Leaving the Manor

A beast always goes through an awkward phase. It is strong enough to survive on its own, yet it still craves the care and milk of its mother, naively believing that life should always be this way. Consequently, it spends its excess energy rolling around and teasing insects. Sometimes, a curious scene unfolds: a young leopard, already larger than its mother, lies lazily in the grass basking in the sun, patiently waiting for a meal to be delivered to its mouth. It has no idea that these good times are finally, inevitably coming to an end. Once the mother is ready to conceive again, the darling of heaven will instantly become a panicked outcast, forced to wander the world alone. Every difficult hunt will wear away a bit of its former innocent memories, and in the end, it will either die a miserable death or grow into a cold-blooded killer.

Fourteen-year-old Gu Shenwei is at a similar stage. His name sounds a bit old-fashioned, yet he still retains much of a child's playfulness and innocence. His parents and older brothers see this and feel a bit anxious, but he has his own plans: he will only "officially" grow up after his sister is married.

There are three months left until that day, but his planned life is interrupted by an accident.

One noon, a servant who went to graze livestock in the back hills brought back strange news: a knight had stopped on the opposite hillside, looking toward the manor.

The master, Gu Lun, went to the back hills himself to investigate, but the knight was already gone. He rode his horse around to patrol, but found nothing.

The Gu family had only moved from the Central Plains to the Western Regions two years ago. The manor is located in an oasis at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, surrounded by hundreds of miles of uninhabited desert and Gobi. There is only a small village at the foot of the mountain, home to a dozen tenant farmers. Strangers rarely visit, so it is no wonder the master felt surprised by the news.

Gu Lun was a military officer by trade and was quite vigilant. He questioned the servant in detail about the knight's attire and behavior, then calmly arranged for the manor guards to increase their vigilance.

Gu Shenwei's two older brothers both felt their father was making a mountain out of a molehill; the knight was likely just a herdsman looking for water and grass who left automatically upon seeing a household.

Gu Shenwei, who usually looked for trouble even when there was none, treated the situation as "serious" just like his father. He rode his pony around the outside of the manor with a solemn expression, galloping toward any sign of movement to ensure it was just a rabbit or a bird.

However, no strangers peeked at the manor for the next few days. Everything was calm, and life seemed to be continuing as usual. The dozens of people in the Gu household continued to be busy rushing to prepare the dowry for the young miss. The journey from the Western Regions to the Central Plains spans thousands of miles, and there is much that needs to be prepared in advance.

Everyone had tasks to attend to. The young master's duty was to run into his sister Cuilan's boudoir every day to act spoiled and silly, making her heart ache so much that she had already soaked several outfits with tears before even leaving home.

Gu Shenwei had his own thoughts. The Central Plains and the Western Regions are like two different worlds. After this parting, he didn't know when they would ever meet again. He wanted to use these seemingly childish tactics to make his sister remember him.

The peaceful days were only temporary. On the tenth night after the appearance of the mysterious knight, several masked men sneaked into the manor, causing quite a commotion.

Whatever the purpose of these people breaking into the manor at night, it did not seem to have been achieved at the time. Master Gu Lun, who was relaxed on the surface but tense underneath, had been arranging for guards to patrol at night. The alert old servant Yang Zheng was the first to discover the intruders.

In the chaos, several skirmishes occurred in different places, but the clashes were very short. Young master Gu Shenwei was awakened from his sleep in a daze, and before he could understand what had happened, the masked men had already fled.

No one was injured.

The whole manor was awake. A dozen guards were excitedly discussing how they had blocked the masked men. Judging by their tone, it seemed as if there were hundreds of intruders, but the old servant Yang Zheng was very certain that there were no more than five.

Gu Shenwei was very disappointed that he hadn't seen the masked men. He pestered his father and brothers with endless questions until his eldest brother sternly ordered him to shut up. Only then did he reluctantly curl up in a large armchair, quietly listening to everyone analyze the origins and motives of these masked men.

There are many factions in the Western Regions, and the names of people and places are complex. Gu Shenwei was confused by what he heard, and his interest gradually waned until he fell asleep without realizing it. Before he drifted completely into dreamland, he heard two words repeatedly: "Butcher." He thought: No matter who the "Butcher" refers to, there is nothing to be afraid of. His father is a genuine General.

In fact, Gu Lun's title of General was not as genuine as his youngest son imagined. He had served as a palace guard in the Central Plains and was only symbolically titled General Shenwu of the Third Rank upon his retirement.

While in the palace, Gu Lun was famous in the martial arts world of the Central Plains, all because of a set of family martial arts. The martial artist Yang Zheng had even volunteered to be a slave just to learn the spear techniques within it. Gu's eldest and second sons could also be called experts. Only the youngest son, neither a child nor an adult, had yet to achieve anything.

The young master of the Gu family was handsome, looked very clever, and was indeed eager to learn. He had only one shortcoming: he lacked perseverance. He would start everything on a whim and abandon it after a few days. Being the youngest in the family, he was pampered by his parents, brothers, and sister, which only fueled this habit.

Gu Shenwei was sent back to his bedroom. When he woke up, he didn't run to his sister's room to fool around as usual, but instead wandered around the manor, inquiring about the details of the previous night's intrusion.

The masked men had been routed in a single blow, and everyone in the manor felt they had won a great victory. The only regret was that they hadn't captured any prisoners, or even left a drop of blood, which was a slight imperfection. However, they spoke eloquently to the young master, describing the scene as incredibly thrilling.

After hearing this, Gu Shenwei was even more disappointed, constantly blaming his little book boy, Mingxiang, for not waking him up in time.

Mingxiang was about the same age as Gu Shenwei and was the only one in the household who dared to be serious with the young master. He spread his hands, his face full of defiance. "Young Master, you are a martial artist; you see everything in all directions. I'm just a little book boy who runs errands. If I were beaten to death in my sleep, I wouldn't even know it. How could I possibly wake you up?"

Gu Shenwei could not win an argument against the little book boy, so he ran off to his sister's place in a huff to seek comfort.

Unlike the excitement of the farmhands, the master, Gu Lun, and the old servant, Yang Zheng, remained very serious throughout the day. They supervised the farmhands even more strictly than usual and sent people out to gather information. Clearly, Gu Lun believed that the incident of the night intrusion into the manor was not over.

A hint of tension appeared both inside and outside the manor.

After the heat of the day passed, Gu Shenwei no longer cared much about the masked men. He had full confidence in his father's and brother's martial arts, and with other skilled experts in the manor to assist, he felt that even if a massive army were to attack, they would be met with force. He was only there to watch the spectacle.

Moreover, the Western Regions now were different from a dozen years ago. Back then, the Western Regions were rife with great powers vying for supremacy, small states in chaotic wars, warlords with private armies, and countless bandit gangs. Robbers would often find that those they robbed were their own peers, and ordinary people could only hide in their homes seeking the protection of gods and Buddhas. Today, all of that had become a thing of the past. The three great powers—the Central Plains, the Northern Court, and Shule—had reached a balance and a compromise. More than thirty new and old small states had regained stability, and bandit gangs were becoming fewer and fewer, gradually turning into legends.

When he moved from the Central Plains to the Western Regions back then, Gu Lun had given it much thought. "The Western Regions are very stable now; that manor is like a paradise on earth."

Gu Lun's words were correct; the oasis where the manor was located was indeed like a paradise.

Gu Shenwei believed his father's words implicitly, so he was not worried at all. As usual, he chatted with his sister, wandered around the manor, bickered with the little book boy Mingxiang, and as soon as it got dark, he was shooed to bed by his father and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

In a hazy state, the young master of the Gu family felt someone pushing him hard. He opened his eyes, feeling very dissatisfied. "What is it? Are the robbers here again?"

The little book boy Mingxiang was yawning just as much as his young master, holding a candle in his hand. "It's not robbers; it's the Master."

Gu Shenwei struggled to climb out of bed and saw his father's lean figure standing in the shadows of the doorway.

"Huan'er, put on your clothes and see your sister off."

Huan'er was Gu Shenwei's nickname, used only by his closest family members.

"Sister is leaving already? The brother-in-law's family hasn't even sent anyone yet." Gu Shenwei was very surprised. It was more than two months away from the originally scheduled departure date, and he had no mental preparation at all.

"Yes, it's been moved up. Things have changed, so we must set off now."

Gu Shenwei was truly too sleepy and lacked the energy to think. He gave a grunt of acknowledgment, and with Mingxiang's help, he put on his clothes and donned his cloak. Gu Lun tied a prepared bundle onto his back and tucked a Short Sword into his belt.

The Gu family's ancestral martial arts were famous for both saber and spear, and they were not skilled in using swords. This Short Sword was specially crafted for Gu Shenwei; the blade was narrow, less than two feet long, and weighed just over a jin.

The Short Sword was usually kept by his father, and Gu Shenwei rarely had the chance to use it. At this moment, he couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. His sleepiness vanished, and he immediately wanted to draw it to admire it. Gu Lun pressed his son's hand and whispered:

"You are also a man of the Gu family now. Use it to protect your sister and to protect yourself. Do not use it to show off."

"Yes." Gu Shenwei promised solemnly, his mind immediately conjuring scenes of swarms of masked men coming to snatch the bride, while he stood in front of his sister, holding his Short Sword.

Gu Lun led the two children out of the manor through the back door. The road was quiet, without a soul in sight. Three people were already waiting outside: Miss Cuilan, her personal maid Juxiang, and the old servant Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng was a teacher, a friend, and a servant to Gu Lun. Gu Shenwei had followed him for several years to practice basic skills, so he called him "Master Yang."

Gu Lun helped his youngest son onto the horse. Under the shadows of the night, his face looked even more gaunt, appearing more like a pedantic schoolteacher than usual.

The little book boy Mingxiang mounted his own horse, his body swaying. He was not yet fully awake and was very dissatisfied with this unexpected escort mission. He would rather have curled up in the manor and never stepped out than enter the desert again.

There were only five horses and five people. Elder sister Cuilan was wrapped entirely in a cloak with no other belongings, and of her four personal maids, she had brought only one. The luggage they carried was also sparse.

"What about Big Brother and Second Brother? Where is Mother? Is Father not coming with us?" Gu Shenwei asked, his eyes wide, all sleepiness vanished. The attire of this group did not look like a wedding escort; it looked more like they were fleeing for their lives.

"You all head out first; we will catch up shortly," Gu Lun replied casually, patting the horse's rump to urge everyone onto the road.

Gu Shenwei pulled lightly on his reins, wanting to ask for more clarity, but Yang Zheng passed by him and said in a muffled, sullen voice:

"Move."

The horse beneath Gu Shenwei was struck by Yang Zheng and bolted forward. By the time he reined in his horse to look back, his father was already gone, having not even said a word of farewell to the daughter who was about to be married off.

The night was deep, and the moon hung in the western sky. It was the middle of the night, and Gu Shenwei felt deeply uneasy. This was completely different from the scene of his sister's wedding that he had imagined.