Silk Appears

The case of the Golden Peng Fortress assassin Han Shiqi's death was quickly resolved, but how to deal with the related individuals became a headache for many.

The Eighth Young Master, Shangguan Nu, was having a run of bad luck. He already had enough troubles, yet Han Shiqi was an assassin from his courtyard, and the two murderers were servants brought by his new bride as part of her dowry.

Partly relying on various rumors and partly on his own analysis, Gu Shenwei could only roughly guess what had happened during those suffocating three days.

With Qi Nu captured, the other six youths were immediately sent back to Kindling Courtyard and imprisoned again. They were cut off from communication, with food delivered only once a day. The two corpses were left unhandled and began to rot, their stench gradually filling the entire courtyard and seeping into the rooms where the youths lived.

For three consecutive days, they lived in fear. Their whip wounds scabbed over, and they would pick off the hardened scabs from each other, silently awaiting the final judgment. This was the last period of mutual trust and support for these "sworn brothers."

Gu Shenwei was particularly anxious. He didn't know what Qi Nu would confess.

The glimpse he caught of Qi Nu in the underground torture chamber of Heart Washing Courtyard had already terrified him. Under the varied and ingenious tortures, most people older and stronger-willed than Qi Nu would have confessed everything.

It wasn't until noon on the fourth day that the west courtyard gate finally opened, and Kindling Courtyard welcomed a new courtyard supervisor.

The new supervisor's first act was to open the east courtyard gate and deal with the two corpses.

The bodies were already infested with maggots, a truly sickening sight. Yet, the youths carried them away with elation, as if having work to do signified they had been forgiven.

Indeed, after thoroughly cleaning the room where the bodies were stored, the new supervisor announced: Kindling Courtyard was reopened, and the youths were to resume their old duties. Everything would remain unchanged.

But in reality, everything had changed.

The new supervisor refused to live in Kindling Courtyard, arriving late and leaving early. When he wasn't present, the courtyard gate was securely locked. The youths' movements were even more restricted than before. Even the morning greetings to the young lady were canceled. The water-carrying stations within the fortress were also reinforced, and all unused empty buckets were removed.

Among the first injured individuals welcomed back after Kindling Courtyard reopened was the former courtyard supervisor, Han Jinu. He had endured far more severe torture than the youths but had managed to survive. While other injured individuals were successively thrown off Ghost Cry Cliff, he inexplicably began to recover.

However, Han Jinu became silent, often not speaking for an entire day. He had lost his patron and his status, his future uncertain. One night, as soon as he could get up and walk, he hanged himself with his own belt. His body was found swinging from the doorframe of the west courtyard gate the next morning.

His death caused no ripples. No one inquired. The youths threw his body into the ravine. Some even complained that the former courtyard supervisor had been inconsiderate; if he wanted to commit suicide, why didn't he just jump off the cliff?

Another day, the youths saw Qi Nu's body, his head severed from his body, carried directly to Ghost Cry Cliff by two men in black.

Gu Shenwei, who had long grown accustomed to death, couldn't help but vomit. The other youths turned away, their faces pale, and barely ate anything all day.

Less than two days later, Xie Nu was also captured. The youths resisted too fiercely, so the assassins simply killed him. His body was dumped in the wilderness; his confession was no longer important at that point.

Qi Nu took all the blame in Heart Washing Courtyard, never mentioning anyone else except his brother.

He confessed that he devised the assassination plan himself. The dagger was hidden under the bed, and then, while Xie Nu was holding the target back, he rolled under the bed and killed his enemy who was indulging himself.

All the details matched, and several of Han Shiqi's belongings were found on Qi Nu.

Furthermore, it was eventually discovered that Qi Nu and Xie Nu were orphans from Great Snow Mountain. Their parents had died in internal conflicts between several peaks, and they were subsequently sold into slavery. Long Feidu, who had killed members of the Flying Eagle Gang at the crossroads, was of the same clan as the brothers, belonging to a different peak.

Great Snow Mountain and Golden Peng Fortress had always been at odds, sworn enemies.

Gu Shenwei couldn't understand the people of Great Snow Mountain. With a powerful external enemy, they still fought amongst themselves to the death.

The brothers' origins added a layer of conspiracy to Han Shiqi's death. The six youths from Kindling Courtyard were interrogated again, asked to recount their backgrounds.

This time, they weren't taken to Heart Washing Courtyard, but the youths were already like startled birds, confessing their entire lives since birth as soon as they were questioned.

Gu Shenwei, of course, could not tell the truth. Fabricating a story on the spot was too difficult, so he borrowed Yao Nu's background. This made him a servant of a Western Regions merchant who was captured by bandits while traveling with his master and taken into slavery.

Yao Nu's dying words were rambling and incoherent. Gu Shenwei had to rephrase them, and the result was so successful that even he himself almost believed the fabricated experience.

The only problem was that his story couldn't withstand verification; his appearance was too different from the sharp-featured Yao Nu.

However, no one went to the distant Western Regions to verify his story with the merchant. After ten days of anxious worry, Gu Shenwei confirmed that he had passed.

The storm gradually subsided. No one suspected a third accomplice, and there was a hidden force that wanted the case to end as soon as possible to minimize its impact.

The contradictory signs Gu Shenwei had observed in the torture chamber were not wrong. The tall, thin Master Shen Blade was named Shen Liang, the supervisor of Heart Washing Courtyard and the maternal uncle of the Eighth Young Master, Shangguan Nu. He represented his nephew's interests, using his power to try and downplay the incident.

Mr. Guo, short and stout, came from the White Robe Courtyard of East Fortress. Although he had no familial ties to any of the young masters, he was known to be close to the Fifth Young Master and was determined to escalate the case to undermine the Eighth Young Master's influence.

The phrase "discord between the Fifth and Eighth" was common knowledge within Golden Peng Fortress. It was said that the mothers of the two young masters had been mortal enemies in life and had passed their hatred onto their sons after death.

On the surface, the Eighth Young Master, Shangguan Nu, had won this round. The key was that the Unrivaled King, Shangguan Fa, himself did not want the situation to spiral out of control. An assassin being assassinated by two ten-year-old boys, right inside Golden Peng Fortress, would be a huge scandal if it got out.

Since the Lord of Golden Peng Fortress did not wish to pursue the matter further, no one else dared to stir up trouble.

However, Shangguan Nu's standing in his father's eyes had fallen to an all-time low. Not only was the Eighth Son incapable of managing a team of assassins, but he couldn't even manage the internal affairs of his own courtyard. This greatly disappointed the Unrivaled King.

Golden Peng Fortress was not monolithic, but understanding this offered Gu Shenwei no help. He was now trapped in Kindling Courtyard, dealing with the dead daily, surrounded by only five silent companions with whom he rarely spoke.

Of the ten youths who had married into the fortress with the young lady, four had already died in just over a month. Even in Golden Peng Fortress, where "people died every day," this was a terrifyingly high mortality rate. A heavy sense of pessimism permeated the youths.

It was under these circumstances that Gu Shenwei found himself isolated.

The other five youths often avoided him, whispering behind his back. Towards Huan Nu, they showed a hint of fear.

This baffled Gu Shenwei. He hadn't bullied anyone or betrayed anyone. They all lived in the lowest stratum of Golden Peng Fortress, doing the most menial work. He didn't understand why he had become an outsider.

Many days later, he finally understood his uniqueness.

Although his demeanor was disguised, it was still different from that of a child from the mountains. He wouldn't casually sit on the ground; he habitually washed his hands frequently; he could read; he always walked with his back straight...

He also knew martial arts. While not comparable to the fortress's assassins, none of the youths were his match.

He wasn't afraid of Ghost Cry Cliff and often went there alone, sometimes to practice, sometimes just to sit. The others, however, avoided the place like the plague, never setting foot there except to dispose of bodies.

Only he was present when the possessed Yao Nu died. Qi Nu and Xie Nu had tried to exorcise him, only to "become possessed" themselves and carry out the assassination. Thinking back, even the earliest deceased, Xiao Nu, seemed to have some connection with Huan Nu; they were often together back then.

These were the thoughts of the five youths. Gu Shenwei was initially annoyed but soon came to terms with it. In fact, it was for the best; he could practice without disturbance.

The past month since entering Golden Peng Fortress had been the most diligent period of his life for practicing martial arts. Since the whereabouts of the rapid advancement method were unknown, he had to place all his hopes on normal training.

Revenge is a dish best served cold; he had already given up the idea of avenging himself quickly.

As long as no one recognized the identity of the young master of the Gu family, he could wait patiently until the Hehe Jin was perfected. If ten years weren't enough, then twenty. His enemy, Shangguan Nu, was still young and would live to see that day.

On the tenth day after the Kindling Courtyard reopened, the youths, who were clearly growing more afraid of Huan Nu, "presented" him with an unexpected surprise.

No injured individuals were admitted that day. The new courtyard manager locked the east wing gate and left. Gu Shenwei took this opportunity to go to Ghost Cry Cliff to practice. He returned to the courtyard for lunch at noon.

The other youths avoided him, so he usually ate alone in his room. This day was no exception, except this time there was something extra on his bedding.

A piece of White Silk with writing on it.

Gu Shenwei almost dropped the bowl in his hand.

He lunged forward, put down the bowl, and picked up the White Silk. After reading just the first line, he knew this was the shortcut method for Hehe Jin.

He read on greedily, forgetting about eating and not bothering to think about where the White Silk came from.

After finishing, Gu Shenwei was greatly disappointed.

This was indeed a genuine shortcut method, but it was far from "quick" as he had imagined. If one practiced Hehe Jin normally, both Yin and Yang energies needed to reach the ninth level before Dragon and Tiger could converge. According to the shortcut method, Yin Yang Harmony could be achieved at any level, but the power would be vastly different.

The writing on the White Silk was clear: Yin and Yang both needed to reach the third level for the Harmony to show its power. Reaching the fifth level would grant great power. To achieve invincible divine skill, one had to cultivate to the seventh level or above.

It was called a shortcut, but in reality, the "speed" was limited.

His father, Gu Lun, had practiced diligently for decades, and both his Yin and Yang energies were only at the fifth level. Gu Shenwei had just reached the first level. It was unknown how many years it would take him to achieve mastery.

However, Gu Shenwei still carefully hid the White Silk. After thinking for a moment, he took it out again and spent the entire afternoon memorizing the cultivation technique written on it until it was deeply ingrained in his mind. Then, he tore the White Silk into strips and threw them down the cliff.

From that day on, the Gu family's ancestral secret art was no longer recorded in writing, existing only in the minds of its sole descendant.

Now, Gu Shenwei had time to consider who had returned the White Silk.

This person was naturally one of the other five youths. He had guarded important items for Yao Nu and had not confessed even when subjected to torture in the Heart Washing Courtyard.

Gu Shenwei had to find this person.

As for whether to be grateful or to eliminate him, that could only be decided later.