954 A Big Man (1/2)
A tall, strong sabersman was standing in the courtyard, completely immobilized by a heavy cord, and with a ferocious look on his face. Like an untamed, caged wolf, he was grimacing and letting out threatening growls at all those who dared to approach him.
Pang Jing walked around him and said, ”Ha-ha. He's really something. He reminds me of the 'Ten Valiant Generals' of my family back in the Central Plains.”
Clearly, the sabersman didn't quite understand the words ”Ten Valiant Generals.” Confusion gleamed in his eyes, but the look on his face only became even more ferocious. He revealed his yellowish teeth, spitting out bits of spittle from between them.
Old Man Mu jumped up high and gave the sabersman a kick at the back of his head. ”You stupid big guy! He was saying that you were a dog. And you're really acting like one?”
Pang Jing smiled even more happily, giving no indication whether it was the clumsy sabersman or the short old man that interested him more.
”The Dragon King has arrived,” a guard in the courtyard reported.
Pang Jing turned around and walked towards the Dragon King, stretching out his hand to point at him. ”The Dragon King's reputation is well-earned. You took action so quick. I've just been informed of who the murderer is, but you've already caught him. This is not how it was supposed to be. You must tell me how you did it, and then I'll teach those subordinates of mine a lesson after I return.”
Indeed, no matter who he was talking to, Pang Jing always acted as if he was very familiar with them and as if there was no need to be punctilious.
Gu Shenwei shrugged and casually replied, ”I was just lucky.”
The distance between the two was already very close, but Tie Linglong suddenly popped out and stood between them. After a brief moment of hesitation, Pang Jing found that he couldn't walk around her, so he gave up his attempt to approach the Dragon King, fished out that shiny, yellow gold ingot, and tossed it to the Dragon King. ”Take a look. It's the cause of all these troubles.”
Gu Shenwei took it, scrutinized it for a while against the sunlight, and then strode towards the captured sabersman.
”Kneel,” Old Man Mu ordered.
”You're all standing. Why do I have to kneel?” The sabersman replied in a very aggressive tone, as if he was a guest who hadn't been received with his due courtesies. His voice was hoarse, loud, and sonorous like that of a broken bell.
”Because you're more special than us.” Old Man Mu was just about to give the sabersman a kick in the back of his knee when the Dragon King stopped him.
”Your name?” asked Gu Shenwei.
The sabersman ignored the question, boldly sized the Dragon King up, and a very unconvinced look surfaced on his face.
”Gao Yang. You look like a wolf but you named yourself 'lamb.' Clearly, you have some evil intentions,” said Old Man Mu.
Pang Jing burst into laughter again, as if he was here to amuse himself by watching a show, which was why Old Man Mu and Xu Xiaoyi didn't feel like his presence was redundant. Only Tie Linglong continued to stare at him with a serious look. She kept adjusting her position, staying between him and the Dragon King to prevent this Central Plainsman from getting too close to the Dragon King.
”You killed Wu Xuan?” Gu Shenwei asked another question.
The sabersman named Gao Yang still refused to answer. He spat hard at the ground and raised his head even higher, veins rippling beneath the skin of his neck.
”This kid is so rude. Dragon King, shall I smash his knees apart?” Old Man Mu had been eager to break the man's knees for a long time. Recalling his former methods of torturing people, he was itching to re-experience that thrill.
”One moment.” Gao Yang finally spoke. ”You're the Dragon King?”
Gu Shenwei nodded.
”Impossible.” Surprisingly, a faint smile appeared on Gao Yang's face, as if he had just seen through an obvious lie. ”How is it possible that the Dragon King is someone like you? He is at least a foot taller than me, and he leaves deep footprints behind when he walks. He also carries a five-foot long saber, not the toy-like, small piece of iron that you're holding.”
Gu Shenwei had appeared in public many times, and every time, there were a lot of onlookers. But surprisingly, the residents' description of his looks had become even more dramatic. Most of them had merely glimpsed his figure from a distance, and they had mixed his image with those of his guards. With those swordsmen from the Big Snow Mountain as a foil, the Dragon King had become a very tall man in most of the residents' minds.
”You mean like this?” Gu Shenwei moved his foot aside, leaving a distinct footprint in the bluestone ground.
Startled, Gao Yang swallowed hard. ”You're really the Dragon King?”
”You big blockhead. This is the Department of Guards. Everybody is acting so respectfully towards him. If he were not the Dragon King, then who else could he possibly be?” Old Man Mu couldn't understand how a man with so little discernment could exist in this world.
Gao Yang seemed to believe it. He abruptly exerted his full strength, his muscles rippling. With a couple of snaps, several ropes were broken. He let out a cry and pounced on the Dragon King.
Old Man Mu and the others saw the Dragon King's hint and didn't try to stop the sabersman. Over ten steps away, Pang Jing watched this scene with an amused look on his face, but his eyes were not on the Dragon King. Instead, they darted between the other people in the courtyard, constantly shifting back and forth.
Compared to Gao Yang, the Dragon King was somewhat thin and short, and his fist appeared even weaker. Gao Yang straightened his arm and squarely hit his enemy's lower abdomen.
Gao Yang suddenly felt like he had become a lot shorter. Originally he was looking down at the Dragon King, but now, he was looking up at him. And soon, fierce abdominal pains gripped him. He didn't know why, but his knees had descended to the ground. With an unyielding spirit, he clenched his teeth; his cheeks bulged like rocks, his nostrils dilated, and his face flushed scarlet. But he was just trying hard to subdue his urge to let out a pained yell, which made his face even more hideous.
Pang Jing laughed again. He pointed at Gao Yang and looked around trying to find others who shared his sense of humor. His attendants, who were all standing at the gateway, cooperatively let out a moderate laugh, but they were not the ones who Pang Jing was looking for.
Finally, his eyes fell on Qin Yeming. Among all those subordinates of the Dragon King, this teenager was the only one who was sophisticated enough to politely gave a smile when an honored guest's eyes swept across him.
After quite a while, Gao Yang's breathing became steady again, but when he spoke, his voice was even more hoarse than before. ”You're indeed the Dragon King. Good. I was looking for you. Pay me.”
”Ha!” Old Man Mu laughed first, but soon discovered that the Dragon King had no intention of letting him talk, so he had to choke down all the sarcastic words he was about to blurt out.