Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
King Kuari had no counselors. Looking at the silent and frightened general and servants, he suddenly sighed with emotion. He thought that he had seen everything clearly, but he was still defeated by the vulgarians.
The vulgarians were the people in front of him, who seemed loyal and willing to risk any danger to do their duty, but were utterly useless at the critical moment.
“Tell me what’s happening out there.”
“Yes,” replied the general, as he trembled with perspiration and poured out the hard-won words, “Our army is tenaciously defending the eastern part of the noble’s area and we also have five strongholds in the craftsman area. We can still hold on for the time being. King Rizhu is like a spent arrow now and there’s no need to worry about him, but …”
“Why didn’t you just say ‘but’ right away?” King Kuari said in a slow and soft tone, like a parent who was patiently educating his child in the simplest truths. “Defend, defend, defend. Have we hit a dead end already?”
The general was terrified, and more sweat beaded on his forehead. It was midsummer and the nights were no longer cool, let alone the fact that he was in full armor. “Please forgive me, my lord. Our army can still attack but a few traitors are watching from the sides. I’m afraid…”
“How many?”
“Four… Five. King Shengri, King Nari, King Riying, King Riming, and King Rixin. Our connection with the craftsman area was cut off by them.”
“Have the five kings brought their armies together?”
“No, no, they shouldn’t have.”
“Then ‘should’ I believe you or not?”
King Kuari’s tone was as patient as an old woman’s but the general grew more and more uneasy. He lifted his hand to wipe away the waterfall-like sweat trailing down his face and firmly said, “The five kings are not yet allied. They are afraid of each other and haven’t exerted all their strength.”
King Shengri smashed the table suddenly and with a harsh tone, which shocked all the people in the tent, said, “The five kings would have seized the throne long ago and wouldn’t have waited until now if they were willing to ally with one another. It’s very simple. The opportunity to make a large contribution is right under your nose but you guys don’t want to seize it. Instead, you are talking about so-called ‘defensiveness.’ There’s no such thing as being defensive for tonight’s battle. Being defensive means admitting failure and being destroyed. Defeat King Rizhu and the other kings will naturally lower their heads. Being defensive will only encourage coward like King Shengri to be bold. Go attack. Now.”
“Yes.” The general hastened to follow the order. “I’ll issue an order and send eight thousand cavalries straight at the camp of King Rizhu.”
“Eight thousand? I thought we had fifteen thousand cavalry units.”
“There were some casualties, and there are thirteen thousand left.”
“Hmm.”
The general was stunned for a while and then waveringly asked, “All-out attack?”
“Is there a problem?”
“But…” Seeing the king’s stern eyes, the general swallowed his words.
“Order King Riyao to send at least half of his army.”
“Yes,” the general reluctantly replied, wondering whether the king’s only ally would accept the order or not.
The general retreated from the tent and climbed onto the horse with the help of his entourage. The cool breeze came and carried away the nervousness in his heart and all the submissiveness in his face. “Stay here, all of you. Do whatever you can to protect the lord. If anything happens to the lord, neither you nor I will not live.”
King Kuari couldn’t see the loyalty shown by the general but only felt that there was a lack of available talented people under his command, especially when he was full of emotion and there was no one he could talk to. He waved for everyone in the tent to withdraw, leaving only one guest.
The guest looked ordinary and stood in the last row, hardly attracting any attention. He was a Golden Roc killer.
“The Dragon King didn’t come, and neither did the Cloud King,” King Kuari said flatly, trying to tamp down the discontent in his heart. Strictly speaking, the Golden Roc Castle killer was not yet his subordinate.
The killer appeared much calmer than the general. “The Dragon King has already set out from the camp. He’s just waiting for the right moment. A killer always acts when the target thinks it’s impossible for him to make a move. As for the Cloud King, he is more patient because he’s the master of the killer.”
King Kuari appreciated the killer’s way of speaking who was always confident even though nothing had been done yet. So he smiled and nodded slightly. “What’s your name?”
“Killers don’t have names.”
“Good habit. How long have you been a killer for?”
“Fourteen years.”
“Fourteen years? You don’t look that old.”
“I received the title of ‘killer’ when I was nineteen.”
King Kuari stayed silent for a while before he suddenly asked, “Do you think I will win?”
“Your Highness will become the Lord of the Royal Court before dawn.”
“Haha, I didn’t know that the killer’s kung fu of flattery wasn’t weak either. Can you beat the Dragon King?”
The killer hesitated for a moment before replying, “A killer doesn’t say ‘beat’ or ‘defeat’.”
“Oh, what do you say then?”
“Who can kill who?”
“What’s the difference?”
“When we say ‘beat’ or ‘defeat,’ we are comparing kung fu skills, but when it comes to ‘kill’ or can’t kill,’ we are comparing methods, all kinds of methods, of which kung fu is just one.”
King Kuari seemed to understand a bit. “For example, if I don’t know kung fu, I naturally can’t beat you. But if I can kill you by poisoning, then I’m a good killer.”
“Exactly.”
The herald rushed in, his face beaming, “My lord, our army has stormed the Office of King Rizhu and will end the battle soon.”
King Kuari felt refreshed by the news but didn’t show it on his face. “Any reactions from the other kings?”
“The four lords are holding their troops still. King Shengri has advanced forward one mile and is within a bowshot’s distance from us now.”
“The bird-king has some nerve. Go order King Riyao to wave him into flight.”
The Herald left with the orders. King Kuari thought for a long while with his chin resting on his fist before he took a glance at the killer, seemingly surprised that the other side was still standing there. “I’m really curious. The Dragon King is a traitor to Golden Roc Castle, but why hasn’t the Unique King killed him?”
“Yang Huan is lucky.”
“He’s been lucky for several years in a row?”
“Some people have better luck, and the King Lord has never sent out his strongest killers.”
“Haha.” King Kuari was in a good mood, so he was willing to chat and pass the time. “The Unique King underestimated Yang Huan. He made a mistake, thinking that Yang Huan was an insignificant figure and that he could get rid of him at any time so he was never in a hurry. To his surprise, the Dragon King grew strong and even defeated his army. Now it is too late.”
The killer kept silent with his head lowered.
“Does it upset you that I belittled your King Lord?” asked King Kuari coldly. He wasn’t used to people turning a cold shoulder to him.
“The lowly me dares not to. I’m not qualified to participate in such things so I don’t dare to comment on it.”
“Heh, not only are you a good killer but you are also a good servant. Let me tell you something; the rules of war are the opposite of the killer’s rule. You have to defeat your enemy; killing is not the purpose but the process. Sometimes war won’t end even if you kill the commander.
“With all due respect, I know nothing about war.” The killer appeared even more humble.
King Kuari hadn’t fully expressed his views yet, but he didn’t want to talk about his thoughts with a stiff killer anymore as it was tantamount to showing off pearls before swine.
But the silence was really distasteful and he didn’t want to harp on about it in front of his servants and subordinates so he asked, “How are you going to kill the Dragon King when he comes?”
“Uhh.” The killer felt a bit reluctant to reveal the assassination plan because it didn’t conform with Golden Roc Castle’s rules. But he gave up his reservations on second thought. This was the future Khan of the Norland, and even the Unique King would have to lower his head in front of this man here, not to mention himself. “The Dragon King won’t bring too many helpers with him, maybe two or three people. They will circle around You Highness’s tent, find the hidden killers, remove a few of them, and secure a safe retreat route. Then they’ll sneak into the tent and launch a deadly blow. They’ll retreat immediately after that no matter if it’s successful or not.”
“That sounds like a good plan.”
“This tent is the most heavily guarded place right now. There are killers acting as guards on all sides. If the Dragon King takes a risk, he will fall into a siege before he can approach Your Highness. If he gives up the plan at the last moment and retreats from the route he’s arranged, he’ll also fall into a trap. That’s our plan.”
King Kuari looked around as if he wanted to find a trace of those invisible guards. “I’d rather take the Dragon King alive.”
“We’ll try but the Dragon King is very dangerous…”
“I’m just saying that. I’m fine with the head as well.”
The Herald ran in for the second time but this time there was no gleam of joy on his face. “Our army is surrounded at the camp of King Rizhu, and the two sides are fiercely fighting.”
King Kuari still kept his composure but his interest in the Dragon King and the killer had vanished. “Move King Riyao’s whole army to the rescue.”
“King Riyao is currently confronting King Shengri…”
“Never mind King Shengri, just go pass my orders.”
The Herald left in a hurry, not daring to say another word.
“That’s war, a mixture of truths and falsehoods.” King Shengri said to the killer, “King Shengri is a coward who drinks wine and keeps birds. He won’t actually dare to make a move if King Riyao’s army retreats.”
“That’s a smart move. I admire You Highness’s wisdom.”
“Heh, so if you wanted to scare the Dragon King away, why not remove the guards around the tent and set traps on his way out?”
“Well … Your Highness’s safety is more important than anything else …”
“Again, I’m just saying it. It’s up to you to how to get rid of a killer.”
Another herald ran in, puzzled. “King Shengri has come to see my lord.”
King Kuari snorted. “The old bird king is indeed the first to get cold feet.”
The killer took a step forward and cautioned, “Be careful of a catch, Your Highness.”
King Kuari shot a stern glance at the killer, very dissatisfied with his transgression. A killer should not speak up without permission, let alone meddle with a collaboration between the lords.
The killer understood the king’s meaning so he anxiously knelt on one knee and explained, “Yang Huan may take the opportunity to sneak in.”
“How many men did King Shengri bring with him?” asked King Kuari.
“A dozen or so guards, less than twenty.”
“Keep the guards outside the camp, let him come in alone.”
“Yes.”
The killer returned to his original position, maintaining a high level of vigilance in his mind.
King Shengri came, and he was sweating profusely. This night seemed particularly hot. Without even noticing the killer in the corner, he walked straight to King Kuari.
The killer was relieved to ascertain that this fat old king was definitely not a killer in disguise.
“My dear nephew, you’ve really made a scene this time.”
“Oh, really? I don’t think it’s a big scene.”
King Shengri looked around and finally noticed the lone killer. “Who’s this man? Is he trustworthy?”
“Feel free to speak your mind.” King Kuari avoided the question.
King Shengri coughed twice before saying, “The Khan has an order.”
“Yes?”
“It’s a secret order and we’ve all received it. It says that whoever can stop your fight with Old Cha will be the heir.”
King Kuari still contained his composure. He finally understood why several kings who had originally fallen to his side had changed their stances and become neutral in the war. It turned out that they were still thinking of the title of Khan. “What are you doing here then? Did you come just to tell me this?”
“I’m here to try to persuade you to call a truce.”
“You want to end the battle without joining it and let the Khan appoint you as his heir?” King Kuari felt that his uncle’s brain was even more confused than King Dari’s.
“Yes, and when I am the Khan, I’ll pardon you and Old Cha. You can still keep your title and status but cannot stay in the Royal Court any longer.”
“Huh.” King Kuari laughed with extreme anger, “I’ll also give you one condition. Join my group, hand over your title as a king. You can keep yours birds and wine, and find a grassland to retire to. Otherwise, I’ll share your wine with the soldiers and drink all of them with the roast bird.”
King Shengri shook his head, “Alas, my dear nephew, things are more complicated than you think. Listen, the messenger is coming. I bet it’s a crow, a big crow.”
The crow wasn’t alone, but actually a murder (the saying for a group of crows is a murder of crows). Seven or eight soldiers carried a stretcher in, on top of which was the general who was covered with blood and already unable to speak.
No one reported the situation of the battlefield.
King Kuari stepped down from his seat and walked toward the seriously wounded general.
The killer had a sense of crisis from the start but he did not dare to shout out a warning, and all of a sudden, his sense for crisis reached its zenith. “Watch…”
The second word was left unsaid forever, as the dizziness had kicked in at that moment. The killer reached out for his saber hilt but was cut at the heart.
The attacker raised her head, it was obviously a woman’s face under the helmet.
King Kuari stopped and recognized that one of the guards was the Dragon King himself. But the Dragon King seemed to be a bystander. Everyone, including the Dragon King, gave way to a woman who, though dressed in the guard’s suit, was not disguised.
“Who are you?” King Kuari was bewildered and surprised by the sudden appearance of the enemy, especially when he saw that even King Shengri was acting deferential to the strange woman.
