404 Courtship (1/2)
What did the servant's last words mean? Gu Shenwei had been wrong once before. He did not want to make the same mistake again.
However, he was still interested in the unrevealed ”privileged guest”.
The seventh young master hurried back from the Stone Kingdom. He had not stopped to rest the entire night and arrived at the Gulping Wind Gorge around dawn. It was clear that he was very eager to meet with this”privileged guest”.
On the contrary, the generous fat chief had introduced almost half of the people in the village to the Dragon King, without making referring to anyone in particular. In the two days, the only person who was treated as a privileged guest was the Dragon King.
The father and son's contradictory behaviors only made Gu Shenwei more suspicious.
”Ha Chilie, these days you have done much for the Great Snowmountain. I hope to reward you. Whatever you need, just say the word.”
Ha Chilie felt very surprised to hear Dragon King bring up the topic of reward, ”Truly, I have not done much. I have just shown the way...”
All of a sudden, he realized that the reason the Dragon King had brought this up before the arrival of the army was that the Dragon King did not trust him. He knelt down on one knee,”Men from the Dongshan Mountain Tribe value loyalty more than anything else. I remember every single word I said and will never break my promise. I said in the Land of Fragrance that I would go to another war with you, and I did. On the battlefield, I gave up my weapon in return for your help. Thousands of people saw it. Since then, my life belongs to you and no other.”
Gu Shenwei accepted the allegiance of this man who was several years older than himself. Different parts in the Western Region had different customs. He must hold different attitudes towards different people.
The environment of Wushan was a harsh one. But there were minerals buried in here that everyone wanted. Therefore, the tribes here consisted of the simple and tough swordsmen like those from the Great Snowmountain combined with the cunning and snobbery of the Jade City residents. Loyalty, faith, money and power all played dominant roles here.
Gu Shenwei could conquer the Great Snowmountain with the sword and the will of heaven, but he had to use other techniques with Ha Chilie, ”You have proved your loyalty, Ha Chilie, so I want to reward you by giving you a very important task.”
”Please tell me.” Ha Chilie did not say any more. He was very happy that he got a task instead of a reward because this indicated that the Dragon King really trusted him.
”You can tell me what kind of reward you want. If I have it now, you can get it right away. If I don't, you will get it later.”
Ha Chilie bowed his head. He already had an idea, but he just did not dare to bring it up. But this moment was a prime opportunity, perhaps his only chance. Ha Chilie once again knelt down, ”I hope that I can take you as my master. I want to learn your saber techniques.”
This request surprised Gu Shenwei. He thought about it. ”You don't have to take me as your master, but I will teach you the saber techniques.”
”Yes, Dragon King.” Ha Chilie was overwhelmed by happiness, but his words were stingy. Then he got up and waited for the Dragon King to talk about the task he had for him.
Gu Shenwei hoped to dig out the information of the ”privileged guest”immediately. He could have waited for the arrival of the troops of the Great Snowmountain but it would minimize the loss of lives if he took the initiative.
”Those three people were killed by me.” Before Gu Shenwei mentioned the task, he would tell the truth. Anyway, Ha Chilie would know it sooner or later.
Ha Chilie did not speak nor reveal any expression of surprise. He had always speculated. Even when the Dragon King denied it previously, his suspicion did not abate. He had claimed to know the reason at that time, but he did not insist on his own opinion this time. He believed that the Dragon King had a reason for this.
”The chief must have figured it out. The troops are approaching. I hope that the gorge will remain open, so I have to know the actions and thoughts of the chief at any moment.”
”I can go find out. I am familiar with many people here.”
”Well, that is too obvious. It is easy to arouse suspicion.”
”What do you want me to do?”
Gu Shenwei paused for a while, ”I want you to ask the chief to marry one of his daughters.”
This time, it was Ha Chilie's turn to be surprised. He was a warrior. He was not scared of running straight into enemy ranks or evading hazardous traps. However, when it came to conspiracies and tricks, his reaction was much slower. ”The daughter of the chief? This...”
Every time the fat chief met with Ha Chilie, he would say that he wanted to marry his daughter to him, but it was only a joke. Ha Chilie never took it seriously, and the fat chief never insisted.
”You have to marry a daughter of the chief. You had better choose carefully. The sooner the better. If you can, it will be best to take Maid Lotus with you.”
This is the first time that Ha Chilie heard the name of Maid Lotus. He was stunned, and then bowed and consented. He had already pledged loyalty to the Dragon King, so he couldn't make excuses when taking on the task. He also figured that this marriage alliance had another purpose.
Ha Chilie asked for leave and started thinking about how to talk to the fat chief. A young master had just died in the Gulping Wind Gorge and the chief was grieving. This was not a good time to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage.
Maid Lotus came out from her hiding place. ”So, you suspect that the'privileged guest' is a woman?”
”I am thinking about a few things.” Gu Shenwei answered Maid Lotus as if talking to himself, ”Did the chief really have no idea about the true identity of the female slave? When you revealed the truth, the reaction of Yan Er was strange. She considered you as the biggest evil to the New Moon Hall, but she seemed to hate the chief even more.”