The Cannon Fodder Character Attacked The Arrogant Male Protagonist. - Chapter 5

“Jiang Jindeng, do you even have a heart? Jiang Jindeng, you deserve to die!”

The moment his consciousness fell into darkness again, the shrill, hysterical curses that had filled his entire life rushed toward him. Everyone seemed destined to fall in love with him, and whether he willed it or not, they would obsessively exhaust every effort to serve him, only to eventually beg for his attention. But regardless of their devotion, it always eventually curdled into hostility, resentment, and hatred.

Why? I never needed your love. I do not want to love any of you.

He had spent his youth seeking the Great Dao, his life never pausing. Where was the end of it all?

The lingering pain of the past few days suddenly vanished. Jiang Jindeng felt a sense of relief, as if he were finally being told he could stop and rest. Wrapped in the grievances of those old acquaintances, he remained motionless as his perception gradually dissolved into the void.

Then, a faint sound echoed. It was very soft, standing out distinctly against the chaotic, shrill cries. Jiang Jindeng’s calm pupils shifted slightly.

“We received the report on the Marquis of Zhongyong case last night. The Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion has ordered the Grand Court of Justice to investigate the case thoroughly. Your Majesty, how long do you think it will take to process this?”

His soul drifted above a certain room. He first saw a screen depicting a plum blossom forest in winter. Separated by his perspective, there was only the person speaking, shielding the one sitting beside the screen. Only a blurred shadow was reflected on it, creating a sense of mystery.

Jiang Jindeng did not move or react, but the person who had been blocked stood up. He replied casually to the person who had spoken earlier, then walked a few steps, appearing fully in Jiang Jindeng’s line of sight.

He was a young man holding a scroll, as if he had been reading. He looked as fresh as morning dew. The entire sight caused Jiang Jindeng’s numb, calm black eyes to stir. He wore a bright yellow robe, and he walked toward a certain spot. Never had anyone been so suited for yellow; it made his temperament even softer, his jade-like skin exposed at the collar. His long black hair draped down his back, blending with the layers of brocade clothing as he moved.

Who is this person?

After a while, he remembered. Oh, right, I have been reborn. This person is the new Emperor.

The new Emperor walked into the inner chamber. He approached someone lying on the bed, approaching his own body. Jiang Jindeng froze and felt himself tumble forward. The pain returned to his consciousness. His soul had returned to his youthful body.

Jiang Jindeng opened his eyes wearily. Even with his immense endurance, he could not help but relax slightly in his semi-conscious state. He was in agony; the embers of his soul being burned before his rebirth still lingered, and it seemed only snow could wash away even a fraction of it. Furthermore, his body was ill from the confusion of his first day back in the snow.

Through the haze, Jiang Jindeng felt a hand touch his forehead. It was warm. He resisted the temperature, but soon the hand moved away. When it touched him again, it had become ice-cold. Jiang Jindeng’s pain eased slightly.

A male voice sounded above him. “How can he be healed?”

Jiang Jindeng found the voice incredibly pleasant, like trickling water, possessing a gentle and tranquil power.

“Your Majesty, Honorable Jiang’s condition is very strange. His body is deficient in energy, clearly suffering from internal cold, yet his spiritual meridians are burning hot. I suggest summoning the Storage of Spiritual Illumination to diagnose him.”

That person’s hand slowly stroked his forehead. He did not speak. Jiang Jindeng fell back asleep in the stillness.

When Jiang Jindeng woke up, his internal fever had not recurred.

Yu Zhao: “Awake?”

The imperial physician had long since left, but Yu Zhao was still guarding his side. He sat next to Jiang Jindeng, head bowed, reading memorials. Jiang Jindeng subconsciously wanted to attack him. A bodily instinct of revulsion arose at the proximity of another person. Yu Zhao did not notice. Watching him wake up, he wondered about the illness; it was strange, as the original plot skipped over this period entirely, leaving him unaware of the cause of the protagonist’s sudden, unprovoked illness.

However, such things required long-term planning. He stood up, and Jiang Jindeng noticed his long, well-proportioned hands, the fingertips flushed red. He turned to see a basin of water by the table. He did not need to touch it to know it was ice-cold. Jiang Jindeng recalled what had happened while he was unconscious and relaxed slightly.

However, Yu Zhao had already put away his scrolls. He smiled gently and simply at him. “Rest well.” He then turned and walked toward the door, his alienation visible to the naked eye. Jiang Jindeng froze, but then his tongue suddenly felt cold. Only now did he realize there was an ice cube in his mouth, as if someone had parted his lips in his sleep and placed it there.

“Your Majesty.” Outside the Qianqing Palace, the ministers were waiting to continue reporting to Yu Zhao. Seeing him come out, they bowed.

Zheng Yuan: “Your Majesty, after the Marquis of Zhongyong case concludes, I request orders to go to Cizhou to alleviate your burdens.”

Yu Zhao replied with patience and generosity: “No rush. I have a better candidate.”

Regarding Cizhou: since the original work was a Dragon Aotian novel, there were many things waiting for Jiang Jindeng to handle. Cizhou was a plot point in the middle-to-late stages. The protagonist did not leave the Demon Realm alone; he had set out with two senior brothers, but they argued mid-way, and Jiang Jindeng went to Jiangnan alone. They had originally intended to go to Cizhou. Jiang Jindeng had never been to the mortal realm before. At a restaurant in Jiangnan, he saw orphans begging on the street. A rich man riding a horse through the street saw the beggars and, disgusted by them staining the eyes of his famous horse, lashed out with a horsewhip.

Jiang Jindeng was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, so he flew down from the restaurant to save the beggars and beat the rich man until his skin was torn and flesh mangled. That was when the Emperor, on the opposite street, caught sight of him.

Jiang Jindeng always wore white to disguise his Demon identity. At that time, because the Demon Race was sealed by the Immortal Realm, their existence was considered distant to the mortal world. He was clearly a cold, chilly youth, yet he was astonishingly beautiful.

That was not the reason Jiang Jindeng was caught by the Emperor later. Although the Emperor was intrigued, seeing that Jiang Jindeng possessed high cultivation and an otherworldly temperament, he feared he was an immortal cultivator—a mistake in his judgment. Jiang Jindeng was a demon who looked like an immortal.

The Emperor felt that, unlike in the palace, he could not let it go after seeing the rich man whipped so viciously; he was both shocked and terrified, thinking Jiang Jindeng was vicious. But he was unwilling to leave, feeling he would be at a loss. Just then, Jiang Jindeng stopped, and the rich man scrambled away, not even bothering to lead his horse. The beggars wept while looking at Jiang Jindeng. Jiang Jindeng stood there for a moment, then took out his money pouch to buy them steamed buns.

The little beggars tugged at him, crying about how they feared their next meal. Jiang Jindeng thought about it and followed them to the alley where they slept. The Emperor followed with his men, thinking it would be good to get a few words in. In that very alley, Jiang Jindeng saw the rich man who had fled earlier. The beggars surrounding him suddenly opened their mouths to bite him.

It turned out they were a group specialized in tricking people. The one pretending to be the rich man was the leader; he abducted children and trained them to be poison-men, people who ingested poison from a young age but neutralized it, becoming living vessels of deadly toxin.

Jiang Jindeng was caught off guard and bitten by a poison-man. He had clearly been poisoned and spat blood, yet he did not collapse. He raised his sword to kill the rich man. In recent days, these kinds of tricks had come one after another, but the rich man had never encountered someone as tough as Jiang Jindeng. The Emperor watched this scene from behind. The Daoist who had come out of the palace with him hit upon a plan, telling him there was a way to seal the cultivation of an immortal.

Later, Jiang Jindeng left the palace. The rich and powerful of the capital were slaughtered by him. It was not until the middle-to-late stages of the novel that he reached Cizhou.

Zheng Yuan wanted to say more, but he stopped instantly upon seeing Jiang Jindeng walk out of the inner chamber. Zheng Yuan was incredulous: “This…”

The Emperor had just gone in, and the imperial physician had arrived. He thought the Emperor was unwell but was still handling affairs while ill, and he had been feeling passionate. It was because Honorable Jiang was inside!

Yu Zhao saw the protagonist emerge from the corner of his eye and looked straight ahead: “Continue.”

Zheng Yuan’s face stiffened. Zheng Yuan had been upright his whole life, serving the Emperor with total loyalty. Unfortunately, the Emperor had been muddle-headed in the past. Feeling that his talents were wasted, he was overjoyed to see the Emperor recover his spirits, becoming gentle, wise, and plotting the removal of the traitor Marquis of Zhongyong. His heart was filled with admiration. Now, seeing this Honorable Jiang, whom the Emperor had previously loved to death, Yu Zhao was “confused” again. He felt an uncontrollable heaviness in his heart. However, since Yu Zhao had spoken, he could not show it.

Zheng Yuan said with a bitter face: “I am presumptuous, but I want to ask, which lord does the Emperor have in mind?”

Yu Zhao: “The son of the Marquis of Wenxin.”

Zheng Yuan was surprised that the Emperor could remember this person: “Your Majesty is wise. I will return to the mansion to organize the regulations regarding this place and can give them to Lord Xiao when the time comes.”

Zheng Yuan truly did not know how to be an official, saying these things in front of his supreme superior.

Yu Zhao’s eyes filled with more amusement: “You may withdraw.”

Jiang Jindeng looked at Yu Zhao. In such a short time, he could control the government and win people over. Great methods.

Zheng Yuan withdrew, and Yu Zhao continued to handle state affairs. Jiang Jindeng had never seen Yu Zhao handle government affairs. As a fake Emperor whom he knew was an impostor, Jiang Jindeng was curious about how Yu Zhao would handle the affairs of a human dynasty. Seeing that Yu Zhao did not stop him, Jiang Jindeng kept the ice cube in his mouth, stepped onto the platform, and went to see what Yu Zhao was doing.

Today, Yu Zhao did not have his hair bound, with only a hairpin holding his hair in place. Jiang Jindeng observed him. When handling matters, Yu Zhao’s expression was calm and collected, revealing a cold sense of superiority. He showed no sign of paying him any mind. He sat elegantly at the desk, reading the scrolls, noble and refined. If not for the truth, no one would know Yu Zhao was an impostor rather than the true Son of Heaven.

Jiang Jindeng watched what he was reading from a few steps away. It was a memorial. Jiang Jindeng was shocked the moment he glanced at it; the memorial was densely packed, seven or eight pages long. Jiang Jindeng looked carefully at what it said. The opening described the local scenery to the Emperor, later moving to local customs, then shifting to the fierce folk customs and frequent criminal cases, finally changing into a request for disaster relief. It was so convoluted that it made Jiang Jindeng dizzy, thinking, Are all human officials like this?

Before Jiang Jindeng finished reading, Yu Zhao had already browsed through it quickly. With a flick of his brush, he resolved the complicated case. Jiang Jindeng was startled. Does the fake Emperor handle these things every day?

He sat down a few steps away from Yu Zhao—not far, but not close. After several incense sticks of time, Yu Zhao finally moved. Jiang Jindeng felt he should have finished handling these things and was about to leave. He stood up. Yu Zhao walked toward him, probably to take him away. Yu Zhao stood in front of him.

Yu Zhao lifted his chin and suddenly leaned in close: “Open your mouth and let me see if the ice cube has melted.”