Chapter Eighty-Eight: Hiding, Part One

The governor of Gray Castle?

You can go see him yourself. No need to take me along.

Li Ju waved a hand carelessly at General Wang. He had no desire to meet some petty city lord from a minor stronghold. It would only waste his time.

Then where do you intend to go?

General Wang nodded in understanding. He clearly saw nothing improper in Li Ju’s refusal to meet the city lord.

After all, in his eyes, Li Ju was a master of inner strength capable of cleaving the Black Bandit King in two with a single strike. A man of that caliber held a far higher standing in the Great Oasis than the lord of a small city like Gray Castle.

In the Kingdom of Chen, the phrase a single man against a nation was often little more than empty talk. But in the Great Oasis, where the people were few and the states small, there had been many tales of martial experts destroying entire kingdoms by themselves.

With so many such stories, the status of martial warriors on the Great Oasis had risen to an extremely lofty level.

Eat, drink, amuse myself, sleep. Do whatever feels most comfortable. Do you understand what I mean?

Li Ju yawned as he spoke.

I understand.

General Wang beckoned to the Gray Castle guards nearby, calling over one of them, a man in partial iron armor who clearly held some rank and standing in Gray Castle. He leaned close and whispered a few instructions into the guard’s ear.

Sir, he will serve as your guide from now on.

I will take my leave first.

General Wang cupped his hands to Li Ju and departed.

Li Ju did not concern himself with General Wang and the Water City prince, who were likely going to discuss plans for restoring their kingdom with the lord of Gray Castle. Instead, he looked at the guard assigned to him.

Lead the way.

And arrange the same sort of treatment for him as well.

As he spoke, Li Ju patted the camel beside him a few times.

Hmph.

The camel snorted and pointed its nose first toward a female camel by the roadside, then turned to look at the guard.

Seeing the man and the camel together, the guard’s mouth twitched. Though speechless inside, he said nothing and simply led the man and his camel to where they wished to go.

The next day.

Li Ju emerged refreshed and full of energy from a two-story wooden building fragrant with a faint, lingering perfume.

He smacked his lips a few times, as though savoring the delicate sensations of the previous night, and the striking impression of white, red, and black.

Hmph, hmph.

As he was lingering in the aftertaste, a camel came grumbling out from nearby.

You’re really not much, are you? Only one night and you’re already worn out like this.

Will you still be able to walk today?

Li Ju looked at the camel’s unsteady steps and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

They still had a road to travel today. If the camel truly became too weak to move, then he would have to consider whether he should carry the beast himself.

Bah.

At Li Ju’s words, the camel immediately spat in displeasure and raised a hoof, stamping hard into the ground.

Crack.

Li Ju saw that as the hoof came down, a clear deformation appeared in the camel’s leg.

Hiss.

The camel sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

Li Ju fell silent.

If it were not so difficult to find a camel with experience crossing the Yellow Sand Desert, he would already be thinking about killing this foolish creature for meat.

After that, Li Ju took the camel and met up with General Wang and the Water City prince, who had just come out of the Gray Castle royal palace.

At first sight, General Wang and the prince were both puzzled as to why Li Ju was carrying the camel again, but since Li Ju offered no explanation, they did not press the matter. They simply assumed he was fond of his pet.

This must be the great expert who killed the Black Bandit King amid the chaos of the sand bandits. I am the sovereign of Gray Castle. I greet this master here.

Since the lord of Gray Castle, who was also its sovereign, intended to personally escort General Wang and the Water City prince out of the city, he happened to greet Li Ju when the two parties met.

The sovereign of Gray Castle was a middle-aged man of rather plump build, his face round and fleshy, looking exceedingly kind and approachable.

Greetings, Sovereign of Gray Castle.

Li Ju returned the courtesy. One does not strike a smiling man.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, but did not converse at length. After leaving the city, Li Ju and the others parted ways with the sovereign of Gray Castle.

Watching Li Ju’s figure recede into the distance as he ran across the ground with the camel on his shoulder, the sovereign of Gray Castle turned and cupped his hands toward his left side.

Divine Counselor.

A man wholly cloaked in a black hooded robe appeared beside the sovereign of Gray Castle as though out of nowhere.

Sovereign.

A cold voice came from beneath the black robe.

Divine Counselor, may I ask you to judge the true strength of the expert recruited by the people of Water City? With his abilities, can he truly help them overturn the rule of the Kingdom of Lin?

The sovereign of Gray Castle asked the cloaked figure respectfully.

What if he can, and what if he cannot?

The sovereign of Gray Castle said calmly, If he can, then as Water City’s old ally, Gray Castle should naturally send people to help them restore their kingdom. If he cannot, then I can simply go to the Kingdom of Lin and claim a thousand taels of silver, which can be used to benefit the people of Gray Castle.

After Water City was destroyed, the Kingdom of Lin had issued a wanted notice. Anyone who could provide the Water City prince’s exact whereabouts would be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver from the Kingdom of Lin.

Then send people to help Water City restore its kingdom.

The Gray Castle divine counselor was silent for a moment before speaking.

Understood.

After the sovereign of Gray Castle understood the divine counselor’s meaning, he accepted the order and withdrew.

Once the sovereign had left, the divine counselor looked in the direction Li Ju had just departed.

Poison Vajra Li Ju. Why would he come here?

The counselor’s puzzled voice drifted into the air.

Poison Vajra Li Ju? Who is that?

A clear female voice sounded, and with it came a graceful figure that had moved to the divine counselor’s side.

He is a martial expert who has recently emerged in the world of the Kingdom of Chen. A few months ago, when I returned to Chen, I heard that this Poison Vajra Li Ju once fought with Zhuge Huang, one of the Four Fiends of the Demon Sect, and did not fall behind.

The divine counselor said solemnly.

To fight one of the Four Fiends of the Demon Sect and not lose ground... For such a powerful warrior to come to a remote place like the Great Oasis, could he also be here for that item?

The woman beside the divine counselor frowned.

Perhaps, or perhaps not.

That cannot be said for certain.

The divine counselor nodded, then shook his head.

Hmph, who cares whether he is or not? If he is not here for that item, then so be it. But if he truly is here for that item...

With the strength of the three of us together, even if one of the Four Fiends of the Demon Sect came, he would have to obediently surrender his head!

Another deep male voice suddenly rang out.

No one can stop us from obtaining that item. No one!

I said so!