Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Shulitu was greatly shocked.
Compared to most people in the Norland, he had read many books and received a short but excellent education. He knew how to use his status to win the hearts of the people with a carrot-and-stick approach. However, the Dragon King’s risky move was quite beyond his understanding.
The Dragon King was trying to turn fear and doubt into awe and obedience, but his opponents this time were the minds of tens of thousands of people.
When he looked at the thousands of indecisive glances, Shulitu felt as if he were standing next to a newly captured beast, an untamed animal that conveyed its deep hostility though silence, ready to open its mouth and tear anyone approaching it into pieces at any given moment.
Among the thirty or so thousands of horsemen, there were several thousand soldiers that had been left to him by his grandfather and father. But even with this group of people, Shulitu felt that they were unfamiliar and had little faith in their loyalty, not to mention the soldiers from other groups, which only made him more vigilant.
It was exactly this group of soldiers who firmly believed that the Khan had ascended to heaven as the Fire God and that it was his ascension that was causing the Devil Bird to wreak havoc in the prairie.
Shulitu did not even dare to touch this topic for fear of causing unnecessary anger to engulf him. He hoped that time would alleviate the superstitions of the soldiers and that the soldiers would slowly transfer their deification of the Khan to him.
But the Dragon King broke this rule. Not only had he raised a controversial issue in public, but he had also tried to change the people’s mind, shifting the image of the huge bird that everyone feared from ‘devil’ to ‘god.’
Shulitu had never been so nervous in his life before. As he gripped the reins, he looked up at the sky like those dazed soldiers, fearing that the Devil Bird’s coming would arouse the anger of the masses, and also hoping that it would soon fall from the sky to conquer the heart of the soldiers.
But no bird came. The confrontation of the two armies had scared away any and all birds and animals nearby long ago.
In fact, no one really understood the meaning of the Dragon King’s strange whistle. They had simply assumed that it was connected to the Devil Bird.
As the whistle died down, the Dragon King urged his horse to trot to the shamans opposite him.
Shulitu thought that he didn’t have to follow the Dragon King over there. He had to admit that truthfully, he was still only twelve years old and couldn’t keep his composure in such a situation. The knowledge he had gleaned from his books was not enough to cope with the current situation.
A small group of soldiers rode forth to catch up with the Dragon King. One of them carried a standard with a black flag patterned with a red raven, the symbol of the Dragon Army.
Long Fanyun and the other swordsmen of the Big Snow Mountain had heard the whistle before. When the Dragon King was trying to unify the Five Peaks, he had repeatedly whistled like this to summon the red-crowned roc to subdue the residents of the snow mountain.
Unlike the Norland people, however, although the swordsmen of the Big Snow Mountain feared the roc, they also respected it more and regarded it as a messenger of God.
Therefore, when the Dragon King’s whistle ceased and the roc did not appear, the swordsmen felt that it was actually a call to them.
Gu Shenwei hadn’t expected the roc to appear immediately. He just wanted to create a mysterious and tense atmosphere, which would be better for what he was about to do next.
As he expected, several shamans seemed to have fallen into a panic in front of the two armies. The Great Shaman lost his cool and even wanted to ride back into the army. But after realizing that there was no danger coming from the sky, he finally stopped his horse and wheeled around. Though, he still did not dare stray too far away from the guards behind him.
For a group of men who had just seized the military under the banner of the Khan, it was a grave mistake to show clear signs of cowardice.
Gu Shenwei was no stranger to the strategy of purposely making a mystery out of simple things, and he had benefited a lot from it. Meanwhile, he was well aware of its limitations. It could be used to quickly conquer people’s hearts, but would never be able to sustain it.
It was benefits that could do that; all kinds of benefits acted as a slower, but more lasting means of convincing and controlling people.
The calmness of the commander was also a benefit, as it implied responsibility and protection, which was related to the life and death of his soldiers.
This was why he had promised the Golden Roc Castle to the people of the Big Snow Mountain and melded his revenge with that of the swordsmen. That was also why he had to maintain the image of the Dragon King at all times and never show the slightest sign of fear.
How could a man blessed by Heaven’s will show cowardice before a mortal force?
The shamans had made a serious mistake, and Gu Shenwei decided to seize this rare opportunity.
Gu Shenwei, together with the forty swordsmen, finally met the Great Shaman and his followers after galloping more than 70% of the distance between the two armies.
This was yet another hint.
The Great Shaman, who had already recovered from his panic and become exasperated, spread his arms like a flightless decrepit bird and said in an indistinct, gruff voice, “The Devil Bird has possessed this young man, and the foreigner has betrayed the Khan’s trust.”
Then he turned his horse around and faced the large Black Horse embroidered flag. With his eyes closed, he started chanting in a low voice.
The Great Shaman was delivering a ‘decree from Heaven’ while a young shaman was responsible for translating the accusation on the Dragon King into mortal language. “The Khan is looking down from the heavens. Dragon King, your trick has already been seen through. How dare you send someone to paint heresy and assassinate generals in the camps of the Court Attendants Army. Hand over the criminals and the Court Attendants Army may deign to spare your life.”
Gu Shenwei was very close to the Court Attendants Army now. As he looked past the shamans and hundreds of guards, he could even see clearly the blankness and panic on the faces of the ordinary soldiers, all of whom looked exactly the 30,000 or so horsemen of Shulitu’s.
The shamans wanted the Dragon King to hand over the criminals and confess his tricks because they couldn’t quite convince the soldiers to believe them. The prophecy they had seen in the flames, as well as the appearance of the mysterious giant bird later, all had a tremendous effect on the Court Attendants Army. No matter how abundant the proof was, the soldiers still believed these were miracles caused by the Khan.
So the last resort of the Great Shaman was to get the Dragon King to confess in public.
“No more deceitful tricks,” ordered Gu Shenwei, his voice towering above the chanting of the Great Shaman. “You are not qualified to mention the Khan.”
Seeing that he could no longer continue praying, the Great Shaman simply jumped off of his horse. As he stared at the Dragon King, he raised his arms and snapped quickly, his voice so hoarse that the people around him could hardly hear him clearly. “The Khan has endowed me with divine power. He wants to see the death of the traitor through my eyes. Court Attendants, follow the orders of the Khan, and prepare to release your arrows.”
The other shamans jumped off of their horses too. With their arms raised, the feathers on their bodies rattled. They were like large flightless birds.
A dozen paces away, nearly a hundred guards nocked their arrows first, with the 100,000 soldiers behind following smoothly. Once they fired out randomly, not only would the Dragon King and the swordsmen of the Big Snow Mountain die, but the shamans who were close to each other would also die.
The Great Shaman had to use this method to prove that he was the one who was truly blessed by Heaven’s will.
The soldiers’ arrows were pointed at the ground, waiting for the order to fire.
The young shaman felt that there was no need to issue the order, as the Dragon King would surrender before that. “The Khan will protect us from death. Dragon King, do you dare face the wrath of the Fire God? Get off of your horse and on your knees! Confess to your sins and conspiracies.”
Gu Shenwei dismounted but didn’t kneel. Instead, he drew his Five Peaks Saber and said, “Let the facts prove which side the Khan stands on.”
The young shaman did not understand what he meant. It was too late when he finally realized it.
Gu Shenwei threw the head high into the air to attract everyone’s attention, and then suddenly jumped onto the flagpole of the Black Horse Flag.
The Black Horse Flag was so big and heavy that it had to be carried by two horses. Gu Shenwei was as nimble as a monkey; he leaped to the top of the flagpole in the blink of an eye, caught the head falling towards him, and then stood on top of the pole with one foot.
“Fire! Fire!” The Great Shaman shouted desperately.
Some raised their bows and arrows but soon put them down again because most of the soldiers had remained motionless. Heart thumping, they all looked up at the Dragon King with rapt fascination, feeling that something was about to happen.
“The Khan didn’t protect him.” Gu Shenwei’s voice projected even further than usual. He threw the young shaman’s head to the Court Attendants Army as he continued, “The Khan has ascended to heaven, so how could he have left his black horse in the mortal world?”
Gu Shenwei jumped from the top of the flagpole which was dozens of feet high above the ground, causing a burst of exclamation.
After falling for seven or eight feet, he cut the flagpole apart, which was as thick as the rim of a bowl, and the huge flag fell down with him.
“Fire!” The Great Shaman was furious, “The Khan commands you to release your arrows!”
The Khan didn’t protect the young shaman who claimed to be deathless, nor did he protect the iconic Black Horse Flag. Many soldiers of the Court Attendants Army did not even hear the shout of the Great Shaman. All their attention was focused on the Dragon King and their hearts fell as he fell, almost to the point of obsession. And the hands drawing their bows loosened.
As he descended, Gu Shenwei pressed the hilt of the saber against the flagpole from time to time to slow down. The two horses below had been strictly trained to ignore any changes to the pole they were carrying.
He and the Black Horse Flag landed at almost the exact same time, one on the left and the other on the right.
The human heart was a wonderful thing. In the face of an individual, one could never know what the other side was thinking. But if thousands of people gathered together, their minds would be as clear as a mountain stream, but only those who had the courage and skill to see through it.
Gu Shenwei was undaunted. He had circumvented all the obstacles and was now fast approaching the giant heart. He was able to speak directly with it and observe its every beat.
There were five shamans left who huddled together.
The Great Shaman stared at the guards not far away, his hoarse voice full of anger and despair. “Release the arrows, or you and your family shall go to hell after you die, never leaving the cycle of reincarnation!”
Three arrows were hesitantly shot at the Dragon King, weak but accurate.
Gu Shenwei immediately felt the shift in the people’s mind. The three arrows themselves were not a threat but a temptation. If he let them lead the way, then all his previous achievements would vanish in the blink of an eye.
He quickly put away the Five Peaks Saber, gently waved his arm and grabbed the flying arrows. Then he casually threw two arrows at the crowded shamans.
Two shamans fell.
“The Khan still didn’t protect them,” Gu Shenwei announced loudly and then threw out the third arrow.
This time it was arimed at the Great Shaman.
The Great Shaman wasn’t dead. Although he was frightened, he wasn’t dead.
After recognizing the hint in the Dragon King’s eyes, Long Fanyun jumped off of his horse, walked to the Great Shaman, grabbed the feathers on him, and shook it twice. “Metal plate, it’s all made from metal plate. That’s his ‘guardian.’”
The Great Shaman broke free of Long Fanyun’s grip, stooped down, raised his bony hand high in the air, and almost howled with tears, “Khan, the god of Heaven and lord of fire, please forgive your soldiers. They’ve been bewitched by the devil. Please exert your divine power and smite the enemy and destroy the Devil Bird…”
The Devil Bird suddenly descended from the sky like a meteorite.
No one noticed where it came from.
The red-crowned roc landed in front of Gu Shenwei, spreading its wings to the utmost and jumping around merrily. The Great Shaman had been completely overshadowed by the roc’s stature.
