Xiao Nu

The Great Head God's daughter had not been acting on a sudden whim when she thought of her ten young slave boys. Since the oath-taking, every morning the youths had to follow a maidservant to the Eighth Young Master's courtyard to pay respects to their mistress.

After several days, Gu Shenwei discovered that it was not easy to find an opening through the young mistress.

Imitating Yao Nu's manner had not won the young mistress's favor.

When he was the young master of the Gu family, everyone from top to bottom had liked him, and he had never found it difficult. But now he was the lowest of slaves, carrying the unpleasant smell of death that made others avoid him. Who would still like him?

Even when paying respects, the several youths had to kneel at the very edge of the courtyard, unable to move or raise their heads, until the young mistress returned from outside and had completely entered the rear courtyard. Only then could they stand up and return along the same path to Kindling Courtyard, where they would face Han Jinu's cold expression.

The young mistress was, after all, a Luo, not a young miss of the Shangguan family. She had to fulfill her duties as a daughter-in-law, going every morning with her sisters-in-law to pay respects to her mother-in-law. This was also the time when her mood was worst, and the way she chose to vent was by tormenting her own dowry slaves—a trait she shared with her husband, Shangguan Nu.

Yao Nu had once warned, half-reminding and half-threatening, "Let's see which of you provokes the young mistress first. Don't come asking me to plead for you. Even though we're brothers, I have to protect myself first."

Yao Nu often scared people, mostly with lies, but this time he was unfortunately proven right. The first to suffer was a youth named Xiao Nu.

Xiao Nu was sturdy, the tallest, and also the oldest. He had a kind, round face that always wore a smile, often making him seem more childish than the youngest, Xie Nu. He was also the one who had been scared to tears by Yao Nu the most times. Yet it was he who, during the second morning of paying respects, did something extremely bold and unimaginable.

He lifted his head to look.

The young mistress was just then entering the courtyard, walking hurriedly, her tone angrier than usual. "Why does Xiaoru have to change her name? Does the Shangguan family think they own every word under heaven? This is outrageous, utterly outrageous!"

Besides Xue Niang, the young mistress had four personal maidservants, named according to the meaning of "contentment, satisfaction, as desired, as wished": Xiaocheng, Xiaoxin, Xiaoru, and Xiaoyi. The youths privately thought none of these names sounded good, but that didn't affect the young mistress's fondness for them.

Perhaps the young mistress cared neither about the four maids nor their names. She simply didn't like being forced to change her subordinates' names. But she couldn't defy the request, because it came from her mother-in-law, the matriarch of the Shangguan family.

All this was recounted by Yao Nu afterward. At the time, no one was thinking so much. They were all startled by another sound.

"You lifted your head? Why did you lift your head?"

The cry of alarm rang through the entire courtyard. The maidservant Xiaoru, who had not yet received her new name, glared angrily at the youth kneeling at the edge of the courtyard. Then a figure moved. Before Xiao Nu could explain, Xue Niang stomped him down, his face smashing heavily against the blue stone of the courtyard. He dared not move again.

The youths remained kneeling, their heads touching the ground, not even daring to shift their eyes.

The young mistress's continuous complaints stopped abruptly. Then, with hurried steps, she entered the main hall. After the screen was set up, she asked, "Did that man see me?"

Because of that one lifted head, Xiao Nu had transformed from a foolish youth into a "man."

"No, he shouldn't have."

Although Xue Niang had struck hard, she still tried to defend Xiao Nu. Yao Nu beside her seemed to want to speak, but she silenced him with a glare.

"I didn't see anything." Xiao Nu, lying face-down on the ground, spoke indistinctly, but this was tantamount to admitting he had lifted his head.

"Kill him." The young mistress's voice came from behind the screen.

"Young mistress... that might not be appropriate." Xue Niang was troubled.

This was Golden Peng Fortress, not the Iron Mountain Gang. The young mistress no longer held supreme power over life and death. Though she resented this deeply, she could not act on impulse.

"Gouge out his eyes, cut off his tongue."

This punishment was the same as that suffered by the unfortunate young girl. The blind and tongueless girl still remained by the young mistress's side, and the youths saw her every time they came to pay respects.

"I didn't see, I didn't see."

Xiao Nu grew more terrified, lying flat on the ground, his body trembling like a sieve.

The young mistress's four personal maidservants walked over together. Gouging eyes and cutting tongues was their duty. The maidservant Xiaoru was especially eager; her mood was as angry as the young mistress's, and she needed an outlet.

The Great Head God's daughter could no longer do as she pleased in Golden Peng Fortress, but some things remained unchanged. No one could restrict her from punishing her dowry slaves.

No one pleaded for Xiao Nu.

Gu Shenwei didn't want to admit it, but in his heart he was truly terrified. He even wished he could temporarily lose his hearing, so he wouldn't have to hear Xiao Nu's screams.

The maidservants worked quickly and professionally, even using medicine to stop Xiao Nu's bleeding.

The youths carried Xiao Nu back to Kindling Courtyard, not speaking a word along the way. Though their sworn brotherhood had been insincere, they all felt a sense of debt toward their half-dead companion.

When Han Jinu saw Xiao Nu's face covered in blood, he was greatly startled, jumping back a step and waving his Rosewood Cane as if driving away an invisible evil spirit. "What happened?"

Yao Nu briefly explained the incident. Han Jinu was clearly frightened, his face shifting between shades of uncertainty. "This fool, why did he lift his head!"

Xiao Nu, who had lost his eyes and tongue, still had his hearing. Suddenly breaking free from the crowd, he made guttural sounds and charged toward where he thought Han Jinu was.

It happened so fast that no one could block him. Xiao Nu nearly ran past his target. Han Jinu was frozen for a moment, then grew furious, swinging his Rosewood Cane wildly at Xiao Nu's body.

"Mindless fool, have you gone mad? Peeping at the Eighth Young Madam, do you want to die?"

Han Jinu's anger seemed to come without reason.

Connecting this to Xiao Nu's earlier expression, Gu Shenwei suddenly understood the truth: Han Jinu had ordered Xiao Nu to lift his head and sneak a look at the young mistress's appearance.

That was right. When chatting with slaves from other courtyards, Han Jinu had more than once expressed curiosity about the Eighth Young Madam. This daughter of the Western Region bandit was said to be peerlessly beautiful, yet she never let men see her face. The men of Golden Peng Fortress had never witnessed the Great Head God's power, so they were naturally eager to know the truth of the rumors.

As for these ten youths, the rule "do not lift your head to look at the young mistress" had been deeply ingrained, killing even the most ordinary curiosity. Only Xiao Nu, the most honest and most eager to please others, had been swayed by Han Jinu.

Everyone guessed the truth, but still no one spoke. Yao Nu took the lead, and the youths together grabbed Xiao Nu, carrying him back to the bedroom. By then, Xiao Nu had already lost consciousness from the blows of the Rosewood Cane and offered no resistance.

Xiao Nu lay on the kang, the blood unstoppable, flowing everywhere. Han Jinu refused to call a doctor. The youths had no choice but to wipe it away again and again. After all, their job was to care for the dying—this was no different from usual.

Xiao Nu groaned and gasped all night, occasionally shouting in his native language. No one translated, and Gu Shenwei couldn't guess what he was calling out.

In this state, no one in the room could sleep. Finally, Yao Nu jumped off the kang, slapped Xiao Nu on the head, and said a few words in a commanding tone. The dying youth quieted down.

That night, Gu Shenwei barely slept at all.

The next morning, he opened his eyes, and before his consciousness had fully awakened, he already knew that Xiao Nu was dead.

The sworn brothers, who had never shared much genuine affection, were now completely split because of this incident. Everyone understood that a lowly servant had neither the qualifications nor the ability to act as a protector; if they wanted to survive, they needed to find other backers.

Three people had defected to Han Jinu. Of course, they had learned from Xiao Nu's lesson and would never again spy on the Miss for him.

The other two doubled their efforts to curry favor with Yao Nu. Yao Nu had earned Xue Niang's appreciation, and he would soon become a killer apprentice—his future looked bright.

Qi Nu and Xie Nu, the pair of brothers, remained independent, rarely interacting with the other youths, always muttering softly to each other in their native tongue.

Gu Shenwei cared nothing for the alliances and betrayals within the small circle; his mind was entirely occupied with how to take revenge.

The day after Xiao Nu's death, Xue Niang came again, barging straight into Han Jinu's room with a grim expression.

"You killed my young lady's servant."

Han Jinu was intimidated by Xue Niang's presence, his arrogance immediately deflating by half. He took two steps back, mumbled something, then suddenly mustered his courage and said:

"Don't wrong me. You people gouged out eyes and cut off tongues, killing Xiao Nu yourselves. What does that have to do with me?"

Xue Niang was not skilled with words; her expertise lay in the Iron Finger. Without another word, she jabbed Han Jinu twice in the chest. The youths all knew from experience that this gaunt woman's fingers were harder than the Rosewood Cane in Han Yard Manager's hand.

Han Jinu's face suddenly turned bright red, as if he had done something wrong. Then, with a cry of pain, he collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball. This was his second time being struck, and Xue Niang's force was much heavier than before.

Xue Niang punished Han Jinu, and with that, the matter of Xiao Nu's death came to an end.

But to avoid being looked down upon by the youths under him, Han Jinu summoned his own backer the next day. It was entirely because of this person's help that he had become the steward of Kindling Courtyard.

That evening, just as the nine youths were preparing to sleep, Han Jinu called out from his room, ordering everyone to come in. He sounded full of confidence, ready to display his "power."

Han Jinu's confidence was well-founded. There was an extra person in his room, sprawled on a reclining chair, face upturned. Han Jinu sat on a small stool, carefully massaging this person's legs.

A black robe with a large golden bird embroidered on the shoulder, a dark red belt, and a narrow single-edged blade—these marked the man as a Golden Peng Fortress Killer.

The other youths could only identify the killer by his attire, but Gu Shenwei recognized this person.

Even though he only saw the side of his face, Gu Shenwei felt an immediate sense of familiarity, certain he had seen him somewhere before.

"You little bastards, did your young lady cut anyone's tongue off today?"

Han Jinu's tone was hostile, and no one dared to reply.

"Hey, watch your mouth. That's the Eighth Young Madam. Don't be disrespectful," the black-clad killer said lazily, still resting with his eyes closed.

"Third Brother, I'm not just talking nonsense. But one lowly slave died—that's how we've always been taught in the fortress. None of the masters were upset. But this new young madam had that skinny hag jab me twice. And it was them who gouged out eyes and cut off tongues that killed the man. You don't know, Third Brother, that hag's hand strength is terrifying. I still have two bruises on my chest."

Han Jinu picked up the killer "Third Brother's" right hand and rubbed it over his own chest.

His tone and behavior were completely different from the fierce yard manager he usually was.

"That hag has some background. Not killing you with those jabs was her showing mercy. What do you expect me to do? I'm one of the Eighth Young Master's men. I can't exactly go argue with the Eighth Young Madam, can I?"

"Hmph, I think this young madam is either too ugly or doesn't know how to please people. Why else would she not let anyone see her? And just a few days after the wedding, the Eighth Young Master has to go on a long journey. Sigh, Third Brother, you were gone for months, and you've only been back a few days, and now you have to leave with him again. Third Brother, you really should talk to the Eighth Young Master about this Xue Niang. She's only just entered the fortress and she's already this arrogant. What will happen in the future?"

Gu Shenwei suddenly remembered who this person was.

About three months ago, a man from the Western Regions who called himself Han Shiqi had come to the Gu Family Manor with a letter. Master Gu Lun had taken him in as a manor guard.

Gu Shenwei found himself standing on the edge of a cliff once more. If Han Shiqi turned his head and opened his eyes, he would immediately recognize this young master of the Gu family.