Chapter 322: Humble Apology
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Guan Shang was extremely respectful towards Maid Lotus, to the point that it was bordering on fear instead. She would not even dare to raise her head or utter any other word, except for"Yes" when Maid Lotus was in her presence.
Gu Shenwei could feel that Guan Shang was slightly relaxed when they were using the huge crossbow on a mountain, but she became stiff again as soon as Maid Lotus appeared.
Gu Shenwei took notice of these interactions, keeping in mind that there were still a lot of questions about Maid Lotus that was unanswered. However, he would rather observe in secret than ask her about it.
Especially the fact that she could actually use the sword without any inhibitions. How did she manage it?
It was not just the swordcraft that made Gu Shenwei curious and even a little jealous.
They were like two deer spirits who were full of energy and vigor back there. Leaping forward in the pure winter night, stepping onto the solid snow road. At first, they just wanted to hurry as fast as they could, but it slowly led to a competitive race.
Gu Shenwei had already recovered most of his Internal Strength. Although he was like a galloping horse at his fastest when he was using about 70 to 80 percent of his strength, Maid Lotus could always keep up with him. She only lagged behind slightly as a sign of respect, not because he was beyond her abilities.
Gu Shenwei gave up trying to compete against her just as they were approaching Jade City. He acknowledged that his Lightness Skills were slightly inferior to Maid Lotus' skills.
While Gu Shenwei wasted about six months of his time fighting against qigong deviation, Maid Lotus had been practicing the correct version of the Wayless Qigong all these while. It was only natural that his progress was slower compared to hers.
A dull anger arose in his heart again.
"What will Old Meng do if First Young Master Meng dies?", Maid Lotus asked suddenly. It was still before daybreak and they were already back in the Residence of Dragon King.
"If he's as foolish as before, he will organize a large-scale attack. But if he's smart..."
Gu Shenwei's anger was interrupted by her sudden question but he had no idea what "clever Old Meng" would actually do.
Unlike foolery, which was often similar, cleverness could be unexpected, and sometimes even full of surprises.
Meng Yuzun's actions were definitely unexpected this time.
Almost nobody believed it when news of First Young Master Meng being assassinated broke out in Jade City. That was because not much people knew that he had left for Shu-lik, some of them even met him just two days ago.
But it was proven to be true as more news arrived. The First Young Master Meng was assassinated within a hundred miles of the city. What made it even more incredible was the fact that he was found dead with a woman.
In everybody's eyes, the First Young Master Meng had always kept a respectful distance from women. He hardly ever touched another woman except for his wife. "Women are just a source of calamity, you need one to give birth to children, but anything more than that is just risking it." This was what he usually said as he advised his acquaintances.
The First Young Master Meng whose desires were like that of a monk, was found hugging a half-naked prostitute. Their bodies were pierced by a long iron arrow and their blood blended together. It was difficult to separate the bodies for days on end.
That prostitute was not even famous. She was just working in a small alley within South City and weren't even qualified to work as a maid in Pleasure Alley.
Those who heard the news lamented at the fact that, for someone who had worked hard for all of his life, the woman that the poor First Young Master Meng had been found with was not as good as his housekeeper.
All of a sudden, Dragon King's reputation rose again. In addition to that, there was no evidence to prove that it was Dragon King's doing. Many people swore that they saw Dragon King strolling in South City with their own eyes when the incident happened. Therefore, it could not be him. But the death of First Young Master Meng was inevitably linked to Dragon King.
As a result, a legend was secretly born. After some gossip was spread by word of mouth, people in Jade City were divided into two factions. The conservative faction that believed that Dragon King had raised a team of killers, like the black-masked assassins of Golden Roc Fort. The fantasy faction, instead, was certain that Dragon King had already learned some doppelganger skill to deal with many things at the same time and he could summon his sword to kill people, "And don't forget, there's still the Demon Bird. Dragon King could just ride it and go anywhere he wants quickly."
Gu Shenwei did not care about these rumors, he was still waiting for Guan Shang's news.
In the end, Guan Shang brought back the most accurate information. While more than one hundred killers and machetemen almost turned up in full force looking for the traces of the assassin in the surroundings but could not find anything, Guan Shang took this opportunity to infiltrate the empty camp and took a look at the situation from up close.
First Young Master Meng died, the arrow was shot through both his and the woman's waist, linking them together. Guan Shang would not be able to shoot it so accurately even in the daylight.
Gu Shenwei was waiting for Meng Yuzun's counterattack. As long as Golden Roc's killers were not helping out, the Meng family could hire all the machetemen from South City they wanted to, in order to take revenge against Dragon King. In any case, Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus knew how to deal with it.
To their surprise and to all of Jade City's surprise, Old Meng admitted defeat.
He apologized so profusely that Gu Shenwei was somewhat at a loss.
On the morning of the third day after First Young Master Meng's death, a surreal peace prevailed around the Residence of Dragon King. All of those unknown machetemen who came looking for trouble were gone.
That day, Fang Wenshi did not attend the meeting for the peace negotiations, instead, he frantically ran to the Residence of Dragon King, bringing with him a piece of astonishing news, "Meng Yuzun is coming to seek peace, he'll be here in a moment."
The military counselor was out of breath, his lips trembled as he spoke. He, himself was also puzzled by this news.
As predicted, before Fang Wenshi even calmed down from the adrenaline rush, the guards already announced a visit from Meng Yuzun.
The patriarch of the Meng family from North City, the richest man in the Western Region, dragged his fat body along while carrying a twig of a chaste tree behind his back. He walked out of his house and completely ignored the questioning of others. His actions created doubts in North City, which was then followed by a big commotion in South City.
A humble apology. Old Meng wanted to offer a humble apology to Dragon King. This news reached the incredulous ears of people at an incredible speed. A quarter of an hour later, thousands of people poured into the streets, following Old Meng at a distance.
Meng Yuzun came alone without even a single attendant following him from behind. He entered the enemy's territory completely defenseless. Opening his arms, and with a grief and humble expression on his fat face, he said: "I surrender to Dragon King."
Old Meng stood under the newly erected Red Raven Flag that was in the middle of the front yard. He put his right hand on his heart, and bowed profoundly, uttering words of defeat. He then lifted the edge of his robe and was prepared to kneel.
Gu Shenwei did not expect such a scene to occur. In all his experience as a killer, there has never been an end to the fight between two enemies. The fights were usually to the death of either party. Apart from the good-for-nothing Shangguan Fei, he has never met a person who would beg for forgiveness and admit defeat so profusely as this one.
Gu Shenwei grabbed Old Meng's arm and help him stand up before he could kneel down.He did so while hiding his strength and guarding against a sneak attack. Despite being very capable at kung fu, Old Meng did not have any intention to sneak an attack. Right now, Meng Yuzun was just a father who was suffering from the loss of his child.
"It's my fault. This is all my fault." Meng Yuzun was covered in tears, "It was me who provoke Dragon King at first. I even set up a plan to imprison him. I am a foolish old man who only saw the money in my hands and failed to notice that there were more powerful forces around me. I lost my child. I have learned my lesson."
His words and expression seemed so sincere that the swordsmen from the Great Snow Mountain could not bear to look on. They went away one by one.
"Today, I stand in front of Dragon King, begging for forgiveness and also hoping to end the war." He continued talking, as humble as a deferential mountaineer who has just met the king, "but I do not dare to beg for my life. My life, my family's property, all I have now belongs to Dragon King. You can do whatever you want. I only hope that Dragon King could spare the lives of my other two sons. They haven't taken part in any action against Dragon King. I am willing to exchange my life for theirs."
Jiang was already wiping away her tears as she looked at Dragon King from the back. She would rather kneel down and beg for mercy herself, but she did not dare to do so.
Thousands of residents from Jade City crowded the streets outside the gate. Old Meng's words were relayed exactly. Even those who initially wanted to see the drama were moved to tears. Everybody was absolutely quiet, listening attentively to Dragon King's reply.
Countless pairs of eyes were staring at the expressionless Dragon King.
Dragon King took three steps back very slowly. The spectators were trembling with fear. Meng Yuzun could not understand as well.
Dragon King then bowed profoundly to return the bow from Old Meng. He moved forward to remove the twig of the chaste tree on Old Meng's back with his own hands and threw it aside. He then raised his voice so that everyone, even the people outside the residence could hear. He said: "The Great Snow Mountain and the Meng family have no hatred, Dragon King is willing to make an enduring fraternal bond with the Meng family."
There was silence, which was then followed by sudden deafening applause.
Dragon King and Old Meng turned from enemies into good friends in a short amount of time. This was even more sensational than the simultaneous marriage of the ten sons of the Supreme King. Even when a prostitute was doing the deed with her customer, this topic was all he could talk about.
Meng Yuzun set up a banquet and Dragon King invited him back. The Governor congratulated him by holding a banquet as well, and so did the Special Emissary from the Central Plains. One by one, it went on like this for seven days.
The whole of Jade City was immersed in a joy of peace.
After all the outsiders were completely gone on the day when Old Meng sought peace, Fang Wenshi went to Dragon King to congratulate him on his victory and praised him for his appropriate response that noon. "To tell you the truth, I was still a bit worried back there, hahaha." He confessed.
Gu Shenwei, however, was not so happy. He asked for the military counselor's opinion on Old Meng's sudden move. After thinking about it for a while, he uttered the same sentence he once said to Dragon King, "As long as you reach your goal, being aboveboard or by hook by crook doesn't matter. "
Gu Shenwei shared the same sentiments.
Looking back suddenly, he realized that everything had been going on too smoothly lately. The main reason was that Golden Roc Fort faithfully abided the temporary armistice agreement and did not challenge the Great Snow Mountain. This was not exactly Supreme King's style. There must be something big hidden within their obedience.
The Meng family from North City was known as one of the most important allies of Golden Roc Fort. The Meng family could even be considered as the pillar for Golden Roc Fort. For them to admit defeat publicly and not actually seeking any help from the Supreme King really rang several alert bells for the constantly suspicious Dragon King.
But he could not find a flaw.
He used all his strength. New Moon Hall had already let Guan Shang expose herself in advance in order to save Dragon King. They took another risk and demanded their people inside the castle to dig out any information, which resulted in nothing.
Everything was normal at Golden Roc Fort. Whether if they were common slaves or high-positioned chiefs, everyone was deeply shocked by Meng Yuzun's action. Rumor has it that Lady Meng almost fainted when she heard about the news.
Many people advised the Supreme King to resolve the situation between Dragon King and the Great Snow Mountain as soon as possible, but he always beats around the bush on the pretext that he could not break the peace negotiation agreement.
There was only one month left until the end of the three-month temporary armistice, but a permanent peace negotiation was almost near. It seemed that the Supreme King was losing his last chance to eliminate future problems.
Gu Shenwei could not figure out what kind of game Supreme King was playing. The fawning attitude of Meng Yuzun made him extremely uneasy. He of all people knew exactly what it means to endure a moment of humiliation.
It was about two weeks before the New Year when Fang Wenshi received a piece of news that clear up some of the doubts Gu Shenwei had regarding his enemy's strategy.
The princess of a small country in the Western Region had reached the age to get married, and she was choosing the Emperor's son-in-law.
Fang Wenshi received a confirmed information from the Special Emissary from the Central Plains, which revealed that the Supreme King's son, Shangguan Fei, was also on the list of the possible candidates.
"Supreme King wants to become a real King this time!" said Fang Wenshi, all worked up.