"Someone rescued me."
Even mentioning it left Deng Xiu shaken.
Zi Shou asked again, "Was it Grand Tutor Wen who saved you?"
Deng Xiu said, "It was-"
But the moment he opened his mouth, he no longer knew how to explain.
He had initially thought those men were soldiers prepared to die on their mission. But after meeting Grand Tutor Wen, he realized they were not his own people at all. He had no idea who had saved his miserable hide. They wanted neither honors nor riches; once they had delivered him somewhere safe, those hooded men had left without the slightest hesitation. How strange.
"Well..." Deng Xiu took a moment to choose his words. "A few wandering heroes rescued me. They admired our Great Shang, so they ventured deep into the trap to save me, regardless of the danger. They were all men of loyalty and righteousness!"
Zi Shou wondered where these people had popped out from. Were they playing heroes who served their country and its people now?
Deng Xiu continued, "Your Majesty, there is more. While fleeing, I discovered a lake and obtained a sword from the carcass of a softshell turtle beside it."
"A sword?" Zi Shou grew more bewildered. Now there was even a sword from a lake? What on earth was this?
Deng Xiu explained, "It is supposedly called the Heavenly Mandate Sword, the sword wielded by the first Hung King, ruler of Baiyue. It is a sword that chooses a king. Whoever possesses it is the heaven-appointed ruler of Baiyue."
Heh. Heh. Heh.
Zi Shou gave a dry laugh. He did remember such a story from Vietnamese mythology in his previous life. Deng Xiu had been rather lucky. Fortunately, it was no great problem. It was only a sword; the Baiyue Tribes could