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Gu Shenwei did not move and at the last minute, suspicion flooded its head again, trying to convince him to abort the mission. Even Shangguan Ru could very well be part of the trap now.

Three years ago she was still a child who loved to dream, and who knows what she has become after three years of house arrest and being out of favor? , he thought. When he saw her at the entrance of the Four Truths Temple, she was astride a big horse and looked formidable; it seemed like she still retained her lofty aspirations from the past.

Besides, he knew that people with ambitions were never afraid to change themselves in order to fulfill their dreams.

There was a commotion in Lotus Yard – a place across from them – as Gu Shenwei remained indecisive on the rooftop.

Armed with sabers, a group of men in black was surrounding Shangguan Ru’s quarters. There were at least 50 of them and some were only dozens of steps away from Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus.

The female corpse on the rock garden had been discovered.

After they had finished setting up the ambush around the house, a few of them went up to knock on its door.

With all of this happening at a distance from Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus, coupled with the dark night, they were not able to clearly see what was happening. There seemed to be an argument occurring, but the figures clad in black still managed to enter the room in the end; however, they quickly returned in a state of panic as if they had been taught a lesson.

In spite of this, they managed to confirm that the Dragon King was absent and therefore signaled their companions to retreat.

It was already past midnight, and would soon be daybreak.

“I’ll go and look over there,” Maid Lotus said softly before quietly disappearing into the night.

Gu Shenwei leaped onto and landed on the ground. He dashed across the walkways swiftly and jumped onto the wall of the Lotus Yard, observing his surroundings for a while. He noticed there was light coming from one of the rooms and a blurry figure was reflected through the windows.

All of a sudden, another scene from a different night flashed across his mind. It was still midsummer and the air was filled with the fragrance of flora as he leaped into the yard. Picking up a pebble under the Hai Tang tree, he used it to knock on Shangguan Ru’s window.

There was also a tree planted in Lotus Yard. Subconsciously, Gu Shenwei walked up to it, grabbed a small fistful of hard snow and flicked it lightly onto the window of the lit room.

Unlike last time, no one was peeking out from the window; they were still groggy with sleep. The shadow of the figure was motionless, but weirdly, the door opened slightly with a crack and woke Gu Shenwei from his imagination.

He waited for a while before inching towards the door, entering the room swiftly with his saber in hand and paying close attention to any sign of movement.

Shangguan Ru was seated at her desk and resting her chin on one hand. Her other hand was tracing absentmindedly on the table top, and she was gazing listlessly at the flickering candle flame. The expression on her face was a mix of the familiar immatureness and mischievousness from three years ago, yet it exuded the elegance and aloofness of a teenage girl as well. She did not seem to have noticed that a man had entered the room with her now.

Gu Shenwei immensely regretted his decision. Although there was no trap here, it was entirely different from what he had pictured and how he secretly hoped their reunion would be; however, he had to say something, so he spoke up, “I’ve come…”

He stopped midway, not knowing what exactly he had come for.

“Little Chu and Miss Tie are with me.”

Gu Shenwei was surprised beyond words; he thought that the news of Chu Nanping and Tie Linglong in Bodhi Garden was a lie intended to lure him into a trap. Never would he have imagined that it was true.

“Take them away with you later,” she continued, still not looking at him. It seemed as though an important secret was contained within the flickering flame, making it a must for her to keep staring at it. “They are not familiar with North City, therefore I’m not comfortable letting them wander about on their own.”

“Thank you,” said Gu Shenwei with much difficulty, feeling relieved to have got it out.

“Yeah,” replied Shangguan Ru, her tone neither warm nor cold. Her gaze had not shifted away from the flame by even an inch, and all Gu Shenwei could see in her eyes was the dance of the flickering light.

The two of them did not speak for a while and Shangguan Ru did not summon Chu Nanping nor Tie Linglong either. She seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts and treated the Dragon King just like how she used to treat Slave Huan in the past: as a trusted slave who did not require any special attention, instead of as the Dragon King who was now feared throughout Jade City.

Gu Shenwei felt the rage welling up inside him, so he cocked his head and said coldly, “Let them come out. I’ll repay the favor; however, don’t expect too much in return.”

“Am I your enemy as well since my family name is Shangguan?”

“Yes, you’re right. You’re my enemy, not only because of your family name but also because you betrayed the two giant rocs. They were family to me as well.”

Shangguan Ru seemed unmoved by what he said, but she stopped tracing on the table. After a while, she replied, “I’ve always wanted to apologize to you for that. I would also like to apologize to the giant red-crowned roc who was always with you. I guess it was their child, right? At that time, I didn’t know a thing about the cruelty of death. Killings brought my father joy and it made me happy as well, in the past; however, these aren’t important. You have the right to take revenge and you can act now; I promise that no one will come and stop you.”

Gu Shenwei gripped the handle of his saber tightly, yet he could not find it in himself to move it by even an inch; it was as though the saber itself had grown roots like how a rock left in its place over the years would. “I won’t kill you today in return for you handing over Chu Nanping and Tie Linglong,” he said, finally finding a suitable excuse for himself.

Shangguan Ru averted her gaze from the flame all of a sudden and looked at Slave Huan – or rather the Dragon King as everyone called him now – for the first time since their reunion. She showed him the smile that he was so familiar with, saying, “Is this the real you? You were pretending all along in the past, weren’t you? It must have been terrible living in the same castle as your foes, serving the daughter of your enemy.”

It felt like a brazen attempt to taunt him and Gu Shenwei felt a sincere desire to kill Shangguan Ru for the first time in his life. He replied, “I could endure it because I knew that I would eventually be able to get my revenge.”

Shangguan Ru looked apologetic after saying those words; she did not understand why she said something so hurtful. Perhaps, she was still bitter about the fact that she gave him her trust when she was young and ignorant. It was the only chance in her life to trust somebody and she had chosen to give it to Slave Huan, only for him to turn into the pale-faced male stranger standing in front of her now.

Despite being forced against her will to get used to dressing as a woman, even though she had never held a real saber for more than three years now, the pride was still within her. As her apologetic feelings soon passed, she said, “This is what I wanted to tell you as well. You can have your revenge – but within limits. I won’t allow you to take innocent lives; not everybody named Shangguan is guilty.”

Gu Shenwei found her words laughable as his initial anger subsided. Perhaps the past three years of being under house arrest had trapped her forever in the temperament of a 14-year-old. Here she was, thinking that she was still the Tenth Young Master and he was still Slave Huan who was always at her beck and call. “I have forgotten about that fact that you had been practicing Wayless Qigong all this while. I hope your kung fu has not deteriorated and that I will still have a worthy opponent when the time comes for us to fight a decisive battle to the death.”

Upon hearing his sarcasm, Shangguan Ru’s eyes revealed a tinge of pity. It was unclear to whom the pity was addressed to; however, she said, “I don’t kill and I will not kill anybody. I’ve already tasted enough of the pain that comes with killing. I only hope that you’ll come to understand this one day – not now, not when you’ve yet to avenge your family, but I don’t want you to pass the point of no return.”

“No one can stop me,” replied Gu Shenwei. He raised his voice unknowingly, and his face became stern – this was the demeanor that left the swordsmen of the Great Snowmountain in awe of him. “The path of vengeance is never-ending, and only death can stop all of this from happening.”

The man before Shangguan Ru was scary and unfamiliar, and it was hard for Shangguan Ru to believe he used to be Slave Huan. His words, however, had stirred up her pride and ambition. She was unable to kill, but that did not mean she would bow down to any threat posed to her. Standing up, she replied in a tone nearly as cold as his, “I will prove to you that there are other alternative paths in this world.”

The two of them glared at each other, the flame dancing about in their eyes ready to burst forth at any moment.

Shangguan Ru was the first to stop staring as she began to laugh. This was not the Slave Huan she was familiar with, but another character who was even more interesting. It had been years since she had last felt so elated.

However, Gu Shenwei was infuriated by her abnormal reaction. “Do you not believe that I will kill you?” he asked.

It was a foolish question, and he regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He understood the absurdity of empty threats many years ago but did not expect himself to actually use one at such an inappropriate moment.

“I believe you,” Shangguan Ru replied, still looking amused despite no longer laughing. This made her resemble herself from three years ago. “You are the Dragon King who kills like it is second nature, right? I’ll be waiting for you to strike. Take your people away and tell them to never break into the Stone Castle again. I don’t recall us doing such a rash and foolish thing at their age.”

Shangguan Ru was no more than two or three years older than Tie Linglong and Chu Nanping but spoke as if she was a Jianghu veteran herself. Furthermore, Gu Shenwei could clearly remember the times when she had committed many foolish acts in the past and a lot of them were even more rash than what the two youths did.

Gu Shenwei’s pale and stiff face trembled slightly, a sign that he was trying hard to control his laughter. It made him seem a little weird, but he quickly regained his composure. “Why would Lady Meng allow you to bring them down the mountain?” he asked.

“Let the two of them tell you.”

The sounds of footsteps sounded from outside the door, and before the attendant showed herself Shangguan Ru quickly added, “Thank you for helping me to solve such a huge problem.”

Gu Shenwei wanted to ask what she would do if Meng Mingshi had not died back there – at the gates of the Golden Roc Fort. Since you’re incapable of killing, would you try to run away? He thought to himself.

At this moment, the door opened and a maid brought Chu Nanping and Tie Linglong in, thus he had no other option but to hold back his questions.

The two of them looked very strange. Tie Linglong was dressed as a male servant from Golden Roc Fort, and she would have looked somewhat similar to the young Shangguan Ru if not for her green eyes. Chu Nanping, on the other hand, was dressed in female clothes, and it actually looked good on him – so much so that Gu Shenwei didn’t recognize him at first glance.

Chu Nanping was uneasy and extremely embarrassed by his outfit.

However, Tie Linglong did not seem to care what she was wearing. Upon seeing the Dragon King, she gave a cry of surprise and suppressed her voice before saying, “I knew you would come, Dragon King.”

Gu Shenwei wanted to give them a harsh scolding but now was not the time to do so. As such, he merely ordered, “Follow me.”

Tie Linglong cheered softly at first, but upon seeing Shangguan Ru still sitting at her table, she was dismayed and surprised. “Isn’t Sister Ru coming with us?” she asked.

“No,” replied Shangguan Ru with a slight smile. “This is my home, and besides, I am enemies with the Dragon King,” she continued.

“Enemies?” Tie Linglong was increasingly surprised. “How is it possible? Hasn’t the Dragon King come for you…”

“Let’s go,” said Gu Shenwei, leading the way out of the room with Chu Nanping following closely behind.

Tie Linglong looked around and hurriedly said to Shangguan Ru before leaving, “I’ll convince the Dragon King to change his mind.”

Once they had leaped over the walls of the yard, Chu Nanping immediately removed the ornaments from his head. Just when he was about to throw them away, he was stopped by Tie Linglong, who had hurried over and snatched them away from him. “Don’t just throw them anywhere. Do you want to leave evidence behind?” she asked.

Maid Lotus did not show herself, but Gu Shenwei knew she was observing nearby. As a result, he did not try to look for her and quickly took the two youths out of North City.

Security in North City was tight, and without someone who was familiar with its details – like Gu Shenwei – leading the way, it would definitely be difficult for Chu Nanping and Tie Linglong to safe escape.

The three of them remained silent on their way back. Tie Linglong was anxious to tell the Dragon King about her adventures with Chu Nanping, but Gu Shenwei was in no mood to listen to her. Dawn was breaking over the horizon, dispersing the dark night away just as they arrived back at the Residence of the Dragon King. The border between South and North City was exposed in its entirety, leaving nowhere for anybody to sneak around.

Shangguan Ru was right, Gu Shenwei thought. He had known all along that they were enemies, but it was hard for him to accept that fact sometimes.