Molin thought the Dragon King was making a fuss over nothing. Fang Shuyi's assassination attempt was probably just a private grudge and had nothing to do with the duel for the city lord's title. Still, he welcomed the Dragon King's arrival.
"I once crossed blades with the Unrivaled King." In the front courtyard of the City Governor's residence, Molin set out two chairs and took one with the Dragon King. If an assassin really came calling, he wanted a clear view.
"Oh?" Gu Shenwei was surprised. He had never heard of this, and hadn't even known Molin had once been to Jade City. He remembered that the Old Khan King's guards had roamed the southeastern grasslands in their early years.
"Many years ago, a few brothers and I were hired to escort a shipment of goods to Jade City. Perhaps because we weren't flying the Golden Peng Banner, we ran into several bands of robbers along the way. We saw them off, and the goods arrived safely. We collected our silver. You know how young men like to carouse, so we stayed in Jade City for a few days."
Gu Shenwei looked at Molin's stern face, unable to imagine what he had been like as a young man.
"One night, we rented out a brothel and were in the middle of a good drinking session when a band of robbers showed up. They said they wanted to avenge their dead companions and challenged us to a duel outside the city. There were a few skilled fighters among them, but they'd all been beaten by us before. Besides, we'd never heard of robbers seeking revenge after failing to rob someone. Naturally, we were outraged. We grabbed our weapons on the spot and went with them to find a place to fight.