Hostility

Just a little more, and Gu Shenwei could have taken a perfect step on his path of revenge. He had made all preparations, but at the last moment, he stumbled and fell from the bright road into a bottomless sewer.

Someone in the courtyard recognized Xue Niang, knowing she was brought by the Eighth Young Madam. They pointed and snickered at just the right volume—loud enough to be heard, but short enough that Xue Niang couldn't pinpoint the source when she turned around.

Xue Niang's sallow face flushed slightly. Without a word of question, she left He Nu behind and quickly departed with Huan Nu, returning to the Eighth Young Master's courtyard.

Gu Shenwei was left in the front courtyard. Xue Niang rushed to see her young lady, and after a while, the young lady's angry scolding could be faintly heard from the back courtyard.

Several servants passed by and were surprised to see Huan Nu return, but became flustered upon hearing the young lady's voice, hurrying away and not daring to inquire about the matter.

About a quarter of an hour later, Xue Niang walked out of the courtyard quickly. As she passed Gu Shenwei, she didn't even glance at him, as if he didn't exist.

Gu Shenwei stood alone in the empty courtyard, filled with anxiety. Not only could he not enter East Fortress now, but he had also lost his value. How would Xue Niang and her young lady treat him? Hand him over directly to the Eighth Young Master? Or let him be, to seek revenge on some assassin himself?

If it was the former, he would have to find a way to kill the Eighth Young Master, Shangguan Nu. This was the bottom line of his revenge. Shangguan Nu was the one who personally killed his parents and elder brother, and he was the number one enemy in his heart.

An hour later, Gu Shenwei still hadn't come up with a plan. Xue Niang returned. Her expression was unreadable. She stared at the bewildered Huan Nu for a long time, seemingly weighing something. Finally, she said, "Pack your things. From now on, you will stay in the courtyard and work."

This was slightly better than the worst-case scenario. Gu Shenwei bowed in acknowledgment and found his own way back to Kindling Courtyard. His steps were heavy, as if carrying a thousand pounds, but halfway back, he became optimistic again. Although he hadn't managed to enter East Fortress as planned, he was staying in the Eighth Young Master's courtyard. This meant he would have opportunities to approach Shangguan Nu in the future, and thus, opportunities for revenge.

When Gu Shenwei was learning martial arts from Xue Niang during the day, he never saw the owner of the mansion. Shangguan Nu seemed to leave early and return late, never lingering at home.

Rumors were already rampant in Kindling Courtyard, turning it into a chaotic mess. Seeing Huan Nu return alone, the youths swarmed him to ask for news.

Gu Shenwei told them the truth, and their expressions changed. However, upon hearing that he would be staying in the Eighth Young Master's courtyard to work, several of them were mostly envious. No matter how hard or tiring the work was there, it was much better than serving dead people in Kindling Courtyard.

One of the five youths was missing. After Gu Shenwei finished recounting his misfortune, Lei Nu told him another piece of bad news: Xue Niang had taken Qian Nu away, reportedly to recommend him to East Fortress.

Xue Niang and her young lady made a simple mistake. They were outsiders who only had a superficial understanding of Golden Peng Fortress's assassin system, believing that good martial arts would be welcomed. The young lady's source of information, her husband, was also problematic. Shangguan Nu was the son of the Unrivaled King, entered the assassin roster from birth, and had never undergone selection. He was equally ignorant of such trivial matters.

As a result, Xue Niang painstakingly trained her promising candidates, never knowing an important rule for recruiting apprentices into East Fortress: one cannot practice any internal energy before entering East Fortress.

It was said that Golden Peng Fortress had its own set of internal energy, incompatible with all martial arts in the jianghu.

Regardless of the reason, the Hehe Jin that Gu Shenwei practiced day and night became a stumbling block to his entry into East Fortress.

After realizing her mistake, Xue Niang immediately consulted with her young lady and then found the guards. After understanding all the rules, they discovered there was still a chance to rectify the situation.

It turned out that East Fortress did not care about the apprentices' martial arts foundation when training assassins. It didn't matter if they didn't know half a move, as they would have to start from scratch after entering East Fortress anyway.

Thus, Xue Niang came to Kindling Courtyard and re-selected from the five youths. Unexpectedly, Qian Nu tasted the luck of a pie falling from the sky. He dropped his work and became an assassin apprentice.

Before Gu Shenwei returned, the remaining four youths had already gathered most of the information. Xue Niang's embarrassment at East Fortress had already spread throughout the fortress, even reaching the remote Kindling Courtyard. Gu Shenwei, however, was completely unaware.

This was a testament to the Eighth Young Madam's isolated status and unpopularity within Golden Peng Fortress.

There was no greater trickery of fate than this. While Gu Shenwei found it hard to accept, the other four youths were also indignant. They could accept the smartest Yao Nu becoming an assassin, and they could understand Huan Nu, who knew martial arts, entering East Fortress. Qian Nu had no special traits and was no different from them. It was deeply unfair that he had stumbled upon such great fortune.

"He won't last. At most a month, and they'll carry him back," Lei Nu declared confidently. Although assassin apprentices had no requirements for martial arts foundation, according to custom, knowing some martial arts always had its advantages.

There was nothing more to say. When Qian Nu returned in glory, the youths, including Lei Nu, would all fawn over him.

Gu Shenwei went to see the new courtyard manager again, saying he was back to collect his luggage. He encountered a slight problem. Which courtyard a servant stayed in was not something Xue Niang could decide with a single word, especially since the number of servants in Kindling Courtyard was dwindling, making it difficult to find replacements.

However, the problem was quickly resolved. Xue Niang was meticulous and had already completed the procedures, formally requesting Huan Nu in the name of the Eighth Young Master.

Thus, that afternoon, Gu Shenwei, carrying his bedding roll, moved into a small stone house next to the backyard of the Eighth Young Master's mansion. His roommate was the stableman, Old Zhang, who was over fifty years old. Their duty was to look after the stables.

All male servants in Golden Peng Fortress were called "XX Nu," and Old Zhang was no exception. However, everyone called him "Old Zhang." Amidst the chorus of "Nu," this most ordinary appellation ironically stood out.

Old Zhang could be considered a model servant: loyal, diligent, and sleeping soundly every night upon returning to his room, never gossiping. In the days Gu Shenwei lived there, he exchanged no more than ten sentences with him.

Gu Shenwei was very familiar with horses, but in the past, others took care of them for him. He only cared if his own horse ate well and its coat was shiny. Now, he was feeding horses for his enemy.

He tried his best not to recall his past life, fearing he might lose control of his emotions and reveal his secret. This place was fraught with danger; he had to be extremely cautious with every step. Han Shiqi was already dead, but no one could guarantee that the Eighth Young Master's subordinates did not have a second person who recognized the young master of the Gu family.

And what about Qian Nu, who had already entered East Fortress? Would he inadvertently mention Bai Jian, now that he was beyond Huan Nu's reach?

Xue Niang was also a potential threat. Gu Shenwei understood why she kept him in the mansion—it was for close surveillance, after all. She and her young lady had already revealed too much information in front of Huan Nu.

Despite this, Xue Niang rarely appeared. Besides the routine morning greetings, he basically never saw her again.

Old Zhang was a household servant of Golden Peng Fortress and did not need to pledge loyalty to the young lady. Gu Shenwei guessed this was why he never chatted with him. They belonged to different factions, each serving their own master.

Gu Shenwei had long observed the conflicts between the masters of Golden Peng Fortress and heard many rumors, but he could not exploit them. His status was too low, his strength too insignificant. Even if a mountain had a crack, he could not pry it open.

The only thing he could do was to diligently practice his martial arts.

His knowledge of internal energy was no longer a secret. Everyone assumed Xue Niang taught him, so there was no need to hide it. After taking care of the Eighth Young Master's more than ten strong horses every day, he would find a place to practice. He practiced Hehe Jin, Tiger Subduing Fist, and Iron Mountain Saber Technique at least once.

Old Zhang observed coldly, neither opposing nor supporting. He only held one "privilege": leading the horses to the front gate at dawn to await the master and bringing them back punctually in the evening.

Gu Shenwei never had the chance to see Shangguan Nu, but he learned a lot about his living habits.

The Eighth Young Master's schedule was always the same: early departure, late return, rain or shine. Every five to ten days, he would take more horses out, returning three to five days later. By then, the horses would all look different—dirty and thin, sometimes one missing.

Only at these times would the indifferent Old Zhang show a hint of emotion. No matter how late the horses were returned, he would wake Huan Nu to help him bathe them, add feed, and he would take turns holding each overworked beloved horse, murmuring softly like a doting mother waiting for her child to come home.

Gu Shenwei found himself stuck halfway again, unable to advance or retreat. He was wasting time with an old man who loved his horses more than people, while his enemy, separated by a wall, lived his life as usual and went out to kill as usual.

Fourteen-year-old Gu Shenwei had cultivated a patience he had never possessed before. He knew he had to wait, only wait, and must wait, because he had divine will on his side.

Two months after becoming the stableman's assistant, when a thin layer of snow covered the ground of Golden Peng Fortress, Gu Shenwei finally got his chance.

That afternoon, he was practicing the Iron Mountain Saber Technique with a wooden stick. Xue Niang had taught it to him. To conceal his identity, he had to forget his more proficient Gu family saber technique, but he practiced it with considerable difficulty.

The Iron Mountain Saber Technique was a saber art that emphasized practical combat effectiveness. Its eighteen forms were simple and easy to learn, but the combination of moves was ever-changing. Without an opponent, Gu Shenwei was like an archer without a target; no matter how hard he practiced, he couldn't grasp the essence.

He also always inadvertently inserted one or two moves from his family's saber technique. He was too familiar with that technique; he couldn't forget it.

Gu Shenwei was so engrossed in his training that it took him a long time to suddenly realize someone was observing him from about ten paces away. The person seemed to have been standing by the wall for a while, without any particular attempt to conceal themselves, yet for some reason, they didn't attract any attention at all. This was a quality an elite assassin should possess.

Gu Shenwei froze. He had been hoping to get close to his enemy, but he never expected his enemy to approach him first.

The person who arrived was Shangguan Nu.

Hatred and anger, like a ball of flammable willow catkins, instantly burned away, leaving behind a pile of hard seeds of fear.

Had the Eighth Young Master finally discovered his true identity? Gu Shenwei felt his legs tremble. This was not the meeting he had envisioned; he wasn't ready.

Shangguan Nu stared at the somewhat gloomy young man with complex eyes in front of him. His heart stirred slightly, and his only remaining left hand involuntarily gripped the hilt of his saber.