Accompanying the Fight

The next morning, Gu Shenwei was at the schoolhouse entrance early. Now that he had a companion-level waist token, he didn't need Xue Niang to lead the way. He didn't go to pay his respects to the young lady, figuring Xue Niang would explain for him.

Gu Shenwei was the first to arrive. Qing Nu nodded at him when he came, indicating his satisfaction.

Qing Nu and the others were outside companions. They couldn't enter the inner residence. Their main duty was to carry various small items, delivering them when called upon by their masters, and idling when not. The twins had several other personal attendants.

The twins arrived with Shangguan Yushi, surrounded by a throng of people. Gu Shenwei was pushed to the back and couldn't see them.

The two "young masters" arrived much earlier than usual. Qing Nu was quite surprised. Before he could ask why, a voice came from the schoolhouse, "Let the kid from yesterday in!"

Qing Nu shook his head, pulled Huan Nu from the crowd, and pushed him towards the gate. "You asked for this."

Some students had already gathered in the courtyard, forming a circle as they had yesterday, leaving a gap for "the kid from yesterday" to enter.

The twins stood side-by-side, ignoring each other. Shangguan Yushi spoke. She was too tall, and the men's clothing she wore seemed a bit ill-fitting. "Kid, either admit defeat to the Ninth Young Master, or we fight again. You choose."

Shangguan Fei was about to speak when his sister covered his mouth with her hand.

More and more students gathered, not entering the schoolhouse but staying in the courtyard to watch the excitement.

"I won't admit defeat," Gu Shenwei said.

The pointing students were stunned. They all looked at the new servant with disbelief. Didn't he see the youths outside who were acting as sparring partners? Covered in wounds, trembling.

"You won't admit defeat? You want to fight again? You..." Shangguan Yushi was astonished, her string of questions making her forget what she was going to say next.

Shangguan Fei pushed his sister's hand away and exclaimed happily, "Good servant!"

Shangguan Ru proudly tilted her head. "Fine, we'll fight again. Ten moves, and I'll make sure you can't stand up."

Gu Shenwei decided not to grovel before the twins anymore. He wouldn't use the usual servant tactics. He would do the opposite, using force to earn their respect and trust.

He understood the psychology of rich young masters perfectly. When he was still the young master of the Gu family, one of his favorite games was sparring. Which of the guards he fought against did he like the most? Not the one who fell with a touch and begged for mercy, but the one who seemed to fight with all his might, throwing serious moves.

He had also had several young attendants back then, but in the end, he only kept Mingxiang, who had the worst temper and argued the most with his young master. When you have a lot of servants, what you really want is an equal playmate.

Even if this "equality" was fake.

The thoughts of the young master of the Gu family were now the weakness of the twins of the Shangguan family.

Gu Shenwei struck a stance and said, "Please, Young Master, guide me."

Yesterday he only defended, not attacked. Today, he would show some real skill.

A mere servant dared to speak to Shangguan Ru in the tone of a martial artist. The surrounding students roared with excitement, knowing a good show was coming. Qing Nu, outside the gate, heard it clearly and knew there would be trouble. Unfortunately, he couldn't pull the ignorant servant out and beat him then. Shangguan Yushi became increasingly confused, not knowing how to react. Shangguan Fei, however, stood tall with a smile on his face; the new servant had brought him honor.

Shangguan Ru's face flushed slightly at first, then she tilted her head even higher. "Don't just talk tough. Let's see who's stronger on the field."

The two fought for over a hundred moves the second time. The shouts of support for each side echoed through half of Golden Peng Fortress. No one mentioned "within ten moves" anymore. Now everyone just wanted to know who was stronger: the arrogant Shangguan Ru, who had never lost, or the audacious and unusual little servant.

Moreover, this fight was different from the half-hearted sparring matches of the past. Shangguan Ru's moves were fierce, and the little servant didn't hold back either. His Tiger Subduing Fist was powerful, forcing nearby students to dodge its sharpness.

Qing Nu peered through the crack in the door, dumbfounded. He couldn't understand what this Huan Nu was doing. Wasn't he afraid of causing trouble, and implicating so many people? In the end, he concluded: people brought by the bandit's daughter were simply undisciplined.

Gu Shenwei truly gave his all in the fight, even using the Eight Trigram Palm he had learned at home. But he still held back, using less than fifty percent of his Hehe Jin. "Equality" had its limits; he couldn't injure this "young master" who was neither male nor female.

But Shangguan Ru was no ordinary opponent. Although she was a girl and three or four years younger, her skills were formidable. After over a hundred moves, she had already used no less than five martial arts. In the end, Gu Shenwei had to switch to defense, barely holding on. Now, trying to use his full Hehe Jin was beyond his strength.

It was that stern old gentleman again who stopped the fight, rescuing Gu Shenwei from his predicament.

They had fought with such concentration, and the onlookers were so engrossed, that no one responded to the old gentleman's calls. His face turned red, and he struck several napes with his ruler before bringing the nearly frenzied youths back to reality. They stuck out their tongues and quickly ran back into the schoolhouse.

Gu Shenwei was truly exhausted. He had never been this tired, even when carrying dead bodies every day back home.

Shangguan Ru opposite him was the same, her face covered in sweat, her hair slightly disheveled. She wanted to say some martial arts slang, but she couldn't even catch her breath.

Shangguan Yushi, however, said "Just you wait" on behalf of her cousin, then helped Shangguan Ru into the schoolhouse.

Shangguan Fei, much more timid than his sister, had already run off upon seeing the old gentleman's anger, forgetting about the new servant who had just brought him honor.

Gu Shenwei leaned on his knees, panting heavily. Sweat dripped onto the thin layer of snow, creating small pits, and then he inexplicably felt a blow to the back of his neck.

"Get out!"

The old gentleman's face was furious. This was his territory. In Golden Peng Fortress, teeming with assassins, this was the only place that retained some semblance of civility, and it had been disrupted by an unknown lowly slave.

Outside the gate, an even more furious Qing Nu was waiting for Gu Shenwei. He spent a full hour explaining the fortress rules, proving that Huan Nu had committed a grave offense, not only getting himself into trouble but also causing many others to suffer for his actions.

"If even a single hair on the young lady's head falls, you couldn't compensate for it even if you were cut into a thousand pieces."

In his haste, Qing Nu called Shangguan Ru "young lady," which was also her truest identity in everyone's minds.

Gu Shenwei barely spoke, except to say "Yes." In the fight just now, Shangguan Ru's hair had fallen out countless times, but he had been careful not to injure her in the slightest. Conversely, she had never held back, and his face was covered in bruises, with more on his body.

Qing Nu was determined to send Huan Nu back, even if it meant offending the Eighth Young Master.

However, when school let out at noon, his resolve wavered, and he was greatly surprised.

As usual, the twins and Shangguan Yushi walked out the gate first. Shangguan Ru was in the middle, her breathing calm, her hair tidied. She stopped and pointed at Huan Nu, who was on the outermost side. "This kid will be my companion from now on."

Qing Nu was so astonished he didn't know what to say. Shangguan Fei also looked surprised. "Huh? This kid was given to me by Eighth Brother."

"Hmm, I want him. He's mine now."

With that, Shangguan Ru, pulling Shangguan Yushi who was suppressing a giggle, left with her head held high. Shangguan Fei followed, grumbling and trying to get an explanation. Everyone could guess the outcome; the brother could never win against his sister.

Although he didn't know what to say, Qing Nu had to say something. He reminded Huan Nu that this was an accident and that the Ninth Young Master taking him would likely lead to no good. He advised Huan Nu to find an opportunity to admit defeat as soon as possible, or the ending would be even worse, and so on.

By the time Gu Shenwei got away from Qing Nu, the Shangguan twins were already far away.

The plan didn't unfold as initially conceived. Gu Shenwei intended to "win over" the young master Shangguan Fei, but instead, Shangguan Ru took him away.

What unsettled him was Xue Niang's side. Xue Niang had explicitly asked him to gain the young master's favor. However, after he reported the situation that evening, Xue Niang merely let out a cold laugh, offering no comment.

Soon, Gu Shenwei discovered that following the Ninth Master was far from easy. Shangguan Ru treated him as an equal opponent, initiating at least one fight with him almost daily. Whether in the study hall, on the road, or outside the martial arts training grounds, they would spar whenever the thought struck her. Shangguan Yushi and Shangguan Fei also occasionally practiced moves with him.

Shangguan Ru, being the Unrivaled King's daughter, naturally had numerous renowned masters guiding her. Coupled with her competitive spirit and intelligence, within a few days, Gu Shenwei had to exert his full strength to keep up with her progress.

Shangguan Yushi was a young girl with unfathomable depths. When she attacked, she always appeared to be on par with Shangguan Ru. However, after a few encounters with her, Gu Shenwei was certain she was actually more formidable, merely concealing it well.

Although Shangguan Fei was a boy, his martial arts were quite ordinary, and his temper was a bit impatient. Gu Shenwei could only patiently maneuver, doing his best to avoid fighting him.

But that was all. Gu Shenwei found no further opportunities to truly "win over" the twins. In their eyes, he was merely a resilient, daring servant. The idea of "equality" was impossible.

Gu Shenwei only knew two sets of fist techniques. Even with diligent practice, his progress was limited. He wanted to improve but didn't want to beg. Xue Niang was not one to be swayed by soft words. Thus, Gu Shenwei reported his situation to her daily, detailing Shangguan Ru's rapid progress and her fondness for fighting. After nearly a month, Xue Niang was finally influenced by his persistent reports and taught him another set of techniques, the "Ruyi Palm."

Xue Niang had said that fists and legs were the foundation, while swords and sabers were the true profession of an assassin. However, Huan Nu's opponent was the Unrivaled King's daughter, so she only focused on strengthening his foundation, refraining from teaching him saber techniques or enhancing his internal energy with external forces.

The Ruyi Palm was adept at both offense and defense, with intricate moves, making it more profound than the Tiger Subduing Fist. Gu Shenwei spent ten days mastering it, followed by another set of grappling techniques and legwork. He and Xue Niang had become de facto master and disciple, yet their relationship remained as distant as ever. Her true intentions were never revealed.

Gu Shenwei's martial arts were improving, and Shangguan Ru was not falling behind. The two continued to push each other, fighting from early winter to deep winter. As the New Year approached, the twins rarely came to the study hall, giving him a brief respite.

Gu Shenwei had initially planned to continue this way, slowly gaining control of the twins and then using them to infiltrate the inner workings of Golden Peng Fortress. However, an incident in the twelfth lunar month reignited his desire to become an assassin.

These days, Golden Peng Fortress, whose profession was killing, was also adorned with lanterns and decorations, preparing to celebrate the New Year just like ordinary households. No one could have imagined that someone would be so audacious as to brazenly pass through Jade City, walk up the mountain on foot, cross the stone bridge spanning the chasm, raise a flag, array weapons, and publicly challenge the Unrivaled King.