Han Shiqi was about to return to the fortress. Han Jinu loudly announced the news, his face full of anticipation, looking like a young bride waiting for her husband to come home for a reunion. At the same time, the way he looked at Huan Nu had changed as well.
Huan Nu was the treasure he intended to offer to Han Shiqi. In Golden Peng Fortress, finding a stable backer was no easy matter. He could not harbor even the slightest bit of "jealousy."
Gu Shenwei, forcibly given the name "Huan Nu," had now been relieved of all his duties. With nothing to do each day, his only task was to recuperate and conserve his strength while awaiting the killer Han Shiqi's "favor."
"Put a little more of a smile on your face. Don't always look as if someone in your family has died." Han Jinu often lectured Huan Nu this way, and he always tried to take the opportunity to teach him a few techniques.
Gu Shenwei could only evade him as much as possible. Han Shiqi and Yao Nu had originally been two unrelated matters, but now they had become entangled. Not only had Yao Nu made the same request as Han Shiqi, the solution Gu Shenwei had envisioned was connected to both of them as well.
Yao Nu had to die, and Gu Shenwei had to recover the White Silk. He had now mastered both Yin Jin and Yang Jin, and could begin practicing the accelerated method. If Hehe Jin truly was as powerful as his father had said, he would soon be able to begin his revenge.
The accelerated method concealed enormous dangers. At most, two or three years later, the consequences would erupt. But Gu Shenwei did not care. So long as he could wipe out his enemies and rescue his sister, wherever she might be, he was willing to pay any price.
As for his own life or death, he had long since stopped caring. Sometimes, when he stared at the brand on his right arm, he even felt that dying would be better than living.
The signs of Yao Nu's Qi Deviation were becoming increasingly obvious. The dull pain had spread from the Tianchi Acupoint to the Tianquan Acupoint, then through the Quze Acupoint all the way to the Neiguan Acupoint. Almost his entire arm would tremble from time to time. If Yao Nu had known even a little about Internal Force, he would have realized that something was wrong. But not only did he remain unsuspecting, he trained even harder.
Gu Shenwei would pretend to advise him to slow down his practice. The more he did so, the harder Yao Nu trained. He wholeheartedly believed that the trembling in his arm was nothing serious, and that once he cultivated to a higher level, the symptoms would naturally ease.
Gu Shenwei had practically recited the entire normal cultivation method of Hehe Jin to him from memory. The descriptions of the third level and beyond of Yin Jin and Yang Jin filled Yao Nu with yearning, making him even less willing to slow his progress.
The foundation of Hehe Jin was difficult to establish and its power was limited. Only after both Yin Jin and Yang Jin had reached the third level would the practitioner begin to undergo a complete transformation.
Gu Shenwei had been secretly searching for the White Silk. Whenever he helped Yao Nu correct his cultivation posture, he would often search him in secret. But the White Silk was too light and thin, making it difficult to feel through clothing. He had also searched Yao Nu's luggage when Yao Nu was away, and even searched the other boys' luggage, but still found nothing.
Yao Nu had hidden the White Silk very well.
With Han Shiqi's return drawing near, Gu Shenwei was almost unable to keep his composure. He had considered asking Xue Niang for help, but a killer taking a liking to a young male companion was ultimately too embarrassing to mention. Besides, Xue Niang might not be willing to interfere, and she could not solve the crucial problem either: the moment Han Shiqi saw Huan Nu, he would recognize who he was.
Unless they had another fight, like the one a month ago, beating each other until their faces were swollen and bruised so that Han Shiqi could not recognize him, and perhaps even lost interest in him.
This simple plan was not easy to carry out. The relationships among the nine boys were no longer the same as when they had first entered Golden Peng Fortress. Yao Nu's position had risen day by day, and he had completely brought five of the boys under his control. Even Huan Nu was unanimously considered to have joined Yao Nu's side. Only the brothers Qi Nu and Xie Nu had formed a faction of their own.
If he had to choose friends in Golden Peng Fortress, Gu Shenwei would rather choose those two brothers. Although the two sides were now as estranged as passersby and hardly ever spoke, after considering the matter from every angle, Gu Shenwei still had no choice but to pick a fight with them.
Qi Nu did not look like he knew martial arts, but he was physically strong and possessed great strength. Gu Shenwei only hoped he would not provoke him too far.
All Gu Shenwei had to do now was wait. The day Han Shiqi returned to the fortress would be the day he picked a fight with Qi Nu.
When he had nothing to do, Gu Shenwei often sat alone at the edge of Ghost Cry Cliff. No one would disturb him there. No matter how much Han Jinu wanted to teach him "techniques," he was unwilling to come here.
He often wondered how many corpses this cliff had swallowed. Did the bodies that fell to the bottom slowly rot away, or were they eaten directly by wild beasts? Perhaps tigers and wolves really did prowl below, waiting for delicacies to descend from the heavens.
In the end, Gu Shenwei suddenly understood. He was pondering his own fate: should he live in this world, hopelessly waiting for revenge, or simply throw himself down and be done with it?
Deep in his heart, he loathed bearing a heavy responsibility. He loathed enduring humiliation under that burden. He should have been living a life entirely different from this.
"It is the will of heaven."
Whenever he finished pondering, Gu Shenwei summed it up with these four words. Only with the support of Divine Will could an orphan of meager martial ability take revenge against the killer organization that dominated the Western Regions.
Gu Shenwei was like a devout believer on the brink of death, living only through a single unyielding conviction. He firmly believed in that Divine Will he could not name. He had to believe. He could only believe.
Divine Will truly manifested once more.
Yao Nu died on the thirtieth day after entering the fortress. Gu Shenwei would never forget the way Yao Nu died for the rest of his life. Although he had not personally struck the blow, Yao Nu was the first person to die because of him.
That morning, as usual, the nine boys went to the Eighth Young Master's residence to pay their respects to the Eighth Young Madam. The moment the Young Madam stepped into the courtyard, she began to erupt. "What does that Meng Family have to be proud of? Their ancestors were nothing but peddlers and laborers. Nowadays they lend money and run gambling houses—how many people have they killed? If my father had not shown them mercy, would any of their businesses still be running?"
"Please don't get angry, Young Madam. You are the daughter of the Great Head God. There is no need to stoop to arguing with such snobs," Xiaosui, the maidservant, advised. She had once been called Xiaoru. Since "Wishful Satisfaction" could no longer be used, it had been changed to "Chenxin Suiyi."
The wife of the Unrivaled King of Golden Peng Fortress was surnamed Meng. She came from a wealthy merchant family in Jade City, and her maternal family was one of the richest households in the Western Regions.
"Hmph. The Shangguan Family is just like my father; they make their living through killing and arson. If she is so noble, why did she marry into this Stone Fortress? I..."
Xue Niang timely stopped the Young Madam. This was Golden Peng Fortress; it was better not to expose too much of the Shangguan Family's sordid past.
The Young Madam entered the main hall. Once the screen hid her figure, the servants were granted permission to raise their heads, though they still remained kneeling.
"Swear," the Young Madam ordered. Like all self-important nobles, she gained a trace of satisfaction from these utterly insincere oaths.
The servants repeated the oath one after another, often being interrupted by the Young Madam. Whenever she felt that someone's tone was not devout enough, she ordered Xue Niang to step forward and prod them until the person satisfied her.
Everyone's oath was much the same as it had been on the first day. Whenever the Young Madam was in a bad mood, they had to repeat it all over again.
This was certainly not the beginning of a beautiful day, but it was not much different from usual. Once the servants had completed the customary ritual, they could escape the Young Madam's and Xue Niang's sight and spend an ordinary day. Gu Shenwei sometimes wondered whether Yao Nu, who stayed here to study martial arts under Xue Niang, was having a difficult time. He simply never mentioned it.
The oath-taking had reached its end. Only one inarticulate old woman remained. No matter how many times she repeated it, she could not recite the oath clearly. She was always like this. As long as Xue Niang urged her once more, she could eventually recite the whole thing, though she would forget it again the next time.
The Young Madam kept berating the old woman for being insufficiently loyal, mixing in a jumble of accusations against the Meng Family and the Shangguan Family. At that critical moment, Yao Nu did something no one could have imagined: he laughed.
This was no ordinary laugh. It began as a peal of laughter, developed into wild laughter, and finally left him gasping for breath, as if everyone in the courtyard were clowns, with the person behind the screen being the most comical of all.
Yao Nu's laughter was so bizarre that no one reacted at first. It was not until he laughed himself into rolling across the ground that Xue Niang ran over and kicked him beneath the ribs, scolding him:
"Have you gone mad? What are you laughing at?"
Her kick struck one of the body's vital acupoints, but it had no effect on Yao Nu. He continued laughing, one hand clutching his stomach and the other pointing at Xue Niang's face.
Xue Niang was mature and steady, yet even she was somewhat bewildered at that moment. Unable to resist, she raised a hand and wiped her own face. Then, burning with shame and fury, she lashed out with several kicks. Every one was a ruthless move, and every one struck a vital point.
Yao Nu no longer rolled across the ground. His body stiffened like a fallen statue, but his laughter did not stop. Instead, it grew increasingly shrill, resembling both a howl and a roar, as if it had come from deep inside his body.
The people in the courtyard were frightened and all retreated far away. From behind the screen, the terrified Young Madam asked, "H-he's possessed, isn't he?"
Xue Niang did not believe in such talk of possession. She kicked Yao Nu once more in the temple, and the laughter finally stopped. "Don't be afraid, Young Madam. He has merely lost control of his Internal Force."
Of everyone present, only Gu Shenwei saw the truth with crystal clarity. Yao Nu's Qi Deviation had erupted. Yet even this scene was beyond anything he had imagined. He had always thought Qi Deviation meant vomiting blood and dying.
Xue Niang ordered the boys to carry Yao Nu back to his quarters.
There was a ready-made room in the small courtyard specifically for sheltering dying servants. The boys carried Yao Nu straight inside, then scattered like a swarm, leaving only Gu Shenwei behind.
Han Jinu heard the commotion and came to take a look. He naturally took pleasure in Yao Nu's fate, but he was unwilling to remain beside a dead man either. He instructed Huan Nu to stay there and hurried away.
Yao Nu was not dead yet. His breathing was so weak that it could barely be detected. After confirming that there was no one else inside or outside the room, Gu Shenwei climbed onto the kang and searched Yao Nu's body. Then he pressed both palms against the Tianchi Acupoints on either side of Yao Nu's chest, circulated Yin Jin, and sent a stream of Internal Force into him.
After the time it took to burn a stick of incense, Yao Nu let out a cry and woke up. His eyes were blank, but he was no longer laughing.
"Where is the White Silk? Give it back to me—quickly."
Gu Shenwei spoke urgently. He could not let Yao Nu die just like this. That White Silk, which had reappeared, now carried his entire plan for revenge.
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