Dugu Xian had traveled all the way from Qianqi Pass, deeply unsettled by everything he had seen and heard. After reaching Jade City, he had wanted to meet the Dragon King at once, but he had to wait a full two days before being allowed up the mountain.
The Dragon King had not meant to slight the Left General. He truly had been overwhelmed with work: the Crown Prince of Shule, who had escaped a few days earlier, had been captured alive; Chancellor Zhong Heng and Right General Shang Liao had brought the prisoner to Jade City at the same time, both to claim credit and to resolve the conflict between them.
The Dragon Army soldiers stationed in Jade City had also caused the Dragon King no small amount of trouble. The Tianshan Swordsmen had agreed to accept Shangguan Cheng as the Unrivaled King, severing the ties between Golden Peng Fortress and the assassins once and for all. But the soldiers from Xiangji Kingdom had been brewing resentment. They still regarded He Nu as an enemy and felt they had been neglected.
The two-day delay had its benefits as well. Dugu Xian had been able to think more deeply about the situation, and the moment he saw the Dragon King, he pointed out the heart of the problem. "The Dragon Army needs a war—the sooner, the better."
Golden Peng Fortress was filled with stone houses. Even in broad daylight, little sunlight could penetrate them, so candles were needed for illumination. Gu Shenwei sat in a broad chair, quite enjoying the Left General's bluntness. "Hm. But whom should we fight?"
The Dragon King's room had a map ready at hand. Dugu Xian pointed here and there with his only remaining arm. "The countries of the eastern Western Regions intend to form