My System Is Three Thousand Years Early

Qin Beifeng was, indeed, not wrong in his statement—unless he suddenly ascended to the Heavenly Human Realm, there was no way he could harm himself in his Iron Shell Turtle state.

Cheng Guang watched Qin Beifeng for a moment and, after slightly nodding his head, turned and walked away.

He waved his hand behind him towards Qin Beifeng.

"Fine then, Mr. Qin, you rest up for now."

Cheng Guang exited the military prison.

Qin Beifeng gazed at Cheng Guang's retreating figure, a look of bewilderment on his face.

No, wait.

Princely Heir, what did your "fine then" mean?

Did you agree, or did you not?

Qin Beifeng felt an inexplicable discomfort in his heart, his gaze carrying a trace of sorrow as he watched Cheng Guang leave.

Once Cheng Guang's silhouette had completely vanished from his sight,

Qin Beifeng's eyes drooped, his gaze falling upon the cold stone slabs of the military prison's floor. His pupils flickered with an indescribable sheen, his thoughts drifting off to somewhere unknown.

...…

Cheng Guang did not actually plan on completely agreeing to Qin Beifeng's terms; he was still going to bring guards with him.

If he couldn't have guards out in the open, then he'd resort to using ones in secret.

As for Qin Beifeng, Cheng Guang couldn't afford to let down his guard completely.

Maintaining a high level of vigilance was the proper respect to show towards Qin Beifeng, the back-stabber.

Cheng Guang left the military prison and returned to Duke Zhen's Mansion, where he sought out Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan.

Duke Zhen Guo was currently enjoying tea in the palace hall.

While perusing reports sent by his subordinates, he was also subtly nurturing his body.

Even though Duke Zhen managed to repel the two Demon Kings and the numerous Demon Beasts after their battle, and did not suffer any obvious injuries, there were many hidden ones.

These hidden injuries required time to heal gradually and couldn't be resolved instantly.

Upon sensing the door being pushed open, Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan, lightly raised his eyes. An ancient and authoritative gaze landed on Cheng Guang.

"Grandson, why have you come? Sit down first."

Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan, gestured for Cheng Guang to sit down.

At the same time, he looked slightly puzzled. Why was his grandson coming to see him again?

Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan, found that Cheng Guang would not come to him for no reason. Each time he visited, either something significant was occurring, or an accident had happened.

Overall, it didn't seem like any good news would follow.

So Duke Zhen Guo faced Cheng Guang with an involuntary sense of tension.

Cheng Guang, unaffected by Duke Zhen Guo's nervousness, walked up to him, sat down, and said,

"Grandfather, I came here regarding Qin Beifeng."

When Duke Zhen Guo heard Cheng Guang say this, he uttered a light "Oh," and inwardly he sighed with relief.

Thankfully, no major incident had occurred.

Duke Zhen Guo smiled kindly at Cheng Guang and asked, "So, grandson, are you intending to plead for leniency on behalf of Qin Beifeng?"

Cheng Guang slightly nodded and then shook his head a bit, "Not quite. Qin Beifeng still has his uses. It would be rather regrettable if he just died simply like that."

Duke Zhen Guo's expression faltered for a moment after hearing Cheng Guang's words before he chuckled, evidently surprised by such a response.

If Cheng Guang truly intended to plead for Qin Beifeng, even if he would not voice any concerns, Duke Zhen Guo would have felt a certain level of disappointment.

The leader of an army, or even an empire, should never harbor unwarranted sentiments of compassion.

Letting emotions dictate decisions could potentially lead to immense disasters in the future.

Duke Zhen Guo had assumed Cheng Guang came to plead for Qin Beifeng, but he did not expect Cheng Guang to present such a rationale.

Qin Beifeng still had value; to let him die would be too wasteful.

This was a sound reason.

Duke Zhen Guo looked towards Cheng Guang, his eyes revealing a hint of admiration.

He shared the sentiment. With exceptional talent, Qin Beifeng had reached the Ninth-order Martial Emperor Realm by just fifty and, given time, could ascend to the Heavenly Human Realm, becoming the second amongst the Northern Expedition Army, after himself, to be elevated to a Sky-Man.

This was why Duke Zhen Guo had valued Qin Beifeng so highly before.

However, Qin Beifeng was now a man of Great Chu, having even betrayed the Northern Expedition Army.

Even though beheading Qin Beifeng would be a pity, there was little that Duke Zhen Guo could do about it now.

He couldn't possibly get Qin Beifeng's loyalty back from Great Chu.

Thus, Duke Zhen Guo was resolute in his decision to execute Qin Beifeng.

Now hearing from Cheng Guang that Qin Beifeng still had utility, he felt somewhat relieved, but then he sighed.

"Grandson, even though Qin Beifeng does have his uses, the danger and risks he brings are much greater than the benefits," said Duke Zhen Guo.

"The Northern Expedition Army can no longer accommodate him."

As he said this, Duke Zhen Guo observed Cheng Guang's expression and noted that there was not much change, yet a faint smile was blossoming on his face.

Duke Zhen Guo felt puzzled.

Just as he was about to inquire, he heard Cheng Guang speak,

"Grandfather, the value I'm talking about doesn't only lie in Qin Beifeng's strength but something else."

"Qin Beifeng's betrayal of the Northern Expedition Army— he's merely a pawn. There are others behind him."

"I think I can use Qin Beifeng to locate the person pulling the strings behind the scenes."

On hearing these words from Cheng Guang, Duke Zhen Guo's experienced and authoritative eyes flickered with surprise, "Grandson, are you saying there are others behind Qin Beifeng?"

"Qin Beifeng was one of the hundred generals of Great Chu, not many could command him or use him as a chess piece."