"You... who are you, exactly?"
Xiao struggled to raise his head and looked at the young man, who stood there at ease, as if watching a show. For the first time, fear crept into his voice.
He had considered that Gu Shen might have a backup plan, that this could be a trap. But he had never dreamed the backup plan would be this!
This was simply beyond anything martial arts could counter!
Hu Wei also looked at Gu Shen, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.
He had been ordered to protect Gu Shen, yet Gu Shen had used this bizarre method to take out both them and their enemies.
What was this supposed to be?
Protecting him for nothing?
The mood had been built up enough.
Gu Shen strolled over to Xiao and crouched before the Crown Prince's ace assassin.
The coldness had vanished from Xiao's face, leaving only fear and wariness. He tried to move, only to find himself utterly weak, unable to muster even the slightest strength. That whistle had not only attacked the mind; it seemed to carry some kind of nerve-paralyzing toxin as well.
"Who I am doesn't matter." Gu Shen's voice was calm, as if he were discussing something trivial. "What matters is that you're in my courtyard now."
He reached out and peeled a paper-thin human-skin mask from Xiao's face, revealing an ordinary-looking face drenched in sweat.
"See? Take off the mask, and you're just an ordinary person."
Gu Shen smiled, tossed the mask to the ground, then walked over to Hu Wei.
Hu Wei struggled to sit up and glared at him. "Mr. Gu! What do you mean by this? We came under Prince Yan's orders to protect you!"
"Protect me?" Gu Shen repeated. "Are you protecting me, or keeping