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Death Sutra-Chapter 903 - Saber Cuts
Chapter 903: Saber Cuts
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The Dragon Kingโs public levying of murder against the guard of the envoy of the Central Plains was more shocking, more surprising, and also more confusing than Han Fenโs nonsense. ๐๐๐๐w๐๐๐ฃ๐vโฏl.co๐
Those present looked at each other in confusion. Eventually, Wei Song said, โI believe that the Dragon King is not a fraud. Surely you have some proof to back up your words, right?โ
โI do,โ Gu Shenwei said. The originally vague picture of how the assassination had happened suddenly became clear and distinct.
The deputy envoy, Sun Chengqi, appeared rather anxious. Apparently, he felt that all Western Regioners were somewhat unreasonable. โI have to remind you, Dragon King. Lord Maโs guard is dead, and he died right beside Lord Ma. Did he commit suicide for fear of punishment? And what about that assassin that dropped from the top of the city wall?โ
Gu Shenweiโs eyes swept through all the people in the room, โPlease hear my speculation - yes, itโs only my speculation - and then Iโll prove that my speculation is true.โ He paused briefly and then continued. โThis guard - I donโt know his name yet - killed the envoy in the carriage for some kind of reason. His plan was probably like this: he pretended that an assassin had launched an sneak attack on the bridge, and that he pursued the assassin and then came back only to โdiscoverโ that Lord Ma had been killed. The guards at the city gate would conveniently become his witnesses. What he didnโt expect was that an assassin really did show up and kill him ruthlessly. The assassin could have fled smoothly, but it turned out that he had also accidentally been killed by a hidden killer.โ
โThere are so many โaccidents,โโ Sun Chengqi said sarcastically. If this was all that the Dragon King was capable of, he no longer wanted to cooperate with him to bring down the Governor of the Western Regions.
โFor those deceased ones, these were accidents, but in reality, they were all premeditated. Now, Iโll prove my speculation to you. Shangguan Hong.โ
Shangguan Hong had been feeling an ominous premonition this entire meeting. Upon hearing the Dragon King call his name, he buckled at the knees and nearly fell. What scared him the most was not just the prospect of being questioned, but also his father, the Unique King, who was sitting not far away from him.
Although his identity of the Unique Kingโs son had been acknowledged six years ago, Shangguan Hong had never been close to his father. Like before, he had always been in the crowd, looking at the King Lord from a distance. Actually, this was the first time that the distance between him and his father was shorter than ten steps and this was his first opportunity to speak in front of the Unique King.
โIโm here.โ Shangguan Hongโs voice was so hoarse that he sounded as if he had just walked out of a desert.
โWas it you who killed that assassin on the top of the city wall?โ
โYes.โ
Their conversation immediately caused a minor commotion. Shangguan Hong was both the Dragon Kingโs subordinate and the Unique Kingโs son. For the Central Plainsmen who didnโt know much inside information, the Dragon King had literally just admitted that the Dragon King and Golden Roc Castle were the masterminds behind the assassination.
Everybody had a lot of questions, and a couple of them had even opened their mouths, but eventually, they shut up, because the Dragon King appeared extremely composed, which indicated that he still had something to say.
The room went quiet. Gu Shenwei asked another question. โHow long did you lie in ambush on the top of the wall?โ
โAboutโฆ four to six hours,โ Shangguan Hongโs head was very low, he was sweating buckets, and he felt as if his entire body had been squeezed empty. He didnโt know why the Dragon King had suddenly asked him to step out. To frame him? Or to drag the Unique King into the mire?
โSo you clearly saw what happened on that bridge?โ
โVery clearly.โ Before he could figure out the Dragon Kingโs true intentions, Shangguan Hong decided to speak as honestly as possible.
โWait,โ the deputy envoy Sun Chengqi interjected. โBack then, it was midnight. Could you see clearly?โ
โThere were lanterns on the bridge and the city gate. It was very bright.โ
โMm.โ Sun Chengqi said no more.
โDid you see the assassin?โ asked Gu Shenwei.
โI did.โ
โTell us what you saw.โ
โUh. Originally, the assassin was hiding under the bridge. When the carriage passed by the bridge, he leaped onto the bridge, entered the carriage, and then exited. It all took place very quickly, almost in the blink of an eye.โ
โHow quick, specifically?โ
Shangguan Hong became even more confused. He had told the Dragon King everything that had happened that night in detail, and back then, the Dragon King didnโt care about this issue very much. โWellโฆ It seemed as if he didnโt pause in the carriage at all. He went in and out of it in an instant.โ
โShow us.โ
It seemed that the Dragon Kingโs request was pointless and merely a waste of time. Wei Song said, โI think we all know what the Dragon King is trying to say. The assassin went in and out of the carriage so quickly that he didnโt have enough time to kill two people, right?โ
โThis is exactly what I want to prove.โ
A suggestion of a sympathetic look appeared on Wei Songโs face. โI believe you, Dragon King. And I also believe that thisโฆ Young Master Shanguan is telling the truth. But in the end, he was hiding on the top of the wall, and he didnโt see what happened in the carriage. He thought that there was too little time, but maybe that was only his interpretation. After all, he was hiding there for four to six hours. It would be very normal for him to become a little anxious.โ
A killer would never become anxious from waiting for four to six hours. Both Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Fa knew this, but neither of them intended to explain this to these Central Plainsmen.
Sun Chengqi said, โGovernor Weiโs words are very reasonable. You canโt use somebody elseโs speculations to prove your own speculations, Dragon King. You have to offer more concrete evidence. After all, it is Lord Maโs personal guard that youโre accusing. I know this man well. He was devoted to his duty and protected Lord Ma the whole way here.โ
Gu Shenwei briefly nodded. โI have evidence. And itโs the wound on the Lord Envoy. The assassinโs weapon was a Western-Region narrow saber. The guard was from the Central Plains. So, I assume his weapon was either a common saber, sword, or dagger. Wounds caused by these weapons are very different from those caused by a narrow saber.โ
โDifferent how?โ Sun Chengqi asked confusedly. He knew nothing about kung fu and couldnโt understand what โvery differentโ meant.
Gu Shenweiโs eyes were not on the deputy envoy, but rather on Wei Song. โThereโs a lot of Central-Plains kung fu experts around Lord Wei. They can attest that there are indeed distinctive differences.โ
Wei Song failed to retain his composure. He involuntarily turned his head and glanced at Luo Qikang, who was standing beside him. The most famous swordsman of the Luo family blinked.
โUh. Wellโฆ The remains of Lord Ma have already been placed into a coffin. I donโt think that itโs appropriate to disturb the dead.โ Wei Song made an excuse.
Sun Chengqi had also brought a guard, so he directly asked, โCan you tell the difference?โ
The guard appeared a little awkward. He could already sense the a hick smell of conspiracy, and he had no intention of getting involved, so he said, โThere should be some differences, but Iโm afraid that Iโm not good enough to tell.โ
Sun Chengqi snorted discontentedly. โThere are plenty of kung fu practitioners at Governor Weiโs command here. I think that their discernment is decent enough. We may trust them. Though itโs not appropriate to disturb the deceased, this issue is special. You, me, and all the others present have a heavy responsibility. Now that the Dragon King has such speculations, we must verify them.โ
Wei Song looked hesitant and reluctant, but he soon changed his mind. โSince the deputy envoy has such intentions, then letโs open the coffin and perform an autopsy. But thereโs not enough time to do it today. At the earliest, we can do it tomorrow and get the results then.โ
โThen letโs continue tomorrow.โ Sun Chengqiโs position was even lower than that of Wei Song, but he was the deputy envoy. After Ma Lianโs death, he had become the representative of the Imperial Court of the Central Plains, so his words mattered greatly. โBut before we get the results, I still want to ask you a couple of questions, Dragon King.โ
Wei Song said nothing. Gu Shenwei said, โPlease ask.โ
โI consent to the autopsy. But if itโs indeed a wound caused by a narrow saber, then all of your speculations will be proven wrong. Can you accept the responsibility for that?โ
โOf course.โ Gu Shenwei believed that there was a seventy to eighty-percent chance that his speculations were correct, but he appeared to be absolutely certain of it. โIf my speculations are wrong, then Iโm willing to accept the responsibility for lodging a false accusation. I will apologize to all of you, as well as all the guards of the Central Plains, and take the blame for the crime committed against the envoy.โ
โAlas. Take the blame for the crime? Thatโs a little dramatic, Dragon King.โ There seemed to be a tacit consensus among all participants that Sun Chengqi was the moderator of this meeting. Fa Feng, who was sitting on the head of the table, and Wei Song, who was sitting on the left-hand seat, both stayed silent out of prudence. โSince the Dragon King has already made a speculation, then please make a further one - why would Lord Maโs guard kill his master?โ
โIt might have been because of a personal grudge, or maybe he was bribed. I believe that we can find the truth with just a little investigation.โ
โIf the wound on Lord Maโs body is really not a narrow saber wound, then Governor Wei and I will surely conduct an investigation into it. Hereโs another question of mine: why was this Young Master Shangguan beside Dragon King so coincidentally on top of the wall that night? How did he happened to see the assassin and even manage to kill him?โ
โLet he himself answer.โ
Stunned again, Shangguan Hong couldnโt help but ask, โShould I tell the truth?โ
โYouโre only allowed to tell the truth.โ
Shangguan Hong steeled himself and ventured to look at the Central Plainsmen on the opposite side. โIโve been practicing a new swordsmanship, and I needed toโฆ kill a couple of people.โ
โSo youโre the assassin in Jade City!โ Sun Chengqi yelled in amazement.
โNo, no.โ Shangguan Hong hurriedly denied it. โOnly a couple of those victims were killed by me. Most of the deaths have nothing to do with me. Thereโre many assassins prowling around in Jade City. Iโm only one of them.โ
Sun Chengqi shook his head, and his feeling that Western Regioners were eccentric increased. โKeep talking.โ
โI felt like I had made some progress in my swordsmanship, and I wanted to confirm it by killing another assassin, so I went to Retention Alley and lay there in wait. For two consecutive nights, I saw someone staking out that area. Back then, I didnโt know that the envoy of the Central Plains was the one being spied on. I speculated that this assassin would choose to take action on the bridge, so I went to the top of the wall and continued to wait thereโฆ He arrived as expected. Then he entered the carriage and soon exited. After that, he leaped onto the wall. Then we exchanged a few moves and I killed him. Thatโs it. It was not until the next day that I realized the identity of the passenger.โ
For Sun Chengqi, this was an incredible story, and the only thing that it had proved was that Jade City was completely chaotic and that this city was in urgent need of the Central Plainsโ lawful governance. He stayed silent for quite a while. Suddenly, ignoring Shangguan Hong and the Dragon King, he asked Shangguan Fa, โYou just said that you had other proof. Isnโt it high time that you took them out?โ
โUm. The Dragon Kingโs speculation is very interesting. I donโt want to judge whether itโs correct or not. We should wait until we get the results of the autopsy tomorrow. With regards to that assassin killed by Shangguan Hongโฆ โ
Upon Hearing his father say his name, Shangguan Hong was so scared that he started trembling. The only thing that he could do was remind himself again and again, โIโve mastered advanced swordsmanship. I donโt have to be afraid.โ
Shangguan Fa paused for a while and then continued speaking. โI know him. His name was Yang Hao. He used to be an apprentice of Golden Roc Castle. A year ago, he left of his own account and his whereabouts were unknown since then. It was not until yesterday that I confirmed the identity of his new master.โ
โWho?โ Sun Chengqi asked urgently.
โMadam Luo of the Iron Mountain.โ
Gu Shenwei had deliberately avoided disclosing the assassinโs identity in order to avoid the trap set by Wei Song and the others. But unexpectedly, the Unique King had brought it up of his own accord. In the beginning, he had planned to shift all responsibility to the Waning Moon Hall and Lotus. But now, he had to sacrifice Luo Ningcha.
Madam Meng, who was absent, had won. She had succeeded in making her husband abandon a former lover.
Luo Ningcha, who was also absent, had no idea she was already in grave danger.