Yao Zizhan faltered, "This..."
Zheng Fan turned around, rubbed his hands, ignored Yao Zizhan, and said, "These coffins—this one, this one, this one, and that one—I want them all!"
A Ming nodded. Xue Three nodded. The Blind Man nodded. Fanli nodded three tis.
According to Yao Zizhan, this was an auspicious geomantic site. These thirteen corpses had accompanied the Helian Family's ancestors into battle and must have caused imnse slaughter in their lifetis. Such individuals were, in fact, more likely to generate baleful energy after death.
So, reality is this cruel. If you're a yes-man your whole life, you probably won't even manage a fart after you die. But if you're a formidable person in life, you'll likely stir up trouble even after death—truly, a hero in life, and a formidable spirit in death.
These were words Liang Cheng had once said.
Liang Cheng's current strength was insufficient, but such well-preserved and long-fernted corpses were incredibly hard to find. Given the many constraints, discovering thirteen of them here at once was a stroke of luck.
TSK, TSK.
Take them back, take them back.
Once Liang Cheng regains his strength to that point, let him "awaken" these Thirteen Guardians.
The Blind Man suddenly spoke, "My lord, this is Heaven's will."
Zheng Fan looked at the Blind Man, his expression clearly asking, Alright, let's see how you're going to spin this flattery.
"After Liang Cheng reanimates these thirteen corpses, My lord can then publicly declare that you built your foundation with these thirteen sets of armor."
Xue Three's mouth fell open, and he said in disbelief, "Your flattery truly knows no bounds, twisting and turning like that."
The Blind Man calmly replied, "It's a skill."
"Let's keep looking further inside," Zheng Fan gestured for them to proceed.
They hadn't gone far when, illuminated by the torchlight, they saw wooden chests ahead. The chests were stacked neatly, almost filling most of the cavern.
Xue Three gaped, shook his head, and exclaid, "We've hit the jackpot! We've hit the jackpot! With all this gold and silver, I won't just be forming a reconnaissance company—I can establish a whole reconnaissance division!"
Yao Zizhan looked at these chests with a heavy expression. He didn't want this wealth to fall into the hands of the Yan people, because this wealth would turn into warhorses, armor, and swords for them.
The Blind Man circled the area, a hint of doubt on his face.
Then he thought, My lord, over ninety percent of these chests are empty.
"Empty?"
Yes, My lord. But even if it's only ten percent, it's almost as much as the spoils we divided from the capital city. So, this trip hasn't been a wasted effort.
"No, how can they be..."
Zheng Fan walked over to the chests. They weren't locked. He opened one and found it was indeed empty. He opened six in a row, all empty. Only when he opened the seventh did he find silver ingots inside.
Yao Zizhan imdiately ca over to inspect the chests, even helping to open them.
Most of the chests they opened were empty. Of course, so were full, but compared to the initial overwhelming sight of them "full to the brim," it suddenly felt like a roller coaster ride.
"Master Yao, why are so many of these chests empty?"
Yao Zizhan felt much more relieved. From this perspective, even if this wealth fell to this Yan military leader, the impact wouldn't be too significant. He patted his dust-covered hands from opening the chests and said, "The ancestors' plan was good. However, later generations wanted to enjoy tis of peace and needed military funds during chaotic eras. When Helian Xiongbi first brought here, over half of these chests were actually full. He once told that in his lifeti, he would fill this place to provide his descendants with an even more substantial foundation."
"He didn't keep his word," Zheng Fan stated.
"Yes, he didn't. In his youth, he was still heroic and imposing. Though he had a fondness for literature, he ultimately possessed a sincere and fervent ambition. But just look at what's left here—not even ten percent. He had, in fact, forgotten the principle of 'being prepared for danger in tis of peace.' He deserved to lose."
"What a spendthrift," Zheng Fan lanted.
Yao Zizhan looked at Zheng Fan and said, "Brother Zheng, even if Helian Xiongbi was a spendthrift, it has nothing to do with you, does it? From his perspective, it's better that he used it up. Otherwise, if the family fortune he painstakingly saved for half his life fell into your hands, that would be a grievance so infuriating it could make him rise from his grave! Besides, this is money you just stumbled upon. Finding a little or a lot is a matter of fate; it's all good fortune, isn't it?"
"Thank you for your comforting words, Master Yao."
"Not at all, not at all."
There was so disappointnt, yes, but not to the point of despair. Even if, according to the Blind Man's assessnt, only a tenth of the inventory remained, it was still a considerable fortune.
"Thankfully, it's not the worst-case scenario," Zheng Fan remarked.
"May I ask, Brother Zheng, what is the worst-case scenario?"
"A chair, a cup of tea, a straw mat, a painting, and a final ssage: 'Where my heart finds peace, that is my ho.'"
Yao Zizhan pondered these words.
Zheng Fan explained outright, "It's like the Helian family leaving their descendants nothing but a single cool mat, basically telling them, 'To hell with making a coback! Just go live quiet lives as commoners.' That's what I imagined as the worst-case scenario."
This was also a common outco in many works of fiction and art.
Zheng Fan was not the kind of protagonist who has a grand epiphany while gazing at a painting at the end of the story. He only knew that the troops under his command were consuming his silver every single day.
"Master Yao, after we leave, co back with to Shengle City."
"Naturally. Once Brother Zheng sends troops to transport these items back, this old man will depart from Shengle and return to Qian."
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