Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Shangguan Ru was probably trying to help Old Man Mu. Gu Shenwei could even guess what Old Man Mu had said.
“The Dragon King has a special status now. He’s restricted in many ways in the royal court. The place I hide my pills is a bit dangerous. If the Dragon King was discovered, he wouldn’t be able to justify himself. And what about you and me? We fetch Bone Shriveling Pills and give them to him. How convenient for him!”
“It’s easy, just fetch three pills. There’s no murder or killing. We sneak in and slip out.”
Old Man Mu must have stirred up the adventurous spirit in Shangguan Ru. It was something she had cultivated since she was young. Even though she had been through hardships, it still survived in her heart.
Old Man Mu had a lot of experience in jianghu. In the past, he was a Kung Fu master and went anywhere he wanted. No one discovered him or dared to stop him. Now, his Kung Fu was impaired, and he did not have much experience walking defenselessly at night.
Shangguan Ru’s adventuring range lay within Golden Roc Fort. Her so-called experience was just the result of her opponents throwing the fight. It was like a rich master versus his bodyguard; it did not matter if he won or lost, he did not feel the tension of having his life at stake.
These two people had set off confidently but had both been trapped by others.
Things got hazy from there, but Gu Shenwei had three suspects.
The first suspect was King Kuari. “You’ll need me in many other places.” It would sound like a threat or hint to anyone.
The second one was Wildhorse. Old Man Mu might have leaked more secrets that he thought. And Wildhorse might have been waiting for an opportunity. However, he served King Rizhu and did not deal with King Kuari directly. In most cases, he would not transfer his hostages to King Kuari.
The third one was Old Man Mu. The old devil had actually not changed much; he could sell his protector at any time for his own benefit. To regain his power, he would be willing to sell Shangguan Ru to anyone or swap her for the Death Scripture.
The three soldiers from the Land of Fragrance were distraught. They had only been away from home two times; one was the seaside slope battle, and the other was the trip to Norland. The world was strange and dangerous in their eyes, and the coach was their only beacon of light. Without Shangguan Ru, they were immediately at a loss.
Gu Shenwei promised them that he would find Shangguan Ru soon, then he had them return to their encampment. He also told them to keep it a secret. No other people should learn about the coach’s disappearance.
All he could do then was wait. No matter who set up the trap, he would probably blackmail the Dragon King with it. King Kuari had given a hint, but it was not enough. Gu Shenwei was waiting for more specific information.
This kind of problem should be kept inside a small circle. Gu Shenwei trusted only Maid Lotus and Chu Nanping.
Maid Lotus asked, “If he wants your Death Scripture, what will you do?”
“Then he’s definitely not one of the Norland lords.” Lords did not take interest in Kung Fu, they cared only about the throne. Gu Shenwei paused and added, “I won’t give it to him.”
Shangguan Ru needed to be responsible for her own actions. She was not a child, and he was not the old Slave Huan. He would try to rescue her because he needed to keep the Land of Fragrance stable.
That was what Gu Shenwei thought. He convinced himself again and repeated, “I won’t give it to him. Never.”
He had built an army, and he would recruit more soldiers in the future. In Fang Wenshi’s words, that was the peerless, invincible sword. However, Gu Shen could not give up his sword now. It was his base and his important method to solve problems.
“Should I talk to Wildhorse?”
Wildhorse had shown his face once on the way, and since then, he never showed up. He was the biggest suspect in Shangguan Ru’s abduction. However, both Maid Lotus and the Dragon King were new in the royal court. Looking for an agile killer here was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“There’s no need, the enemy will show up himself.” Gu Shenwei did not want too many confusing leads.
Chu Nanping did not say a word. He had been constantly in a daze since he mastered using two swords at one time. He seemed to have many unresolved problems.
Gu Shenwei decided not to wake him up. He wanted the youth to comprehend the Kung Fu on his own. In time, he would step into a new realm of martial arts and become a capable helper of his.
Waiting was a killer’s basic Kung Fu. Gu Shenwei had waited in dark corners countless times. He could wait for hours or even days consecutively for a chance to attack. That kind of chance was not necessarily better than directly brandishing a sword at the enemy, and it did not work all the time. However, any little advantage could largely save a killer’s life.
This wait was different, however. He was in public view while the enemy was in the dark.
Moreover, he could not keep calm.
“Everyone has a chance to trust someone in their lives, and I’ll give this chance to you.” Every time Gu Shenwei tried to steel himself about the abduction, this sentence echoed in his head.
Shangguan Ru had kept the promise she made when she was 20. Even though she had been through betrayal and hatred, and even though everything had changed, she still trusted that someone.
Gu Shenwei found this emotion unacceptable. He had already abandoned all the civil rules, but he sometimes obeyed them just to convince people. Thus, he hated all kinds of emotions and deemed them to be signs of weakness. Waiting, he persuaded himself, was the only sensible way right now. It was good for both him and Shangguan Ru.
He stayed in the encampment the entire day.
Fang Wenshi was busy. He did not know that Shangguan Ru was missing, and was busy figuring out why King Kuari summoned the Dragon King without a proper reason.
“King Kuari suspects you.” With all the information he could buy, Fang Wenshi concluded that evening. “He knows his younger brother is still alive, but can’t send people to find him publicly. Thus, he can only guess. Well, we don’t have to worry. After all, Kuo Zhen is in your hands. King Kuari can bluff, but he’ll surrender soon.”
Fang Wenshi had witnessed King Kuari’s charisma. Once King Kuari discovered a trap, he reacted to it soon afterward.
Gu Shenwei did not want to tell his military counselor that he also had something in other people’s hands. Fang Wenshi could not help him.
King Kuari did react soon afterward; however, he did not surrender.
After one hour, Fang Wenshi hurried back with the latest news. “I heard that King Kuari will soon visit Golden Roc Fort’s encampment. They’re going to propose a marriage. We’ve been fooled! The Supreme King’s granddaughter won’t marry the yellow-faced eunuch, but King Kuari!”
Gu Shenwei was surprised as well. In his memory, Zhang Ji was never a man who changed horses midstream. Every one of his steps was planned. Shangguan Shaomin would marry another one, which was like an open break with King Dari. Zhang Ji must have planned this; nevertheless, Gu Shenwei could not see through his purpose.
“It… it’s just strange.” Fang Wenshi still found it unbelievable. “The lord who will very probably take the throne marries the Supreme King’s granddaughter. It’ll be an unsuitable match!”
In the Norland people’s eyes, neither the Supreme King nor the Dragon King was a real king. Neither of them was equal to the Khan’s sons or grandsons.
“I guess the granddaughter isn’t going to be the king’s concubine lady.” This speculation was soon confirmed.
Fang Wenshi became busier and sent more people to collect information. He hid in a tent at the border of the encampment. He lifted the curtain and peeked at the opposite encampment, as if he could grow a pair of ears that could help him hear the voices within.
King Kuari’s proposal messenger arrived. Maybe they were trying to draw the Dragon King’s attention because there were many messengers and wedding gifts. The numerous chests alone made Fang Wenshi envious.
“Well, why didn’t King Kuari try to rope in the Dragon King with these things?” Fang Wenshi murmured to himself. “Empty promises for us and the real deal for Golden Roc Fort. That’s unfair.”
Shangguan Yun and Zhang Ji welcomed the messengers inside the tent. Fang Wenshi looked as if he was going to grow another pair of eyes and ears. In the end, money was the most useful tool. Before the messengers left, here came the news: Shangguan Shaomin was not going to be the king’s concubine lady, she would be a concubine.
It was supposed to be a normal trifle. Although King Kuari did not have an official lady, he had several women, even a few acknowledged sons and daughters. To marry the Supreme King’s granddaughter as a concubine was just normal.
However, King Kuari wanted to make the trifle big. He not only brought excessive wedding gifts, but also declared that he would hold a grand wedding to serve as the commencement of the Tournament of the Royal Court.
Other than the title of the king’s concubine lady, Shangguan Shaomin received nearly everything of a king’s concubine lady.
Therefore, even the dumbest person knew that the situation was changing. The Dragon King had lost a lord’s protection and he was nearly alone in the royal court.
However, Gu Shenwei did feel a little relieved because he did not need to save Shangguan Shaomin anymore. Even Shangguan Ru could not have found a better home for her niece.
Fang Wenshi was both jealous and angry about the wedding. He had to hide inside his tent to let off some steam before he visited the Dragon King. He was the military counselor, who was responsible for solutions in times of crisis. “This time, King Dari will try to rope us in, but we can’t accept it. Golden Roc Fort has made themselves known for being changeable; we’ll do it the other way around. We don’t make Norland people think we’re faithless. Moreover, King Dari’s future looks bleak, following him looks like a dead end.
“Therefore, I suggest Your Majesty reconcile with King Rizhu by returning his Flame Foal. King Rizhu has been neutral; allying with him is like declaring that we won’t intervene in the power game.”
Gu Shenwei agreed with his military counselor, but he did not want to rush. “Wait.”
King Rizhu owned Wildhorse, thus he also became one of the suspects. “You steal my horse, and I will steal your woman.” This was typical of King Rizhu.
Gu Shenwei kept waiting, but the abductor seemed to be more patient than him. After one day and one night, no signal had been released.
On the next day, when the entire royal court was talking about the unexpected marriage between King Kuari and Golden Roc Fort, Gu Shenwei was a little impatient thinking about the enemy in the dark.
Just after noon, female officials from the Land of Fragrance visited again and brought the first signal of the abductor.
