447 Disease (2/2)

”As long as he can speak,” replied Gu Shenwei.

”What? Oh, no. I've just wasted a Hundred-herbs Pill. I've done too much for him. He'll be alive for another two or three days. Is that alright?”

”That's alright.”

After getting her work done, Han Fen drew aside and then stared straight at the Dragon King as if he were a statue on display.

”You get out and continue to keep watch on the enemies. Alert me as soon as you find something unusual.” Gu Shenwei gave orders to Han Fen directly, as this was the most effective way to communicate with her.

Han Fen nodded solemnly. After that, she jumped onto the beam and then out of the room.

The room was dark, and Gu Shenwei could only vaguely see things inside it. He made a tour of the room to make sure that this was not a trap and the couple in the bed were just common people.

The next moment, when the young assassin woke up, he was startled to see his partners lying deathly still beside him. After that, he was even more shocked to see the person standing in front of him.

”What's your name?” asked Gu Shenwei, in a calm tone.

”Ban Tu,” replied the boy.

”Do you know who I am?”

”You're the Dragon King.”

”And you were a beggar in a small town before meeting me.”

The boy nodded.

Gu Shenwei could hardly remember Ban Tu's face, but he clearly remembered this name. This boy had been apprenticed to him three years ago, and now he was about 11 or 12 years old.

”What makes you betray me?”

”I want to become a real killer, and only the Golden Roc Fort can make my dream come true.”

Upon hearing that, Gu Shenwei could not help sighing in his heart, ”It was I who inspired this child to try to become a killer, but now this thing is used against me.” ”Who told you this?” asked Gu Shenwei.

When he was expecting the boy to tell him that it was Hu Shining, the retired training tutor of the Carvewood Academy in the Golden Roc Fort, the boy surprised him. ”He, He's the best killer in the entire world. You can't turn us into real killers, Dragon King. You've just received a few years' training in the Stone Castle, and all you've mastered is no more than a superficial knowledge of assassination. Only he can help us become professional killers.”

Upon hearing that, Gu Shenwei thought to himself, ”This child is pretty straightforward and assertive. It sounds like he even has the courage to look down upon me now.

”Although he's just a boy of about 10, it's still impressive that this man was able to convert him so completely.” With this in mind, he could not help admiring this mysterious man for his ability. ”Who's this man?” asked Gu Shenwei.

”He...” Ban Tu stuttered. He was not trying to conceal anything from the Dragon King. It was just that he also felt bewildered.

Upon seeing that, Gu Shenwei added, ”Shangguan Jianyi?”

”Yes, Shangguan Jianyi. He's the best killer in the entire world, but you, who have thousands of soldiers now, have already lost all your killer instincts. You even dare not to face off against a real killer now. Killing is a disease. If one wants to become a top-notch killer, he or she has to become desperately ill first. Once you cure your own disease, you won't be a killer any more,” said Ban Tu.

”What a strange theory. It sounds somewhat similar to the doctrine of the New Moon Hall—To get strong, one has to get crazy first. A child like Ban Tu could never think of such a thing by himself, so he must've learned it from someone else. It looks like that this 'Shangguan Jianyi' really put a lot of effort into converting these children.

”Besides, what the boy has said must be intended for me. Whichever of them woke up would tell me the same thing,” thought Gu Shenwei.

”Where's he?” he asked Ban Tu.

”I'll never tell you,” Ban Tu said assertively, ”Killers kill people and are always ready to be killed. I'm not afraid to die.”

”What about the others? Hu Shining, Chu Nanping and the other apprentices,” asked Gu Shenwei.

”They're too stupid to become real killers. They're going to rot in jail,” replied Ban Tu.

Upon hearing that, he knew that he could not get any information out of this boy anymore. Ban Tu had already been totally converted by his enemy. He took out a pill and made the boy swallow it, while saying, ”Well, as you're not afraid.” Soon enough, he saw the boy close his eyes again.

He thought that he had collected enough information. Now he knew where he should go to find his enemy. This enemy made use of a young apprentice to deliver a message to him and invite him to go into the ancestral shrine.

He went out to the roof and said to Han Fen, ”Give me your sword.”

Han Fen immediately handed Maid Lotus' sword to him. Gu Shenwei did not draw the sword out. He just glanced at the sword hilt under the moonlight and then returned it to Han Fen.

”You and I will break into the ancestral shrine together, and you just have to protect me from behind,” said Gu Shenwei.

”Great,” replied Han Fen.

If it had been someone else, he or she would have challenged this hasty decision of the Dragon King. However, Han Fen did not appear confused by the sudden decision in the least bit and accepted his order without any hesitation. After keeping watch on the ancestral shrine for nearly two months, she felt bored and had an overwhelming urge to fight.

The two of them set off for the ancestral shrine one after the other, leaving the three corpses behind in the house, which would come as a shock to the couple when they woke up the next morning.

The enemy knew the Dragon King very well. When the others firmly believed that the Dragon King was a man who would never yield to an impulse, he passed on a provocative message to him through the apprentice: Let's duke it out as professional killers.

Gu Shenwei decided to accept the challenge not just because he was seized with a sudden impulse but also because now he was confident that he could defeat this enemy.

He was also certain that the enemy was not Shangguan Jianyi.

This enemy had revealed his real identity to him through the sentence ”Killing is a disease”. Gu Shenwei was sure that this sentence was from that person. Back then, when he had first heard of this strange theory, that person had still been locked up in the dungeon and felt happy for Shangguan Ru upon hearing that she had cured her ”disease”. He was 100-percent sure that at that time, this person would have never wanted to become ”desperately ill”.

Now, Gu Shenwei also realized what the queen's deepest secret was. That woman had fallen in love with this man from the Golden Roc Fort and seriously believed that he would help her out.

Shangguan Yun, the Third Young Master of the Golden Roc Fort and the King of Xiaowan, had left his troops behind and come all the way to challenge the Dragon King to a fight.