Chapter 470: Caught between a rock and a hard place
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The mocking wasn't the key here.
What Fang Zhengzhi wanted to hear was, "Even if you eat the meat and she doesn't choose you, it'll all amount to nothing."
That was the key.
This was something that everyone knew in their hearts. However, saying it and knowing it was two different things altogether.
"Do you think that the Princess won't choose me?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled at the crowd.
"Everything is possible until she chooses!"
"Don't think that you've secured your place just because you got a taste of the meat!"
"Exactly!"
The candidates replied without hesitation.
"Is that so?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled as he turned to look at Princess Shan Yu.
"Are you really so confident that I will like you?" Princess Shan Yu felt a wave of pride and wanted to rebut Fang Zhengzhi.
However, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
She recalled what Shan Ling said to her before the start of the banquet.
"Sister, you are not young anymore. You will need to take some responsibility for matters concerning the Southern Region. Fang Zhengzhi's cultivation may have been ruined, but he was the main factor in our victory. I also heard that you promised him ten gold mines. If we let him return, won't we be giving the gold mines to the Great Xia?"
"But brother, that fella and Chi Guyan..."
"As long as you agree, I will arrange everything. I know that this is unfair towards you, but we can't let him have the ten gold mines!"
"Erm..."
"Feelings can be developed over time. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi is proficient in the Law of Dao. If he stays here, it could be good for our development."
"Brother, do you think that Fang Zhengzhi... will be willing to stay in the Southern Region for me?"
"Didn't you spend some time with him in the camp? Do you know what he likes?"
"He... likes to eat..."
"Eat?"
"Yes... he loves meat..."
"Hahaha, then things are simple. Even the King loves the things that you cook. I will discuss it with father, then the rest is up to you."
...
Princess Shan Yu recalled what Shan Ling had told her. She bit her lip and blushed as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi.
The words were at the tip of her tongue but she couldn't bring herself to say them.
Fang Zhengzhi was shocked to see Princess Shan Yu like that. Ordinarily, Princess Shan Yu would not tolerate this.
Even though he was very confident of himself...
But...
It was quite impossible for Princess Shan Yu to fall for him.
He felt that this was a plan by the Southern Region King. Princess Shan Yu only agreed to go along with it because she didn't want to disappoint him.
But it didn't matter...
Once she agreed, everything else wouldn't matter.
Ordinarily, as long as he gave Princess Shan Yu an out... she should have jumped on it. By antagonizing everyone...
Princess Shan Yu could 'reject' him and appease the crowd.
That would be the perfect ending.
Princess Shan Yu wouldn't have to marry him and he could enjoy the leg of lamb. They would both get what they wanted.
But...
She didn't say anything!
Did she really want to marry Fang Zhengzhi?
Fang Zhengzhi started to have doubts. He had interacted with Princess Shan Yu before, but none of those interactions would have resulted in her falling for him.
There must be some other factors at play here.
But what were they?
Fang Zhengzhi wasn't sure, but he didn't think too much about it. He knew that there was one thing that the King of the Southern Region would never be able to tolerate.
"Actually, it is only natural that you doubt the princess would choose me. After all, my body... haish... it's..." Fang Zhengzhi's tone changed instantly. His expression was pained...
All of the infuriated candidates were confused.
In their hearts, they knew that Fang Zhengzhi was shameless and loved agitating the crowd. They weren't surprised that he would mock them.
But what was with the sudden change in tone?
That was completely unexpected...
Could it be...
That he realized that he made a mistake?
No way!
He wasn't someone who would change his attitude so easily! There could be only one possibility. There really was something wrong with his body...
The candidates had not witnessed what happened in The Vast World. Everything they knew was made known to them through word of mouth.
However, this did not dull their curiosity.
They weren't alone. The settlement chiefs, generals, the King, and even the Crown Prince were equally curious.
Swallowing Fruits of Dao!
This was something that no one had ever done and would have never thought of doing. This was equivalent to suicide.
No one would play around with something like that.
But Fang Zhengzhi did...
Most importantly, Fang Zhengzhi was still sitting here, eating and drinking like nothing was wrong.
Even though...
Everyone guessed that Fang Zhengzhi's cultivation was ruined...
It was just a guess. The scene after Fang Zhengzhi exited The Vast World and stopped Ping Yang's Blazing Qilin Spear was still etched in the minds of all the settlement chiefs.
This had thrown some doubts into their guesses.
Was Fang Zhengzhi's cultivation truly ruined?
This was a question which everyone wanted to know the answer to.
The throne room was silent.
Everyone wanted to know how Fang Zhengzhi was doing.
Fang Zhengzhi surveyed his surroundings, smirking as he did so. He knew what they were all thinking and he had control of the room.
Human nature was an interesting thing.
Sometimes, minute changes to one's methods could elicit a completely different reaction.
If Fang Zhengzhi had started off depressed and told everyone his condition, they may not have believed him.
After all...
This was his trump card.
No one revealed their trump card unless it was absolutely necessary.
The candidates did not ask Fang Zhengzhi privately because they had no confidence Fang Zhengzhi would tell the truth.
Asking him would be meaningless...
But now...
After Fang Zhengzhi had mocked them so openly and gotten rebutted... the sadness he showed...
Had a whole other meaning to it.
A painter may have painted a horrible piece of work, but he would always be confident of his art and defend his work.
Fang Zhengzhi had mocked them...
They had retaliated...
But their retaliation had hit a sore spot. Fang Zhengzhi was 'deeply saddened' by it.
That was all very natural.
Most people would buy it.
At the very least, the candidates had bought it. Once a group of them believed it, they would influence the others to believe it as well.
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to act this out when Shan Ling made things difficult for him.
But Shan Ling didn't play along...
As such, he had to make use of the candidates to manufacture such a scenario. Even though the results weren't as good, he would have to make do.
In fact, there were elements in this entire scene that made it seem a little forced. However, these would be overlooked when Fang Zhengzhi talked about his body.
That was the reason why Fang Zhengzhi had brought it up.
"Speaking of my body, aish... I've felt as though there has been a hole in my body the past few days. It's almost as if something is missing..." Fang Zhengzhi wasn't going to keep them in suspense.
"Hole?"
"Something is missing?"
"Is his cultivation ruined?"
The candidates immediately got the 'gist' of it. They looked at each other. Their expressions were like mirror images...
Fang Zhengzhi looked like he was depressed.
But in fact, he was quite satisfied with this result.
Talent? He had loved the sound of it before the war. But now... his views about that term had changed...
Bai Xing had targeted him...
Canyang had also targeted him...
This all served to prove one point.
Being a talent was tough.
Furthermore, he had antagonized the entire demon race during this war. If he continued to be that proud and aloof, there may be a second sage coming for him.
What was he going to do then?
He would just reap the rewards from this war and live out the rest of his life peacefully.
The other thing he valued was his freedom.
He wanted to live a carefree life.
Fang Zhengzhi had already gotten their attention. He also had control of the room. His words had given them much to think about.
Just as they were all thinking about the implications of Fang Zhengzhi's words...
Fang Zhengzhi glanced at the King.
Would the King let his daughter marry an individual with no cultivation prospects?
The result...
Was clear...
The King of the Southern Region seemed a little disappointed but had seen it coming. He still had a faint smile on his face.
"He's really going to tolerate it? But... there is one thing that he definitely can't take lying down." Fang Zhengzhi wasn't too surprised. He knew that the King would have considered this possibility before making a decision.
Hearing the guesses of the candidates...
Made Fang Zhengzhi rather depressed.
The candidates' curiosity was piqued. Could there be anything worse than having one's cultivation future go up in smoke?
Just as they were thinking about it.
Fang Zhengzhi spoke up.
"Other than the hole in my heart, I have had many dreams. Recently, my dreams have become increasingly weird. I feel like I'm floating in the sky, and I always see a bridge... and there are words on that bridge..."
"What words?" One of the candidates couldn't hold back any longer.
"I can't really see the words clearly, but I believe it is "Naihe". Furthermore, there is a fire burning under the bridge!" Fang Zhengzhi recalled.
"It's Naihe Bridge!"
"My god... does Hell really exist?"
"This... this..."
All of the candidates were stunned when they heard this. They looked at Fang Zhengzhi awkwardly.
Fang Zhengzhi ignored the candidates.
His gaze never left the King of the Southern Region. The King's expression had changed from smiles to pain.
"I guess he can't tolerate that!" Fang Zhengzhi smiled, then continued, "I don't know if this is true, and I couldn't see it clearly in my dreams. I vaguely recall an old lady waving towards me, telling me that time is almost up. She keeps asking me to hurry..."
"Fang Zhengzhi, are you serious?!" The King of the Southern Region stood up and glared at Fang Zhengzhi.
"How can one take dreams seriously?" Fang Zhengzhi replied respectfully as he bowed to the King.
"Mm... Official Fang is right. Dreams cannot be believed." The King of the Southern Region reacted quickly. Realizing that he had lost his composure before, he changed the way he addressed Fang Zhengzhi to the more appropriate "Official Fang".
Fang Zhengzhi did not speak.
He knew that he had already done his job. There were believers and naysayers in every world.
However...
For a religious place like the Southern Region, there were definitely many people who believed in heaven and hell.
It was clear that the King of the Southern Region was one of them.
Even though he had his doubts, it was enough...
"I am tired, Shan Yu, come and help me!" The King of the Southern Region spoke up.
"Yes!" Princess Shan Yu nodded.
Then...
Just as Fang Zhengzhi had predicted, the King used the excuse that he was 'tired' to pause the ceremony.
As for the lamb...
It was left behind.
"Yum!" Fang Zhengzhi licked his lips and bit down on the leg of lamb. It melted in his mouth.
Damn, it was good!
Fang Zhengzhi loved eating such great food. He picked up a flask of wine and took a gulp. This was enjoyment at its finest.
He was very satisfied with the result.
All of the candidates were extremely jealous of what they were seeing. They too wanted to try the lamb, but they had been rejected by Princess Shan Yu.
They couldn't possibly go up now.
Fang Zhengzhi ignored the gazes of the candidates as he enjoyed his lamb. He finished the leg in his hand and took another one.
His mouth was filled with the taste of that delicious lamb.
It was out of this world!
Then, he began to feel dizzy, almost as if all the energy went out from his body.
It was dark...
Why was the room spinning?
Fang Zhengzhi felt like he was floating. Were all his lies coming true? That didn't seem very possible...
No!
This meat...
Fang Zhengzhi recalled that no one went to check the food that Princess Shan Yu had prepared. She had used all kinds of herbs and spices...
For the banquet...
Every dish was tested for poison. However, no one tested Princess Shan Yu's lamb. No one, bar Fang Zhengzhi, had even managed to go near it.
"Damn it, it's a trap!" Fang Zhengzhi felt the world around him go dark.
"Get someone to help! Official Fang is drunk! Help Official Fang to his room to rest!" Shan Ling's voice rang out as Fang Zhengzhi fell to the ground.