Chapter 680: Practicing Fist Techniques

The officers were all too distressed to suddenly realize that the man they supported was a hidden mole.

They were all nobles and were favored in their respective families. Joining the Court Attendants Army was not only a duty for them but also a chance to network and establish connections with others.

Although intrigue and collusion were a normal part of life here, they still valued honor and loyalty. And once a clique was formed, betraying and leaving it was rare.

As a result, the four generals’ act, which included Gulun, of betraying the Commandant was offensively conspicuous.

Not long after Liman told them the truth, Azheba and a group of officers came without invitation. There were fifteen of them which was twice as many as there had been during the day. They were the core of the clique, and there were over a hundred chiliarchs and centurions on the periphery of their organization. Truly, they were a force that could not be trifled with in the Court Attendants Army.

Azheba was usually their accepted leader but this time he appeared a bit quiet and the one stood out to speak was another chiliarch.

The last officer in closed the tent flap. The tent was so small that the fifteen officers could only stand in three rows with the chiliarch standing in the very middle of the front row. After nodding stiffly at the Dragon King, he began to state his hopes. “We are delighted to hear that the Dragon King is going to stand on Prince Duodun’s side. With a great helper like the Dragon King, His Highness’s great cause can be expedited soon. Since you are one of us now, I won’t beat around the bush. The situation is critical at the moment, so we hope that the Dragon King can draw his saber and aid us right away.”

“What do you mean by drawing the saber and aiding you?”

“Gulun and the other three are obviously the culprits of the assassination of the former commandant. We can never let them take over the position of Commandant. We would like to avenge ourselves now and then lead the loyal soldiers to His Highness in the Western Regions.”

This was a desperate plan but the officers were full of confidence. Everyone was looking expectantly at the Dragon King, including Azheba.

Gu Shenwei looked down for a moment, indicating that he was seriously considering the plan and the invitation. Then he looked up at the crowd and said, “Thank you for your trust, but unfortunately, I cannot draw my saber under these circumstances.”

“Under these circumstances? What circumstances?” The chiliarch staggered back in shock. The Dragon King’s refusal was really beyond his expectations.

“The Dragon King agreed to assassinate the new commandant this afternoon…” The other officer was also confused and didn’t understand the difference between the two assassinations.

Gu Shenwei explained, “The plan we discussed in the afternoon was an assassination and I’m sure I can make it happen without anyone growing aware. But the plan now is actually a bloody mutiny which I’m not too good at. I am an outsider and cannot afford to be charged with the crime of inciting half the Court Attendants Army into rebellion. I am sorry to disappoint you.”

The officers were indeed very disappointed. The Dragon King’s saber was of great value in a small riot. Some people wanted to continue persuading the Dragon King while the others had already given him the cold shoulder in their minds. The chiliarch belonged to the latter. “In that case, the Dragon King can just wait for the results. We will still welcome you to visit the Western Regions and join His Highness.”

“With pleasure.”

The chiliarch turned to squeeze his way out. One of the officers whispered, “Beware of the Dragon King. He may leak the news.”

Azheba rushed to reply, “The Dragon King will not do such a thing, I promise.”

The officers left one after another, and a faint murmur of discontent could still be heard as someone said, “The Dragon King didn’t keep Tuosai’s secret.”

Liman stood still awkwardly for a moment and said, “I’ll check it out…”

Again, Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Ru were the only two left but the atmosphere this time was completely different.

“You must still have other reasons,” Shangguan Ru said.

“Hmm. The main reason is that these people are not going to make it. If Gulun is really the mole, then they will lose for sure. I was wrong about them before.”

“How did you arrive at such a conclusion?” Shangguan Ru became more confused.

“They invited a man on a life-or-death adventure but didn’t probe him in advance. Instead, they came with a large group of people. They might have wanted to show their strength, but to me, it seemed like a very reckless move. Unsurprisingly, the news of the mutiny was revealed and what awaits them will be a trap.”

“You mean there’s a mole among them?” Shangguan Ru knew most of them quite well and could hardly believe that any of those officers would act treacherously.

“Maybe, maybe not. I only know that a rash man cannot keep a secret.”

Shangguan Ru bit her lip and thought for a moment before saying, “I have to warn them.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“What?”

“Did Wild Horse come to you?”

“Yeah. Though it wasn’t him, but his men. As you said, it was just a ‘probe,’ and they hadn’t even offered any terms yet. And just like you, I have to know the benefits before I can make a decision.” Shangguan Ru mischievously winked at him with her right eye and hurried away.

Gu Shenwei didn’t understand how Shangguan Ru could still be so relaxed after he poured out his anger as if the three obstacles he had mentioned did not exist.

And Shangguan Ru had lied. About Wild Horse, she had intentionally hidden something.

Gu Shenwei composed himself again and organized his thoughts. Either way, he believed that Shangguan Ru would never conspire against him behind his back. What he had to consider now was how to best protect himself if the mutiny failed.

Shangguan Ru’s close contacts with the officers and the Azheba and his fellow officers’ visits were no secret in the camp. It wasn’t easy for Gu Shenwei to remain aloof from the general situation.

Old Man Mu stuck his head in and peeped inside the tent. Seeing that Shangguan Ru was not there, he walked in gracefully and calmly, followed by Shangguan Fei.

The people in the camp were all either mourning in silence or hiding somewhere whispering. There was no fun to be had at all, so the two of them could only come back.

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“I hear that someone’s going to rebel. Won’t the Dragon King go and join in on the fun?” Old Man Mu clearly knew that that could not be done without involving the Dragon King.

“I’ll just sit here and wait for the news.”

The two were almost as disappointed as the officers. They thought that they would have a chance to kill and practice their fist techniques.

“Simply wait? Do nothing?” Shangguan Fei especially needed this opportunity.

Indeed, there was no point in simply waiting. “Let’s practice our fist techniques then,” suggested Gu Shenwei.

“What?” Neither Old Man Mu nor Shangguan Fei understood the Dragon King’s meaning.

“Shangguan Fei, let me try your Five Hole Punch.”

Shangguan Fei shook his head desperately and tried to slowly move out of the tent. “There’s no need to try. I’m not even close to the Dragon King’s skill.”

“The kung fu skills taught by Old Man Mu shouldn’t be as bad as you said.”

That was the phrase that had gotten Shangguan Fei punched in the waist earlier. Old Man Mu stared at him and said, “Even the Dragon King thinks highly of me, so how dare you humiliate the Five Hole Punch of our sect?”

Shangguan Fei began to miss Lotus. Although that devil was ferocious, she was at least reasonable and unlike Old Man Mu, who always acted unexpectedly. He was highly suspicious that Old Man Mu was just using him as a convenient outlet for his excessive energy.

“Just practice and not hurting each other?” Shangguan Fei rubbed his waist and slowly walked toward the Dragon King.

“Practicing kung fu is not dancing, so how can you hold back? Exert all your strength, your full power.” Old Man Mu hadn’t admitted Shangguan Fei as a disciple but he liked to put on the airs of a Master.

Gu Shenwei took off his sword and saber and put them on the table nearby. “Right, I’m not going to hold back either.”

Shangguan Fei’s eyes lit up. Since the Dragon King wasn’t using his saber, he felt that it wouldn’t be that dangerous.

Red Bat had followed Shangguan Ru away. Outside the tent, the other five guards who had nothing to do leaned over the door and acted as curious audiences.

Shangguan Fei took in a deep breath and quickly went through all the key points of the Five Hole Punch in his mind. He knew the style of the Dragon King, whose first move was naturally the fiercest, so he had to deal with it with all his might.

Gu Shenwei had only learned a few shallow fist techniques. After a second thought, he decided to give it all up and only use his agility to approach the enemy and punch at him with his strength without employing anything new.

Like students who had been called upon by their teacher to answer a question, the two racked their brains pouring over every part of the classics they’d learned for fear of being ignorant and making a fool of themselves.

“Start…” Old Man Mu had just uttered one word when the two seemingly clumsy students dashed out with incomparable speed.

Shangguan Ru and Red Bat happened to come back at the right time and saw the clash. What surprised them wasn’t the Dragon King but actually Shangguan Fei who was no longer the same timid Ninth Gongzi. He had acted with thunderous momentum, neither timid nor hesitant, and had at least exerted ninety percent of his full power.

“My brother is… Old Man Mu, you are a good teacher.”

Hearing the praise of the good girl, Old Man Mu was very proud of himself. “That’s for sure. There are no poor soldiers under an able general. Even a fool can become an expert under my instructions…”

As Old Man Mu chattered on, Shangguan Fei and the Dragon King had already engaged. The wind caused by the fists and palms grew more and more violent until even the tent was shaking and the oil lamp almost blew out. Although the tent was not big, that didn’t affect the twp’s performance.

The soldiers in front of several nearby tents all turned their heads and looked over as well.

With a sickening thud, Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Fei hit each other at the same time and retreated. The fight was over.

Old Man Mu immediately changed from boasting to judging. “Shangguan Fei’s fist technique is not bad but still lacks the ferocity which is the essence of the Five Hole Punch. The Dragon King’s bodily movement technique is impressive and internal energy powerful. As for the palm technique, actually, he didn’t use a palm technique at all…”

“Are they injured?” Red Bat asked worriedly.

It was a hot summer, but Shangguan Fei was shivering. Gu Shenwei’s face frequently switched between pale and dark phases, which vanished and reappeared like the shadows of a black cloud flashing by.

Shangguan Ru also felt that something wasn’t right. She was just about to go forward to check when Old Man Mu stopped her. “Don’t worry. Let him resolve it himself. It’s also part of the training.”

The Dragon King was the first to return to normal. “The Five Hole Punch is already really fierce when Shangguan Fei has only reached the stage of the Metal Lungs.”

Gu Shenwei had listened to Old Man Mu’s introduction of the Five Hole Punch before so he had a minor understanding of the characteristics of the different levels, knowing that the Metal Lungs belonged to the primary stage. It was strong but not soft enough, so the practitioner could not exert all his power at this level.

“Right. Shangguan Fei is too stupid. If he were the Dragon King, he would have mastered the Water Kidney or even Wooden Liver. Honestly speaking, do you want to learn it, Dragon King?”

Gu Shenwei shook his head, “This set of fist technique isn’t for me.”

He had learned the potential of the Five Hole Punch but found that it conflicted with the frosty Qi in his body. Both relied on manipulating internal energy but they could not be fused. What he needed was a set of fist or palm technique that focused on subtle moves so he could quickly force his internal Qi into his opponent’s body.

Shangguan Fei finally stopped shaking and knew that he had lost. Although the Dragon King also been hit, it had little effect on his movement. But he himself couldn’t help shivering and couldn’t move anymore. Even if for a moment, he couldn’t resist the next attack. “I quit. No more fight. This feels like no different from Qi deviation.”

Gu Shenwei didn’t tell him that this was exactly what Qi deviation felt like. Then he turned to Shangguan Ru.

Shangguan Ru shook her head. Her persuasion didn’t work. Even if the rumor had ran all over the place, the officers still insisted on launching a second mutiny, and this time they were going to take up arms.

The soldiers were still mourning silently around the flags. The rioting among the officers seemed to have no effect on them.