Chapter 1967: Escape of the Fan Family

The informant grumbled, "If you don't believe me, fine. I'll take my mother and leave first."

"I still think this Guo character won't be rampant for long," the innkeeper muttered. "Oh, where did this person come from anyway? Where did such a madman and such a force emerge from? I've never heard of them before!"

A diner interjected, "Guo Baiyu was a capable general under Dan Zezhong, a great general of the Yao Kingdom. He fought against the Luodian people and several small northern tribes; he's said to be quite formidable. When Dan Zezhong was defeated and killed, Guo Baiyu fled the Yao Kingdom with his remaining troops, probably coming here to find a place to settle down and establish his power."

Unable to contend with other warlords in his own country, Guo Baiyu came to the Glimmering Gold Plain to carve out a territory.

"Remaining troops?" The informant shook his head. "I heard his army is strong, well-equipped, and numerous, not like a remnant force at all."

The diner retorted, "Have you ever seen true military elites?"

"Of course not," the informant said, scrutinizing him. "Who are you? Have you?"

"I have," the diner replied. "I'm from the Yao Kingdom."

This diner was Fan Shuang.

The informant laughed, "The Yao Kingdom is no more. What 'Yao Kingdom' is there now?"

Fan Shuang pressed his lips together tightly.

Indeed, the Yao Kingdom had fallen overnight, and its people still couldn't accept that fact.

Just a year ago, the Yao Kingdom had been the wealthiest, most stable, and happiest nation on the Glimmering Gold Plain.

A year ago, he never imagined his life would be turned upside down.

Once a man of status, he had suddenly become a citizen of a fallen nation.

The innkeeper interrupted, "True elites are the Black Armored Army, not the Yao army! I saw them with my own eyes when the Black Armored Army passed through Miancheng. Their presence, tsk tsk, was truly formidable!"

Fan Shuang immediately said, "I was with Emperor Jiuyou, the leader of the Black Armored Army, for several months."

Both men chuckled. "Sure you were, keep dreaming."

They were talking about the reincarnated Dragon God!

What merits could this young man have accumulated to be by the Dragon God's side?

"It's true," Fan Shuang insisted. He carried a silver-painted wooden token from the Yangshan Guild in his pocket, made from Juluo wood and bearing the character "Fan." The bearer of this token was a respected guest of the Yangshan Merchant Guild.

Of course, having traveled extensively, Fan Shuang wasn't foolish enough to reveal the token on the spot.

The informant poured cold water on his claim: "So where's Emperor Jiuyou now? Where's the Black Armored Army? Where were they when we needed them to save us most?"

Suddenly, an impatient voice from behind spoke up: "Are you just going to stretch your neck out all day waiting for someone to save you? Are your arms or legs broken? Can't you hold a weapon or walk? If you won't defend your own homeland, and you just want to run at the slightest sign of trouble, then don't blame the Black Armored Army for not coming to save you. Hey, do the Dragon God and the Black Armored Army owe you something?"

Fan Shuang turned his head and met the gaze of a diner at another table.

The man was lean, with downturned mouth and eyes, giving him a somewhat sullen appearance. Earlier, he had ordered a bowl of plain noodles and had been slurping them down, seemingly engrossed, during the trio's conversation. He had, in fact, been listening the entire time.

As the man looked up, Fan Shuang felt his gaze like that of a hungry wolf, as if he might pounce at any moment and tear Fan Shuang to shreds.

Fan Shuang instinctively swallowed.

The informant, his scalp tingling from the man's stare, managed to argue, "With so few of us in Miancheng, who could we possibly beat? If Guo Baiyu really comes, who can stand against him?"

Fan Shuang countered, "Even if we can't win, we still have to fight. Are we just going to let him take it without a struggle?"

The informant rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say! The Yao Kingdom was at war every day, why didn't you stay? How did you know to run?"

Fan Shuang was speechless.

He recalled how, in his diplomatic missions across the Glimmering Gold regions, he had been eloquent and charming in conversation, yet now he was rendered speechless by a mere country bumpkin.

"You run, he runs, no wonder everyone ends up abandoning their homes!" the noodle-eating man sneered. "If the whole city and countryside are filled with cowards like you, even the Dragon God won't be able to save them!"

Seeing the atmosphere sour, the innkeeper quickly interjected to smooth things over:

"Hold on, Guo Baiyu also forcibly occupied Luofeng Lake in Yundong. Will the lord of Yundong City agree to that? Since Yundong is prosperous, their military strength should be considerable."

The informant rolled his eyes again. "I wouldn't know. Why don't you go ask him to send troops?"

Stung by the retort, the innkeeper immediately changed the subject: "Speaking of the Yao Kingdom, I heard a great general named Chen died?"

Fan Shuang nodded. "General Chen Chuihua was defeated and killed at Yansong Slope."

"So who's in charge of the Yao territories now?"

"Bai Tan." Fan Shuang's expression darkened, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke the name. "He murdered our King and killed the entire royal family. With General Chen's death, the entire Yao Kingdom is now his."

Why do traitors get good outcomes? Heaven is unjust!

"Looking at you, it seems you haven't been out of the Yao territories for long, have you?" the informant asked curiously. "Why did you run? Was Bai Tan not good to you?"

"His nickname is 'Butcher of Half a City.' What do you think of how he treats us?" Fan Shuang said with a cold face, then turned to the innkeeper. "Are the dishes I ordered ready yet?"

The innkeeper went into the kitchen and quickly reappeared with a tray bearing four dishes and a soup, telling the server to take them upstairs.

Fan Shuang followed him upstairs, but after two steps, he felt something and turned to look—

The noodle-eating man was also watching him, his eyes seemingly pondering something.

Stared at with such a predatory gaze, Fan Shuang shivered inwardly and hurried upstairs to his room.

With his last glance, he noticed the man's left hand was missing a thumb.

The Fan couple had just woken up and were both somewhat tired. Fan Shuang's mother, Lady Wang, had just finished washing up. She looked at the food brought by the waiter, picked up a bowl, and ate with great relish.

To be honest, the small inn couldn't make very good food; it was far worse than what they cooked at home. Half the fish was burnt, and the cooking oil had a stale, greasy smell.

They often found husks in the rice.

In the past, Lady Wang wouldn't just refuse to touch her chopsticks; she would summon the chef and reprimand him severely. The Fan family might not have been among the wealthiest in Tianshui City, but they were officials, and they could afford to send Fan Shuang to study in Lingxu City. Their minimum expectation for food was that it be excellent in color, aroma, and taste, and made with fresh ingredients.

During these months of hiding and fleeing, Lady Wang had developed many white hairs at her temples and more wrinkles around her eyes. Fan Shuang watched, a pang of sadness in his heart, and swallowed the words he had been about to say.

No matter how devastating the news, he decided to let his mother finish her meal first.

Fan Shuang's father also ate a few bites and asked, "Why aren't you eating?"

In the past month or so, the wrinkles around his eyes seemed to have deepened further.

Fan Shuang could only say, "I'm not hungry."

Lady Wang said while eating, "How much further is Huan City?"

Fan Shuang felt a knot in his stomach. "About forty li away."

"After we eat, I'll go with you to the street to buy some new clothes. This one you're wearing is old and smells of dust, and the others look like they've had blood on them," Lady Wang said with disdain. "Even though we're going to seek refuge with Uncle Lu Heng, we can't let him look down on you."