546 Hidden Traitor (1/2)

Fang Wenshi and his men arrived at King Kuari's encampment the day after King Rizhu. Before he could rest, he was given lots of tasks from the Dragon King.

After observing the current situation in the Royal Court, Gu Shenwei started planning to take measures of his own.

He decided to use Fang Wenshi first. Fang Wenshi paid an official visit to the court in Norland on behalf of the Dragon King. The Dragon King's arrival had been widely known, but it wasn't until now that he was officially recognized by Norland.

Norland provided a campsite for the Dragon King and his subordinates. Located in the east of the Noble District, the Dragon King's encampment was next to the craftsmen's area. His campsite was separated from the Khan's main tent by many densely packed tents.

The Dragon King's encampment was south of the road, while the Golden Roc Fort's was north of the road. Their encampments were divided only by a low, wooden fence. Both parties were close enough that they could stand in front of their camps and wave their hands to greet each other. Of course, no one actually did that.

When Shangguan Ru accepted the invitation from the Khan of Norland's second wife, she asked that her encampment not be mixed with the Dragon King's. So, she and her soldiers from the Land of Fragrance lived to the west of the Royal Court. As a result, she kept a distance from both the Dragon King and the Golden Roc Fort.

Gu Shenwei thought that this was a good arrangement.

As soon as Gu Shenwei was given his encampment, he left King Kuari's camp. Although King Kuari tried to persuade him to stay, he firmly refused.

Fang Wenshi continued to meet with the ministers of Norland. His task was to figure out when the Khan would summon the Dragon King and to get more details about the Tournament of the Royal Court. Gu Shenwei had a hunch that the Tournament would be his first trial in Norland.

Shangguan Fei was sent to the craftsmen's area and slums to gather information on King Rizhu's past. Gu Shenwei neither believed King Rizhu's words nor the rumors, so he resolved to build his own intelligence network in Norland. He knew that Shangguan Fei was a smart guy who seldom lied to him, unless it threatened his self-interests.

However, Shangguan Fei feared to take actions alone. When he heard about the traditions in the slums that were similar to those in the South City of Jade City, he became scared to carry out the tasks alone. Therefore, he decided to ask the Dragon King for one of his bodyguards for help. He asked carefully, ”What about Little Chu? Well, he is implementing a task. How about Old Man Mu? He cannot show up in public. Maid Lotus? Never mind. She needs to protect you. Your Highness, please send me several swordsmen from the Great Snowmountain. I heard that Long Fanyun does not have any tasks right now. Last time, we worked well together.”

Shangguan Fei's plan did not succeed. Gu Shenwei sent Han Fen, a disciple of the New Moon Hall, and Han Xuan to protect him.

”I... I... I heard that women are despised in Norland. If I take female bodyguards with me, they will...” said Shangguan Fei reluctantly, for he was not happy with this arrangement.

”It doesn't matter. You can disguise yourself as a woman, while they disguise themselves as men,” replied Gu Shenwei. He did not care whether or not Shangguan Fei was satisfied with this plan.

”Come on, Your Highness. Don't make fun of me...” said Shangguan Fei in an embarrassed voice.

Han Fen was delighted with the Dragon King's plan. She winked at the Dragon King to show her content. Han Xuan, however, said with a frown, ”I've never disguised myself as a man before. I'm not sure if I can do it.”

Han Fen was good at disguises, so she turned to Han Xuan and said confidently, ”It's a piece of cake. I'll help you. You already look like a man when you frown.”

When Long Fanyun was told that he did not have to help Shangguan Fei, he was very relieved. He waited for a task of his own from the Dragon King.

On their way to Norland, Long Fanyun had shown how similar he was to the people born in Norland. For one thing, he could drink a lot like them. Therefore, Gu Shenwei asked him to stay with the soldiers and nobles of Norland. His task was to discover their opinions, especially King Rizhu's, on the future Khan. Long Fanyun was not very social, so Gu Shenwei had to remind him to listen carefully without asking too many questions.

The men in Norland talked freely after they drank a lot. Given that, Gu Shenwei believed that Long Fanyun could gather a great amount useful information.

As for Chu Nanping, he and Flame Foal were hiding in a deep corner of the grasslands. He went to the rendezvous point to check daily. He would not enter the Royal Court unless he got orders from the Dragon King.

Gu Shenwei had no intention to meet any dignitaries of Norland before he had gotten enough information.

Fang Wenshi's mission was the simplest one. He was told that the Khan could not summon the Dragon King to the Royal Court due to sickness. So, he bribed some officers from Norland. It turned out that some big shot had stopped the Khan from meeting the Dragon King.

”I have not traced that man's identity yet. I guess he is most likely King Dari. But I know the reason the Khan refused to meet you. He was told you'd try to assassinate him during your meeting,” Fang Wenshi reported.

Gu Shenwei gave a snort and thought, ”Even if I intended to kill the Khan, I wouldn't assassinate him in public. I'm not a fool.”

”It's a lame accusation, but many people believed it,” Fang Wenshi sighed. ”The civilians fear you in the Western Region, but in Norland, people are wary of you,” he continued.

Gu Shenwei received many benefits from his terrifying reputation, but now he began to see the downsides of it. When it came to the accusation that Dragon King would kill the Khan, no one doubted its authenticity, even if it was weak and ridiculous.

As for the Tournament of the Royal Court, Fang Wenshi had received lots of intelligence and King Kuari had been the one to leak most of it. ”It includes a diverse variety of matches. Horse races, war games and kung fu competitions are the three most important events. According to the rules, the winners will be summoned by the Khan. Among these three competitions, you have an advantage in the bravery contest. The Golden Roc Fort will join it, but I don't know who they will send,” Feng Wenshi said.

The Military Counselor did not know any kung fu, so Gu Shenwei could not explain the difference between killing and competition. Like other killers from the Golden Roc Fort, the Dragon King excelled in raids and assassinations. Once killers fought at a tournament in public, they lost their advantage in real fights, because they exposed their weaknesses during the game.

Gu Shenwei had once participated in an official competition and defeated his opponent. However, his opponent was weak.