944 God of Valley (1/2)
The troops of the Dragon Army had never had to kowtow before the Dragon King. Even when a soldier wanted to kneel to show his respect, he merely knelt on one knee. This was a rule that had been brought to the Dragon Army by the swordsmen of the Big Snow Mountain. In most cases, even these most loyal of soldiers merely nodded at the Dragon King to pay their respects when they saw him.
As a result, what the Dragon King was requesting the Central Plainsmen to do seemed unusual.
Most of the Central Plainsmen were unfamiliar with the Dragon King's rules. They didn't kneel and just stood there because they had no idea who their superior was. Though all of them were merely following the orders of the Imperial Court of the Central Plains, there was nobody suitable for representing the Central Plains both in and outside of Jade City.
With a big smile on his face, Old Man Mu said to Tu Pianpian, ”Younger sister Pianpian, don't the Central Plainsmen set great store by right titles and proper words? King An is now your king. He is kneeling but you're standing, which seems a little… Heh-heh.”
Of course Tu Pianpian knew that the others would follow her lead, and that only after the Dragon King managed to subject these Central Plainsmen to his command would he be in a more favorable position to fight back against Luo Qikang and protect her younger brother. However, she was a proud woman, and it was too difficult for her to kowtow to a member of a savage nation in front of so many people. No matter how hard Fan Yongda tried to signal her, she still refused to bend her knees. Instead, she strode up to King An and dragged him to his feet.
King An was perplexed. Supported by the hand of the old woman, he was unable to kneel even if his body became as limp as dough.
”When a king is in trouble, his subjects should offer help. Both of you are kings of the Western Regions. Why should King An kneel in front of the Dragon King? He's discontent–”
”I'm content, very content,” King An hurriedly interjected.
Tu Pianpian ignored him and continued to say, ”Under these circumstance, we're supposed to help him deal with the troubles. Dragon King, if you want us to yield to you alongside King An, then you'll have to show your real strength to convince us first.”
Dog Butcher wanted to speak but Old Man Mu beat him to it. ”What kind of real strength do you want to see? The Dragon King has hundreds of thousands of troops, large groups of kung fu experts, gold and silver as heavy as a mountain, precious horses–”
”We're just a bunch of Jianghu kung fu practitioners. Naturally, we don't care about those things. I know the Dragon King has always been proud of his kung fu. Just show us a couple of moves.”
Luo Qikang had always wanted to force the Dragon King to have a kung fu competition with him. But he had never expected that Tu Pianpian, who was diametrically opposed to him, would do this for him. And he hadn't even spoke up yet; he stepped aside and watched on with a cold look in his eyes.
Old Man Mu burst into laughter. ”You want to have a kung fu competition with the Dragon King? Fine. But you'll have to go through me first. Who's my first opponent?”
Tu Pianpian didn't even look at Old Man Mu. She directly said to the Dragon King, ”The Dragon King has fought many battles in various countries, from the Western Regions to the Norland, defeated hundreds of thousands of enemies on the battleground, and never encountered anyone whose kung fu is better than your own. As foreigners, we've heard of these deeds but never witnessed any of them with our own eyes. Are you willing to have a kung fu competition with us?”
Tu Pianpian was speaking on behalf of over a hundred Central Plainsmen, so she didn't mention that she had once had a kung fu competition with the Dragon King. But her tone did become much more respectful.
Gu Shenwei also didn't mention that the Kongtong Sect was one of his defeated enemies, uttering only one word. ”Okay.”
Tu Pianpian's eyes swept around. First, she handed the trembling King An to one of the disciples of her sect, and then loudly said, ”If I may be so bold, I volunteer to fight the first round. Any objections?”
Tu Pianpian had a high status and had always been the leader of the camp, so naturally, nobody raised any objections. However, hardly anybody believed that she was a match for the Dragon King. So, someone who wanted to fawn on the Luo Village stepped forward and said, ”The Kongtong Sect's Aunt Master Tu fighting the first round is the best, but I think that one round won't be enough. Thus, I recommend that 'The Swordsman of Anticipation,' Swordmaster Luo, be the second contestant.”
A lot of Central Plainsmen expressed their support towards this suggestion. Tu Pianpian also didn't oppose it.
Old Man Mu snorted and asked that person, ”Are you going to be the third one?”
That man drew back to his original position. ”A third round will not necessary. Two rounds will be enough. Aunt Master Tu and Swordmaster Luo are the Central Plains'… are the best kung fu practitioners at King An's command. If they lose, then we others will naturally be convinced and kneel down to pledge allegiance together with King An.”
Old Man Mu raised his head and looked at the Dragon King, not knowing what else to say. As far as he knew, the Dragon King was not ready to fight Luo Qikang yet; however, he would lose face if he refused to fight.
'The Dragon King should have brought more men here,' Old Man Mu thought. He and Dog Butcher might be able to handle Tu Pianpian, but they were no match for the ”White Camel” even if they joined hands, not to mention this ”Black Camel” in front of them.
Gu Shenwei dismounted from his horse, put his hands on the saber hilt, and said to Tu Pianpian, ”Please.”
Dog Butcher was just about to remind her senior sister that she was by no means a match for the Dragon King when Tu Pianpian spoke up. She had seen the Dragon King's sabersmanship and palm techniques back when they were in the grasslands. Why would she make the same mistake here? ”Wait a moment. This time, we're having a kung fu competition that doesn't involve any sect reputation or hatred between countries. Thus, there's no need for us to fight to the death. Do you agree, Dragon King?”
Old Man Mu secretly nodded, thinking that this old woman was not stupid after all, and that although she looked irascible and impulsive, she was actually rather devious. He felt that he had underestimated her.
”Sure.” Gu Shenwei also found Tu Pianpian fairly admirable. She was unwilling to yield to the Dragon King in front of so many Central Plainsmen, but she also didn't want to offend him. Thus, she had volunteered to be the first one to fight but imposed many restrictions on this kung fu competition. Her last remark about ”hatred between countries” was actually a restraint on Luo Qikang who was going to fight in the next round.