Pang Jing languidly sprawled in a chair with his right arm resting on the table, randomly scribbling on the surface with his fingers. "Who hired that stupid big guy?"
There were only two people in the room. Luo Qikang was standing behind Pang Jing to his side. "Why? Did he let the cat out of the bag?"
"Heh. He didn't even know where the cat is. How could he let it out? But… the Dragon King's reaction was somewhat different from what I expected. I had thought of several plans to 'snatch' that guy up, but he actually offered to give him to me, and he also sacrificed a servant. What is he up to exactly?"
"The Dragon King is very sinister and likes to make weird moves. But deep down, he's still a killer who trusts the saber in his hand more than anything else."
"Alas. My good brother, forget about the Dragon King's personality, will you? Just tell me what he is going to do next."
"I can only make speculations."
"You've dealt with the Dragon King several times before, so your speculations should be more accurate than mine."
"The Dragon King insisted on giving that sabersman to you, saying that he wanted to lure the enemy out. So, he himself will surely come here to observe, and he will come by stealthily. If by any chance he is spotted, then he'll just say that he came here to give you a hint."
Pang Jing suddenly straightened himself up and looked around nervously. "Do you think that he's hiding somewhere nearby now?"
"As long as I'm here, he wouldn't dare come near this place." Luo Qikang's bland tone was full of pride.
Pang Jing burst into laughter. He liked making small jokes, especially at people like Luo Qikang, as jokes usually worked better when told to serious people. Like a sugarcane coated in sugar, he piled himself into the chair again. "The Dragon King is very smart. Even if he is a killer, he is a smart killer. This show's audience is the residents of Jade City. He wants to prove to everybody that he was not the mastermind responsible for that robbery."
"Humph. Even the children in Jade City know that the Meng family's wealth fell into the Dragon King's hands. Do you really think that he can deny it?"
"Don't underestimate the Dragon King. I keep having this feeling that he's playing some kind of trick."
"That's because the look on his face is always cold, which makes you feel like he's anticipated everything."
"Ha-ha. You really do hate the Dragon King deeply."
"He killed my younger brother and ruined the reputation of the Luo family," Luo Qikang said resentfully. Of course he hated the Dragon King, as he had more than one reason to do so.
"He also made you admit defeat in public." Pang Jing blinked with a teasing smile. "Rest assured. I'll help you get a small part of your revenge by making him swallow the bitter pill in silence in front of all residents. Have you invited all our guests?"
"I have. What about the Dragon King's servant?"
"Have him brought here." Pang Jing had a well-thought-out plan, believing that he would surely see through the Dragon King's true intention.
Pang Jing was very confident, but Qin Yeming had no idea what he should do at all.
He couldn't understand why the Dragon King had "sent" him to this Central Plainsman. Was this his punishment for quitting the Warrior Battalion? It seemed too lenient. Part of it was because the Governor of the Western Regions didn't even treat him as a prisoner. Gao Yang had been jailed, but he on the other hand, was living in a guest room, and there were even servants waiting on him.
Was the Dragon King testing him? Qin Yeming believed that it was possible. But he had only met the Dragon King twice, and everything that he knew about the Dragon King was from rumors. How could he accurately guess the Dragon King's thoughts?
'Even a small hint would be nice.' Qin Yeming was deeply concerned, and his palms were covered in sweat. After hearing that the Governor of the Western Regions had summoned him, he became even more nervous.
Watching this flustered teenager, Pang Jing thought that the Dragon King really did have a lot of talented subordinates, which included this teenager that was so good at acting.
"What's your name?" Pang Jing asked amiably.
"Qin Yeming," the teenager answered respectfully, his hands drooping.
"Which two characters?"
"'Ye' is the word 'night'. 'Ming' is from the word 'tomorrow.'"
"Um. That's a good name. Who gave it to you? Your parents or your teacher?"
The conversation seemed natural and casual, which greatly alleviated Qin Yeming's nervousness. "I don't know. I was very young when I was brought to a training camp. I don't even know who gave me my surname."
"Oh, poor kid. You don't look like a servant. How did you become the Dragon King's servant?"
"I volunteered." Qin Yeming naturally followed the principle of killers. He didn't disclose the fact that he had used to be a Warrior whose job was to kill people.
Pang Jing walked up to the teenager, grabbed his hands, and scrutinized his palms for a while before saying, "These are a sabersman's hands."
"I… I've quit using weapons. I'll never touch them again."
"Why?" Pang Jing asked in astonishment, before turning around and walking towards his seat.
After the Central Plainsman sat down, Qin Yeming answered, "I'm a coward who can't stand the sight of blood and corpses. I've never liked sabers or swords."
"Heh-heh. You're willing to admit that you're a coward, which is truly a brave deed. Why did the Dragon King let you be his servant? Because you're a coward? You'll have to deal with a lot of blood and corpses if you follow him."
Qin Yeming couldn't explain. He had followed the Dragon King for less than an hour, and the first order that he had been given was to go with the Central Plainsmen. "The Dragon King… The Dragon King…"
"You don't have to answer if it's not convenient. You should keep the information about your master secret."
The Central Plainsman's easy-going attitude made the teenager feel relieved, and he involuntarily started comparing him to the Dragon King, feeling that this person in front of him was more like a good master in all aspects.
Qin Yeming didn't ask Pang Jing for his permission, and it didn't seem presumptuous either. For the rest of this day, Qin Yeming stayed close to the Governor of the Western Regions for almost the entire time, as if he were his personal servant.
Pang Jing was a person who liked to be busy. He received guests, dealt with military affairs, and inspected the mansion. It was not until the third night-watch that he finally went to bed.
Qin Yeming returned to his own room and lay down on a strange bed. He started reviewing the past few hours, feeling even more uncertain about his situation. Though the Governor of the Western Regions had just chatted with him without asking him any sensitive questions, he clearly knew that the Governor was trying to co-opt him. He had to either keep acting dumb, wait for an opportunity to return to the Dragon King some day, or make an appropriate response and find himself a new master.
The teenager kept weighing the pros and cons of the two choices, tossing and turning on the bed. It was not until dawn was about to break that he finally fell asleep.
Luo Qikang also didn't sleep that night. He still believed in his judgement, feeling that the Dragon King had probably already sneaked into northern Jade City, and that he might even be hiding in the mansion of the Governor right now. The Dragon King didn't dare go near him, but he dared to go near the Dragon King.
But he was disappointed. He didn't know whether he had misjudged him or if the Dragon King had hid himself too well. Luo Qikang didn't find anything unusual. Though the arrest of the murderer Gao Yang had aroused a lot of discussion, nobody had come here to save or kill him, and there were no intruders either.
In the morning, Luo Qikang saw his failure reflected in the teasing look on Pang Jing's face. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he asked, "Is it possible that the Dragon King has guessed your plan?"
"It's possible, but even if he did, what can he do? Does he have any other choice besides to jump into the trap? Unless he's willing to make a clean break with the Central Plains, which would mean abandoning all the effort that he has made during the past few months, it won't happen. Um. We should take precautions. Today, you must stay by my side."
Luo Qikang nodded. "Actually, I hope that the Dragon King dares to take a risk."
"Ha-ha. You will risk my life to get your revenge?"
"The Dragon King is no match for me." Luo Qikang's face turned sepulchral, which was how he showed his anger. "He thinks that his vulnerability will stay hidden as long as he doesn't pull out his saber, but I know where his vulnerable part is. One sword strike - I just need one sword strike. After that, the Dragon King will never trouble anyone again."
"Don't be anxious," Pang Jing yawned with a slightly sleepy face. "Enemies are the best pawns. The Dragon King will be of great use. Today, let's just make him swallow a bitter pill in silence. I bet that he won't risk coming here."
Pang Jing washed his face with cold water and got rid of most of his sleepiness. He took a towel from Luo Qikang's hands, but didn't wipe his face right away. "Let me do some extra careful thinking. The Dragon King… The Dragon King… What other choices does he have?"
That noon, almost all of the bigwigs in Jade City congregated in the Governor's mansion. The Unique King was the only one who didn't come. Zhang Ji was his plenipotentiary representative in his stead.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, leaders of trading companies cautiously fawned on the potential Lord of Jade City. They tried to express their support for one side without offending the other.
The kung fu competition concerning the selection of the Lord of Jade City was about to be held, which was a golden opportunity for them to develop relationships, because the most powerful sides were also trying to co-opt them.
Gu Shenwei came to the mansion by way of invitation. He was given a warm welcome and a lot of meaningful gazes, and he also saw many acquaintances.
Shangguan Ru was present, mingling like a fish in water on this occasion. Including Pang Jing, almost everybody was willing to make friends with her, as if she would no doubt become the Lord of Jade City. In fact, everybody knew that the leader of the Kun Society would be very helpful for them to develop a good relationship with the Lord of Jade City regardless of whether the Unique King or the Dragon King won the kung fu competition.
Lotus also entered. She was dressed in plain clothes and wore an apathetic look on her face. Besides her servant, Shangguan Hong, nobody else dared to get close to her. Hardly anybody thought that the Waning Moon Hall stood a chance in this competition for the position of the Lord of Jade City. The rumors about the female lunatics also deterred most people.
Shangguan Ru greeted the Dragon King in a natural manner but never approached him again after that. Lotus, on the other hand, departed from her normal behavior and directly walked up to Gu Shenwei and apathetically asked, "Where did you send Han Fen? She's a disciple of the Waning Moon Hall."
"She can't keep freeloading at my place. I sent her to do something for me. She'll tell you the details when she comes back."
Without asking any further questions, Lotus walked to the other side of the hall with an icy look on her face.
Many people heard their conversation, but nobody cared about it much.
In Jade City, there were several industries in which most of the workers were women. Therefore, apart from Shangguan Ru and Lotus, seven or eight female industry leaders had also been invited. They all gathered around Shangguan Ru, trying their best to fawn on her.
What everybody cared the most was the subject of this conference. It was said that the whereabouts of the Meng family's wealth had been pinpointed. Even if the money had nothing to do with them, they still wanted to see it with their own eyes.
The Dragon King didn't know when, but Zhang Ji appeared beside him then, saying, "I think that a monetary competition is the best way to select the Lord of Jade City rather than a kung fu competition. The residents of Jade City prefer the former."
Zhang Ji then looked at Shangguan Hong, who was standing besides Lotus. He had an unconcerned look on his face. Nobody knew by who he wanted his words to be heard by.
Gu Shenwei twisted his head aside and said to the dignified teacher, "The thing that everybody likes the most is their money, which is why they need someone to protect it for them."
Zhang Ji shook his head and said no more.
All in all, more than thirty bigwigs had arrived. Though every one of them had their own respective designated seat, none of them sat down. Pang Jing walked among the crowd, greeting each and every one of them, as if he was an old friend of everybody's. He even enthusiastically conversed with the chilly Master Commander of the Waning Moon Hall, and audaciously complimented her in front of all those people, saying that she was like a female celestial coming from heaven.
Lotus didn't seem to dislike it.
The time for exchanging usual pleasantries was now over. Standing in front of the conference table, Pang Jing loudly said, "Behold, the Second Young Master Meng. Today, he is going to demand the return of his family assets."
As if unconsciously, Pang Jing's eyes swept across the Dragon King, and with that, he became even more confident. 'The Dragon King doesn't have a choice,' he thought.
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