Leaving the Estate

Beasts always went through an awkward stage. They were strong enough to survive on their own, yet still craved their mother's care and milk, innocently believing that life was meant to be this way. So they spent all their excess energy rolling around and teasing insects. Sometimes, an amusing sight could even be seen: a young leopard, already larger than its mother, lay lazily in the grass, basking in the sun and patiently waiting for lunch to come to it, never imagining that these happy days would soon—very soon—end. Once its mother was ready to conceive again, the darling of heaven would become an abandoned, panicked cub in the blink of an eye, forced to roam the world alone. Each arduous hunt would wear away a little more of its former innocence, until in the end it either died a miserable death or grew into a cold-blooded killer.

Fourteen-year-old Gu Shenwei was at a similar stage. His name sounded a little old-fashioned, but he still had plenty of a child's mischievous innocence about him. His parents and elder brothers were all a little worried, but he had his own plan: he wouldn't officially grow up until after his sister was married.

That day was still three months away. But an unexpected event interrupted the life he had so carefully planned.

One noon, a household servant who had gone to pasture the animals in the back hills returned with strange news: a rider had stopped on the opposite hillside and was watching the estate.

Master Gu Lun went to the back hills to investigate in person, but the rider was already gone. He rode around the area, yet found nothing.

The Gu Family had moved from the Central Plains to the Western Regions only two years earlier. Their estate lay in an oasis on the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, surrounded for a hundred miles by uninhabited desert and wasteland. There was only one small village at the foot of the mountains, where a dozen tenant-farming families lived. Strangers rarely came by, so it was no wonder the master found the news strange.

Gu Lun had once been a military officer and was more vigilant than most. After questioning the herdsman in detail about the rider's appearance and behavior, he quietly arranged for the estate guards to strengthen their defenses.

Gu Shenwei's two elder brothers thought their father was making a fuss over nothing. The rider was probably a shepherd looking for water and pasture who had gone on his way after seeing people living here.

Gu Shenwei was always getting up to mischief, even when there was nothing to do. Now, like his father, he treated the situation as "serious" and solemnly rode around the estate on his pony, rushing over at the slightest stir of wind or grass to make sure it was a rabbit and not a bird.

But over the next few days, no strangers came to spy on the estate. Everything remained calm, and life seemed set to go on as before. The dozens of members of the Gu Family continued to bustle about, preparing the young lady's dowry. The journey from the Western Regions to the Central Plains spanned thousands of miles, and there was plenty to prepare in advance.

Everyone had work to do. The young master's duty was to visit his elder sister Cuilan's bedroom every day, acting spoiled and playing the fool until she was utterly heartbroken. She hadn't even left home yet, and her tears had already soaked several of her clothes.

Gu Shenwei had his own reasons. The Central Plains and the Western Regions were like two different worlds. After this parting, who knew when they would see each other again? He wanted to use this seemingly childish trick to make sure his sister would remember him.

The peaceful days were only temporary. On the night of the tenth day after the strange rider appeared, several masked men sneaked into the estate, causing quite a stir.

Whatever their reason for breaking into the estate that night, it seemed they hadn't achieved their goal. Master Gu Lun had kept the guards on alert while appearing relaxed, and had been arranging for them to patrol through the night. It was the vigilant old servant Yang Zheng who first spotted the intruders.

In the confusion, several fights broke out in different places, but each clash was brief. Young Master Gu Shenwei was roused from his sleep in a daze. Before he could figure out what was happening, the masked men had already fled.

No one was hurt.

Everyone in the estate was awake. More than a dozen guards eagerly discussed how they had fought off the masked men. From the way they told it, there must have been hundreds of intruders, but old servant Yang Zheng insisted there had been no more than five.

Gu Shenwei hadn't seen the masked men and was bitterly disappointed. He pestered his father and brothers with questions until, at last, his eldest brother sternly ordered him to be quiet. Only then did he reluctantly curl up in a wide armchair and listen as everyone speculated about the intruders' identities and motives.

The Western Regions had many different powers, and its names and places were complicated. Gu Shenwei was utterly lost, and his interest gradually faded. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. Just before he drifted completely into dreamland, he kept hearing two words: "Butcher." He thought, Whoever this "Butcher" is, there's nothing to fear. My father is a real general, after all.

In truth, Gu Lun's title of general wasn't quite as real as his youngest son imagined. He had served as a palace guard in the Central Plains, and it was only upon his retirement that he had been ceremonially granted the title of General Shenwu, Principal Third Rank.

Though he served in the palace, Gu Lun was famous throughout the martial world of the Central Plains, all because of a set of martial arts passed down through his family. Yang Zheng, a martial artist, had once willingly become a servant to learn its spear techniques. Gu Lun's eldest and second sons were also first-rate fighters, but his youngest was well past childhood and still hadn't mastered anything.

The young master of the Gu Family had delicate features and looked clever and quick-witted. He was indeed eager to learn, but he had one flaw: he lacked perseverance. Whatever he did, he only took an interest in it for a little while; after a few days, he would give it up and ignore it. He was also the youngest in the family, doted on by his parents, brothers, and sister alike, which only made the habit worse.

Gu Shenwei was sent back to his bedroom. When he woke, instead of running to his sister's room to fool around as usual, he wandered all over the estate, asking about the previous night's attack.

The masked men had been routed at the first clash, and everyone in the estate felt they had won a battle. The only regret was that they hadn't captured anyone—not even a drop of blood had been spilled, which left things a little unsatisfying. But when speaking to the young master, they were full of details, describing the scene as thrilling beyond belief.

After listening, Gu Shenwei was even more disappointed. He kept complaining to his young attendant, Mingxiang, blaming him for not waking him in time.

Mingxiang was about the same age as Gu Shenwei and the only person in the family who dared to argue with the young master. He spread his hands, looking indignant. "Young master, you're a martial artist. You're supposed to watch in all directions and listen everywhere. I'm just a little attendant who does what he's told. If I'm asleep, I wouldn't even know if someone beat me to death. How could I wake you?"

Gu Shenwei couldn't win the argument with the little attendant, so he angrily ran off to his sister for comfort.

Unlike the guards, Master Gu Lun and old servant Yang Zheng remained serious throughout the day. They were even stricter than usual in keeping the guards in line, and sent people out to gather news. Clearly, Gu Lun believed the break-in was not over.

A trace of tension settled over the estate.

After half a day, Gu Shenwei had mostly lost interest in the masked men. He had complete confidence in his father and brothers' martial arts, and there were other skilled fighters in the estate to help them. Even if an army came to attack, they would hold the line. He would only have to watch.

Besides, the Western Regions of today were nothing like they had been a dozen years earlier. Back then, the great powers had fought for supremacy, the small kingdoms had been at war with one another, warlords commanded their own armies, and bandit gangs were everywhere. Robbers often discovered that their victims were fellow bandits. Ordinary people could only hide at home and pray for the protection of the gods and buddhas. Now, all that was in the past. The Central Plains, Beiting, and Shule had reached a balance and come to a compromise. More than thirty old and new small kingdoms had regained stability, and the bandit gangs were dwindling, slowly becoming the stuff of legend.

When the Gu Family had moved from the Central Plains to the Western Regions, Master Gu Lun had thought it through carefully. "The Western Regions are very stable now. That estate is like a hidden paradise."

Gu Lun had been right. The oasis where the estate stood really was like a land of peach blossoms.

Gu Shenwei trusted his father completely, so he wasn't worried at all. He spent the day as usual, chatting with his sister, wandering around the estate, and bickering with his young attendant Mingxiang. As soon as it grew dark, his father sent him to bed, and he quickly fell asleep.

In a daze, the young master of the Gu Family felt someone shaking him hard. He opened his eyes, deeply annoyed. "What is it? Have the bandits come back?"

The young attendant Mingxiang was yawning just as much as his master. He held up a candle. "It's not the bandits. It's Master."

Gu Shenwei struggled to sit up. He saw his father's lean figure standing in the shadow of the doorway.

"Huan'er, get dressed. You're going to see your sister off."

Huan'er was Gu Shenwei's childhood nickname. Only his closest family called him that.

"My sister's leaving already? My brother-in-law's family hasn't even sent anyone yet." Gu Shenwei was astonished. The planned departure was still more than two months away, and he hadn't had time to prepare himself.

"Mm. It's been moved up. Something's changed. We have to leave now."

Gu Shenwei was so sleepy he could hardly think. He mumbled a reply, then, with Mingxiang's help, got dressed and put on his cloak. Gu Lun tied a prepared bundle to his back and tucked a short sword into his belt.

The Gu Family Martial Arts were known for mastery of both the blade and the spear, not the sword. This short sword had been made especially for Gu Shenwei. Its blade was narrow, less than two feet long, and weighed a little over a pound.

His father usually kept the sword, and Gu Shenwei rarely got to use it. He was delighted. His sleepiness vanished, and he immediately reached for it to admire the blade. Gu Lun pressed down on his hand and said softly,

"You're a man of the Gu Family now. Use it to protect your sister and yourself. Don't show off with it."

"Mm." Gu Shenwei answered solemnly, already imagining a crowd of masked men coming to abduct the bride, with him standing before his sister, sword in hand.

Gu Lun led the two children out of the estate through the back gate. The way was quiet, and not a soul could be seen. Three people were waiting outside: the young lady, Gu Cuilan; her personal maid, Juxiang; and old servant Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng was Gu Lun's teacher, friend, and servant all at once. Gu Shenwei had trained with him in the basics for several years, so he called him "Master Yang."

Gu Lun lifted his youngest son onto a horse. In the shadow of the night, his face looked even more gaunt, and he seemed more than ever like a stern schoolteacher.

The young attendant Mingxiang mounted by himself, swaying unsteadily. He wasn't fully awake yet and was deeply unhappy about this unexpected escort duty. He would rather have stayed inside the estate without setting foot outside than go into the desert again.

There were only five horses and five people. Sister Cuilan was wrapped from head to toe in her cloak, carrying nothing. Only one of her four personal maids had come along, and they had brought little luggage.

"Where are Eldest Brother and Second Brother? What about Mother? Aren't you coming with us, Father?" Gu Shenwei stared wide-eyed, now fully awake. Their clothes made them look less like a party escorting a bride and more like refugees fleeing for their lives.

"You go on ahead. We'll catch up later." Gu Lun answered casually, slapped a horse's rump, and urged everyone to set out.

Gu Shenwei lightly tugged on the reins, wanting to ask for an explanation, but Yang Zheng passed by him and said in a muffled voice,

"Go."

Yang Zheng slapped the horse beneath Gu Shenwei, and it surged forward. By the time Gu Shenwei had reined it in and looked back, his father had already disappeared. He hadn't even said goodbye to the daughter who was about to be married.

The night was deep, and the moon hung in the western sky. It was the middle of the night, and Gu Shenwei felt deeply dissatisfied. This was nothing like the scene he had imagined for his sister's wedding day.