The Enigma of Ted

My heart thumping for a sworn brother, how utterly bizarre…

What am I thinking!? Du Chen shook his head vehemently, casting the peculiar sensation from his mind. No matter what, Xue Ji was his fiancée, formally engaged and honorably wedded. With a fair fiancée awaiting at home, to feel a thrill for someone else was utterly beyond the pale!

Strolling back to his commander's tent, Du Chen found Xue Ji frolicking with Beibei inside. Her expression, upon seeing him, remained distant. Du Chen offered a smile. “Still upset, are we? Care to join me for a stroll through the rear camp?”

Xue Ji paused for a moment, then, prodded by Beibei, nodded. The family of three arrived at the field hospital for the wounded, where a potent stench of blood immediately assailed them!

The casualty camp after a battle was the most gruesome place. Soldiers missing limbs, with shattered bones, and bodies riddled with scars were considered fortunate. As Du Chen entered, a soldier afflicted by a curse suddenly suffered an eruption of his injuries. With a wet splat, his abdomen burst open, sending intestines and organs splattering across the ground!

Yet, every healer and every wounded soldier regarded it as nothing. Only two or three who had been on friendly terms with the exploded soldier shook their heads and sighed, but that was the extent of it. Two other wounded men even jokingly raised their cloaks like umbrellas, and the falling bloodstains and fragments of organs struck their ‘umbrellas’ with a strangely ‘melodious’ sound.

The healers and wounded seemed not to notice Du Chen’s arrival, continuing their tasks indifferently—Durkus’s Military Edict stated that wounded soldiers were exempt from saluting anyone!

Xue Ji pressed a hand to her mouth at the sight of the cruel scene, hastily sending Beibei away.

“It’s quite brutal, isn’t it?” Du Chen stood calmly beside Xue Ji, gesturing towards the wounded. “What do they represent in your eyes?”

Xue Ji paused. “Pitiable souls!”

“Pitiable souls? Are they not merely a set of numbers and a collection of tools?” Du Chen glanced at Xue Ji’s speechless expression, then said gravely, “I don’t wish to argue with you. Answer me one question with a calm heart: look at these people. They have parents and children, brothers and sisters! Do you wish to return home and tell their families—‘I’m sorry, your child, father, or brother was blasted into oblivion on the battlefield’?”

“But…”

Du Chen cut Xue Ji off, pointing to a corpse that had just been carried out, having succumbed to its injuries. “Is it better to demolish a false tomb without sacrificing a single soldier, or to allow more individuals to end up like this corpse, never returning home to their loved ones…? I have nothing more to say. Give me your definitive answer tomorrow!”

Du Chen glanced at Xue Ji’s silent back, then turned and departed, a wry smile touching his lips internally. If Xue Ji’s answer tomorrow still prioritized the Divine Emperor over common soldiers, should he continue to subtly guide her transformation as Liana suggested, or…

Lost in thought, Bairu approached him directly. “Brother Francis, you, how could you…” He stomped his foot in exasperation!

“How could I release all the prisoners-of-war, you ask?” A cold smile played on Du Chen’s lips internally. He knew that by freeing all the prisoners, Bairu, who adhered to His Holiness the Pontiff’s command of ‘no living captive,’ was bound to confront him. If he *didn’t* come, that would truly defy reason! Du Chen gave Bairu no chance to speak, first whispering a few instructions to Andy via Battle Soul, then smiling. “Releasing the captives was Dud’s Military Edict. Hehe, Elder Brother Bairu, let’s not trouble ourselves with military matters. Rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory explanation once the war concludes, won’t that suffice?”

Bairu’s brow furrowed. “But His Holiness the Pontiff…”

Du Chen cut him off again with a torrent of eloquent reasoning. As he spoke, Andy rushed over with an alarmed cry. “Master, Young Master Anya is in trouble!”

Du Chen’s expression shifted drastically. “Bairu, whatever it is, it can wait!” With that, Du Chen shot off. Bairu gazed coldly at Du Chen’s retreating figure. “Damn it! What trouble could that little brat Alex possibly get into? You’re just putting on an act to stop me from pressing you further about why you released the captives and curried favor! Francis, if you dare jeopardize my prospects when the war ends… Humph!”

Truth be told, Bairu’s suspicions were spot on. Du Chen had indeed sent Andy to play the fool and create a diversion, using Anya as a pretext to fob off Bairu. Du Chen then made a quick exit, to avoid further wrangling with Bairu!

Turning away from Bairu, the anxious expression on Du Chen’s face vanished without a trace. “Andy, well done! Should Bairu trouble me again, immediately provide me with a pretext to dismiss him!”

Andy chuckled mischievously. “I, Chris Andy, the Moon Goddess’s favored one, have a small request…”

“Alright, alright! Have Anya prepare you a grand feast tonight!” The moment Andy spoke, Du Chen understood his intentions perfectly—the Snow Wolf’s dream was singular, and laughably transparent!

Was Anya truly alright? At least Du Chen and Andy, and even Bairu and all the others, thought so! Yet, inside the small cookhouse tent, Alex stood on a small stool, barely reaching the level of the cooking stove, one hand gripping a pot, the other clutching a wok spatula. His eyes, inexplicably, were no longer their former dark black, but a brilliant, noble golden-yellow! Faint runic scales flickered on his small hands, and his fingertips had morphed into the sharp, claw-like blades typically found on beasts!

“The Master, I must avenge the disgrace inflicted by Thomas!”

The little fellow stomped his foot furiously! *Clatter!* The small stool toppled, and Anya landed on his backside with a thud. The strange manifestations on his body vanished without a trace; he was once again the same adorable little fellow. “Papa, Mama, Anya’s bottom hurts so much… Waaah!”

Du Chen remained blissfully unaware of the events preceding the little one’s sore backside. After rubbing his son’s bottom for quite some time and dealing with the mundane State Affairs of Du City sent by Frinda for his review, the skies over Thornwood Valley had already turned pitch black. Calculating the time, Du Chen called for Liana, and they set off towards the Divine Emperor’s cenotaph, with the essential individuals within the Precious Lotus Scripture naturally following suit!

At midnight, Ted and his two daughters arrived anxiously at the dilapidated Divine Emperor’s Tomb. The vast tomb complex was eerily terrifying and utterly deserted! Helen’s brow furrowed. “Father, have we been tricked? Did Francis simply obtain Grandmother’s hair and the family token from who knows where, only to set a trap to lure us in tonight!?”

Ted’s eyes twitched involuntarily, the same possibility flashing through his mind. But just then, a figure emerged from behind the colossal tombstone, appearing to be in his forties or fifties, tall and imposing. At first glance, he bore a striking resemblance to Ted, yet lacked the robust spirit Ted possessed, appearing meek, irresolute, and utterly unsuited for greatness!

“Old, Third Sister!?” Ted froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning!

Chek’s eyes were also brimming with tears, but he struggled to control his emotions, muttering softly, “Come with me. Mother is waiting for you and Helen!”

Ted rushed forward in a panic, stumbling and nearly falling. He scrambled up, staggering towards the clearing behind the tomb. Upon seeing the elderly woman with wisps of white hair and tear-streaked eyes, he collapsed onto his knees with a thud. He sobbed for a long moment before embracing the Old Matriarch’s legs, hoarsely uttering a single word: “Mother…”

The Old Matriarch Elizabeth’s expression flickered through misery, longing, and heartbreak; then her gaze suddenly turned sharp, her face chilling. She slapped Ted across the face with a resounding ‘SMACK!’ “Ted, I, Elizabeth, have no son like you!”

Ted was utterly stunned. “Mother, I, I…”

Another slap echoed, and the Old Matriarch roared in fury. “Six hundred and seventy-three souls, six hundred and seventy-three family elites! All—all because of your corruption—they were quartered by Bonis! We, these orphans and widows, were even exiled to the City of Penance, never seeing the light of day for a decade… You, and you still have the audacity to call me ‘Mother’!?” Pausing, the Old Matriarch wept. “Do you know!? My younger sister, my eldest son, my eldest grandson, my daughter-in-law, my cousins… anyone with even a modicum of talent was slaughtered by Bonis, quartered into a bloody pulp right before my eyes! Do you know, at eighty-two, on the verge of entering my grave, I personally witnessed my most beloved grandson thrown into a pack of mastiffs and devoured alive by those beasts!”

Ted stood rooted to the spot, utterly dumbfounded. Helen and Sulan also walked in, and upon hearing the Old Matriarch’s weeping curses, Helen bowed her head in sorrow.

If it hadn’t been for my eyes, Father and the clan would never have suffered such a fate…

The Old Matriarch shouted loudly, “Chek, administer the family punishment!”

Chek hesitated before kneeling, raising the rattan cane he held. The Old Matriarch seized the cane and thrashed him relentlessly about the head and shoulders. It wasn’t that she didn’t grieve for the son she’d been separated from for so many years, but reflecting on how this son had brought ruin upon the clan…

Du Chen and Liana, hidden in the air above, witnessed everything. Liana, seeing that Ted dared not use battle qi to resist and was being beaten until he bled profusely, said with a wince, “Did you summon me merely to witness this spectacle?”

Du Chen shook his head. “No! I summoned you to see them with your own eyes and offer your judgment on Ted and his two daughters—this Ted once betrayed Bonis. Even the Demon Lord couldn’t command his unwavering loyalty; how could a scoundrel like me, far inferior to Bonis in strategy and might, dare to trust him with any task!?”

Liana nodded. “Considering what you’ve told me previously, and what I’ve witnessed today, Sulan, this python, is not old, is simple-minded, and even somewhat ignorant of human behavior… If you control Ted, you control this greatly useful Aberrant Beast capable of wielding psychic command over serpents, vermin, and insects!”

Du Chen smiled. “And what of Ted, then?”

Liana pointed at Ted again. “Ted is a complex individual! Logically, in his heart, his daughters outweighed his clan, and his clan outweighed the faction he served! Yet, in yesterday’s great battle, Ted surprisingly chose absolute loyalty to Thornwood Valley, preferring his daughters to perish alongside him in battle rather than betray Thornwood City. Thus, his priority has shifted to—loyalty superseding his daughters, superseding his clan…”

Du Chen’s brow furrowed. “So, the former Ted valued his daughters more, and the current Ted values loyalty more… Why this distinction? Has Ted’s disposition changed?”

Liana smiled faintly. “No! Ted hasn’t changed! Let me offer a hypothesis—what if Ted is the type of person who cherished his daughters above all else, willing to sacrifice everything for them?”

“If he is such a person…” Du Chen started, a jolt of realization hitting him. He clenched his fist tightly! “I understand now. Ted is truly a cunning man, but his sagacity is entirely dedicated to his daughters!”

Liana laughed. “Indeed! If my hypothesis holds true, and Ted is a shrewd man whose sole concern is his daughters, then his past act of stealing for his daughters, leading to the ruination of his clan, was entirely logical. And after he pledged allegiance to Thornwood Valley, the moment he learned *you* were leading the campaign against it, he must have thought… ‘Thornwood Valley is doomed. If I don’t want my daughters to be buried with it, nor do I want them to continue their life of endless flight, then perhaps it’s best to defect to Francis, an old acquaintance with whom I share some rapport! But how can I simply grovel and surrender to Francis like that!? Even if Francis is an oaf, he would never place trust in a general utterly devoid of backbone! What then should be done? Ah, Francis, you seek integrity, do you? Then I shall demonstrate that I, Ted, possess great capability, though I have been marginalized. So, come, use our acquaintance to persuade me to yield! By that time, should I, Ted, feign a few refusals before joining your Du City, I would appear as a capable general of integrity, indispensable to you, Francis. Once I am valued and hold power, my daughters too shall find happiness.’ ”

After delivering this lengthy explanation, Liana patted Du Chen’s shoulder. “Thus, the day before yesterday, Ted, knowing full well he was heading to his demise, still went to battle, professing his unwavering loyalty at every turn, even adopting the pretense of his entire family being ready to perish for Thornwood Valley! Had Dud’s army truly threatened Helen’s life then, his façade might have crumbled. Alas, Helen faced no genuine peril. So Ted maintained his act throughout! He just never anticipated that your method of winning him over would involve the Old Matriarch Elizabeth!”

Du Chen rubbed his nose, a sly smile gracing his lips. “I understand, completely! The Old Matriarch Elizabeth could only serve as an auxiliary to control Ted. If I were to naively believe that controlling the Old Matriarch would guarantee control over Ted, I’d undoubtedly face immense trouble later!”

Liana nodded emphatically. “Precisely. The key to controlling Ted lies with one person—Helen! Make Helen smile, and Ted would willingly march to his death for you!” Shrugging her shoulders, Liana chuckled, “However, these are all mere hypotheses of mine; people are incredibly complex, and what I say isn’t necessarily absolute. But you certainly wouldn’t go wrong by starting with Helen!”

“And how should Helen be controlled, then?” Du Chen suddenly glared at Liana. “If you dare utter words like ‘honey trap,’ I’ll strangle you on the spot!”

Liana tilted her head innocently. “Oh?! How did you know I was planning for you to exploit your charm?! Hehe, alright, I’ll give you a proper method—Helen has been on the run for many years, so it’s natural she’s suspicious, but she values genuine affection. Win her over with selfless familial affection! A friendly tip: the Old Matriarch Elizabeth is a shrewd woman; she will assist you!”

At that moment, the Old Matriarch was still punishing Ted. Du Chen suddenly materialized, seizing the rattan cane from the Old Matriarch’s hand. He said regretfully, “Old Matriarch, what’s past is past; cherish the present! Helen, my sworn sister, quickly, restrain your grandmother!”

“Sworn sister?” Everyone—Ted, Helen, the Old Matriarch, and Sulan—was utterly dumbfounded!