Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Only his few old acquaintances knew his name, for he rarely told anyone. As a killer of the Golden Roc Fort, he was accustomed to keeping a low profile and getting ready to hide in the shadows anytime.
He was reluctant to appear in public, although everyone had already heard about him.
“An advisor from the Whiterobe Academy is supposed to be eloquent and act ostentatiously to impress others, but not a killer.” The nameless killer reflected.
The nameless killer stood in the corner of the tent. He absently listened to the advisor while paying attention to the noises nearby. He knew every move of his four other companions. One stood opposite him, while the other three patroled silently outside the tent. The three on patrol stamped gently as they passed behind him to inform him that there was no danger.
The speaker was a chief of the Whiterobe Academy. He had the highest ranking among those who had been sent to the four-nation coalition forces by Golden Roc Fort. Now that the Commander had defected and fled, he was in charge of the whole troop, and his top priority was to prevent the alliance from breaking up.
The high-ranking military officers from four kingdoms huddled together in the tent. They listened to the arguments and threats from the advisor anxiously, while their eyes were fixed on the killers.
“Yang Huan couldn’t have 100,000 troops, and I bet that he can summon 3000 soldiers at most; besides, there are just a few ships left in the southern bank of the Xiaoyao Lake. His troop couldn’t make it through even if the Dragon King does. There is nothing to worry about.” The advisor in white, raising his hands, said confidently.
He indicated that nothing was serious, while refusing to admit the enemy’s title of “Dragon King”. “Our Lord is a wise king, and now it’s time to distinguish yourself gloriously. As long as we work together, we can take the capital of the Stone Kingdom and behead Yang Huan within three days,” he continued.
The advisor kept talking, but barely received a response from the officers.
Regardless of his deficiency in stratagems, the nameless killer was an obedient and excellent killer because he never talked too much or overstepped his duty but strictly followed orders. In spite of it, he knew how ridiculous and boring the advisor’s words were.
The high-ranking military officers of four-nation coalition forces were from the royal family. “What’s the point of receiving rewards from the king if their king loses the throne? Besides, what else could equal to the royal crown?” They thought to themselves.
In his eyes, people from the Xiaoyao Lake were cowards. The nameless killer looked at the silent nobles in disdain. “If they are lashed with a whip and treated with a sword, they will yield.” He thought.
However, if that was the case, the advisor would be of no use. After all, advisors did not learn the ways of the knife and sword in the Whiterobe Academy.
Killers and advisors were two different people, and they each looked down upon each other. The nameless killer also despised advisors, but he did not pursue that thought further except for some unconnected ideas flashing through his mind.
“Advisors are redundant, and so is the Whiterobe Academy. They exist due to the practice passed for years, like a knife scar or a wart left on the body. But as time passes, they will become a part of the body.” The nameless killer mused.
“Only 10, no, 15 to 20 killers about my level can take the Dragon King’s life.” The nameless killer thought to himself. He began to conceive a simple but effective assassination plan. Then he got lost in thought again, “The Dragon King is skilled in martial arts, but strategies are also important in a fight. He was just a common killer when leaving the Stone Castle, so he couldn’t know many strategies.”
“I hope that you can stick together to fight against the enemy. Dugu Xian is an incompetent commander, so it’s good news for us without him. Tell the soldiers that they can take whatever they get within three days as long as we take the capital of the Stone Kindom. Besides, our Lord will award them accordingly,” the advisor said.
The military officers became excited when they heard the promise of three-day plunder. When they had entered the Stone Kingdom, one of their teams had looted around, but only reaped a small harvest as the citizens had already escaped to the capital with their valuables. The Dragon King was said to have amassed lots of money, which meant that they would make a fortune once they took the capital.
After observing their responses, the advisor decided to throw more bait to enhance morale, and said, “To be honest, I also want to contribute my strength and take the spoils. Therefore, we need to take actions soon because— I can’t reveal more. What I say is best kept secret— besides, another troop more powerful than the Dragon King’s will arrive soon. We can’t let them get ahead.”
As they had already been told that the Supreme King would send one contingent of his trusted troops to attack the capital of the Stone Kingdom, only several officers pretended to show their surprise so as not to embarrass the advisor.
The advisor proceeded a long speech without noticing their responses.
The nameless killer ignored it because he was concerned about another matter.
Fifteen minutes passed, but the sound of a stomp still didn’t reach his ear.
He cast a glance at opposite companion, finding him just as confused as himself.
The opposite killer leaned forward and coughed, attracting attention from most people inside immediately. They seemed to be more interested in the killer’s move than the advisor’s words.
The nameless killer seized this opportunity and snuck out of the tent.
Ranking also existed among killers. The three outside the tent belonged to the inferior ranking; sometimes they got slack at work or thought that continuously patrolling was meaningless, but a real killer had a knack for finding something unusual from these monotonous tasks.
“Has the Dragon King come?” The nameless killer assumed the worst but soon ruled it out. “Dragon King isn’t a killer anymore. He is a commander now, so he won’t put himself in danger. Besides, the tent is surrounded by a great number of guards and killers. Even if half of them were remiss, the rest could still keep an eye on the territory within one hundred steps so that no one can get closer without being discovered.” He meditated.
“I’ll teach them a lesson.” The nameless killer thought to himself. He had no mercy on those who neglected their duties.
There was a strict hierarchy among Golden Roc killers that outsiders could never know. The blademaster was at the top, and killers came the second. Only insiders knew it.
As he had expected, a killer had been stopped by some bothersome guy; this killer was the one to blame for the failure to stamp.
“Bothersome guy” was what the nameless killer called Yang Dou.
Yang Dou was the former Prime Minister of the Stone Kingdom, but now stayed in the military camp. Penniless as he was, he still made promises as if he were a prince or a lord. He thought that the four-nation coalition forces would hand over the capital to him once they took it.
“You shouldn’t come here,” the nameless killer said coolly to Yang Dou, and then he shot a glance at his careless companions.
“Something is wrong. Even a careless killer couldn’t look drowsy like this.” He thought.
Before he figured out what had happened, the nameless killer had already held the hilt of his saber unconsciously in his right hand.
However, it was too late. A light, delicate fragrance came. The nameless killer was about to hold his breath, but at this moment, his front chest was tapped gently by someone. Suddenly his Internal Breath randomly ran out and he involuntarily inhaled the knockout powder.
Then, his Internal Breath was draining away quickly, and figures and objects before him began to twist together. The nameless killer did not utter a word of warning for he wanted to survive.
Before losing consciousness, he blamed himself in his mind, “How could I be so careless that I even didn’t notice the two attendants Yang Dou brought?”
Sentry posts were ten feet away. The guards had their backs turned to the tent, keeping an eye on the small area they were in charge. When they heard the nameless killer’s voice, they became more focused on their work, but no one turned around.
Yang Dou had perfectly completed his task without being suspected. He gave one of his attendants a measured glance, one of resentment and fear.
When Zhong Heng had suggested utilizing Yang Dou to bribe the high-ranking military officers of the four-nation coalition forces, it suddenly occurred to Gu Shenwei that Yang Dou might be more useful.
A man whose ambition couldn’t be satiated was inclined to betray those around them; Gu Shenwei had learnt it from his teacher- Zhang Ji. It not only worked for slaves and servants but also common people.
Yang Dou didn’t think that he was an ambitious person. All he wanted was to reinstate in the Stone Kingdom so that the Yang Family could dominate the kingdom again.
However, his humble ambition couldn’t be satisfied, which made his resentment increase day by day. He became disappointed at the coalition forces and the Golden Roc Fort, and his hatred grew.
At that time, one of his nephews had bribed someone and snuck into the military camp with two attendants, and sent a message to him, “You can reinstate the family as long as you deliver the Dragon King’s decree to the high-ranking military officers of four kingdoms.”
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Dou had accepted his offer. He didn’t care whom he worked for because he only wanted to take charge of the Stone Kingdom.
Two attendants had told Yang Dou that they were killers sent by the Dragon King, and as a part of the deal, he needed to take them to the main tent.
After some hesitation, Yang Dou had agreed. He had tried many means to regain the position of Prime Minister but had failed, so he thought that assassination might work.
Later, Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus had concealed their real identity and successfully infiltrated the enemy’s camp under the close watch. But when they got closer to the main tent, they were stopped by a killer on patrol.
After Maid Lotus managed to control two killers with Heart Stopping Finger and Indra, Yang Dou pretended to whisper to the two killers to cover their doings.
The person wouldn’t lose control of his body instantly after inhaling Indra. He could still walk under others’ lead.
Yang Dou gripped the two killers warmly, and said, ingratiatingly, “Thank you very much; I could never return the favor…”
Soon, they walked to the entrance of the tent.
At this moment, the advisor’s speech ended, and the high-ranking military officers walked out of the tent in relief. They did not talk to Yang Dou standing outside the tent, but they felt slightly surprised to see him holding two killers by the arm.
If other killers saw this scene, they would immediately suspect that something was wrong.
Two killers were still on patrol outside the tent, and they would come in soon, so Maid Lotus remained outside to handle them.
Yang Dou walked into the tent first, and said loudly, “Mr. Song, I’m here to beg you to do me a favor.”
The advisor was agitated and said, “What are you doing here? Get out…”
The killer in the corner drew out his saber but fell to the ground after taking a step.
Only now did the advisor notice the two killers with an odd expression on their faces, and the strangers behind them.
Familiar with the way the killers of Golden Roc did things, Mr. Song knew his survival depended upon his next move. “I have something to say,” he said.
Noticing that the strangers did not act immediately, Mr. Song proceeded, “A troop is heading to the Xiaoyao Lake now; leave me alive if you want to know their route and arrival time.”
Yang Dou had never thought that the advisor would be terrified, and what respect remained for the Golden Roc Fort disappeared. He snorted and said, “The Golden Roc Fort is said to send a troop monthly, but until now, I haven’t seen a single soldier come except hundreds of foreman.”
With his gaze closely fixed on the strangers in the attendant’s dress, the advisor said, “It’s true. Our Lord has made a plan not only to take the Stone Kingdom but also devour the other three kingdoms together.”
Gu Shenwei was shocked to hear the news. He had thought that they had enough time to prepare for the war and would never have expected that Golden Roc Fort would send the troops so soon.
