Death Scripture - Chapter 742
Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations
Tu Pianpian felt that her patience was running out. âThe Norland is so uninhabitable.â She was holding her crutch in her right hand tightly, slowly rotating it and sinking it into the ground deeper and deeper.
She was in a shabby tent, the ground of which was covered with uneven grass. The rainwater was drizzling in uninvited, and her ankles were already drenched.
âThis tent, this ground, this broken bed, this rain, this mutton, and the rancid odor of bodies in the distance â all of these things are driving me crazy.â Looking at the three uninvited guests before her, the expression on her face was tenacious and arrogant. âBut Iâm not leaving without the Khanâs head.â
âIâm not here to talk about the Khanâs head,â Gu Shenwei replied calmly, with Dog Butcher on his left side and Fan Yongda on the other.
Fan Yongda hadnât recovered from his injury yet, but he had insisted on coming with the Dragon King because he was the only one of them who could understand the meaning of the various signals left behind by the sects of the Central Plains and find the temporary camp of the Kongtong Sect.
âAre you sure that you will win the competition tomorrow?â Tu Pianpian asked sneeringly, who was obviously confident in the power of the two Qingcheng Sect Leaders.
Standing in front of his elder sister, Dog Butcher was a little afraid, but he still ventured to speak up. âSenior Sister, the Dragon Kingâs here to ask you for information about a person.â
âWho are you calling Senior Sister?â Tu Pianpian reprimanded. âYou two are now serving the barbarians. If it werenât for the kung fu competition, we would have been fought to the death by now.â
Dog Butcher didnât dare to speak up again. He gave a signal to Fan Yongda by glancing at him, and tossed the hot potato to his sect nephew.
With his head drooping down halfway, Fan Yongda gave a small cough and said, âElder Aunt Master, the Dragon Kingâs actually from the Central Plains.â
âNo matter where heâs from, heâs not a man of the Central Plains if heâs not loyal to the emperor.â
âEven if itâs the case, shouldnât the Kongtong Sect at least treat Dragon King with the courtesy of the Central Plains?â
âHumph, I knew you would play this card.â Tu Pianpian sank her crutch a few more inches into the ground. Yet the Dragon King had spared her once, which was an indisputable fact. âSay it. Who do you want to know about. But if it goes against the interests of the Central Plains, I will not tell you a single word.â
âMarshal Yang,â Gu Shenwei said.
âMarshal Yang?â Tu Pianpian pulled her crutch out of the ground, and the hollow space beneath was a foot deep and filled with muddy water. âI see. You use the Gu family sabersmanship. Whatâs your relationship with Marshal Yang?â
âMy surname is also Yang.â Gu Shenwei gave her his fake surname he had used in the Western Regions. Although more and more people knew his true background in detail, he was still trying to keep it secret from as many people as he could.
âSo, youâre Marshal Yangâs nephew? Okay, then itâs fine if I tell you. Everybody says that Marshal Yangâs a hero in the martial arts world, but I can see it crystal clear; heâs merely a petty fame-chaser. Itâs a giant joke that people mention the word âheroâ and his name in the same sentence.â
Fan Yongda immediately blushed and tried to intervene. âBut I heardâŠâ
âWhat you heard was nothing but nonsense!â Tu Pianpian cut her sect nephew short abruptly.
âSo all those tales about Marshal Yang working as a servant for three years and mediating disputes here and there in the martial arts world were lies?â
âMost of them are true. But Marshal Yang did all those things for a different purpose.â
âWhat purpose?â Dog Butcher was even more curious than the Dragon King.
âHa, use your brains. Marshal Yang used to be a pirate. How could a man like that suddenly convert from a killer and robber into a good Samaritan? He General Guâs apprentice, and after he mastered the unique kung fu skills of the Gu Family, he maneuvered his way into joining the Luo Village of He Dong and there, he learned first-rate, sophisticated swordsmanship. That was his true purpose. And with regards to his mediating disputes afterwards, those were nothing but camouflage.â
âThat canât be true. Itâs not despicable to bear kung fu skills of two families. Heâs a hero, and if he told me to, I would alsoâŠâ Dog Butcher thought that his sisterâs opinions were way too arbitrary.
Fan Yongda also nodded in agreement to his Uncle-Master. As far as he knew, according to the rules of the martial arts world, Marshal Yangâs actions could not have drawn much criticism.
âYou donât know shit!â Tu Pianpian detested being contradicted the most, which was why she swore in her rage. But she quickly continued talking to cover it up. âImagine that thereâs an irreconcilable hostility between the Central Plains and the Norland, and that the two of them are about to fight to death. However, thereâs a man whoâs working for and taking money from both sides. What would you think of him?â
Dog Butcher and Fan Yongda knew what she was insinuating and both lowered their heads in silence. Neither of them dared to try to defend the Dragon King by arguing that he didnât count as a Norlander.
âThe Gu family and the Luo Village are unfriendly towards each other?â Gu Shenwei was slightly surprised. He had never heard his father or brother mention the relations between the two families. But after thinking carefully, he also realized that his father had never said any good words about the Luo Village either. Even Yang Zheng, who knew all those tales about the martial arts world very well, had always tried to avoid talking about the Luo Village.
âNot just unfriendly. Hostile. Itâs said that it was the family members of the Luo Family were the officials in the Imperial Court who had persecuted General Gu to his death. Marshal Yang owed so much to General Gu, but not only did he refuse to avenge General Guâs death, he also became a servant of the Luo Village for three years. And yet you all still call him a hero?â
Gu Shenweiâs mind was in a mess. Heâd always thought that his father Gu Lun had held no grudges against anybody in the Imperial Court. Even Wei Song had said so. But judging by Tu Pianpianâs words, the Gu Family had actually had an irreconcilable enmity with a foe that had a powerful background.
And Marshal Yangâs deeds were also very strange. Three years as a servant sounded somewhat similar to Gu Shenweiâs stint at Golden Roc Castle, but he hadnât sought revenge. âMarshal Yang didnât kill anyone of the Luo Family?â
âOf course not. Marshal Yangâs on very good terms with the Luo Family. When he was acting as a hero and mediating disputes here and there, did you think that people would listen to him for his own sake? Itâs the Luo Village behind him. They colluded with each other and both were experts of fishing for fame.â
Dog Butcher said in a low voice, âIn any case, his heroic deeds are still real.â
Fan Yongda said to the Dragon King in an even lower voice, âLord Weiâs also an enemy of the Luo Family.â
Gu Shenwei had known about since long ago that the Kongtong Sect was working for Wei Song, so it was natural for them to be involved in the disputes in the Imperial court. Judging by Tu Pianpianâs attitude towards the Luo Village, Wei Song was clearly not a friend of the Luo Village either.
âWhat are the relations between the Qingcheng Sect and the Luo Village like?â Gu Shenwei put his confusion aside. Their purpose was to find the weakness of Lu Mian, not to rake up old stories of the previous generation.
âVery simple. The Luo Family happenss to be the current leader of the martial arts world, and they have family members who are also high-rank officials. When the Qingcheng Sect failed to mediate between the disputes of the two candidates for the title of Sect Leader, they had no choice but to ask the Luo Family to make the decision. But the Luo Family wasnât stupid. They used the candidates to work for them by saying that whoever brought the Khanâs head back would gain the Luo Familyâs support.â
Dog Butcher hadnât set foot in the martial arts world for a long time, and also didnât talk much with his sister, so he was enjoying the stories very much. âWhy are there two Sect Leaders of the Qingcheng Sect? Is this Lu Mian a family member of the last Sect Leader Lu Tong?â
Tu Pianpian glared at her younger brother as she replied, âLu Mian is Lu Tongâs son. How do you not know even this? Lu Tong died early. And back then, Lu Mian and his brother hadnât achieved much in terms of their swordsmanship, so they didnât dare challenge Liu Qingpu. Now that they think theyâre ready, they started a fight for leadership.â
âAnd his brother?â Dog Butcher had been paying great attention to the details of the story.
âLu Mian and Lu XinghuiâŠâ
âLu Xinghuiâs dead,â Gu Shenwei said. He suddenly recalled that swordsman from the Central Plains.
This had taken place before the Tournament of the Royal Court, when Chu Nanping had suddenly comprehended the secret of practicing the Emotionless Swordsmanship. Gu Shenwei had taken him along to the slums in search for a subject to practice their swordsmanship on. The first one was called Gong Ziying, who gave his sword to Chu Nanping as a present before he died and who told him that the name of the other person was âGong Xinghuiâ.
Lu Xinghuiâs swordsmanship was light and swift. Recalling the scene at that time, Gu Shenwei didnât think there were any similarities between his swordsmanship and that of Lu Mian.
âDead?â Tu Pianpian was surprised. âHow come? Lu Mian has never mentioned anything that would hint at that.â
âHe was using a pseudonym, so Lu Mian probably hasnât heard of it yet.â But Gu Shenwei was actually thinking that it was more likely that Lu Mian was pretending that he didnât know.
Having no interest in the two brothers of the Lu Family, Tu Pianpian shrugged. âWeâll put an end to this at noon tomorrow. Either the Dragon King will hand over the Khanâs head, or the people of the Central Plains will give up. I can finally leave this damn place.â
âBut if so, wouldnât the head be taken by the Qingcheng Sect?â Dog Butcher thought that his sister had missed an important part.
âShut up! The Kongtong Sectâs plans are none of traitorsâ business.â Tu Pianpian reprimanded.
After winning the head position, the Qingcheng Sect had to deal with more sect disputes, which was not the part that Gu Shenwei was interested in. âIt seems that Lu Mianâs swordsmanship is not from the Qingcheng Sect.â
âHaha!â Tu Pianpian forced out several loud laughs, âI knew that the Dragon King wanted to know the details of Lu Mianâs swordsmanship. Sorry, but I canât tell you.â
Dog Butcherâs eyes suddenly lit up. He knew his sister so well that he identified the problem immediately, âSo you failed to comprehend Lu Mianâs swordsmanship as well, didnât you?â
âDo you still want to return to Kongdong Mountain? Do you still have the face to kneel in front of the Sect Leader and the Ancestral Masterâs tablets?â
Dog Butcher bent slightly at the waist and lowered his head after being rebuked. He had lost his momentum and didnât dare to speak anymore, neither truth nor lies.
Gu Shenwei walked out of the tent. The rain had just stopped and the sky was very clear, with shining stars and a bright moon.
Tens of disciples of the Kongtong Sect were standing around randomly. Their eyes were not focused on anything in particular, but their weapons were in their hands.
Further away, 5,000 Norland cavalrymen were preparing for a war. They didnât change their formation because of the heavy rain.
After several miles on their way back, Gu Shenwei said to Long Fanyun, âYou return to the camp first. I have something I need to deal with first. Old Man Mu, come with me.â
Although Long Fanyun was very surprised, he wouldnât question the Dragon Kingâs order. It was Dog Butcher who spoke up first. âDragon King, itâs late. The kung fu competition is at noon tomorrow. Donât you need some rest?â
Old Man Mu had been yearning to go out for several days and immediately replied, âShut up. The Dragon King has his own plans. Mind your own business.â
âIâll catch up.â
âLet me and Fan Yongda come. We can help.â Dog Butcher was eager to go out. After several years of closed-door cultivation, he now longed for an adventurous life in the martial arts world very much.
Dog Butcher and Fan Yongdaâs kung fu skills were not very compatible with that of the killers of the Western Regions, but the two were familiar enough with the people of the Central Plains and could be helpful, so Gu Shenwei agreed.
Thus, after midnight, the 5,000 Norland cavalrymen returned to camp but the Dragon King and the other three were still in the wilderness.
Fang Wenshi wouldnât sleep that night. After hearing this news, he was very disappointed. He started complaining to himself that the Dragon King was becoming less and less like a commander in chief, and several hours later, these complaints became public.
It was almost noon, and the people of the martial arts world of the Central Plains came to the camp by invitation. But the Dragon King still hadnât appeared.
âA king has to be true to his words. Behind the scenes you can make any plans, but in public you have to be true to your word. The time for the competition is at noon, so it has to be at noon. You canât be even a moment late⊠Dragon King, where are you?â Fang Wenshi flushed in his anxiety.
Long Fanyun was terrified and held himself accountable for this competition. He straightened up and said, âLet me do it. After all, they never said that Dragon King had to take part in the competition himself.â
Long Fanyun was a valiant general, but he wasnât good at martial arts competitions. Shangguan Fei was the first to shake his head, but he didnât want to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. âMo Lin, your sabersmanship is the best among us, and youâve also fought them before.â
âI can do this,â Mo Lin said flatly. âAgainst Liu Qingpu, I think that I have a seventy percent chance of winning. As for Lu Mian, less than thirty percent.â
âWhat should we do?â Fang Wenshi was scratching his ears and cheeks. âWhat did I say back then? We shouldnât have agreed to compete. But now that we did, we mustnât lose.â
âLet me have a try.â
There were still several kung fu experts in the camp. Han Wuxian and Shangguan Yun didnât volunteer. Instead, it was Chu Nanping.
Fang Wenshi was greatly confused. Although he knew nothing about kung fu, he had gleaned something from the Dragon Kingâs remarks: this teenage swordsmanâs kung fu skills had greatly deteriorated and was not as good as before.
âYour sword⊠didnât it snap?â Fang Wenshi said carefully.
âI have an extra one,â Chu Nanping replied flatly.
Fang Wenshi suddenly noticed that Tie Linglong who had always stood by Chu Nanpingâs side was not around. He thought to himself, âIt seems like this pair of love birds had a quarrel. I hope that heâs not making a joke out of this serious affair of the Dragon Kingâs.â