Chapter Ten: Regret for Being Born at the Wrong Time

The barrage of comments in her mind was in a frenzy. Su Zhenzhen almost fainted. With a running start and a running jump, she tackled Hensheng down from the tree.

Although her body had undergone genetic optimization, it was difficult to control the force at this height, and Su Zhenzhen eventually fell to the ground with Hensheng.

The joy of closing a deal was completely overwhelmed, and Su Zhenzhen was so angry that she slapped Hensheng across the face.

Are you sick?

Hensheng still had a hanging belt wrapped around her neck, a broken beauty that was hard to describe.

The old man stumbled and crawled over, his wrinkled face covered in tears.

"Hateful life, why are you doing this to yourself?"

Hateful Life looked utterly hopeless. “Hateful Life, hateful life, I was born full of resentment, I might as well just die.”

Su Zhenzhen's hand was a little sore from the slap, but upon hearing Hensheng's words, she ignored the pain and immediately slapped him again.

"What do you mean by being born full of resentment? With your body that can't carry anything, do you think it was easy for your father to raise you at his age? Although General Huo entrusted you with this task, he could have easily abandoned you after General Huo's death. If you die, how can you face his twenty years of nurturing?"

Hensheng turned his head away, tears streaming down his face and soaking the dry ground beneath him. "But too many people have died because of me."

Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but slap him again. "Xu Hua's whole family protected you when you came to find General Huo. The widow and orphan even secretly raised an army to prepare to destroy the country for you. Do you think old man Bai, at his age, would raise a child to be this big? If it weren't for Xu Hua's secret help, look at your clothes, with gold thread and lining. Which peasant family is so particular? They risked their lives to protect you and raise you. Do you think anyone resented your birth?"

Old Bai nodded vigorously, "What the immortal said is absolutely true. Hensheng, the Xu family used all their strength to protect you. Old Madam Xu only said those words in a fit of anger. You have never been a burden to us."

Su Zhenzhen wasn't as gentle and coaxing as the old man Bai. If it weren't for the fact that the imperial bloodline in this man's body could make her cultivation twice as effective, she wouldn't care whether he lived or died.

Su Zhenzhen got up from Hensheng and grabbed his collar, forcing him to look at her.

"Remember, your name is Hensheng, meaning 'hating being born at the wrong time.' The deaths of those people were also due to being born at the wrong time. There is no reason for loyal ministers and good generals to die. What you need to do is use your bloodline to fulfill their wishes, so that true loyal ministers and good generals can rest in peace instead of being forced to bear the label of traitors and live in constant fear."

After saying that, Su Zhenzhen let go of his hand, and Hensheng fell solidly to the ground. Old Man Bai quickly helped him up.

"Hensheng, the gods are right. You must live well. The road ahead is long, and none of us can say for sure."

A glimmer of light finally returned to Hensheng's dull eyes, and his voice slowly became firm, "That's right, I want to live, I want to live well."

Hensheng left Old Man Bai's support, walked up to Su Zhenzhen, and solemnly knelt down. "Immortal, I want to gather Xu Hua's private army under my control. Please help me."

Su Zhenzhen rubbed her head in frustration; the barrage of comments in her mind was just too noisy.

[The male lead is the former crown prince, his bloodline is noble, can't the female lead just say what she wants to say? Why does she have to be so hurtful?]

[Why are you hitting the male lead? Female lead, you just wait until he unifies the world and then executes you.]

Unify the world? With his looks?

Su Zhenzhen really didn't want to say anything right now. She took out a flashlight from her backpack and had Hensheng hold it above his head.

This flashlight is solar-powered. It's been used for so long since it was brought here and hasn't needed charging yet. This person has nothing better to do, so he can use it as a human support.

"You better hold it up properly, higher up, above your head. You really have nothing better to do!" Su Zhenzhen said irritably as she sat down next to Hensheng. "You've been to school, haven't you? So why are you so brainless? Let's not even talk about whether Xu Hua's private soldiers know you or even acknowledge you. Even if they were all loyal to you, how are you going to support them in this state? Do you think you can rebel and establish a country just by relying on your bloodline? Don't be so naive."

Hensheng's face turned ashen. Su Zhenzhen was right. At first, he had taken things for granted, thinking that he had to live well and not let Xu Hua and the others down, so he needed to have some savings.

But now he himself needs to be supported by Old Man Bai, so how can he support an army?

Seeing that Hensheng did not refute her, Su Zhenzhen guessed that he had taken her words to heart, so she gave him some more earnest advice.

"When you encounter problems, there are more than just two solutions: life or death. As your father said, there's still a long road ahead."

Su Zhenzhen didn't hold back, and Hensheng's face was swollen on both sides. He was kneeling on the ground holding a flashlight, and the scene was indescribably ridiculous.

Old Man Bai dared not plead for them, and he knew that it was because of Su Zhenzhen's words that Hensheng had given up his thoughts of death. Seeing Su Zhenzhen close her eyes to meditate, he stood guard for the two of them.

Su Zhenzhen opened her eyes only when she felt herself sweating. She saw that Hensheng's forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat, but he remained motionless while holding the flashlight. Her anger subsided.

Su Zhenzhen picked up the flashlight, turned it on to test the light, and then put it back in her backpack.

Hensheng remained motionless. Su Zhenzhen glanced at him sideways and said in a nonchalant voice, "Should I ask you to get up?"

Hensheng jumped up, a few bits of grass still clinging to his trousers.

“Let’s keep going and see where we’re headed.” Su Zhenzhen turned to the old man in white. “What do you think?”

Old Man Bai carefully considered his words before speaking, "Where does the immortal wish to go?"

Su Zhenzhen rolled her eyes. "From now on, call me Zhenzhen, or Miss Su."

"Yes, yes, Miss Su." Old Man Bai now basically obeys Su Zhenzhen's every command.

Su Zhenzhen raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. "Where can we buy food? We have to celebrate after making a sale."

After all, Su Zhenzhen had to spend the reward Xu Hua gave her, and she didn't want to keep wearing the dead man's things on her body.

That's right, when Su Zhenzhen released Xu Hua's body, she took off the jade pendant and the thumb ring.

"If you keep going forward, you'll reach Qingyun Town, but the things sold there probably won't be cheap."

Su Zhenzhen had Old Man Bai lead the way, and when they arrived in town, they went to the pawnshop to exchange the money.

Su Zhenzhen was clueless, and Old Man Bai had never seen such a good thing before. In the crucial moment, it was only because He Sheng had read more books that he wasn't ripped off by the pawnshop owner.

The agreement was signed as a fixed-term pawn, and the two items were pawned for a total of one hundred taels of silver.

Su Zhenzhen happily swung her money bag around; the feeling of having money was just too good.

At the same time, she didn't forget to comfort Hensheng, "Look, if it weren't for you, Old Man Bai and I would probably have had to let the other party set the price."

Although Hensheng didn't speak, the upturned corners of his mouth betrayed his inner joy.

However, Su Zhenzhen immediately remembered something else, "Your thatched hut is completely exposed, and you can't go out, so how do you study?"