Death Sutra

Royal court was a mobile city . People new here would be confused by the countless tents and chaotic paths, mistaking it as a filthy place that sheltered evil people and condoned evil practices .

Those who had this idea would soon pay a steep price for it .

Gu Shenwei received a great deal of valuable information from military counselor Fang Wenshi, so he would not commit a blunder .

Although Fang Wenshi had only been there for half a year, he had already figured out the moving rules of royal court . "Generally speaking, it moves from south to north along with the season . In the winter, it moves slightly east . In the summer, it moves slightly west . It can also adjust position if it encountered special circ.u.mstances, such as a war with the Central Plain . "

In order to improve efficiency and keep everything in order, there were many rules in royal court . For example, the north was always the main tent of Khan . From that point further north, within one day"s journey by horse, no one was allowed to live or pasture, as with the upper reaches of the river .

The n.o.bles who followed royal court had their encampments in the east, west, and south, surrounding and protecting Khan . Merchants, craftsmen, and low-level officials had their residences on the periphery . Everyone had a residence permit recording their name, ident.i.ty, and status .

It was not until after more than ten miles that the mobile city showed signs of losing control: trade caravans transporting goods, strangers looking for opportunities, servants looking for short-term jobs, and mysterious people operating secret businesses were all randomly mixed together . The gap between one tent and another often allowed only one horse to pa.s.s .

This chaotic area had thus become the first line of defense of royal court, usually called slums . People living here were like insects on the gra.s.sland-- dirty, ugly, but indispensable .

Gu Shenwei"s first foothold in royal court was here .

They arrived in the evening and could not venture into the n.o.ble area . Gu Shenwei went first to find a contact named Senior Shou, and Fang Wenshi guaranteed that the person was extremely reliable .

Zhu Shou was originally from the Central Plain but had been moving around with royal court for a living since he was a teenager .  He earned the t.i.tle of "Senior Shou" at the age of 40 . At first, he was only called this by people in a small circle . Five years later, even the northern n.o.bles referred to him by this t.i.tle . Now he was in his fifties . If someone called him by his original name, he would not be able to respond in time .

"All you need to succeed is time . " This was a famous saying of Senior Shou . He had been doing only one kind of business for decades since the first time he sent the information on behalf of others: acting as a middleman for all kinds of people, introducing them to each other and never asking about the reasons and results .

This business was not as easy as it seemed . If he introduced an a.s.sa.s.sin or an abominable counselor to a n.o.ble, he would not be paid and would instead lose his life .

Zhu Shou was able to survive because he had never mistaken anyone . But this time he could not make a judgment even after staring at the young man for a long while .

The young man looked pale and sick . He seemed to be a timid and broken master . But he had a saber on the waist, and his eyes looked firm and never flinched .

Senior Shou stopped looking at him and secretly concluded that this man was dangerous, but he knew how to control himself .

"Yes, Fang Wenshi . " Senior Shou pretended to recall this familiar name, and after a while, he continued, "I remember him . Whom do you want to see?"

"King Kuari . "

Senior Shou lowered his head and said nothing . He was not frightened . He had seen someone who wanted to see Khan . He was just considering the price .

The bigger the status gap between the two sides, the higher the price would usually be . Senior Shou was unsure about the young man"s ident.i.ty and thought for a moment, "You must tell me your real name . "

Like all new strangers, before Fang Wenshi met Senior Shou, he once lived in the slums for a while . He looked around for ways to meet dignitaries but misspent some money .

Senior Shou left a good impression on Fang Wenshi . Although the intermediary cost was high, it was worth the money in the end . Fang Wenshi met the butler of King Kuari and laid his first foothold in royal court . Soon he moved into the craftsman"s area and then was invited to live in the n.o.ble area after the war on the seaside slope .

Senior Shou was discreet in speech . After confirming that Fang Wenshi did not know kung fu and was not pedantic or annoying, he never asked any more questions . Dragon King"s military counselor was famous in Western Region, but unknown in Norland .

If everything went according to plan, Fang Wenshi would have acted as the middleman for Dragon King . Instead, he stayed behind, so he recommended Senior Shou . "You will first meet the butler of King Kuari, a short and fat eunuch . He has a mole on his chin, which is very easy to recognize . He might put on a fake beard, but he will never hide the mole . You can reveal your ident.i.ty to him, and he will lead you to King Kuari . "

Now, Senior Shou wanted to know the name of the young guest, because he was not only equipped with a saber but also a vigilant killing spirit . That spirit was not a manifestation of his will when he fought with others, but a unique temperament of a person who had killed numerous people and was numb to life . Just like the difference between n.o.bility and the newly-rich, they could be easily distinguished from their att.i.tudes towards servants: the former is natural, and the latter emphasizes everywhere .

Gu Shenwei reported his "name" in another way: he took off a small leather bag from his waist, put it on the counter, and slid it towards Senior Shou .

Senior Shou ran a small grocery store in slums without a residence permit . All the goods had been stored for at least ten years and had never sold . They were all covered with dust . The dust also moved with the migration once in a few months .

Senior Shou opened the leather bag and took a look inside . Then he weighed it in his hand, and all the problems were solved . The young man might be dangerous, but Senior Shou could keep himself safe as long as he took necessary preventive measures .

"Come by the day after tomorrow," Senior Shou instructed .

"I want to see him tonight," Gu Shenwei requested .

"It"s impossible . "

"You haven"t tried yet . How do you know it"s impossible?"

This man was used to giving orders . Senior Shou looked at the guest again until he could no longer stand the coldness in his eyes . "Well, I"ll try it . You wait for me here . If there is no news in two hours, don"t wait any longer; just come by the day after tomorrow . "

Senior Shou was headed out when the young man grabbed him by the arm . The guest, who did not look strong, had a grip as strong as an iron clasp . "It has to be tonight," the guest insisted .

" I . . . " Senior Shou was slightly miffed, but softened his tone, "I will try my best . Maybe I can"t make it happen, but I won"t lie to you or fool you . Fang Wenshi must have told you that . "

"Alright . " Gu Shenwei let go of Senior Shou . When Senior Shou was close to the door, Gu Shenwei said, "Thank you for leaving me a person to chat with . "

Senior Shou"s face was stiff . He paused for a moment but said nothing . Then he lifted the curtain and headed out . "This young man is so different," he thought .

Gu Shenwei turned around and looked at the pile of parcels by the door . Soon, a macheteman emerged from the shadow behind the parcels .

The macheteman looked around eighteen, even younger than Gu Shenwei . He had a round but slightly square face, and bright eyes . The thin mustache above his lips showed his immaturity . His neck seemed bigger than his head, and his body was as strong as a bull in heat, which could easily turn over the whole tent when angry .

"What"s your name?" Gu Shenwei asked .

The macheteman hesitated for a moment . He should not speak in front of a new guest, but there was an irresistible force in this man"s words that prevented him from sticking to his position . "Bo Sang," he answered .

"Saber or sword?"

Bo Sang"s face was a little red . It was a fashion nowadays to wear a saber and a sword simultaneously . Especially after the war on seaside slope, there were more and more imitators of Dragon King . "I use the saber," Bo Sang replied .

Bo Sang"s saber and sword were about a foot longer than common weapons, and they looked very threatening . In fact, he had never used the sword and did not even know how .

"Pull out your saber," Gu Shenwei told Bo Sang .

"Why?" Bo Sang became vigilant .

"It may come in handy later . Drawing the saber quickly may not be your strongsuit . "

Bo Sang was infuriated since he was at an age of extreme sensitivity to dignity and could not bear even the slightest public humiliation . He drew his saber, resting his right hand on the scabbard . Twisting his body to the left, he slightly dropped his head, holding the hilt with his right hand, lifting it up high . It was indeed a clean posture, which obviously had been practiced many times .

"Pull out yours . " Bo Sang"s tone was stern . He was eager to teach the new guest a lesson before Senior Shou returned, and let him know that imitating Dragon King also required some strength .

Gu Shenwei shook his head . "My saber will not be pulled out for showing off . "

Bo Sang"s face was becoming redder and redder . "Maybe you don"t even know how to use it," he quipped .

"It is possible . Why don"t you throw away the scabbard?"

"What?"

"Your saber is too long . Throwing away the scabbard while pulling out the saber would be faster . "

Bo Sang was confused and thought to himself, "Why throw away the scabbard? The posture is neither beautiful nor useful at all . After drawing the saber, the two sides must confront each other for a while before they begin fighting . n.o.body will start fighting immediately after drawing the saber, right?"

"Don"t pretend you know how to use a saber . That will get you killed . " Bo Sang said contemptuously, returning the long saber to the scabbard .

The two never spoke after that .

Gu Shenwei leaned on the counter and remained motionless for a long time as if he would never become bored with this posture .

Bo Sang impatiently paced back and forth . The guest"s suggestion had taken root in his heart and could not be removed . He especially wanted to give it a try now and throw away the scabbard when pulling out the saber . Would it really be faster?

The opportunity came .

Two a.s.sa.s.sins cut through the tent and rushed in from different directions to pounce on the defenseless guest .

Bo Sang felt obliged to protect anyone in the tent .

He pulled out the saber with his right hand and pulled the scabbard out of the belt and threw it away with his left hand . It was indeed a little faster, and the whole process was more smooth and easy . His right hand used to be lifted too high and could change the move immediately . Now, he could slash immediately .

Bo Sang raised his head and found his help unnecessary .

A saber and a sword were placed on the a.s.sa.s.sins" necks . By the time Bo Sang drew his saber, the guest had already finished his counterattack .

Bo Sang finally understood the importance of drawing the saber quickly .

Gu Shenwei did not kill them because he knew it was a test .

A man came in the tent, dressed in a robe, with his hands behind his back . He a.s.sessed the situation inside the tent and said, "Dragon King"s fame is indeed deserved . "

Bo Sang was surprised that the young man was Dragon King . And even more to his surprise, Dragon King asked to see King Kuari, here stood King Dari .

In royal court, everyone knew that King Dari and King Kuari were deadly foes .

.