318 Reunion (1/2)

Chapter 318: Reunion

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

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.

hangguan 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.”