Beneath the Bed

Gu Shenwei struggled to hold it in. The sneeze was quiet, but it nearly ruined everything. Luckily, just as he made the sound, someone outside called loudly:

"Yard Manager, is Third Brother coming tonight?"

It turned out to be Han Jinu. If the person in bed had been Han Shiqi, he would have noticed that someone was hiding beneath the bed as soon as he heard another person speaking. Fortunately, it wasn't that killer.

Han Jinu propped himself up and replied impatiently, "Didn't I say I don't know? If he comes, I'll call you. Go back to your room!"

The person asking outside was Qi Nu. He had deliberately raised his voice to remind Huan Nu inside: that person probably wasn't coming.

Qi Nu obeyed and left. Han Jinu lay down again and muttered, "That little brat has quite the ambition. He was still sobbing and whining two days ago, and today he's already acting like a frantic monkey. I'd better keep an eye on him. You want to fight me for it? You're still too green."

Han Jinu muttered to himself for a while, then hummed a tuneless song. He tossed and turned for a full half hour before finally getting out of bed to snuff the lamp and prepare for sleep.

Gu Shenwei did not move a muscle. He didn't even dare breathe deeply, keeping his hand over his nose to stop himself from inhaling more dust. He waited nearly another half hour. Only when the snoring above him grew heavier did he quietly crawl out from beneath the bed, tiptoe out of the room, and run back to his own quarters.

The two brothers, Qi Nu and Xie Nu, were waiting for him inside. The other five youths slept in different rooms, so this place was safe for them.

Their target had not come. Qi Nu had heard rumors that Eighth Young Master Shangguan Nu's operation had not gone smoothly this time. Although he had successfully killed the target, he had lost one killer.

By Golden Peng Fortress's standards, one had to strike when the victim was utterly defenseless. The slightest resistance meant there had been a flaw in the operation.

Shangguan Nu had been plagued by misfortune. Neither of his last two missions had been completed perfectly, and he had steadily fallen in his father's estimation. Thus, his "anger" had piled on top of more "anger," and he had vented all that fury on the killers and bladesmen under him. It was said that another person had been wounded by the Eighth Young Master's blade.

Under such circumstances, Han Shiqi did not dare fool around as soon as he returned, for fear of angering the Young Master and taking a pointless slash.

Yet to the three youths desperate for revenge, this was torture.

That night, Gu Shenwei hid beneath Han Jinu's bed for the third time. His only achievements during the previous two attempts had been clearing away the dust beneath the bedboard and arranging a relatively comfortable position for himself.

Han Shiqi arrived somewhat late, but Han Jinu had not yet fallen asleep. The knock sounded only once before he sprang out of bed like a dog catching the scent of a bone. He took the key from behind the door and hurried over, grinning broadly as he unlocked it.

Han Shiqi had either ignored the Curfew or evaded the night watchmen; otherwise, he could not have come and gone freely to Kindling Courtyard in the dead of night.

"Third Brother, I've missed you to death. Look, I've even lost weight."

Han Jinu's soft, coquettish voice made Gu Shenwei's scalp prickle beneath the bed, raising gooseflesh all over him. Yet that wasn't the worst of it. Han Jinu proceeded to laugh and simper, becoming a completely different person from Yard Manager Han, who wielded a Rosewood Cane.

Gu Shenwei felt sick enough to vomit.

He felt deep sympathy for Qi Nu and Xie Nu, and now understood why they were so determined to kill a killer from Golden Peng Fortress.

The two men outside lit a lamp and sat down together on the bed. Gu Shenwei held his breath, hoping they wouldn't linger too long. If he could learn Han Shiqi's exact position, he truly wanted to strike right then.

Han Shiqi said little. He had come here for pleasure, not conversation. After a while, he said, "What about that boy who likes fighting? Call him here."

Gu Shenwei's heart jolted. Wasn't "the boy who likes fighting" referring to him?

"Huan Nu? He's been tainted by evil. Don't call him today. As for those two brothers..."

"What evil?"

"Ah, it's another child from this courtyard. He went mad in front of Eighth Young Madam. Heh, the people brought here by that bandit's daughter are truly something else. Huan Nu attended to him after his death and got tainted by evil too. I told him to stay put and not leave his room."

"Talk less about the Eighth Young Madam's side. Eighth Young Master really is unlucky—troubles inside and out. I live in fear every day, worried that he'll be displeased one day and casually give me a slash."

"Yes, yes. Eighth Young Madam's problems are her own. What a pity about our Eighth Young Master. So handsome, and his martial arts were so good to begin with..."

"Hey, say less about the evil too. I heard about that child's matter. It was clearly a Qi Deviation from practicing Internal Force, and had nothing to do with being possessed. That woman called Xue Niang has admitted it. She taught him Internal Force too hastily and ended up harming him."

"Yes, yes." Han Jinu agreed aloud, but he was not convinced. Personally, he still leaned toward the explanation that the child had been possessed.

Beneath the bed, Gu Shenwei was stunned when he heard this. Yao Nu had clearly learned Internal Force from him, and the Qi Deviation had been deliberately induced by him. Why had Xue Niang taken the blame? Was it to protect the Young Lady from being affected by the possession incident?

Gu Shenwei could not make sense of it no matter how hard he tried.

"Go call that boy over. I'll drive the evil out of him."

Han Shiqi's voice held an added note of obscenity. Han Jinu understood and laughed ingratiatingly. Beneath the bed, Gu Shenwei's heart pounded. Their assassination plan had originally seemed flawless, yet they had encountered a killer who did not believe in evil spirits.

The moment they discovered that Huan Nu was not in his room, the entire plan would go up in smoke.

Han Jinu climbed out of bed with a giggle. Gu Shenwei shifted the position of his little dagger slightly, planning to strike the instant Han Jinu moved away. The problem was that he had no way of knowing Han Shiqi's exact position on the bed; he could only guess.

The chances of this stab striking a vital point were extremely low, but he had no other choice.

Han Shiqi suddenly spoke from the bed. "Who's there? Sneaking around."

Gu Shenwei was startled again. Just as he was about to strike, someone outside said:

"Is Third Brother here?"

"I told you I'd call you two! Get back there!" Han Jinu shouted angrily.

The person outside was Xie Nu. He had already grown wary and impatient with the two brothers' "enthusiasm."

"Yes, Yard Manager. Huh? Isn't Third Brother inside? I'll go call my brother."

"Who said I wanted you two to serve me tonight? Go to sleep."

"But, Yard Manager, the things you've been teaching us these past few days..."

"You little brats are getting bolder by the day. How dare you talk back to me?"

Han Jinu slapped the Rosewood Cane in his hand, intending to teach Xie Nu a lesson for his disobedience.

Xie Nu's appearance seemed to stir Han Shiqi's desire. "Wait. Let the two brothers come together. I want to see what you've been teaching them."

"Heh-heh, Third Brother, you know all my little tricks."

Han Jinu went to call Qi Nu. Gu Shenwei relaxed and quietly shifted the dagger back to its original position. He was now very familiar with that spot; he could find it even in the dark.

But another problem had arisen. Han Shiqi and Han Jinu had wasted too much time chatting on the bed. A quarter hour was nearly gone. Gu Shenwei had been slowing his breathing for too long and already felt his chest constricting. He desperately needed a great gulp of fresh air.

Qi Nu arrived and closed the door. Han Jinu did not follow him. In the entire plan, this seemed to be the only part that had proceeded without any mishap.

Han Shiqi jumped out of bed. The instant both his feet touched the floor, Gu Shenwei drew a deep breath.

"You've learned your lesson since last time, hmm? Come. I'm a little tired today, so I'll see what the two of you can do. Don't disappoint me, or you'll have to experience my methods again."

"We'll satisfy you, sir," Qi Nu said. He still could not bring himself to call him Third Brother. Gu Shenwei could hear a trace of tension in his voice.

"Satisfy me..." Han Shiqi repeated suggestively.

"Third Brother, let's get on the bed." Xie Nu spoke. The usually taciturn child seemed even calmer than his brother at that moment.

"Not yet."

Gu Shenwei did not understand much of what happened next. The sounds and moans were extremely strange and ugly to him, like some filthy thing insisting on crawling into his ears. At first, his face flushed scarlet and he could barely control his breathing. Soon, hatred and fury surged through him. He reined in his distracted thoughts and focused all his attention on the point three feet above his head.

The two brothers gave it everything they had, but Han Shiqi took a liking to doing it standing this time and refused to get on the bed.

Nearly another quarter hour passed. It was the longest quarter hour of the three youths' lives. Han Shiqi suddenly let out a soft cry, followed by the sound of someone being beaten.

"You little brat! I knew you were up to no good. You wanted to ambush your grandpa's lifeblood? You really had some nerve!"

"Kill me. I came here to kill you and avenge my brother," Qi Nu said.

Gu Shenwei's heart jolted. Had Qi Nu been unable to endure the humiliation and struck early? Should he go out to help, or continue waiting beneath the bed?

Slap, slap, slap. A string of blows rang out, accompanied by Han Shiqi's increasingly excited cries.

"Fuck, my methods are still more interesting. Let you try a trick we didn't play last time."

"Let go of my brother!" Xie Nu shouted.

In Han Shiqi's hands, the two brothers were like limp little lambs. Their screams and resistance only stirred his even more wicked desire.

Then someone leaped onto the bed. "You little bastard, come on if you've got the nerve."

It was Xie Nu. He had learned Central Plains speech less than a month earlier, and his insults sounded exactly like Han Jinu's.

Bang! Another person leaped onto the bed. Judging by the sound of his landing, Gu Shenwei guessed it was Qi Nu—Han Shiqi had thrown him onto the bed.

"Heh-heh, two little virgins. Grandpa will have a good time playing with you. Now you can understand what I'm saying, so it'll be even more fun."

Gu Shenwei understood the brothers' intention. Han Shiqi liked using force, and they were exploiting that weakness to lure him onto the bed.

Gu Shenwei cast every thought from his mind and quietly waited for the signal to strike.

The bed rocked violently, and the cries continued without pause. Gu Shenwei heard none of it.

"Brother!"

The signal finally sounded. Gu Shenwei could not even tell which of them had cried out. Blood rushed to his head. He wanted to use every ounce of strength in his body, yet his strength failed him. He wanted to move with lightning speed, but his actions were sluggish, as if he had frozen solid.

The sharp little dagger stabbed upward through the gap in the bedboard, gliding through unobstructed, as if entering a place devoid of all matter.

Then it struck an obstruction—something hard. The blade could not advance another inch.