567 Divine Kung Fu (1/2)
Killers belonged to the night. In the daytime, they did what normal people did and interacted with others normally. But only in the night did they really feel free. They owned the night.
Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus moved very fast in the night. They were like two fish swimming swiftly and freely in the ocean of the city, able to go almost anywhere they wished, and steering away from any formidable dangers. The biggest danger for them was the Khan's main tent.
Some smaller tents surrounded the main tent, and lords and nobles of different levels lived in them. Some were well armed, while others were not. Gu Shenwei decided to take down one of those tents that night.
He had a bold hypothesis that the nobles of Norland would kill the Khan and then frame him for the killing. He needed evidence to prove it, so he decided to start at the weakest point.
The weakest link was Fu Yuan.
Fu Yuan had an independent encampment due to special treatment from King Dari. Old Man Mu had peeped into this encampment several times and discovered that Fu Yuan was using ignorant girls to practice evil Kung Fu. The security of his encampment was not very tight.
Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus reached Fu Yuan's encampment, which was not far from King Dari's camp. The security was loose, having only two guards: one in the front, the other at the back. Neither of the guards was vigilant and looked like they were falling asleep while standing.
There was a big tent in the middle, surrounded by seven small tents. Maid Lotus took care of the vigil guards first by putting them into a deep sleep. When they woke up the next morning, they would not remember anything.
A light was on in the big tent, and there were faint voices coming from it. Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus lurked in all directions for a while to listen carefully. Finally, they both agreed there were between five to seven people inside.
The ideal situation was that when Fu Yuan fell asleep, the killer would go into the tent to control him. He would be panicked when he woke up.
Gu Shenwei had done this before. But this night he had a big problem: Fu Yuan liked to stay up late. It was past midnight, yet he still did not look like he would be going to sleep anytime soon.
There was no use in using the knockout powder of New Moon Hall, as the drug would dilute quickly in the spacious tent. Not only the efficacy of the drug would be reduced, but the people inside would also be alerted.
After waiting for nearly an hour, Gu Shenwei decided to go into the tent directly.
Maid Lotus stayed outside, hiding near the southeast corner of the tent. If Gu Shenwei got into any danger, he would cut his way out from there.
Gu Shenwei had seen many tents of various styles, ranging from humble ones to luxurious ones. Fu Yuang's tent was the most bizarre of them all.
The front half of the tent had been changed into a tearoom, with a small, empty space behind it. Fu Yuan was sitting on a chair at the entrance of the tent facing five people in the empty space, and there was a small candle lit near him.
Gu Shenwei lifted the curtain and came inside. To his surprise, nobody in the tent paid attention to him. He stood in the corner and observed for a while, feeling that the tearoom was a bit familiar.
Fu Yuan whispered disappointedly, ”It's too difficult. It's too difficult.”
Five people stood in front of him: three children, aged eight or nine, and two teenaged girls between 16 and 17. All looked numb, with scars on their faces. Their clothes were torn, as if they had been getting beaten up all the time.
Gu Shenwei did not remember ever hearing any fights.
Fu Yuan silently held up a crutch and touched a boy with it. The boy walked over to another child and said in a strange voice, ”I can do anything.”
Then the boy turned to Fu Yuan, raised his hands and scratched himself violently, as if his body did not belong to him at all, without any cries of pain.
This must be the evil kung fu that Old Man Mu had seen.
The boy trembled and stopped the self-mutilation. Fu Yuan withdrew the crutch and muttered to himself again, ”It's too difficult. It's too difficult.”
”It is, of course, very difficult to practice alone,” Gu Shenwei said, stepping out of the shadows.
Fu Yuan suddenly turned around, surprised, and laughed. ”It's you, Dragon King. Why do you come here at night? Do you know the divine kung fu I practice?” He asked, not at all afraid. He knew that the Dragon King was bound by the agreement and would not dare to kill anyone at the Royal Court.
”The person who taught you didn't mention me?” asked Gu Shenwei.
”Haha, the Dragon King recognizes my kung fu. He did tell me that the Dragon King was the last disciple of Master Immortal. He also said that you killed the Master and destroyed the Joy Pavilion along with your bright future. The divine kung fu was nearly lost,” said Fu Yuan.
”Nearly?” Gu Shenwei asked, not believing that someone else could inherit the weird kung fu of the dwarf, Immortal Peng.
After he killed Immortal Peng, the disciples in the Joy Pavilion split up into two groups. One group selected a new Master Immortal, while the other group left Jade City. Gu Shenwei did not know that they had come to the Royal Court, recruited disciples, and controlled an obsessed lord.
Most kung fu in the Joy Pavilion needed to be practiced by two people together. Gu Shenwei had observed it for a while, but found no one else in the tent.
”Is the Dragon King disappointed that Immortal Peng's kung fu was passed down?” Fu Yuan gloated.
”No, I have already killed two. I don't care to kill a third,” said Gu Shenwei.
Fu Yuan's face immediately went cold. ”We disciples of the Joy Pavilion only want to carry forward the divine kung fu and do not want revenge, but if the Dragon King keeps pushing...” he warned.
Gu Shenwei began ”pushing” harder. Hilt in hand, he passed the desks and chairs, and walked quickly towards Fu Yuan until he was within five steps of him. ”The Joy Pavilion really likes cutting people,” he said.
”You... you can't come here. This is the Royal Court, and you promised...” Fu Yuan said, suddenly scared.