. In addition, dense affection also rose in the body double’s heart.
The next moment, the body double slowly hugged Zi Di.
“I……” Seeing this scene, Zhen Jin immediately shot flames from his eyes.
“Another hug! You hugged my fiancé again!”
“This time in front of so many people!!”
“You're screwed, screwed!”
Zhen Jin’s incessant fury thundered in his heart.
Zi Di’s body slightly trembled.
The body double put the tip of his nose on Zi Di’s ear and softly said: “I will return, I guarantee I will return.”
After saying this, the body double released Zi Di and walked away.
Zong Ge and the group followed close behind.
The others remained silent as they watched the four gradually disappear.
Zhen Jin panted for air; his head was dizzy.
“Go to hell, I never want to see you again!!”
“It would be best if you died along with those blue dog fox wolves!”
“That is a hero!” Someone sincerely sighed.
Those words touched the depths of Bai Ya’s heart, causing the youngster to roar: “My Lord, wait for me!”
Bai Ya rushed out of the crowd; his face no longer had any hesitation.
At that moment, the adventurous spirit and honor filled his heart, making him lose reason.
“Stop him quickly.” Zi Di immediately ordered.
“Give me a break smelly youngster.” Xi Suo tripped Bai Ya to the ground, “You are throwing away your life.”
Bai Ya stood up, he still wanted to follow the body double: “I want to become a knight, how can a knight cower?”
“Bravery is not stupidity, youngster.” Cang Xu sighed, then he persuaded, “Perhaps one day, you will become a knight. But you are still an ordinary person right now, and that……belongs to a knightly romance.
Bai Ya still wanted to speak.
“Shut up!” Zhen Jin knocked Bai Ya unconscious, he looked resentful.
“Do you also want to seek knightly glory? Snort!” Zhen Jin coldly harrumphed, his heart becoming increasingly resentful.
This resentfulness was complex.
He didn’t sense it, but his resentfulness was a mix of admiration and envy he felt towards the body double.
……
While the body double Zong Ge, and the others were pursuing the blue dog fox wolf, Zhen Jin and Zi Di quarreled with each other again.
“I never want to see you throwing yourself into his arms again, do you understand me!” Zhen Jin strictly warned Zi Di.
Zi Di shook her head, gazing innocently and grieved at Zhen Jin: “My Lord, please don’t use that wording, I never threw myself at him!”
“I know, but you never rejected his advances!” Zhen Jin circled around, he appeared very violent.
“My Lord, if I avoid him, wouldn’t that cause too much suspicion?” Zi Di retorted, “How do you want me to respond, how can we continue our plans? Please teach me.”
Zhen Jin was left speechless, then he flew into a rage out of humiliation: “That is not my concern! Did you know? When he hugged out, I could hardly control myself. Fury charged into my head, at that moment, I wanted to kill him and everyone else!”
“Lord Zhen Jin!” Zi Di shook her head, she appeared dumbfounded, “I understand you, but what caused the jealousy in your heart? He shouldn’t make your Lordship jealous, he is only a body double, a pitiful tool we keep in the dark. Everything he does paves your Lordship’s future.”
Zi Di’s advice and comfort finally calmed Zhen Jin’s breathing: “I forgot my manners. Your right, he is only a tool. A very good tool. Unfortunately…… I don’t think he is returning this time.”
Zi Di stared blankly, soon after she showed her sorrow and worry.
Zhen Jin keenly saw Zi Di’s changing expression, his heart suddenly welled with emotion.
“Hold on.” He gazed at Zi Di, “What are you thinking? My fiancé, are you worried about him? Worried about a body double, a chess piece?”
Zi Di immediately glared, her prior expression disappeared: “My Lord! What is going on? Is worrying about him wrong? If he loses our plans will sink. This will greatly affect our future! After all, he is a silver level cultivator, while you are still at the iron level.”
Intense resentfulness dashed into Zhen Jin’s head, making him glare at Zi Di.
“Soon, sooner or later I will be a silver level knight!”
Zi Di seemed to also realize her words were a mistake, promptly remedying: “My Lord, with your aptitude, anyone with eyes can see that being a gold level knight isn’t the end for you. Sorry, I was simply nervous. If the body double loses, how can we ensure our safety afterwards? How can we escape this place?”
Zhen Jin’s attention then engrossed itself in his own safety, he suddenly stopped looking at Zi Di so seriously.
“Your right.” He sighed deeply, “The body double is dying too early.”
“I feel we should maintain hope.” Zi Di insisted.
“If only……hope is really uncertain.” Zhen Jin weakly answered.
……
But the body double, Zong Ge, and the others all returned victoriously, after producing the blue dog fox wolf, Zhen Jin was shocked.
“Inconceivable…… they really succeeded.”
“My Lord!” The young lady Zi Di had run all the way over. After coming in front of the body double, her eyes blushed and she seemed to want to throw herself into his arms. However, the many people and her embarrassment stopped her.
Seeing this, Zhen Jin’s heart relaxed.
During the celebratory banquet, the body double was entirely worthy of having the leading role.
The people adored and looked at the body double with reverence, while talking about divine scion knights.
Zhen Jin sat in a corner; his heart filled with disdain.
“Divine scion knight?”
“Hehe, if he is a divine scion knight, I can swallow Silver Lightning!”
“Even Zong Ge was deceived! Hmph, half beastmen really don’t have brains.”
“Anyways……what kind of beastification can go so far as to sprout armor?”
Seeing the body double being praised, Zhen Jin’s heart grew more envious, he hated he couldn’t replace the body double.
Then, Zhen Jin heard Cang Xu speak.
“Lord Zhen Jin himself is an outstanding cultivator, his innate talent is outstanding.”
“He has a noble bloodline, is a templar knight, and offers all of his conviction towards Emperor Sheng Ming.”
“These already make him one in ten thousand, however what is more praiseworthy, is his scrupulous abiding of knightly morality. He uproots the strong, supports the weak, upholds virtue, condemns evil, attends to the small and weak, and even if he has to sacrifice his life, he shall never violate the templar knight doctrine.”
“He is an fearless hero, is impartial, is willing to accept any person, and views everyone as his comrade. From these traits, one can make out his expansive vision as well as his merciful and benevolent nature.”
“Don’t tell me such a person shouldn’t receive godly concern?”
Zhen Jin sank into silence.
In his mind, a difficult question suddenly appeared——
“If that were him, could he accomplish everything done?
Could he?
“Hmph, this is a meaningless question.”
“He is a beastified person, and a silver level knight before his transformation, his strength is greater than mine.”
“If I had silver level cultivation, I could……should be able to.”
Zhen Jin grew increasingly silent.
The body double’s voice spread throughout the camp: “As a result, we should not be cheering for just my name, we should also cheer for Zong Ge, Tripleblade, and Lan Zao, cheer for our warriors!”
When the body double divided the credit and glory between Zong Ge, Tripleblade, and Lan Zao, he had everyone cheer their full names, yet Zhen Jin was as silent as death, and is complexion also became somewhat pale.
……
As the wolf corpse was being dissected, Zi Di excitedly talked about perfume.
The camp burned down, thus the survivors set out with the wood.
Because of the divine scion knight title, Xi Suo took the initiative to rely on the body double, while Zong Ge also gave in, the joint experience of fighting together made both groups more harmonious, they were no longer separate factions.
“What a body double. Now, he genuinely is the leader of everyone!” Zhen Jin’s heart lamented incessantly.
A spider group originally blocking them suddenly disappeared mysteriously.
Zhen Jin connected this to the surviving blue dog fox wolf, and fear grew in his heart: “Has that blue dog fox wolf been secretly following us? The spider group was unlikely to voluntarily migrate or flee because they fear us, this is their nest! But without any fighting or killing, they vanished, it must be that blue dog fox wolf. It actively led the blade spider group away, its goal is to continue accumulating its corps and after attaining a certain level, it will attack us with its corps again!”
Almost all of the monkey tail brown bears also disappeared.
The survivors couldn’t hide their concern and worry.
“All of the monkey tail brown bears are missing, there are some traces of battle in the nearby caves, but not many.”
“That blue dog fox wolf is still following us!”
“The magic beast corps expanded again, what should we do?”
During the long and difficult trek, disease spread through the survivors.
“Although the severity of the symptoms among the sick are varied, they are all similar. Should we abandon these people?” Tripleblade asked the body double.
“Abandon?” Zhen Jin shook his head, “Without the boat craftsman, how can we build a ship?”
The body double insisted on looking after the ill.
“How should I act in the current situation? That body double is too deep in his role, higher ups should maintain their safety, it would be better to put others in charge of this!”
Zhen Jin secretly scoffed at the body double’s behavior while also being worried.
But unfortunately, he couldn’t control the body double’s actions.
The disease waned, and the people began to promote the body double’s correct decision and brilliant leadership.
Reaching the shore, Bai Ya found a barrel of rum.
During the beach bonfire banquet.
The survivors’ clothes and facial hair were ragged and unkempt, making them look like savages.
Bai Ya divided up the wine earnestly. Fei She lowered his head and lapped wine out of a shell.
Cang Xu cleaned his eyes, after passing through the jungle, his spectacles only had one lens left, the other side of the frame was empty.
Mu Ban held an empty rum bottle, his finger caressing the surface——this was the feeling of human civilization.
Zong Ge and Tripleblade were discussing in low voices.
The giant was sitting on the ground and was respectfully listening to the boat craftsman’s song.
Lan Zao was still loyally standing on the beach behind the body double.
The body double gazed at the night sky; the sky was full of stars tonight. He looked towards the east, the Wilderness Continent, White Sands City, his duty, and his future hopes lay there.
Zhen Jin looked at the wine in his shell and sneered in his heart: “Hmph, rum. I am the grand Zhen Jin; how could I degrade to this degree?”
Rarely seen cheap rum did not give Zhen Jin joy, but shame.
He shunned the rum and gave it to someone else, then he gazed to the west, where the Sheng Ming Continent and his home was.
The weather became strange and fickle, rainstorms poured down incessantly.
When the body double wasn’t present, Zhen Jin found Zi Di and questioned her: “The other night, someone saw you sneaking into the body double’s tent. What were you doing there?”
Zi Di slightly stared, soon replying after: “I gave him some medicine your Lordship, then quickly left afterwards.”
“Hmph, of course I know you didn’t stay long, if not, my present attitude would be different!” Zhen Jin was gloomy, “Why did you take the initiative to go to his tent? He didn’t tease you, but you actively teased him! Medicine, what medicine?”
“A warming potion. It is made from a poisonous mushroom. The potion is slightly toxic, but it can stir the mind, however those with low life levels can’t use it.” Zi Di answered.
“Why do you care so much about him? Warmth? He needs to warm himself? Before his transformation he was a silver level knight, afterwards he is a beastified person that is stronger than Zong Ge!” Zhen Jin’s gaze became sharp, as if he were piercing the depths of Zi Di’s heart.
Zi Di shook her head and replied with grief: “My Lord, we cannot control him, thus we need to get closer and use other methods to restrain him. I have always carried out the plan we agreed on.”
Zhen Jin examined her: “My fiancé, you're somewhat fishy!”
“Then may I ask, what’s fishy about me? Everything I’ve done is for our sake!” Zi Di’s expression slightly changed as she immediately retorted.
Zhen Jin shook his head: “As long as you know I am Zhen Jin, and that other guy is a fake. When he no longer has any value, he will die. This wretched island is not the entire world. You must remember, you are Zi Di, the Wisteria Merchant Alliance President, and my fiancé!”
Zi Di glared: “I know! Lord Zhen Jin, what are you suspecting?”
“You better behave.” Zhen Jin coldly snorted before quietly leaving.
……
“Regardless of whether it is the mountains, ocean, swamps, or island, my master’s holy light shines over it all. The imperial flag flies eternally in the wind and will never fall!”
“Nothing can obstruct my path. I will gain glory, and by following me, it will be your glory too.”
“Beginning now, this place is under my command.”
“Any objections?”
Not a single voice could be heard.
The body double gave a satisfied nod.
He led everyone now, after finally converging with the other survivors, he successfully controlled these people.
At that moment, the body double displayed boldness and a majestic presence he had never shown in the past.
“Not bad, I……should be like that!” In the crowd, Zhen Jin looked up at the body double, feeling expectations, gratification, happiness, envy, and excitement, while at the same time, feeling a trace of fear and hesitation.
……
After dispatching of the subterranean sandworm, disassembling half of the Hog’s Kiss, and the boat craftsman finished his new ship design, the people began to build a ship while purging nearby beast groups.
After preparing for a long time, Zhen Jin finally had an opportunity.
He climbed over a hillside and witnessed the body double transforming and slaughtering a scaled leopard group.
“He is this powerful! Monster, simply a monster!!” Zhen Jin shuddered.
Suddenly, the body double turned around and looked at him.
“He found me! Dammit, run for it!!” Zhen Jin’s heart madly jumped as he turned around and sprinted to the ravine!
“Why?”
“How did he find me?”
“Did he react to my gaze?!”
“Faster, must go faster. If he captures me, I will be silenced through death!”
The extreme fear stimulated Zhen Jin, allowing him to break out with unprecedented speed.
The constant sprinting made him gasp for breath and drip with sweat.
A tree suddenly shook behind him, when Zhen Jin heard movement, he suddenly turned around to look.
“What is that thing?”
“Is it the body double?”
“How is he so fast?!”
“Am I going to die? Am I going to die?”
“No, don’t scare yourself. Run for it, run for it!”
After stopping for a few breaths, the vibrating tree no longer moved.
Nevertheless, Zhen Jin’s heart was in turmoil.
“Am I scaring myself?”
“No! It was probably the body double. He……hesitated. Yes, he hesitated!”
“My memories molded him, he believes he is a templar knight, why would he attack a comrade like me? But I saw him beastify.”
“Not good, not good!”
“Should I reveal my identity? No! Doing this will provoke him and encourage my death.”
“Run, pretend you didn’t see anything, run away!”
“Sprint!”
Zhen Jin spat, and pretended to be somewhat relieved, then he continued to run.
Shortly after, Zhen Jin converged with the others in the patrol.
“Lord Hei Juan.” The team members greeted Zhen Jin.
“According to my worst calculations, the body double is right behind me.”
“Based on the body double’s combat strength, two to three minutes is enough to slaughter the entire patrol!”
“I need to explain first to stabilize him.”
Zhen Jin’s emotional state was anxious as he nodded: “I followed a peculiar sound, after exploring for a long distance, I didn't find anything. Let’s go, we will return to camp now.”
“But it is still early.” Someone objected.
Zhen Jin’s heart flew into a rage: “What is earliness?! Do you not know that at any second, all of us might die!”
Controlling his heart’s intense mood, Zhen Jin smiled: “There isn’t enough time, we are already far from camp, if we return now, we will arrive just in time to eat some warm food.”
“Don’t be worried, we have already explored this place, if another beast group comes, the traps will surely warn us.”
Seeing Zhen Jin’s attitude, the others also stopped insisting.
“That’s good.”
“Let’s listen to Lord Hei Juan.”
An additional person laughed: “I always thought you were hard to interact with Lord Hei Juan, looks like the truth was completely different from the rumors.”
“Good, don’t listen to rubbish, let's leave without delay.” Zhen Jin couldn’t help but urge.
But his heart roared: “Run you idiots!!! If we don’t we’ll die!”
Finally, under an extremely apprehensive mood, Zhen Jin and the others returned to the ravine camp.
Awoo!
Suddenly, the body double’s bat monkey beast howl alarmed the nearby birds, causing them to flee into the air.
Zhen Jin’s entire body quivered, his intuition strongly told him: “It's him, the body double! Perhaps he really followed us and is hesitating whether to attack me!”
“What did he resolve to do in the end?”
“Does he want to kill me?”
“No! That can’t happen, how can I die here?”
“My own body double kills me?! That is too lamentable, too comical!”
The others also took note of the activity.
“What is that sound?”
“Did you guys just hear something?”
“It sounded like a bat monkey howling.”
They subconsciously stopped and turned to look behind them.
“Run now you hoodlums!” Zhen Jin roared in his heart, he didn’t dare to show anything abnormal and succeeded to this point. If by any chance he stimulated the body double’s killing intent and died, he would be indignant and unresigned.
“How is that possible? Zhen Jin smiled and retorted, “Bat monkeys live in large groups, even if an expelled bat monkey group drifted here, they would not venture near the ravine.”
“Should we go investigate?” Someone suggested.
“If you want to die, I’m not stopping you!!!” Zhen Jin wanted to throttle the guy who suggested that.
But his rationality stopped his urges.
Zhen Jin shook his head; he did his utmost to maintain a tranquil look: “Unnecessary. A single wandering bat monkey is not a threat, wait did something just happen? Why didn’t I hear it? The wind, the wind is getting louder. The camp is in front of us, aren’t some of you too nervous?”
Everyone knew Zhen Jin’s strength, since a bronze level elite said this, everyone felt relieved.
“It was just the wind, that’s all.”
“Good, let’s return to camp.”
As he formally returned to camp, Zhen Jin’s heart was streaming with tears: “I am finally back! I really escaped with my life.”
“No, that won’t do!”
“I have to completely eliminate his suspicions, if the body double’s suspicions aren’t dispelled, I can’t say for sure if one day, I’ll be assassinated in camp!”
“Find Zi Di!”
“Only she can help me now!!”
After Zi Di learned of the situation, she stared at Zhen Jin with disbelief: “My Lord, how could you do this?! That was too risky and fundamentally unnecessary. We need to use our full strength to escape this.
“Wrong, why was it unnecessary?” Zhen Jin shook his head, “We needed to investigate, our understanding of him is too small. We cannot offend his current authority, it is too disadvantageous for us, we have no way to retaliate!”
“This time, you must help me.”
“If he assassinates me in the future, we’ll be done for. In my father’s anger, he’ll completely destroy your Wisteria Merchant Alliance.
Zi Di bitterly laughed and shook her head: “Lord Zhen Jin, be at ease. According to your account, the body double had been following you. But during the journey, he never killed you, you are safe!”
“No.” Zhen Jin refuted at once, “What happens if he changes his mind in the future? I’m still in danger, you must quickly think of a method that will dispel his doubts about me.”
“You don’t understand him, your Lordship.” Zi Di sighed.
Zhen Jin tenaciously gazed at Zi Di: “I don’t understand him, do you understand him?! Why do you think he isn’t going to murder me, what is the reason? Is it because you have a close relationship with him I don’t know about? Or do you believe, even if he killed me, it makes no difference?”
“Hehe.”
“Zi Di, I must tell you. If I die, in several days, there will be many letters with our secrets concerning the body double inside.”
“I’ve probed into information; how can I not create some countermeasure?”
Zi Di suddenly changed: “My Lord, you're playing with fire! Where are the letters?”
Zhen Jin laughed: “The letters are special; you’ll never find them.”
Zi Di deeply breathed: “Lord Zhen Jin, please calm down, I will help you, because we are always on the same side. Don’t act so drastically, please calm down first?”
“If I continue to calm down, the body double might kill and replace me!” Zhen Jin roared.
“How is that possible?” Zi Di rolled her eyes and was dumbfounded, “Even if he resembles you and has the same bloodline, he cannot replace you. The empire has a strict examination system, every grand duke is a god that can see everything clearly, and there has never been a case where an imperial higher up has been replaced over a long time!”
“But I am in danger now, if he changes his decision and kills me, who will protect me?!” Zhen Jin continued to roar; the pressure of death made him hysterical.
“Hold on!”
Zhen Jin suddenly narrowed his eyes: “You reacted strangely my fiancé!”
“You don’t seem worried about my safety, yet I am your fiancé. Our marriage connection has already been declared, if I die, your Wisteria Merchant Alliance will die too!”
“What did you just say? I don’t understand the body double. You trust the body double too much; do you really think he is a knight? A divine scion knight?”
“Hold on!” Zhen Jin’s gaze became incomparably sharp, he firmly stared at Zi Di’s eyes and roughly asked, “Have you fallen in love with him?!”
Zi Di rolled her eyes and clearly blew her top: “My Lord, what is your mind thinking? I fell in love with him? A body double? A beastified person?”
“Ahahaha. Zhen Jin sneered endlessly; doubt spread across his face.
“Yes it's ridiculous, to love a body double, a beastified person……that isn’t sensible, and isn’t something a Merchant Alliance President should be doing.”
“But romance……is really unpredictable.”
“When love dashes into a muddled brain, even the most rational person in the world becomes an incurable idiot!”
“You’re very dangerous Zi Di, your current performance makes me feel you are very dangerous.”
“I hope you can recognize reality.”
“Even if you’ve fallen in love with him, it will only be a tragedy!”
“Think about it, when he learns the truth, when he learns he isn’t a templar knight, and is only a mere body double, when he learns the one he loves most, who he always thought was his fiancé, was actually the one deceiving him the most, what will he do? How will he see you?”
Zi Di held her breath.
Notes
In a classic example of missing the forest for the tree, Zhen Jin casually misses the fact that Zi Di states the MC has the exact same bloodline as Zhen Jin. This means he has the same or a greater cultivation aptitude than him. Based on accuracy feats throughout the book, one could say the MC has a denser Queen Bee bloodline than even Zhen Jin. Since its stated bloodlines are super hard to gain, the MC casually having a legend level bloodline in him somehow is something to be suspicious of.