Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The Court Attendants Army had destroyed an army. When the news arrived, Gu Shenwei had just gathered his advisors together and barely exchanged a few words.
Sweating profusely, Liman rushed in and nodded to the Dragon King. “The remnants of King Zuori’s troops, which numbered about 3,000, wanted to return to their fiefs but they were attacked by nearly 20,000 men from the Court Attendants Army in the early morning hours. The fighting was quickly over and the 3,000 men were completely wiped out. The Great Shaman had passed down a declaration that before the new Khan was selected, no group that had more than a hundred men would be allowed to leave the area that covered a thirty mile radius around the Royal Court.”
“What a great shaman; he’s even more domineering than me, Old Man Mu… No, the former me.”
Liman continued explaining the situation. “King Shengri has sent a messenger to congratulate Your Highness on acquiring two new titles.”
“Take the messenger to Counselor Fang; he will deal with it at his sole discretion.”
Liman took his leave, but the momentum of his news remained.
Old Man Mu swore that as long as the good girl gave her approval, he would go kill the Great Shaman tonight. “It’s not a big deal. A good assassin is as valuable as an army.”
Mo Lin, however, sneered and shook his head. Although he had heard of Old Man Mu’s fame, he wasn’t afraid of him at all. “Killing the Great Shaman won’t help. Someone else will just replace him right away and then retaliate against our troops. By that time, even a hundred good assassins won’t be as valuable as an army.”
“Then keep assassinating them until the Court Attendants become scared.” Old Man Mu stared at Mo Lin with aggressive eyes, feeling that his status had been disturbed by this new ‘kung fu master’ that had popped out of nowhere.
Shangguan Ru interjected, “So assassination isn’t a good solution after all. It’s actually wouldn’t be a bad thing if the Court Attendants Army elected a new Khan as soon as possible.”
“The Khan’s head is not a problem for now, but where’s that Devil Bird?” Old Man Mu was in a bad mood, but he still tried to soften his tone when replying to Shangguan Ru. “Is the Devil Bird really as big as they said? If it is, why didn’t we see it? Is it invisible? My guess is that it’s something that the Great Shaman made up so that nobody can fulfill their requirements, giving him a good reason to start a massacre.”
That was more like an idea that Old Man Mu would come up with, so no one took it seriously. Shangguan Fei whispered, “The Dragon King had a big bird and many people have seen it.”
“Heh heh, the Dragon King’s best tricks involve mingling truths with falsehoods, right?” Old Man Mu winked at the Dragon King to show that he was well aware of it. He had never seen the roc before so he could not believe that it actually existed.
Gu Shenwei ignored him and turned to Shangguan Fei, asking, “The Court Attendants Army keeps challenging the lords. What would you say to deal with that?”
Shangguan Fei didn’t expect the Dragon King to seek his counsel on such an important matter and appeared a bit flustered. At the urging of Old Man Mu, he cautiously answered, “If you ask me, then I’d say that it’s better for the Dragon King to return to the Western Regions with these tens of thousands of soldiers. Why stay here and fight for the throne? After all, it has nothing to do with us in the end. There’s no need to take the threat from the Court Attendants Army seriously. They might dare to destroy three thousand people but if they meet thirty thousand people, they may not have the guts to do so. And the Western Regions must be even more chaotic by now; the sooner the Dragon King returns, the better.”
Shangguan Yun, who had been sitting at the far side, suddenly interjected while smiling, “That’s a brilliant idea, Ninth Brother.”
Shangguan Fei did not dare speak again. If the Dragon King could bring 30,000 soldiers back to the Western Regions, the first thing he would do was destroy Golden Roc Castle.
“That’s a possible idea.” Gu Shenwei didn’t belittle the opinion of Shangguan Fei. He could go back to the Western Regions, but in the end, just 30,000 horsemen was too small an army to change the situation. “What do you think, Dog Butcher?”
“Me? Do I have to give an opinion, as well?” Dog Butcher didn’t expect that the Dragon King would call out his name. “Well… Do I have to say something?”
“What can a dog’s brain think of?” Old Man Mu sneered contemptuously. He still wanted to provoke Dog Butcher into having a fight with him, but failed.
Next, Han Wuxian opened her mouth unexpectedly. Her voice was gentle, but her words were very hurtful. “If a dog’s brain can’t think of a good point to make, then a dwarf’s will even less so be able to have any good ideas.”
With his hand over his heart, Old Man Mu retreated several steps and looked at Han Wuxian with great surprise. “You, you, you… Speak for a dog?”
“Why are you always bullying a dog? You are so talkative; why can’t you shut up and be quiet for a while?” Han Wuxian’s voice became gentler and gentler, and started sounding more like a plea than a scolding.
For once, Old Man Mu obeyed though he refused to move his eyes away from Dog Butcher.
Dog Butcher did not care about being called a dog, nor did he pay any attention to Old Man Mu. He was actually nervously rubbing his hands while he considered the Dragon King’s question. “I actually… have nothing to say. No, I have an idea, but it was told to meby others. Uh, we could just watch from the sidelines while the others fight, and then reap the spoils when both sides are exhausted. You are from the Western Regions while I’m from the Central Plains. Wouldn’t it be good to let the Norland people fight among themselves?”
This was clearly an order issued by the Imperial Court of the Central Plains. No one felt awkward about it, and they even thought it made some sense, except for Mo Lin, who squinted and said, “If the Dragon King went through with such an idea, then I’m afraid he would have done everything in vain as he wouldn’t be able to take anything away with him when he leaves the Norland.”
Gu Shenwei shook his head to express his stance, but what he thought to himself was that the plan of the Central Plains was exactly the same as that of the Waning Moon Hall.
Nie Zeng was just a killer and he was quite young and inexperienced so Gu Shenwei didn’t ask him. Instead, he turned to Shangguan Yun. “What does the Cloud King think?”
With his ever-present cynical smile on his face, Shangguan Yun shrugged and said, “The Dragon King already has so many wise ideas that I’d rather not show my incompetence.”
“Feel free to speak your mind. Although we are in a temporary alliance, it is not just for show.”
Shangguan Yun glanced at his brother and sister and looked down for a moment before saying, “Well, Ninth Brother’s suggestion isn’t that bad because the Dragon King will have to return to the Western Regions sooner or later. But the Norland is still unstable and the morale of the thirty thousand soldiers also has to be stabilized. If not, they will never become a unified army even if they venture far into the Western Regions; Senior Dog Butcher’s words also make sense, but the Norland will not be in a chaotic situation forever. If the Dragon King watches in safety while the others fight, the final result will be exactly how the lord wing guard described it: you won’t be able to take anything away.”
Han Wuxian tilted her head and looked Shangguan Yun up and down as she said, “You just repeated what everyone else said.”
“Everyone has a good opinion and I have nothing more to add when it’s my turn.” Shangguan Yun returned the Hall Leader of the Waning Moon Hall’s look with great interest.
“But you have neglected my point.” That’s what Han Wuxian cared about.
Old Man Mu’s eyes lit up. “And my good point. So, do you despise us both?”
Ever since Dog Butcher had arrived at the camp, Old Man Mu had changed tactics and stopped trying to cut off Han Wuxian’s long hair, instead aiming to please her.
The two’s sayings went tit for tat and were hard to reconcile. Shangguan Yun couldn’t help but scratch his head and reply, “The real good opinions are saved for last, Senior Mu…”
“Senior? Are you trying to make me throw up?” Old Man Mu disliked this title very much.
“Old Man Mu wants to assassinate the Great Shaman. That’s really a wise idea. If I’m not mistaken, that’s also the Dragon King’s plan, isn’t it?”
Gu Shenwei didn’t say a word, but Old Man Mu was very proud of the compliment. “This is what they mean by ‘Great minds think alike,’ huh.”
Han Wuxian put her long hair down and said, “I said that the dwarf didn’t have a good idea. Does the Cloud King think that I am wrong?”
“No, you are actually right. Assassinations are a smart move, but assassinating the Great Shaman is unnecessary. A few psychic mediums can’t control the hundred thousand Court Attendants which means that there must be a singular true mastermind behind them. The most urgent task should be to find this person, though I think Hall Leader Han already has an idea about this.”
Shangguan Yun answered everyone properly but still had not expressed any opinions of his own.
Gu Shenwei inwardly admired the other side but he couldn’t learn Shangguan Yun’s techniques. The two’s ways of doing things were very different and there was not much they could take from each other.
“Is the Cloud King referring to the Lord and the traitors?” Han Wuxian had stopped complained. “I don’t think that they have the ability. I’d guess that the mastermind must be someone no one else could have imagined.”
“Good point,” said Shangguan Yun heartily.
Old Man Mu became the only one who had not been flattered, and his hostile eyes shifted from Dog Butcher to Shangguan Yun.
After listening to everyone’s suggestions, Gu Shenwei slightly adjusted his plan and said, “I can’t leave the Royal Court just like this. I must qujickly defeat the Court Attendants Army and King Shengri.”
“Dragon King, please give the order. We’ll do as you say.” Shangguan Fei’s proposal was rejected, but he didn’t care about it at all.
“I need a man who can create rumors in our camp. I want everyone to know and discuss a certain topic. Shangguan Fei, you are the best fit for this.”
Shangguan Fei let out a sigh of relief. The Dragon King had finally given him a less dangerous task. He rose up at once and proclaimed aloud as if he couldn’t wait, “Leave it to me. Even if it’s a deaf person, I’ll make him care about the rumor. Oh, uh, what rumor?”
“The black horse will perish.”
“Black horse? What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Just find a way to get people to start talking about it.”
Shangguan Fei soon understood and muttered, “Black horse, isn’t that the commande of the Court Attendants Army’s flag? Hmm, I’ll figure out a way…”
“You have four days.” Gu Shenwei set a strict time limit for Shangguan Fei. “I also need two people to create a panic among the other armies, especially King Shengri’s. Old Man Mu and Dog Butcher, I’ll leave it to you two.”
Old Man Mu jumped a few feet high and said, “I won’t work with this loser.”
As he saw the Dragon King’s eyes turn to Han Wuxian, Old Man Mu hastily said, “All right. I’ll do it. Let me teach him a few tricks. Do I have to kill people to create panic?”
“No. Burn provisions and fodder or release the cattle. Remember to leave the mark of the Court Attendants Army at the scene of the crime.”
“No problem.” Although Old Man Mu was a bit reluctant to do it, he accepted it.
“The purpose of Kongtong Sect coming here was to create panic, so I’m okay with it.” Dog Butcher also agreed.
“I need a few more people to pinpoint the location of the Waning Moon Hall. Hall Leader Han, Cloud King, and Nie Zeng, can you do this for me?”
“Yes,” Nie Zeng answered. Shangguan Yun gave an indifferent nod and said, “This is exactly what our alliance was established for.”
Han Wuxian’s charming eyes fell onto Shangguan Yun. “I’d love to work with Golden Roc Castle. Now, not only will we share enmity but also goodwill towards each other; that makes out fight against each other later much more interesting.”
Old Man Mu felt that he had made the wrong choice. Compared to Dog Butcher, the handsome Shangguan Yun was obviously more threatening. But he couldn’t change his mind anymore, and could only say in a low voice, “Just remember the enmity and forget about the goodwill.”
When only Shangguan Ru and Mo Lin were left, Gu Shenwei said, “I’m going to dig up a secret and I hope that you two can come with me.”
Mo Lin was a Norland man and as a wing guard of the Khan, he was greatly respected by all the ordinary soldiers. Shangguan Ru was also popular and likable. Both of them were exactly the right kind of helpers that Gu Shenwei needed.
Secrets were always hidden in the heart, and the most important helpers Gu Shenwei could have was actually the saber and sword by his waist.
