Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Gu Shenweiâs previous alliance with Lotus hadnât been in vain. From it, Gu Shenwei had probably become one of the few outsiders knowledgeable about the secret arts of the Waning Moon Hall, on par with Old Man Muâs level, but more vigilant.
As soon as Han Fen exhaled that plume of blue smoke, Gu Shenwei breathed out in response.
Han Fen screamed and rolled back several times before disappearing into the grass. Then like a frightened bird, she leaped into the air, jumping and giggling as she ran away.
Gu Shenwei decided to spare her life in the end. This woman was very strange; although she was loyal and devoted to Lotus, she didnât understand what a secret was. As long as he used some specific methods, he could always dig up a lot of information from her.
The information might be false, but even false information was a clue.
Gu Shenwei tried to approach the bonfire once again.
The men lying in ambush had broken their concealment and were now simply taking part in the contest openly, after leaving seven or eight corpses in the grass behind them.
The quiet ending to the scuffle puzzled Gu Shenwei. In an attempt to clear his confusion, he tried to get as close to the crowd as possible to listen in on their conversation.
âHeâs got a point. If we continue fighting like this, then all of us will die and no one will get any benefits.â
âAvenge yourself later. Thereâs no need to fight and waste your lives here.â
âRight, weâre all here for the hundred thousand silver taels. Why do we have to fight each other to the death?â
âWeâre all martial heroes, so how come we⦠We were tricked into killing each other by just a few words from her?â
Everyone nodded and even cupped their hands to salute each other as if they had developed some kind of friendship through the scuffle just now.
Actually, everyone knew this simple truth but they still needed someone to wake them up at a critical moment, and this person was Dhuta Kingkong.
As the organizer of the contest and the owner of the head, he was naturally obligated to restore the order.
He stopped the people chasing after Han Wuxian for vengeance and clearly showed the crowd the meaninglessness of the whole melee.
Han Wuxian wanted to go on killing but Nie Zeng, who was carrying her, wouldnât move anymore. âEnough, we are here to compete in kung fu. Thereâs no need to kill so many people.â
âTo compete is to kill, and to kill is to compete.â This aphorism made sense to Han Wuxian but failed to move Nie Zeng.
When Gu Shenwei arrived, Dhuta Kingkong was still negotiating with Han Wuxian. The sight of him standing over a dozen steps away and not daring to even breathe heavily was something to watch. âFairy Hanâs kung fu is matchless and really opened my eyes. I believe that Fairy Hanâs fame will spread across the Central Plains and the Norland due to todayâs fight.â
Han Wuxian, with her ruthlessness and disregard for the rules of the martial arts world, really didnât fit the image of a âheroine,â so Dhuta Kingkong called her âFairyâ instead.
Han Wuxian seemed to be quite satisfied with her new nickname and softly said, âYou really know what to say. You are actually the person with the best kung fu here, arenât you?â
âNo, Iâm not,â Dhuta Kingkong hastily denied. âWe will only know whoâs the best after the competition but itâs certainly not me. I think that Fairy Han is the most promising.â
âHehe, you are getting better at talking. You know, your bald head looked quite annoying before, but it looks much better now.â
Dhuta Kingkong stroked his head and revealed a bitter smile, âThanks for your kind words, Fairy Han.â
âThen what are you waiting for? Since you admit that my kung fu is the best, give me the head of the Khan now.â
Dhuta Kingkong didnât expect that the other side would take his flattery seriously. âWell ⦠I donât have a problem with that, but there are so many friends here today. Itâs better to have a competition so that everyone is convinced.â
âAre you saying that you think my kung fu is the best but others might not think so?â
âExactly.â As soon as he blurted out the word, Dhuta Kingkong knew that he had made a huge mistake. This woman appeared a bit crazy. Who would have thought that she was so good at setting verbal traps?
Sure enough, before Dhuta Kingkong could find a way to fix his mistake, Han Wuxian had raised her voice and said, âBaldy Kingkong has admitted that I am number one. Anyone whoâs unconvinced can come here and have a life-or-death fight with me.
The crowd looked askance at Dhuta Kingkong, all thinking that he was playing two-faced tricks.
Dhuta Kingkong didnât want to waste time on the matter so he winked at a saberman beside him. The man took one step forward and loudly said, âIâm not convinced. The point of this contest is to choose a hero who is fair and righteous, but you are disgracefully using poison to kill. If you are really capableâ¦â
Han Wuxian spread her arms and smiled heartily as if the man standing opposite was the most handsome saberman in the world. âI canât use poison anymore even if I want to. I havenât restocked my pills yet and the borrowed poison has all been used up.â
Few people believed Han Wuxianâs story but that saberman took another step forward and said in a soft tone. âI see. Iâm sorry I wronged you.â
Dhuta Kingkong dragged the saberman to where he was and laughed out loud, âSo Fairy Han will not use poison anymore in the following competitions?â
The saberman struggled a few times in Dhuta Kingkongâs hand and even almost drew his saber in anger. A few moments later, he suddenly came to his senses and blushed, hiding himself in the crowd and never coming out again.â
âWell, Iâm not a real fairy. The poison is already used up. Do you think I can make some with magic?â
Dhuta Kingkong smiled obsequiously. He wasnât a fresh shrimp in Jianghu and would not be seduced in public. âActually, Iâve been meaning to say this, but hidden weapon and poison are not allowed in the contest.â
âEhh, thatâs strange. If poison is not allowed, then why would someone bring poison with him? I borrowed it from him.â
âWho? Who else has poison?â Dhuta Kingkong spoke with the mind of the crowd. When Han Wuxian said âborrowed poison,â everyone thought that she had borrowed it from one of her friends before coming here.
âItâs the guy who was recording everyoneâs name. Whatâs his name again? The ink he used was a very good poison.â
âRuan Donglai?â
âYes, itâs him. You have a good memory. You must be the smartest baldy in the world, arenât you?â
âYou flatter me.â Dhuta Kingkong would have become angry long ago if others were joking about his baldness like she was doing. But when faced with this woman, he could only reveal a bitter smile and quickly change the subject. âRuan Donglai, come out and explain!â
No one answered.
âRuan Donglai! Ruan Donglai!â He called twice but still got no response.
âIs he dead?â someone guessed but that was immediately refuted. âNo, I just saw him⦠Ah, the kid got away.â
Ruan Donglai had really run away. As soon as he heard the words âborrowed poison,â he had begun slipping away. Several people had seen him, but did not care at that time.
Dhuta Kingkong was very embarrassed because Ruan Donglai was an old friend of his and had offered to help him organize this contest. He didnât expect that the other side had hatched a plot, but as a veteran in Jianghu, he was very good at concealing his embarrassment. He laughed loudly and cupped his hands, saying, âFairy Han has sharp eyes to expose the wicked. Who would dare say that you are not a real celestial being from now on? Everybody listen up, those who were poisoned tonight should be counted as dying to that bastard Ruan Donglai!â
Revenge was a complicated thing. The crowd quickly weighed this issue in their heart and everyone knew which way was easier to go, so they vomited Dhuta Kingkongâs words back. âGo find Ruan Donglai and cut him into pieces to avenge ourselves.â
Dhuta Kingkong waited for the crowd to vent their anger for a while before he raised his big hand and said, âThe contest is back on and the first player on the field is⦠Wise Eye Fairy Han Wuxian of the Western Regions. Whoâs going to challenge her?â
Han Wuxian smiled more charmingly and touchingly after getting her first nickname in Jianghu. âAnd this little brother whoâs carrying me. Heâs also very powerful.â
Nie Zeng was so embarrassed that he really wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it. He was a killer, and it would really be a shame if he was given a nickname.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âFairy Carrier!â Someone shouted. Nie Zeng found that he was being too naive. Compared to the shame of being nicknamed, the fact that nickname really sucked was even worse.
No one cared about Nie Zeng. And since he was standing with his back against everyone, very few people could see his face turning red.
What the sabermen were concerned about most was who would compete with Han Wuxian. They looked at each other until, finally, a saberman who was in his thirties walked out and the first thing he said was, âCan you promise to not use poison?â
âI promise you, you will never use a saber again.â Han Wuxian was smiling and speaking in a soft tone even when she made threats.
The saberman snorted and suddenly attacked without giving a name. He had found Han Wuxianâs biggest flaw â the teenager carrying her.
As long as he killed the boy, this woman would be helpless no matter how advanced her kung fu skills were.
Nie Zeng slightly turned his head and saw the saberman coming at him from the corner of his eye, so he gripped his saber hilt, believing that his next move would fend off the attacker with one cut and earn Han Wuxian a chance to make a move.
But before he could unsheathe his saber, Nie Zeng felt the load on his back suddenly lighten, and then heard the crowd cry out in surprise. He turned around uncontrollably and saw the saberman standing there stiffly with few strands of blood flowing out from the top of his head and just reaching his forehead.
The weight on his back returned.
Shangguan Fei, who had been hiding in the distance, quietly walked out and stayed within ten steps of Han Wuxian and Nie Zeng, because he understood that he might be the one needed to be protected.
Gu Shenwei saw the whole process clearly from afar. Han Wuxian, who was not only good at using poison and secret techniques, had just shown her first-rate lightness skills and finger energy. Flying up, inserting her five fingers into the head of the saberman, and then jumping back with the rebounding force; Han Wuxian had easily killed her first challenger.
Gu Shenwei quietly retreated as there was nothing to worry about anymore.
He had ordered the golden roc killers and the teenage killers to set up ambushes, and the former had already caught something.
A middle-aged man had run into the trap. The man looked elegant and had no saber on him, as if he was a scholar who had strayed into the area by accident during night.
The golden roc killer left him to the Dragon King for questioning.
âRuan Donglai?â
Ruan Donglai appeared very surprised, âI never thought⦠You must be the Dragon King, I never imagined that you would know this humble personâs name.â
Gu Shenwei winked, and a golden roc killer quickly searched Ruan Donglai and took out a lot of items. Gu Shenwei picked up an inkstone, of which the ink had not yet dried, and sniffed it. âDo you wanna try?â
Ruan Donglaiâs expression immediately changed, âNo no, Dragon King, please donât. Actually ⦠Actually, we are on the same side.â
âOh, really? I donât remember you.â
Ruan Donglai looked around and signaled the Dragon King to send away the killers. After his failure, he said, âI work for King Riyao. The lord planned this contest to lure the snake out of its hole ⦠I didnât expect the Dragon King was attracted.â
âWho were you trying to lure?â
âThe one who took away the head of the Khan. My lord came up a brilliant idea. He said that as long as that person was still staying in the Royal Court, he would definitely come to check once he heard there was another head.â
âWhere about the ambush of King Riyao?â
âIn order to not leak the plot, there wouldnât be any ambush. It should have just been me and Dhuta Kingkong along with twenty-five sabermen. To tell you the truth, there are too many people here today. Iâm afraidâ¦â
âSince we are all working for King Riyao, do you think I will sit back and do nothing?â
Dragon King was overjoyed, âYes, yes. If we can make it, the main credits will be the Dragon Kingâs. Iâve already found the most suspicious target. He used a false name but I recognized him.â He took one step forward, staying away from the golden roc killers and mouthing out a name.
Gu Shenwei nodded to show that he understood who he was talking about, thinking that it was really possible that the Khanâs head had been taken away by this person.
The golden rock killer also understood the Dragon Kingâs hint, so he pierced Ruan Donglaiâs heart from the back with the narrow saber in his hand.