Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Shangguan Jianyi was like a slippery fish, circling the bait on the hook, but refusing to bite.
The first batch of victims of assassination were not Dugu Xian or the Princess but three high-ranking military officers from Xiaoyao Lake. Just a few days ago, these people were still helping him to harbor a spy, but now they were dead.
The assassination took place before midnight, and just as the chaos was contained after much effort, another two soldiers from the Land of Fragrance were killed.
Only one set of assassina ran into the guards during their escape. Having struggled for a while, one assassin was killed on the spot. His accomplice, however, took the opportunity and managed to run away. No one came to his partner’s rescue.
The Dragon King sent people to remove the dead bodies on the scene, but did not go there personally.
He chose to take no action. Chasing after a group of ordinary killers was insignificant, he wanted to go all the way up until he reached Shangguan Jianyi.
Before that, he had to bear with the misunderstandings for a while.
Around daybreak, rumors began circulating that the Dragon King was rendered helpless by a bunch of assasins. “He hid so well that even his own men couldn’t find him. We, on the other hand, are worse off. The assasins from the Golden Roc Fort kill whoever they get their hands on.”
No matter what, the murderers were fewer in number and had to carefully pick their targets when faced with a huge army of 20,000 soldiers. The fear that they created, however, pervaded throughout their enemy’s camp. Army deserters began to appear. To prevent soldiers from running away, the swordsmen had to patrol day and night.
Gu Shenwei sent out a large number of men to uncover the killers’ nest covertly, as well as to pay close attention to the reactions of his troops. Before the soldiers’ morale fell to rock bottom, he must find a proper moment to fight back. He also hoped that he would be able to ensnare Shangguan Jianyi along with the other assasins.
He faced many matters which disturbed him, the upcoming imperial wedding was among them.
The news that the Dragon King was marrying two wives at the same time gave rise to much debate. The people of Xiaoyao Lake felt that this was a little demeaning toward the princess, while the swordsmen from the Great Snow Mountain were extremely excited. They claimed that she descended from the most ancient family and her status was higher than the princess’s.
To show that she was of the same standing as the princess, chief Long Xiaoshi sent people to take Jiang out of the royal palace and arranged for her to stay in the camp of the Great Snow Mountain army.
Gu Shenwei returned back to his tent in the evening, after a busy day. Entering the tent, he found that Jiang, with a flush on her face, stood there nervously. She was too shy to utter a word.
Gu Shenwei frequently changed his quarters, but his most trusted guards came from the Great Snow Mountain. As such, his movements could not confuse the chiefs.
Jiang was a beautiful maiden. By the standards of Jade City, she may not have been slender enough, and she was also overly shy, but she was healthy and pure. There was also a liveliness behind her shyness which was seemingly inextinguishable. Such a character could only come out from the Great Snow Mountain.
“All… allow me serve you, Dragon King,” Jiang said shyly. Her voice was too low to be heard, which seemed toput her at a loss.
“She should have known her fate much earlier on” , Gu Shenwei thought, “When the old chief Long Qinying sent her here, he must have told her what to do. This is probably why she always blushed in my presence.”
“Very well,” he replied. He could think of any complicated plot in an instant, but at this moment, he didn’t what to do with her. “Do you have something to tell me?” he continued.
“No, no,” Jiang replied, shaking her head hurriedly. “I, I’m very pleased.”
Gu Shenwei could not sense any happiness from her words. Jiang was even more simple-minded than the average swordsman from the Great Snow Mountain. It was always crystal clear when she was lying.
“Rest,” he told her. He did not continue interrogating her. Right now, he had no time to worry about the matters of young women.
In the past, Jiang always slept on her own small bed when she served Dragon King. This time, however, the chiefs had either overlooked that detail or had other intentions; they had sent her to the Dragon King’s tent without any other place to sleep.
Gu Shenwei walked toward the sleeping mat and Jiang unconsciously stepped back. She lowered her head and looked like a small deer caught in the claws of a lion. She was in a panic! She had already given up the idea of resisting, because she knew it wouldn’t work.
Gu Shenwei picked up a bedroll from the mat and laid it out near the entrance of the tent. “Go to sleep. Don’t get up if there’s any sound at night,” he told her. Then, he blew out the candles.
Jiang remained standing before the mat in the darkness, her breath quickened and then steadied again; she seemed to be undergoing some kind of internal struggle. After a long while, she lightly took a step toward the entrance of the tent.
After hearing Dragon King snoring, Jiang retreated back to the mat and lay down, fully clothed. She gave off a small birdlike sound; it sounded as if either a huge burden was lifted from her or she was controlling her sobs.
She soon fell asleep.
Gu Shenwei got up stealthily and left the tent. He snuck around the camp alone; placing himself in the shoes of a Golden Roc Fort assasin, choosing a target at this very moment.
Shangguan Jianyi’s assassination targets seemed to be chosen randomly, but Gu Shenwei was sure that there was some pattern they were following. For example, they could avoid places with too much security or areas where there could be traps waiting for them, to lower the risks they were undertaking.
The camp seemed to have no demarcated zones, but to a real killer, it was divided up into many different small ‘lanes’. It would be safest for them to travel on these paths.
As it drew closer to midnight, Gu Shenwei found his targets. Three killers snuck into the camp along a safe path. Two of them kept watch outside while the third snuck into a tent. He came out very quickly, and then all three of them retreated immediately.
It took exactly 15 minutes before a cry came out from that tent.
Gu Shenwei did not interfere throughout the entire assassination; some sacrifices were unavoidable. This was a war between killers and victory would be won at the expense of many lives.
The three killers were followed upon leaving the camp.
Noting that the hidden scouts that he put in place were doing their job, he stealthily returned to his tent, waiting for news to reach him.
A guard attracted his attention.
When he snuck out of his tent, this man was standing sentry nearby. Now, though, two hours had passed, yet no one took his place. This was contrary to his earlier orders.
This man was Lin Xiaoshan. He had returned recently after leading a group of soldiers to seal off the exits on the east side of Xiaoyao Lake.
He was a macheteman from the Tianshan Sect of Jade City and one of the people that the Dragon King trusted the most.
His hand was supported by his saber as he gazed deep into the dark night, unmoved by the shouts from afar. He acted like a wooden carving; seemingly having lost his ability to hear or move.
He would move his neck a little, after a while and shift his gaze elsewhere at regular intervals, proving that no one had struck his acupuncture points or was under the influence of some spell.
Gu Shenwei entered his tent. Jiang was sound asleep and had not noticed his coming and going.
The next morning, Gu Shenwei led a group of guards into the city to visit the king of the Stone Kingdom.
The king was originally uninterested in the marriage, but he was slightly terrified after the assassinations occured.
Until now, the killings were limited to the camp outside the city, but everyone believed that the strike radius of the Golden Roc Fort would expand as time went by.
“The Dragon King’s presence brightens up my small royal palace quite considerably,” the king said flatteringly, obvious sarcasm dripping within his praise. These days, sarcasm was the only weapon he had.
“You should get some sun.”
Gu Shenwei thought nothing of the puppet sitting on the throne. He turned and spoke a few words to his guards, who immediately followed their orders and moved to surround the alarmed King.
The King trembled fearfully as he asked, “What, what are you doing? I am the King of Stone Kingdom, this is my country, my royal palace, my main hall, my…”
“The Dragon King invites you outside for some sunlight,” replied Lin Xiaoshan coldly. He had been on sentry for the whole night yesterday and still volunteered to escort the Dragon King this morning.
The guards lifted the King from his chair and carried him out of the cold and dim hall. The eunuchs who were hiding in the corners began to frantically scamper away in all directions.
After checking the hall thoroughly, Gu Shenwei instructed 20 guards to remain behind.
The king stood in the shade at the front of the hall, his face turning purple. He did not know whether he should thank the Dragon King for increasing security in the palace or reprimand him for being so overbearing.
Gu Shenwei summoned Xu Yanwei to the Council Chamber of the palace. He pretended to ask her about the princess’s condition, but in fact, he needed her to answer his other queries.
When military counselor Fang Wenshi had plotted against Zhong Heng, Xu Yanwei had told him the relationship between Lin Xiaoshan and Jiang. When Gu Shenwei heard about it, he did not think much of it. Now he needed to know more.
“The princess is rejoicing, knowing the wedding will be held the day after tomorrow. She’s trying on new dresses as we speak and is the most beautiful bride I’ve ever laid eyes on. You’ve such good taste, Dragon King.”
Gu Shenwei reminded himself that most of what she said could not be believed. “How about Jiang? Is she happy?” he asked.
“Jiang? She’s with you, you should know better than I do.”
“Telling the truth is beneficial to everyone, especially you.”
Xu Yanwei’s eyebrows twitched and she appeared as if she was going to rebute, but she controlled her impulses for a while and decided that it would be better for her to be truthful. “There’s nothing to be happy or unhappy about with marrying someone. Once you all get married, after a while, she will naturally be happy,” she replied.
“I want to know about what happened between her and Lin Xiaoshan.”
Xu Yanwei regretted having mentioned it. Now she couldn’t pretend to be ignorant of their relationship. “In fact, there’s nothing much to it. It’s probable that I tover thought it,” she said. After pausing for a while, she seemed to have thought about something and hurriedly added, “I have to declare first that they are innocent even now.”
It depended on what that ‘thing’ was.
The Dragon King had left the palace over eight months. Lin Xiaoshan was left in charge of guarding the royal palace. It was inevitable for him to encounter Xu Yanwei and Jiang. During their encounters, Xu Yanwei felt that there was something a little strange between them.
Lin Xiaoshan and Jiang were both followers of the Dragon King. They met each other in Jade City, but he was overly courteous with her. Every time they met, he would greet her very formally, as if she were the real princess.
They had blushed when they met each other. It was still somewhat normal for Jiang, as she would blush in anyone’s presence, but not so for Lin Xiaoshan. He would appear especially shy only in Jiang’s presence and was very unlike a macheteman.
Xu Yanwei had created many opportunities for both of them to stay privately, but they always treated each other very respectfully and never crossed the line.
“How would I know that Jiang was meant to marry you, Dragon King,” Xu Yanwei said, trying to explain her actions. “Before you left, you should have told me, so that I could have kept a close eye on her for you.”
It was enough for Gu Shenwei. He looked at Xu Yanwei and felt that she was still holding something. “Tell me everything you know, it’s your duty,” he said.
Xu Yanwei had agreed to gather intelligence for the Dragon King in the past, just as did her brother. She had not expected that all the information she collected had something to do with the women the Dragon King was involved with.
“You wouldn’t kill without discretion in a fit of anger right?”
Gu Shenwei remained silent. He never made promises when it came to killing.
Xu Yanwei laughed before replying, “This is even more ridiculous. It could be that I’m jealous. Yes, I’m indeed being jealous. I don’t like the way Fang Wenshi looked at the princess. Even when we were at our most intimate and romantic, he never looked at me in that way.”
Gu Shenwei grunted. These were the two women he was going to marry. It made him even less interested in the wedding.
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