Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
In front of the Dragon King, King Kuari’s younger brother, Kuo Zhen, stopped yelling, but he also refused to talk, as though he had seen through this kidnapping game and that the mastermind behind it was the Dragon King.
“Many Kung Fu masters from the Central Plains and Western Region visit him first in the royal court. If he talks, we’ll have all the information.” Bo Sang regretted not completing the Dragon King’s mission.
“He is the best information.” Gu Shenwei did not expect such a surprise from Bo Sang. The hazy situation in the royal court finally revealed itself a little bit.
However, Gu Shenwei still needed Kuo Zhen to talk.
Unlike his handsome elder brother, he looked more like a typical Norland man. He had a flat and reddish face, a pair of beady and narrow eyes, and a broad chest, as though he could break free at any time.
He was not easy to deal with. He was a born into royalty and disdained people outside of his royal family. The Dragon King, in his eyes, was just some self-proclaimed leader of a bandit gang.
“Who died in place of you? A slave or a soldier?”
Gu Shenwei started with the simplest question, but Kuo Zhen only snorted in reply. Kuo Zhen frequently used snorts to convey his various emotions during the conversation.
“The Golden Roc killer was supposed to kill your substitute, but was scooped up by my people.”
“Hmph.”
“On the surface, King Kuari and Golden Roc Fort are rivals. Secretly, they colluded to let you slip away to vanish in public, at least temporarily.”
“Hmph.”
“Although the Golden Roc killer has been exposed, he completed the mission, in a better way. Your substitute was butchered; even his closest friend wouldn’t recognize him now. However, you failed; you didn’t vanish and were captured by a macheteman. I’m afraid that King Kuari must be distraught now.”
That last sentence made Kuo Zhen talk. “You vowed that you wouldn’t touch a Norland man during the negotiation period.”
“Yes, I did vow. And I intend to keep my exact promise. Bo Sang, are you a Dragon Army soldier?”
Bo Sang failed to understand the Dragon King and appeared disappointed. “No, I’m not. I have to pass your test to join the Dragon Army.”
“Did I order you to capture any Norland man?”
“No, Your Majesty ordered me to investigate Kung Fu masters who attend the Tournament of the Royal Court. The capturing was my decision.”
Gu Shenwei looked at Kuo Zhen. “Look, I’m not involved. I’ll, at most… just stand by. I won’t break my promise.”
Kuo Zhen’s face turned more reddish. “You’re like the other Central Plains conmen, playing with words. Hmph.”
“Should I torture him?” Bo Sang’s muscles bulged out. He came from the Western Region. He bore only envy and jealousy toward the Norland nobles, there was no deep-seated respect or obedience.
Gu Shenwei did not nod or shake his head. He had to keep his “promise” and refrained from giving any specific orders to Bo Sang. Thus, he asked Bo Sang in reply, “Why did you fetch me?”
“What?” Bo Sang reacted slowly and failed to see the Dragon King’s intentions. He thought that the Dragon King was blaming him. “Well, I thought Your Majesty wanted…”
“Go get Senior Shou.” Gu Shenwei needed someone who could read thoughts.
Senior Shou was not willing to come. He had already rubbed King Kuari the wrong way. If he should have anything to do with the Dragon King, all other lords, including King Dari, would see him as a renegade.
However, he could not hide from Bo Sang. He was almost dragged to the front of the Dragon King. “Fickle boy who serves two masters.” Senior Shou was judging his old bodyguard in his heart.
“What did you want to see me about, Your Majesty?”
“We have a problem.”
“Well, Your Majesty had better take that problem to someone else. I’d like to run away as far as possible. I don’t want my cows or sheep anymore; I just want you to grant me a chance to live.”
“I can’t. You have to fight, to strive for yourself.”
Senior Shou was stunned; soon after, he realized what the Dragon King meant. He smelled something bad. “I’ve quit, I don’t do that kind of thing anymore…”
“Then where will you go? Soon, the Norland cavalry will be everywhere.”
Senior Shou knew that his future looked bleak, but he constantly bore a shred of hope in his heart. Now, the Dragon King announced it out loud. Senior Shou had to think for a moment and grit his teeth. “To hell with it, I’ll do something big. I no longer need my cows and sheep. I’ll follow you from now on.”
Having lived for years on the grassland, Senior Shou had nearly turned into a complete Norland resident, except that he would not worship the Khan royals.
Gu Shenwei shook his head. “No, I don’t intend to accept you two yet. I have an agreement with Norland. I can’t kidnap the Khan’s grandson.”
After a few seconds, Senior Shou knew what he and Bo Sang were. He thought those big shots were all the same. It would be hard to serve any of them. As long as the Dragon King was smarter than King Dari, he would follow the Dragon King. “You can rest assured that you won’t be involved in this. They’ll be my and Bo Sang’s decisions. Just tell me what you want to know.”
“I wonder what Kuo Zhen is up to with this little game of disappearing.”
Bo Sang had been standing by, and he now finally understood the rules of this game. Thus, he broke in, saying, “Well, it seems that he will travel somewhere far away. Look, he’s got all his stuff.”
Bo Sang had taken all of Kuo Zhen’s belongings when he kidnapped the grandson. He poured them around the hostage. There were clothes, solid food, gold, and silver. It looked as if Kuo Zhen did want to travel far, and go somewhere that he could avoid people, because he had even brought food.
Gu Shenwei tried one last time. “King Kuari allied with Golden Roc Fort, which I found regrettable. But, we’re not enemies. So, what do you say? Can I bring a message to King Kuari for you?”
Kuo Zhen raised his head and opened his mouth, but bit his tongue in the end. “Hmph.”
Gu Shenwei left. The hostage would be safer in the slums.
Senior Shou’s bad luck had returned, and this time he was not going to beg for its mercy. “First, we need to find a private place. I’ll see how tough the Khan’s grandson can be.”
Bo Sang was getting ready to torture. If it were up to him, he would have already been torturing the hostage. “Right, we’ll see if he’s really tough, or just stubborn.”
Kuo Zhen sensed something wrong and was about to call for help. However, they soon put the piece of cloth back into his mouth. They had pulled out the cloth in the Dragon King’s presence, and now the cloth was covered in dust and became more disgusting.
Gu Shenwei went back to the encampment and told the military counselor what he had seen. Fang Wenshi was as surprised as him. “It turns out that Golden Roc Fort is secretly relying on King Kuari, which is a surprising move. What’s wrong with the Supreme King? He’s made great efforts allying with Norland, sucking up to his new master, giving away his granddaughter, and even helping to kill people. What? He wants to serve two masters at the same time?”
“Norland lords aren’t fools. They won’t let Golden Roc Fort do that. I’m afraid the Supreme King has other fish to fry.”
“The Supreme King is smarter now. I thought he would hire a bunch of killers to kill everyone in his way.”
That was what the old Supreme King would do. Gu Shenwei knew the reasons behind the change. “In the opposite encampment, there’s a man called Zhang Ji. He was a teacher in Golden Roc Fort, now he is considered to be the Supreme King’s military counselor. You should pay attention to him, he’s also a counselor. And… he’s the smartest counselor that I’ve ever seen.”
He needed to stimulate Fang Wenshi to make him more useful, and it worked. Fang Wenshi immediately cocked an eyebrow. “Zhang Ji? I might’ve heard of him. Leave him to me; you’ll see who’s better.”
Gu Shenwei wanted to give more advice but changed his mind in the end. It was a battle without a clear direction. He could not find a solid place to rely on. It did not matter if Fang Wenshi was willing or not, and it did not matter if he was capable enough, the military counselor had to fight on his own.
“Be careful.” Gu Shenwei could only say these two words. He had to focus on King Kuari.
The meeting was arranged for around one to three p.m. the next day. Normally, people did not receive guests at this time in Norland because they had just eaten lunch, and they would not be having dinner soon. Without drinks and meat, the atmosphere would be awkward.
In this way, King Kuari was expressing his dissatisfaction to the Dragon King because, after all, compared with the ultimatum he was going to give, this little embarrassment was nothing.
The Dragon King was supposed to cooperate with King Kuari. They had prepared for this for half a year. During this time, the Dragon King’s military counselor even got fatter here, which was a good sign. However, when the Dragon King visited King Kuari in person, he was cold and vigilant as if their previous communication and efforts had been nothing.
King Kuari decided that he would not put up with him anymore.
“You don’t seem worried.”
“About what?” Gu Shenwei played dumb.
King Kuari forced a smile. “Well, I’m anxious to tell the truth. For example, the Khan wants you and the Supreme King to cooperate, and all the other lords are trying to make this work, etc. So, you probably think that Norland is begging you.”
“I came because I’ve been invited to ally with you, but I haven’t gotten to meet the Khan even one time. With all due respect, I fail to see Norland’s sincerity. As for Your Highness, I appreciate your honesty and teachings, but only after a meeting with the Khan will I decide which lord to ally with.”
King Kuari chortled. “It turns out that you don’t have faith in me.”
Abruptly, the chortling ended. King Kuari put on a serious face that he did not often show to others. “But you are mistakenabout one thing. Only the stronger one gets to choose and test the other. Since I’ve been honest, I won’t lie to you now either: Dragon King, you’re the weaker one, and you need Norland’s protection; more specifically, you need my protection. Other than that, you’ll need me in many other places. Go think about it; the Tournament of the Royal Court is five days away, and I’ll have a plan for that. You must decide if you’d like to be in my plan in advance. Excuse me.”
King Kuari’s anger was obvious, and it might have had something to do with his missing younger brother. Kuo Zhen must have had an important mission.
Gu Shenwei did not disclose his knowledge of the missing Kuo Zhen. He had a secret weapon, and he decided that he would show it at the right time.
However, he thought very little of King Kuari.
“You’ll need me in many other places.” King Kuari was hinting about something. In the evening, a few soldiers from the Land of Fragrance hurried in.
Shangguan Ru had been missing for a whole day, and Old Man Mu was with her as well.
