830 Coercion (1/2)
Mo Lin felt like he was unwanted in the army. For the rest of his life, he would be chasing after the previous Khan's killer, but the Dragon King wouldn't allow him to enter Jade City and hunt down Waning Moon Hall members.
As a wing guard, Mo Lin had enormous prestige among Norland soldiers. People always showed him great respect as they mentioned his old name, ”Silver Condor,” regardless of if they had met him before or not. Like the legacy that the previous Khan had left behind in this mortal world, Mo Lin's name was old but sacred.
This was also the very reason why the Dragon King had taken him in.
Mo Lin somewhat liked this young man, and he voluntarily linked his cause of seeking revenge to the Dragon King's. But he was growing a little impatient, and hoped to set out on his own business as soon as possible.
Maybe, this impatience was the exact reason why he had caught a lobbyist's eye.
After quite a few people had tried to court him with all kinds of guarantees, Mo Lin had finally agreed to enter that common tent. To his surprise, the lobbyist was Prince Duodun himself.
”Your Highness,” Mo Lin greeted with a slight nod. He had discarded his identity as a wing guard, but he still kept his previous habits, one of which was not kneeling before the Khan's offspring.
Duodun decided to temporarily forget about his identity. With a broad smile, he said, ”You never thought that it would be me?”
”You flatter me, Your Highness.” Mo Lin indeed hadn't expected this. He had thought that the lobbyist would be some general, like Azheba.
”Ha-ha, I'd trade an army for you.”
Mo Lin didn't respond to Duodun's praise. The Khan's wing guard rejected all praise and flattery from any and all royal family members. This was their obligation and bottom line. The Khan had ascended to the Heavens, but his influence hadn't declined at all.
The smile on Duodun's face disappeared. He was constantly trying to forget about the previous Khan, but it felt like there were reminders of that skinny old man everywhere. ”I want you to come back and take up the mantle of a wing guard again.”
”Only the Khan has the right to designate wing guards,” Mo Lin reminded. ”I came here only because I respect you. It doesn't mean that you have anything that I want.”
Duodun clapped his hands, making a ringing sound. ”This is what it means to be a wing guard! That's right, only the Khan can designate wing guards. I'm inviting you on behalf of the future me.”
Mo Lin remained indifferent as he replied, ”I serve only one master. Now that he's dead, I have no master anymore. I don't have one now, and I won't have any in the future either.”
”What's the Dragon King to you?” Duodun asked blandly.
”An ally.” Mo Lin knew his place very well as he explained, ”We have common enemies. After we get our respective revenge, we'll go our separate ways.”
”The Dragon King doesn't seem to think so.” Duodun was not annoyed with Mo Lin's explanation. He had prepared himself for all of Mo Lin's potential answers. It would be an impressive victory for him to overcome this obstacle. ”He's been using you to keep the Norland army under control all along.”
”That's a price I'm willing to pay.”
”Ha-ha. Then what will the Dragon King do for you?”
”He's going to help me find Waning Moon Hall.”
”Even with the honorable identity of The First Wing Guard of Norland, you actually need to ask a Western Regioner for help?”
”I don't have any other choice,” Mo Lin answered frankly. ”The Dragon King's one of the very few people who holds an irreconcilable hatred towards Waning Moon Hall. Although the Norland is powerful, it has its own greater cause, and it isn't able to focus on a grain of sand beside its feet.”
The look on Duodun's face was grave as he replied, ”Well, I can focus on it. Actually, I've been in contact with Waning Moon Hall this whole time.” After a pause, and verifying that Mo Lin was still indifferent, he had no choice but to resume talking. ”Those women are a bunch of lunatics, but I can eradicate them – kill every single one of them.”
Mo Lin sighed as he said, ”It's about time I took my leave. Please rest assured, Your Highness. I won't tell anybody about this meeting between us, including the Dragon King.”
After putting so much effort into arranging this meeting with Mo Lin, Duodun found that he acted more like a bronze statue that didn't understand human language at all.
Duodun also let out a sigh. He appreciated Mo Lin's principle but was still disappointed as he called out, ”Wait.”
Mo Lin stopped.
Duodun suddenly became somewhat shy and restless as he said, ”These words are not easy for me to say, really. I've always hoped that I wouldn't have to do this…”
Mo Lin seemed to have understood something, and the five fingers of his right hand made a gentle movement.
Duodun sensed danger, but he didn't reveal anything on his face. Instead, the look in his eyes gradually became cold and haughty. ”Women are just passersby. They come and go, and there's always someone better than you, waiting ahead. But children are an extension of you. They're irreplaceable. Even the previous Khan…”
Mo Lin took a step forward. The look on his face was as sullen as a tomb and as fiery as a volcano about to erupt. ”The Khan would never do such a shameless thing.”
That night when the Khan had been assassinated, Mo Lin had sent his wife and children to somewhere safe. They were the only remaining living people that he cared about.
”You don't know what kind of man the previous Khan was when he was young.” Duodun's heart was quivering, but he managed to collect himself, and he concealed his true feelings very well. ”But I know. The previous Khan told these kinds of stories to me very often. Among them, there was an aura of shamelessness that you couldn't even imagine. He used to say this a lot: in order to seize the crown, you can sacrifice anything, and you can do anything. Because you're not acting for yourself, but rather the whole grasslands.”
Mo Lin believed this the previous Khan had indeed said this, but the anger in him didn't subside a single bit. ”Where are they?”
Duodun felt that he had grabbed the tail of the victory, leaving the opposing side nowhere to escape to, ”They went to Heaven's Pass with a group of refugees. I've been keeping an eye on them, and have made sure that they have everything they need. They think that you're working for me.”
Mo Lin regained his composure. Duodun had kidnapped his family much earlier, but had been waiting for the right opportunity for so long. Thus, he shouldn't make any rash decisions either. ”There's nothing I can do for you, Your Highness. You're a prince and you have enough followers.”
”I don't. I can never have enough followers.” Duodun also took a step forward, his intense eyes tinged with a look of greed as he said, ”And you can do more than this.”