469 Companions (1/2)

Ju Chi stumbled out of the royal palace. He kept looking back, but found no tracker.

The Dragon King had put him in a dilemma. He had to tell his companions that the Dragon King knew about the rebellion, and that the plot was likely to be mercilessly exploited by the Golden Roc Fort. They had to postpone or even cancel their plans. However, they would expose more secrets.

Ju Chi walked along the deserted streets to avoid everyone. Even stray cats or dogs frightened him in his current state.

He didn't know whether to believe the Dragon King's words or not. He thought again that he was a demon.

As a royal descendant and the guard of the king of the Stone Nation, Ju Chi had had the chance to meet several important figures. When he looked at them from a distance, they were a group of noble and dignified elites. As the distance shortened, their real faces gradually became apparent and they always turned out to be nothing more than mediocre people.

On the contrary, when people met the Dragon King for the first time, they were confused by this pale and gloomy young man, and thought that he was deceitful liar. The only terrible thing about him was the saber and sword at his waist. Only after they'd met him in person, did they realize that his heart was truly terrible.

Just before dawn, probably at the same time the Dragon King was coming out of the Princess's bedchamber, Ju Chi came up with a perfect solution.

He still had to die, but he couldn't commit suicide quietly. He should attract as much attention as possible and die in an unusual way. Someone in the organization was likely to understand this hint, and they would be more careful when carrying out the next plan.

This was the only thing he could do. Future prosperity and an official career were not in his future. It was hard to say whether an independent Stone Kingdom would remember a guard who voluntarily sacrificed his life or not.

Ju Chi laughed awkwardly and then walked to the market in the South City, the most lively place early in the morning.

His noble plan couldn't be realized. As expected, he was ambushed when he came around the corner.

Sticks and other weapons smashed him in the back of the head and then Ju Chi fell to the ground. He didn't know whether the assailants had been sent by the Dragon King or the Golden Roc Fort. He lost consciousness.

It was neither.

Ju Chi opened his eyes and found himself in the worst situation.

The attackers turned out to be his accomplices, the ones he had sacrificed his own life to protect.

There were a total of 14 people, or 15 people including himself. Every three people represented a country of Xiaoyao Lake.

The other people wore cloaks and masks, but this was pointless, because Ju Chi knew most of them.

”Idiot!” Ju Chi blurted out. He tried to jump up, only to find himself tied firmly to a heavy hardwood chair, ”You ... what are you going to do?”

”Sorry,” One of the ”idiots” said cooly without any apology in his tone. ”Until we can determine your position, we have to do this.”

”Idiot.” Ju Chi scolded them again. ”Don't you realize this is the Dragon King's trap? He released me and sent someone to follow me so that he can lead you out and catch you.”

Fourteen associates were silent. It was as if they were not nervous at all. Ju Chi was not sure that he knew these people.

”Do you think we weren't watching carefully before we got you? When you were wandering about, there were three trackers behind you. We killed one and cheated two, so you are safe, but you had no idea.”

”You? ” Ju Chi asked incredulously. If they were really the partners he had known before, there was no real master-hand among them.

Some of them had grown tired of these details. Gruffly, they shouted. ”Shut up! What benefits did the Dragon King promise you so that you would betray the royal families of the Five Kingdoms?”

”Me? Betrayal? What are you talking about? I didn't want to bring trouble to you, so I walked around without going straight to the stronghold.”

”The stronghold was abandoned long ago. Do you think we would sit and wait for you to betray us?”

Ju Chi refrained from anger, ”I planned to go to the market to commit suicide as a warning.”

”Haha.”

”Hoho.”

Everyone laughed with disdain and contempt.

”It's true!” Ju Chi couldn't bear this injustice. ”I didn't reveal a word to the Dragon King. I have a clear conscience to you and to the royal family. I also want to remind you that the Dragon King is well prepared, so you have to cancel your plan. He also has spies in the Golden Roc Fort to stir up trouble.”

The accomplices looked at each other. It seemed like they believed him a little, but when one of them spoke, he lost hope again.

”First, why is the Dragon King so well prepared? This is a secret plan, so very few people know about it; Second, who told you about the spies in the Golden Roc Fort?”

Ju Chi was dazed. The Dragon King had told him all this, but once he answered this question, it would be tantamount to admitting that he had been persuaded by the Dragon King.

”There is nothing to say,” said a man with a rough voice. ”He has taken refuge in the Dragon King. We should kill him. It will not affect our plan. I told you the people from the Stone Kingdom cannot be trusted.”

There were still two compatriots from the Stone Kingdom in the room who had not spoken yet. They cried out, ”What did you just say?”