Chapter 017: The Game Begins

Du Fan sat on a tall and sturdy horse—imposing and covered in scars, clearly a standard warhorse that had long endured the trials of battle. He was also clad in leather armor, with a knight’s sword at his waist and a quiver of arrows along with a crossbow on the horse’s back, giving him a heroic appearance.

He sat quietly on the horse, wearing a subtle smile. He politely greeted the nobles who approached him. Just this demeanor was enough to impress people. Yet, despite Du Fan’s friendly smile, aside from a few who considered themselves of some status, no one dared to approach him directly. Most of them were likely waiting for Governor Brandon to introduce them.

Unfortunately, Governor Brandon had no intention of introducing anyone at the moment. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he stammered beside Du Fan, “Young Master Du… Du Fan, with this weather, there’s probably no prey around. Shall I send someone to bring in some wild animals? Otherwise, if we catch nothing later, it would be embarrassing. After all, this season… there’s hardly any prey.”

Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “That’s not necessary, Governor Brandon. I’ve come uninvited and taken your hunting ground. You’re not resentful, are you?”

Governor Brandon smiled broadly and replied, “How could I dare! How could I!”

Du Fan continued, “Good. Then I caught that assassin by accident and didn’t tell you about it. You’re not angry, are you?”

“No! No!” Governor Brandon waved his hands repeatedly. “It’s my failure—unable to catch the assassin. I had to rely on Young Master Du Fan to take action. I’m truly ashamed…”

Du Fan nodded slowly and said, “That’s good. Governor Brandon, I believe you’re a smart man. So whatever you see later, I only have one requirement for you: watch only, don’t speak. I don’t need to teach you how to do this, do I? And as for the consequences of not obeying, I doubt you need me to explain.”

Brandon wiped more cold sweat from his face and said, “Yes! Yes! Yes! I certainly understand.”

Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “That’s good! That’s good! Come, Governor Brandon. Let me introduce you to my second brother, Allen. I think you haven’t met him yet, have you?”

As Du Fan moved, Brandon saw Allen smiling gracefully, giving him a slight nod and saying, “So this must be Governor Brandon? My third son has been staying in Mordo City these days. I’m sorry to have troubled you. I’ve been busy with matters these past few days and haven’t had time to visit. It seems I should pay you a proper visit at the governor’s residence once I’m free from now on!”
Yet though Allen’s smile was graceful, the coldness in his expression remained unchanged.
Brandon felt uneasy and forced a nervous smile, saying, “Lord Allen, you’re too kind. From any perspective, it should be me who visits you. I’ve just been busy catching rebel assassins and temporarily forgot that. Please forgive me, Lord Allen.”
Allen replied indifferently, “What’s there to forgive? The governor has important duties—how can they be compared to those of us idle people? How about this? Since we met today, let’s make the most of it and not stop drinking until we’re drunk.”
Brandon quickly said, “If Lord Allen insists, how dare I refuse?”
Allen laughed heartily and said, “Great! That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear. I just hope you won’t get drunk too soon, Governor Brandon. After all, the program arranged by my third son is absolutely spectacular!”
“What kind of program could be so spectacular? Please, Lord Allen, introduce it to us in detail!”
A cool voice rang out. Allen and Du Fan turned to see it was Joshua, with the Northern Army God, Xiao Yulong, following behind him.
Before Allen could say anything, Du Fan gave him a glance, stepped forward, and said, “It’s an honor to meet Lord Joshua…”
Joshua nodded slowly and said, “Du Fan, I didn’t expect you to be so interesting. This hunting party is quite lively indeed.”
Du Fan knew full well that this great knight leader wasn’t praising him but was actually mocking him. He nodded with a half-smile and said, “Why rush, Lord Joshua? I guarantee you’ve never hunted like this in your life… I just hope you’ll give me some face later and not be too surprised!”
With that, Du Fan smiled, waved his hand behind him, and said, “Now that all the guests have arrived, we can start. Lord Joshua, let’s go!”
Then, Du Fan took the lead and rushed out of the banquet area, raising his whip high on the grassland.

Those nobles naturally knew this was the signal that the hunt had begun. However, they didn’t dare to follow recklessly. Instead, they waited until Allen, Joshua, Xiao Yulong, Brandon, and the others followed before mounting their horses. Du Fan was at the front of the group. He glanced back several times, a satisfied expression on his face. Just as he was about to say something, a sound of horns came through the air. Allen’s expression darkened—those horn sounds were clearly the signal that the Northern Legion had been attacked. Looking at Allen’s face, Du Fan couldn’t help but ask, “Second brother, what’s going on?” Allen replied coldly, “Someone must be trying to force their way into this hunting ground. Hmph. But for someone to dare attack our Northern Legion members, they really can’t stand waiting. Third brother, wait here. I’ll go cut off those guys’ heads. No more talk.” Du Fan frowned slightly but then smiled faintly and said, “Second brother, I think you don’t need to go. Just order someone to let them in. Since they’ve dared to storm into the Northern Legion’s camp, they’re surely not ordinary people. I really want to see who I forgot to invite this time!” Allen was stunned and asked, “Are you sure?” Du Fan smiled and said, “Of course!” Allen snapped, “Good. Anyway, I’m going to take those guys’ heads no matter what. I want to see how many of them have the guts to cause trouble in our Northern Legion’s territory.” With that, Allen took out a standard from his bosom and waved it. Immediately, messengers behind him went to deliver the order. In less than a moment, dust rose on one side—presumably the Northern Legion’s cavalry had received orders to let those people in. The nobles behind Du Fan didn’t know what was happening and all showed strange expressions. But a few astute among them saw the flag behind the arriving group from afar and their expressions changed. “It’s the Belinger family!” As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked. With Du Fan and the others’ sharp eyes, they could clearly see that the flag belonged to the Belinger family. Allen sneered and said, “Good. I was just looking for an excuse to settle accounts with these guys. Who would have thought they’d come to us on their own… I really want to see how many of them have come today and how many will be able to escape!”

Du Fan glanced at Allen and said, “Second brother, there’s no need to say such things. They’re guests who have come to our door, and of course we must treat them well. Second brother, why not send a message to Da? Even if Modu City is attacked right now, we can take it back later. There’s no need for him to stay in the city. It would be better for him to come out and see the big shots of the Belinger family up close in the distant North… Hmph, this could be considered a rare opportunity, right?”
Allen replied coldly, “Very good. If the leader doesn’t invite them, it would indeed be inappropriate. It’s rare to see someone from the Belinger family in the distant North. If we don’t make sure they die thoroughly, it would truly be a shame!”
As he spoke, Allen already pulled out a communication magic scroll and waved it casually. The scroll burned in the air, and moments later, it disappeared without a trace.
The few people in the front row had varying expressions. Du Fan wore a holy smile, while Allen had his signature cold expression. Governor Brandon, though dressed lightly, had also taken out a handkerchief and kept wiping his forehead.
Lord Xiao Yulong, on the other hand, remained calm, as if he hadn’t seen anything.
Joshua watched everything unfold thoughtfully. Suddenly, a rare smile appeared on his face as he said softly, “Very good, Du Fan. Lord Anthony really didn’t underestimate you… It seems you had everything planned long ago, didn’t you?”
Du Fan gave a strange smile and said, “Well, who knows? But I can assure you, Joshua, the most interesting game has already begun… Whether you want to participate or not, from this moment on, our interests are tied. Whether you’ll be an executor or a judge depends on your interests, Joshua… By the way, at the beginning, I think I should tell you that this interesting game has a very meaningful name—it’s called ‘The Final Judgment!’”
“The Final Judgment?” Joshua looked thoughtful. After a moment, he sighed softly and said, “It seems this game is truly extremely interesting!”
Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Well, who says it’s not?”