756 Spreading One’s Wings (1/2)
Tu Pianpian was the first one to climb down the rope and as she landed on a rock, her eyes met Old Man Mu's instantly.
Old Man Mu turned his head to the Dragon King and said, ”This is not the bird I asked God for. It's yours, isn't it?”
Tu Pianpian sneered. ”Looks like I'm in the wrong place. Okay. I'll go up there and tell them to leave right away.”
Old Man Mu hurriedly stretched his arms out to stop her and with a flattering smile, he said, ”Not a bird… a fairy. I must have done many charitable actions recently, so God showed me great mercy by sending you down here. How did you know that we were trapped here?”
Tu Pianpian pointed at the sky, ”The Dragon King's big bird's been circling around up there, so I decided to come down and check.”
”God's will!” Old Man Mu assumed a look of melodramatic excitement. ”Pianpian, did you feel that? It is God's will.”
Tu Pianpian's orange-peel-like cheeks blushed, and yet she soon said in a colder voice, ”Get away from me. The Kongtong Sect's got some unfinished business with you and we'll deal with that later. Now let me talk to the Dragon King.”
Old Man Mu stepped aside with great respect. As he turned around, he signaled for the Dragon King to try to please the old woman outside like he had.
”What's your price?” Gu Shenwei asked.
”The Dragon King went straight to the point.”
”Like I always do.”
”Good.” Tu Pianpian's forthright, severe look reappeared on her face, ”I'll get you out and you'll give me the Khan's head.”
”I can't. Because it's not mine to give,” Gu Shenwei calmly replied, secretly gauging the distance between him and Tu Pianpian. It was only five feet, but Tu Pianpian was also a kung fu expert, and it would be fairly difficult to catch her in one move.
”Ha.” Tu Pianpian didn't seem to believe him. But instead of insisting, she made another offer. ”All right. No matter what, you did show me mercy once, and you also saved Fan Yongda's life. I can't believe that my silly younger brother was foolish enough to pledge allegiance to you. Thus, the moment you go up there, I want you to dismiss Dog Butcher and Fan Yongda and never contact them again – the Kongtong Sect will never have anything to do with the Dragon King from now on.”
”Fair enough. But-”
”But what?” Tu Pianpian widened her eyes and Old Man Mu thought, 'The old woman would not so ugly if her eyes were a little bigger.'
”But I hope that we can let them choose for themselves.”
”Ha, you're not hoping that Dog Butcher and Fan Yongda would betray their Sect for you, are you?”
”I know that they won't betray their sect, but it does no harm for them to have a choice.”
”Deal.” Tu Pianpian raised her palm first.
Gu Shenwei exchanged a clap with her to close the deal. Old Man Mu and Han Fen also stretched out their arms, though they were ignored by Tu Pianpian. The former two exchanged a glance instead to fulfill their wishes.
It was no easy job to break the refined steel paling, and they were terribly short of tools – they had only four chisels in total. Luckily, the disciples of the Kongtong Sect were all very strong. They took turns excavating the wall and their progress was not slow at all.
Old Man Mu suggested that they get the troops – they had all the tools they needed in the army camp and could speed up the excavation considerably. Yet Tu Pianpian pretended to not hear him as she was determined to get the three out, only with the Kongtong Sect.
They kept working and the paling finally loosened in the afternoon. Gu Shenwei and the others pushed with great force and eventually cleared the exit.
Old Man Mu picked up Lü Mian's body and walked out of the tunnel. Then he took a deep breath, ”Ah, why do I feel that even the air's much fresher past the grate?”
A few disciple of the Kongdong Sect recognized the body and were startled. And the gaze they gave the Dragon King became quite different.
An expanding shadow appeared above their heads. The disciples of the Kongtong Sect were startled once again and leaped several steps backwards at the same time.
Hardly had Old Man Mu raised his head and started talking when the body in his arms was suddenly taken away.
The red-crowned giant roc still remembered this human who had hurt it. It grabbed the body and started tearing, pecking, and stamping at it violently. In a short while, Lü Mian's corpse had become unrecognizable scraps of flesh mixed with blood.
The disciples of the Kongtong Sect were all shocked. Some of them grabbed the rope and tried to climb up but their strength seemed missing.
Old Man Mu curled his lips. ”You see, kids? Make sure you don't offend the divine bird.”
The disciples of the Kongtong Sect repeatedly nodded their heads in a hurry.
After venting its anger, the red-crowned giant roc rubbed its long bloodstained beak alongside Gu Shenwei's front and back intimately.
Han Fen finally saw the giant bird and she was so amazed by it that she couldn't even close her mouth. She stretched her trembling arms outt and slowly moved towards it.
The giant roc stopped its movements abruptly and stared at this bold human with its two eyes that were as red as fire.
Old Man Mu reminded her kindly, ”Don't be silly, Han Fen. It's not some kind of kitty or puppy that was raised by the Dragon King.”
Yet Han Fen didn't seem to hear him and was still edging closer to it, muttering, ”Let me be your servant. Feeding, bathing, joking, I can do anything. And after I die, you can just tear me apart and toss me to the ends of the earth.”
The giant roc started raising its feathers slowly, and Gu Shenwei felt that the situation was getting a little dangerous. ”Han Fen, stop.”
Yet, Han Fen seemed to have lost her sanity and she stretched her arms and tried to touch the feathers on the chest of the giant roc.
The red-crowned giant roc lowered its head and peck once. Then, before Han Fen could react, it flapped its wings, generated a whirlwind, and flew up. It circled a circle once above their heads before flying into the higher further sky.
The back of Han Fen's left hand was bleeding badly. She cried, but not because of the pain. She asked the Dragon King, ”Does it not like me?”