Chapter 291: Evidence
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
"Wildhorse is the imposter." Gu Shenwei walked into the hall and said this sentence in front of the representatives of the various forces. He then observed their reactions.
The special emissary from the Central Plains and the monk from Four Truths Temple obviously didn't know who Wildhorse was. They frowned and looked around in confusion.
Shu-lik's messenger, Shi Ying, did not express any emotion. He didn't dare to oppose the Dragon King because he was forced to bring him here. However, he would never support the Dragon King.
Mingshu, the second young master of the Meng Family, lowered his head and pretended not to know the Dragon King. He was determined to be an outsider and refused to have anything to do with the discussion today.
Governor Mo Chu looked away, as though he didn't hear nor see the Dragon King.
The chief from Golden Roc Fort sneered at him. He thought for a while before saying, "You are good at choosing people. Wildhorse was exiled by the Tenth Young Master a few years ago. We don't even know if he is alive. Of course, you can say whatever you want."
Gu Shenwei was confident because now Mo Chu and Golden Roc's chief had gone too far in their behavior, and this proved that both of them knew the truth.
"Words alone can't prove anything. I have evidence. If everyone wants to see it, then I can bring it out immediately."
"Amitabha." The monk from Four Truths Temple spoke, "Did Wildhorse kill Master Lianhua?"
"Yes," Gu Shenwei answered with great certainty.
"But ... why did he pretend to be the Dragon King and kill people in Jade City?" The monk seemed puzzled.
"Wildhorse was defeated by me. He wanted to take revenge and he also had other ambitions. He had infiltrated Jade City for some time and was hoping that Great Snowmountain and Golden Roc Fort would fight it out. He would then reap the benefits."
"What a joke." Golden Roc's chief hadn't thought of a rebuttal, so he had to use a disdainful tone to cover it up.
Fang Wenshi didn't know who Wildhorse was. In fact, both of them had once met each other at Iron Mountain camp, but Fang Wenshi couldn't recall it. However, he reacted quickly. He became more confident when he saw that the Dragon King was making an accusation in such a confident manner. He said sternly, "No wonder. This explains why these imposters are good at using sabers. Wildhorse must have taught them."
"The Dragon King had also learned Golden Roc machete skills," the chief immediately rebutted.
"However, the Dragon King was being hunted down by Golden Roc Fort. He only found a foothold at Great Snowmountain a few months ago. How was there time for him to pass on the machete skills?"
Fang Wenshi's words weren't entirely true. Gu Shenwei had been secretly grooming killers in Shu-lik even when he was fleeing. Although it wasn't very successful, very few people had known about it.
Indeed, Golden Roc's chief didn't know about it. The chief sneered. The special emissary from the Central Plains stood up as he felt that it was up to him to break the stalemate. He said, "This is simple. Since the Dragon King claims that he has evidence, then please bring it out for everyone to see. It will save us these unnecessary arguments."
No one made an objection. Gu Shenwei nodded slightly and said, "I can present the evidence immediately, but I want to say something first."
Golden Roc's chief snorted and hinted to the crowd that the Dragon King was up to something.
Gu Shenwei ignored him and went on to say, "Wildhorse wanted to disturb Jade City so that he could gather strong backers and supporters. If I take the evidence out now, it will eradicate Wildhorse's influence. However, it will also alert the enemy and the enemy will go into hiding. If I am given some time to investigate, I promise that I will find out the forces behind these killings."
Gu Shenwei looked at everyone and asked slowly, "Does everyone want to get rid of Wildhorse now or wait for a while?"
The special emissary from the Central Plains felt that the Dragon King should present the evidence immediately. However, he wasn't in a good position to take a stance on this matter, so he looked at the Governor and asked, "What do you think of this, Lord Mo?"
Mo Chu hummed in acknowledgment. He thought for a while and said, "The holy monk from Four Truths Temple was killed. Let's hear from the Master first."
"Er. If there's a mastermind, then it is best to catch him altogether. However, the Dragon King's casual statement couldn't convince the crowd, so it is better to bring the evidence out." The monk proposed a compromise which immediately won the approval of the special emissary from the Central Plains.
"Alright. Everyone, including the entire Jade City, will see the evidence before midnight. However, this is only a part of it. There is still more evidence, but I was hoping to wait until when everything is cleared up before bringing it out."
"That would be the best." The monk nodded continuously, "What do you think, Golden Roc Fort? After all, you are involved in the conflict."
Golden Roc's chief obviously didn't expect things to develop in this manner. He seemed uneasy as he looked at Mo Chu. However, he didn't get any hint from the Governor. He said, "I can't make the decision. I will have to ask the Lord for instructions."
Mo Chu started to lose his temper and said sternly, "Why can't you make a decision? The Dragon King, please present part of the evidence by midnight, so as to at least prove the existence of Wildhorse's and his ability to create chaos in Jade City. Then, you shall present all of the evidence within ten days..."
"One month." Gu Shenwei interrupted.
"It has to be a month." Fang Wenshi explained on behalf of the Dragon King, "Wildhorse should have strong backers and supporters. It will be very difficult to investigate them."
"One month it is then," said Mo Chu angrily, as if everyone in the room had offended him. "I will speak to the Supreme King about this. I think he will approve this on my account."
The others had nothing to add. Shu-lik's messenger, Shi Ying, and Meng Mingshu didn't say anything as they let the others come to a decision.
Golden Roc's chief immediately left. He was returning to the mountain to report the situation to the Lord. The others left one after another, while Gu Shenwei stayed with the special emissary from the Central Plains. Since Governor Mo Chu said that he would guarantee the safety of Dragon King, he left several guards behind to protect the Dragon King.
The special emissary from the Central Plains knew that the Dragon King had something to say to the military counselor so he returned to his room after exchanging greetings.
"Is there really such a person called Wildhorse? Is he impersonating the Dragon King?" Fang Wenshi immediately asked the Dragon King when both of them were the only ones left. He didn't even greet the Dragon King.
Gu Shenwei nodded.
Fang Wenshi breathed a sigh of relief as things were starting to change. However, he didn't know whether he could endure such ups and downs. He probably needed a strong heart to assist the Dragon King. He then asked, "Had he sent his men to kill people? Was he the one who erected the flags?"
"No. The first few cases were done by me."
"Well, it doesn't matter. No one will care about it as long as we catch Wildhorse. Alright. Let me see the evidence first."
"I have no evidence now."
Fang Wenshi nearly jumped up and asked, "No evidence?"
"As I said, the entire Jade City will see it by midnight. I don't have it now."
"This." Fang Wenshi shook his head excessively and said, "The Dragon King, please tell me the truth. Do you have the evidence?"
"Of course. I have made an appearance. What's the use of getting to this point by cheating?"
Fang Wenshi began to believe the Dragon King's words. However, he had more doubts. He said, " You claimed that there was a mastermind. Are you referring to Golden Roc Fort? The Lord certainly didn't want to proceed with the negotiations."
"He is one of them."
"One of them? And ... Norland? It is unlikely. Mo Chu was the target of an assassination just when he had entered the city ... Er, is the Dragon King the assassin?"
"No. In fact, it is obvious that Wildhorse will never kill the wrong person. Wildhorse and Governor Mo Chu were in cahoots. They created a smokescreen that Wildhorse had accidentally killed the concubine in officer's clothing."
"I see. Both Golden Roc Fort and the Governor are the masterminds behind this. But it's strange. Why did Mo Chu allow the Dragon King to continue to investigate?"
"Because he needs time to hide the evidence so that I can't find anything."
"Then what should we do?"
Gu Shenwei raised his head slightly and the military advisor roughly understood. The advisor seemed to be bad at plots and tricks. Gu Shenwei replied, "If he didn't hide it, how could I find the evidence?"
Fang Wenshi was enlightened. He could not help smiling. He said, "Would the Dragon King reveal the entire truth?"
"No, what I want isn't the truth. I want the Governor and the Supreme King to agree to the negotiations and give Great Snowmountain a break."
Fang Wenshi admired this young chap. He finally believed that the Dragon King was not only a killer but was also qualified to dominate the Western Region. He asked, "Whose idea was it to kill the holy monk? Four Truths Temple will not spare him."
"There is something wrong with this matter."
"What's wrong?"
"Wildhorse didn't kill Master Lianhua. I had seen the scene, and it wasn't done by a killer."
"Ah? But you just said ..."
"Yes, I said that it was Wildhorse. Apart from him, I haven't found anyone else who could have been the murderer for the time being."
Fang Wenshi didn't really know what to say. Lying with a straight face was one of the essential qualities that an ambitious and ruthless character must have. In this way, the Dragon King was praiseworthy, but — "What if the real murderer is exposed in the future?"
"By that time, Great Snowmountain may be at war with Golden Roc Fort again. It doesn't matter what others will think."
Fang Wenshi was shocked at how indifferent the Dragon King was when the Dragon King talked about war.
"I think the Dragon King should reveal some evidence to the special emissary from the Central Plains. He is the strongest supporter of Great Snowmountain."
"Well, how much did it cost?"
Fang Wenshi blushed. It was customary for counselors to make their own decisions when they spent money, but he didn't dare to tell the Dragon King about this. He answered, "Three thousand taels. General Zhong said that there were another thousand taels with him."
"Is he a general?" asked Gu Shenwei curiously.
"He's a low ranking general. I don't think many soldiers respect him."
Zhong Heng was good at plots and tricks. Gu Shenwei thought that Zhong Heng wasn't appreciated was probably because of this reason.
As it was getting dark, Gu Shenwei didn't visit the special emissary from the Central Plains. Since money could be used to get support, there was no need to maintain the relationship through discussions. Fang Wenshi went to the backyard twice and assured the emissary that the Dragon King would keep his promise.
After 9 pm, Fang Wenshi couldn't sit still. He kept running to the door as he thought that he could see the evidence fall from the sky.
Neither Chu Nanping nor the Dragon King was enthusiastic people. Although they hadn't met for days, they only nodded to each other. The young swordsman became the Dragon King's guard once again.
It was thirty minutes to midnight and Fang Wenshi couldn't hold it in anymore. He said, "The Dragon King, please tell me, this evidence ..."
Before Fang Wenshi finished speaking, a person who was hanging upside down suddenly appeared at the door, which was left ajar, and startled Fang Wenshi. He then recognized the person. She was Tie Linglong. He asked, "Eh, how did you ...?"
Tie Linglong jumped onto the ground before Fang Wenshi finished talking. She walked into the hall, smiled and said, "Why am I here? I walked here. Then, the Dragon King got me to run an errand. The guards outside were really bad. I just came in casually and no one noticed me."
Tie Linglong was proud. She gave the Dragon King a saber and a sword. Fang Wenshi then realized that the Dragon King was unarmed.
Gu Shenwei took the weapons and asked, "Is it done?"
"Well, Tianshan had laid an ambush and will attack Joy Pavilion soon."
Fang Wenshi didn't understand the meaning behind this sentence, because the Dragon King didn't explain it to him. The Dragon King held onto his sword hilt tightly and said, "It will be midnight soon. We need to prepare to welcome the guests."
Fang Wenshi then realized that the deadline set by Norland and the Central Plains would soon be approaching.