Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Standing in the corner, the teenager was trembling with fear. This world was too different from what he had imagined it would be like. He was told that life was not important, and that the sword was everything. However, death still mercilessly threatened him and completely ignored the apathy that he had carefully developed.
“I found him in the peach grove,” Chu Nanping said. He had already calmed down.
The teenager was only thirteen or fourteen years old. Upon seeing that the Dragon King was looking at him, he began trembling even more violently.
Gu Shenwei noticed the boy had lost a thumb in his right palm, and recognized him as one of the new disciples of the Essence Pavilion who had competed with him two nights ago. At that time, there had been a total of eighteen people, half of whom had died after killing each other, while the rest were killed by Han Wuxian and her men. He didn’t expect that there would be a survivor.
“You visited your brother’s tomb?” Gu Shenwei asked.
Chu Nanping quickly nodded. He had gone to City View Alley but was a little too late. Over two hundred skillful sabermen of the Heavenly Mountain Sect had finished the task of killing and setting fire in a very short time. All he could do was to watch the big fire devour the shabby alleyways he was familiar with.
Then he had gone to the peach grove where his brother Chu Yangjun and another man were buried under a tree.
The tomb was still there and it had magically avoided the scuffles that had taken place there. The owner of the garden had never flattened the tomb, and someone had even set up a tombstone in front of it, inscribed with the names ‘Chuyang Jun’ and ‘Ye Silang.’ The signatures of the sponsor showed that it was built by the residents of City View Alley.
The teenager with a severed finger had been squatting behind the tombstone like an abandoned little beast. He was too afraid to leave the place. With his feet in the snow, he had stayed here for a day and night.
“Are you from the Essence Pavilion?” Chu Nanping asked.
The teenager nodded. Although the swordsman in front of him was a stranger, he didn’t feel that the other side was malicious at all. Instead, the swordsman looked as pretty as the figures on the mural. He stood up and followed Chu Nanping back to the stronghold of the Dragon Army, uninvited.
“His name is Qin Yeming.”
As Chu Nanping introduced him, Qin Yeming suddenly knelt and kept kowtowing to the Dragon King both begging for forgiveness and pleading.
“You need to speak up.” Gu Shenwei was still observing. He had been cheated by little kids before, so he would not trust anyone easily.
Qin Yeming kowtowed several more times before saying in a hoarse voice, “I… I don’t want to be a disciple of the Essence Pavilion anymore.”
“That’s easy.” Gu Shenwei turned to Chu Nanping and asked, “How’s your Emotionless Swordsmanship going?”
“Not bad. I don’t need dual swords anymore… Oh.” Chu Nanping suddenly came to understand. The Dragon King actually meant that his actions of saving someone had contradicted his sword intent. “What should I do then?”
“Come with me.” Gu Shenwei didn’t answer the question because it wasn’t something that he could solve. “And take him with you.”
Chu Nanping actually already had the answer in his heart, but he knew that the Dragon King must have had the same idea. He had to sever the sympathy that had just emerged in his mind, and the best way to do it was to kill this teenager.
What was strange was that once he got to know the other side’s name, most of the indifference and alienation that existed between strangers immediately disappeared. Qin Yeming seemed to become someone who he had known for a long time, and it was difficult to kill him.
Qin Yeming couldn’t understand what they were saying. He was afraid of the Dragon King, so he followed Chu Nanping closely as if he had replaced the tombstone that had sheltered him previously. He still didn’t know what the relationship between the dead in the tomb and the swordsman in front of him was.
With such a nervous teenager by them, it seemed impossible to travel at night. The three of them put their cloaks on and rode forward at a regular pace. They were not recognized. In fact, due to the days’ scuffles and the big fire in the early morning, pedestrians were rare in the streets and alleys of southern Jade City, and many shops had closed early.
Chu Nanping knew that he could kill Qin Yeming at any time, but he tried to delay it. When they reached a quiet road, he asked, “Does the Dragon King know that Han Wuxian has betrayed you?”
Gu Shenwei nodded.
“It must be her who led the Heavenly Mountain Sect to City View Alley.”
Gu Shenwei nodded again. That was for sure. Han Wuxian believed that Lotus was hiding near City View Alley, and it had been too great a temptation for her to resist. If she couldn’t do it herself, then she would definitely turn to any possible force for help.
“But the Dragon King doesn’t care?” Chu Nanping was puzzled because this didn’t seem to be the Dragon King he knew.
“I saved Han Wuxian. I can’t just waste her life like that.”
“She’s still useful?”
“Yes.”
Chu Nanping no longer spoke. He had never understood the plots of the Dragon King and didn’t want to think about it. He was relieved as long as the Dragon King did not fully believe Han Wuxian.
The three of them had entered the territory of the Heavenly Mountain Sect and were in one of their core areas now. Chu Nanping dismissed all his distracting thoughts and focused on guarding the Dragon King. He would not persuade the Dragon King to turn back, and neither would he let the Dragon King get hurt under his protection.
No one could have imagined that the Dragon King would enter the enemy’s territory so casually. Several groups of sabersmen of the Heavenly Mountain Sect passed by, but no one noticed the three of them. To them, the dark corners, as well as the high roofs, were the places the Dragon King would appear from and their focus of attention was there.
Someone finally began to feel that something was wrong when they approached the broken wall on the west.
There used to be many taverns both inside and outside the city wall. But ever since the Heavenly Mountain Sect had taken over the Southwall Tavern as their headquarters, the business here plummeted and almost no guests came at night.
More than half of the sabersmen of the Heavenly Mountain Sect used to be golden roc killers, but the ones patrolling the street were ordinary sabersmen with three or five people in each group.
The first to notice the weird strangers were five sabersmen who rushed over and rudely blocked the way. They went around once before releasing them. They didn’t see the faces of the other side clearly, but they had no reason to drive the three away either.
When they turned into the small alley where the Southwall Tavern was located, a dozen or so well-prepared sabersmen immediately surrounded the three and questioned them. “What are you doing here?” asked one of them harshly. Very few people dared to swagger into the Heavenly Mountain Sect, so he had to make full use of this opportunity to show his authority.
“We’re here to see someone,” Gu Shenwei replied.
“See who?” Perhaps the voice of the visitor was too flat, but the sabersman became more pompous and his questioning was full of threats and disdain.
“Zhang Ji.”
The dozen or so sabersmen drew their sabers at once. Nominally, Zhang Ji was a military counsellor, but his real status was even higher than their sect leader. They would respectfully call him ‘Mr. Zhang,’ even in private. This man, however, had addressed him disrespectfully by his full name. He was really daring.
“Who the hell are you?”
Gu Shenwei took off his hood. Chu Nanping and Qin Yeming did the same.
The silent sabersmen all retreated several steps at once. They remained silent, but someone started running quickly to Southwall Tavern.
Gu Shenwei urged his horse forward. The sabersmen made way for him and followed behind at a distance neither too long nor too close, like a flock of wolves following a lion that had trespassed upon their territory.
Qin Yeming finally stopped trembling and watched in wonder as more and more sabersmen walked out of the houses on either side of the street with sabers in their hands. There were also people on the roof, but none of them dared to approach within ten paces of the Dragon King, and neither did they dare to question him again.
He would never forget this scene.
The sect leader, Du Jian, stood at the entrance of the tavern. Behind him stood over a dozen sabersmen side by side whose gloomy faces spoke for themselves that they were real golden roc killers.
“The Dragon King is here. What a rare visitor. Du Jian, the sect leader of the Heavenly Mountain Sect, is here to welcome the Dragon King’s visit on a snowy night,” Du Jian said loudly with a smile.
The hundred or so sabersmen in the alley were all worried, thinking that a great scuffle was about to begin. Many people were looking around for the Dragon King’s hidden helpers.
There was no ambush. It was just the Dragon King and his two attendants.
“I know you,” Gu Shenwei replied. This was the first time that he had ever met the sect leader of the Heavenly Mountain Sect, but it was not the first time that he had dealt with him.
“I didn’t expect the Dragon King to still remember me. The Dragon King was already very impressive back at Blacksmith Village. Please forgive me for my rudeness.”
For a long time, Du Jian had been called ‘Du Qi.’ He had been a semi-retired killer of Golden Roc Castle and also the big protector of the Blacksmith Village. He had met the teenage Dragon King once before.
His master in the castle used to be Shangguan Chui. The big young master had been defeated by Lady Meng and then later also lost his position. He had finally had a chance to make a comeback when Zhang Ji came to power.
“I’ll never forget Your Excellency’s last visit on a snowy night.” Gu Shenwei had a very good memory, especially for those who had threatened him.
Du Jian’s face immediately changed, and he barely maintained his smile. “The Dragon King was very lucky. I always regretted that I was a coward that day. If I had stabbed you then, maybe today wouldn’t be so troublesome.”
The sect leader Du Jian had actually attempted to assassinate the Dragon King once. All of the sabersmen in the alley were surprised at what they heard and their respect towards the sect leader greatly increased. Although he had failed in the assassination, he had been able to survive, which was also a great achievement.
None of them knew the real situation. The Dragon King had happened to trigger his Qi deviation at that time. He was trying his best to direct his internal energy to heal himself and was almost paralyzed. Du Jian, however, had become hesitant and dared not to make a move directly. Instead, he had instigated Nie Zeng, who was still an ignorant kid, to make a move and had lost the chance of a lifetime.
Although Du Jian’s face had been covered at that time, Gu Shenwei still recognized him now.
“I’m here to see Zhang Ji,” said Gu Shenwei. After three years, he had finally confirmed that the person who wanted to assassinate him was Zhang Ji.
“Please come in.” Du Jian got out of the way, full of fear towards the Dragon King. This was another good opportunity to kill the Dragon King, but the truce was still valid and the only person who had the right to break the rules was not him but rather the military counselor sitting inside.
Du Jian wondered what Zhang Ji was thinking.
With a long robe and a serious face, Zhang Ji sat alone in the empty tavern as if he were the most powerful kung fu master in the world.
Gu Shenwei told Chu Nanping and Qin Yeming to stay at the door while he himself walked to the table and said, “It has changed a lot in here.”
“Hmm, it always tempted me with good wine so I shut it down. There isn’t a drop of wine left in Southwall Tavern now. Have a seat.”
Gu Shenwei sat down opposite Zhang Ji. Looking at the tea prepared on the table, he said, “I thought that Mr. Zhang resumed his drinking habits after the trip to the Norland.”
“Only the winner is entitled to drink. I lost, defeated by you, so I can no longer touch wine. The battle-seasoned Luoluo actually fled in front of a young boy under my assistance. I’ve really lost all my face.”
“I didn’t see Mr. Zhang on the battlefield.”
“That’s because I ran away even faster.” Zhang Ji sighed. “Man proposes, but God disposes.”
“But a good plan is still useful. That’s why I’ve come to Mr. Zhang for advice.”
“Go ahead.” Zhang Ji still talked like a teacher, as if he still had a teacher-student relationship with the Dragon King.
“I have a piece of evidence in my hand that’s enough to defeat an enemy, but I feel that something seems wrong with it.”
Gu Shenwei thought that only Zhang Ji could help him see through Lady Meng and Wei Song’s conspiracy.
