560 Treasures (1/2)
It was already dark by the time they returned to the Royal Court. Along the way, Shangguan Fei seemed very restless, constantly muttering to himself, saying things like, ”The Jade Pure Sect may not get the Grand Enlightenment Sword Sutra. They didn't even know it existed before. It was Old Man Mu who instilled this idea in them, wasn't it?”
Old Man Mu, whose scheme had been exposed and whose image was now tarnished in front of the good girl, became very upset. Grumpily, he said, ”Yes, the Jade Pure Sect didn't ask for the Grand Enlightenment Sword Sutra, they only wanted me. But what does that have to do with you? Find a way on your own if you want them to cure you.”
Shangguan Fei's face instantly paled. He was dependent on others now, and he didn't have anything of value to offer, even when his life was hanging by a thread. After a quick glance at the Dragon King, he knew that there was no hope, so he could only turn to his sister for help.
Shangguan Ru sighed, ”Don't worry. The Dragon King has had Qi deviation for so many years, yet isn't he still fine?”
Shangguan Fei now knew why the Dragon King's face was always pale and bloodless, and couldn't help but think that just because Dragon King could bear it didn't mean it was alright. But he didn't dare to speak what he thought, and he could only whisper, ”If mother was…”
Agitated, Shangguan Ru sternly interrupted, ”I don't think that the people of the Jade Pure Sect are good people. Their exchange for the sword sutra is also done to kill and commit evil. Neither of us should make a deal with them, especially you, Old Man Mu. You'd better not think about restoring your power. We're good now, otherwise…”
Shangguan Ru really didn't know what she would do otherwise.
Old Man Mu wanted to tell the good girl that this was the trouble that arose when one tried to be a good person; they would make others unhappy and also feeling bad themselves. But what he blurted out instead was, ”It's not up to me anymore. Since I joined the Dragon Army, I'll just listen to the Dragon King. He's the one in charge.”
”I'll find a way.” These were the only words Gu Shenwei had said. He had endured the Qi deviation for many years and didn't mind waiting a few more days. The secret to being a good negotiator was to not reveal one's bottom line until the last moment. Gu Shenwei still had several negotiations pending in the Norland and he held the same attitude towards them.
”Ehh, the siege has stopped,” said Han Xuan out loud. She did not even understand what these people were talking about, so she was the first to notice the changes in the Royal Court.
Indeed, most of the soldiers on the outskirts of the slums had been evacuated, leaving only a few people behind. A number of checkpoints had been set up to control the access. It seemed that the old Khan had no intention of punishing all of the peasants in the slums.
Fang Wenshi was anxiously awaiting the Dragon King. ”The Royal Court's Tournament needs all the manpower it can get. Who would supply them with good food and wine and clean the garbage if all the peasants are killed? So the siege stopping is inevitable. What happened there has nothing to do with us. King Kuari has just sent someone here to invite Dragon King to have a meeting tomorrow.”
”He can't wait.” King Kuari's importance had gone down in Gu Shenwei's eyes. Losing patience at such a crucial moment meant that this young king wasn't mature enough. He might be eloquent and ruthless to the point that even the servants who swept the floors did not dare to say anything randomly, but he still had serious flaws.
”It's even harder to deal with an impatient king. This is the Royal Court; we don't have too much room to maneuver.”
”Hmm, what did you say?”
”I took the liberty of saying yes for the Dragon King.”
”Okay.” Gu Shenwei stopped at the tent door, ”I'll go to the appointment tomorrow. Go ahead with what you're doing.”
Fang Wenshi paused. The Dragon King was actually not anxious at all in the face of such a big matter and even wanted to send him away. ”Yes,” Counsellor Fang answered and turned to leave. But before leaving, he looked puzzledly at Old Man Mu and Shangguan Ru behind the Dragon King, not understanding what these two people were doing here.
Old Man Mu grinned and said, ”Take care. I'll discuss some important things with the Dragon King. It's private, so you'd better go a little further.”
Old Man Mu wouldn't be smiling soon after.
Gu Shenwei sent all the others away and only allowed Shangguan Ru and Old Man Mu into the tent.
Old Man Mu knew why the two of them had kept him alone, so he took the initiative and spoke first, ”Through the grace of Dragon King, I am now able to join the Dragon Army. This old man has nothing to repay the kindness except with a treasure that may interest the Dragon King. I have treasured it for a long time and have never revealed it to others, not even to the good girl.”
Old Man Mu knew very well that the Dragon King might not be satisfied if he pleased Shangguan Ru. But there would be no problem if the Dragon King was satisfied, so it was better for him to flatter the Dragon King.
”So you came to Norland for this treasure?” Shangguan Ru coldly asked. Although she was no longer the Tenth Gongzi and she knew that Old Man Mu was full of cunning tricks, she still did not like to be used.
”It's only part of the reason. I really came here for your good… Uhh, for a double purpose. Anyways, you've got nothing to lose.”
Old Man Mu had met the elders of the Jade Pure Sect at the Thousand Horsemen Pass, which was a happy surprise but not a part of his original plan. So Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Ru were sure that he was keeping other secrets, which they should have guessed long ago. But they had never gotten a chance to force Old Man Mu to tell the truth.
”Tell me more about your treasure.” In Gu Shenwei's mind, there was nothing that could be called a 'treasure'. He was actually more concerned about whether Old Man Mu was colluding with the enemy and planning to sabotage the Dragon Army's grand plan.
As soon as he saw that his plot didn't work, Old Man Mu changed tactics and straightforwardly told the truth at once. ”It's three pills refined by the Waning Moon Hall. They gave it a wicked name — Bone Shrivelling Pills. Well, I call them Life Sustaining Pills. I stole them when I ran away from Waning Moon Hall, and… Uhh, actually Han Wuxian sent me these pills. There were seven in total, and I ate four and these three are left. They are very effective in treating internal injuries and might cure Dragon King's Qi deviation.”
Old Man Mu had originally intended to eat them himself but now he could only reluctantly hand them out. Without the Dragon King's protection, he would immediately die at the hands of countless enemies.
”Give them to me.” Gu Shenwei wouldn't be too polite with Old Man Mu.
”I haven't gotten them back yet.” Afraid that the Dragon King didn't believe him, Old Man Mu even swore to Heaven, ”Seriously, I wanted to fetch the pills as soon as I reached the Royal Court, but I never got a good chance. You didn't let me wander around, and the good girl also kept a close eye on me. I had no chance at all.”
”Where did you hide them?”
Old Man Mu would have nothing left once he told this secret. ”Heh heh, even a good guy can be selfish, right? I can't tell you where I hid them. The Dragon King can go with me to get them. It will be a lot easier for the two of us to work together. Tonight seems to be a good time to do it, so let's do it.”