873 Trus (1/2)

Shangguan Hong couldn't bear to keep pretending any longer. His cheeks flushed scarlet, anger and excitement glinting in his eyes. He believed that there must be some kind of conspiracy behind the Dragon King's assigning him this important duty for no reason. ”Did someone slander me again? Just tell me the truth, Dragon King.”

What surprised Shangguan Hong yet again was that the Dragon King nodded instead of denying it. ”Someone said that you're the murderer who's been killing innocent people in Jade City.”

”Ha!” Shangguan Hong let out a dramatic, sneering laugh. ”That's ridiculous. The assassinations in Jade City have gone on for more than a month, but I arrived here only a couple of days ago. Shouldn't that person find a better excuse before trying to frame me?”

Gu Shenwei took a step forward and severely said, ”Shangguan Hong, nobody can fool me, and you're no exception!”

Shangguan Hong took two steps back in fear and seemed to have lost his momentum. He raised his head and looked at the Dragon King, a unconvinced look on his face. ”Believe it or not, but I'm not the murderer.”

”Is that so? How long have you been in Jade City exactly?”

Shangguan Hong's heart lurched, his mind spinning very fast. ”Five days… approximately… Yes, I arrived here over a month ago.” Shangguan Hong drew his hands back into sleeves and his face was full of vigilance, like a wild dog which had just encountered a stranger. ”But I have the queen's orders.”

”What did the queen order you to do?” Gu Shenwei's voice became even more severe.

Shangguan Hong suddenly straightened himself up and also stretched his hands out of his sleeves. He was still not confident enough to fight the Dragon King, ”If the Dragon King wants to kill me, just do it. I won't betray the queen.”

Gu Shenwei turned around and walked to the bedside with his back to the angry guest, seeming totally defenseless. Shangguan Hong curled up and flexed his fingers three times but didn't dare to make a move.

”Why would I kill you? I just told you that I'm sending you to protect Madam Luo and keep an eye on Prince Xiao,” Gu Shenwei said in a gentler tone, as if the tense conversation that had happened just now had merely been a game.

Exhausted, Shangguan Hong felt like his whole body was sticky. He was very depressed that he had recklessly mentioned those assassinations. Meanwhile, he became even more confused about the Dragon King's thoughts. ”The Dragon King won't punish me for lying to you?”

”You're an attendant of the queen. You lied to protect her. How can that be deemed a crime? I'm counting on you to switch this loyalty to me some day.”

Shangguan Hong hoped that he could be tougher, but he still knelt down. During the process of kneeling, he hesitated and switched from kneeling on both of his knees to kneeling on one knee, to save a part of his dignity. ”I'm willing to serve Dragon King, as long as… as long as… ”

”As long as you don't have do anything that goes against the queen's interest.”

”Yes.”

”Get up, then. Now that you've pledged allegiance to me, I'd like to ask you a few more questions.”

Shangguan Hong stood up and raised his head before saying, ”I know what the Dragon King wants to ask, so let me be straight. I was indeed the one responsible for a couple of those assassinations in Jade City – less than ten of them. Besides, I killed only one target at a time, and I haven't killed anyone since the Dragon King arrived in Jade City. Thus, I have nothing to do with the assassinations in those sabersmen villages.”

”Good,. Gu Shenwei briefly nodded, as if he completely believed Shangguan Hong. ”And your kung fu? Who taught you?”

”The Dragon King might not believe this, but I had the Daoless Divine Power Manual all along. I stole it from Madam Meng and I've been practicing it secretly. It was not until a few days ago that I made a breakthrough, so I found some people… and tried it out on them. It was twice as strong as the kung fu skills I've previously learned.”

This was an answer that Shangguan Hong had prepared in advance, so when he said these words, they came out very fluently. Even the timing of that brief pause was rather good.

Gu Shenwei nodded again. ”Was it you who tried to assassinate Zhang Ji?”

”That old bastard,” Shangguan Hong muttered as he clenched his teeth. ”After using me for so many years, he ditched me and even sent me on a suicidal mission to Xiaoyao Lake. It was a pity I was too hasty and failed to kill him that night.”

”And you even tried to kill Shangguan Fei?”

Shangguan Fei's face instantly flushed red. That half-brother of his was the person he hated the most, and he didn't have to explain it at all. ”And Madam Meng, who treated me like a plaything, something cheaper than the cheapest slave. And the Unique King. I'm his natural son, but he…”

Shangguan Hong was unable to continue. The Unique King didn't even shown mercy to the twins who used to be his favorite children, not to mention Shangguan Hong, who was merely a bastard son.

”And Shangguan Ru,” Gu Shenwei finished his sentence for him. ”She never pleaded for you, and she didn't even blame Shangguan Fei for what he did. Furthermore, she's someone who the queen doesn't like.”

Shangguan Hong didn't say anything, suggesting that the Dragon King's words had trespassed on the queen's interests.

”And me,” Gu Shenwei didn't force Shangguan Hong to speak. ”I never pleaded for you, and neither did I ever punish Shangguan Fei afterwards.”

Shangguan Hong sighed. ”If I say that I don't hate the Dragon King, then I'd be lying. But compared to my hatred towards those former ones, my hatred towards the Dragon King is nothing. It's… discontentment at the worst. The Dragon King didn't punish Shangguan Fei, but you didn't kill me either, and you sent me to the queen. I've always regarded this as tolerance and trust, and I hold more gratitude than grudges against the Dragon King.”

Shangguan Hong returned to normal, his back bent, head down, and hands drooping. Once again, he met the Dragon King's eyes with a look that he had practiced many times in advance.

”I'm glad you see things this way. As the commander-in-chief of an army, I have to be snobbish on many occasions. Back when we were in Xiaoyao Lake, Shangguan Fei was useful to me, but you were not. It was as simple as that. But now, things have changed.”

Shangguan Hong had been surprised again and again today, but he still hadn't got used to it. He blurted out, ”Shangguan Fei betrayed the Dragon King?”