I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 177 - 121: I’ll See to His Burial

"I’m sorry, Duoji, I just want to live."

Jiang Qu said quietly.

Then, trembling, he threw away the knife in his hand, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at Lu Bingxin:

"Lord Lu, now, can I?"

Lu Bingxin did not expect Jiang Qu to so readily and decisively kill Duoji, and looked at him in surprise, then shook his head, sighing:

"If Duoji hadn’t found you, you’d have been dead long ago. Who would’ve thought he’d die at your hands..."

Jiang Qu was on the verge of mental collapse, roaring: "Enough nonsense, either he dies, or I die!"

In that moment, Lu Bingxin harbored a murderous intent towards Jiang Qu. This young man’s ruthlessness could one day pose a great threat if let go.

However, looking at Jiang Qu’s empty left sleeve, he finally said, "Give him a horse, let him go."

After all, this Second Prince was missing an arm, his mother was dead, and such an ungrateful person could never achieve great things.

Sparing his life was also to send a message to the Chanyu.

A cold glint flashed in Lu Bingxin’s eyes, and he waved his hand: "Go check if Duoji is truly dead."

A moment later, a government official nodded and remarked, "Killed with one strike. Second Prince, you are truly ruthless to your own."

Jiang Qu collapsed weakly to the ground, and after a long time, asked, "What will you do with his body?"

Lu Bingxin thought for a moment, then said, "We’ll probably cut off his head, preserve it, and send it to the Dingyuan Marquis to make your father furious."

Even though it was early winter and the first snow had fallen, a head transported a thousand miles to the Northern Territory would undoubtedly decay, so it must be well-preserved.

Although he didn’t fight, he knew that hanging the enemy general’s son’s head before the troops would certainly incite rage in the opponents.

Of course, it might also boost the enemy’s morale, depending on how the Dingyuan Marquis decided to use it.

Jiang Qu wiped his eyes, leaving a bloodstain on his face.

His eyes ached, he looked up, and saw the bitterly cold wind and a few vultures flying across the sky.

"Is this a chaotic burial mound?"

Lu Bingxin glanced at the nearby terrain: "Not far."

Jiang Qu stood up, unfastened the emerald-studded dagger from Duoji’s body, and respectfully presented it:

"With this knife, the Chanyu will know Duoji is dead... Gu Lan promised to release us. If you give Duoji’s head to the Dingyuan Marquis, how will you explain it to her?"

Lu Bingxin took the knife and examined it; it was a fine blade: "Then what do you propose?"

At that moment, Jiang Qu picked up the blood-stained Soft Hedgehog Armor from the ground and donned it.

"Our Royal Court has a custom called sky burial, where the deceased are given to vultures to devour, hoping... the Sky Wolf God will bless their soul to reincarnate."

Lu Bingxin looked up and also saw the vultures circling in the sky, smirking as he instructed two government officials: "I’ve heard of your Qiangrong’s custom. Out of respect for the Eldest Prince, you two, dispose of the body at the chaotic burial mound."

"Yes!"

Lu Bingxin glanced again, not trusting, he added: "Stay here for a few days... watch the body."

"Yes."

The government officials brought a horse, and Jiang Qu gently patted the Soft Hedgehog Armor on him, as if he could feel Duoji’s hot blood scorching over him.

"Second Prince, we’ll not meet again," Lu Bingxin cupped his hands.

Jiang Qu’s snake-like eyes narrowed, "We’ll meet again."

With that, he mounted the horse and sped northward.

After a long while, Jiang Qu looked up at the vast, spotless blue sky, occasionally seeing a few southward migrating geese.

He vomited, forced off the horse, and continued retching.

In his ears was still Duoji’s rough voice:

"Gu Lan will become Yan’s new Dingyuan Marquis. I will defeat her on the battlefield. Let’s quickly end all this and go home. I miss Mother and Zhuoma’s butter tea."

Finally, with red-rimmed eyes, he spoke slowly and deliberately: "I will avenge you, I will make the Yan people pay."

...

In the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, when Gu Lan returned, it was already time for dinner. She leisurely prepared ingredients for a hot pot.

Rong Heng sat nearby, eating sugar one piece at a time, already planning to have the first bite of meat later.

At this moment, Zipei came carrying a bundle of dirty clothes, saying: "Young Master, whose clothes are these? They’ve been piled up in the side room, should we keep them?"

Gu Lan looked and her pupils contracted, retreating behind Rong Heng: "Take them away! Don’t you smell they’re disgusting? These are clothes my eldest nephew took off after kneeling for six days yesterday, just throw them away."

"Eldest nephew? When did you have a nephew? Who is he?"

Gu Lan was momentarily stunned; she had always called him eldest nephew, and suddenly couldn’t remember his actual name.

Rong Heng: "Duoji."

"Yes," Gu Lan responded, "He’s no longer kneeling outside, and I find it a bit unusual." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Rong Heng threw a piece of candy into his mouth, chewed it up, and said, "I heard the eldest child of the Eldest Prince of Qiangrong is about the same age as you."

Gu Lan was shocked: "Seriously, that idiot already has kids?"

People of ancient times really married early... Duoji looks like he’s not even thirty, how does he manage to call himself an uncle?

Zipei suddenly understood:

"So you’re talking about the Eldest Prince of Qiangrong. He does indeed have a couple of children; he even came to the Capital City two years ago, offering his sister to the Emperor while he brought along his wife and a young daughter."

Zipei reminisced and added: "The Eldest Prince’s wife is called Zhuoma. I heard the name means ’fairy’."

Gu Lan raised an eyebrow: "How do you know all this so well?"

Zipei scratched his head and said:

"Because Zhuoma is very skilled in horse riding, she tamed the wildest horse in the Imperial Stables. Later, Princess Rui stepped out to compete in archery against her and won, saving face for us women of Dayan. The storytellers in teahouses often mention how Princess Rui outsmarted the Qiangrong Princess."

It was indeed said that Princess Rui had some martial arts skills.

Gu Lan questioned, "Then why not compete in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting? The Qiangrong people might not excel in those, right?"

"...We Yan people aren’t good at those either. At the time, there were people from Wei Country present, and their women are more proficient in those arts."

"Brother Hang, do you think letting Duoji and Jiang Qu return will make them future major threats to Yan Country?" Gu Lan said.

She eventually let them go, partly because she had taken a liking to her grand-nephew and had already promised, and partly because the Qiangrong General who would bring future trouble to Dingyuan Marquis and Rong Heng was named Jiang Di, and it wasn’t these two.

Rong Heng said calmly, "Since you’ve released them, if we meet again they’ll be enemies, and we can simply defeat them."

Indeed, the former male protagonist eventually defeated Jiang Di. As for Duoji and Jiang Qu, the original book didn’t mention them.

"Someone’s coming," Gu Lan sensed someone approaching, raising her head warily and asking Zipei to leave.

Within a few breaths, a tall figure appeared inside Step Lotus Hall.

"Why are you here?" Rong Heng asked in a mild tone.

You Ying glanced at Gu Lan, hesitating.

Rong Heng: "Speak."

He had nothing to hide from Gu Lan.

"Yes, just now Lord Xing sent a message saying that Lu Bingxin was ordered to eliminate the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince of Qiangrong. He saw the escort team return and learned only then that the Eldest Prince was already dead, and the Second Prince had escaped."

You Ying’s voice was hoarse yet clear, transmitting word for word into Gu Lan’s ear.

Gu Lan’s breath caught slightly.

Rong Heng’s pupils contracted as he said, "Ordered?"

You Ying said softly, "Lord Xing said that Lu Bingxin, while escorting them midway, claimed he needed to take another route, saying it was by the Emperor’s verbal decree. Lord Xing could only watch as he took them alone to the outskirts—"

"How did he die," Gu Lan murmured, "Where’s the body!"

You Ying instinctively replied, "Outside the Capital City, in the chaotic burial mound—"

Gu Lan had already rushed out.

When she saw Zipei at the door, she coldly instructed, "Clean those clothes well and keep them, do not throw them away!"

As the cold wind brushed against her face, Gu Lan’s furious gaze calmed down, her dark eyes as cold as ice.

"He called me Uncle, even though it was just a joke."

Gu Lan rode the Marquis Mansion’s fast horse, her voice low, drifting in the wind.

"I know."

Rong Heng rode another horse, riding alongside her.

"I promised to let him go."

"I know."

"He died, and I’ll take care of his body."

"I know."

The sky turned completely dark, yet the two didn’t slow down one bit.

A red-haired figure flashed in Rong Heng’s eyes as he recalled the sight of Duoji carrying Jiang Qu during the day.

Although that Qiangrong Prince was from an alien clan, he was loyal and true, he shouldn’t have died here.

He sensed Gu Lan’s anger, her ethereal voice tranquil as deep water, soothing the soul:

"I am the Ghost Doctor, if I want him to live, he will not die."