Chapter 363: The Loyal Servant Who Lives and Dies Together, and the Faltering Knees of the Tiger Father and Dog Son

Father!

Dugu Zhang's wailing was heart‑rending, as if he were about to tear his throat apart.

Xi Peiluo jerked his head up, and the blood drained from his usually calm face.

The body that had just been forced upright now seemed struck by lightning, stumbling forward half a step.

Lord—!

The shout was hoarse, as if scraped with sandpaper.

That voice was wrapped in disbelief and panic, mixed with a grief that pierced the heart.

He could no longer hold on; his legs gave way and, with a 'thud', he fell to his knees.

The hard bricks and stones bruised his knees, but he didn't notice.

He stared fixedly at Dugu Zhao lying on the ground, his shoulders shaking violently.

Tears surged out.

Father, open your eyes and look at Ah Zhang!

Dugu Zhang threw himself onto Dugu Zhao's cold body, his left hand gripping the Brothel that had long lost its warmth so tightly that his knuckles were about to sink into the fabric, while his right hand brushed his bruised cheek.

In the past twenty‑plus years of his life, his father had always been full of vigor...

He had never seen his father so disheveled, nor imagined parting with him in this manner.

"Dugu Zhao may indeed be a hero of his generation; how decisive!"

Chen Yan gave a slight nod, so subtle it was almost invisible, as if confirming to someone yet concluding to himself.

Facing utter defeat and death, there was no cowardice, no fear, only a calm, resolute determination to meet it...

Even though he was an opponent who had repeatedly tried to kill Chen Yan, he was worthy of respect!

Tears blurred his vision as Xi Peiluo lay on the ground.

Suddenly, it was as if something had seized his heart, and the violent tremor stopped abruptly.

Immediately, a fierce force spread from his taut spine.

He jerked his head up; the blood‑red eye sockets no longer held any trace of tears.

Only a scorching, burning light remained.

The cheek that had just been washed by tears still bore a damp sheen, but now its lines tightened, and the corner of his mouth curled into a near‑savage resolve.

"My lord is dead. I, Xi Peiluo, as a staff officer who has received the lord's great grace for years, cannot selfishly cling to life alone!"

"Lord, I am here to accompany you!"

"On the Huangquan Lu, wait for me, petty one!"

Before the words finished, Xi Peiluo thrust the hand supporting the ground with a sudden force, and he sprang up from the floor.

The movement was astonishingly swift.

He turned and lunged toward the beam and pillar behind him.

He ran those few steps with urgent, fierce speed, the hem of his blue cloth flaring up and stirring a sharp gust.

He didn't even glance back, pressing his forehead against the cold, hard beam in the Shufang, slamming into it with all his strength.

"Mr. Xi!"

"No!"

Dugu Zhang, witnessing the scene, reacted, a roar exploding from deep within his throat; he raised his hand to stop it, but it was already too late.

"Thud—!"

A muffled, thunderous crash rang through the Shufang, like a sudden thunderbolt.

Xi Peiluo's forehead slammed hard against the solid wall.

Brick fragments fell with a rustle, raising a cloud of dust before his forehead.

Fresh blood gushed from the wound, winding down his cheek, staining his brows and eyes, and also reddening the faint, almost liberated smile at the corner of his mouth.

His body swayed, like a withered branch battered by a sudden storm, yet he still forced himself to stay upright.

Summoning his last ounce of strength, he shifted another half step toward Dugu Zhao, as if trying to get a little closer, a little closer...

Finally, he could no longer hold on; his legs gave way and his body fell straight forward.

At the moment he fell, Xi Peiluo's gaze swept over the wreckage and landed precisely beside Dugu Zhao's cold fingertip, his mouth still bearing a faint curve.

He had received his lord's favor, and could repay it only by dying alongside him, fulfilling his total loyalty...

Fresh blood spread on the ground, intertwining with the pool of wine stains, like a flower that suddenly blooms in the dark night and withers instantly.

"Loyal servant!"

Chen Yan, witnessing the scene, let out a gentle sigh, his voice filled with unabashed respect.

He paused, raised his hand and shouted, "Song Fei."

"Shuyi here."

Song Fei responded, stepping forward and bowing, awaiting orders.

Chen Yan lifted his chin, stared at Xi Peiluo's corpse, and in a serious tone ordered, "Retrieve the body of the loyal servant and give him a grand burial!"

Such a loyal servant deserved Chen Yan's respect.

"Yes," Song Fei nodded.

"Hmm... Xi Peiluo is devoted to his lord; let's bury him beside Dugu Lao Zhuguo's tomb," Chen Yan mused, his eyes deepening, exhaling a breath of foul air, and said in a low voice, "That will be a kind of fulfillment!"

Such a bond of life‑and‑death companionship is exceedingly precious in these times.

Even Chen himself was moved...

Let them be master and servant in life, and forever accompany each other in death!

Dugu Zhang collapsed on the ground, his fingernails digging deep into the cracks of the bricks, blood seeping between his fingers unnoticed.

The image of his father drinking Poison wine and the tragic scene of the staff crashing into a wall repeatedly interweave before his eyes.

"Chen... Chen Yan!"

Dugu Zhang squeezed these three characters out through his teeth.

Each character seemed to be stained with blood.

The voice was hoarse like a broken gong, yet wrapped in bone‑gnawing hatred.

A pair of blood‑red eyes stared fixedly at Chen Yan, the murderous intent churning in the pupils almost solidifying.

It seemed as if in the next instant it would pounce, tearing the opponent to pieces with its teeth.

"What?"

"Brother Dugu, do you want to avenge your father Dugu Lao Zhuguo?"

Chen Yan clasped his hands in front of his chest, examined Dugu Zhang with amused interest, and asked playfully.

As soon as the words fell, a crisp "swish" sliced through the air.

The embroidered‑clad envoys nearby drew their swords almost simultaneously.

The gleaming blades, under the candlelight, emitted a chilling glow and all pointed at Dugu Zhang.

The sounds of dozens of long swords being unsheathed merged into a single roar, carrying a murderous aura.

And Zhu Yi's death stare.

Dugu Zhang froze in place; the roar in his throat hadn't even erupted when his knees suddenly gave way.

That desperate ferocity, like a candle flame cut by a blade, was abruptly snuffed out in the gleaming blade light.

With a "thud", he knelt heavily to the ground, his previously upright spine collapsing instantly.

His forehead pressed against the icy Blue Bricks, and his whole body trembled violently.

The murderous intent that had been in his eyes was washed away by terror, leaving only the instinct to survive shouting.

He scrambled and crawled toward Chen Yan's direction, his garment's hem stained mottled by the blood on the floor, his knees scraping the brick ground with a harsh screech.

He kept pleading from his mouth:

"Chen Master, do not kill this lowly!"

"Please spare this lowly's life!"

"This lowly is willing to be a Herd of Cattle or a Horse for you, Master!"

The dignified Duke's legitimate eldest son was left only with fear of death and a humble plea for life.

Ha, tiger father, dog son... Chen Yan lowered his gaze, watching Dugu Zhang trembling and kneeling at his feet, couldn't help commenting in his mind, felt inexplicably sorry for Dugu Zhao, and then said, "Dugu Zhang, do you know why your father chose to end his own life?"

At that moment, Chen Yan's way of addressing Dugu Zhang changed; he no longer even considered calling him brother.

Because he was unworthy.

"W-why?"

Dugu Zhang heard that, his voice trembling, he asked hoarsely.

After Chen Yan's prompting, he only then realized this question...

Indeed, why?

Drinking Poison wine left no hesitation at all...

Chen Yan's gaze passed over the crawling Dugu Zhang at his feet and fell on Dugu Zhao's rigid corpse.

Moonlight slanted through the window lattice, casting a cold white beam onto the withered face of the old Dugu Lao Zhuguo.

He was silent for a moment, his tone almost icy and severe, and said gravely, "If he had not died in that position, he and his followers would have been nothing but a joke!"

A politician can be a saint, a great man, or a tyrant, a demon...

But it's best not to be a clown!

When the play ends, you must stand on the stage.

The rebel king Li Zicheng fled Shanhaiguan, was finally beaten to death by peasants with a hoe, and the dynasty he founded was never recognized.

"This..."

Dugu Zhang was dumbfounded, as if all his strength had been drained, collapsing on the ground motionless.

Those words were like sharp cones, piercing his muddled mind forcefully.

Each character carried a deafening echo, striking his head and making him dizzy.

Chen Yan looked at Dugu Zhang's despondent appearance, spoke slowly, his voice steady without a ripple, revealing no emotion, yet each word bore a questioning tone, "Dugu Zhang, you bear the surname Dugu, you are your father's legitimate eldest son, do you wish to tarnish his lifelong reputation?"

The remorse and embarrassment that had just been stirred swayed like a candle flame before the shadow of death.

"Father's posthumous name..."

Dugu Zhang stared at his own blurred shadow on the ground, his Adam's apple bobbing violently a few times, his fingers digging deep into his palm.

He hesitated only a moment before fear surged back like a tide, instantly drowning all resistance.

His shoulders gave way, his voice trembling uncontrollably, his forehead again slammed heavily onto the ground, "No!"

"I don't want to die!"

Dugu Zhang's palm pressed against the ground, inching his forehead closer to Chen Yan's boot, almost touching the shoe's surface.

The "thud thud" of kowtowing echoed repeatedly in the Shufang, each strike laden with utmost humility.

He couldn't help it; the thought of becoming a cold, lifeless corpse flooded his heart with endless terror...

"Enough, enough!" Chen Yan, seeing this, shook his head helplessly and sighed.

Educating offspring is indeed a huge problem.

No matter how good the genes, they still need proper cultivation later...

Especially the honing of character!

Dugu Zhang's kowtowing abruptly halted, his blood seeming to flow backward at that moment, and he even forgot to breathe.

Just now the mind that had been filled with fear went instantly blank, leaving only the words "It's nothing" buzzing.

Is… is that what he meant?

Dugu Zhang hesitated, as if unable to believe his own ears, and slowly lifted his head.

The bloodstain on his temple smeared across his face, clinging to his disheveled hair.

In those eyes streaked with blood, a near‑manic gleam suddenly burst forth, like a drowning man clutching a floating log, and even his trembling lips stretched into a rigid curve.

He carefully turned to Chen Yan, seeking confirmation: "Sup…Supreme Master, you mean you will raise your hand and spare this lowly one, right?"

"Exactly!"

Chen Yan heard this, lifted his brow slightly, and replied decisively.

"Thank you, Supreme…"

Dugu Zhang had not even had a moment of joy, his thanks unfinished, when Chen Yan spoke again: "Lao Song, he doesn't want dignity, so we'll give him dignity!"

"Grant the white silk!"

"As you command." Song Fei nodded in response.

The smile on Dugu Zhang's face froze instantly, his pupils snapping shut.

The eyes that had just burned brightly now saw that manic spark instantly replaced by terror, sinking bit by bit into a bottomless black hole.

"No… don't!" he shrieked sharply, every hair on his body standing up, survival instinct flaring, and he scrambled backward with hands and feet.

"Don't be afraid, breathe deeply, dizziness is normal…." Chen Yan smiled calmly, speaking lightly.

"Supreme Master, Supreme Master, my sister Du Gu Mi Luo is the Jin Prince's Crown Princess; for her sake, please spare my life!"

Dugu Zhang was completely panicked, resorting to desperate measures, and immediately brought up his sister who had married into the Jin Wang Fu.

"Du Gu Mi Luo's honor?"

"Ha ha!"

Chen Yan heard the name and couldn't hold back, laughing out loud.

The embroidered‑clad envoys on either side stepped forward, their iron‑clamp‑like hands gripping Dugu Zhang's shoulder and arm tightly.

"Dugu Gongzi (Young Master), please set off!"

"Don't keep Lao Zhu Guo waiting too long on Huangquan Lu!"

Song Fei stepped forward slowly and picked up the roll of plain white silk.

Moonlight filtered through the window lattice onto the white silk, casting a cold, eerie glow, like a silver snake exhaling a silver thread.

The movement was swift; the white silk wrapped around Dugu Zhang's neck like an arm, and its ends were snapped tight in the hand.

"Um…."

"Ah!"

Song Fei's biceps tensed, tightening the white silk a little more.

But after a moment, Dugu Zhang's struggling grew ever weaker.

His arm drooped, fingertips still twitching faintly, the white silk around his neck twisted slightly, leaving two deep violet marks.

Finally, Dugu Zhang's head snapped to one side, his life completely gone, and in those wide open eyes lingered unvanished fear and resentment.

"Sir, it's done…." Song Fei released his grip, the white silk slipped down, and he approached Chen Yan to report.

"Throw his corpse to the Chaotic Burial Ground to feed the dogs!" Chen Yan glanced at Dugu Zhang's bruised, blue‑purple face and said casually.

"As you command."

Song Fei replied.

"Ha—che~"

Chen Yan yawned, drowsiness rising, gently rubbing his brow, and instructed: "Lao Song, the Weiguo Gong Fu's house‑clearing is now entirely your responsibility!"

"Everything will be handled as usual…."