645 Fire (1/2)
It was June 29th, Year 289 of the Norland calendar. The people of the prairie would always remember this day for years to come.
The old Khan had died, and the news was spreading. The residents of the Royal Court, who always thought that the chaos would stop at the last moment, had finally given up all hope. Some fled, some joined in the killing and looting, and many more became a sumptuous feast for the chaos.
In this feverish atmosphere where they were still trying to confirm and find their enemies, the kings lost their coolness and accused each other of being the chief culprit of the old Khan's death, and launched a merciless massacre.
Two kings died from assassinations. The tribes of King Kuari and King Rizhu became sworn enemies. And another three kings died in the chaos caused by war, sowing more hatred.
Aside from all the chaos, it was particularly hot that day. Even in the early morning people felt that the air was suffocatingly hot and irritable. Even if there were no chaos of war, many people would have ridden out into the wilderness on the outskirts.
The flames leaped rapidly from one dry tent to another, and had soon spread from the noble area to the surrounding areas until it finally devoured the entire Royal Court, including even the Khan's main tent.
The Royal Court had become scorched earth before noon but the fire wasn't over yet. It spread into the wilderness for dozens of miles before it finally came to an end.
The big fire left a deep impression on the survivors, who naturally associated it with the death of the Khan. They even inadvertently distorted the sequence of the events to form the narrative that the Khan had died as a result of the divine fire.
Countless rumors were flying left and right at the beginning of the chaos. A great clamor had gathered around these rumors and the idea of enchantresses was quite eye-catching. Many people believed that not only had they killed the Khan but they had also spread hatred and anger everywhere.
In the end, the enchantresses failed to fight off the divine fire, and the rumors gradually melded into one consistent story: The Khan was the divine fire of heaven and when he returned to his original form, he took away all the people he liked.
The image of the old Khan became loftier, and the transition from demigod to god was complete. The people of the Norland preferred this rumor to the truth and treated it as a fact. From then on, many tribes even burned the living as a sacrificial offerering to the Khan every year on that day.
This rumor was more lethal than the big fire in the Royal Court. The five surviving kings felt the mounting pressure. A month later, one of them committed suicide in public to prove that he was a son that the Khan liked.
In the series of events, few people knew of or followed the skirmishes that took place in the camp of the Land of Fragrance. Although the female soldiers were inevitably labeled as 'enchantresses,' in a few rumors, this special army from a faraway country had also been engulfed in the conflagration.
Occasionally someone would talk about that dual between top-notch experts, and the audience would listen with gusto and then laugh in disdain, ”How can a man run on the fire? You are so good at making up stories. The Dragon King is also a mortal. It's possible if you are talking about the Khan, but the Dragon King… Haha, don't drink too much. You are already drunk.”
Old Man Mu spared no effort in publicizing the duel but no one believed him. He was very angry because he had seen it with his own eyes.
The surrounding fire grew more and more intense but it hadn't yet reached the camp of the Land of Fragrance. Lotus had challenged the Dragon King but at the same time didn't act. She then turned to Old Man Mu and Shangguan Fei instead. ”Choose.”
Without saying a word, Old Man Mu poked Shangguan Fei's leg.
”Ah, choose now?” said Shangguan Fei, flustered, ”Can't I wait until you're finished?”
Shangguan Fei wouldn't have said that if he had time to think twice. He was very clever but always became bewildered when he was nervous, and he would blurt out his true thoughts when confused.
Compared to him, Old Man Mu was much more tactful. He pretended to seriously consider it before firmly saying after Shangguan Fei opened his mouth, ”Dragon King, it has always been the Dragon King. Even when I was forced to join the Waning Moon Hall's side, my heart was still with the Dragon King.”
”Me too.” Shangguan Fei found that he had made a mistake and quickly followed it up with another statement. Feeling that it wasn't enough, he added on, ”Lotus is ruthless, there won't be a good ending for me if I follow her.”
Shangguan Fei relaxed a bit, but when he looked down and saw Old Man Mu's surprised eyes, he immediately knew that he said the wrong thing again. It was enough to show his loyalty to the Dragon King, but had he offended Lotus for no reason? If the Dragon King was defeated, he wouldn't even have any room to maneuver.
It was too late to correct it now. The Dragon King and Lotus had already drawn their swords.
A few men came out of the tent, who had been waiting for Lotus to come into the trap, but there was no need to hide now.
Long Fanyun walked in the front with a grandsword in his hand. He had finally come back in time with the reinforcements and lived up to the Dragon King's trust.
The opportunity Gu Shenwei had been waiting for was precisely him.
The most important purpose behind Long Fanyun's escape from the Royal Court with the Flame Foal was not to avoid King Rizhu, and neither did he run back to the Western Regions to remind Prince Duodun to guard against the assassination of Golden Roc Castle, but rather to bring in the reinforcements previously arranged by the Dragon King.
The reinforcements had set out on the east road almost at the same time as the Dragon King, saved Han Wuxian, and then slowly moved to the prairie before waiting for the Dragon King's orders.
Gu Shenwei wanted to make sure that Han Wuxian was really under his control.
Although Lotus had said it very casually, Han Wuxian was related to her life and death for several years to come and therefore, was a powerful weapon that he could use to balance out the advantage that Lotus had gained and the hostages she had seized.
Gu Shenwei had to have a well-thought-out plan before he could unsheathe his sword unperturbed. He didn't want to bear the pressure that the hostage might be killed during his duel with Lotus.
The two were equal in their martial arts skills, and even the slightest fluctuation in their mind could determine the outcome.
The two struck at the same time, one aiming at the heart while the other targeted the throat. They had learned the same kind of swordsmanship but took different ideas away from the very beginning. The difference had eventually grown so large that it seemed like they were using two different sword techniques now. The only similarity was that both of them were incredibly fast.
Shangguan Fei rarely had a chance to stand aside and watch the Dragon King use his sword without taking any personal risks, but he didn't see anything special about it. ”Did they even strike? Why do I feel like they only shook the sword a bit?”