Challenging

It was less than half a month until the New Year. A thick layer of snow covered the ground, and snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, neither hurried nor slow, as if they would never end.

Uneven reading voices drifted from the schoolhouse. Qing Nu and his companions stood outside the main gate, covering their ears and stamping their feet to keep warm.

"The two young masters won't come today, not in this bitter cold," Qing Nu guessed hopefully. Usually, if the twins missed morning class, they wouldn't come to school at all. They, their attendants, could disperse and find a place for a drink.

But that day was destined not to be an "usual" day. Not long after Qing Nu finished speaking, a group of children came running. Without looking, Qing Nu knew that only the twins would dare to be so ostentatious within Golden Peng Fortress.

As expected, Shangguan Ru, dressed in a brocade jacket, ran at the forefront, followed closely by Shangguan Yushi and Shangguan Fei. A few steps behind them were the panting attendant scholars.

"Follow me."

Shangguan Ru commanded loudly without stopping. She didn't want to enter the schoolhouse at this time and be reprimanded by the old teacher. That old man was rude to everyone.

Half of the thirty to forty attendants at the entrance belonged to the twins. Bored and stiff with cold, they all followed Ninth Young Master's order. Only Qing Nu, mature and cautious, hesitated and asked, "What for?"

"Someone's come to challenge us. Aren't you going to watch?"

Shangguan Ru threw back the words and had already run far away. Everyone who heard her was energized. Golden Peng Fortress was no ordinary martial arts sect, and challenges from outsiders were extremely rare. The attendants who had been hesitant now quickened their pace. Only by following the twins could they run around the fortress and see what a challenge was like at the main gate.

Qing Nu also followed, still skeptical. He mused that this might be another prank by the two young ladies. He was born in the fortress and had never heard of anyone daring to challenge Golden Peng Fortress in his decades of life.

The other servants at the schoolhouse entrance dared not leave without their masters' permission, but they were itching with curiosity. They all resolved to fully instigate their masters to watch this rare spectacle later.

Gu Shenwei walked quickly, staying close behind the twins and Shangguan Yushi. After months of experience, he was now much more mature than children his age and thought more deeply. Someone coming to challenge Golden Peng Fortress was highly unusual. Golden Peng Fortress was located on a high peak, guarded by an entire Jade City. It was already unimaginable for outsiders to ascend smoothly, let alone for someone to come and issue a public challenge.

A few people were already scattered outside the main gate of Golden Peng Fortress. The twins, having learned the news early in the inner quarters, arrived just in time. The battle had not yet begun.

There were three challengers: a tall and imposing old man, and two young monks. They stood in the open space directly facing the main gate, nearly a hundred paces away from everyone. Behind them was the stone bridge that was the only way into the fortress.

The old man must have been majestic in his youth. He was a head taller than the monks beside him, with broad shoulders and disheveled hair and beard, like a silent lion. But he was old now, with only a frame left. Although this frame was larger than that of ordinary people, it no longer possessed inexhaustible strength.

The two monks had respectful expressions, with lowered eyebrows and clasped hands. They did not seem like the old man's attendants or companions, but rather as if they were uninvolved, here only for contemplation.

The old man held a banner more than two zhang high in his left hand. On the drooping white surface was written a large inscription: "Deep hatred unavenged, the butcher's knife cannot be put down." To the old man's right was a simple weapon rack holding only two weapons: a long spear and a single saber.

"What is this? Such an old guy, plus two monks. How did those servants let them up the mountain?"

Seeing such challengers, the young master Shangguan Fei was very disappointed. The attendants who followed him felt the same. They thought the challengers would be imposing, but they turned out to be just three ordinary people. These young boys could charge forward and make them flee in disarray.

Shangguan Yushi looked closely and sneered, "You have no foresight. For the King's son, look at that flagpole."

Shangguan Fei, rebuked by his cousin, blushed and mumbled. He then re-examined the flagpole, as did everyone else. Gradually, the sounds of ridicule subsided, replaced by gasps of admiration.

The flagpole was made of common poplar wood. Standing straight on the ground without support, it remained unmoving in the cold wind, with hardly any sway. It turned out the bottom of the flagpole was firmly embedded in the ground.

The open space outside Golden Peng Fortress was paved with huge stones, with no loose soil. The flagpole was made of wood, yet it managed to penetrate the stone several inches. The person who planted the flag not only possessed astonishing physical strength but also extremely profound internal energy.

"What's so impressive about that? Any assassin from the fortress could kill these three."

Shangguan Fei was still unconvinced. Shangguan Yushi ignored him, pulled Shangguan Ru's hand, and turned to look back into the fortress. The challengers had made their preparations. Golden Peng Fortress should now send someone out to resolve the situation.

Gu Shenwei stood behind them. He also turned around, not wanting anyone to see the tears that suddenly welled up in his eyes.

These tears had nothing to do with the cold wind. He did not know the old man or the monks who had come to challenge them. But he recognized the saber and spear. They were clearly in the Gu family's style. Without a doubt, the old man had deep ties to the Gu family.

Every country in the world had standard styles of sabers and spears for equipping its army. However, the weapons of martial artists had no uniform specifications; each family had its own, which also became one way to identify different sects. The Gu family's spear was one zhang and six chi long, considered one of the longest spear types. The Gu family's single saber was two chi seven cun long, but slightly shorter than ordinary sabers.

Although he only caught a glimpse from afar, Gu Shenwei could still recognize that the saber and spear beside the old man were identical to his family's weapons. Although he had not practiced martial arts diligently, he was extremely familiar with this saber and spear and would never mistake them.

The emotional dam he had painstakingly built up over the past few months nearly collapsed instantly. He had always thought he was the sole survivor of the Gu family, with the burden of revenge resting entirely on his shoulders. Suddenly seeing someone else come to avenge their kin, his emotions surged, making him unable to control himself.

Fortunately, no one noticed him. Everyone was looking around, either at the challengers or at the path within the fortress, wanting to know who would emerge to crush the challengers' arrogance.

Golden Peng Fortress had stood unbroken for a hundred years, and its assassins were invincible in the world. Although most of the onlookers were teenagers, they believed this implicitly. No matter how deeply the old man and the monks planted their flag, they were still here to die.

People kept emerging from the fortress, but they were not the combatants, merely spectators. The Unrivaled King did not seem to take the challengers seriously. There was no heightened alert, nor was entry or exit prohibited.

"Who is coming? How dare they," was everyone's first question.

"Aren't those two monks from Four Truths Blue Lotus? We give more alms than anyone else usually. Why are the monks still not satisfied and want to take advantage of the situation?"

Gu Shenwei had never heard of "Four Truths Blue Lotus" and didn't care. He only wanted to know the old man's origin.

It wasn't until two quarters of an hour later that the fortress finally dispatched its challenger. Amidst the excited shouts of "They're coming, they're coming!", the old man's identity was also revealed.

"Marshal Yang, the old man is called Marshal Yang."

"What marshal? Calling himself marshal with just two monks? Then I'm a Grand Marshal."

The young boys mocked the strange name endlessly. Gu Shenwei's heart trembled again. So there really was a "Marshal Yang."

On the day of the family massacre, Old Master Gu Lun ordered his loyal old servant Yang Zheng to take his two children away. After defeating a group of pursuers on the road, Yang Zheng knew the danger was not over. Therefore, he had the young master change into a servant boy's clothes and ride through the night to Shule City to seek "Marshal Yang" for reinforcements.

Gu Shenwei thought "Marshal Yang" was a lie fabricated by Yang Zheng to deceive him. He had turned back halfway, and then a series of coincidental events led him into Golden Peng Fortress by mistake.

If he had continued riding forward then, perhaps today he would be standing opposite the crowd, challenging them alongside Marshal Yang.

Gu Shenwei regretted it immensely. He had endured countless hardships and suffered unimaginable humiliation, only to walk down the wrong path.

"What's wrong with you?"

Shangguan Ru asked curiously. She had noticed Huan Nu's strange expression.

"Nothing, it's the wind." Gu Shenwei hastily wiped away his tears. He could not reveal his identity yet. Even if Marshal Yang could defeat the Unrivaled King, he would have to find an opportunity to acknowledge him later. He could not let anyone know that a descendant of the Gu family was a servant in Golden Peng Fortress.

"He's scared," Shangguan Yushi also glanced at Huan Nu and concluded. She had never liked Huan Nu much, and it was understandable. Besides Shangguan Ru, she didn't like anyone.

A team of assassins in black with red sashes walked out of Golden Peng Fortress. Each of them had a stern expression. They walked straight past the boys who were watching the excitement, without bowing to the two young masters as they usually did.

"So many!" someone exclaimed in a hushed voice. The assassins were the elite and pillars of Golden Peng Fortress. A group of three to five was already rare to see, but this contingent numbered over twenty. That was enough to carry out even the most difficult missions.

"The old man and the monk are dead for sure."

"That's right, that's right."

Everyone believed that over twenty assassins would attack together to annihilate the challenger. Having grown up in Golden Peng Fortress, they were unperturbed by the idea of using superior numbers to win.

However, they were wrong this time. The assassins stopped about twenty paces in front of Marshal Yang, forming a sparse semicircle. Then, one assassin stepped forward, drew his narrow saber, and prepared for a one-on-one duel.

This was not in accordance with Golden Peng Fortress's "rules," but it made the young onlookers even more excited. Regardless of the upbringing they received or the principles they would later uphold, at this age, they still admired straightforward martial prowess more.

"Ye Sheng, Ye Sheng from the Fifth Young Master's courtyard."

Someone recognized the first assassin to accept the challenge.

Gu Shenwei also recognized this assassin. He was the man in black who had killed the Tianshan Swordsman Long Feidu at the T-junction, the one who had refused to reveal his name at the time.

Gu Shenwei really wanted to warn Marshal Yang. This Ye Sheng was skilled in underhanded tactics; Long Feidu had met his end by this man's blade after falling victim to some kind of anesthetic.

But he couldn't and didn't dare. He could only hope that Marshal Yang was more formidable and intelligent than Long Feidu, not only aware of Golden Peng Fortress's dirty tricks but also fully prepared.