802 Delivering Goods (2/2)
While resting in the tent at night, Old Man Mu suddenly said, ”I have a bad feeling.”
”What?” Dog Butcher knew that Old Man Mu wouldn't say anything good, but he still couldn't help asking.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
”The ghost of the fake Meng Yuzun may come to you tonight.”
Old Man Mu soon fell fast asleep again with the quilt drawn over his head, leaving the apprehensive Dog Butcher alone, who tossed and turned for half the night before finally taking a brief reprieve at dawn. And as soon as he closed his eyes, he dreamed of that fat fellow. This wasn't Dog Butcher's first killing, but it was his first time assassinating an unprepared man who didn't know kung fu. In his dream, the fake Meng Yuzun opened his eyes and had a desperate struggle with him.
Dog Butcher, who had been trapped in the dream, suddenly felt strangely alert and abruptly sat up, hastily unsheathing his saber.
It turned out to be Old Man Mu testing him again. With a long sword in hand, Old Man Mu jumped a few paces back and said, ”Hmm, not too clumsy. You are qualified to wander in Jianghu now. Get up and let's go.”
The news Dog Butcher was worried about but also longing for finally arrived at noon that day.
A hundred Golden Roc soldiers who had quickly marched over from Jade City stopped the caravan and demanded all the people there to turn back to the city immediately. In the blink of an eye, the news that Meng Yuzun had died of a disease had spread throughout the whole group.
Puzzled, Dog Butcher asked, ”Meng Yuzun died of disease? What is this all about?”
”Death is also a disease,” Old Man Mu replied in a philosophizing tone, before reverting to his normal talking manner. ”Idiot. The Unique King is comforting the people of the Meng family and secretly looking for the real culprit, who is you. Well, only a hundred soldiers came. It means that my plan worked and that Golden Roc Castle hasn't discovered the true importance of this group.”
”But they want us to turn back to the city.”
”Don't worry. Let's see what that Duan Zihua can do.”
After hearing the news, Duan Zihua wailed loudly, knelt down on the spot, and started kowtowing towards the direction of Jade City. He complete disregarded the fact that his head was broken and bleeding. The leader of the small Golden Roc Army came to help him up. But when it came to turning back, Duan Zihua sternly refused, ”This is a rule of the Meng family. Once the goods have left the city, one can't turn back until they reach their destination. My master is dead, and if I break the rule, it will only bring more trouble to the Meng family.”
The two sides were caught in a deadlock. Old Man Mu became impatient and even proposed slaughtering the other side, but the others shot his proposal down as it was not necessary.
Two hours later, people of the Meng family came and brought the new patriarch Meng Mingshu's order: ”Business comes first, and family second. Deliver the goods quickly and return to the city as soon as their task was completed.”
The Golden Roc Army seemed to have also received an order and no longer insisted on their return. But they stayed, and, after camping in the evening, began to ask about everyone in the caravan's background.
The shortness of Old Man Mu and green eyes of Tie Linglong were too conspicuous, so the two were questioned the most.
Tie Linglong proudly refused to answer any questions. Even so, she was no match for Old Man Mu when it came to being arrogant.
Old Man Mu sat cross-legged in his saddle with a long sword in hand, drew half a circle in front of him, and said, ”I hereby declare that the land inside the circle is the land of the Norland. All trespassers shall die!”
”Are you from the Norland?”
”A real man of the Norland. I'm your master's master.”
The soldiers of the Golden Roc Army angrily surrounded him, but none of them dared to approach him. ”I know you. You are Old Man Mu, the Dragon King's subordinate.”
”So what? Neither the Unique King nor the Dragon King has said anything about going to war. Do you want to make a move first?”
The Golden Roc Army and the Dragon Army were in an ambiguous state at present. War or peace was still undecided, so the ordinary soldiers were at a loss for what to do.
One of the leaders of the small camel teams came over and produced a voucher, saying that Old Man Mu and the others were acting on behalf of the Norland Army at Heaven's Pass. The dispute was thusly solved, but the Dragon King's subordinates were now all being watched closely. That is, all except for Nie Zeng, who had mixed in with the ordinary sabermen and was completely inconspicuous.
For Shangguan Fei, the next part of the journey was the most difficult. He was so afraid of exposing himself and being recognized that his eyes kept sweeping up and down the soldiers of the Golden Roc Army, feeling that all of them were killers hidden in disguise.
The third evening after leaving Jade City, the caravan ran into big trouble. A Norland Army of about a thousand people from Heaven's Pass intercepted them, claiming that they had been ordered to escort the convoy.
Shangguan Fei was so frightened that he disregarded any risks of arousing suspicion and called Old Man Mu, Dog Butcher, and Tie Linglong into his tent for a discussion. ”Crap, there's still one day left before we reach the appointed place, but the Norland Army has already caught up with us. The hundred Golden Roc soldiers are insignificant, but the Norland Army has more than a thousand horsemen.”
”It's only a thousand horsemen. As long as the Dragon King raises his arm in a call to action, he can easily call in any number of troops. There's no need to worry about it. Just sharpen your weapons and get ready for a fight tomorrow,” Old Man Mu said excitedly. ”Our task is to keep an eye on a few key figures in the Golden Roc Army and to not let them get away.”
Both Dog Butcher and Tie Linglong agreed with Old Man Mu which relieved Shangguan Fei's anxiety a bit. But then he made up his mind that when the two armies scuffled tomorrow, his first and foremost priority would be to keep his own life safe. He had done enough for the Dragon King, and there was no need to fight for glory anymore.
On the fourth day after leaving the city, Shangguan Fei felt anxious and fearful all day and he kept looking around at the Golden Roc Army, the Norland Army, and the Southern Wilderness. Several others, including Dog Butcher, however, were rubbing their hands and clenching fists in anticipation of a fierce battle.
But the Dragon King's army didn't show up on time.