The Strange Commandery Princess, the Lotus Located, the True Guards Gather, and the Boundless Bitter Sea

Li Xian's thoughts raced. There really is something strange about Gong Kuai. That damned commandery princess has reached far too widely. Even the Silver-Armored Guard serves her. He stopped his strike and pulled Gong Kuai behind a large tree.

Gong Kuai breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems the commandery princess was right." Li Xian asked, "What did she say?" Gong Kuai smiled bitterly. "She said Central Lang General Li was utterly loyal to her. I only had to mention her name, and you would understand at once."

"Of course she was right," Li Xian said. "I am utterly loyal to the commandery princess. Who would have thought you and I were colleagues, Silver Guard Gong? But are you playing both sides, or have you sincerely pledged yourself to her?" Gong Kuai said evenly, "Sincerely, of course. Though I'm curious what your answer would be to the same question."

"Hmph. Only by following the commandery princess can we accomplish great things. How could my loyalty be anything but sincere?" Li Xian said. "Excellent! With a hero like you to help her, how could her grand ambitions fail?" Gong Kuai put extra weight on hero, sounding half mocking, half approving.

"So is General Fang dead or missing?" Li Xian asked. Gong Kuai stared at him. "You know?" Li Xian sneered. "Did you kill him? You're more capable than I thought. Let me congratulate you in advance. After such a feat, you're sure to receive rewards and promotion from the commandery princess. Put in a good word for me when the time comes."

"It wasn't me," Gong Kuai said, frowning. "How could a mere Silver Cavalry Guard like me kill General Fang? If a great general were so easy to kill, Jade City would have fallen long ago." Li Xian asked, "Oh?