Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Dog Butcher believed that Jianghu was a place where people took revenge ruthlessly and repaid favors gratefully, and that it was not a place for merciful people. He knew that he could never be a typical wanderer of Jianghu, but he still yearned for that kind of life. As a result, he had risked being expelled from his sect and even losing his reputation to follow the Dragon King to the Western Regions so as to spread his wings.
But after reviewing what he had done during the past few months, Dog Butcher felt somewhat disappointed. He had switched his weapon from a crutch to a single saber, participated in several operations and killed a couple of unidentified sabermen, but he hadn’t found that unrestrained pleasure he was searching for. After those Central Plainsmen came to Jade City one batch after another, he felt increasingly restricted.
He had reported to his sister what he had done during the past few months – everything, both the big and small things. But his elder sister had responded with a frown and discontent, and then she had started nagging. “How could you do this? The Kongtong Sect is a prestigious sect. You never told the enemy where you’re from, did you? Good, good. Aren’t Western Regioners good at disguising themselves? You might as well disguise yourself. At least dye your hair red, so that nobody will be able to recognize you. It will also make you look younger.”
Dog Butcher’s enthusiasm for adventuring in Jianghu waned bit by bit. Finally, he made the remark that Tu Pianpian had been expecting for a long time. “Senior Sister, after the Dragon King takes Jade City, I’ll go back to Kongtong Mountain with you.”
“What about your Jianghu dream?” Tu Pianpian affected an air of haughty composure.
“Alas, after the Dragon King becomes the Lord of Jade City and the Central Plains acknowledges his title of king, there won’t be any Jianghu left for me to roam.”
Tu Pianpian was very pleased that her younger brother was able to see things this way, but she still felt that was a little too late. “Actually, the Dragon King has already lost most of his Jianghu aura, and most of the things related to him are plots. Younger brother, both of us are old. We can’t compete with those young people no matter how hard we try. I think that you’ve already had enough fun. Why don’t you just say goodbye to the Dragon King and go back with me right now?”
Dog Butcher had joined the Kongtong Sect from childhood, and things had gone very smoothly since then. Besides the crushing defeat that he had suffered during his fight with Old Man Mu, he had barely encountered any major setbacks. As a result, just like an unsophisticated teenager, he felt very guilty about “resigning,” as if he would owe the Dragon King something if he did this. “Go back now? I’m not sure. The kung fu competition of Jade City hasn’t started yet. Lord Wei… has deep conspiracies. The Dragon King needs me. How can I leave him right now?”
“Lord Wei is the very reason why you should leave right now.” Tu Pianpian knew that her younger brother was a naive person, but she also knew that he was a little stubborn, so she tried to speak in a gentler tone, hoping to convince him with reason. “You once told the Dragon King that you would ‘work for him as long as it doesn’t conflict with the interests of the Central Plains,’ and he agreed, right?”
“Isn’t the cooperation between the Dragon King and Prince Xiao in accord with the interests of the Central Plains? Lord Wei wants to kill the Dragon King, and this is definitely not the right thing to do.”
Tu Pianpian sighed. “Younger brother, like I said, there are plots all around the Dragon King. We can’t see through them, and neither can we intervene in them. With regards to who, between Prince Xiao and Lord Wei, represents the interests of the Central Plains, we’re definitely in no place to judge. So let’s just stand by.”
Dog Butcher wasn’t a fool. He immediately realized that there was a subtle hint to his elder sister’s remarks, so he asked vigilantly, “Senior Sister, what else did you hear? The Dragon King saved both of our lives. We can’t repay the favor with dishonesty.”
Tu Pianpian’s face slightly blushed, and she grasped the crutch tightly with her right hand. “It’s not repaying favor with dishonesty. We don’t have to do it ourselves.”
Dog Butcher was more positive that his sister must be hiding something. “Senior Sister, you have to tell me the truth. What kind of conspiracy does Lord Wei have in mind this time? Even if we can’t protect the Dragon King, we should at least warn him.”
Tu Pianpian finally went crazy. “Idiot! Warning the Dragon King means betraying the Central Plains! Don’t you understand? Lord Wei trusts the Kongtong Sect very much. He doesn’t know that you’ve joined the Dragon Army. Fan Yongda will also keep it a secret. Go back to the Kongtong Sect with me, and don’t ever mention what or what will happen in the Western Regions ever again.”
For all these years, Dog Butcher had always been obedient to his elder sister. Even his diligent practice of kung fu in order to take revenge on Old Man Mu was mostly Tu Pianpian’s advice instead of his own wish. But this time, he shook his head. “The Dragon King saved my life. I can’t ignore such a big favor. Senior Sister, even if you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll still go back and warn the Dragon King. I’ll stay by his side and keep him safe.”
Tu Pianpian frowned tightly in anger. “You haven’t achieved anything in Jianghu, but your heart has gone wild. You even dare to disobey my words? No way!”
Upon saying these words, Tu Pianpian thrust the crutch in her hand at him. She had sparred with her younger brother very often and they knew each other’s fighting style very well. So Tu Pianpian aimed at his most vulnerable part with her first move, planning to poke him in one of his acupoints and forcibly take him back to the Kongtong Mountain.
If it were in the past, then Dog Butcher would have fought back with the moves that he had been practicing since childhood – taking a firm stance, parrying strikes, fighting back – this had almost been his habit for decades. But after spending the past few months in Jade City, he had radically changed his habits.
Without even thinking, Dog Butcher whipped out his saber and fought back, but what he used was not the Kongtong Sect’s sabersmanship that Tu Pianpian couldn’t be more familiar with. Actually, he didn’t use any specific moves at all. This saber strike went straight towards her vital part, and it was as quick as a flash of lightning, as if the opponent didn’t care about his own life at all.
Tu Pianpian was astounded.
She had much more Jianghu experience than her younger brother. If her opponent had been a strange saberman, then she would never have been so flurried. But she had already formed an image of her brother’s kung fu in her mind, and she didn’t expect that this elder of the Kongtong Sect would use such a dishonorable and fast saber strike.
There wasn’t enough time for Tu Pianpian to change her move, so she had no choice but to toss her crutch aside and abruptly leap several steps backwards. She almost broke through the tent. Face blushing scarlet, she said angrily, “Are you out of your mind?”
Dog Butcher was even more startled than his elder sister. Raising the saber, he stood transfixed with shock. After quite a while, he said, “It’s all because of Old Man Mu. He’s been nagging around me everyday and I can barely remember how to fight in a kung fu competition.”
“Do you still remember what Master Shifu said back then?”
“Master Shifu said that…” Recalling the scene, Dog Butcher broke out in a cold sweat. “Kung fu skills used by those in Jianghu focus on aggression and ferocity, and although they look powerful and were easy to learn, the people who practiced them had actually gone astray and would never be able to master advanced kung fu. If they encountered a real kung fu master, they would surely be killed.”
“I don’t count as a kung fu master, but if I’m prepared, then you will definitely die a miserable death.” Tu Pianpian was very unconvinced of her defeat.
“Going astray,” Dog Butcher repeated these two words. “Have I really gone astray? But Master Shifu also said that we should repay even the smallest favor with the greatest kindness, and that ungrateful disciples of prestigious sects couldn’t even compare to grateful vendors and soldiers.”
Dog Butcher was caught in a dilemma and looked extremely frustrated. Tu Pianpian sighed again. He was her only relative, and she couldn’t afford to push him into a dead end. Without even picking up her crutch on the ground, she consoled him. “This is just a habit. After you return to the Kongtong Sect, you’ll return to normal quickly.”
“But back then, I lost to Old Man Mu. If he still had his original strength, then I probably wouldn’t be a match for him still. The Dragon King is much younger than me, and my kung fu is probably better than his, but I can’t defeat him either. Both Old Man Mu and the Dragon King… practice Jianghu’s kung fu, but why… ”
If he kept thinking about it, Dog Butcher would start doubting the indisputable truth that their Master Shifu imparted to them, so Tu Pianpian hastily said, “Every kung fu has its own forte. Besides, what Old Man Mu practices is the Jade Pure Sect’s kung fu. The Dragon King used to be from Golden Roc Castle, and he learned many kung fu routines at first, too. Anyway, don’t think about it too much. How about this? We’ll help the Dragon King one last time to repay the precious favors he’s done to us. After that, you and he will be even. What do you say?”
Dog Butcher nodded, still pondering over the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of kung fu skills.
Tu Pianpian looked at her younger brother and then said, “The Luo family sent someone here.”
Dog Butcher was slightly startled. “The Luo family? Who came here? Why didn’t I hear about this?”
“The best swordsman of the Luo family. He came here secretly, but it is already public knowledge in the martial arts world of the Central Plains. People just don’t talk about it.”
Dog Butcher’s mind was no longer troubled by confusion. “Luo Qikang? He hasn’t appeared for years, has he? And he actually came such a long way to Jade City?”
“Luo Qibai died to the Dragon King’s saber. He came here to avenge his younger brother’s death. Originally, there was no friendship between the Luo family and Lord Wei, but they decided to cooperate with each other in order to deal with the Dragon King. Tell this to the Dragon King, and then you two will be even.”
“I have to protect-”
“You can’t! You can’t defeat the Dragon King or Luo Qikang. Don’t you want to know which one’s better – the kung fu of prestigious sects or Jianghu techniques? They will give you the answer. You only need to know the result, understand?”
The Dragon King departed from his camp, and on his way to the Four Noble Truths Temple, he encountered Dog Butcher, who was hurriedly coming back.
“Lord Wei invited a kung fu expert here from the Central Plains. You have to be careful, Dragon King.” Deeply concerned, Dog Butcher told the Dragon King the message disclosed by his sister.
“Luo Qikang?” Gu Shenwei recalled that swordsman in white clothes whose swordsmanship was superb. If it weren’t for Lotus and him cooperating with each other at a critical moment, they might have been defeated. “How’s his kung fu compared to Luo Qibai’s?”
The Dragon King didn’t seem to have realized where the danger lay. Dog Butcher scratched his head anxiously. “Here’s the thing. There are nine major sects in the Central Plains, and their martial arts have their own respective strengths and weaknesses. None of the nine sects are convinced that the kung fu of any of those other sects is better. But in the martial arts world of the Central Plains, there are a couple of people who are widely acknowledged by all sects as top kung fu experts. Luo Qikang is one of them. Luo Qibai cannot compare to him.”
“Got it. I’ll be cautious.”
“Try not to give Luo Qikang any opportunities to make his move… Let me go with you, Dragon King. At the very least, I can recognize him.”
“No. You’re a Central Plainsmen. which means you should stay out of this. You’ve already done enough by telling me this.”
The Dragon King and his guards continued to progress. On horseback, Dog Butcher looked in the Dragon King’s direction. He was worried that the Dragon King was so proud that he would actually mount a serious challenge to Luo Qikang, but he also eagerly wanted to know which one of them was better. He had already forgotten that he was going to leave the Western Regions.
The news brought by Dog Butcher was like the last piece of the puzzle, which clearly revealed the conspiracies of Wei Song to the Dragon King. Zhong Heng had originally predicted that Shangguan Fa would be the one to kill the Dragon King, but the Unique King was obviously not that easy to manipulate. Thus, Wei Song still had to rely on the Central Plains.
Gu Shenwei didn’t have any special feeling about the title “One of the top kung fu experts who is acknowledged by all the major sects of the Central Plains.” He had been away from the Central Plains for too long, and he was no longer able to to feel the pressure brought on by his mother language.
When they arrived at the entrance to the Four Noble Truths Temple, the procession of guards stopped. A monk reminded the Dragon King that he could bring two attendants into the temple this time.
The Dragon King became suspicious of the possibility that his avoiding the trap by waiting for the Unique King was to lure the real culprit to Lotus and the Waning Moon Hall.
“Chu Nanping, Shangguan Hong.” Gu Shenwei quickly picked out two attendants.
Everybody was surprised by the second person that the Dragon King choose. Zhong Heng was amazed. He remembered vividly that the Dragon King had originally planned on selecting Shangguan Fei and himself.
Zhong Heng felt uneasy.
