900 Kung Fu Experts (2/2)
”Going astray,” Dog Butcher repeated these two words. ”Have I really gone astray? But Master Shifu also said that we should repay even the smallest favor with the greatest kindness, and that ungrateful disciples of prestigious sects couldn't even compare to grateful vendors and soldiers.”
Dog Butcher was caught in a dilemma and looked extremely frustrated. Tu Pianpian sighed again. He was her only relative, and she couldn't afford to push him into a dead end. Without even picking up her crutch on the ground, she consoled him. ”This is just a habit. After you return to the Kongtong Sect, you'll return to normal quickly.”
”But back then, I lost to Old Man Mu. If he still had his original strength, then I probably wouldn't be a match for him still. The Dragon King is much younger than me, and my kung fu is probably better than his, but I can't defeat him either. Both Old Man Mu and the Dragon King… practice Jianghu's kung fu, but why… ”
If he kept thinking about it, Dog Butcher would start doubting the indisputable truth that their Master Shifu imparted to them, so Tu Pianpian hastily said, ”Every kung fu has its own forte. Besides, what Old Man Mu practices is the Jade Pure Sect's kung fu. The Dragon King used to be from Golden Roc Castle, and he learned many kung fu routines at first, too. Anyway, don't think about it too much. How about this? We'll help the Dragon King one last time to repay the precious favors he's done to us. After that, you and he will be even. What do you say?”
Dog Butcher nodded, still pondering over the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of kung fu skills.
Tu Pianpian looked at her younger brother and then said, ”The Luo family sent someone here.”
Dog Butcher was slightly startled. ”The Luo family? Who came here? Why didn't I hear about this?”
”The best swordsman of the Luo family. He came here secretly, but it is already public knowledge in the martial arts world of the Central Plains. People just don't talk about it.”
Dog Butcher's mind was no longer troubled by confusion. ”Luo Qikang? He hasn't appeared for years, has he? And he actually came such a long way to Jade City?”
”Luo Qibai died to the Dragon King's saber. He came here to avenge his younger brother's death. Originally, there was no friendship between the Luo family and Lord Wei, but they decided to cooperate with each other in order to deal with the Dragon King. Tell this to the Dragon King, and then you two will be even.”
”I have to protect-”
”You can't! You can't defeat the Dragon King or Luo Qikang. Don't you want to know which one's better – the kung fu of prestigious sects or Jianghu techniques? They will give you the answer. You only need to know the result, understand?”
The Dragon King departed from his camp, and on his way to the Four Noble Truths Temple, he encountered Dog Butcher, who was hurriedly coming back.
”Lord Wei invited a kung fu expert here from the Central Plains. You have to be careful, Dragon King.” Deeply concerned, Dog Butcher told the Dragon King the message disclosed by his sister.
”Luo Qikang?” Gu Shenwei recalled that swordsman in white clothes whose swordsmanship was superb. If it weren't for Lotus and him cooperating with each other at a critical moment, they might have been defeated. ”How's his kung fu compared to Luo Qibai's?”
The Dragon King didn't seem to have realized where the danger lay. Dog Butcher scratched his head anxiously. ”Here's the thing. There are nine major sects in the Central Plains, and their martial arts have their own respective strengths and weaknesses. None of the nine sects are convinced that the kung fu of any of those other sects is better. But in the martial arts world of the Central Plains, there are a couple of people who are widely acknowledged by all sects as top kung fu experts. Luo Qikang is one of them. Luo Qibai cannot compare to him.”
”Got it. I'll be cautious.”
”Try not to give Luo Qikang any opportunities to make his move… Let me go with you, Dragon King. At the very least, I can recognize him.”
”No. You're a Central Plainsmen. which means you should stay out of this. You've already done enough by telling me this.”
The Dragon King and his guards continued to progress. On horseback, Dog Butcher looked in the Dragon King's direction. He was worried that the Dragon King was so proud that he would actually mount a serious challenge to Luo Qikang, but he also eagerly wanted to know which one of them was better. He had already forgotten that he was going to leave the Western Regions.
The news brought by Dog Butcher was like the last piece of the puzzle, which clearly revealed the conspiracies of Wei Song to the Dragon King. Zhong Heng had originally predicted that Shangguan Fa would be the one to kill the Dragon King, but the Unique King was obviously not that easy to manipulate. Thus, Wei Song still had to rely on the Central Plains.
Gu Shenwei didn't have any special feeling about the title ”One of the top kung fu experts who is acknowledged by all the major sects of the Central Plains.” He had been away from the Central Plains for too long, and he was no longer able to to feel the pressure brought on by his mother language.
When they arrived at the entrance to the Four Noble Truths Temple, the procession of guards stopped. A monk reminded the Dragon King that he could bring two attendants into the temple this time.
The Dragon King became suspicious of the possibility that his avoiding the trap by waiting for the Unique King was to lure the real culprit to Lotus and the Waning Moon Hall.
”Chu Nanping, Shangguan Hong.” Gu Shenwei quickly picked out two attendants.
Everybody was surprised by the second person that the Dragon King choose. Zhong Heng was amazed. He remembered vividly that the Dragon King had originally planned on selecting Shangguan Fei and himself.
Zhong Heng felt uneasy.