Death Scripture

Prince Xiao had left in such a hurry that a lot of problems had been left behind unresolved, and one of them really irritated Luo Ningcha. She had promised those leaders of the Iron Mountain encampment that she would give them brand-new armor and that everybody would get a bounty. However, the one who had promised to provide her with all that had left without first fulfilling his promise.

“All men are the same.” After venting her anger on the nearby furnishings and servants, Luo Ningcha said these words indignantly and sentimentally. “Before sleeping with me, they were willing to offer me the whole world as a gift. But after they got what they want, they ran away at a speed even faster than that of the Flame Foal. I’m so stupid. Why didn’t I behave as conservatively as I used to do in Royal Court? I should have just kept a distance away from these men, and let them be anxious and keep courting me.”

Her maidservants and servants knew of their female master’s temper, so none of them dared to remind her that it had been because of Prince Xiao’s intervention that the Unique King had agreed to “return” the over 2,000 Iron Mountain troops to the daughter of the Big Head God. She had actually gotten quite a lot.

Shangguan Hong was at the back of the crowd, trying to hide himself from his new master. He hated the Dragon King so much that even his teeth seemed to be itchy. For him, in this world, there was no punishment crueller than serving Luo Ningcha.

But Luo Ningcha wouldn’t spare him.

Shangguan Hong was her new favorite toy. The surname “Shangguan” alone made him worthy of her special attention. They used to be family members of equal status, but now, they had become master and servant. How could another change possibly be more exciting than this one?

“Shangguan Hong.” Luo Ningcha called for him in a flat voice, but it was Madam Meng that she was thinking of. There had been both disputes and reconciliation between her and Madam Meng. But the only thing that had never changed was their extreme, mutual hatred towards each other.

The servants made way for him. Shangguan Hong had no choice but to take a couple of steps forward and kneel on one knee. In front of the “female Commander-in-chief of the Iron Mountain Army,” every rule had to be followed. “At your service, master.”

“When will the Dragon King come?”

“The Dragon King said that he would come as soon as possible and that he was busy,” Shangguan Hong steeled himself and answered.

“You idiot! This is how you do things for me? ‘As soon as possible?’ Lies. You’re all frauds. All men… Oh, I forgot. You’re not a man any more.”

Head down, Shangguan Hong stared at the blanket. To his surprise, even if she had never physically hurt him, his hatred towards her was still more intense than that towards Shangguan Fei.

Luo Ningcha seemed to like this topic very much, but she felt that mumbling was boring. “Shangguan Hong, tell me what it’s like to be neither male nor female.”

Shangguan Hong had a complicated feeling well up. He clearly knew that he could kill everyone within this tent in the blink of an eye, but he had to lie prostrate on the ground, enduring the humiliation, which put his tolerance to the test. “No – Nothing special.”

“Really?” As she watched that “freak” curled into a ball in front of her, Luo Ningcha almost forgot about Prince Xiao and the Dragon King. “That’s true. Without that thing, a man will become normal. It is Madam Meng who probably has a special thing. Ha-ha. I really want to see the scene of you two meeting each other.”

Trying hard to suppress his killing intent, Shangguan Hong was trembling. Those servants behind him saw this clearly, but Luo Ningcha hadn’t noticed it. She recalled another interesting thing. “There used to be this maidservant of mine. She was blind and mute. It’s a pity that she died too early. Otherwise, you and her would make a perfect couple.”

Everybody was silent. Luo Ningcha wanted to throw something, but there was nothing besides her. She inexplicably became angry. “You cheap servant, I asked you a question. Stop playing dead!”

“Yes. We would have made a perfect couple. Unfortunately, she died too early.” The only thing that offered Shangguan Hong some comfort was that he had become someone different now. In the past, he had been powerless to defend himself. But now, he was capable of taking revenge. All he needed was merely an opportunity.

“And you.” Pointing at a dozen servants, Luo Ningcha once again recalled Prince Xiao and the Dragon King, both of whom had betrayed her. “From now on, if any of you dare disobey me, I’ll dig your eyes out, cut off your tongue, and make you marry Shangguan Hong. He doesn’t care about the gender anyway.”

Shangguan Hong’s tolerance was running out. Someone reported from outside the tent, which saved Shangguan Hong as well as Luo Ningcha and all the servants in the tent.

The Dragon King had finally arrived.

Gu Shenwei walked into the tent and saw that the servants were hastily cleaning the sundries and scraps on the ground. After packing those things away with their clothes, they paid their respect to the Dragon King and hurriedly ran outside.

When Shangguan Hong passed by the Dragon King, Gu Shenwei ordered, “You stay here.”

Briefly stunned, Shangguan Hong immediately returned to the corner. The pleasure coming from the fact that he was able to get his revenge whenever he wanted disappeared. The Dragon King was merely standing there, but Shangguan Hong felt so pressured that he almost forgot about the kung fu skills that he had gained.

Luo Ningcha’s frown tightened. “Why did you bring so many people with you?”

Gu Shenwei had only brought two people, Tie Linglong and Old Man Mu. Seeing that all the servants had left, he said, “I’m here to tell you something.”

“What is it?” Luo Ningcha asked perplexedly, having a faint feeling that the Dragon King was acting differently today.

“Watch your mouth. If you can’t, I’ll take action.”

“Take action?” These words were very strange to Luo Ningcha. Fear, suspicion, and anger started bubbling up within her, and eventually, anger won. “You want to kill me? I dare you to! You’re just a servant of my family. I call you ‘Dragon King’ only because I respect you. Ha. You little people got some power and now you actually dare to threaten me? If you touch me, the Central Plains will tear you and your so-called Dragon Army into shreds… ”

Gu Shenwei winked at Tie Linglong. With a cold face, Tie Linglong stepped forward, whipped out her saber, and slashed once. A piece of Luo Ningcha’s sleeve was cut off.

Luo Ningcha stood there, transfixed in silence, trying hard to comprehend what had happened. Without the Dragon King’s permission, Tie Linglong poked this annoying woman in the chest with her finger.

Tie Linglong had given up cultivating the Jueyin Finger Energy, but she still had the skills that she had already learned previously. This poke was nothing for a kung fu expert, but it was more than enough to send Luo Ningcha into a spiral of pain that she had never felt.

“Ah!” Luo Ningcha screamed, but under the threat of the narrow saber, she soon forced herself to stop.

She suddenly recalled that the Dragon King had once beat her, and that had happened during a reunion when they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. The Dragon King was the only man in the world who had ever abused her.

Her fear, which had lost the first fight in her heart, finally got the upper hand. Luo Ningcha refused to implore the Dragon King. She stared at Tie Linglong with a murderous look, but she did shut up.

Tie Linglong returned to her original position behind the Dragon King. Gu Shenwei asked Old Man Mu, “Which kung fu are you best at?”

Old Man Mu understood the Dragon King’s intention, so he said with a big smile, “What I’m best at is dismembering people alive while gutting them. But I haven’t done these things ever since I started working for the Dragon King.”

Luo Ningcha shifted her gaze from Tie Linglong’s face to Old Man Mu, but the fear in her didn’t increase. Old Man Mu stretched out his tongue and licked his lips, excitement and eagerness suddenly appearing on his wrinkled face. It was not until this moment that Luo Ningcha realized that what Old Man Mu had said was true. She was horrified. Previously she hadn’t dared to speak, but now, she was unable to speak.

Gu Shenwei called out the name of another person who was just as horrified. “Shangguan Hong.”

“At your service.” Shangguan Hong knelt down without any thought of resistance.

“From now on, you’re responsible for reminding Madam Luo to watch her mouth. If I hear her talk nonsense again, both of you will be punished.”

“Yes.” Shangguan Hong had never received a threat as pleasant as this one.

“Go and ask your master whether she understands my words or not.”

“Yes.” Shangguan Hong stood up, faced the Dragon King, backed up to a position five steps away from Luo Ningcha, slowly turned around, and then straightened himself slowly. “Master, do you understand the Dragon King’s words? He asked you to watch your mouth. No more nonsense.”

Luo Ningcha nodded, but Shangguan Hong wasn’t satisfied. “Master, you have to answer with words.”

Luo Ningcha gave an angry glance at Shangguan Hong. After suppressing her anger for a while, she said, “I understand.”

“Leave us,” Gu Shenwei ordered. Shangguan Hong quickly left the tent, but Tie Linglong and Old Man Mu didn’t move.

“You asked me to come here. What can I do for you?” Gu Shenwei asked, his voice as cold as usual.

Upon hearing that the Dragon King ask her a question directly, Luo Ningcha quivered. The look in her eyes was obedient and even a little pitiful. Gu Shenwei immediately recalled that she had learned this trick from Xu Yanwei.

“Actually, I do have an issue.” Luo Ningcha’s voice even became exceptionally tender, which was totally different from her usual voice.

She hoped that the Dragon King would have his bothersome subordinates leave, but Tie Linglong and Old Man Mu stood still. After pausing for a while, she had no choice but to continue. “It’s about those people of the Meng family. I don’t know why, but they suddenly contacted me. They asked me to give you a message: the Second Young Master Meng wants to meet you. The sooner, the better. It’s something urgent.”

After taking most of the money that the Meng family had, Gu Shenwei had never contacted Meng Mingshu again because he didn’t want to put the Meng family in danger. Meng Mingshu didn’t dare come here to meet the Dragon King either. Unexpectedly, he had thought of using Luo Ningcha’s relationship with the Dragon King.

“I got it.”

Seeing that the Dragon King seemed to have an intention to leave, Luo Ningcha no longer cared about the two outsiders. She stood up, walked a couple of steps forward, and called out, “Dragon King” in a voice both plaintive and eager.

Old Man Mu curled his lips and nodded, thinking, ‘This woman is so good at this.’ But Tie Linglong looked very angry, regretting that she hadn’t poked her harder.

With tearful eyes, Luo Ningcha seemed limp, which made her look even more seductive. If the Dragon King stretched out even just a finger, she would fall to the ground right away. But the Dragon King seemed even colder than a statue, so she had no choice but to keep playing feeble. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have mentioned Prince Xiao. I know how bad things could have turned out. I really do. Please stop blaming me. I’m just a stupid woman with nothing to rely on. You’re the whole world to me. If the world breaks apart, then I’ll be smashed into pieces, too.”

Tie Linglong was so angry that she felt like her lungs were about to burst. At this moment, her eyes were fixed not on Luo Ningcha but rather on the Dragon King. Once the Dragon King showed a scrap of weakness or sympathy, she would… Actually, she herself didn’t know what she should do. If Luo Ningcha kept acting in this way, then even she would become sympathetic towards her.

What comforted Tie Linglong was that although the Dragon King’s voice sounded a little gentler, his look was still cold, and he didn’t seem to sympathize with Luo Ningcha at all.

“You know what kind of person I am. Just talk straight.”

Luo Ningcha’s remarks were straight, but her tone was anything but so. “The Meng family has so much money. Please spare a small part of it to buy some armor for the troops of the Iron Mountain army.”

Gu Shenwei was surprised that Luo Ningcha actually cared about the Iron Mountain army so much. After thinking for a while, he said, “Leave the Meng family out of this. The Iron Mountain army will get their armor and weapons.”

Luo Ningcha had always believed that her pitiful eyes were able to conquer any man, but she had suffered a setback in front of the Dragon King.

The Dragon King left directly. Unsatisfied, Luo Ningcha actually started to miss him.

On their way back to the camp of the Dragon Army, Tie Linglong couldn’t help but say discontentedly, “Why did you promise to give the armor to the Iron Mountain army, Dragon King? I don’t think that that woman is going to be grateful to you.”

Old Man Mu answered her before the Dragon King could. “Ha-ha, why can’t you understand, little girl? It doesn’t matter whether that woman will be grateful or not. What matters is that those 2,000 Iron Mountain troops will know who gave them that armor.”

Finally, Tie Linglong was in a better mood.

Gu Shenwei hadn’t noticed the change in the little girl’s mood. He was wondering how he had forgotten about Meng Mingshu. If he was to eliminate Wei Song, then the Meng family of northern Jade City might be another clue.