The Demon Lords

Chapter 1091: Chapter 262: Simp_3

When she added the starch noodles with "boldness," Lord Zheng still had two pieces of noodles at his feet, yet the woman didn’t pick them up to throw them back in.

Jiang Hu shook his head and said, "Sorry."

This was a direct refusal.

Lord Zheng silently picked up the bowl of water in front of him, took a sip, and refrained from saying the foolish words of offering silver. Clearly, this household didn’t lack silver, or rather, didn’t care much for it.

The princess pursed her lips and asked, "How is General Gongsun?"

Jiang Hu’s gaze immediately hardened, while the woman was so startled she stumbled back, crashing into the table.

Lord Zheng continued drinking water, appearing calm and in control, yet he didn’t even know who General Gongsun was.

Jiang Hu licked his lips and asked, "Young lady, who are you really?"

The princess wasn’t in a hurry to reveal her identity; instead, she smiled and said, "Years ago, although the Gongsun Clan wasn’t as prominent or wealthy as the Qu Clan, they were esteemed for their beast-taming skills. Generations held the position of head at the Imperial Beast Bureau, and numerous aristocrats treated them with respect to acquire a famed beast, earning them a reputation as noble.

Unexpectedly, they’ve fallen to this level now. It’s truly lamentable."

Jiang Hu didn’t reach for his knife and bow but clapped his hands and said, "Interesting, I didn’t expect even hiding here, I would be found by people from the Phoenix Nest."

"You’re overthinking. I’m not from the Phoenix Nest, nor is my husband. We’re just fugitives."

"You think I’ll believe that?"

The princess silently untied her clothing, revealing her left arm. There was still solidified wax on it, but the Fire Phoenix mark underneath was visible through the wax.

The woman exclaimed directly:

"Royalty!"

Jiang Hu hesitantly looked at his wife.

The woman nodded affirmatively to Jiang Hu, saying, "It’s the Fire Phoenix mark."

Jiang Hu’s eyes showed signs of thought, then suddenly drew his hunting knife, not aiming it at the princess, but at Lord Zheng.

Lord Zheng still sat there, expression unchanged.

Remaining calm before a crumbling mountain is a trained skill.

However, the woman seemed more knowledgeable than this man.

"The day before yesterday, coming down the mountain, I heard of a major event that recently occurred in Chu. A lord from Yan State was said to have kidnapped the Fourth Princess in front of everyone on a wedding day between the Qu Clan and the princess.

It’s unexpected,

I, dwelling in the deep mountains, should encounter the Lord Pingye of Yan."

Lord Zheng put down his bowl, opened the pot lid, looked inside, and said:

"I wonder if the starch noodles are done yet."

He wasn’t planning to intervene, letting the princess speak instead.

Being an aloof master was something Lord Zheng was experienced in.

"Princess... Princess."

The woman first knelt before the princess.

Seeing this, Jiang Hu had a somewhat hesitant look in his eyes.

The princess ignored Jiang Hu, turned around, and extended her hand to help the woman up, asking, "May I ask the surname of your husband?"

"This guilty woman bears the surname Gongsun, first name Ling."

"So, Madam Husband comes from the Gongsun Clan."

"Yes, my husband was once a personal guard under my father’s command. On the night of the upheaval in Ing Capital City, he protected me as we fled the capital, hiding deep in these mountains."

"Madam Husband has endured hardships."

The Gongsun Clan, hereditary heads of the Imperial Beast Bureau, suddenly vanished nearly a year ago in one day.

The disappearance was because the Gongsun Clan followed the Eldest Prince. After the late emperor’s passing, the Eldest Prince was the first to act, intending to seize control of the court in the capital, Ing Capital City.

The Gongsun Clan even mobilized their clan security forces along with many demonic beasts from the Imperial Beast Bureau. However, the Fourth Prince had already obtained the loyalty of the imperial guards, and several imperial guard factions swiftly entered Ing Capital City, with the Witch Masters siding with the Fourth Prince, mercilessly crushing the Eldest Prince’s revolt in Ing Capital City.

The Eldest Prince was deliberately released from Ing Capital City, hoping to attract followers for a comprehensive sweep, while the Gongsun Clan perished on that night.

The woman named Gongsun Ling; her father must be the Gongsun Clan head, which meant that the princess’s own brother was the culprit of annihilating this woman’s clan.

Jiang Hu looked at Zheng Fan, slowly lowered his knife, and sat down again.

Lord Zheng took up a spoon, noticing the women were busy, so he started stirring the pot to prevent the starch noodles from sticking to the bottom.

Although the woman belonged to the Gongsun Clan, the real talent must be this Jiang Hu.

This explained why the Green Python would instinctively avoid him because, in the past, the princess had attracted the Green Python with her Fire Phoenix blood. According to royal tradition, it should have been handed over to the Imperial Beast Bureau for taming.

The Green Python must have sensed Jiang Hu’s presence, thus choosing to avoid him.

Ah well, beasts are beasts, unreliable at critical moments.

Lord Zheng thought that upon returning, that Green Python should be given to the demons for a good training to instill some "loyalty."

Then,

Thinking back on it,

That Yellow Dog was probably arranged by Jiang Hu himself, like setting a lookout at that canyon spot, ready to respond upon hearing a noise.

A talented individual.

Jiang Hu spoke, "Ah Ling, she’s your enemy. Say the word, and I’ll kill her to avenge your family."

Lord Zheng shook his head, sighing:

A sycophant.

Yet, this sycophant probably succeeded because the woman, already having lost everything, couldn’t survive without the sycophant.

Clearly, although he’s also a criminal in Chu, forced into hiding all over, upon seeing Yan’s Lord Pingye, he spoke of avenging his wife’s family.