Death Sutra

The so-called "help" Luo Ningcha was offering was to not let the Dragon King meet with the Second Consort . She also refused to disclose who the Second Consort was supporting in order to inherit the t.i.tle of Khan . Perhaps Luo Ningcha herself did not even know .

"Alliances require a lot of give and take . The Second Consort has expressed her sincerity, and it"s your turn now . You"d better figure out the a.s.sa.s.sination plan of Golden Roc Castle, and then everyone will be happy . "

Luo Ningcha walked close to Gu Shenwei, stopping when she was just about to cling to him . She gently took the covenant away as her fingers softly caressed his chest before she suddenly pushed him away forcefully and giggled . "Stop dreaming . I won"t let you lay a finger on me unless you marry me as your queen openly . "

Gu Shenwei hadn"t intended to touch her but for a moment, his breath became heavy . It was an instinctual response that appeared regardless of whether its owner held deep grudges, was in a crisis, or had fallen in love . When it was time, it always dominantly established its existence like a pet who never had enough to eat .

He would satisfy it every now and then, but this time he just wanted to viciously kick it back down .

"How should I contact you in the future? It will be way too troublesome if we do this every time . "

"Hmm, I"ll be staying here for two nights, so you can come to me at any time then but don"t come too late . " Luo Ningcha was very pleased because she had achieved all her goals . She was particularly excited by the fact that she was a key figure in a conspiracy that would change the world .

Gu Shenwei left without asking any more questions as he couldn"t get the information he wanted from her . Luo Ningcha thought that she was very important, but she was really just a p.a.w.n in the Second Consort"s hands, a p.a.w.n that could be casually discarded after being used .

The night was deep and dark, a killer"s favorite time to act . Gu Shenwei stood in the shadow for awhile, and Lotus appeared .

"Keep an eye on her . See where she"s going, who she meets, and who serves her . "

Lotus gently nodded . She was just about to leave when Gu Shenwei added, "She"s still useful . "

Lotus had tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate Luo Ningcha on her last day at Golden Roc Castle . As time pa.s.sed, she had become much more in control of her feelings than before . She nodded again without showing any signs of emotion .

The night was not yet over, and Gu Shenwei did not want to return to the camp just like this .

The whole Royal Court was shrouded in conspiracies so thick that he could almost swim in it . By following the clearest evidence trail, he went to the residence of King Zhuri alone .

Gu Shenwei a.s.sumed that Shangguan Ru and Old Man Mu had left to fetch the three Bone Shrivelling Pills . The Office of King Rizhu was indeed a good place to hide something . Everyone knew that Old Man Mu was the enemy of King Rizhu, so naturally, no one would think that he would keep his most important treasure here .

Another important reason for Gu Shenwei to come was the Second Consort, who had nearly become King Rizhu"s daughter-in-law . Luo Ningcha thought that the Second Consort"s plan and Shangguan Ru"s disappearance were of two different matters, but Gu Shenwei had found a hint from the two events .

King Rizhu had had his Flame Foal stolen because of his army"s lack of discipline . From that day on, he strengthened his vigilance and arranged patrols according to wartime standards . At that point, even a small mouse could not enter or leave his office freely .

But this evening, Gu Shenwei soon found a loophole, which confirmed his idea that King Rizhu was "inviting" him in .

This might be a delicately designed trap to lure the Dragon King into the net, as breaking into the king"s office at night was obviously a breach of the agreement . With this as an excuse, the Norland could dispose of the Dragon King at will without fearing any loss of political credibility .

Gu Shenwei snuck into the camp . He had watched long enough, and it was time for him to take action .

The heavily guarded campsite had left a single pa.s.sage, which was difficult for outsiders to spot . In this pa.s.sage, there were still guards on patrol, but every quarter of an hour or so the two teams of soldiers would turn around and leave a momentary gap in which a daring killer could seize the opportunity to pa.s.s .

The one who had set up this pa.s.sage knew the Dragon King"s style very well . Gu Shenwei immediately thought of Wild Horse . The two of them had hunted each other in the ruins for a day and a night, and as a result knew each other"s habits well .

At the end of the pa.s.sage was a small tent near the main tent, which was still lit in the middle of the night .

This was a well-arranged "audience"s path to the king" and only open to one person .

King Rizhu was sitting alone in the humble tent with a carefully crafted jewelry box on his knee . From time to time he took out an accessory and observed it carefully .

In front of him was placed someone"s memorial tablet, with incense smoke curling up and a lamp shining as if it were eternal .

While contemplating the accessory, King Rizhu reminisced upon the past and almost forgot that there was an important visitor coming tonight .

"Wild Horse told me, of course through someone who knew sign language, that the Dragon King would always appear behind my back no matter how vigilant I remained . " King Rizhu said as he put a hair ornament made from gold flowers back into the box without looking up .

"Who is she?" Gu Shenwei asked while standing behind King Rizhu . The person being commemorated in the tent was obviously a woman .

"My princess consort . " King Rizhu stayed silent for a moment, and with a rare sadness, he added, "Not the one killed by Old Man Mu . "

"Hmm . " There were many different views about what had caused that Princess"s death . Gu Shenwei wasn"t concerned about it at all .

"She was the Khan"s little sister . We grew up together and got married when I was seventeen and she was fifteen years old . We encountered many obstacles before marrying . The other tribes feared that the Naihang Tribe would take the chance to expand their influence so they tried every means to oppose it . It was the Khan who had stood out in the end and allowed us to marry each other . "

King Rizhu and the Dragon King had been on the verge of breaking into a fight when they had first met . On their second meeting, he talked of Gu Lun"s past . This time, he actually started talking about his dead wife . Gu Shenwei could not get a word in edgewise and could only listen in silence .

"The Khan is much older than me . The year I married, he had already received his t.i.tle, quelled the rebellion, and consolidated his power . There was no need for him to please Naihang Tribe, let alone a silly boy like me . But he appreciated me and treated me like his own son . My princess died before she was twenty, and I begged the Khan, hoping that he could use his divine power to save my wife . But even he couldn"t bring someone back from the dead . But he gave me the t.i.tle of King Rizhu, which by convention belonged to his favorite son . "

King Rizhu closed the box and turned to face the Dragon King . "So you can understand that I will protect the Khan at all costs . I won"t allow anyone to touch him even if he only has one breath left . "

"Was it you who sent the Second Consort to the Khan?"

"My useless son died . She was very sad and had vowed to never marry again . She also asked me to be her adoptive father . I agreed but asked her to marry Khan, so that we could protect his safety together . "

The two"s alliance was secretive . On the surface, the lecherous Khan had "s.n.a.t.c.hed" the Second Consort who had just lost her fiancé away, and King Rizhu had appropriately showed discontent and anger .

For more than twenty years, the two had actually been exchanging information and like this, thwarted many plots revolving around the Khan .

This time, however, they had faced a conspiracy so vast that they had to seek help from outsiders .

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h, b.a.s.t.a.r.d . " All of a sudden, King Rizhu burst out with a series of curses . This was simply his way of releasing pressure and had nothing to do with the Dragon King . "We"ve only met three times, and I"ve already revealed my biggest secret . I really don"t understand why the Second Consort values you so much . "

Initially, King Rizhu was a well-deserved leader in a small alliance formed to protect the Khan . But with the rise of the Second Consort"s status, their relations gradually reversed . Now King Rizhu was the one accepting her suggestion .

Gu Shenwei also didn"t understand . He had some wild speculations but didn"t want to mention any of them . "The situation calls for prompt action . "

"Maybe," King Rizhu sighed helplessly . "Golden Roc Castle was originally a gra.s.shopper . Those so-called killers didn"t dare to set foot in the Royal Court even though they were disguised . But now, someone would rather set the wolf free to save the sheep . Swarms of killers wander around the Khan and pretend to be harmless . The reason why the Second Consort needs you is most likely this reason; after all, you know them best . "

It was hard for King Rizhu to have a good impression of the Dragon King . He held a grudge against Gu Shenwei"s father . Besides, he was still rankled by the theft of the horse, not to mention that the Flame Foal hadn"t been returned until now .

"Since I"m here, you have only told me that you are loyal and desire to keep the Khan safe . You haven"t told me what you want me to do . "

"It"s simple, just kill a few people . "

The Dragon King was treated like a killer . Gu Shenwei could feel the obvious contempt in the tone . "Whether it"s simple or not has nothing to do with the number of killings but instead depends on who the targets are . "

"Hehe, it also depends on who does it . If the Dragon King"s sword and saber are really as powerful as the legend say, everything will be very simple . "

King Rizhu rarely praised the Dragon King, though he was still a bit skeptical about his ability . Gu Shenwei didn"t care, responding, "The first target is Shangguan Shaomin . "

This was the target that Luo Ningcha had revealed .

"Right . If she dies, Golden Roc Castle will lose an important layer of security when it receives the reward, but this can only delay the a.s.sa.s.sination, and not end it . "

"If you want to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Unique King next, I can only tell you I can"t make it . "

"There"s no need . If I wanted to get rid of the Unique King, I"d send my cavalry . He"s a stooge, and the whole Golden Roc Castle plays a very small role . My second target is King Kuari . "

Gu Shenwei knew there would be such an answer . King Kuari was the core of the Khan"s a.s.sa.s.sination . As long as he was still alive, the plot would change and continue evolving . "There must be a third target . "

"Yes, but I can"t tell you until these two are dead . "

"It sounds simple; kill a woman and a king to become the enemy of the whole prairie unless you and the Second Consort think of a way to save me?

"Everyone says the Dragon King is suspicious, and it"s indeed true . But you are not acting alone . I"ll send two of my people to a.s.sist you . These two will be able to prove that all your actions have my approval . "

Gu Shenwei thought for a moment before saying, "I have to see the Second Consort . " He didn"t like doing things in such a roundabout way . If he really had to form an alliance with someone, he wanted to talk to them face to face .

"As Dragon King wishes; you will see her right away . "

Gu Shenwei was a bit surprised .

King Rizhu stood up, ready to invite the Second Consort in . As he walked by the Dragon King, he handed him the jewelry box . "This is what Old Man Mu and your woman came to steal, but I a.s.sure you, they"re not in my hands . "