948 Dreams (1/2)
An idea suddenly occurred to Gu Shenwei. Maybe this idea had been hiding in a corner of his mind all along, and it had just popped out when the best occasion arose.
He could just marry both of the two women in front of him. Yes, he already had a queen in Xiaoyao Lake, but he was the Dragon King, so he could have as many wives as he wanted. In the Western Regions, though it was not very common for a king to have multiple queens, it was not unprecedented. When several countries formed an alliance, they sometimes volunteered or were forced to have two or three queens of equal status, and most subjects found it understandable.
The three queens didn't even have to live in the same city, and they certainly didn't have to meet each other. Queen Ju would stay in the Stone Kingdom. Shangguan Ru could be in charge of in Jade City. And with regards to Lotus, she could live in any of the countries to the west of Thousand Horsemen Pass, in which she would be treated as the only queen.
Gu Shenwei believed there was a seventy to eighty-percent chance that they would agree. Shangguan Ru had already slept with him. Didn't she want a formal identity as his wife?
Lotus' thoughts were difficult to deduce, but Gu Shenwei had an inexplicable confidence that as long as he made the first move and acted modestly, Lotus would do anything for him. She might even abandon the Death Sutra that had always been a hurdle between them.
The imaginary scene of a king with three queens flashed across Gu Shenwei's mind briefly, but it left an extremely distinct impression, which made his heart flutter.
”Just a minor injury,” he said, absent-minded and slightly flustered, as if his secret thoughts had accidentally been exposed.
Shangguan Ru glanced at Lotus from the corner of her eye. She wanted to say something but forbore herself from doing so. The third time she opened her mouth, she said, ”Do you still remember the monk named Fachong from the Four Noble Truths Temple?”
Gu Shenwei nodded. He had once met Fachong in the Kun Society.
”Master Fachong's ideals have remained unchanged. As long as the Dragon King is willing to get rid of the Daoless Divine Power, he will help you. No strings attached,” Shangguan Ru said with a sincere look on her face. She had almost forgotten about the presence of Lotus.
”Getting rid of the Daoless Divine Power doesn't require a monk's help,” Lotus interjected blandly. ”The method of dispersing internal energy is readily available. The Dragon King has already tried it.”
Many years ago, when Gu Shenwei had first started practicing the Daoless Divine Power, he had already had an internal energy foundation. However, the two conflicted, so he had no choice but to use the method described in the manual to disperse his original internal energy. For a time, he had no internal energy at all. During those days, he hadn't dared to offend anybody, and he had even nearly been killed by a common servant.
This was exactly what Lotus was trying to remind him of. Dispersing one's internal energy on one's own account was totally different from the natural process of dispersing internal energy where one's internal energy would increase to a certain amount. The powerlessness caused by the latter was only temporary, but the one caused by the former was permanent, and one had to start all over again.
Shangguan Ru smiled. ”Dispersing one's internal energy by adopting the method in the book would disperse all internal energy, including the Sumeru Mustard Energy that he worked so hard to cultivate. Master Fachong's internal energy is powerful enough to help you eliminate the Daoless Divine Power without dispersing the Sumeru Mustard Energy.”
Lotus gave up arguing about this, and a bland and unconcerned look returned to her face.
Gu Shenwei's dream was instantly shattered. He had forgotten that not only was Shangguan Ru a daughter of his foe, but that she also had a wish that could almost be seem as bigoted, which was to eliminate all the kung fu that he had learned in Golden Roc Castle, starting with the Daoless Divine Power, and finishing with the Death Sutra. These two kung fu skills were the origin of all evils in her eyes.
The Death Sutra and that Servant Yao who they could barely remember anymore were also not the only things that stood between him and Lotus. There was also her pride. Regardless of how humble she used to be and whether she practiced the Death Sutra or not, under no circumstances would she ever agree to share the Dragon King with another woman.
Gu Shenwei discovered how ridiculous his dream was. Its owner's feelings was the only thing that the dream would consider, and the dream gave it a supreme status but ignored, and sometimes even twisted, others' thoughts.
Having a dream was the most simple thing, but in front of the brutality of reality, it happened to be the most fragile thing. It could be shattered with a gentle touch.
'This is a transaction,' Gu Shenwei told himself. The mutual trust and fondness between him and these two women was merely the bedrock of this transaction.
”I'm willing to accept Fachong's help,” he said.
”Really?” Shangguan Ru was overjoyed. She could hardly believe what she had just heard.
Lotus' lips clamped tighter.
”But I have some conditions.”
”What kind of… conditions?” Shangguan Ru was slightly confused. Fachong had unconditionally offered to help, but the Dragon King had ”conditions,” which seemed to go against the rule.
”I'll accept it after the kung fu competition, when I become the Lord of Jade City-”
”The Dragon King is not necessarily going to be the Lord of Jade City after the kung fu competition,” Lotus corrected. For her, this was a transaction to an even greater extent. ”The Dragon King once did the Waning Moon Hall a huge favor, and I want to return it by helping the Dragon King defeat Golden Roc Castle and Central Plainsmen, but I never said that I would forfeit the competition for the position of Lord of Jade City. You, I, and she will all still have to fight. The winner will become the Lord of this city.”
”Then after the kung fu competition, no matter who becomes the Lord of the city, I'll accept Fachong's assistance and eliminate the Daoless Divine Power,” Gu Shenwei put it in another way.
”Of course that's okay. This doesn't count as a condition,” Shangguan Ru was relieved. ”Fachong will surely agree, but why did you… ”
After over ten days, the Dragon King had changed his mind just because he had been ”slightly wounded.” Back then, he had rejected her offer flatly, but now, he had spontaneously asked for help, so it was very natural that this change of attitude would greatly surprise Shangguan Ru.
Shangguan Ru could barely conceal her concern for the Dragon King, but Gu Shenwei felt that there was an gap growing deeper and deeper between them. She couldn't understand how important his kung fu was to him, and she knew nothing about the Death Sutra, in particular.
Surprisingly, Lotus, who had been sitting there silently all along, immediately understood the Dragon King's intentions. He wanted to take a risk and increase his internal energy with the Death Sutra and then destroy the Daoless Divine Power before his internal energy reached a lethal level.
Gu Shenwei had two advanced kung fus. The Death Sutra and the Daoless Divine Power had the same origin and were the most compatible. It was possible to use one of them to destroy the other without a backlash.
The Dragon King always preferred to adopt unconventional methods, which Lotus had already become used to.
Gu Shenwei was still thinking about how to respond when Shangguan Ru said, ”You don't have to answer if it's inconvenient. The monk won't ask about it anyway. The Dragon King imposed a ban on killing, so the Four Noble Truths Temple will no doubt strongly support you. Fachong will be more willing to help the Dragon King.”
”Thanks,” Gu Shenwei said. His tone became polite again.