Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Red Bat now had a personal experience with the eccentricity of the Waning Moon Hall. She used to be the handmaid for the nobles of the Land of Fragrance and had a cursory knowledge of the Indra Fragrance. From what she remembered, it shouldn’t have caused diarrhea. Evidently, Both the drug and the antidote had been changed while in the hands of Lotus.
She really wished that nobody would be outside the tent but the murmur of voices clearly indicated that there were still many people out there. She could only summon up all her courage to walk out.
“Feel better?” Shangguan Ru asked.
“Hmm. My power is recovering.” Red Bat whispered with her head lowered, glad that she wasn’t the center of attention.
Nobody knew why but Shangguan Fei blurted out, “Oh no, Red Bat. You dirtied the camp and they came knocking for you.”
“Don’t speak such nonsense.”
Afraid of his sister’s ‘order,’ Shangguan Fei stopped mocking Red Bat and just chuckled.
Red Bat’s face immediately turned red. She knew that the newcomers had nothing to do with her but still couldn’t help but glance at them.
There were completely surrounded by at least twenty-odd people scattered in all directions. With their backs to different bonfires, each seemed old enough to live fearlessly. But the real refugees had already wisely hidden themselves, and these newcomers were the only ones within a few dozen paces of them.
Long Fanyun hurried back. After a quick exchange of glance with Red Bat, he turned his head around at once, drew his grandsword, and shouted, “Who are you?”
The opposing Han Fen was a captive now but she didn’t seem to be particularly afraid. She imitated Long Fanyun’s tone and said right back at him, “Right, who are you?”
A newly arrived old man removed his disguise and nodded to the Dragon King. “We are all disciples of the Kongtong Sect.”
Shangguan Fei pointed at this man and said, “Ehh, aren’t you that Fan Yongda? The Dragon King saved your life in the forbidden zone of the palace.”
“I will always keep the Dragon King’s favor in mind.”
“It’s good to keep it in mind, but it’s time to do something practical. Tell the old man and old woman of your sect to…”
Dog Butcher chimed in leisurely, “Do not use the word ‘old man’ to describe me, at least not until I defeat Old Man Mu.”
Shangguan Fei couldn’t understand why a man would stick to such a silly promise so stubbornly, but at heart, he admired Old Man Mu means even more. “Either way, we hold no grudges towards each other and there’s no need to fight. You’ve seized Han Fen and there’s no more need to snatch our antidote.”
Dog Butcher looked at the old woman and said, “He’s got a point.”
Fan Yongda feared the old woman very much but the Dragon King did indeed save him in front of thousands of people. So he also came forward and said, “Aunt Master, the Dragon King has saved my life before…”
The old woman had been staring at the Dragon King the whole time. Upon hearing this, she snorted, “The men of our Kongtong Sect are really spineless. You are so easily bought over by petty favors. He did save you, but he also killed Shen Yongjiu. Your martial arts skills are not even half as good as Yongjiu’s. That means that he still owes us half a life. Dog Butcher, you know that this kid has saved Old Man Mu several times. Can you just forget about the humiliation that has tormented you for more than a decade?”
Ashamed, the old and the young alike bowed their heads. Fan Yongda cupped his hands and silently bowed to the Dragon King before he retreated back to his fellow disciples. Dog Butcher seemed to muster his strength, and he suddenly raised his head, drew his walking stick, and again thrust it heavily against the ground. “Yes, you are in leagues with Old Man Mu and you act vilely in collusion with him… You two are on the same side and I can’t let you go.”
“Well said!” The old woman gave a resounding affirmation, loud, clear, and resonant.
“Well said indeed!” Shangguan Fei called out after her. He wasn’t able to defeat Dog Butcher with his fists so he was determined to render a service through words, “You two: one ugly, and the other wicked, crow like a cock and snatch like a dog. You adulterers sleep in the same bed but dream different dreams… You are just a couple of bitches despised by the whole world.”
The old woman’s face turned red with anger but Dog Butcher was only surprised, saying, “We do dream different dreams but we don’t sleep in the same bed, and neither are we adulterers. I’m practicing the Virgin Boy Skill and she’s practicing…”
“Shut up and bring me the Dragon King first.”
Dog Butcher was very obedient. He poised to pounce at his opponent but was checked by the other side. Gu Shenwei, who always fought a quick battle and forced a quick conclusion, wasn’t in a hurry this time. “Wait a moment; there’s something I want to ask first. Was the Kongtong sect waiting for specifically me tonight?”
“We set a trap to…”
The old woman shrieked, “Why are you telling him this?”
Dog Butcher stopped talking. Shangguan Ru said in surprise, “I didn’t know it was a trap…”
Flustered, Doctor Sun hastily echoed, “Neither did I. I thought that this was just a common camp.”
Han Fen, whose hands were tied behind her back, feigned surprise and said with a voice that was surprisingly similar to Shangguan Ru’s, “I didn’t know it was a trap either.”
Surprised and amused, Shangguan Ru asked that old woman, “How did you know that the Dragon King would come here?”
Han Fen was very good at disguising herself and her ventriloquism was also first-rate. She immediately repeated the words of Shangguan Ru in the same tone.
The disciples of the Kongtong Sect guarding Han Fen uneasily looked at each other, their hands reaching for their saber hilts.
Instead of answering Shangguan Ru, the old woman looked at Han Fen and said, “What tricks are you playing at?”
Han Fen glanced at Shangguan Ru and said nothing.
Feeling like she was being ignored, the old woman became furious. Her body swayed a bit and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared from where she was and appeared in front of Han Fen. The dozen or so paces seemed nonexistent in front of her. She raised her hand and tried to slap Han Fen in the face.
“No!” Several disciples shouted at the same time.
The old woman paused and puzzledly look at Han Fen, who was neither beautiful nor special. “What? Were you all bewitched by the enchantress?” As she said that, she swung her arm and tried to slap again.
“Poison!”
The disciples’ reminder was right on time. The old woman’s palm stopped two or three inches from Han Fen’s cheek. “Poison? The Waning Moon Hall is indeed a rotten sect.”
Han Fen was trying to imitate Shangguan Ru so she had remained silent. But after hearing that remark, however, she couldn’t help but reply, “It’s more than rotten. It’s rotten from head to toe. You are short so you’ll rot faster…”
For Hen Fen, it was an honest description and had no special meaning. But to a normal person, her words were an absolute humiliation. The old woman was so enraged that she jumped back while using her crutch to strike Han Fen in the chest, obviously wanting to kill her.
Another crutch pressed on hers, and the old woman retreated again. Furiously, she snapped, “Don’t you dare stop me, old dog!”
Dog Butcher looked submissive and not ‘daring’ at all. “Senior sister misunderstood me. This girl gave three antidote pills to the Dragon King and may have more. We have to rely on her to save people if I’m no match for the Dragon King and can’t get the last pill.”
The old woman suppressed her anger and asked, “Do you have an antidote?”
Han Fen didn’t answer. She was still carefully observing Shangguan Ru.
Shangguan Ru wasn’t familiar with her and didn’t understand why she was always staring at her. But she had no ill feelings towards her either, so she said, “The Kongtong Sect is a famous sect of the Central Plains. Why did its disciples become so unreasonable after entering the prairie? Blatantly snatching antidotes and secretly kidnapping the innocent, it’s really disappointing.”
The old woman sneered, but before she could start refuting Shangguan Ru’s points, Han Fen had already said repeated the words verbatim in Shangguan Ru’s manner.
Shangguan Ru laughed. “Why do you always imitate me?”
Han Fen even imitated her laughter perfectly but spoke a little faster, “Why do you always imitate me?”
It wasn’t funny anymore but a little eerie now. The old woman, Dog Butcher, and everyone else of the Kongtong sect all stepped back a few paces.
Shangguan Ru also felt a bit nervous and helplessly glanced at the Dragon King.
Nobody knew what Han Fen was thinking. Gu Shenwei took a few steps forward and asked, “Han Fen, are you still in the mood to play games at this time?”
Han Fen looked straight at Shangguan Ru while saying, “Shh, don’t you love saving this little girl the most? If I imitate her to perfection, then you’ll also be willing to save me.”
Hearing this, Shangguan Ru blushed but the others were bewildered, unable to tell if Han Fen was joking or not.
Gu Shenwei shook his head gently and said, “I’ll save you regardless of if you imitate her or not.”
“Really?” Han Fen immediately turned her eyes to the Dragon King and smilingly returned to her original expression.
“But what are you going to use in exchange for your life this time?”
“Aiya, you’ve got me. You didn’t like anything that I said before. You’d better make an offer yourself.”
“Tell me the whereabouts of Han Xuan and Shangguan Shaomin.”
“Deal.”
Han Fen promised so readily that Gu Shenwei felt a little uneasy.
Looking at the two, the old woman of the Kongtong sect was incensed, “Are all the people of the Western Regions crazy? So much nonsense. If you want to save people, you’ll have to go through me first.”
Gu Shenwei spread his arms and said, “I have a suggestion. Let’s have a kung fu competition. If I lose, I’ll give you the antidote. Anyhow, the one of mine is real but what you will get from Han Fen may not…”
Han Fen interjected, “Right. And I’m ticklish. I’ll tremble when I’m frisked. And anything may fall out at that time in time.”
Gu Shenwei ignored her and continued laying out the rules. “If the Kongtong sect loses, then you hand over Han Fen and get out of the way.”
“Heh, you wish!” The old woman refused to call the other side ‘the Dragon King.’ “We are many and you are few. If you want to follow the rules of Jianghu, sever your relationship with the evildoers like Old Man Mu and the people of the Waning Moon Hall first.”
Gu Shenwei turned to Doctor Sun and said, “Give me the antidote.”
Doctor Sun confusedly handed over the small wooden box that contained the pill.
Gu Shenwei put it in his robe and suddenly rushed at the old woman. Dog Butcher immediately reacted and tried to block him. But it was only a feint from Gu Shenwei, who turned halfway, jumped to the side and quickly ran into a dark area. Dog Butcher closely followed and wasn’t left too far behind.
The two quickly disappeared. Soon, a few cries were heard in the distance. Many disciples of the Kongtong sect had come this time and they had laid an ambush on the periphery.
The old woman snorted with disdain, “Humph, It’s not that easy to escape.”
Han Fen imitated her tone, which was even more perfect than when she was imitating Shangguan Ru. “Humph, it’s not that easy to intercept him.”
Han Fen’s ‘judgment’ turned out to be more accurate. Dog Butcher came back alone. “Strange, he suddenly disappeared. But his lightness skill wasn’t actually that good.”
No one was better at hiding in the dark than a killer. The people around Dragon King weren’t surprised at all.
“What a coward…”
Before the old woman finished speaking, Gu Shenwei walked out from the nearest tent. “This is why you should accept the terms of the kung fu competition.”
Dumbfounded, the old woman turned sharply to Dog Butcher, “How were you chasing him?”
Dog Butcher nodded and admitted his fault. “Yes, I didn’t perform well. Please calm down, senior sister.”
“All right, then let’s have a contest according to your terms. I don’t believe that you are good at everything.”
Gu Shenwei was just about to open his mouth when a loud hearty laugh rang out through the dark. “It’s rare for Tu Pianpian to be so reasonable. Count me in if you want to have a competition!”
The old woman’s face suddenly changed. She had worked so hard to lay this trap but didn’t expected that her target would arrive ahead of time.
