Chapter Eighty-Nine: Hidden Away, Part Two

It seemed that the situation within this vast oasis was not as clear-cut as it appeared on the surface.

Li Ju carried the camel on his back as he ran, casting a glance over his shoulder toward the city of Guo.

He had not expected that in a mere border town on the edge of the great oasis, he would uncover three little fish in the water.

He recalled the three auras he had just sensed inside Guo. Though the three had hidden themselves well, his keen perception had still detected them.

It was only because none of the three carried the scent of the Demon Sect or the Seven Three Sect that he had not struck at once and swept them all away.

Three martial experts, hiding within a small city.

What, exactly, were they plotting?

Li Ju’s eyes flickered faintly, then he shook his head and let the matter go.

So long as they were neither from the Seven Three Sect nor the Demon Sect, and so long as they did not cross him, he could not be bothered with their schemes.

There were too many plots and deceptions in this world. At every moment, some new conspiracy was taking shape. If he meant to concern himself with every one he encountered, he would work himself to death and still never finish.

Over the next several days, Li Ju followed General Wang and the Prince of Water City through four more cities. Each of them was a city-state much like Guo, where one city was its own kingdom, and even the urban construction was as poor and crude as Guo’s.

Aside from one city whose dealings with the Kingdom of Forest meant their party did not enter, General Wang visited the other three, meeting their sovereigns and obtaining certain promises.

As for the plans General Wang and the Prince of Water City made in order to restore their kingdom, Li Ju did not interfere in the slightest. He was there only to enjoy himself, and thanks to his strength, he received the finest hospitality in every city they entered.

During this time, he also compared the differences among the various cities and ultimately concluded that the quality and comfort of Guo were still the best.

"My lord, we may set out tomorrow to retrieve the divine weapon."

Just as Li Ju had finished indulging himself and was in a state of profound insight, General Wang came calling.

"So soon? There is no need to wait another two days?"

Li Ju looked at General Wang with a faint smile, not quite smiling.

Over these past few days, as General Wang and the Prince of Water City actively contacted the old loyalists of Water City and sought aid wherever they could, their power had grown greatly. They were no longer the lone, destitute pair Li Ju had first encountered; with troops under their command, even their attitude toward him had become somewhat firmer.

Though of course, not so firm as to be truly insolent.

"My lord jests. Most of the planning for our restoration has already been handed over to those beneath me. What matters now is accompanying you to retrieve the divine weapon."

"Once we have the divine weapon’s aid, I am certain you will be able to crush the experts of the Kingdom of Forest in a single stroke, and help Water City restore its former glory."

As he spoke, General Wang held Li Ju’s gaze.

"Of course. What I have promised, I have never failed to do."

Li Ju poured himself a cup of wine, a light smile on his face.

"That is good. We will depart tomorrow. The prince and I shall go with you to the place where the divine weapon is sealed, and there retrieve it."

General Wang said in a deep voice.

Li Ju watched General Wang take his leave, then drank several more mouthfuls of wine.

After General Wang left the house where Li Ju was staying, he had not gone far before he encountered the Prince of Water City and a middle-aged man with a long sword slung at his waist.

"General Wang, must we truly give the divine weapon to that man?"

The prince frowned as he looked at General Wang.

He had never had a good impression of Li Ju. He had merely agreed to Li Ju’s demands because of the circumstances, but now that he had returned to the great oasis and gathered a great number of Water City’s old retainers, he believed he could restore the kingdom by his own strength. He was therefore unwilling to hand over such a precious treasure as the divine weapon to Li Ju.

"Your Highness, if we are to restore our kingdom, we still need to borrow his strength."

General Wang shook his head.

Unlike him, Water City’s prince still did not understand that what determined whether their city could be restored was not the soldiers they had gathered beneath them, but whether they had recruited men of formidable martial prowess.

The prince believed that their smooth gathering of old retainers and the aid they received from the other city-states had come because he was the Prince of Water City. But General Wang knew that the reason their efforts had gone so smoothly was because of Li Ju, an inner-house expert.

Precisely because they had recruited an expert of such caliber, the old retainers and the people from the other cities had seen hope for Water City’s restoration, and thus were willing either to join them or to help them.

In this brutally force-driven world, a title meant nothing.

Too young still...

Looking at the prince, General Wang sighed inwardly.

"Your Highness, let us depart tomorrow."

"Without you, we will not be able to enter the hidden place."

General Wang first said this to the prince.

"General Li, after the prince and I leave tomorrow, I will need you to remain here and hold the situation in hand for the time being."

He then said this to the middle-aged man who had been standing nearby all along.

General Li had also once been one of Water City’s generals. Though he did not rank as high as General Wang, he was an old minister with ample prestige, and the highest-ranking veteran official the prince had managed to rally. He was more than worthy of trust, and of being entrusted with the general situation.

"Yes."

After General Li bowed his head to accept the order, General Wang and the prince departed.

Watching their receding figures, General Li revealed a look of thoughtfulness in his eyes.

...

"Stay here today. Remember not to play yourself to excess like you did in Guo."

"I’ll still need you to carry me on the road later."

Before setting out to retrieve the divine weapon, Li Ju instructed his camel.

The camel was lying on the ground, dozing. When it heard Li Ju’s voice, it opened its eyes and looked at him once, then snorted weakly through its nose, as if replying.

"Ah, hopeless."

Seeing how much thinner the camel had become in these past days, Li Ju could only shake his head.

"My lord, it is time to go."

At that moment, General Wang’s voice came from outside.

Li Ju cast one last look at the camel. After shaking his head and letting out a sigh, he left.

Li Ju, General Wang, and the Prince of Water City rode out of the city where they had been staying. After traveling a considerable distance, they arrived beside a lake.

"This is Mirror Lake, the lake on which my Water City once depended for survival."

Returning to a familiar place, General Wang and the prince looked upon the lake with expressions of great complexity.

"It was from Mirror Lake that Water City unearthed that ancient tomb, a tomb that brought our city great gains, and also brought us our misfortune."

"And on the eve of Water City’s destruction, our king, in order to prevent the divine weapon from falling into the hands of the Kingdom of Forest, sealed the weapon once more within that ancient tomb."