Exposure

It wasn't easy to figure out who returned the White Silk. Gu Shenwei had little interaction with the other five youths and couldn't question them directly, so he could only observe and analyze in secret.

Several people were ruled out first. Lei Nu, Zhao Nu, and San Nu had previously belonged to Han Jinu before switching allegiances to Yao Nu, playing both sides. It seemed unlikely that Yao Nu would entrust such an important item to these three.

This left only Xin Nu and Qian Nu. Both had been loyal followers of Yao Nu during his lifetime. Xin Nu was timid and had once wet himself in fear at the Heart Washing Courtyard; if he had been in charge of the White Silk, he would have confessed immediately.

This made Qian Nu the most suspicious.

Qian Nu was the same age as Gu Shenwei, a precocious and restrained youth who knew exactly how to flatter someone, pleasing them without appearing overly subservient.

The more Gu Shenwei thought about it, the more he felt Qian Nu was the one who returned the White Silk. However, lacking direct evidence, he couldn't confront him, especially since doing so now would be disadvantageous. Gu Shenwei didn't want to kill another person and had no means to do so. Since Qian Nu hadn't revealed the secret of the White Silk publicly, it was best to wait and see.

Yet, Gu Shenwei couldn't shake a nagging feeling. Qian Nu was illiterate, so he wouldn't know what was written on the White Silk, and Yao Nu likely wouldn't have told him. Nevertheless, he held a secret, and no one could guarantee how long that would last.

Gu Shenwei continued to observe Qian Nu's every move in secret until he was interrupted by something he hadn't anticipated.

Nearly a month after the Kindling Courtyard reopened, perhaps feeling the turmoil had subsided, the young lady requested the youths pay their respects to her again.

Xue Niang still escorted the six youths. The new courtyard manager was tactful and not only didn't obstruct them but was also very deferential to the Eighth Young Madam's wet nurse.

In the Eighth Young Master's courtyard, the youths, along with other servants, endured a storm of curses, accusations, and laments.

Because of Han Shiqi's death, the Great Head God's daughter was also affected. Qi Nu and Xie Nu had been brought by her, and at the very least, they were responsible for negligence. The motive for the assassination was so ugly, it seemed as if the young lady had intentionally sacrificed her own people to appease her husband's subordinate assassins.

This was, of course, not true, but it didn't stop rumors from spreading.

The young lady felt she had been terribly wronged, especially when her husband, Shangguan Nu, began to treat her coldly, as if the bandit's daughter had brought him bad luck.

Behind a screen, the young lady wept, accusing everyone of ingratitude and even claiming she would return to her father the next day to have the Great Head God punish everyone there.

Xue Niang and a few personal maids finally managed to calm the young lady down.

Gu Shenwei looked at the ground, inwardly dismissive of the young lady. A month had passed since the incident; she hadn't left then, and she couldn't leave now. Besides, this was the Golden Peng Fortress; even the Great Head God's daughter couldn't come and go as she pleased.

She was a spoiled, foolish woman, not even a tenth as capable as his sister, Gu Cuilan, Gu Shenwei judged Luo Ningcha inwardly.

On this day, after the servants repeatedly swore their loyalty to the young lady, everyone else was allowed to leave, but Gu Shenwei was specifically asked to stay.

The instruction came from Xue Niang.

Gu Shenwei wasn't too surprised. He had been expecting this. Xue Niang had previously admitted to teaching Yao Nu internal energy techniques and had taken full responsibility for his qi deviation, which must have had a reason.

After the others dispersed, Gu Shenwei followed Xue Niang to the back courtyard, getting his first opportunity to enter a room.

A thick screen was set up in a side room, behind which sat the young lady. The maids had been dismissed, leaving only the blind and mute girl to attend her. She could hear but not speak, see, or write, making her the perfect choice for keeping secrets.

After cruelly mistreating this female slave, the young lady then treated her as a confidante, showing no sense of contradiction.

Xue Niang ordered Huan Nu to kneel, then said to the young lady behind the screen, "It's him."

There was a moment of silence behind the screen. The young lady seemed to be scrutinizing the youth before her. Though separated by the screen, she could only see a blurry shadow.

"He's the one who killed that madman?" The young lady couldn't recall the youth who practiced martial arts in the courtyard, only his crazed laughter.

Although Gu Shenwei was prepared, he was still startled by the young lady's directness. He certainly couldn't admit to killing Yao Nu. "It wasn't me, I..."

Xue Niang kicked him in the ribs. Her toes were as hard as her fingers. Gu Shenwei felt his internal energy falter, and the rest of his words caught in his throat.

"Shut up," Xue Niang commanded coldly, then softened her tone and said to the young lady behind the screen, "It's him, no doubt about it."

"And he made that madman's death look like an accident?" The young lady's voice held no anger or accusation, but a hint of curiosity.

"He's a bit clever."

"Insidious and cruel," the young lady said each word deliberately, yet without any emotion, as if the person kneeling outside the screen were a ferocious wild dog she kept and controlled.

"Yes, insidious and cruel. Exactly the kind of person the young lady wants."

For a while, no one spoke in the room. Gu Shenwei's mind raced. What did the young lady want someone "insidious and cruel" for? And what benefits could he gain from it?

"He'll do then," the young lady finally said. "But we need to ensure his loyalty."

The Great Head God's daughter wasn't entirely foolish. The servants' usual vows only pleased her; they didn't earn her genuine trust.

"That's easy," Xue Niang said confidently, turning to Gu Shenwei to begin her questioning.

"Huan Nu, state your real name."

"Yang Huan."

"Hmph, you're called Yang Huan, and you were named Huan Nu after entering the fortress. What a coincidence."

"Yes, it's a coincidence, but it's my real name."

"Where did you live before?"

"Shule City. My master's surname was Lin..."

Xue Niang kicked him in the ribs again. "Dare to lie to me, and you still dare to lie to me? Speak, what is your relationship with the Gu clan of the Central Plains?"

Gu Shenwei's heart leaped. He had been seen through.

It must have been the Hehe Jin he taught Yao Nu that revealed the secret. But if Xue Niang knew about his connection to the Gu clan, why hadn't she reported him to the Eighth Young Master, Shangguan Nu...?

Many things converged in Gu Shenwei's mind, shifting like clouds. He had to make a quick decision, a bold one.

"Young lady, forgive me. Xue Niang, forgive me. This humble servant lied. This humble servant was forced..."

"Less nonsense, tell the truth."

"Little slave's name is indeed Yang Huan, his father is Yang Zheng, and he is Gu family's instructor."

"Even the son of an instructor can learn the Gu family's ancestral martial arts?"

"Family..." He had already thought about acting and speaking in a way that fit the identity of a servant's son, and had changed his self-reference, but almost said "my father" again. "I can learn family martial arts. Little slave's father has an unusual friendship with Master Gu Lun. They are called master and servant, but in reality, they are brothers. Therefore, as an exception, he was taught the family's internal energy and peerless saber and spear skills. My father also privately taught me some, but only the superficial aspects, and little slave didn't learn them well either."

"That sounds a bit like the truth. I'd like to see how much of that 'superficial' knowledge you've learned."

Xue Niang's firm palm pressed on Gu Shenwei's nape, and a scorching internal energy violently surged into his body, crashing wildly and forcing its way towards his lower abdomen's Dantian.

Gu Shenwei's internal energy was shallow, and his Yin-Yang dual energy had only reached the first level. He was far from being able to control it freely. Faced with sudden pressure, before his master could exert his energy, it spontaneously resisted, exposing his foundation.

Compared to Xue Niang's energy, it was truly too weak, like a cup of water poured onto a raging inferno.

Gu Shenwei felt his entire body shake, and his Dantian seemed to explode in an instant. Before he could understand anything, he fainted.

When he woke up, he heard the young lady curiously asking:

"Is he dead?"

"No, he wasn't lying this time. He really only learned the superficial aspects. Yao Nu has truly lost his mind to find such a half-baked person to learn internal energy."

Gu Shenwei felt a slight relief in his heart, and then a little blush.

"Speak, what is your purpose in sneaking into Golden Peng Fortress?"

"I want to avenge my father." Gu Shenwei pushed himself up and said, deliberately making his voice filled with grief and indignation. This was not difficult for him. The listener thought he was referring to Yang Zheng, but he was thinking of his true father, Gu Lun.

"The Eighth Young Master killed your father."

Xue Niang's voice was cold and emotionless. Upon hearing her words, the young lady behind the screen suddenly let out a short laugh, as if she had heard a joke but was too embarrassed to laugh out loud.

"No, my father was killed outside the manor. The person who killed him was an assassin, and this assassin was... a subordinate of the Eighth Young Master."

"You might as well seek revenge on my husband. That way, I can return to Iron Mountain." The young lady interjected softly.

"Young lady! Take back your words. You are now a member of the Shangguan family, and you will remain so for your entire life. Do not mention returning to Iron Mountain again."

Xue Niang's tone was very stern, as if she were reprimanding an ignorant little girl, completely different from her usual respectful demeanor. There were few outsiders here, so she didn't need to pay special attention to the distinction between master and servant.

The young lady did not treat Xue Niang as an ordinary servant either. She snorted with dissatisfaction but did not erupt. She said in a low voice:

"You don't need to tell me, I know that."

Xue Niang then turned to Huan Nu, "If I hear you gossiping, I will throw you off the cliff alive."

"I wouldn't dare. Little slave heard nothing. Little slave is loyal to the young lady and Xue Niang with all his heart. Heaven is my witness."

This series of "little slave" destroyed the last shred of Gu Shenwei's self-esteem. "Young Master Gu" was now irrelevant to him, and would never return.

There was no choice. He would continue to be that Young Master Gu, unable to find his sister's whereabouts, and unable to avenge the annihilation of his family.

"Hmph, with you, even after a hundred years, you wouldn't be a match for a single finger of the Eighth Young Master. Who was the assassin who killed your father? Was it Han Shiqi?"

"No, little slave doesn't know who the enemy is yet."

Xue Niang walked around Gu Shenwei twice, observing him closely, like a shrewd merchant inspecting goods to be purchased.

"You want revenge, it's not impossible. But you must stop now. You are not allowed to act on your own, nor are you allowed to investigate secretly. If you perform well, the young lady will naturally reward you. Do you understand?"

"Understood. Little slave is willing to go through fire and water for the young lady and Xue Niang, without any reservations."

"From today onwards, you will learn martial arts from me, replacing Yao Nu. After one month, I will send you to East Fortress as an apprentice. In the future, you will become a Golden Peng assassin. If you fail, you will end your own life. If you dare to have any ulterior motives, or the slightest disobedience, your father's fate will be your fate. Remember, Xue Niang does not need schemes or tricks to kill someone, nor does she need to inform."