Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Gu Shenwei’s previous alliance with Lotus hadn’t been in vain. From it, Gu Shenwei had probably become one of the few outsiders knowledgeable about the secret arts of the Waning Moon Hall, on par with Old Man Mu’s level, but more vigilant.
As soon as Han Fen exhaled that plume of blue smoke, Gu Shenwei breathed out in response.
Han Fen screamed and rolled back several times before disappearing into the grass. Then like a frightened bird, she leaped into the air, jumping and giggling as she ran away.
Gu Shenwei decided to spare her life in the end. This woman was very strange; although she was loyal and devoted to Lotus, she didn’t understand what a secret was. As long as he used some specific methods, he could always dig up a lot of information from her.
The information might be false, but even false information was a clue.
Gu Shenwei tried to approach the bonfire once again.
The men lying in ambush had broken their concealment and were now simply taking part in the contest openly, after leaving seven or eight corpses in the grass behind them.
The quiet ending to the scuffle puzzled Gu Shenwei. In an attempt to clear his confusion, he tried to get as close to the crowd as possible to listen in on their conversation.
“He’s got a point. If we continue fighting like this, then all of us will die and no one will get any benefits.”
“Avenge yourself later. There’s no need to fight and waste your lives here.”
“Right, we’re all here for the hundred thousand silver taels. Why do we have to fight each other to the death?”
“We’re all martial heroes, so how come we… We were tricked into killing each other by just a few words from her?”
Everyone nodded and even cupped their hands to salute each other as if they had developed some kind of friendship through the scuffle just now.
Actually, everyone knew this simple truth but they still needed someone to wake them up at a critical moment, and this person was Dhuta Kingkong.
As the organizer of the contest and the owner of the head, he was naturally obligated to restore the order.
He stopped the people chasing after Han Wuxian for vengeance and clearly showed the crowd the meaninglessness of the whole melee.
Han Wuxian wanted to go on killing but Nie Zeng, who was carrying her, wouldn’t move anymore. “Enough, we are here to compete in kung fu. There’s no need to kill so many people.”
“To compete is to kill, and to kill is to compete.” This aphorism made sense to Han Wuxian but failed to move Nie Zeng.
When Gu Shenwei arrived, Dhuta Kingkong was still negotiating with Han Wuxian. The sight of him standing over a dozen steps away and not daring to even breathe heavily was something to watch. “Fairy Han’s kung fu is matchless and really opened my eyes. I believe that Fairy Han’s fame will spread across the Central Plains and the Norland due to today’s fight.”
Han Wuxian, with her ruthlessness and disregard for the rules of the martial arts world, really didn’t fit the image of a ‘heroine,’ so Dhuta Kingkong called her ‘Fairy’ instead.
Han Wuxian seemed to be quite satisfied with her new nickname and softly said, “You really know what to say. You are actually the person with the best kung fu here, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not,” Dhuta Kingkong hastily denied. “We will only know who’s the best after the competition but it’s certainly not me. I think that Fairy Han is the most promising.”
“Hehe, you are getting better at talking. You know, your bald head looked quite annoying before, but it looks much better now.”
Dhuta Kingkong stroked his head and revealed a bitter smile, “Thanks for your kind words, Fairy Han.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Since you admit that my kung fu is the best, give me the head of the Khan now.”
Dhuta Kingkong didn’t expect that the other side would take his flattery seriously. “Well … I don’t have a problem with that, but there are so many friends here today. It’s better to have a competition so that everyone is convinced.”
“Are you saying that you think my kung fu is the best but others might not think so?”
“Exactly.” As soon as he blurted out the word, Dhuta Kingkong knew that he had made a huge mistake. This woman appeared a bit crazy. Who would have thought that she was so good at setting verbal traps?
Sure enough, before Dhuta Kingkong could find a way to fix his mistake, Han Wuxian had raised her voice and said, “Baldy Kingkong has admitted that I am number one. Anyone who’s unconvinced can come here and have a life-or-death fight with me.
The crowd looked askance at Dhuta Kingkong, all thinking that he was playing two-faced tricks.
Dhuta Kingkong didn’t want to waste time on the matter so he winked at a saberman beside him. The man took one step forward and loudly said, “I’m not convinced. The point of this contest is to choose a hero who is fair and righteous, but you are disgracefully using poison to kill. If you are really capable…”
Han Wuxian spread her arms and smiled heartily as if the man standing opposite was the most handsome saberman in the world. “I can’t use poison anymore even if I want to. I haven’t restocked my pills yet and the borrowed poison has all been used up.”
Few people believed Han Wuxian’s story but that saberman took another step forward and said in a soft tone. “I see. I’m sorry I wronged you.”
Dhuta Kingkong dragged the saberman to where he was and laughed out loud, “So Fairy Han will not use poison anymore in the following competitions?”
The saberman struggled a few times in Dhuta Kingkong’s hand and even almost drew his saber in anger. A few moments later, he suddenly came to his senses and blushed, hiding himself in the crowd and never coming out again.”
“Well, I’m not a real fairy. The poison is already used up. Do you think I can make some with magic?”
Dhuta Kingkong smiled obsequiously. He wasn’t a fresh shrimp in Jianghu and would not be seduced in public. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to say this, but hidden weapon and poison are not allowed in the contest.”
“Ehh, that’s strange. If poison is not allowed, then why would someone bring poison with him? I borrowed it from him.”
“Who? Who else has poison?” Dhuta Kingkong spoke with the mind of the crowd. When Han Wuxian said ‘borrowed poison,’ everyone thought that she had borrowed it from one of her friends before coming here.
“It’s the guy who was recording everyone’s name. What’s his name again? The ink he used was a very good poison.”
“Ruan Donglai?”
“Yes, it’s him. You have a good memory. You must be the smartest baldy in the world, aren’t you?”
“You flatter me.” Dhuta Kingkong would have become angry long ago if others were joking about his baldness like she was doing. But when faced with this woman, he could only reveal a bitter smile and quickly change the subject. “Ruan Donglai, come out and explain!”
No one answered.
“Ruan Donglai! Ruan Donglai!” He called twice but still got no response.
“Is he dead?” someone guessed but that was immediately refuted. “No, I just saw him… Ah, the kid got away.”
Ruan Donglai had really run away. As soon as he heard the words ‘borrowed poison,’ he had begun slipping away. Several people had seen him, but did not care at that time.
Dhuta Kingkong was very embarrassed because Ruan Donglai was an old friend of his and had offered to help him organize this contest. He didn’t expect that the other side had hatched a plot, but as a veteran in Jianghu, he was very good at concealing his embarrassment. He laughed loudly and cupped his hands, saying, “Fairy Han has sharp eyes to expose the wicked. Who would dare say that you are not a real celestial being from now on? Everybody listen up, those who were poisoned tonight should be counted as dying to that bastard Ruan Donglai!”
Revenge was a complicated thing. The crowd quickly weighed this issue in their heart and everyone knew which way was easier to go, so they vomited Dhuta Kingkong’s words back. “Go find Ruan Donglai and cut him into pieces to avenge ourselves.”
Dhuta Kingkong waited for the crowd to vent their anger for a while before he raised his big hand and said, “The contest is back on and the first player on the field is… Wise Eye Fairy Han Wuxian of the Western Regions. Who’s going to challenge her?”
Han Wuxian smiled more charmingly and touchingly after getting her first nickname in Jianghu. “And this little brother who’s carrying me. He’s also very powerful.”
Nie Zeng was so embarrassed that he really wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it. He was a killer, and it would really be a shame if he was given a nickname.
“Fairy Carrier!” Someone shouted. Nie Zeng found that he was being too naive. Compared to the shame of being nicknamed, the fact that nickname really sucked was even worse.
No one cared about Nie Zeng. And since he was standing with his back against everyone, very few people could see his face turning red.
What the sabermen were concerned about most was who would compete with Han Wuxian. They looked at each other until, finally, a saberman who was in his thirties walked out and the first thing he said was, “Can you promise to not use poison?”
“I promise you, you will never use a saber again.” Han Wuxian was smiling and speaking in a soft tone even when she made threats.
The saberman snorted and suddenly attacked without giving a name. He had found Han Wuxian’s biggest flaw — the teenager carrying her.
As long as he killed the boy, this woman would be helpless no matter how advanced her kung fu skills were.
Nie Zeng slightly turned his head and saw the saberman coming at him from the corner of his eye, so he gripped his saber hilt, believing that his next move would fend off the attacker with one cut and earn Han Wuxian a chance to make a move.
But before he could unsheathe his saber, Nie Zeng felt the load on his back suddenly lighten, and then heard the crowd cry out in surprise. He turned around uncontrollably and saw the saberman standing there stiffly with few strands of blood flowing out from the top of his head and just reaching his forehead.
The weight on his back returned.
Shangguan Fei, who had been hiding in the distance, quietly walked out and stayed within ten steps of Han Wuxian and Nie Zeng, because he understood that he might be the one needed to be protected.
Gu Shenwei saw the whole process clearly from afar. Han Wuxian, who was not only good at using poison and secret techniques, had just shown her first-rate lightness skills and finger energy. Flying up, inserting her five fingers into the head of the saberman, and then jumping back with the rebounding force; Han Wuxian had easily killed her first challenger.
Gu Shenwei quietly retreated as there was nothing to worry about anymore.
He had ordered the golden roc killers and the teenage killers to set up ambushes, and the former had already caught something.
A middle-aged man had run into the trap. The man looked elegant and had no saber on him, as if he was a scholar who had strayed into the area by accident during night.
The golden roc killer left him to the Dragon King for questioning.
“Ruan Donglai?”
Ruan Donglai appeared very surprised, “I never thought… You must be the Dragon King, I never imagined that you would know this humble person’s name.”
Gu Shenwei winked, and a golden roc killer quickly searched Ruan Donglai and took out a lot of items. Gu Shenwei picked up an inkstone, of which the ink had not yet dried, and sniffed it. “Do you wanna try?”
Ruan Donglai’s expression immediately changed, “No no, Dragon King, please don’t. Actually … Actually, we are on the same side.”
“Oh, really? I don’t remember you.”
Ruan Donglai looked around and signaled the Dragon King to send away the killers. After his failure, he said, “I work for King Riyao. The lord planned this contest to lure the snake out of its hole … I didn’t expect the Dragon King was attracted.”
“Who were you trying to lure?”
“The one who took away the head of the Khan. My lord came up a brilliant idea. He said that as long as that person was still staying in the Royal Court, he would definitely come to check once he heard there was another head.”
“Where about the ambush of King Riyao?”
“In order to not leak the plot, there wouldn’t be any ambush. It should have just been me and Dhuta Kingkong along with twenty-five sabermen. To tell you the truth, there are too many people here today. I’m afraid…”
“Since we are all working for King Riyao, do you think I will sit back and do nothing?”
Dragon King was overjoyed, “Yes, yes. If we can make it, the main credits will be the Dragon King’s. I’ve already found the most suspicious target. He used a false name but I recognized him.” He took one step forward, staying away from the golden roc killers and mouthing out a name.
Gu Shenwei nodded to show that he understood who he was talking about, thinking that it was really possible that the Khan’s head had been taken away by this person.
The golden rock killer also understood the Dragon King’s hint, so he pierced Ruan Donglai’s heart from the back with the narrow saber in his hand.
