Translator: Henyee Editor: Henyee
As one of the Khan’s many descendants, Tuo Sai wouldn’t be surprised if his grandfather didn’t know him at all if nothing had happened.
His father, King Riyao, was ranked seventh for succeeding the throne, though it was said that the seventh king had never inherited the title of Khan in all of Norland’s history. There were exceptions of lower-ranked kings becoming the Khan, such as the eighth, ninth, and tenth kings, but the seventh king had never succeeded the position of Khan. King Riyao had tried to break the cycle but was soon defeated. After years of observation, he went down the same path as all the previous seventh kings, which was to support a more promising king.
Tuo Sai had always followed his father’s orders, so he had naturally joined King Kuari’s side. He had even become friends with King Kuari’s younger brother Kuo Zhen even before his father openly stated his stance.
This was the common pattern of an alliance. No one would bluntly say that ‘as long as you give me these benefits, I’ll support you from now on.’ They would always try to develop a deeper bond first before coating the ugly exchange of interests with the glory of kinship and friendship.
Tuo Sai thought that he had done a good job. Although he and Kuo Zhen disliked each other and each thought that the other side wasn’t smart enough, the uncle and nephew duo, who were of the same age, had still become best friends and always helped each other.
When Kuo Zhen was killed in the slums, Tuo Sai’s first reaction was ‘this guy has finally paid for his foolishness.’ Then he felt really sad. It wasn’t easy to build a friendship, especially a good one. It had taken him a long time to find someone he had a good impression of and shared a common interest with. Now that Kuo Zhen was dead, he would have to do it all over again but he would have difficulty in finding another relative in King Kuari’s circle who would see eye to eye with him.
Several days later, Tuo Sai found out that Kuo Zhen had probably not died from the riots in the slums. He felt that he was close to undercovering a great conspiracy. But his nervousness and excitement soon turned to disappointment because he had not been invited to the core of the plot. As a minion, he was unwittingly asked to do some whitewashing chores.
So, with overweening arrogance, Tuo Sai went to the Dragon King to avenge Kuo Zhen but failed halfway. He had tried to argue for his father, but was slapped in public and had fallen off of his horse, leaving a stigma on his face that was likely to last a lifetime.
Tuo Sai was full of anger. Wasn’t he the eldest son of King Riyao? Hadn’t he shown enough resourcefulness? Of all the things that angered him, the most was that King Kuari had kidnapped that woman.
Ah, that woman. Even if he were just imagining it in his mind, the beauty of that woman was incredible.
It had all happened about a few months ago. At that time, the atmosphere of the Royal Court was not as tense as it was now. No matter how much the kings hated each other, they still visited each other normally. Tuo Sai followed his father’s order to send a gift to the Second Consort and there, he met a beautiful woman who had touched his heart.
All in all, he had only met that woman three times and talked once.
“I like men with power.” That woman had a kind of boldness quite different from that of the prairie women, which made Tuo Sai, the Khan’s grandson, feel both ashamed and a heart-throbbing yearning.
The Second Consort had appeared at the right moment and asked him to pass on a message for her: “I’m just a weak woman with no one to depend on. When I was young and ignorant, I offended many people. As soon as the Khan dies, I will be trampled underfoot. I have no other ambition. I just want to know in advance who can inherit the throne so that I can plead with him for his protection.”
“Luo Ningcha is the Unique King’s daughter-in-law, but she was very unhappy in Golden Roc Castle. Her father died, her husband abandoned her, now she has come to me for help. I have to protect her and arrange the best way out for her.”
Tuo Sai understood the obvious hint of the Second Consort and secretly sent her messages from then on.
Tuo Sai didn’t think he had betrayed his father and King Kuari. The information he offered were not secrets. On the contrary, he was constantly trying to prove to the Second Consort that the final winner of the fight for the throne would be King Kuari.
He had offered help to the Second Consort for the sake of Luo Ningcha and did not expect that the woman he had a crush on would one day become a hostage of his own side.
It wasn’t yet bright outside, and Tuo Sai sat fidgeting in his tent. He had learned of King Kuari’s ability and therefore, dared not to save the important hostage. But that woman… At the very thought of her rare appearance, Tuo Sai couldn’t help but feel restless and an impulse to leave far away with his beloved.
The hard part was that Tuo Sai had to stay calm on the surface. And in less than four hours, he had to go with his father to watch the warrior contest as if nothing had happened. There would be an interesting gamble today. The Dragon King and King Kuari would send their warriors to compete with one another and whoever won the contest would also win the ‘unparalleled swords’. Considering that the two had had a series of fights, either openly or secretly, the kung fu contest would cause a big stir.
“Dragon King,” Tuo Sai muttered with complicated feelings, his voice full of jealousy and resentment. So when the Dragon King was standing right before him, Tuo Sai almost thought it was an illusion of his own mind.
He reached for the weapon near him but changed his mind the moment he touched the saber hilt, shouting, “How dare you!”
“I’m here to help you.”
“The Second Consort sent you here?”
“Mmm.”
Tuo Sai’s jealousy suddenly flared up, even his eyes grew fierce, “What’s the relationship between you and Luo Ningcha?”
“A misunderstood relationship.”
“But people of Golden Roc Castle said…”
“Most of the misconceptions about me come from Golden Roc Castle. Do you believe all of them?”
Tuo Sai didn’t know who to believe, but Luo Ningcha had said that she only liked powerful men, and the Dragon King wasn’t even close to that standard. “Then why do you want to save her?”
“It’s not me, but the Second Consort. She swore to protect those who sought refuge with her, but she can’t come so she sent me here. But I won’t meddle in her business unless you help me.”
“Huh, her business? King Kuari will use her to threaten you, and you are still taking this as ‘business’?”
If he could make his own decisions, Gu Shenwei would rather stay out of it all. It was really ridiculous that King Kuari and Golden Roc Castle actually believed that they could coerce him with Luo Ningcha.
Time was running out but Tuo Sai was full of caution, so Gu Shenwei had to remind him. “Luo Ningcha isn’t a stubborn woman. There’s no need to torture her, as putting her under house arrest for two or three days will be enough to get her to confess to everything. It’s actually you who the Second Consort wants to save, not her.”
Tuo Sai gaped and realized he was as foolish as Kuo Zhen. He had only thought of the beauty of that woman and had ignored the crucial fact that Luo Ningcha’s confession would kill him.
“Can you save her?”
“With your help.”
Once he found himself in danger, Tuo Sai’s fiery love in his heart immediately cooled. “Wouldn’t it be better for the Second Consort to take up this matter herself? Luo Ningcha is her guest…”
“Luo Ningcha is also a young mistress of Golden Roc Castle. The Second Consort can’t do anything if Shangguan Yun doesn’t agree to her demands.” Gu Shenwei paused for a moment before continuing, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to take risks. I also don’t want to take risks, so forget it. King Kuari may not really force her, and she may not confess.”
Tuo Sai had given up all resistance before Gu Shenwei even turned around. “Wait, I… I’ll help.”
Gu Shenwei knew that King Riyao’s son would be firmly controlled by the Second Consort from now on. In the past, he had only provided some trivial information but now he had to pour his heart out and take a stand.
Tuo Sai only had a general idea about King Kuari’s plan, but the parts he did know were the most important parts.
“King Kuari doesn’t want to kill you. He’ll let you take Luo Ningcha away. When you two try to run away, he’ll openly pursue you while making a great commotion. After that, he’ll pretend it’s just a misunderstanding, and then he’ll tell everyone that you two … are having an affair.”
What would happen next was easy to guess. Shangguan Yun and Zhang Ji would show appropriate anger, and may even bring Shangguan Nu out to ask for justice as a husband, causing the Dragon King to lose his reputation.
King Kuari still wanted to drive the Dragon King away so that he could frame him up later.
“The Dragon King has to make a move now if you want to save her. King Kuari wasn’t joking. He’ll really play hard if the Dragon King doesn’t agree to exchange hostages after dawn.” Tuo Sai trembled with fear. He couldn’t believe such a beauty could endure being beaten.
Gu Shenwei didn’t act at once; he didn’t want to take risks for Luo Ningcha. He was telling the truth.
The Tournament of the Royal Court was more boisterous than ever today. The arenas where the warrior contest was held were crowded with spectators. Less than one percent of the audience could see what was going on inside, but that did not affect the enthusiasm of the crowd.
Gu Shenwei went to the viewing area for nobles with guards, and under the deliberate arrangement of the organizer, his seat was next to King Kuari’s.
Gu Shenwei arrived first. The nobles around all looked askance and none of them greeted him. They all kept a low voice as they talked with each other.
About a quarter of an hour later, King Kuari showed up. He spread his arms and approached Gu Shenwei with unusual enthusiasm. “Let us thank the Dragon King. If it weren’t for him, how could today’s warrior contest have such a large audience?”
His words were like a magic incantation. The nobles who were whispering suddenly had a mood change from dreary to boisterous. They laughed in unison and crowded around the Dragon King, subtly steering the conversation towards the real important figure, King Kuari.
“Is the Dragon King really from the Western Regions? You really know the customs of the Norland well. The warriors under King Kuari haven’t met any worthy opponents for many years. Can the Dragon King open my eyes today?”
“What about the bet? Take them out for everyone to have a look. I heard that the Dragon King’s saber and sword were made by a famous craftsman in the Western Regions. I don’t know if they can be compared to any in King Kuari’s collections.”
…
King Kuari ordered someone to lay out his ten weapons, seven sabers and three swords, all of which were placed in exquisite caskets of different styles. They were indeed the works of famous craftsmen from all over the world.
To the exclamations of the crowd, Gu Shenwei drew his Five Peaks Saber and Dragon Head Sword with both hands and stated, “That’s them.” Before the people around could see it clearly, he put them away again, causing discontent and complain.
While everyone was admiring the weapons, King Kuari came over and whispered, “I haven’t received your answer yet, do you agree or disagree?”
“It’s up to the warrior contest. If your warriors win, I agree to ally. Otherwise, I’d rather find a more powerful king.”
King Kuari still wore his trademark friendly smile. “Good idea. Don’t let the audience down then. Let’s send our warriors in the first game. Is the Dragon King going to play in person?”
“No.” Gu Shenwei waved at one of the guards behind him, “This is my warrior.”
Shangguan Fei walked out, his face filled with terror. “Dragon King, don’t blame me if I lose,” he blurted out.
