351 Hesitation (2/2)
That moment, the four of them faced each other awkwardly in the room.
Shangguan Ru's lips were drawn into a thin line. Her world had not stopped crushing down on her. One by one, her subordinates, friends, brother, and parents revealing their true colors only served to make her even stronger.
Shangguan Fei tried to strike a blow but was blocked by Dragon King. Throwing his saber away, he held his head and muttered to himself, ”How is this possible?”
He finally understood that his father was resolute in his intention to kill. Both his sister and him were pampered because of their mother and naturally would fall from grace along with their mother. He was filled with resentment and hated all of them - Shangguan Hong, his mother, his father, his sister, and Dragon King.
Gu Shenwei was the only one who maintained a calm expression out of the four of them, yet he was uncertain as well. This small group of people harbored hatred for one another, but was it possible for them to be bound by a common hatred for the enemy?
However, he believed that it was better to divulge the secret voluntarily rather than exposing it unintentionally in the future.
”Think about your future way out,” Gu Shenwei decided to give the three of them some time to think things through. ”You cannot hide here forever, Supreme King will know the truth sooner or later. Then he will send someone to kill you when that time comes.”
Shangguan Hong followed Gu Shenwei as he left the room, the last thing that he wanted was to remain in the same room with the twins.
After settling Shangguan Hong, Gu Shenwei sent someone to summon Zhong Heng.
Maid Lotus appeared before Zhong Heng arrived, she was always nearby him and heard everything about the scandal of the Shangguan family, she said, ”You need to think carefully, all of them carried the Shangguan surname.”
Maid Lotus seldom gave suggestions unless Gu Shenwei asked. But this time, she felt very uneasy about Dragon King's decision.
Gu Shenwei did not think that Maid Lotus was meddling in his business because even he himself had not made up his mind completely on this issue, ”Both the Supreme King and Zhang Ji made a mistake. They are accustomed to how Golden Roc Fort handles matters, and don't think much about killing their own children. But that is not the case for others, normal people will not kill their children. I want to keep the three of them to show the ugliest side of the Supreme King to the world.”
These words were more for himself instead. Perhaps the military counselor could understand my intentions, Gu Shenwei thought to himself. Fang Wenshi had always told Dragon King to be someone who was completely opposite of Supreme King.
As expected, Maid Lotus was impassive, it seems like she did not really understand his intentions. She was also a killer cultivated by Golden Roc Fort, and New Moon Hall's principles would only serve to reinforce it further. She felt that Golden Roc Fort's style of handling things was already widely known by people, it was also why they could stand firmly in the Western Region for so many years, therefore it was not necessary to prove it to the world.
However, she did not voice out her views on the matter. Since Dragon King had already decided, she would not oppose it. Although she believed that Shangguan Ru was the real reason that he showed mercy.
Maid Lotus hid again when Zhong Heng arrived.
Now that Zhong Heng was the Prime Minister of the Stone Kingdom, he was entitled to share the royal seal together with the King. But his position was very unstable, it was still shaky and could be snatched away at any time.
Hence, he could only rely on Dragon King.
To Gu Shenwei's relief, Zhong Heng was very supportive of his decision, ”Everybody knows that the Golden Roc Fort is unscrupulous and stops at nothing, but few people have experienced it personally. This can be an opportunity to let everyone know that the Supreme King will kill his own children just for some personal gain.”
However, this could only be carried out in Jade City. Only there could the humiliation cause the greatest harm toward the Supreme King.
Moreover, both of them agreed that the thousands of troops from the Great Snowmountain must be relocated to the Stone Kingdom.
The western border of Jade City was narrow, and with Shu-lik at the back made it unreliable, the Great Snowmountain couldn't hold on for long. Entering the Stone Kingdom for them, however, would give them the strength needed to unify the Xiaoyao Lake and secure a strong base.
”We need to act fast.” Zhong Heng brought over a map and laid it on the table as he and Dragon King studied it. ”I am afraid the Golden Roc Fort had already declared war with the Great Snowmountain. You would need to bring them out of there before they are all wiped out, Dragon King.”
This was precisely what Gu Shenwei was most anxious about. Every minute spent in the Stone Kingdom was a waste of his time, but he had to work out a detailed and meticulous plan. He had already walked right into the enemy's trap and could not allow himself to be led further by their intentions, that would only make him sink deeper into their trap.
”There are two routes to go back to Jade City and the Great Snowmountain camp.” Gu Shenwei had thought about it for a long time but was not able to reach a final decision. ”We can head towards the north and take the original route back to Shuangquan Village, before turning west all the way. That will take about half a month's journey to reach Jade City. We can also ride faster to cut the timing shorter. Or we can just head towards the west straightaway and pass through the Kang, the Sha, and the Hui Kingdoms, before going towards the north and cross the desert. Here, we can reach the Great Snowmountain camp first.”
”The first route is very dangerous. Golden Roc Fort must have already set traps to intercept you, Dragon King. But the second route will be a hard traverse, and the journey time might be twice as long.”
This was exactly what Gu Shenwei was hesitating about, ”Perhaps I can sneak around the traps if I don't bring along any attendants.”
Zhong Heng propped his chin and thought for a moment, ”I think you should still bring along the three Shangguan siblings. Their roles can probably do more than just letting the Supreme King make a fool of himself.”
Gu Shenwei pointed to the second route, ”Then this is the only choice. Perhaps bringing more horses can save some time.”
”Be careful.” Zhong Heng agreed with Dragon King, but he felt the need to remind him, ”All the people of the Shangguan family are wolf cubs and will bite back their savior at any time.”