Maid Lotus also peeked inside. After they had returned to the room, she told Gu Shenwei that she could not identify the bodies.
The two headless bodies could be anyone.
Before dawn, a mournful scream woke up the whole village. Everyone soon learned that a granddaughter of the chief was assassinated, along with her personal maid. Their heads were both cut off.
Who was cruel enough to assassinate two defenseless weak women? The clansmen and merchants in the village immediately thought of the Golden Roc Fort. The son of the Dongshan Mountain Tribe’s chief had just chosen his fiancée, and then his fiancee’s head was cut off. It was obvious that the Golden Roc Fort had done this.
The Dragon King easily got rid of suspicion. In the eyes of ordinary people, Ha Chilie was a subordinate of the Dragon King. He wouldn’t do this to his own man.
Ha Chilie wasn’t very enthusiastic about the marriage, but ending it in this way was beyond his tolerance. As soon as he heard the news, he went to see the fat chief. He swore to avenge his fiancee.
“The murderer is not only the enemy of the Gulping Wind Gorge, but also the sworn enemy of Dongshan Mountain Tribe. Even if I have to chase him to the ends of the earth, I will kill him myself. ”
Ha Chilie’s anger was appreciated by many people, especially the fat chief. He had always been able to keep his equanimity, but he had suffered a heavy blow by losing two kids in succession. He appeared to be much older all of a sudden.
Gu Shenwei was also present at the scene and gave the typical condolences. Most of the time, he was observing carefully.
The grief of the fat chief was sincere, no flaw could be detected. But this time, only one of his many granddaughters died, he looked even more sad and withered than when he lost the seventh young master. That was a little bit incongruent.
Guan Shang was also there, still unobtrusively hiding among the maids.
After all, Dragon King and Ha Chilie were outsiders, so they soon left.
On the way, Ha Chilie kept silent with his head down, seemingly preoccupied.
He probably still suspected that the Dragon King was the murderer. Gu Shenwei did not intend to tell the truth now. They would carry out the plot of Maid Lotus soon, and then everything would come to light naturally.
” Dragon King. ” When they almost arrived at their residence, Ha Chilie stopped. He looked around to make sure nobody was watching and then said, ” I don’t know how to say this …”
” I don’t want to lie to you, but I can’t tell the truth right now, so don’t ask.” Gu Shenwei hoped to get rid of Ha Chilie by saying so.
However, Ha Chilie looked very confused. Apparently, he had no idea what the Dragon King was talking about. Gu Shenwei realized that he was wrong about Ha Chilie’s intention, “Speak your mind. What’s the matter? ”
Ha Chilie looked around again, ” Please come to my room.”
Gu Shenwei hesitated for a moment and then agreed. Ha Chilie and his tribe were very important in Wushan and would be a powerful ally of the Great Snowmountain now and in the future. It was worth it to draw them over to his side even though there were risks.
Ha Chilie’s room was next to the Dragon King’s. His room was also medium-sized with complete facilities and gorgeous decorations. The fat chief really did not treat him as an outsider.
Ha Chilie was still not at ease even after shutting the door. He pushed open the window and peeped out. He looked even more nervous than before.
Gu Shenwei was holding the hilt of his sword. This little trick couldn’t fool him. There were at least two others hiding in the room.
Ha Chilie turned around and saw the Dragon King on full alert. He explained immediately,” Don’t get me wrong. It’s not me who wants to see you, it’s her…”
Hardly had his voice faded away when the cabinet door in the corner opened silently. Two women came out. The younger one was around 15 and panicking. The older one was around 20 and alert just like the Dragon King.
Gu Shenwei was surprised. He vaguely knew the identities of these two, but still felt that it was strange.
Ha Chilie pointed to the younger girl and said, ” This is Miss Ming Zhen.” Then he pointed to the older woman,”This is … ”
” My name is Han Xuan. ” The woman introduced herself,” I’m half a disciple of the New Moon Hall. ”
Ming Zhen was the fiancee chosen by Ha Chilie. Han Xuan was naturally the master discovered by Maid Lotus. They should be dead in the bedroom instead of standing in front of the Dragon King.
The situation had changed dramatically. Gu Shenwei still held the hilt of his sword and remained silent. This time, it was the two women who had “come back from the dead” that needed to explain.
Ming Zhen was a pampered young lady. It was not easy for her to still stay conscious after a sudden accident. She couldn’t speak at all, so Han Xuan took it upon herself to speak with the Dragon King.
” You must be surprised. ”
“Yes.”
” Did you see the bodies last night? ”
“Yes.”
“Where is Maid Lotus? I want her to stand in front of my eyes. Her hiding in the dark makes me nervous. ”
Han Xuan’s attitude was somewhat aggressive, and Gu Shenwei did not feel like ceding to her wishes. “If you wanna tell me something, say it now. I can’t stay for long and I think you have even less time.”
Han Xuan seemed to be on the verge of losing her temper but she quickly restrained it. She sighed, “Yes, there is no time. Let’s cut to the chase, Dragon King, Miss Ming Zhen and I need your protection.”
” Let’s start from the beginning. Who are the two bodies? ”
“Two washerwomen. Their names don’t matter. They are our scapegoats.”
Even a perfect speculation could be riddled with loopholes. Gu Shenwei’s previous speculation had been merely based on a few words and his understanding of human nature. He lacked sufficient understanding about the Gulping Wind Gorge and the family of the fat chief. He did not ignore any clue, but there was simply some information he couldn’t get access to.
Ming Zhen, nominally the granddaughter of the fat chief, was actually his own daughter. She was once very favored, but after her mother died, the favor had faded away.
Her mother died unexpectedly, leaving nothing but the grievances of the previous generation.
Han Xuan’s life experience was more complicated. She was abandoned shortly after birth at the gate of the stockaded village and adopted by the chief’s family as an illegitimate daughter of slaves. When she was around six years old, a mysterious woman came here suddenly. She taught her kung fu and told her that her family name was supposed to be Han and her biological mother was somebody who had a great history.
The mysterious woman came once or twice a year. Another woman named Yan Er had come four years ago. She was the one who told Han Xuan about the New Moon Hall. She claimed that Han Xuan’s mother had been a major figure in the Hall, and had asked her to take care of Han Xuan before she died. She then asked whether the previous mysterious woman had left some kind of secret manuscript.
Han Xuan had nothing in her hand. In fact, she had only learned a few normal kung fu moves but knew nothing about occult sciences. She was barely a master, and she had never really had a fight with anyone.
Yan Er stayed here and eventually believed Han Xuan’s words a year later. But she became interested in the Gulping Wind Gorge. She had a set of skills that Han Xuan would not speak of and soon won the favor of the fat chief.
Han Xuan was forgotten and continued to be a maid. She had no idea about the level of her kung fu, so she had never thought of leaving the Gulping Wind Gorge to explore the jianghu alone.
Ming Zhen was the second lady she served. They sympathized with each other. Both of them once had a mother who could protect them. And they both had suffered from the fickleness of the world since their mother passed away.
Not long ago, more and more strange women came here, all of whom were Yan Er’s acquaintances. They hid themselves using this identity and rarely made public appearances.
When the traitors of the New Moon Hall needed a bait to mislead the Dragon King and Maid Lotus, Han Xuan was remembered again. She could not use occult sciences, and her kung fu had nothing to do with the New Moon Hall. She was the ideal candidate.
As for Miss Ming Zhen, her death was all in vain. Besides, no one cared about her life except for the fat chief.
This plan should not have gone wrong. Ming Zhen was only a pampered kid. Han Xuan was older but had no experience in jianghu. Even though she knew that the human heart was sinister, she still couldn’t see through the plot. She didn’t know how to hide herself in front of a real master, so she was the best ruse to attract the attention of Maid Lotus.
Guan Shang and others underestimated Ming Zhen. Even though she was only 15 years old, she had a better understanding of the fickleness of human nature than Han Xuan. She was much more mature. What remained childlike was only her face, not her mind.
Ming Zhen was invisible, like air. Family members thought little of her and rarely avoided her when they were talking. She figured out that Han Xuan was in danger, and then deduced that she must also be in danger.
The two washerwomen were sisters, who died at the same time just two days ago. Ming Zhen had come up with the idea and Han Xuan carried the bodies of the scapegoats.
Even at this time, they did not consider about escaping from the Gulping Wind Gorge to fend for themselves, but decided to find a backer.
Ha Chilie was naturally selected.
Ming Zhen had a good impression of this tall and rugged man. “Let’s go to him and let him tell the truth to the Dragon King.”
It was still Ming Zhen’s idea, but she hadn’t said a word since she entered the room. Han Xuan did all the talking.
No one could figure out a truth like this, even he was way smarter than Gu Shenwei.
” How many women of the New Moon Hall are there in the Gulping Wind Gorge?” Their story of escape was intriguing, but Gu Shenwei was more concerned about the enemy’s situation.
” I don’t know, probably … seven or eight. ” Han Xuan despised Yan Er for her behavior, so she never took part in or paid attention to her affairs.
Ming Zhen quickly looked up at the Dragon King and seemed to want to say something, but the words vanished on the tip of her tongue, leaving her lips moving silently.
Han Xuan interpreted the meaning of her immediately, ” Oh, she said at least ten, no more than fifteen, mostly living in the Jiuqu Cave. ”
” Where is the Jiuqu Cave? ”
Han Xuan looked at the Dragon King with surprise, as if not knowing about the Jiuqu Cave was an unforgivable mistake.
Ha Chilie knew that the maid had a very weird temper, so he answered for her, ” It’s a cave in the north of the stockaded village. It’s said to have twists and turns inside, so it is called Jiuqu Cave. It’s a sanctuary for the clansmen of the Gulping Wind Gorge. It hasn’t been used for many years, has it? ”
“No one has used it since I was young, but the people here all know Jiuqu Cave.” Han Xuan still felt that Ha Chilie’s explanation was redundant.
” When did Guan Shang come to the stockaded village?” Gu Shenwei didn’t care about Han Xuan’s attitude after he learned about her personality.
” Guan Shang? Who is Guan Shang? ”
” A woman about 30 years old. She pretends to be a maid, and is always standing close to the chief. ”
” Her, maybe a month or more.”
“Forty-five days.” Miss Ming Zhen finally opened her mouth. Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito.
Gu Shenwei made a rough calculation. Forty days was the duration Wushan tribe coalition forces had to fight against the Great Snowmountain in the Land of Fragrance.
No one believed that their enemy would be the Dragon King when the nobles of the Land of Fragrance came to Wushan to seek reinforcements. Now it seemed that some people had taken the news seriously. It might not be a coincidence that Maid Lotus had run into traitors of the New Moon Hall in the Gulping Wind Gorge.