Gu Shenwei had been watching for nearly half an hour. Shangguan Fei had grown a little anxious waiting. He wanted to tell the Dragon King there was nothing to worry about. The old Meng Mansion was nothing like Golden Peng Fortress, and there weren't nearly as many guards and killers around his mother.
Madam Meng lived in a secluded little courtyard in a corner of the garden. All the guards—the Meng Family's swordsmen and the handful of Golden Peng Fortress killers—patrolled the perimeter. Everything looked normal, proper and orderly. There was no sign of a trap.
Gu Shenwei had only held back from entering out of habit. After another group of guards passed, he finally nodded.
Shangguan Fei was just about to stand when the Dragon King grabbed him. He immediately understood: the Dragon King meant to go in with him. Shangguan Fei had some misgivings. That was Madam Meng, his mother. He could break in in the middle of the night without consequence, but the Dragon King was a man with no family ties to her. Shangguan Hong's lesson was still fresh in his mind.
But Shangguan Fei hesitated only briefly before his doubts eased. This was the Dragon King. No one could make sense of his relationship with Shangguan Ru, but he certainly wasn't harboring wicked intentions.
There were only three rooms in the courtyard. Two stood empty; the middle one was occupied. For all sorts of reasons, Madam Meng's residence here was a far cry from her quarters in Golden Peng Fortress.
Feeling a pang of sadness, Shangguan Fei went to the door and knocked several times in a certain rhythm. It was the signal he and his mother had used when meeting in South City. He figured it would give her some warning here, too.
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