Translator: Henyee Editor: Henyee
The Royal Court’s Tournament had officially begun now, and the city’s population had suddenly more than doubled in size as a result. The situation was exacerbated since large areas on the outskirts had been set aside specifically for various competitions.
The Norland locals were naturally bold and unrestrained. For them, skills like writing and arithmetic had always been ignored as headaches, so there was no way for them to manage large gatherings efficiently. The officials were, therefore, only responsible for the zoning and allocation of space, and the games were organized by the nobles, both large and small.
Although the Royal Court was also scattered, it was still divided into streets and lanes. And each time they moved, they were kept in the original style. In the countryside, there were no roads at all, so any place could be crossed at will as long as there were no obstacles.
For the people of the Western Regions and the Central Plains who were attending the Royal Court’s Tournament for the first time, they were bewildered by the sight of an endless cluster of tents. And like how a man viewing the sea for the first time would feel shocked and dazed, they didn’t even dare to walk around casually.
In the eyes of the prairie people, however, everything was spread out but in order. They knew where to buy and sell goods as well as which competitions they should attend. With a quick glimpse at the fluttering flags, they could immediately tell who was the owner of the land.
It was not surprising, then, that many herdsmen were followed closely by a number of outsiders.
Amongst the many events, the warrior contests, horse races, and war games had always been the most popular because they were sponsored by the Khan and thus had the most generous rewards. The registration teams had already formed a long queue.
Anyone who wanted to earn a prize had to register their name on the first day. But the really excellent players usually served the nobles, so their names were had already been registered long ago, and they didn’t have to bear the hassle of waiting in line. They were simply waiting for the events to begin.
The list quickly spread. To many people’s surprise and disappointment, the Dragon King, who had publicly challenged the three kings, had not signed up for the Warrior Contest and had simply sent a teenager to attend on his behalf.
Chu Nanping had just risen to fame, though, which somehow satisfied everyone’s curiosity a little.
Gu Shenwei wasn’t going to take part in any games because Zhang Ji’s argument was irrefutable. Warriors, like horses, dogs, and soldiers, were all pawns of the nobles. If he participated in a competition, he might win the title of ‘warrior,’ but would simultaneously lose his precarious title of ‘king.’
Even Fang Wenshi had to admit that his enemy’s words were reasonable.
Gu Shenwei was still confident. He had almost blundered, but Chu Nanping could help him to correct his mistake.
The teenager’s swordsmanship improved with every fight. Besides, the martial arts of the Essence Pavilion was more suitable for a kung fu competition.
“We must win, Dragon King. We have to win. We’ve bet with the three kings and if we lose, our reputation will be ruined, and we won’t have a chance to meet with the Khan.” Anxious and fearful, Fang Wenshi didn’t have too much confidence in Chu Nanping.
“If I lose, doesn’t it mean that I’m incapable of assassinating the Khan?”
“It’s not the same. First, Dragon King isn’t attending the contest. Second, Old Man Mu won’t show up. The news of his disappearance with Shangguan Ru has already started to spread. This…”
Gu Shenwei was playing a little joke with the counselor, but his expression was too cold. Fang Wenshi didn’t understand and treated it as a serious question and refuted it point by point.
But there were many other things for Fang Wenshi to worry about. The Dragon King was a guest of the Norland and had to participate in the official activities. So that afternoon, as he stood among a group of nobles and foreign kings, Gu Shenwei saw the Khan’s carriage hurriedly passing by from afar.
This was the closest distance that Gu Shenwei had ever come to the Khan since his arrival in the Royal Court, a distance that included countless well-armored cavalrymen and vigilant guards.
Whether it was to kill or to save, Gu Shenwei had accepted conflicting tasks from Wei Song and the Second Consort, but he had yet to decide which one he would carry out. But after seeing the Khan’s armed escort, he couldn’t help but judge the situation from a killer’s perspective.
There was little chance of success through an ordinary assassination. The cavalry guard was airtight and formed an insurmountable sea of sabers and spears. Even if someone luckily broke through, one would run into dozens of bodyguards, who were all first-class experts. Any of them, if singled out, was qualified to compete for the first place of the warrior contest.
Killers were more cautious than ordinary kung fu practitioners, sometimes to the extent of timidness. With a quick glance, Gu Shenwei knew that he would never risk his life to assassinate that aging Khan.
This was probably the reason why Zhang Ji had come to Norland.
When the killer’s saber and sword didn’t work, it was time for the counselor to come on stage.
Gu Shenwei had tried to form an assassination plan from the school teacher’s point of view and gradually, a general idea had grown in his heart.
He wished for the ceremony to end soon so he that would have some time to meet with Shangguan Shaomin.
The panic-stricken Shangguan Shaomin was sitting in a small tent. Little did she know that a woman had walked on the death road for her, much less the tribulations of the road ahead.
Gu Shenwei had promised Shangguan Ru to save Shangguan Shaomin. After Fu Yuan’s death, he abandoned the idea of saving people, but his surveillance of Golden Roc Castle had never ceased.
Shangguan Yun had brought a fake niece and deliberately revealed her in the camp to test the public’s reaction. Most people were deceived, but Han Fen noticed the problem with a simple glance across the road. “Her walking posture isn’t the same as before.”
Han Fen couldn’t tell whether others’ words were praise or censure, and also couldn’t discern who was good-looking and who wasn’t; all she noticed were some strange details such as walking postures, which actually turned out to be very useful sometimes.
Gu Shenwei still held onto the realistic idea that Shangguan Shaomin had to die and that no one could save her even when he asked Lotus to make an assassination plan.
What had eventually changed his mind was not his promise to Shangguan Ru, but the words of his counselor.
“The Unique King’s granddaughter is also a smog of death.” Fang Wenshi thought that the person the Second Consort and King Rizhu really wanted to kill was King Kuari. Gu Shenwei had agreed with him in the beginning but gradually he had come up with other ideas.
Shangguan Shaomin might be very important. Golden Roc Castle valued her very much, King Kuari had cooperated personally, and even the Second Consort had been very concerned about her. In addition, wasn’t a weak girl who knew nothing about kung fu easily neglected, exactly the ‘saber and sword’ Zhang Ji that liked the most?
All these added together made Gu Shenwei believe that Shangguan Shaomin shouldn’t be killed too quickly until he found out the truth.
Gu Shenwei then changed the plan. Lotus followed the new order without asking, but her expression revealed a trace of suspicion. Even Gu Shenwei himself was wondering whether he was making an excuse to fulfill Shangguan Ru’s wish.
Wild Horse and Liman’s participation made the whole plan even more perfect.
When ‘Maid Yi’, who was actually Han Fen, went to the Golden Roc Camp to send an invitation, the niece Shangguan Yun handed out was the fake one, regardless of whether he doubted the invitation or not.
The fake niece had the impression from Shangguan Yun that even in case of an accident, the other side was someone sent by her ‘little aunt,’ who only saved people and never killed. So she was willing to follow Han Fen to escape and planned to go deeper into the tiger’s den for information, which, if successful, would be a great contribution.
Wild Horse’s saber, however, was too fast for her to even beg for forgiveness when she realized that she was not facing a false threat but a real death.
Shangguan Yun probably thought that it was an opportunity to hide Shangguan Shaomin better, so he went out in person and pretended to try to find the ‘truth.’ And to make it look more realistic, he took many people with him away from the camp.
Gu Shenwei’s real plan, which was to lure the tiger away from the mountain, was successful.
Although Zhang Ji was resourceful and could appropriately use killers, he himself didn’t know kung fu and had no strength to fight back when facing a killer’s attack.
If he were not bound by the agreement, Gu Shenwei really would have wanted to take this chance to get rid of Zhang Ji. In the end, he resisted the temptation and asked Lotus to only take away Shangguan Shaomin.
Shangguan Shaomin was in a state of ‘invisibility.’ She lived alone in an inconspicuous tent and like a prisoner, wasn’t allowed to leave. Even the number of guards around her was pitiful, which was also a form of protection to confuse the enemy.
What Shangguan Yun and Zhang Ji hadn’t expected was that they would encounter an enemy with a keen sense of smell.
Han Xuan came in handy. Just like how she liked to observe such details as walking postures, Han Xuan was very sensitive to smell. She could always find the hiding place of the disciples of Waning Moon Hall. As soon as she arrived in Norland, she smelled the scent of rouge and powder used by the women of Golden Roc Castle.
She had always been critical of Lotus and reluctant to go on a mission with her, while Lotus was surprisingly tolerant, “We’re going to save a young lady. She’s as in control as your miss.”
Han Xuan was immediately moved. “We must save her, and also help her find a good husband after rescuing her.”
The whole rescue process was smooth and quiet. Lotus roughly guessed the target’s hiding place while Han Xuan ‘sniffed’ out the specific tent. Shangguan Shaomin was also very cooperative. Seeing the woman in black who appeared from nowhere, she was only startled at first but soon calmed down and asked in a low voice, “She sent you here?”
The ‘she’ referred to Shangguan Ru; Shangguan Shaomin was carefully avoiding mentioning the name.
“Shangguan Ru,” Lotus mentioned the reassuring name and helped Shangguan Shaomin escape through the gap.
It was not until early next morning that someone who delivered food found that the tent was empty. But at that time everyone’s attention was focused on the Royal Court’s Tournament which was about to begin. Meanwhile, Chu Nanping’s new nickname, ‘Dual Wielder,’ was circulating everywhere. The disappearance of the Unique King’s granddaughter, together with the failed assassination attempt at dusk yesterday, were both concealed from them, and few people heard of it.
Zhang Ji flew into a rage for the first time. As a teacher, he had actually been defeated by his student. Now he finally understood why the Dragon King had taken a teenager with him during midnight to make his name known; the purpose was to clear any suspicion of him. So if he wanted to accuse the Dragon King of kidnapping, he had to present direct and irrefutable evidence.
The Golden Roc killers acted secretly. The not too big Dragon Army camp was closely monitored, and even the servants who worked to clean up messes were followed.
Shangguan Yun wasn’t surprised about the incident at all because he noticed that Lotus had disappeared when the Dragon King started showing up everywhere in public.
Lotus was standing guard by Shangguan Shaomin’s side, showing her amiable side. With the help of Han Xuan, she finally dug out a secret that even Shangguan Shaomin herself wasn’t aware of.
So, when she met the Dragon King in a hurry, she said, “You should meet her in person. It’s more complicated than you think.”
Standing among a group of princes and nobles, Gu Shenwei was dwelling on the strange phrase Lotus had told him — Female Gu 1 .
Shangguan Shaomin was a female Gu.
