452 Trus (1/2)

Shangguan Yun proposed no assassinations between Golden Roc Fort and the Dragon King. It meant that he intended to have a final fight with the Dragon King on the lake instead of the land.

The killers of Golden Roc Fort could easily defeat Dragon King in assassinations, but they had not made use of all their strengths. Up until now, the Fort had not sent their secret weapons, the black-masked assassins with the highest kung fu skills. Shangguan Yun had an advantage over the Dragon King in regards to assassinations, so he had no reason to stop fighting.

Shangguan Yun managed to persuade many people in Xiaoyao Lake, except for his half-brother. In his eyes, Shangguan Hong was just his messager.

Shangguan Hong thought the Third Young Master's proposal was strange and unfeasible. He held his breath, and then breathed deeply. Noticing that the Dragon King kept silent, he felt relieved, believing he could guess the Dragon King's thoughts. Then, he began to flatter him.

”This is Shangguan Yun's scheme. Golden Roc Fort will spread it everywhere. If the Dragon King agrees, you'll put yourself at a disadvantage or be labeled as an infamous killer. Besides, the Fort is very likely to organize an assassination, and then frame it on you...” Shangguan Hong said.

Shangguan Hong wasn't very smart, and he was too scared to give a sound explanation for all of this. The more he said, the more terrified he felt, never coming to a conclusion.

He was deathly afraid of the Dragon King. He had not decided to betray the Dragon King until Shangguan Jianyi gave extremely profitable conditions that he couldn't refuse. But now these conditions had vanished, and only the Dragon King's saber was waiting for him.

Gu Shenwei lowered his head, wondering Shangguan Yun's real purpose. But Shangguan Hong thought the Dragon King was considering whether or not to take his life. Considering it was his last chance to save himself, he said, ”Dragon King, don't forget that I'm the only one who knows the way through the secret passage in Golden Roc Fort.”

”Yeah. Do you mean the cave on the cliff of Golden Roc Fort? I know about it. That cave leads to the lake below. They only use it for the water supply at crucial times,” the Dragon King said.

Shangguan Hong's face turned pale instantly, becoming whiter than the Dragon King's. Then, he knelt down and burst into tears. He was crying like a child who had been caught doing something wrong.

He had thought that the Dragon King had been keeping him alive due to his knowledge of the secret passage. But now he could be killed anytime since Gu Shenwei already knew the truth.

The secret passage that Shangguan Hong referred to had disturbed Gu Shenwei for a while. But after a deep meditation, he only found one way to explain it: Golden Roc Fort was situated on the top of the mountain surrounded by cliffs, so it only had one passage. The Fort was protected by this passage, so they were unlikely to add another secret passage that enemy might find out about.

”The Fort is a tough place to attack, but it has one fatal defect — no water source. They rely on the water that is carried by oxcart from the foot of the mountain. Once under siege, it could be taken soon after its water supply was cut off,” thought Gu Shenwei.

”Therefore, if Golden Roc Fort does have a secret passage, the passage will lead to the lake below the cliffs,” Gu Shenwei guessed.

After observing Shangguan Hong's response, he knew that his guess was right. Shangguan Hong had unwittingly told the Dragon King everything, and then begged him to keep him alive.

Shangguan Hong didn't know much, but Gu Shenwei could imagine what the secret passage was like based upon his description.

It was impossible to cut a passage through the mountain from top to bottom. Those who had founded the Fort would have cut a trench along the cliffs, and then covered it with a crust made of thick iron sheets and mud. Some bulges might appear on the crust.

Having seen the terrace and statue on the cliffs before, Gu Shenwei thought that his idea was feasible. ”That terrace was perhaps made to cover the secret passage,” he guessed.

”The Barren Sect disciples paved a staircase with iron spikes, but they didn't discover the passage. It might have never occurred to them that the secret passage was right under their feet,” Gu Shenwei thought.

This secret passage was useless to him now, but Gu Shenwei decided to leave Shangguan Hong alive for the moment. As a messenger, he, the son of the Supreme King, might be useful soon.

The last one Gu Shenwei questioned was the infamous robber, Chipo.

Facing the Dragon King, Chipo showed no fear or uneasiness. He answered his questions without hesitation, as he was not hiding any great secrets.

”The Supreme King paid for my life, so I served him. Then, the Third Young Master set me free, so I volunteered to follow him. It's my honor to die for him,” he said.

”The Supreme King bought your life because you had a list of bandits of the Western Region. I guess you don't have the list now?” Gu Shenwei said.

”So what? I gave him the list in exchange for my freedom. It was a good deal,” he replied.

”Golden Roc Fort won the bandits' support to increase their troops. Now that they've achieved their purpose, you're worthless to them. Shangguan Yun left you here because you're insignificant,” the Dragon King continued.

”Save your words, Dragon King. The third Young Master is destined to achieve great things, so he will never act indecisively. Even though you're skilled in martial arts, you're still just a killer. Killers work for others, while kings have others working for them. Even robbers are better than you. You're no match for the Third Young Master. Your death will be soon after mine,” Chipo said with laugh.

”Shangguan Yun won so many faithful followers within only a year,” Gu Shenwei thought.

”What do you think of the proposal that Shangguan Yun made to stop assassinations between the two armies?” Gu Shenwei asked.

Chipo was shocked. He thought that the Dragon King would be irritated by his ironic words and kill him immediately. However, the Dragon King did not get angry, instead asking another question politely.