Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Duodun had been expecting this tournament against the Dragon King for a while. Now that there was no way to verify whether the Dragon King had really been in closed-door-cultivation or not, he decided to just force the Dragon King into showing himself and then challenge him to a duel.
“You disappoint me.” Duodun coldly stared at Liman, who was kneeling seven steps away, and felt a surge of indignation and bitterness from the betrayal well up within him.
Although he had many followers, Duodun had made a very wise decision to only select ten of them to form a core group of companions. He understood that friendship with the prince would become cheap if the number were any larger, and if the number were any smaller, then the group might not be strong enough.
Duodun had been very picky when selecting these ten “companions.” He had made sure that every one of them had their own unique talents. Both Azheba and Liman were among these ten companions. The former’s sense of justice and superb archery were qualities that Duodun needed, and the greatest advantage of the latter was his identity.
Liman was a general’s son. In accordance with Norland tradition, a son would inherit his father’s career, which was why Liman’s father had always nurtured him to become a future general ever since he was a young boy. Among Duodun’s ten companions, Liman’s status was the highest.
“Originally, I had hoped that you would one day become one of my generals, lead my army, and vanquish my foes.” Duodun suddenly started talking again. The other eight companions were standing to his sides in a winged formation, each with a look on his face just as indignant and restrained as their master’s. “It’s only been half a year, and yet you’ve already completely transformed into someone else. You even dared to hand over the Naihang Tribe to my enemy as a gift. If I knew that you would have done this, I would never have let you stay in the Royal Court.”
Liman was kneeling on the ground, his hands tied behind him. For someone who had lost his master’s favor and might lose his life, he behaved so calmly that it almost felt like he was mocking the prince. After confirming that the prince had finished his remarks, he believed he was free to talk now. “With regards to loyalty, my belief is that I should tell Your Highness the right thing to do, and to make sure that you make as little mistakes as possible. Obedience and flattery have nothing to do with loyalty. Those things are for cowardly servants.”
His words provoked everyone, and Duodun’s “wings” instantly changed into “claws.” It seemed as though the other eight companions were yearning to tear Liman into pieces.
But Duodun smiled, enjoying the anger of his companions – this was what he believed to be loyalty. After a while, he finally said, “Give this traitor a second chance. Let him explain what I did wrong.”
Liman took a deep breath. He didn’t care about whether the others believed him or not. He was still loyal to the prince and everything he said was heartfelt. “The Dragon King is an exceptional talent and there’s many things he could do to help you become the Khan. Now that he’s willing to ally himself with Your Highness, you should cherish this opportunity instead of suspecting him or even stabbing him in the back.”
One of eight companions couldn’t help but step forward and accusingly point at Liman. “You hear that? These are the actual words of someone who dares to call himself a loyal servant. It seems as if the Dragon King is his actual master and His Highness has to degrade himself and ask an outsider for help. In reality, the Dragon King’s nothing but a fugitive killer, and he earned his fame through nothing except ruthless killing. He can’t even compare to a good grassland cavalryman, let alone His Highness.”
Liman raised his head and glanced at that man. “Do you still have that wart on your neck, Ye Chuo?”
Ye Chuo subconsciously raised his hand and stroked the aforementioned wart. “What are you talking about?”
Liman shook his head as he replied, “Nothing.” Then he said to Duodun, “Your Highness, if you still want to become the owner of the grasslands, you have to stop listening to these sycophants. You’re not the Khan yet, and you don’t possess an uncontestable strength, so sometimes it’s necessary for you to act humbly.”
All of the companions started reprimanding him, but Liman still insisted on his opinion loudly. “Even the deceased Khan humbled himself before his enemy when he was young. Your Highness, you haven’t achieved anything yet. You will be cutting off one of your own arms if you break your alliance with the Dragon King.”
“Haven’t achieved anything?” Ye Chuo walked over, grabbed Liman’s neck, and tried to violently twist his head. “Half a year ago, His Highness was just a hostage. And now, he has 70,000 cavalrymen at his beck and call, and behind him, there’s a large area of the Western Regions. And you would call this not ‘achieving anything?’ I think that you are just jealous, aren’t you?”
Liman stubbornly refused to turn his head. Another companion came over and the two joined forces. All Liman could see was merely the flaps of the tent. Finally, he turned his head and caught sight of the sullen Prince Duodun. “What comes easily leaves easily, Your Highness. Please wake up. The Norland has split in half. Not just the territory, but also the people. Soldiers and officers, herdsmen and nobles – everybody has their opinions, and most of those opinions are contradictory. You can’t just let yourself be placed on a pedestal, because that will only make things worse! Today, the 70,000 cavalrymen are loyal to you, but tomorrow, they may switch allegiances without any hesitation. And that’s because they’re far from being an army truly belonging to you.”
More companions gathered around Liman. They had given up on arguing with him and were trying to force Liman into yielding as if this were some kind of game they would play in their youth.
They struggled on the ground until Duodun reprimanded in a severe voice, “Enough!”
The companions backed away, their faces blushing and a glaring look in their eyes, just like a pack of hounds that had been forced to stop while they were tearing into their prey.
Although Liman was covered in bumps and bruises, the conviction in his face had become even firmer. He looked the prince in the eye.
“It seems that you’re not going to admit your guilt.”
Liman’s voice became gentler after hearing this sentence. Duodun was not only his prince but also his friend – his best friend. “For once, believe me, Your Highness. Luoluo’s army has taken over half of the grassland with an unstoppable momentum. We can’t afford any splits. The current situation is a mess, and we have to cherish every potential ally. Besides, the Dragon King has won enormous fame in Norland, and you can only gain that by being his ally.”
“Azheba knows the Dragon King just as well as you do. Do you know what he told me?”
Liman shook his head. It’d been a while since he had last met with Azheba.
“He said that we can’t underestimate the Dragon King, and that we have to either ally ourselves with him or strike first.”
Liman was amazed, not expecting that Azheba would have this opinion. He thought for a while, and then said, “Azheba was right, but what he saw was merely the relationship between Your Highness and the Dragon King, not the bigger picture of the entire Norland.”
“So your vision is even broader than his?”
Liman ignored the prince’s sarcastic jab and asked, “So Your Highness chose to strike first?”
“The Norland belongs to the Khan’s bloodline. This is a tradition that spans centuries. But the Dragon King indulged himself in the wildest fantasy that he could change this tradition, and he even managed to convince you. But I’m not going to buy it, Liman.”
Liman knew he had failed, but he still refused to give up on his last glimmer of hope. “Why don’t you go ask the Second Consort, Your Highness? She must share my opinion.”
“Hmm, you want me to ask a woman for advice? Ridiculous,” Duodun said disdainfully. “But I’ll tell you anyways. You’re wrong. The Second Consort’s opinion is the exact opposite of yours. She believes that if we don’t attack now, we’ll never have another chance.”
Liman was startled. Over the last few months, the Second Consort had given him the impression that she thought highly of the Dragon King, and that she yearned to see the prince ally himself with the Dragon King. Why did she change sides so soon?
But Liman couldn’t say anything at the moment. Duodun could feel that he’d won.
A soldier came in and reported that the Dragon King had entered Heaven’s Pass with some attendants.
Duodun uttered an “Um” sound, had a corner of the tent flap opened, and then pointed at the opposite tent. “Take the Dragon King there, and–”
“Shoot numerous arrows at it,” Ye Chuo followed up immediately, because this was originally his idea. Then he realized his disrespectful behavior and hurriedly shut up under the severe gaze of Duodun, feeling terribly regretful.
“I know that the Dragon King’s kung fu is really good, but I’m not sure whether he can survive the barrage of 500 sharp arrows. If he does, I’ll admit that he’s a miraculous existence and ally myself with him wholeheartedly.”
All of the companions laughed. Ye Chuo laughed exceptionally loud in order to make up for his previous misbehavior.
With a livid look on his face, Liman couldn’t understand why these people were so stupid. They used to be his close friends. Back when they were drinking and talking about their dreams, every one of them had appeared to be so wise and visionary. How had they become so arrogant so soon after achieving a minor status? And they even acted as if the position of Khan was something already in their grasps.
They haven’t seen what happened in the Royal Court, and neither have they witnessed the madness of the Court Attendants Army and the confused look in the common soldiers’ eyes, Liman thought as he felt sorry for them.
“The Dragon King’s not coming,” said Liman in a lot voice, believing that what was about to happen to be very clear.
“What did you say?” Ye Chuo asked the question the prince wanted to ask.
“The Dragon King’s won’t come,” Liman said again in a louder voice. “He’s a very cautious man. He won’t be tricked so easily.”
“This is the part where you prove yourself useful.” Ye Chuo had come up with the whole plan, so he had to defend it. “You’ve been working hard to facilitate the reconciliation between the Dragon King and the Naihang Tribe. So since the job is not done yet, he won’t let you die. Ha-ha, the Dragon King’s already in the city. Where could he escape to?”
Liman refused to answer. He firmly believed that the Dragon King wouldn’t take the bait, but he also couldn’t think of a way the Dragon King could evade the trap.
Reports came in one after another. The Dragon King, and about fifty attendants, was drawing closer in a seemingly urgent manner.
Liman was very worried. The Dragon King that he knew wouldn’t be taken in, but everybody made an occasional mistake. If I yell to warn him… Liman quickly dismissed this idea. A failed assassination was even more intolerable than a half-hearted alliance, and the Dragon King might kill His Highness out of rage.
Liman knew very well what the Dragon King was willing to do to get his revenge. No matter what kind of opinions his friends held about him, Liman was still loyal to the prince.
Clearly, Ye Chuo didn’t share Liman’s opinion. It was reported that the Dragon King had arrived at the entrance of the army camp. Ye Chuo produced a rag, rolled it into a ball, stuffed it into Liman’s mouth, and then sealed his mouth with another rag.
An officer hurriedly ran into the tent and reported, “The Dragon King’s attendants were stopped at the gate, but Azheba came in with him.”
Everybody was startled, but Ye Chuo had anticipated this. He said to the prince, “There’s nothing we can do about it. The Dragon King probably wants to use Azheba as a shield, which means that he’s taken the bait. If we order Azheba to leave, the Dragon King might see through the trap.”
Duodun pondered the situation and said nothing. The officer who had sent the message reminded him in a muted voice, “The Dragon King will be here soon.”
“Ye Chuo’s right. Azheba will understand. Unlike Liman, he’s loyal to me.”
The eight companions nodded in unison, the grave look on their faces proving that they would someday do the same thing Azheba was about to do – “volunteer to die.”
In the distance, Liman saw two men walk into the tent which was actually a trap. One of them was Azheba, and the other caped one was probably the Dragon King.
Liman’s heart skipped a beat, but he couldn’t speak. His anxiousness and indignation reaching a peak, he shook his head violently towards the prince.
Duodun ignored him. It was not until Azheba and that man were about to enter the tent that he suddenly understood and blurted out, “That’s not the Dragon King!”
