Lu Qiying thought up all sorts of excuses for himself, but the moment he saw the Dragon King, they all flew out of his mind. The pain of his severed finger crossed the years and returned to him, even more intense than it had been then.
Back then, the Dragon King had been only a killer in Golden Peng Fortress. He had just killed his master and set out on his own when he came to Shopkeeper Lu to demand Tie Hanfeng's savings. When they couldn't come to terms, he drew his blade and chopped off one of Lu's fingers.
That memory made Lu Qiying abandon the idea of falling to his knees and begging for mercy. He remained seated, using a stiff expression to hide the fear inside him.
By comparison, Xiao Fengchai was the truly composed one. From beginning to end, she quietly sipped her tea, occasionally reaching up to straighten her hair ornaments or smooth her clothes.
That woman is still trying to use me, Lu Qiying thought angrily. Pointing across the table at Xiao Fengchai, he shouted, "It was her! The whole thing was her idea. Dragon King, I... I was deceived."
Xiao Fengchai smiled. "It was all my idea. I planned everything. Lu Qiying was just a lackey. Dragon King, you can kill me and be done with it."
Lu Qiying stared, stunned. He hadn't expected Xiao Fengchai to actually speak up for him. He even felt a little moved. Just a day ago, hadn't he been dreaming of flying off with this woman to Loulan Kingdom? He sighed but said nothing. Gratitude couldn't outweigh fear; he had no desire to compete for the blame.
Gu Shenwei sighed softly as well. Lu Qiying still wasn't as clever as Xiao Fengchai. At a time like this,