King Xiao didn't believe the Dragon King's guess. "Unrivaled King has connections with people close to the emperor? That seems unlikely. Something like that couldn't be kept secret. Making contact with foreigners, especially secretly dealing with an assassin organization, is an unforgivable crime. The Dragon King should know how much the Central Plains court cares about such matters. A single foreign letter kept in secret is enough to bring down a high-ranking official."
"I think it's possible, and worth investigating."
Gu Shenwei was actually quite certain. The so-called unforgivable crime King Xiao had mentioned was precisely a means of blackmail. Unrivaled King wasn't willing to reveal the identity of the employer from back then, and hadn't even left any records of it, but he certainly wouldn't hesitate to use the matter for his own gain.
"Very well. I'll write an urgent letter and ask my friends at court to look into it." King Xiao spoke casually, as if they'd have an answer in a day or two. Seeing the Dragon King's cold expression, he laughed. "Don't worry, Dragon King. Even if someone at court is conspiring with Unrivaled King, could his standing possibly be higher than mine? Uh, you don't suspect me, do you?"
"If I suspected you, King Xiao, I wouldn't have brought this to you." Gu Shenwei lied offhandedly. He did have some suspicions about King Xiao; this meeting was meant to sound him out.
King Xiao nodded emphatically. "I didn't think you did. We're in this together now, for better or worse. If anything happens to the Dragon King, I'll be dragged down with you—and dragged down hard, haha."
King Xiao had claimed the victory at Qianqi Pass as his own achievement. His hasty retreat with twenty thousand Central Plains soldiers had become a prescient ploy to