Chapter 896

Pengzhou is a good soldier!

Unfortunately, the place where he enlisted is a muddy pit; no matter how hard I tried to get you to behave like humans in this muddy pit, he still got smeared with mud. As a general and as a soldier, one shouldn't be like that; we cannot have those rotten ideas, for that is not what a commander should think.

In Liu Yan's army, it seems everyone from top to bottom carries schemes, complains about everything, then takes revenge, complaining, revenge... To deal with one person, they can ally with anyone at any time, then distribute benefits, repeating this cycle.

Truly... utterly rotten.

As for you few, I don't want to say more; you've also seen Chen Jieshuai's soldiers—compare their appearance with your usual selves. In my mind, whether a soldier or a soldier who has become an officer, they should be purer.

……

Pengzhou was driven away by Fan Yang.

Watching Pengzhou's indignant figure gradually disappear into the woods, Fan Yang calmly left these words for the five people remaining beside him, then rose and continued climbing up the mountain.

【There's no need for the commander to say this; isn't this obvious after hearing it once?】 a soldier said, brushing dust from his buttocks and flicking his hand as he caught up with Fan Yang, 【Pengzhou brat, he wasn't anything good to begin with—why should the commander get angry over him?】

【That's right, we're not clueless, we just have no choice!】 another person laughed.

【Before seeing what others are like, I really didn't know what we were like; but after looking at others and then at ourselves, we're literally a pile of shit! Shit!】

【Let's go, let's go, stop nagging like the commander, give it your all!】

【No wonder Chen Jieshuai wins battle after battle; they... are just good, just good.】

【Good is good, but we should first get past this hurdle; deserters and surrendering troops, now they're even volunteering to charge back and kill—we few are all petty people now, we have a lot to do.】

【Hey, let's go, let's go.】

……

Lu Wanwan appeared in beggar's garb, tattered clothes, holding a dog-beating stick in her hand, her hair disheveled, looking as if she hadn't washed it for days, twisted into strands with countless weeds and leaves stuck to it, followed by her two grandfathers behind her.

The two grandfathers each had the appearance of old farmers, with a tiger skin slung over each shoulder.

Close behind them followed Qin Zhanhong dressed as a village maiden.

Compared to the three before her, her attire looked much more normal, merely overly down-to-earth.

Her cold, alluring temperament was completely hidden; not a trace could be seen.

From a distance, she looked exactly like a village woman who had just gone out to pick wild herbs and returned, with a basket slung over her arm full of what appeared to be edible red-capped white-stemmed mushrooms.

This unconventional entourage made Chen Wuji pause for half a day before he could confirm they were his own people.

【Is this the tiger you want to raise?】 Chen Wuji asked with a smile, setting down the document in his hand.

Lu Wanwan's dirty little face instantly fell: 'They haven't produced offspring, and when they meet they want to eat us; we have no choice…'

Chen Wuji's pupils contracted in shock: 'Because they haven't had offspring, you want to kill them? Wow, you have such a vicious heart—this is also the most ferocious reason I've ever seen, it's terrifying.'

【No, no.】 Lu Wanwan's face flushed as she hurriedly explained, 'It's not our reason for killing them; they want to eat us, so we must definitely fight—we can't let them actually eat us, right? Husband, you'll end up wife-less!'

Chen Wuji burst out laughing, the little heart he had lifted finally settled; fortunately, these two big tigers hadn't given them a chance to raise them.

【It's fine, it's fine; tigers aren't easy to raise anyway.】 Chen Wuji offered a bland reassurance, then turned his gaze to the other grandfather who looked almost identical to Lu Daye.

【This one must be my true biological grandfather, right?】

Lu San ye was also sizing up Chen Wuji; hearing this, he was startled badly and hastily said he didn't dare, 'I dare not accept such an address from the commander; we are merely outsiders, also honest farmers.'

【Grandfather need not be so formal; from Wanwan's perspective, you two are indeed my grandfathers.' Chen Wuji said sincerely, 'No need to consider what status I have; my Great Yu governs with filial piety, and even the emperor, when he sees his father-in-law, still has to call him father-in-law.'

This really isn't Chen Wuji joking; the fact is indeed so.

However, power still overrides this relationship; the title is merely a surface label, and the emperor's father-in-law must still perform the proper rites before the emperor, not omitting a single gesture.

Besides, I've heard that the emperor's father-in-law seems now to be busy plotting against the emperor.

【I, an old man, truly dare not accept!】 Lu San ye repeatedly bowed, the old fellow feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the favor.

Chen Wuji's utterance of 'grandfather' truly left him dazed, his head buzzing.

【So the elder grandfather went specially to fetch the third grandfather?】 Chen Wuji asked.

Lu Daye hastily said, 'Commander, perhaps you should just call us by our names; being addressed this way makes my old bones uncomfortable all over, and I suspect Lao San feels the same.'

【You could accept it when you were alone, so why aren't you used to it now that the third grandfather has come? Your discomfort isn't with me, it's with the third grandfather, right?】 Chen Wuji teased with a smile.

Lu Daye gave an embarrassed little cough, 'I… hadn't thought of this before, only realized it later.'

【Hahaha…】 Chen Wuji waved his hand, 'You two sit first; this way I'll call you Grandfather and Third Grandfather—you are elders and also Wanwan's grandfathers, so addressing you by name directly would be too much.'

【Besides, calling you two by your names directly would be even more unpleasant,】 Chen Wuji jeered with a laugh.

Lu San ye's name, which he had long heard from Lu Daye and Wanwan, is Lu Rouchen.

It's no better than Lu Daye's; both are very gentle feminine names.

One doesn't know what their father was thinking back then, seemingly obsessed with having a daughter.

Lu Daye's old face darkened: 'This is a blemish on our two lifetimes; we should have changed it when we were young, but back then we thought since it was our father's choice, a momentary mistake left it unchanged.'

【Now that we're old, there's no need to change it.】

Chen Wuji very much agreed with this.

As a grandmaster-level expert, such a name is indeed somewhat embarrassing to show.

Going out means social death.

【So, Grandfather, this time you came specially to fetch Third Grandfather?】 Chen Wuji asked.

Lu Daye shook his head, 'Not exactly a special trip to fetch him; Lao San was already at Shenxian Ling, having followed Liu Yan's great army into the mountains. Since the Lu clan has decided to leave the mountains, they must show attitude and sincerity.'