My lord, spare his life!

Cannot be killed.

They couldn't kill He Ning.

In just over half an hour, their plan completely failed. The men they had arranged in advance failed to save He Ning's life; instead, they found a room full of corpses. He Ning's men also completely surrounded the area, leaving them with no way to escape.

The three terrified men either stumbled in the pool of blood or nearly fell over by the corpses, swaying as they fled outside only to find a line of swords and blades aimed at them. A row of sword-wielding warriors advanced step by step, forcing them to retreat step by step.

Until he was forced back inside, a thought kept replaying in his mind.

It's over, it's over!

He Ning knew they had been plotting against him all along.

At that moment, one of the three felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around in despair and saw He Ning standing there, looking down at the pitiful animals on the verge of death: "He Ning, He Ning! We are Father's own sons, and you are just an adopted son. You dare to really kill us? Haha, you dare!"

Everyone could see through his bluster and empty threats. Because everyone, including him, knew that whether they were biological or adopted, they were worthless in Wang Ba's eyes.

He Ning held a knife to his neck.

He countered with, "Why wouldn't you dare?"

Those four words plunged all three into utter despair, as if they'd been struck on the head, completely robbing them of their ability to think. After a long while, one of them finally reacted, throwing his head back and letting out a desperate laugh: "Hahaha—Wang Hongtu, why did you do this to me!"

Whether it's He Ning or Wang Qi, weren't they both spoiled by Wang Ba? One was his biological son, the other his adopted son; either one was far superior to them. He wanted to ask Wang Ba why he could be so biased! Weren't they Wang Ba's sons? If he treated them like dirt, why did he let their mother give birth to them? And why did he raise them?

He Ning remained completely unmoved.

He calmly watched the fool trying to save his life by feigning madness.

"General."

He Ning spared a moment of attention: "How is the situation?"

The man said, "The person has been brought under control."

He Ning nodded: "Mm."

"...You've already subdued them? He Ning, what have you done?" The man who had been visibly agitated calmed down upon hearing this, fearing that He Ning would tell him that the other party had surrounded his residence and left no one alive, not even his wives, concubines, or children.

"Weren't you all planning to coordinate an attack from within and without? You're here to kill me, while those two leading troops outside are tricking people into opening the city gates? You can do whatever you want for your own selfish desires, but I can't stand up to you." Those who were incited to rebel certainly deserve to die, but He Ning knew about their plan, so how could he let internal strife escalate? Once the two sides start fighting, it will only deplete Dongxian's strength, so the best course of action is to capture the leader first.

The rebellion of these fools was aborted halfway.

We'll control the ringleaders, and deal with the others later.

The three of them listened with their faces contorted in shock.

Anyone who knows they're the clown in the eyes of their enemy will be in a bad mood. They refused to admit they were inferior, stubbornly attributing it to Wang Ba's favoritism. They believed Wang Ba had made thorough preparations for He Ning before the departure, which was why they lost: "...He Ning, don't be so smug. Our defeat today wasn't because of you, but because of that biased Wang Hongtu."

Seeing how foolish the three were even on their deathbed, He Ning felt a pang of sympathy for them. He said calmly, "You didn't lose to your godfather, you lost to your godmother. Moreover, in your godfather's heart, my importance was no different from yours; you just didn't realize it."

The only different person is Wang Qi.

The three were taken aback, none of them understanding He Ning's meaning: "...What does this have to do with Wang Qi's mother who died young?"

None of them had ever seen that woman.

All I know is that she is an ordinary woman who is physically weak and sentimental, with many naive and foolish ideas, saying stupid things like "everyone is equal". When she has an attack, she always shouts that she wants to go home. She is kept in a secluded mansion by Wang Ba like a plaything.

However, she became sickly after giving birth to Wang Qi.

He Ning chuckled, not keeping them in suspense, and mercifully told the three of them not to be confused: "Don't you understand? Because the person who loves and indulges your sworn brother has never been your sworn father, but your sworn mother."

"Is that woman still alive?"

He Ning sighed and shook his head: "Idiot."

I'm destined to be a fool.

When He Ning left, there were no survivors behind him.

The next day, Yuan Xie saw He Ning and learned that a storm had been quietly quelled. Wang Ba had lost four sons and one daughter—five children in total—and three of his adopted children had also died in the process. Yuan Xie silently looked at He Ning; the truly ruthless person was him!

"Is Hongtu really not going to hold you accountable?"

He Ning said softly, "No, there will most likely be a reward. It's just that if my sworn brother finds out, he might be tormented for a few days."

Wang Qi's competitive spirit is evident in every aspect of his life.

Even if Wang Ba had many children, he couldn't withstand killing eight of them at once.

More than half has been completed in one go.

Yuan Xie: "...So certain?"

He Ning said, "Yes, there won't be any surprises."

As long as I didn't kill Wang Qi.

Yuan Xie didn't know where He Ning's confidence came from.

Perhaps because he had killed so many of his adoptive father's children at once, He Ning also had some psychological trauma, so he treated Yuan Xie as a therapist: "Yuan Jun, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Your adoptive father... you know he's a 'Star-Descending Demon,' right?"

I know a little bit about it.

"My godfather has no heart." He meant literally no heart, but added, "The heart he uses now was given to him by my godmother."

Even the well-informed Yuan Xie was astonished.

He Ning laughed and said, "It's not really a secret."

It caused quite a stir back then, and many old people knew about it, but because of Wang Qi, the matter was not allowed to be mentioned casually. This is the root of why Wang Ba wanted to be Wang Qi's grandson, and why He Ning was treated favorably was because He Ning was truly Wang Qi's confidant, a knife that Wang Ba carefully selected and left for Wang Qi.

Wang Ba was patient with anything related to Wang Qi, especially since He Ning's mother had once saved his life.

With the key piece of the puzzle provided by He Ning, Yuan Xie was able to unravel all the doubts and clarify the root cause of this twisted family's problems.

He Ning exclaimed, "That was such a kind heart."

It can even pull back someone who has fallen from grace.

Yuan Xie: "Mercy?"

He held a conservative view on this assessment.

He Ning said, "I heard my mother mention before she passed away that my adoptive mother had an inexplicable kindness. As a woman, she would even sympathize with the women in her husband's backyard." Even her mother was within the scope of the other party's sympathy. In short, the gist of the story is to start with a brief introduction, then move on to the conclusion and finally scold Wang Ba.

Yuan Xie: "..."

Gradually, he noticed something unusual.

He Ning's personality didn't seem inclined to gossip about elders. To deliberately mention a deceased elder in front of outsiders always seemed suspicious. Yuan Xie went straight to the point: "Wu An, just say what you want to say. There's no need for beating around the bush between us."

He Ning did not directly state his purpose, but instead mentioned another detail: "My mother once promised my adoptive mother something and wanted to fulfill it for her, but unfortunately, my adoptive mother was frail and died young. My mother felt that burning the answer to her would be a way of keeping her promise, but my mother also died young. As my mother's only child, I also want to fulfill my elder's last wish. Perhaps we need the help of the Primordial Lord in this matter."

Yuan Xie hadn't expected it to be like this.

but--

What can he do to help?

He Ning said, "My mother promised my godmother to help her go home."

Yuan Xie: "What's so difficult about that? Even if it's the ends of the earth, as long as I'm alive, I'll find it eventually by constantly climbing mountains and crossing rivers."

He Ning could send his trusted confidants to do this.

"It's not that simple. The home my adoptive mother spoke of doesn't seem like the mundane world at all; it's more like a secluded paradise." After He Ning finished speaking, Yuan Xie vaguely guessed her purpose. "There's someone whose background is just as suspicious as my adoptive mother's."

Yuan Xie sternly stopped He Ning: "He Wu'an!"

Since it concerned his lord, Yuan Xie naturally wouldn't allow He Ning to say anything more.

He Ning said sincerely, "I am not asking for anything. I only ask that if the Lord of the Palace has a suitable opportunity, you ask him privately if Lord Zhang and my adoptive mother are indeed from the same hometown. This would relieve the regret in the hearts of the two elders."

"Why not let Wang Gongsun ask?"

"My sworn brother doesn't remember."

Yuan Xie said, "I can only give it a try."

It's uncertain when there will be a result, after all, he is currently on a long-term business trip, and with Fan Shuyan secretly keeping a close watch on him, Yuan Xie doesn't even know how much his lord still remembers him.

He Ning was already satisfied with Yuan Xie's promise.

He said, "Thank you."

News of Dongxian wouldn't reach other places in a short time, and neither Wang Ba nor Wang Qi knew that He Ning had suddenly done such a big thing. At this moment, the troops Wang Ba brought were aligned with Sun Ban's main force. Sun Ban had chosen his trusted confidant as the vanguard general, with Wang Ba providing support. Wang Ba was not surprised by this outcome. Sun Ban was suspicious and would never entrust military power to an outsider.

Wang Ba's goal was to kill Sun Ban at the crucial moment, delivering a fatal blow and coordinating with Zhang Yang's troops from within. Therefore, other details were unimportant. Sun Ban's wariness was understandable.

Sun Ban: "There is something I would like to trouble Hongtu with."

"Please feel free to speak."

"A shipment of crucial supplies and provisions is about to be delivered. Our scouts recently discovered traces of numerous star beasts along the route. It's unclear whether they are spies for the enemy or just ordinary wild star beasts. However, our forces are currently stretched thin, so we'll have to trouble Hongtu for assistance to ensure the safety of the supplies." In war, it's not only about guarding against the enemy but also against the intrusion of wild star beasts; ordinary guards simply aren't enough.

Wang Ba asked how much stuff was in this batch.

"There are five hundred top-quality horses, one thousand medium-quality horses, about thirty thousand shi of grain, and varying quantities of winter clothing and armor... These must not fall into the hands of bandits." As the weather gets colder, the difficulty of finding food increases dramatically, and wild star beasts have a large appetite, so every winter is the peak season for them to come down from the mountains and cause harm to the area.

Wang Ba nodded in agreement to the task.

But in his heart, he was thinking about how to make things a little more difficult for Sun Ban.

He only said he would help, but he didn't say it would definitely work out.

However, the next day—

Wang Ba had no choice but to get serious.

Guan Zong: "...Siyin, Siyin!!!"

? ?|??w?`)

Wang Ba should be considered a ghost with a human heart; Guan Zong was even given a title back then.