896 Culpability (1/2)

Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Fei returned to southern Jade City in the early morning and happened to see a big fire in the distance.

”City View Alley!” Shangguan Fei exclaimed, looking at the Dragon King and thinking that it had been his order.

The Dragon Army's base in southern Jade City was in its southeast, which was not far away from City View Alley. Hu Shining had awakened everyone to strengthen their security while the kung fu experts he couldn't command were sitting on the roof, watching the fire for fun.

Old Man Mu saw the Dragon King and Shangguan Fei, who had just entered the courtyard, and cried out excitedly, ”Look, it's a fire that happens only once every hundred years.”

Xu Xiaoyi immediately sent back the information from the frontlines. ”Two hundred people of the Heavenly Mountain Sect encircled and suppressed City View Alley. It's said that they found the den of the Waning Moon Hall.”

The Unique King had taken practical action while Gu Shenwei had been persisting in looking for clues.

Shangguan Hong jumped down from the roof, his face pale and his eyes elusive and drifting, hardly noticed the existence of Shangguan Fei. ”Everyone says that the Master Commander is dead. Is it true?”

Gu Shenwei couldn't answer because he knew even less than the people in the stronghold. After taking a glance at the roof, he asked, ”Where's Wild Horse?”

”Gone,” Shangguan Hong nervously replied. ”He ran away with that weird old man as soon as the City View Alley was set on fire.”

Old Man Mu also jumped onto the ground, asking, ”Which weird old man?”

”No, no, I mean the disciple of the Essence Pavilion.” Although Shangguan Hong thought that his kung fu was now no weaker than Old Man Mu's, he was still a little afraid of him.

The last one to come down was Han Wuxian, who was smiling and sighing. ”I hope that the corpses won't be burnt too badly. I want to identify those traitors' faces afterwards.”

Xu Xiaoyi added, ”Little Chu also went along with them, but my people didn't see him anywhere in City View Alley.”

Tie Linglong was patrolling outside. Upon seeing the Dragon King come back, she followed him into the courtyard to act as his guard. She had seen Chu Nanping leave with her own eyes. ”He left with those two weirdos, as he probably hasn't forgotten about the Essence Pavilion.”

More and more news came. The siege launched by the Heavenly Mountain Sect seemed to have been very successful. Many people were killed and some of them were captured alive. Not long after dawn, the Heavenly Mountain Sect put up a notice in their sphere of influence, claiming that the Waning Moon Hall had been the sole culprit of the series of assassinations in the past several months and that they had now been wiped out, leaving only a few evildoers fleeing who could no longer threaten Jade City, and other similar pieces of propaganda.

The notice didn't mention anything about Lotus or the death of the Central Plains envoy.

Chu Nanping finally showed up when it was almost noon. Wild Horse and the disciple of the Essence Pavilion didn't come back with him.

”City View Alley is completely ruined.” Chu Nanping had witnessed the tragedy first-hand. ”At least a thousand people, most of whom did not know kung fu, died in the fire.”

”What about Waning Moon Hall? What about Lotus? Was it true that she was killed?” Han Wuxian was only interested in the fate of the traitors.

There were many people in the Dragon King's room. Chu Nanping burst into anger openly for the first time since he had been born. With his right hand gripping his long sword, there was unrestrained anger flickering through his beautiful eyes. ”It was you. You informed the Unique King and led the Heavenly Mountain Sect to City View Alley.”

In the face of this rare anger, Han Wuxian smiled even more tenderly in return. ”I didn't expect you to have feelings for City View Alley. Did you grow up there?”

”That's none of your business.”

Han Wuxian turned to the Dragon King. ”I wonder if the Dragon King suspects me, too?”

”I believe that if Hall Leader Han joined the Unique King, you would not risk staying with me any longer.”

Han Wuxian laughed and said to Chu Nanping, ”But I will still give you an explanation because you are pretty and I don't want you to hate me.”

Chu Nanping seemed to not have heard the Dragon King's words or Han Wuxian's praise, and was still poised to draw his sword.

”If I informed the Unique King, then I should have united the Heavenly Mountain Sect to surround the Dragon King and the Essence Pavilion. Why wait until now? Jade City is the Golden Roc Castle's lair. The Unique King has managed it for many years and is better informed than me. Why would he need my help?”

Han Wuxian had actually offered a reasonable explanation. Old Man Mu rushed to show his approval. ”I can guarantee that my lady could not have done such a thing because she has never left my sight, even when taking a bath or sleeping.”

Holding her long hair, Han Wuxian muttered, ”If I ever hear you talking such nonsense again, I'll dig out your eyes so that you'll never be able to peek at me again.”

Old Man Mu smilingly said, ”Don't you think that it is intimate for me to call you 'my lady'? Otherwise, they wouldn't believe that we are a couple.”

Looking at Old Man Mu who was half as tall as her, Han Wuxian said in a coaxing tone, ”We are not a couple. You are merely a toy who escaped from Waning Moon Hall. I have had a lot both before and after you. Now, I'd rather have him than you.”

Chu Nanping blushed a bit but his face was still contorted with anger. Tie Linglong, who was behind the Dragon King, however, blushed red up to her ears, thinking that Han Wuxian was too outspoken.