I Am Your Matron's Master

“Uncle Ted, would you hear a junior out?”

Du Chen waved back the soldiers rushing to protect him, his gaze falling with feigned reluctance upon a corpse at his feet. The deceased was a youth of barely eighteen or nineteen, a javelin impaled in his back, his chest scorched and withered by flames. A mask emblazoned with a golden serpent still adorned his contorted, tear-streaked face, frozen in a final, agonizing cry.

“Look at the markings on these soldiers. They are… your family army, aren’t they, Uncle?”

Ted cast another glance back at the city walls – to parley with an enemy commander on the battlefield was a grave transgression! He merely nodded slightly. “Indeed! Francis, when two armies clash, death is without grievance. If you’ve come to negotiate surrender, spare your breath and return!”

These words, imbued with battle qi, resounded powerfully enough to reach Thomas atop the city walls.

Du Chen opened his mouth, words poised on his tongue, as if he truly had come to plead for surrender, only to be utterly stifled by Ted’s blunt dismissal.

“Uncle, though this junior wore a mask in the Lanning Death Row cells back then, you must have suspected that it was I who inadvertently injured Helen, didn’t you?” Du Chen gave a wry smile, tinged with a theatrical guilt. “That night, inadvertently harming Helen, has weighed heavily on my heart. Today—”

Ted cut Du Chen off, once again denying him a chance to speak, his voice still booming loud enough for Thomas and the Thorns to hear. “My daughter and I went to save your Eldest Brother, only to be wounded by you—that much is true, and you were in the wrong! However, Du Chen, the Divine, has rescued my daughter and me on multiple occasions. As a Divine Envoy of Du Chen, the Divine, you need not dwell on that incident! Francis, on the battlefield, personal ties count for naught. Hold your tongue!”

“Very well, let us not speak of past grievances! However…” Du Chen cast a compassionate glance at the corpses littering the ground, and then at Ted’s family army, their morale utterly shattered, huddled around their master, their eyes filled with terror and despair. “…Glory to our God! Du Chen’s Mercy! Our God, Du Chen, pities all mortals! Uncle Ted, too many have died today. Francis is willing to emulate the heroes of the Heroic Era, to engage you in single combat, and spare these common soldiers further suffering!”

At these words, Liana, standing by the Barracks Gate of Du’s army, made a retching gesture. Meanwhile, Thomas atop the city walls curled his lips into a sneer, thinking, ‘Lord Brockman said Francis was soft-hearted, and he wasn’t wrong after all!’ But then, Thomas’s brow furrowed. What thoughts now crossed his mind, he kept to himself…

The besieged soldiers, however, cared for nothing else. Was there a glimmer of hope for survival? “Heavens, Francis! No matter how we viewed you in the past or how we might in the future, at this moment, we praise you—you are the greatest savior!”

Such thoughts were natural for men facing certain death, but on the battlefield, they conjured a peculiar atmosphere—the Thornwood soldiers were actually gazing at the enemy commander, Francis, with gratitude and adoration!

Helen’s eyebrow arched. “Francis, I hear your current strength is no less than that of the Pontiff or the Dragon God. To challenge my father to single combat… Hmph, a clever ploy!”

Ted, however, chuckled. “So be it. To die at the hands of an Eleventh-level Battle God, I, Ted, would consider it a fitting end! However, should I fall, I entrust Helen, Sulan, and my family army to your care!” In the Heroic Era, single combat would be preceded by a pact. Should one combatant perish, their retainers would lay down their arms, but the victor was honor-bound to spare and not mistreat the captives!

Du Chen shook his head. “My battle qi surpasses yours by a full level, Uncle. If we were to fight a fair duel, would the world not curse me for taking advantage of another’s weakness? Uncle, if you can withstand three of my moves, Francis will immediately order Dud to withdraw his army!”

Ted’s heart sank. Though Tenth-rank was vastly inferior to Eleventh-Tier, withstanding three moves was not impossible! If he lost, it would merely be the defeat of a battle already destined to be lost. But if he won… He glanced back at Thomas, a bitter smile on his face. If he won, though he would save his family army, he would likely face trouble from Thomas!

To fight or not to fight? Recalling the words “family army,” Ted dismounted his warhorse. “I trust your promise; there’s no need to draw up a pact. Soldiers, clear a hundred-zhang radius! First move!”

Ted wasted no time. His heavily armored fist, an iron weapon, smashed through the air towards Du Chen. Though the move was simple, rolling black clouds surged behind Ted, emanating a majestic aura. Who knew how many subsequent killing blows lay hidden within those dark clouds!

“So, the duel begins? Good! Dud, withdraw your troops a hundred zhang!”

With a soft cry, Du Chen suddenly vanished from his spot!

Yet, a flurry of snowflakes suddenly descended upon Thornwood Valley, a place perpetually spring-like. The snow fell so heavily that those outside the arena could not discern what transpired between the two duelists; even with battle qi, it was difficult to see clearly. This was Du Chen’s Vanishing Snow!

Within the dueling circle, Du Chen drew forth his Vanishing Snow Sword. With a simple illusion, he evaded Ted’s first strike, then diligently returned one, and followed with another fierce offensive. Thus, two moves passed without incident.

Before the final move, both men paused in unspoken agreement. During Ted’s second move, Du Chen’s battle qi had caused his breath to churn, leaving him gasping for air. Du Chen, a short distance away, “helplessly” raised his Vanishing Snow Sword once more. “The third move!”

As he spoke, Du Chen merged with his sword, transforming into a streak of flowing light that darted towards Ted. But just a few steps in, the sword-light suddenly shimmered, splitting into two, then four… In an instant, a myriad of sword-lights enveloped the entire hundred-zhang radius! This was Du Chen applying the Thousand Strands of Benevolent Lock technique to his swordsmanship! Ted gazed at the sky-full of sword-lights, gritting his teeth. Knowing there was no possibility of clever evasion, he roared, his body surging with black clouds, and met the assault head-on… Outsiders only saw layers of sword-rain suddenly appearing amidst the swirling snowflakes, followed by black clouds roiling, sword and cloud interweaving. With a thunderous boom, the duel concluded—but none saw that at the precise moment victory was decided, a small, subtle sword-light circled Ted, “taking” a few items from him and placing several small trinkets back in their stead…

As the heavy snow dissipated, Du Chen stood unscathed within the circle, a seemingly relieved smile gracing his face. “Though you are gravely wounded, you have withstood my three moves. Dud, withdraw the troops!”

The Durkus Beast Army, their morale soaring, receded like a tide, vanishing cleanly in an instant, leaving only a few squads to collect their fallen comrades… Ted, Helen, Sulan, and the remaining seven thousand-plus soldiers all froze in unison.

“Was that truly the end? No earth-shattering spectacle, no sorrow of life and death separation, just three simple moves, and it was over?”

Ted knelt in the center of the dueling circle, slowly removing his military helmet, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Du Chen’s final move had indeed inflicted a significant injury upon him; a sword-light had pierced his left shoulder. Though not fatal, it would require substantial recovery time and rest…

After a long moment, the stunned soldiers suddenly erupted into shouts. “The Family Head won! The Family Head won the duel! We don’t have to die!”

“Haha, we don’t have to die!”

“We don’t have to die!”

Du Chen had already walked to the Barracks Gate, casting a glance back at the cheering enemy forces, then touched his nose with a smile. To Liana, who stood before him, he asked, “How was my performance just now?”

Liana pursed her lips, speaking without reservation. “In three words—tacky, saccharine, fake! Summed up in one—theatrical!”

Du Chen merely smiled, saying nothing as he walked past Liana.

Liana suddenly let out a soft chuckle. “But it was a ‘theatrical’ performance well done. What you wanted… was precisely this ‘theatrical’ effect, wasn’t it? And you were asking me for ages about Dud’s battle armor just now… Come on then, what did you get?”

Du Chen sighed heavenward. “My parents brought me into this world, but Liana truly understands me!” With a casual toss, he threw a Golden Token to Liana. “As you said, that Fiendkind-patterned General’s armor has four storage slots. The left rib usually holds the military talisman and seal. Lo and behold, this is Ted’s military talisman! But just look; I’ve already had Dus secretly place it on Ted to ensure his safety. Now, come back to our home with me via Green Cloud—we’re going to invite Ted’s old mother over!”

…

Thornwood Valley, inside a spartan war council hall within the gate tower.

“Clang!” Thomas slammed his hand on the table. “Heads, what are your thoughts on Francis’s performance just now?”

Old Five Sen curled his lips, scoffing, “Theatrical!”

Several other Heads nodded in agreement. “What ‘Our God, Du Chen, pities all mortals’? What ‘emulating heroes of the Heroic Era’… Hmph, theatrical nonsense!”

Thomas glanced at Ted, who had been summoned to the meeting before he could even shed his battle armor, and gave a cold smile. “So, what does this theatricality signify?”

Eighth Head Crimson replied, “Second Uncle, there are only two possibilities. First, Francis is simply that kind of person—soft-hearted, theatrical, and indecisive in his actions! Second… he’s desperately seeking an excuse, a pretext to release Ted and ensure his safety!”

Ted, seething with anger, instinctively slammed the table and rose, but this only aggravated his internal injuries, and it took him a full half-minute of gasping to say, “Then why don’t you just say, Crimson, that Francis and I are colluding internally to betray Thornwood Valley!”

Crimson curled his lips, offering no reply, but his meaning was clear—‘That’s exactly what I think!’

“Sit down!” Thomas commanded coldly. “Gentlemen, let us recall today’s battle. Francis appeared twice. The first time, he spoke three distinct phrases: invoking personal acquaintance, offering thanks on behalf of Du Chen, the Divine, and finally, extending greetings to Helen on his Eldest Brother’s behalf…”

The Fourth Head, whom Avril had deemed incompetent, immediately cried out, “I understand! Ted has deep personal ties with Francis and Du Chen, the Divine. And I heard his Eldest Brother, Steve, is utterly obsessed with women, and perhaps has some illicit affair with the stunning Helen! So, Ted might… be a traitor!”

Everyone collectively cast him a disdainful look!

Crimson chuckled. “Fourth Uncle, what you say has merit, but consider it further. What if this is Francis’s stratagem of alienation, intended to make us suspect General Ted of defection?”

The Fourth Head froze, then nodded repeatedly. “Right, it’s a stratagem of alienation! Oh dear, this old man almost fell for it!”

Crimson sighed wryly, then continued, “But Fourth Uncle, think even deeper. Assuming Ted truly is colluding with Francis, then wouldn’t Francis’s words, which could be mistaken for a stratagem of alienation, actually be a covert way to protect Ted? An implication for those of us who would consider a stratagem of alienation—‘Look, I’m framing Ted, so surely Ted and I aren’t connected, right?’”

The Fourth Head was dumbfounded for a long moment, the white-haired old man wagging his finger. “According to your reasoning, great-nephew, Ted still has a problem! This, this… The result of my one step of thought is the same as your three steps of deep thought!”

Crimson cursed inwardly, ‘This is precisely why people often say that the decisions of geniuses and fools often align!’

The Fourth Head, bewildered, looked up. “Then how do we determine if Ted truly has a problem?”

Thomas gave a cold laugh. “Fourth Bro, it’s simple. Let’s look at what followed—Francis appeared a second time. Again, he started by invoking personal ties and reminiscing, but Ted immediately urged him to shut up. On the surface, it seemed Ted feared we might fall for a stratagem of alienation and misunderstand his collusion with Francis…”

The Fourth Head nodded, finally showing a flicker of intelligence. “As great-nephew Crimson said, this was actually also protecting Ted, and Ted was merely playing along with Francis’s act!”

Thomas smiled approvingly. “Precisely! Next, both sides engaged in battle. We all witnessed the prowess of God-General Dud. A casualty ratio of a few hundred for three thousand is something we could accept! But the crucial point lies in an old military adage: ‘A tenth lost is but a drizzle; a fifth, and you press on. But lose three-tenths, and you need to catch your breath. And four-tenths… that’s a crippling blow, the formation rendered useless!’”

The Fourth Head, following Thomas’s lead, said, “Ah, Francis appeared precisely when Ted had lost three-tenths of his forces and was on the verge of a crippling blow. This is suspicious… Er, I didn’t get it wrong this time, did I!”

Everyone nodded in unison. Thomas chuckled, “Fourth Bro, you make a very valid point! And then, Francis speaking of Du Chen, the Divine’s benevolence, his own reluctance, emulating the Heroic Era, and finally, the duel itself… all indicate one thing: whether the stratagem of alienation is real or not, Francis’s unwillingness to see Ted’s family army crippled is absolutely genuine!”

Fourth Bro finally had an epiphany. “I understand, truly I do! No wonder you said Francis’s theatricality was problematic… Francis is colluding with Ted, and today was just a performance for our benefit. But Francis didn’t play his part well enough; he was too theatrical, and thus revealed his flaws!”

Old Five frowned. “Second Brother, I have two questions. If these are answered, Fourth Bro’s assertion—that Ted is a traitor—will be entirely valid! Firstly, we never showed any sign of suspecting Ted of treachery, so why was Francis so eager to put on a show to protect him? Secondly, while we’ve heard rumors about Francis’s character, is he truly a man prone to theatricality?”

Thomas nodded. “Excellent questions! The first is easily answered. Though we sent Ted into battle today to weaken the enemy forces, in the eyes of some, this could be misinterpreted as us sending Ted to his death, trying to eliminate him! General Ted, you probably thought so yourself, didn’t you?”

Injured and incensed, Ted was already speechless.

Thomas continued, “If Francis also believed this, then wouldn’t Old Five’s first question be answered? He mistook our intentions to eliminate Ted, and so he was quick to imply that he had no connection to Ted!”

“As for the second question, I’ve heard from a friend that Francis is excessively benevolent. His recent actions—not killing prisoners-of-war, and valuing soldiers over battle—all attest to this. Therefore, it’s highly probable that Francis is unskilled in such subtle political maneuvering, and due to the suddenness of the situation, he made an error in haste. He intended to protect Ted but acted too artificially, revealing his shortcomings to us!”

As each logical point of analysis fell into place, Thomas, who had originally received a secret Fiendkind order to mislead everyone and eliminate Ted, was suddenly struck by a startling realization: ‘By the gods, does Ted actually have a problem? My analysis is correct! Ted truly is a traitor!’

This was why Liana had said Du Chen’s “theatricality” was well done!

With a collective ‘whoosh,’ everyone’s gaze converged on Ted!

Ted was truly beyond all words of defense. He took a few ragged breaths and retorted furiously, “Assumptions, analysis… all of it is just your assumptions and analysis! Where is the concrete evidence?! Sena, the Valley Master, swore an oath with me never to betray each other! Without iron-clad proof, do you truly mean to condemn me for treason?”

The others were speechless, and Thomas was momentarily stunned. He thought, ‘Sena is not dead yet, and I am not yet the Valley Master. Ted also has Helen leading seven thousand family army soldiers nearby. These seven thousand family army were formerly Imperial Guards, the personal retainers of Valley Master Sena. I have no way to influence their actions! If I kill Ted based solely on analysis and inference, there’s no guarantee those seven thousand family army soldiers won’t cause trouble!’ ‘Indeed, now is not the time to kill Ted. Slowly, slowly. Anyway, today, several Heads have already concluded Ted is a traitor, lacking only concrete evidence. So why don’t I, Thomas, simply fabricate some ‘concrete evidence’ for him? At worst, I’ll just kill him a few days later!’

With this thought, Thomas chuckled. “Ted, sit down. Who said we’re going to kill you? To summarily execute a General based solely on inference during wartime—do you take me, Thomas, for such a fool? Besides, we’ve known each other for over a year; do I not understand your character?! How about this: since you are under suspicion, you will temporarily recuperate within the inner city. No fighting, no participating in war councils! However, no one is to treat you as a traitor. You are still the Third Head of Thornwood Valley!”

Ted nodded, gritting his teeth as he exited the hall. The moment he stepped outside, he coughed up a mouthful of blood with a “Waaah!” It was pure rage!

Meanwhile, within Du’s main camp, Dud was gently wiping his war halberd, his mind replaying two inexplicable statements he had made earlier that day—‘My foster father is indeed cunning! A mere stratagem of alienation isn't enough to kill a man, nor is a double-layer alienation. But a ‘theatrical’ duel has cost Thornwood Valley its strongest general. If I were Ted, I would surely have vomited blood from sheer fury!’ To encounter such a visionary leader as my foster father—this is Dud’s good fortune! Looking across the world, how many such visionary leaders exist who can entrust military power entirely to one man, holding no military talisman, wielding no command arrow, allowing their Generals to fully display their capabilities!?

Just then, Adams approached, sincerely asking, “General, our benefactor has departed, but Adams has one thing unclear. You said, was what our benefactor used today a stratagem of alienation? To me, it didn’t seem like it!”

Though Adams was a bandit, he was remarkably studious; otherwise, he wouldn’t have so quickly become Dud’s ‘foremost fierce general’! Dud said faintly, “My foster father has his sights set on Ted!” After explaining all the causes and effects, he added, “Thornwood Valley must now be suspicious of Ted, but without concrete evidence, they dare not rush to kill Ted, who commands seven thousand family army soldiers. Instead, they will surely place Ted under house arrest! And my foster father’s second phase of his plan against Ted… must already be in motion!”

Adams wondered, “If our benefactor intends to recruit Ted, why not capture him today and then force him to surrender? Wouldn’t that be more direct?” Indeed, Du Chen holding Ted’s old mother would be more direct, but…

Dud provided the reason. “Leaving aside whether Ted would surrender after being captured, consider this: if my foster father were to brazenly capture Ted, what would Bairu, who witnessed the entire process, do? To kill Ted in front of Bairu—my foster father would be reluctant! But if he doesn’t kill Ted, the Pontiff would certainly investigate! Thus, my foster father can only operate covertly!”

Adams suddenly understood, believing he had grasped the full picture. But Dud immediately added, “Furthermore, do you think my foster father’s actions today were solely aimed at Ted? In my observation, since Queen Liana’s arrival, my foster father has suddenly conceived a grand strategy for conquering Thornwood Valley. Today was merely the first step in this chess game—winning hearts!”

Adams froze, then eagerly sought clarification! “My foster father intends to win over all the people of Thornwood Valley. His sudden disappearance today is likely to find Duding! But with two hundred thousand people in Thornwood Valley, even if my foster father captured them all, would the people of Thornwood Valley meekly submit to him?”

Adams shook his head. “Absolutely not! Who would sincerely submit to an enemy who crushed their homeland!”

“Precisely! That’s why, starting today, my foster father aims to create an impression among the people of Thornwood Valley—that Francis is benevolent, and following him… might be an excellent choice! Think about my foster father’s actions today. How will the enemy soldiers who narrowly escaped death view him? How will the Thorns view him!?”

Seeing Adams nod repeatedly, Dud approved inwardly and instructed, “Then think again: if my foster father wishes to win the hearts of Thornwood Valley’s people, what must he do next? Here’s a hint—this next step will likely incorporate a stratagem specifically targeting Ted!”

Adams fell into deep thought…

The Duel Formations had concluded that afternoon. After the battle, Du Chen immediately returned to Durkes City. With Green Cloud’s speed, he and Liana were back by supper. However, Du Chen didn’t idle upon his return. He summoned the cooks to carry a lavish supper, called Deboning, and headed straight for the prisoner-of-war camp!

With his signature benevolent smile plastered on his face, Du Chen waved a greeting before the prisoner-of-war camp!

Though the captives didn’t wear pleasant expressions, they harbored little animosity. After all, Du Chen had publicly sworn not to kill them, which had somewhat diluted their hatred for him!

“I apologize for the hardship you’ve endured these past days!” Du Chen said with a smile. “Rest assured, our God, Du Chen, is benevolent and compassionate, and would never allow his believers to torment captives—once you lay down your arms, you are no longer my enemy, Francis’s, but lost children in the eyes of our God. Come, let us eat and converse!”