บท 20: Invitation
บรรณาธิการ: Transn
Slave Yao stared at Slave Huan for a while in confusion. He was looking at him, but he no longer knew him. It was like Slave Yao had turned a blind eye and no longer saw him. Suddenly, a deep flush rose on Slave Yao's face as he reached out and clutched Slave Huan's arm.
"What happened to me? You know. You can save me, can't you?"
"You're right," said Gu Shenwei, while he pulled away his arm stiffly, "but, first I want my white handkerchief back."
"The handkerchief, handkerchief..."
Slave Yao muttered, almost as if he had never heard those words before. Then his blush receded and his chest heaved rapidly. His arms twitched violently and he aggressively knocked on the brick bed. Slave Yao laughed again hoarsely.
Gu Shenwei anxiously reapplied pressure to Slave Yao's Tianchi acupoint. He was trying to put Internal Breath into Slave Yao's body through Yin Strength. Unfortunately, his Internal Strength was too weak to subdue the forceful and flood-like Yang Strength inside Slave Yao's body. Although Slave Huan exhausted himself trying, Slave Yao did not get any better.
Only powerful superiors, such as Mama Xue, could stop his Qigong Deviation with Internal Breath.
Gu Shenwei gave up rescuing him and tried to avoid his flailing arms. Then he searched Slave Yao's body thoroughly, even between his legs, yet he found nothing. Slave Yao must have hidden the handkerchief elsewhere.
After struggling for nearly an hour, Slave Yao had exhausted his energy and finally calmed down. He moved his arms once in a while and grunted like a someone drowning, struggling to get his last breath.
"The handkerchief! Give it to me!"
Gu Shenwei exerted all his strength while shaking Slave Yao's body, intending to squeeze the last of his vitality out of him.
Slave Yao fell into a confused state, the blush came and went, again and again. Sometimes, he would regain consciousness and chatter and babble nonsensically.
He could not recognize Slave Huan or the others. All that he said was nonsense—boasting this, cursing that, and sometimes begging as if he were a solo player, acting out several figures simultaneously.
Gu Shenwei was desperate. He had only completed half of his plan with the help of the Will of the Divine. Now, Slave Yao was dying and he did not know where to find the white handkerchief.
Slave Yao's situation was quite unstable. From early morning to sunset, neither a doctor nor Mama Xue came to treat him. This trivial thing was not worthy of notice in their eyes.
Gu Shenwei lay down, resting his head against the brick bed. It was impossible to get a clue about the handkerchief from the wheezing and nonsensical words that burst out of Slave Yao's mouth, who had completely forgotten about the handkerchief thing as well as Golden Roc Fort. All that he mentioned was past experiences.
What Gu Shenwei got from the miscellaneous murmurs was that Slave Yao's former master had been a very mean and despicable person, filling Slave Yao's heart with hatred toward the world.
However, it was strange that Gu Shenwei felt no fear sitting beside a person who was going to die soon. He focused all his attention toward his plans for the future. He would not be able to protect his life better than Slave Yao had. Sooner or later, he might be sharing the same fate.
How would he explain that to Slave Yao when they met in hell?
"Hey, it was me who led you to experience Qigong Deviation, but you also killed me by stealing that white handkerchief, so we're even."
How would Slave Yao respond? Maybe he would have found a new boss in hell, giving no concern to his soul's existence. Yet, if Slave Yao still had inordinate ambitions, Gu Shenwei made up his mind to kill him again.
"Slave Huan."
Slave Yao suddenly and calmly called his name, as if nothing had happened. Gu Shenwei's heart began to pound despite the fact he had remained calm the entire time. He turned his head and gazed at Slave Yao.
Slave Yao's eyeballs were terribly bright, almost as if they were burning. The mysterious light of a man who had returned to consciousness just before death.
"You will never be able to run away. I'll be waiting for you in hell."
Those were the last words that Slave Yao spoke. As if he had the capability to read people's minds, he read Slave Huan's. After these minacious, or maybe prophetic words, Slave Yao exhaled his last breath as his head tilted down and settled on his chest.
Gu Shenwei's heart pounded again. He knew Slave Yao was dead after he checked for his breath.
Gu Shenwei asked no one for help. Carrying the corpse, he walked out of the western gate and threw it off the end of Ghost Cliff. He felt a great relief and yet he knew there was another burden on his mind, one which he might not ever be able to cast off.
After he arrived back in the bedroom, the boys inside tried to avoid him for fear that they would be contaminated by the evil spirit of Slave Yao. So, they kept at least three feet away from him.
Gu Shenwei was too tired to care. He was too exhausted to even worry about the arrival of Han Shiqi, who would soon be arriving. So, he closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly.
Things did not go as people wished. The next day, Slave Ji woke the boys with a rosewood stick by knocking it on the edge of brick bed. He announced that they did not have to pay respects to the Eighth Young Mistress because she believed that they had acquired evil spirits. They were left to clean up Firewood Yard, since "Third Brother" would come and rest here tonight.
This surprised Gu Shenwei and he was not sure how to handle it. He thought he might need another fight.
However, Slave Ji solved this problem for him temporarily. Even though his eyes were full of hatred, the target had been another boy. He asked Slave Huan, "Is that guy dead?"
Gu Shenwei nodded.
"Clean?"
Gu Shenwei nodded again.
"Take off your clothes, let the others burn them. You're not allowed to cross the threshold for three days."
Gu Shenwei finally felt at ease. He did not care about being possessed by an evil spirit. Instead, he thought that Han Shiqi would not trouble himself to look for him for a while.
He had dodged getting the rap for the disaster, but someone had to be his whipping boy. Slave Ji pointed to Slave Qi and Slave Xie and ordered them. "Come here."
The other boys left the room in a hurry as nobody wanted to be in the same room with Slave Huan.
Gu Shenwei took off his clothes and tossed them out of the room. Soon afterward, someone took them away and then a new set was thrown into the room.
Gu Shenwei dressed himself neatly and then searched the whole room carefully. He looked in corners and behind the stone bricks that could be moved.
Slave Yao had hidden the handkerchief very well and Gu Shenwei could not seem to find it anywhere. He doubted that it had been destroyed by Slave Yao. However, since he had already memorized every word, there had been no need for him to keep it.
The boys would not dare to return, except for the brothers Slave Qi and Slave Xie. They had been exempted from the labor and were waiting for Han Shiqi's "favor".
The three boys awkwardly kept silent in the room.
They would have become friends if they were not ignoring each other over a misunderstanding that Gu Shenwei just could not explain.
In the past, the brothers had been ashamed of being "favored". However, they had calmed down. Even the young one, Slave Xie, did not weep or wail endlessly like he used to.
After a while, Slave Qi asked straightforwardly, "Did you kill Slave Yao?"
Slave Qi could not speak Central Plain Chinese very well, but he was sure about what he had asked. However, Gu Shenwei failed to understand his intention, so he remained silent.
"We need you to kill another."
He sounded certain and Gu Shenwei could tell that Slave Qi was looking for his help.
"Who?"
"That man."
Gu Shenwei understood who he was talking about. Out of the three boys, only he knew the name "Han Shiqi", while Slave Ji called the man "Third Brother". He was not sure whether that was the killer's real name or not.
Gu Shenwei did not doubt the brother's determination to kill Han Shiqi, but he decided not to answer immediately since they were not actually friends.
"We want our humiliation wiped out. I know you don't want it either. Would you like to join us?"
Speaking in a non-native tongue, Slave Qi's tone sounded crude. However, amidst his eyes, right under his thick eyebrows, Gu Shenwei could see his honesty and sincerity, which was rare among the slaves of Golden Roc Fort.
"I'm in," Gu Shenwei replied.
There was no need to refuse their help and he had no reason to play a trick on Slave Qi.
Slave Xie stepped forward as well. The three boys held each other's arms to express their trust. They had observed each other for so long that they could treat each other sincerely.
Slave Qi was tall, half a head higher than Gu Shenwei, and had a wild and prideful temperament. He acted like an animal cub that stood in the bustling world of humankind, incompatible and despised.
The younger one, Slave Xie, was more like a reticent child that had not outgrown their childhood yet. He followed his brother all the time everywhere. He could not seem to adjust to his current position or to his life as a slave. He acted more like a child from a wealthy family than Gu Shenwei did.
Obviously, these two brothers could not win anyone's heart with such characters. They were treated like toys by Han Shiqi, gifts and competitors by Slave Ji, and disobedient boys by Mama Xue. Anyway, they were punished far more often than the others, especially Slave Qi.
After several months living as a slave, there had been a visible change to him. No trace of immaturity could be found on his face. There was only a pair of vigilant eyes and a tight-lipped mouth, which was far from pleasing.
Gu Shenwei was the exception. He saw the same anger, hatred, and fright in the brothers. That killer from the faraway snow mountain also had the same bitter experience as they had.
Neither of them mentioned their past since there was no point in doing so. The pain would not be reduced or released. Instead, the weakness and fragility of the survivors would be revealed.
Now they were faced with the same predicament, the same danger, and the same enemy. Violence had to be met with violence, so they decided to seek revenge. But Han Shiqi was not Slave Yao, who knew nothing about martial arts. He was a killer of Golden Roc Fort, and even if he was not the strongest, he could destroy these three boys easily.
"I've got a plan," Slave Qi said.
He had been waiting for this moment for ages and was willing to take any risk to defeat the villain.
บท 21: The Sharp Knife
บรรณาธิการ: Transn
Here was Slave Qi's plan:
"That man", or Han Shiqi, knew Kung Fu well. When he first "patronized" the brothers, they had learned through their resistance that Han Shiqi could not be defeated even by the combined effort of eight slave boys. Therefore, they had resolved to kill him by assassination.
The thought of assassinating Han Shiqi came naturally to Slave Qi, given that they were in Golden Roc Fort. The key was the method. After all, the one they were going to assassinate was an experienced killer.
As it was impossible to kill him bare-handed, they had to equip themselves with a sharp weapon. Slave Xie solved this problem by stealing a rarely used knife meant for meat cutting while he was fetching food from the kitchen. It was about four inches long, rather small but razor-sharp.
Next, they needed someone to divert Han Shiqi's attention. Since the brothers were chosen again, they had to make yet another sacrifice.
"I want to see him die with my own eyes," Slave Xie cursed. He seldom spoke, but now he was acting like an angry lion, grinding his teeth.
The last and most critical thing was that someone had to deliver the final stab. That was the most important reason why the brothers sought Slave Huan's help.
"You're the best in Kung Fu. You can kill him silently."
Gu Shenwei blushed after hearing this praise from Slave Qi.
When he was the young Master of the Gu family, though he did not project a semblance of superiority, he secretly believed that he could defeat most people in martial arts circles. His recent experiences these days had been ruthless in revealing the truth—even the manor servants who had failed to beat him were actually just pretending. He could not even take down a common bandit.
But Gu Shenwei was still willing to take on this task, for Han Shiqi was not only the villain whom he coveted but also the hidden traitor who had caused the extermination of his entire family. It had been a month since that incident, and as a mean slave, he was eager to put a sharp knife into his enemy's body and comfort the restless and vengeful beast inside his mind.
"What would they do after the killing?"
They did not mention that. When Gu Shenwei thought about it afterward, he found the whole matter inconceivable. They were so anxious to kill Han Shiqi that they had no time to think about the result.
Gu Shenwei had just seen a man die in front of him the previous day, and he felt that his heart was still hardened. He immediately agreed and took possession of the sharp knife, which was smaller than a dagger, from Slave Xie.
The last time Han Shiqi had "patronized" the brothers, it was in Slave Ji's room, where he might do the same thing this time. Since this room was the most comfortable one in Firewood Yard, Slave Ji would be judicious to sleep in another room.
Gu Shenwei needed to sneak into the room in advance, which could be easy or difficult, depending on when Slave Ji would call roll and when he left the room. If Gu Shenwei could not find an opportunity, he would have to give up, leaving the brothers to suffer the humiliation.
Gu Shenwei used to clean Slave Ji's room, so he knew its layout well. It was a raised bed instead of a brick bed there, which was good, for he could hide under the bed and wait for the moment that Han Shiqi reposed himself, and then he would stab him from beneath the bed.
The sharp knife was so short that they decided to wear down the wooden handle down to reveal the three-inch-long tongue of the knife. Then they bounded two slats to the tip of the tongue, which made the whole knife about six inches long, sufficient to strike clean through the plank of the bed before stabbing into the body lying on it.
The timing was significant. They made an arrangement in which Slave Qi and Slave Xie would lead their target to an appropriate position and voice the secret signal, which was "brother". Upon hearing that, Slave Huan lying under the bed would immediately stab upward.
There was another problem: the assassin lying under the bed could not be discovered in advance, so he had to be very, very quiet. Han Shiqi might sense his presence even by the slightest gasp. After all, he himself was a killer with sharp ears and keen senses.
If Gu Shenwei had not entered into the First Level of Yin Strength, he would not be capable of lying soundless and still. Now that he could control his Internal Breath, he could also control his breathing.
They had a rehearsal. Gu Shenwei lay down on the brick bed, trying hard to breathe silently and continuously. The brothers came close from the doorway while listening attentively, and then gave their judgment.
In the beginning, Gu Shenwei could not control his timing very well, but after a bit of practice, he could control his breathing for a longer time, and at last, he managed to keep it steady for a quarter of an hour.
A boy happened to come in during the rehearsal. He glanced at Slave Huan lying on the bed, and his face suddenly changed. He turned around to run out at once, almost falling down.
Though it made for a hilarious scene, it also reminded them of the importance of avoiding the eyes and ears of the five other boys.
Slave San, Slave Xin, Slave Lei, Slave Qian, and Slave Zhao were all of a timid temperament, as they had been influenced so deeply by Slave Yao that they had accepted their fate as slaves quickly after they entered the fort, which meant they would be happy to betray their companions in exchange for a fortune.
Taking some time to discuss this problem, Slave Xie thought for a while. Finally, he said nothing about it except, "I'll handle it." He left alone, and returned with their lunch, saying, "It's over."
Slave Xie wandered around the yard and secretly talked with every boy inside. Finally, these five boys went to Slave Ji and claimed that they would even rather live in the shabbiest house than share a room with Slave Huan.
Since no one lay dying in Firewood Yard recently, there were sufficient empty rooms. Not to mention that Slave Ji was glad to do them a special favor for their brown-nosing. Therefore, he gave his order—Slave Huan was not allowed to take a single step out of the room.
"I told them that you were bewitched and my brother and I are trying to drive the evil spirit out of you." Slave Xie grinned and explained to Slave Huan. He was more talkative and intimate with Slave Huan than before.
"Haha. Well, I've got many evil spirits to drive out of my body."
"Did you really kill Slave Yao using sorcery?" Slave Xie asked curiously, who had obviously been holding onto this question for a long time.
"Don't be rude, it's none of your business." Slave Qi pulled his younger brother behind to stop him from snooping on privacy.
"I'm less skillful in sorcery than you." Gu Shenwei smiled and said that he would rather not mention Slave Yao.
Slave Xie failed to notice that Slave Huan was prevaricating and thought Slave Huan was denying it. He gave a confused look, a bit disappointed.
Yet, Slave Qi felt it was worth exploring, though he would not question it because he knew that everyone had their own secrets.
In the afternoon, the brothers went to learn the "techniques" taught by Slave Ji, while Gu Shenwei practiced holding his breath alone and pressing the transformed knife against the bottom of the bed before jabbing upward quickly and forcefully.
In his imagination, blood would pump out en masse, and he would have to roll aside quickly to avoid it.
"He is the enemy," Gu Shenwei told himself. Han Shiqi was the key target in his path of vengeance. Killing him would be revenge completed, and any other enemies who died by his hand in the future would be a bonus.
"When will the vengeance end?" Gu Shenwei asked himself again in silence.
"Pay them back by killing their entire families."
He did not feel it strange to even think about this. Though he was just a slave and the only thing he could do was practice his skills on the brick bed, he remained ambitious.
However, the most difficult task was not killing, but waiting.
Sometimes he could hear the other boys' conversations from outside, which represented another world—reality, simplicity, and oblivion.
Gu Shenwei even envied them for a while, but he quickly reminded himself that even if without the burden of revenge, he should not act like those slaves. What he had lost was far greater than what the other slaves in Golden Roc Fort had lost put together.
He did not know how many times he had practiced the simple action of jabbing. As the sun went westward, he felt it was all in his mind. He stopped and hopped off of the bed to exercise a little.
That stab had to end a life, otherwise, three lives would be ended. Yet, he had no fear or doubt, as if he was an experienced killer doing something normal.
He thought of his father, Gu Lun, who would shake his head while talking about his son. He had been worried that Gu Shenwei would not achieve anything, be it in civilization, military, agriculture, or commerce. Gu Shenwei was good for almost nothing.
"Maybe I am a born killer," Gu Shenwei thought. He grinned without noticing.
When calling roll, Slave Ji neither mentioned Slave Huan nor went to his room, which was a good sign.
Slave Xie brought the dinner, with the news that everything was good and that nobody had predicted that a plot was being brewed. He and his brother would think of an idea to attract Slave Ji and the others, while Slave Huan would take the opportunity to sneak into Slave Ji's room.
Slave Ji always ate with the boys in the same room, though of course, not at the same table. He enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by people, as their flattery was the real feast.
Gu Shenwei was not hungry at all, but he still tried to swallow some of his meal because he did not want his stomach growling when he was under the bed.
After dinner, he listened behind the door. There came cheers and laughter from the east side. Waiting for the noisiest moment, he arched his back and trotted through the yard and entered into Slave Ji's bedroom. He knew it very well, so without even checking, he crawled beneath the bed.
The headboard was about three feet above his head. Gu Shenwei lay down on the cold ground, stretching his arms and holding the knife, and then aimed at the point that was three feet down from the headboard and 17 inches in from the side of the bed. Luckily, there was a gap between those two planks, which saved him a lot of trouble.
He and the brothers had chosen the position in advance. If all went as planned, the middle of Han Shiqi's back should be exactly there.
There would be only one stab and no more. That was all the chance he would get.
They knew how ferocious this killer of Golden Roc Fort could be. It would not take much time for Han Shiqi to kill these three boys, even if he was hurt badly, let alone Slave Ji and the night watchmen resting outside. Any abnormal sound could get all three of them killed.
The sky was getting darker, and it was even darker beneath the bed. Gu Shenwei kept the knife aimed at the same point the entire time to make sure he would not miss.
Finally, he heard footsteps from outside. Someone coughed, walked inside, lit the candle, dumped his shoes, and jumped onto the bed heavily, shaking a layer of dust off. Gu Shenwei was completely unprepared for this and released a hearty sneeze.
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