579 Invisible (1/2)
The Royal Court's Tournament had officially begun now, and the city's population had suddenly more than doubled in size as a result. The situation was exacerbated since large areas on the outskirts had been set aside specifically for various competitions.
The Norland locals were naturally bold and unrestrained. For them, skills like writing and arithmetic had always been ignored as headaches, so there was no way for them to manage large gatherings efficiently. The officials were, therefore, only responsible for the zoning and allocation of space, and the games were organized by the nobles, both large and small.
Although the Royal Court was also scattered, it was still divided into streets and lanes. And each time they moved, they were kept in the original style. In the countryside, there were no roads at all, so any place could be crossed at will as long as there were no obstacles.
For the people of the Western Regions and the Central Plains who were attending the Royal Court's Tournament for the first time, they were bewildered by the sight of an endless cluster of tents. And like how a man viewing the sea for the first time would feel shocked and dazed, they didn't even dare to walk around casually.
In the eyes of the prairie people, however, everything was spread out but in order. They knew where to buy and sell goods as well as which competitions they should attend. With a quick glimpse at the fluttering flags, they could immediately tell who was the owner of the land.
It was not surprising, then, that many herdsmen were followed closely by a number of outsiders.
Amongst the many events, the warrior contests, horse races, and war games had always been the most popular because they were sponsored by the Khan and thus had the most generous rewards. The registration teams had already formed a long queue.
Anyone who wanted to earn a prize had to register their name on the first day. But the really excellent players usually served the nobles, so their names were had already been registered long ago, and they didn't have to bear the hassle of waiting in line. They were simply waiting for the events to begin.
The list quickly spread. To many people's surprise and disappointment, the Dragon King, who had publicly challenged the three kings, had not signed up for the Warrior Contest and had simply sent a teenager to attend on his behalf.
Chu Nanping had just risen to fame, though, which somehow satisfied everyone's curiosity a little.
Gu Shenwei wasn't going to take part in any games because Zhang Ji's argument was irrefutable. Warriors, like horses, dogs, and soldiers, were all pawns of the nobles. If he participated in a competition, he might win the title of 'warrior,' but would simultaneously lose his precarious title of 'king.'
Even Fang Wenshi had to admit that his enemy's words were reasonable.
Gu Shenwei was still confident. He had almost blundered, but Chu Nanping could help him to correct his mistake.
The teenager's swordsmanship improved with every fight. Besides, the martial arts of the Essence Pavilion was more suitable for a kung fu competition.
”We must win, Dragon King. We have to win. We've bet with the three kings and if we lose, our reputation will be ruined, and we won't have a chance to meet with the Khan.” Anxious and fearful, Fang Wenshi didn't have too much confidence in Chu Nanping.
”If I lose, doesn't it mean that I'm incapable of assassinating the Khan?”
”It's not the same. First, Dragon King isn't attending the contest. Second, Old Man Mu won't show up. The news of his disappearance with Shangguan Ru has already started to spread. This…”
Gu Shenwei was playing a little joke with the counselor, but his expression was too cold. Fang Wenshi didn't understand and treated it as a serious question and refuted it point by point.
But there were many other things for Fang Wenshi to worry about. The Dragon King was a guest of the Norland and had to participate in the official activities. So that afternoon, as he stood among a group of nobles and foreign kings, Gu Shenwei saw the Khan's carriage hurriedly passing by from afar.
This was the closest distance that Gu Shenwei had ever come to the Khan since his arrival in the Royal Court, a distance that included countless well-armored cavalrymen and vigilant guards.
Whether it was to kill or to save, Gu Shenwei had accepted conflicting tasks from Wei Song and the Second Consort, but he had yet to decide which one he would carry out. But after seeing the Khan's armed escort, he couldn't help but judge the situation from a killer's perspective.
There was little chance of success through an ordinary assassination. The cavalry guard was airtight and formed an insurmountable sea of sabers and spears. Even if someone luckily broke through, one would run into dozens of bodyguards, who were all first-class experts. Any of them, if singled out, was qualified to compete for the first place of the warrior contest.
Killers were more cautious than ordinary kung fu practitioners, sometimes to the extent of timidness. With a quick glance, Gu Shenwei knew that he would never risk his life to assassinate that aging Khan.
This was probably the reason why Zhang Ji had come to Norland.
When the killer's saber and sword didn't work, it was time for the counselor to come on stage.
Gu Shenwei had tried to form an assassination plan from the school teacher's point of view and gradually, a general idea had grown in his heart.
He wished for the ceremony to end soon so he that would have some time to meet with Shangguan Shaomin.
The panic-stricken Shangguan Shaomin was sitting in a small tent. Little did she know that a woman had walked on the death road for her, much less the tribulations of the road ahead.
Gu Shenwei had promised Shangguan Ru to save Shangguan Shaomin. After Fu Yuan's death, he abandoned the idea of saving people, but his surveillance of Golden Roc Castle had never ceased.
Shangguan Yun had brought a fake niece and deliberately revealed her in the camp to test the public's reaction. Most people were deceived, but Han Fen noticed the problem with a simple glance across the road. ”Her walking posture isn't the same as before.”
Han Fen couldn't tell whether others' words were praise or censure, and also couldn't discern who was good-looking and who wasn't; all she noticed were some strange details such as walking postures, which actually turned out to be very useful sometimes.