Chapter 278: Reward
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Gu Shenwei was tricked by Maid Lotus three years ago. Maid Lotus had tampered with the seventh chapter of Wayless Qigong. Thus, Gu Shenwei had practiced with the incorrect version. Till now, the Frosty Qi in his Dantian had not been completely removed.
If it was possible, Gu Shenwei would never want to remember that six months after fleeing from the Stone Castle.
He and the Giant Red-crowned Roc were hiding in the mountains while avoiding all strangers. They had led a savage life. The Giant Roc had to fly far away to get food.
The chill in his Dantian was constantly getting stronger. Although it was summer, he felt as cold as if it was winter.
Apart from eating, he had spent many sleepless nights on practicing the correct version of Wayless Qigong. He was fighting for time against qigong deviation. He could temporarily suppress the chill as long as his Internal Strength was strong enough.
He was able to survive, thanks to dwarf Immortal Peng. By practicing the Secrets of Love at Joy Pavilion, his meridians were unblocked and he quickly recovered his skills. He was able to counterbalance the Frosty Qi in his Dantian after a few days.
However, the chill was becoming worse. Under the torture of the endless chill, his face became pale and was unable to return to its original state.
There was a bitter war occurring in Gu Shenwei's Dantain. As a result, he was unable to sleep well. If he didn't practice his skills for two hours, the Frosty Qi would penetrate into his bone marrow and make him shiver. It forced him to wake up.
At that time, he didn't know when such a hellish life would end. He often wanted to end his life, but the Giant Red-crowned Roc dissuaded him from doing so.
The Giant Roc knew that this human was in great pain, but it was willing to protect, feed and console him. It chased away all wild animals within a five kilometers radius and it flew far away to get all kinds of food, just like what its parents had done before. It carefully thought of the human's tastes and changed recipes constantly.
When the human became weak and wanted to end his life, it would flap its wings and danced awkwardly to entertain him. When the human became cold, it would use its feathers and body to warm him up so it could reduce his pain slightly.
However, it didn't allow human beings to climb onto its back. There was one time when it carried him on its back, but it was a critical moment and there were no other options. There would never be a second time. It was a holy giant bird and it was neither a pet nor a mount.
Gu Shenwei was exposed to the elements as he lived like a wild animal during the last two months. He was almost naked.
He persevered and survived. However, he hadn't removed the root of the problem. The chill in his Dantian would relapse every one to three months and he would experience hell for the next twelve hours. He had to use all of his energy to counterbalance the chill throughout its entire duration.
Only Chu Nanping knew a little about Gu Shenwei's condition. When the Dragon King was fighting against the chill, he needed a protector. The Giant Red-crowned Roc used to take on this role, but due to its unparalleled love for freedom, it would disappear for seven to eight months. Hence, the young swordsman had to take up this role.
"Dragon King, are you recuperating again?" Chu Nanping asked. Gu Shenwei's face was paler than usual. This was the indication that the moment was coming.
"Yes. Within three days."
Both of them had just escaped the killers' encirclement and were running through the narrow streets of South City. They had to choose those deserted paths and to avoid the faint moonlight.
There were no safe spots in Jade City, and Gu Shenwei didn't want to hide in the mountains so soon. He wanted to do something as there were still three days left. At the very least, he wanted to find the person who betrayed him.
It was either Shopkeeper Lyu, Mister Zhao or Immortal Peng who betrayed the Dragon King. He temporarily excluded Xiao Fengchai as she was the latest one who knew about the Dragon King's infiltration. Golden Roc Fort might have even learnt of this news earlier than her.
At dawn, the Dragon King's whereabouts were exposed and everyone knew about the Dragon King's escape. Spies who were sent by the various forces in Jade City mushroomed. They were wandering around in their respective spheres of influence and gave out wanted posters. Whenever they saw a stranger, they would interrogate him even if he was a beggar.
Strangely, there were six to seven different kinds of rewards in the city at one time. Golden Roc Fort, North City Meng Family, and other unknown mysterious forces were the sponsors of the search. The monetary rewards ranged from ten thousand to fifty thousand silver taels. Meng Family was not the one who offered the most money. It was Stop Kills Society who offered the most rewards. Furthermore, they wanted to capture the Dragon King alive.
Gu Shenwei removed Immortal Peng from his list of suspects due to the reward offered by Stop Kills Society. The scholar obviously had no intention to share his information with Golden Roc Fort.
The other rewards weren't concerned about the Dragon King's fate. One of them caught Gu Shenwei's attention. It specifically mentioned the Dragon King's swords and even knew their names: Dragon Head Sword and Five Peaks Saber.
The sponsor didn't reveal his name, but he said that he would contact the person with the sword. The reward was twenty thousand taels.
After Gu Shenwei disguised himself again, he was wandering around in the most lively places in South City. He was drinking tea and chatting with the people. The new Governor, the two women in Stone Castle and the hunt for the Dragon King were the three hottest conversation topics in town. Gu Shenwei usually didn't talk much, but now he became talkative. Gu Shenwei had to thank Tie Hanfeng for his guidance. He knew how to say pleasant rhetoric.
Chu Nanping hid outside the city. His swordcraft was good but his conduct was no different from that of an eleven-year-old. Thus, he would be easily identified.
Chatting was useful as Gu Shenwei managed to integrate with the residents in the city. After two hours, no one regarded him as a stranger and several machetemen went past him without paying any attention to him.
Two swordsmen came to drink tea at noon. They ran all morning and were getting tired. They hadn't seen the Dragon King and had only collected a pile of conflicting news.
"I heard that he was arrested at Pleasure Alley."
"But others said that he went to North City to kill someone."
"He may be dead, and the killer is thinking about which reward he should get."
"What is there to think about? Give Golden Roc Fort his head and wait for the sponsor to collect the swords. Both rewards are greater than that of Stop Kills Society. It's so simple."
"Sigh. I hope that I can find the Dragon King."
"Can you kill him?"
"That depends. If he is being hunted down and run past me coincidentally, I will trip and stab him. Ta-da. I have enough money for the rest of my life."
The crowd laughed and no one took it seriously. It was similar to having gold to fall from the sky and land on him. Everyone could imagine that. Even the old man who didn't know kungfu was also staring at the rewards. He said, "If I knew the whereabouts of the Dragon King, I would inform the sponsor and get half the rewards."
"I don't want the Dragon King. I hope that he will throw his swords at my feet when he dies. One cannot be so greedy. I will be satisfied if I can exchange the swords for twenty thousand taels," a cheeky teenager interrupted. He reminded Gu Shenwei of Xu Xiaoyi, who was in Shu-lik City.
To the residents of Jade City, their impression of the Dragon King was a large windfall.
What Mister Zhao said at the first meeting was right. Jade City residents hadn't heard much about the Dragon King. Although the Dragon King had killed countless people and had confronted Golden Roc army hundreds of miles away, it had little influence in Jade City. Few believed that the defector from Golden Roc Fort could match up to his former master.
Before the Dragon King had entered Jade City, the military counselor Fang Wenshi had once urged him not to kill people there. It was better for him to build a good rapport with all parties and get the support of Stop Kills Society.
Gu Shenwei suddenly realized that the military counselor's suggestion was not entirely feasible. He had to build his own influence so that his words would be meaningful.
That stab at Xiao Fengchai's house probably aroused the killer's desire for blood. That was the desire he hated, but he couldn't get rid of it. It was secretly influencing its master to find a reason to resume killing people.
That night, Gu Shenwei headed to Southwall Tavern first. He discovered two watchmen. In order to avoid their attention, he went to the backyard and sneaked into Shopkeeper Lyu's bedroom. Shopkeeper Lyu was his first suspect.
At dawn, Shopkeeper Lyu had just finished his business and was startled by the unexpected appearance of the Dragon King. He almost called in all the guards that were outside the room. Shopkeeper Lyu blew out the oil lamp and proposed some suggestions to the Dragon King in the dark. He suggested that the Dragon King should either flee back to the Western Region, hide in Hope Alley or approach Four Truths Temple for help. He didn't want the Dragon King to stay in Southwall Tavern.
Gu Shenwei asked a few simple questions. He didn't tell Shopkeeper Lyu about Xiao Fengchai's threat. He then left secretly. Lyu Qiying wasn't the informer as the informer would think of ways to dissuade the Dragon King from leaving instead of sending him off.
Gu Shenwei was slightly disappointed. Mister Zhao was recommended by Boss Tuo and was respected by South City machetemen. He hoped that Mister Zhao was credible.
Gu Shenwei arrived at Mister Zhao's house at daybreak. It seemed that the house wasn't under surveillance. He would rather wait until the sun had risen before jumping over the wall to enter the house. Everyone was less alert at this time of the day.
Mister Zhao lived alone. He was old and slept uneasily. He vaguely realized that there was a person standing before his bed. He opened his eyes and recognized the disguised Dragon King from his swords.
"Dragon King? Why ... Why are you here?"
"Many people are coming after me. I have no place to go."
"Yes." Mister Zhao sat up, put on his clothes slowly and lowered his head. He was obviously thinking of an idea. He then said, "I know of a place, but it may not be entirely safe. It is possible to hide there for two to three days. If the Dragon King doesn't..."
Mister Zhao then kept quiet. He was surprised that the Dragon King had drawn his saber out and was pointing it at his bony chest.
That single sentence was insufficient to conclude that Mister Zhao was the informer. If the other party was Shopkeeper Lyu, then Gu Shenwei would not have hesitated to kill him. He wouldn't have any regrets even if he killed the wrong person. However, he had to be impeccable because he was now facing an old macheteman, who was recommended by Boss Tuo.
"I still don't believe what that killer said," Gu Shenwei lied.
Mister Zhao's flabby cheeks flushed as though he became angry after being insulted. He quickly regained his composure and gave up on unnecessary lies and self-protection. He said, "Tell Boss Tuo that the machetemen now are not the same as before."
This was a lament and also a genuine confession.
Gu Shenwei accurately stabbed Mister Zhao's heart with his saber. Blood slowly flowed out. He pulled the saber out after the tension at the initial stages of death was lost.
This was the first person who the Dragon King had intentionally killed. He would kill more people in the next few days. It would not only shock the entire Jade City but would also create panic.