342 Running Away (2/2)

”I didn't believe it either, so I endeavored to win Shangguan Fei's trust. Just now, I received news that 20 Golden Roc killers stealthily left the courier station this afternoon and didn't come back after entering the capital. I asked Shangguan Fei about it before coming over here. He was complacent and said to me, 'Wait and see, before dawn, everything will be reversed and the Central Plain will never stand in my way again.' Therefore, I rushed here to protect you.”

Lin Tao's expression suddenly changed as he asked, ”Shangguan Fei sent killers to the capital?”

”Yes, although I don't understand why he did that, I guessed that it must be part of the plan to murder you, Your Honor.”

Lin Tao still couldn't believe it. For many years, the various forces in the Western Region had maintained a delicate balance, and if any of them dared to break the balance, it should have been a big nation like the Central Plain or Norland. ”This may just be a coincidence; Shangguan Fei didn't directly say that he would kill me. You may have overthought it, Dragon King,” he said.

”I hope so, but we can't be too careful.”

”Yes, you are right,” Lin Tao chuckled twice. ”So, you will definitely vote for the Prince of Loulan Kingdom tomorrow, right?”

”Of course, Shangguan Fei is incompetent. Whatever they contest for, I believe the Prince of Loulan Kingdom will be the winner.”

Lin Tao showed an expression of relief. They chatted for a moment, and Lin Tao declined Dragon King's request to personally act as his guard. After sending Dragon King off, he immediately sent people to the city to find out more about the situation.

Gu Shenwei went back to his room to rest for a while. Before he slept, he said to Lin Xiaoshan, ”The Special Emissary from the Central Plain will send someone to meet me later; wake me up as soon as he arrives.”

Gu Shenwei was sure that there was no way his prediction would fail.

The truth was that the Special Emissary from the Central Plains was even more anxious than he had imagined. Instead of sending someone to summon Dragon King, Lin Tao came over personally at around two o'clock. He wore a cape to prevent anyone from recognizing him.

”Dragon King, you are right,” Lin Tao said emotionally as soon as he entered the room, trembling with fear. ”Zhong Heng betrayed the Central Plain and colluded with Golden Roc Fort. He lured several of my guard troops into Nengjue Temple in the capital and killed all of them. Shangguan Fei really moved against us. No, Shangguan Fei certainly would not dare do this alone. The Special Envoy of Norland must be the manipulating him behind the scenes...”

Gu Shenwei sat on the bed and held the handle of his saber without interrupting Lin Tao, knowing that the special envoy's fear would lead him to figure out all the causes and consequences of the actions of each party involved in the incident; there was no need to persuade him.

”Shangguang Fei is going to strike soon and the killer could very possibly be hiding outside this house and war could be triggered at any time. You have to protect me, Dragon King. From now on, this isn't about the feud between Great Snowmountain and Golden Roc Fort anymore, but about the war between the Central Plain and Norland.”

It was time for Gu Shenwei to pretend to be confused. ”How did the Special Envoy of Norland get involved? I thought it was just Shangguan Fei's idea.”

”Alas, you think too simply.” Lin Tao was anxious and had cast away his superficial respect for Dragon King, and his tone was as if he were talking to an ordinary little boy; however, he immediately realized that his life laid in the hands of Dragon King and he immediately changed his tone. ”There's something that you don't know about, Dragon King - the Khan of Norland is bedridden and could pass away at any time. It's very possible that he wishes to start a war before he dies and seize control of the entire Western Region once and for all.”

Gu Shenwei pretended to be enlightened. ”Now I understand. You can rest assured that as long as I am here, I will ensure your safety, your Honor,” he said.

However, Lin Tao could not be at ease. Currently, Dragon King was still unaware of the secret order of Mr. Wei, but the special envoy would need to watch out for him the most if it were ever leaked to the young man. ”It would be great to be protected by you, Dragon King, but there are too many killers from Golden Roc Fort, and there would be many casualties on your side in the event of a fight. I do have a plan, however, to resolve the crisis without the use of force.”

”I'd like to know about your plan.”

”I am the target of Norland and Shangguan Fei. If I am not here, naturally they will not take any action. As long as I return to the residence of the Commanding Officer, they would not dare to act rashly with an army at my command.”

Gu Shenwei did not expect that things would go so smoothly - Lin Tao's train of thought was almost identical to his own plan. ”I understand what you mean. Let me escort you to the residence of Commanding Officer right now, Your Honor,” he said.

”No, no, we would be letting Shangguan Fei off too easily. I have an idea, and I would like to seek your opinion about it, Dragon King.”

”Pray tell, Your Honor. We from the Great Snowmountain would gladly serve the Central Plain.”

”My idea is for you to stay in Stone Kingdom and do your best to help the Prince of Loulan Kingdom to become the Emperor's son-in-law, Dragon King. You can also take some extreme measures if necessary. Also, you needn't worry about the armistice agreement; the Central Plain will bear responsibility for your actions.”

Gu Shenwei sneered in his heart. Even before leaving, Lin Tao was setting him up - the special envoy was hoping that the Great Snowmountain and Golden Roc Fort would fight each other so that he would have two weakened adversaries to deal with in the future.

”The Great Snowmountain has nothing to fear as long as we have the Central Plain's support. I will never let Shangguan Fei be the Emperor's son-in-law.” Gu Shenwei said, a slight hint of murderous intent showing in his eyes, causing Lin Tao to be both afraid and relieved.

Gu Shenwei escorted Lin Tao as they left the courier station secretly, the two remaining kung fu masters of the Special Envoy's guard troops following behind.

Along the way, Lin Tao had been encouraging Dragon King to do his best, as he even overtly implied that he should kill Shangguan Fei and the Special Envoy of Norland. As they went their separate ways after walking for 10 li, Lin Tao believed that Dragon King was completely under his control.

As the sun began to rise, Gu Shenwei returned to the courier station. He had removed the biggest obstacle facing him, and he could carry out the last part of his plan now: obtain the throne of Stone Kingdom and control the entire Xiaoyao Lake.