Tuo Nengya laid down on the ground after he was pierced through his chest . He was found an hour later at the entrance to his tent, surprisingly still alive.
It was Ha Chilie who found him. Though he was taken aback, he was calm and immediately dealt with Tuo Nengya’s wounds.
When Tuo Nengya regained his consciousness, he found out that Ha Chilie had not revealed the news of his assassination. “Disband the army, especially the new recruits,” he said in a weak voice.
There was a shortage of supplies in the barracks, meaning only veterans were equipped with armor. The new recruits were mostly dressed in their own clothes.
Tuo Nengya caught a glimpse of the assassin while he was escaping from the tent. He was sure that the assassin was a new recruit.
Tuo Nengya realized that he did not have much time left. He did not want to hand over an army that was laden with spies and assassins to the Dragon King.
In his life, he had narrowly escaped being killed many times, so he understood that one would eventually lose in a battle against death. No matter how many times he dodged death, it would still eventually find him.
That time had finally come for him. He was glad that he was still calm and fearless in the face of death. That meant a lot to him.
Tuo Nengya was a proud macheteman. People like him were rare in Jade City and throughout the Western Region.
Technically, he had never pledged his allegiance to anyone. Though he had worked for the First Master of Golden Roc Fort and the Dragon King, they were not his masters. He was merely returning their favor.
The favor might not be significant to those men, but Tuo Nengya held himself to a higher standard. He would decide how and when to return the favor based upon his own judgment.
Before dying, he reflected on his considerably long life. Though he still had many regrets, he could confidently say that he would be leaving this world without owing anyone anything.
Death was steadily approaching. Tuo Nengya was prepared for it, but he would not give up prematurely. He soldiered on until he saw Maid Lotus.
Maid Lotus was a symbol of the Dragon King. They were like mirrors that reflected each other. When he saw her, he finally knew what he was waiting for. There was something that he wanted to tell the Dragon King. “Ten years, Supreme King…” he said.
More than five years ago, Tuo Nengya stopped himself from killing the spineless Shangguan Fei. He had told the Slave Huan that the Supreme King was the only one who was worthy of being his opponent, and that he would occupy the Golden Roc Fort within ten years.
While Gu Shenwei had not taken these words seriously, the old macheteman had always remembered it.
Maid Lotus did not understand what Tuo Nengya said, but she knew who these words were meant for. “I’ll relay your message to the Dragon King,” she said.
The old macheteman exhaled his final breath.
“I want revenge,” Ha Chilie said angrily as he clenched his fists. His respect for the old man had grown day by day in the past few months of them working and fighting together. Tuo Nengya’s death was a huge blow to him.
When he looked at Maid Lotus, he saw her as a manifestation of the Dragon King. He waited for her to make a decision.
Maid Lotus felt no grief, for death was common to her. Besides, as a killer, she instinctively suspected that the murderer was Ha Chilie.
It was very likely that the war beyond the mountains had already begun. Their most crucial task was not avenging Tuo Nengya. Maid Lotus turned to Wu Zhongheng and said, “With Tuo Nengya dead, you’re the leader here now.”
Her words shocked Ha Chilie.
Feeling somewhat awkward, Wu Zongheng immediately gave them a brief overview of the Dragon King’s raid plan. “Lord Tuo’s death is a huge loss to our army but we can’t disband the troops yet. We must leave immediately so we can make it to the final battle as soon as possible,” he said.
“But… But there are spies from the Golden Roc Fort hiding in the army…” said Ha Chilie.
It was Wu Zongheng’s calmness in critical moments that earned him the Dragon King’s favor. However, he realized that he did not enjoy being in these kinds of situations. He came here thinking he would be aiding Tuo Nengya, but this burden had unexpectedly fallen on his shoulders.
“Lord Wu, please tell us what you’re thinking. Now isn’t the time to be polite,” Maid Lotus said, trying to encourage him after noticing that he was hesitating. Being the Dragon King’s most trusted guard, her words commanded quite a bit of respect.
Ha Chilie and Wu Zongheng were both vice commanders of thousands. Wu Zongheng was formerly an interior officer in the An Kingdom, so he was particularly sensitive to titles. He had just arrived in the barracks and did not want to give the impression that he was trying to usurp power.
Ha Chilie understood that avenging Tuo Nengya was not the most pressing task, despite his fervent desire to do so. He bowed his head and said, “Lord Wu, please give your command. We will follow it.”
After pausing for a moment, Wu Zongheng said, “I am not familiar with the current situation here. Lord Ha, this matter will be in your hands.”
Ha Chilie casted a glance at Maid Lotus, and Maid Lotus nodded to him. “If they continue to act like this, I will make a decision for them,” she thought.
“My advice is to divide the troops in two,” Ha Chilie said.
“We have over 3,000 veterans in total. Wu Zongheng can take them to the ambush location ahead of time. Most of them are from the tribe, so they are more trustworthy. The rest of the more than 1,000 new recruits will stay here. After I find and remove the spies from them, I will immediately take the rest to meet Lord Wu and join the final battle.” Ha Chilie decided.
Wu Zongheng had the same idea, so he agreed to it. He also suggested that Maid Lotus stay here. He said, “If there are killers from Golden Roc Fort, Lord Ha might need a helper.”
Maid Lotus excelled in handling killers from Golden Roc Fort. “If I went to the field, I would be of less help,” she thought and, therefore, agreed.
“Three days. I only need three days. I will set out after three days, no matter whether or not I have rooted out all the spies. If possible, please wait for us for a little longer. I do not want to miss the final battle,” Ha Chilie said, wanting to avenge Tuo Nengya as well as dying to join the battle.
Several of them were discussing military affairs. Han Xuan became impatient. She walked up to Ha Chilie and said, “Mr. Ha, was that dead man your father?”
Ha Chilie turned around and replied in surprise, “No, you’ve misunderstood. He was a macheteman…”
“Why did you become so excited then? Miss Ming is standing right here. Why are you always staring at other women?” she asked candidly.
Ming Zhen flushed instantly. She quickly commanded in a low voice, “Han Xuan, do not talk nonsense. Lord Ha has important matters to deal with.”
Han Xuan was fearless. She groaned, “Even a man who has important matters to deal with should not ignore his fiancée. A man’s eyes deliver his thoughts. He…”
Ming Zhen was so embarrassed and angry that tears streamed down her cheeks. She turned around and ran out of the tent. Han Xuan hurriedly followed her in confusion.
Han Fen thought that this was interesting. She grinned and said, “Miss Ming acted like a child. She burst into tears…”
Observing the Managing Master’s harsh eyes, she shut up immediately. Han Fen did not dare to disobey her master’s orders as Han Xuan did.
Ha Chilie was extremely embarrassed. “The old macheteman’s body is still warm. The Dragon King needs me to achieve his goal, but now I have been humiliated by a maid,” he thought.
They settled things quickly.
As Tuo Nengya’s death had not been revealed to the army, Ha Chilie assumed that the assassin was probably still in the camp. Therefore, he stopped demobilizing the new recruits, and then announced that Lord Tuo had been assassinated. Wu Zongheng swore to them that the Dragon King would honor Tuo Nengya’s promises to the troops.
At night, the army was divided into two parts. Wu Zongheng took charge of the veterans for a night’s rest before taking leave the next morning, while Ha Chilie was in charge of the new recruits. Ha Chilie claimed that they would stay here for the time being to handle some things.
Maid Lotus brought five disciples from New Moon Hall. She sent the five disciples, including Han Fen, to follow and protect Wu Zongheng. She would stay here to help Ha Chilie.
Ha Chilie patiently persuaded his fiancée to return to Gulping Wind Gorge.
He had a sound reason: now only the new recruits were left in the military camps, and some of them might be killers from Golden Roc Fort. If she insisted on staying here, she would be in danger.
Hearing his words, Ming Zhen was devastated. “I have no status in Gulping Wind Gorge. Since the fat chief’s death, I have been isolated. That’s why I overcame my shyness to come up here to meet you…
“However, you were not delighted to see me, which disappointed me the most. Han Xuan was right. A man’s eyes can expose his thoughts,” she thought to herself. When Ha Chilie looked at Maid Lotus, Ming Zhen saw something in his eyes. Although she was an inexperienced girl, she knew that Ha Chilie had feelings for Maid Lotus.
Ming Zhen finally agreed to go back to Gulping Wind Gorge.
Han Xuan was outraged. “If Miss Ming had not threatened me with her life, I would have rushed to fight Mr. Ha,” she thought to herself.
Tuo Nengya was very prestigious among the generals and soldiers. His death pervaded the whole barracks, casting a sad atmosphere over everyone. That night, a bonfire burned in the barracks, and many people stood vigil for him. The machetemen who had followed him for years were overcome with grief. Among them, ten had been chosen as representatives to enter the tent and bid farewell to Tuo Nengya’s remains.
Han Xuan could not tolerate such atmosphere. She was still angry. Crazy as she was, she was simple-minded. She had served Ming Zhen for years. Although she was just ten years junior to Ming Zhen, Han Xuan had always treated her as her daughter. She believed that it was her duty and responsibility to protect Ming Zhen.
Han Xuan spent a long time coaxing Ming Zhen to stop crying. After Ming Zhen fell asleep, she walked out of the tent quietly.
To prevent spies from Golden Roc Fort from escaping at night, they fortified the defenses in the military camp. Even so, no guards dared to stop new guests.
Han Xuan had a sensitive nose. She walked around, and then stopped in front of a tent with a shadow on it. She said, “I see you.”
Han Fen appeared with a look of anger on her face. She said, “You said that you would not interrupt my task.”
“I came to you for help. I’m going to kill Maid Lotus so that Mr. Ha will come back to Miss Ming. Tell me, will you help me?” Han Xuan asked.
“If you kill the Managing Master, I will kill you,” Han Fen replied.
“Why?” asked Han Xuan, confused.
“I can help you with anything, except this. No one can hurt the Managing Master,” answered Han Fen.
Han Xuan then understood that Han Fen served Maid Lotus. She asked, “So what should I do? I cannot defeat the both of you. Mr. Ha is a playboy, and he has broken Miss Ming’s heart.”
“I can help you. A man will fall in love with a woman once he has sex with her…” explained Han Fen.
“What? You mean Mr. Ha and Maid Lotus had…” Han Xuan began.
“No, you misunderstand me. I am not finished yet. As long as Mr. Ha sleeps with Miss Ming, he will not love another woman, including the Managing Master,” Han Fen continued.
“Are you sure?” asked Han Xuan, suspiciously.
“Of course I am. I can help you,” Han Fen said smugly. She had mastered Delightful Touches, which could be of great help for this.
After a discussion, they hid in the shadows. No guard on patrol saw them.
Han Xuan and Han Fen planned to kidnap Ha Chilie, but they found that someone else had done it before them.