บท 15: Acquaintance
บรรณาธิการ: Transn
Who wrote the recommendation letter for Han Shiqi? That person had to be closely associated with the massacre of the Gu family.
However, Gu Shenwei did not have any clue because he was still a naive young Master at that time and did not care about it. If he had not been in the study when Han Shiqi met Gu Lun, he would not have remembered the manor servant.
Han Shiqi must have known the previous "young Master", as one of his main purposes for working in the manor had to be to recognize their faces.
The first head that they had taken was incorrect, and so was the second. No one could be more certain about it than Han Shiqi.
What Gu Shenwei had been worried about had come to pass.
At this critical moment, he could do nothing. He could not rashly leave because it would only arouse the others' attention, neither could he wait like this because Han Shiqi would open his eyes sooner or later.
Gu Shenwei could only pray silently and let the Will of the Divine decide his fate.
His complexion slightly exposed his mood. Slave Yao, adept at observing people, curiously glanced at him and opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it.
Over there, Han Shiqi, who lay on the deck chair, turned over and beckoned Slave Ji to massage his waist while drowsily saying, "Less talk. I'm already very lucky to keep this hand. Every time I see the Eighth Young Master, my heart pounds heavily. How dare I speak more? Let's talk about it later."
Slave Ji was not satisfied, especially in front of the new servants. He then pushed Han Shiqi's waist like a little woman while saying in a seductive tone, "Third Brother, I don't understand. They killed the wrong kid before letting you double-check. It wasn't your fault. You deserve a medal for finding the kid. Why are you scared?"
Gu Shenwei also wanted to know what happened to the second child.
Han Shiqi gave two short laughs and stretched, but did not answer. Turning to face the nine teenagers, he opened his eyes.
Gu Shenwei had his heart in his mouth and almost turned around to escape, as he would rather jump off the cliff than fall into the enemy's hands.
Han Shiqi closed his eyes again.
"I'll be away for about a month. Get some entertainment for me."
Slave Ji understood tacitly that he had to use various means to win his backer over.
"Slave Qi and Slave Xie, stay. The rest of you, go back to your room." Then he whispered into Han Shiqi's ear, "A pair of brothers..."
The pair of brothers froze up as they knew that he was talking about them.
The elder brother, Slave Qi, had big eyes and bushy eyebrows, but his younger brother, Slave Xie, was delicate with bright eyes and shapely eyebrows. Slave Xie was so timid that he always hid half of his body behind his brother. In Gu Shenwei's view, Slave Xie always kept silent.
Slave Yao looked bad as if he suffered tremendous grievance. He immediately flew into a rage after going back to the bedroom.
"In what way are they better than me? Just a pair of brothers. Poor taste. I'm certain that they don't clean up their butts. Hmph, Slave Ji thought I snitched on him to Mama Xue. He should have thought that everyone knows that he had hit Slave Xiao."
Gu Shenwei roughly guessed what the pair of brothers would suffer.
Although he was only 14, he had indistinctly heard of catamites in the Central Plains. He had not understood the exact meaning of this word, but he knew that it was an extremely sordid evil deed.
He sympathized with the pair of brothers but could do nothing. They had run into trouble while he had escaped it. Han Shiqi would leave tomorrow and come back a month later. Perhaps during that period, the Will of the Divine would help him find his sister. They could escape together and then seek revenge.
Slave Yao was irritated at losing the chance to flatter Han Shiqi. As "lucky" Slave Qi and Slave Xie were not here, he started to vent his anger on others.
"Slave Huan, it may be your turn next time. Look at you, with your self-righteous, noble look. You'll win the favor of Master Han. Oh, I forgot to remind you. Those men like to be rough to such a little lamb like you. When it happens, you may not be able to walk for a few days. Haha, they..."
Gu Shenwei really wanted to punch Slave Yao in the face. However, he kept his temper in check and repeatedly warned himself not to mess things up. Han Shiqi was in the opposite room, therefore, Gu Shenwei had better not arouse his attention.
However, he eventually could not control himself anymore and finally rushed at Slave Yao on impulse.
Slave Yao was prepared for it and kept standing behind the other teenagers. The five teenagers who had not learned Central Plains Chinese well could not fully understand his words, so they did not know why Slave Huan suddenly lost his temper and caught hold of him.
With his bit of family-inherited skills, Gu Shenwei could not fight with killers or bandits, but it was possible for him to defeat several peers. While looking at Slave Yao's proud pointy face, Gu Shenwei suddenly came to his senses, choked back his anger, and stepped aside.
The pair of brothers, Slave Qi and Slave Xie, did not come back until midnight.
The elder brother, Slave Qi, clamped his lips shut and lowered his head so as to not look at anyone while his younger brother, Slave Xie, sobbed behind him.
The two teenagers lay on the brick bed while the others pretended to hear nothing. However, there was one who had not fully vented his anger.
"Hey, your butts must feel pretty good, right? Don't think you're higher than me after gaining a killer's favor. I'm the Miss's henchman now, and in the future, I'll be..."
Before Slave Yao could finish his words, Slave Qi had stridden over and punched him in the face. While the two of them fought with each other, the nearby teenagers tried to stop them but ended up joining the battle.
Eventually, all nine teenagers in the room either willingly joined or were forced into the fight, but no one knew whom he fought with because of the darkness. Though Gu Shenwei knew Kung Fu, he still received a lot of hits.
No one noticed that someone had come in with a lantern due to the fight still being in full swing.
Slave Ji said with a sneer, "Third Brother, they are fighting for you."
.
While resting in Slave Ji's room, Han Shiqi heard the teenagers fighting fiercely. At midnight, such a fight would arouse the night watchmen's attention. Han Shiqi felt irritated but amused, and shouted, "Stop," while rushing to separate the crowd.
Gu Shenwei had completely lost control. The indignation that he had been repressing for several days flowed out. Every punch he gave was with all his strength. Suddenly, he felt someone pinch his right arm. Without hesitation, he took the chance to turn around, his head crossing under the arm and his left fist punching toward the other's face.
Han Shiqi was surprised that a little master hid among the group of children. He did not show his move to block it but grabbed the teenager's right arm with more strength to push outward. The fearless teenager was instantly thrown into a corner.
A red circular print was left where Gu Shenwei's new name was branded. His bones felt like they were broken. It was true that there was a large gap between him and a killer of Golden Roc Fort.
The two people stared at each other.
One was once a spy who had entered the manor of the Gu family and was now a faithful killer serving the Eighth Young Master, Shangguan Nu; the other was once the young Master of the Gu family, but was now a slave, with a humiliating brand on his arm.
At this moment, Gu Shenwei was quite calm for there was no way to escape. He would rather die gloriously in a fight than beg for mercy, disgracing the Gu family of the Central Plains.
The nine teenagers scattered throughout the room. All of them kept silent as they knew that they had caused trouble. Slave Yao turned his head to face the other way as if it had nothing to do with him.
Han Shiqi swung his hands with a surprised smile.
Gu Shenwei knew he had been recognized. With the idea of fighting to the death in his mind, he glared back.
"Slave Ji, you hide a treasure here."
"Don't talk rubbish. Show your moves!"
Gu Shenwei slowly stood up. His body was full of the first level of Yang Strength, like an overflowing brook. Facing the well-known killer of Golden Roc Fort, he was determined to fight to the death, neither shivering nor flinching.
All the teenagers were surprised that Slave Huan, who looked well-behaved, abruptly dared to fight with such reckless abandon. It was also an unexpected surprise for Slave Ji, who trained this servant. If the servant behaved like this in front of the masters, Slave Ji would be blamed for negligence.
"You brat! Do you want to die? How dare you speak to the boss like this! What have I taught you?"
Immediately, he took out the rosewood stick on his waist and was ready to enforce the "family law".
Han Shiqi, unexpectedly, raised his arm to stop Slave Ji with the same smile.
"No, keep his wildness. Don't let anyone touch him. Wait for my return."
Han Shiqi and Slave Ji left with a lantern, leaving the nine teenagers in the darkness. All of them breathed heavily and then successively got into the brick bed. No one won this fight and no one benefited.
Gu Shenwei also crawled into bed. He was exhausted and it felt as if his skeleton collapsed, too weak to hold up his whole body.
"What did Han Shiqi mean? Didn't he recognize me?
"But how is that possible? One of Han Shiqi's main purposes for getting into the Gu's manor was to recognize us. Or maybe that was not Han Shiqi, but just someone who looked like him."
Slave Ji always called him "Third Brother", but never mentioned his real name.
"One more butt is going to bloom..." Slave Yao muttered before falling asleep. He was indignant about why he was not the lucky one.
Gu Shenwei did not know why he was not recognized until he washed his face the next morning. His face was black and blue and swelled up to the point that no one could recognize it.
He had been so absorbed in his worries that he did not feel any pain. The moment he touched the cold water, he felt unbearable aches and pains.
The others were all seriously injured and some of them limped in pain.
When they paid their respects to the Miss as usual, Mama Xue saw the pathetic teenagers and just snorted without saying a word.
After they returned to Firewood Yard, Slave Ji used his rosewood stick to tell the teenagers that he was the master of this yard and only he was qualified to hit others.
However, Slave Yao, who started that fight, escaped the overseer's torture because he received individual training at Mama Xue's place after they paid their respects to the Miss. To be a killer in Golden Roc Fort, it was not enough to only win the master's favor; one should have a little martial arts foundation.
But Slave Yao suffered a lot at Mama Xue's place. While the other teenagers recovered, only he continued to suffer injuries to his face. Before going to sleep, he still imagined what would happen if he became a killer, but at the moment, he was not full of confidence.
Gu Shenwei believed that it would not take more than a few months for Slave Yao to die by Mama Xue's hand.
The 11th day after he entered Golden Roc Fort, Gu Shenwei was still annoyed that he had not heard any news about his sister, and was also upset about how to deal with Han Shiqi's return. Slave Yao, who had not learned Kung Fu very well, came to find him.
Gu Shenwei was surprised to see him, as the two of them did not speak with each other over the past few days. While he was mopping the floor in Slave Ji's room, Slave Yao walked in, returning earlier than usual.
"You know Kung Fu?"
Gu Shenwei did not answer and kept cleaning the floor.
"Teach me."
"Dream on," Gu Shenwei secretly said, still ignoring him.
"Teach me Yin and Yang Strength and I'll give the cloth back to you."
Gu Shenwei suddenly stood up.
บท 16: Teaching Kung Fu
บรรณาธิการ: Transn
Gu Shenwei was extremely restless about the lost white handkerchief, and was astounded to hear about its whereabouts from Slave Yao.
He immediately realized two things.
One: Slave Yao must have stolen the white handkerchief from Gu Shenwei when he fainted. Although Slave Yao was a distance away, he could have still snatched it because of his high "status" in the slave carriage.
And two: Slave Yao did not know martial arts. Otherwise, the first thing he would have done after entering Golden Roc Fort was to report Gu Shenwei, because Yin and Yang Strength was the unique skill from the Gu family of the Central Plains. Even though he had stolen the white handkerchief and even read the shortcut manual of Yin and Yang Strength, he did not know how to practice it.
Gu Shenwei quickly stood up. Although Slave Yao had been mentally prepared, he was startled, took a step back, and showed his new move.
"Hey, don't move. I've also learned Kung Fu. I'm not weaker than you."
Gu Shenwei knew him well after being around him for a while. He squatted down to mop the floor again and said, "If that's so, then what can I teach you? Keep the handkerchief."
.
"Hey, hey. You can't fool me. Who do you think I am? I've been living in deceit since I was a kid. You're still too naive."
Gu Shenwei washed the rag in the basin and wrung it, saying, "Believe it or not, Mama Xue's Kung Fu is 100 times better than mine. Anything she can't teach you, neither can I."
.
Slave Yao frowned and carefully observed Slave Huan, trying to read his mind.
"Mama Xue is indeed powerful, but she said she has no time to teach me her ultimate skill. If Yin and Yang Strength is really as powerful as is written on the cloth and can be acquired in a short amount of time, then I want to learn it."
"You really believe such casually written things? You know, I haven't been able to grasp it either."
"Hey, hey, you can't deceive me. You just haven't had time to practice it yet, otherwise, you wouldn't have been so nervous before. Let's get this straight. You teach me Yin and Yang Strength and help me become a killer. Only then will I give the white handkerchief back to you. Do we have a deal?"
The word "give" made Gu Shenwei furious. He suppressed his anger after thinking a bit. "If you give me the white handkerchief now, I can teach you a few moves."
Slave Yao shook his head. "I don't make bad bargains. You will get it back after I become a killer, or at least until I enter East Castle."
While Gu Shenwei was thinking up a response, Slave Ji came in and grouchily shooed Slave Yao away. Since Slave Yao followed Mama Xue to learn Kung Fu, Slave Ji had a terrible impression of Slave Yao. Even if Slave Ji treated him coldly, Slave Yao did not care because he had a stronger benefactor supporting him.
For the rest of the day, Gu Shenwei thought about how to reply to Slave Yao. He focused on two things he had to do—take back the white handkerchief and prevent Slave Yao from knowing the secret.
He could not trust Slave Yao to keep the secret just like he could not count on all his enemies dying of illness.
Slave Yao was a dirty dog that did not deserve any trust.
Gu Shenwei's thoughts wandered wildly. Suddenly, he thought of something. His only choice might be to murder Slave Yao.
"Murder Slave Yao?"
He had many reasons for making such a decision. Slave Yao was a disgusting, even hateful guy. He did not know what Yin and Yang Strength meant. Once he did, he would either divulge the secret or unintentionally do so. Then, Mama Xue and the experienced killers of Golden Roc Fort might know the origin of this Internal Strength set. If that happened, Gu Shenwei would without a doubt be killed.
Gu Shenwei did not want to die yet; he had to get his revenge. The Will of the Divine had supported him so far to get him where he was. Therefore, the Will of the Divine had to want Slave Yao, who got in his way, to die.
While having supper, Gu Shenwei made up his mind. He would tell Slave Yao that he accepted his proposal. He had yet to plan his murder, however.
He was not Slave Ji nor Mama Xue, so he did not have the power to order anyone to be murdered. He was also not a Peerless Ace, who could kill people imperceptibly.
That night, while everyone was getting ready to sleep, Slave Yao waved at Gu Shenwei. "Let's get started tonight."
"We can't go out now because of curfew orders."
"It's okay. I've asked Mama Xue to notify the watchmen in advance. I can go out to practice Kung Fu at night as long as I stay in the yard. You can be my lackey."
The word "lackey" provoked Gu Shenwei. However, after being in a dangerous situation, Gu Shenwei could substantially control his wrath. He gave Slave Yao a cool glance and stepped outside. The other teenagers were all surprised that he was so obedient.
In the courtyard, Slave Yao warmed up by stretching out his arms, kicking his legs, and letting out several shouts. Slave Ji, living in the opposite room, opened the door and yelled.
"It's midnight. Why are you shouting? If you want to practice Kung Fu, go to Ghost Cliff."
Although Slave Yao had received special permission, he still did not dare to disobey Slave Ji. "Okay," he replied with a smile and turned his head to look at the small western door. His face was turning green. Unless it was absolutely necessary, nobody would ever willingly go to Ghost Cliff during the day, let alone at night when it was totally dark.
Taking a deep breath, Slave Yao led the way to the western door.
After stepping outside, he stood against the wall of Golden Roc Fort and kept himself as far away from the cliff as possible. Slave Yao mentally calmed himself and spoke. "Let's get started."
"Give me the white handkerchief."
"Why? Did we not make a deal..."
"I have to read what is on the white handkerchief in order to teach you Yin and Yang Strength."
"Hey, that's not right. We made a deal. You can not mislead me again. I've read the white handkerchief carefully. It said that when learning the shortcut manual, it required at least mastering of the first level of Yin and Yang Strength. I want you to teach me the common Yin and Yang Strength. Regarding the shortcut manual, I can practice it by myself. Who needs you to teach me that?"
Currently, Gu Shenwei was completely certain that the shortcut manual was on the white handkerchief.
"I haven't read the white handkerchief. How would I have known that? If you want to learn Yin and Yang Strength, I'll teach you. Listen, if Yin and Yang were to combine, nothing could transcend it, no one could predict it, and no god nor ghost could respond..."
Although Gu Shenwei lacked in his studies and spent almost 10 years reaching only the first level of Yang Strength, he still had the family's Internal Strength manual in mind and was reciting those sentences one by one.
Slave Yao frowned in concentration while memorizing those words. After Slave Huan finished reciting the manual of the first level of Yang Strength, Slave Yao rolled his eyes and said, "Repeat them again. I don't remember."
Gu Shenwei recited it again. At times, Slave Yao told him to stop and explain the meaning of some words or phrases. Gu Shenwei finally finished teaching the manual after reciting the several hundred characters four or five times. Then he began to teach the footwork and posture of training. Yin and Yang Strength focused on strength practice. Without needing to practice meditation, Yin and Yang Strength was different from common Internal Strength.
"Don't look down on me even though I don't know Kung Fu. That's right, I'm still smart and can tell if you are lying. I'm not boasting. I'll become the strongest killer of Golden Roc Fort sooner or later and the Supreme King's right-hand man. Slave Huan, you're not an idiot. Don't follow the pair of brothers. They're vulgar, barbaric, and simple-minded wolf pups. Follow me! I'll find a way to help you enter East Castle and become a killer too."
Slave Yao appeared to be excited. He stretched out his right hand and waited for Slave Huan's response, as if he was already the famous killer of Golden Roc Fort, and was condescendingly trying to woo a loyal partner.
Gu Shenwei thought for a while. He left Slave Yao's hand hanging, but grasped Slave Yao's forearm.
He established relations with Slave Yao like a barbarian of the Western Region.
From that day on, they went to Ghost Cliff to practice Yin and Yang Strength every night. No one disturbed them there; the night watchman also did not patrol there.
The other teenagers were puzzled with Slave Yao and Slave Huan's relationship. Even the lofty Slave Huan was close to Slave Yao. Therefore, the others did not have any reason to keep their distance from Slave Yao. Slave Yao further enhanced his status because of this. A few teenagers who had previously followed Slave Ji began to flatter Slave Yao in their clumsy Central Plains Chinese. They wanted to have a backup plan and Slave Yao enjoyed the attention.
Slave Qi and Slave Xie behaved oppositely. They not only ignored Slave Yao but also treated Slave Huan coldly. Previously when they met, the brothers would nod at Slave Huan. Now, they ignored him on purpose.
Although Slave Yao liked to brag, he was actually very clever. On the third day after practicing Yin and Yang Strength, he felt feverishly warm in his Dantian. He pressed his belly like an excited pregnant woman."So this is Yin and Yang Strength? I can feel it."
"This is the first level of Yang Strength."
"Hah, I have Internal Strength! Heh, it's not easy to control."
"It's very normal. Yang is for the straightest, hardest, largest, and fiercest. The stronger the feeling, the better."
"You're absolutely right. I feel so much more powerful."
Slave Yao demonstrated a set of punching techniques that he had learned from Mama Xue. It looked impressive, vigorous like a tiger. Although he had not practiced well enough yet, it had an aggressive momentum.
It was easy to learn the foundation of Yin and Yang Strength. However, it was quite difficult to actually successfully apply it. Once it was mastered though, even the Supreme King could not be his opponent.
Gu Shenwei believed in his family's unique skill.
The next evening, after Slave Yao came back from Mama Xue's place, he cheerfully whispered to Slave Huan.
"Hey, Mama Xue praised me today. Yin and Yang Strength is really helpful."
Gu Shenwei was shocked because Mama Xue was a dangerous person. Albeit she belonged to the martial arts circles of the Western Region, it was possible that she had heard of Yin and Yang Strength. Gu Shenwei smiled and said, "You mentioned me to Mama Xue? Can you ask her to teach me Kung Fu sometime? We can enter East Castle together."
.
Slave Yao immediately stopped grinning and vigilantly said, "I will. Take it easy. It's not easy to enter East Castle. They only choose one person at a time. You can wait for the next chance."
Gu Shenwei slightly sighed with relief. For now, Slave Yao would not mention Yin and Yang Strength to Mama Xue.
That evening, Slave Yao was quieter than usual. When they were ready to go at midnight, he suddenly asked, "Slave Huan, what are your thoughts about me?"
.
Gu Shenwei was not expecting this question. He spoke frankly as he thought that at this point, it was okay to be honest and not disguise his feelings.
"You're very shameless."
"Yes, I am."
Slave Yao smiled. It was not a fake smirk but a sincere smile.
"Why do you think I'm shameless? This is a shameless world. If you want to survive here, you have to be shameless. If you want to succeed, you have to be even more so. If you want to be invincible, you have to take advantage of your opponent and become shameless even before they are. This is the only truth I have told. Think about it. This is as profound as your Yin and Yang Strength."
Gu Shenwei thought that what Slave Yao said made sense.
In this shameless world, one could only survive by becoming more shameless themselves. Therefore, he had to be more vicious than his enemies if he wanted his get revenge in the killers' fort.
He observed Slave Yao's pointy and thin face, the guilt in his heart gradually fading away.
This self-claimed "shameless" teenager, would suffer from Qigong Deviation in a few days because of his Kung Fu practice.
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