Fairness

As dawn broke, Gu Shenwei quietly got up and walked out of his room. The crisp, fresh air outside invigorated him.

Golden Peng Fortress, like a wild beast with fur the color of the surrounding vegetation, seemed to shed all its menace when it lay dormant and asleep. Gu Shenwei had a fleeting sense of being the master of the stone fortress.

Gu Shenwei shook his head, dispelling the illusion. Though he couldn't see or hear, he knew vigilant night guards were hidden nearby. If he dared to wander, he would draw the beast's sharp claws.

He ran towards the schoolhouse. As Shangguan Ru's attendant, it was his privilege to walk this route. Although it was early, the patrolling night guards would likely assume he was a servant eager to please his master.

The schoolhouse entrance was deserted.

Gu Shenwei listened in all directions. If any major events had occurred outside the fortress, they might have caused some reaction within.

Everything was normal, so normal it made him uneasy. Then, footsteps sounded.

The people running were Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Yushi. There were only two of them. Shangguan Fei and the other personal attendants were nowhere to be seen. It was still too early, and they were likely still curled up in their warm beds, unwilling to get up.

Both wore serious expressions, and from their looks, they seemed to have been awake all night, just like Gu Shenwei. They ran past him without acknowledging or greeting him.

Gu Shenwei sprinted behind Shangguan Ru. Only by following his young master could he move freely within the fortress. Shangguan Yushi glanced at him with a glare but didn't forbid the servant from following.

From a distance, Gu Shenwei saw the fortress gate was tightly shut. But as the three of them approached, the gate slowly opened. This further confirmed Gu Shenwei's suspicion that there were many unseen guards within the fortress, watching the twins no matter how they acted.

The fortress gate opened wider and wider, gradually revealing the plaza outside.

Gu Shenwei saw Marshal Yang's banner, hanging limply and coldly, as if frozen.

Then he saw the second flagpole.

The sun was rising, but the world before him was dark. He felt as if he had returned to the night his family was massacred, trapped in a dream. His legs moved involuntarily, forced to run towards the monster that had consumed more than half his life.

Marshal Yang's head was impaled on his own spear, just like his younger brother Yang Zheng's death.

There were no bodies on the ground, and the two monks had vanished, their fates unknown. The snow from yesterday had frozen into hard blocks, leaving no trace of the battle, as if the spear with the head had stood there since the founding of Golden Peng Fortress.

The three youths stopped on the stone steps before the gate, none of them willing to take another step. The heavy breaths after their run replaced all words.

Strangely, the two young women, like Gu Shenwei, were both shocked and disappointed, as if the fallen challenger had fought for them.

As a servant eager to please his master, Gu Shenwei should have said something to ease Shangguan Ru's mood. But he couldn't utter a word. He even felt intense hatred towards the two people standing in front of him.

The Shangguan Family were his enemies, every single person surnamed Shangguan.

After a while, more people ran over. It was Shangguan Fei, leading Qing Nu and other attendants.

Qing Nu clapped his hands. "Alright, no need to worry. This is the end. I predicted it long ago. What else could be the outcome for a mad old man who dared to challenge Golden Peng Fortress?"

Shangguan Fei ran a bit too fast. He leaned over, hands on his knees, and caught his breath before straightening up. "Is that it? I thought I'd get to see Qing Mian."

Qing Mian the assassin was a legendary figure in Golden Peng Fortress. Even the Unrivaled King's own son couldn't verify the legend's truth until he was eligible for the title of Young Master.

Apart from the first three youths to arrive, no one else was disappointed by Marshal Yang's death. Their only dissatisfaction was not witnessing the killing.

As the youths were still pointing and chattering, Shangguan Ru suddenly turned. She roughly pushed aside the crowd blocking her path and strode into the fortress. Shangguan Yushi followed closely. Gu Shenwei hesitated for only a moment before being left behind, forced to mingle with the other attendants.

Shangguan Fei hadn't finished his commentary, but following his sister was a habit. He dazedly scanned the area inside and outside the fortress before turning to chase after Shangguan Ru.

The group of attendants sensed their master's bad mood and wisely kept silent, not even daring to get too close. Shangguan Fei was one thing, but Shangguan Ru could be ruthless towards her servants.

The group walked through nearly half the stone fortress, not heading to the schoolhouse, but to the "Moon Holding Courtyard" where the Shangguan disciples practiced martial arts.

The Moon Holding Courtyard was located in the East Fortress, directly opposite the Star Picking Courtyard of the schoolhouse. However, it was its own separate courtyard, not connected to other courtyards in the East Fortress. Only those surnamed Shangguan were eligible to enter. Their training methods were naturally different from those of the selected assassin apprentices.

Upon arriving here, most attendants had to stay outside. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Once inside the Moon Holding Courtyard, Shangguan Ru would have to take her anger out on someone else.

But just as Shangguan Ru stepped onto the stairs, she turned around again, looking furiously at the assembled attendants. "Can't our Shangguan Family have a fair fight for once? Did you have to kill him when no one was around?"

No one dared to answer this question, and most people didn't think it necessary. This was Golden Peng Fortress; "fairness" was never a consideration.

"He's dead anyway. How he died doesn't matter," Shangguan Fei shrugged, finding his sister's anger inexplicable.

Shangguan Ru was clearly not satisfied with this answer. The experienced Qing Nu cleared his throat and spoke. "Actually, it's very fair."

"How is it fair?" Shangguan Ru's tone was aggressive. It seemed she might lash out if Qing Nu didn't respond properly.

"We are Golden Peng Fortress. We train assassins, and our specialty is assassination. Everyone knows that. Marshal Yang was no exception. When he came to challenge us, he must have been prepared for all sorts of assassination methods. That's why I say it's fair. We in Golden Peng Fortress don't pretend to be righteous sects while plotting schemes behind the scenes. We are 'open and aboveboard' assassins. He challenges us publicly, we fight. He attacks us secretly, we fight. It's all up to him. If he dies, it means he was outmatched and couldn't withstand Golden Peng Fortress's assassination methods. It's all fair."

To Qing Nu, these words were merely the usual rhetoric of Golden Peng Fortress, slightly rephrased. But to these youths still learning about life, it was like a brilliant and profound lesson, especially for a few of the troubled ones.

Gu Shenwei, who had been feeling dejected and lost in the crowd, felt as if he were at a dead end again. Qing Nu's words, however, were like a sudden awakening, a bolt from the blue.

He had heard similar words before, back at the crossroads where he was captured and enslaved. The assassin Ye Sheng had mocked the Tianshan Swordsman he had ambushed, saying, "You're always like this, 'should have known,' but you weren't prepared."

Qing Nu and Ye Sheng's words made sense. A whole new world opened up before Gu Shenwei's eyes. Although Gu family martial arts were formidable, they couldn't counter Golden Peng Fortress's assassination techniques. To seek revenge, learning profound martial arts alone was not enough. He also had to learn to be an assassin, to understand everything about assassins.

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. The Gu family's tragic demise was precisely because they couldn't "know their enemy."

When Xue Niang initially trained him as an assassin apprentice, Gu Shenwei's only thought was to use it to enter the upper echelons of Golden Peng Fortress, just as he was now trying his best to please the twins.

Suddenly, he saw another possibility. No matter how close he got to the fortress masters, he could at best kill one or two people, and eventually, his cover would be blown. If he could understand the workings of Golden Peng Fortress, understand all the methods of the assassins, he wouldn't be afraid even if his true identity was exposed. He could seek revenge on equal footing from the outside.

Gu Shenwei wasn't the only one convinced by Qing Nu. Shangguan Ru, with her head held high, was also contemplating. Despite being the Unrivaled King's daughter, she had to gradually accept the principle that "assassination is fairness." Then she turned to look at her cousin, Shangguan Yushi.

Shangguan Yushi also looked at her cousin. The two shared a telepathic understanding, their thoughts conveyed in their eyes.

Shangguan Yushi suddenly flashed a sly smile. "I want to become one."

"Me too."

"Let's go now."

Shangguan Ru nodded heavily, pulling her cousin's hand as they ran towards the East Fortress gate not far away.

Qing Nu was completely bewildered. It wasn't until the two had run a few steps that he suddenly understood: the two young ladies intended to break into the East Fortress to learn to be assassins.

The East Fortress was a crucial area of Golden Peng Fortress, with security second only to the inner chambers. Only assassins and assassin apprentices were allowed to enter. Qing Nu hurriedly called out, "Young Masters, you can't go!"

Before his voice faded, three or four figures darted past him, chasing after Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Yushi.

Marshal Yang's death, along with Qing Nu's words, had reignited the young boys' fantasies about assassins. However, the target had changed. It was no longer the assassins they often saw in the fortress, like Ye Sheng, who could be easily killed by challengers. Instead, it was the true assassins whose identities were never revealed, living only in legends.

Qing Nu was exasperated. Although he was only in his thirties, he didn't know martial arts and couldn't keep up with the energetic youngsters. He also couldn't scold them loudly because among those chasing were the young master Shangguan Fei.

And Gu Shenwei. As soon as Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Yushi spoke, he had guessed their intentions, because those intentions were exactly the same as his own. To understand the true nature of assassins, he was now willing to pay any price.

The East Fortress gate was always closed, but this couldn't stop the Ninth Young Master. Shangguan Ru's footsteps didn't falter as she fiercely knocked on the door, the sound "bang bang" echoing urgently, as if another challenger had arrived.

The main gate didn't open, but a small door set into it creaked open a sliver, and a grim voice emerged, "What is it?"

"The Fortress Lord has ordered it."

Shangguan Ru's dejected mood had vanished. Lying now seemed as easy as picking something up.

Fortress Lord was the respectful term used within the fortress for the Unrivaled King. Those inside clearly started in surprise upon hearing these words, yet they also seemed disbelieving, pausing for a moment.

In that brief moment, Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Yushi had already pushed the door together, preparing to force their way in. Behind them, Shangguan Fei, Gu Shenwei, and two young attendants also rushed up.

Qing Nu was still anxiously persuading them from behind. He could never have imagined that his defense of the Golden Peng assassins would lead to this outcome.

Those inside realized something was wrong and immediately tried to slam the door shut. The two girls outside lacked the strength to match them. Shangguan Yushi shouted, "This is the Ninth Young Master, do not harm her!"

The gatekeeper naturally knew who the "Ninth Young Master" was. His strength immediately lessened, fearing he might accidentally injure the Unrivaled King's treasured pearl.

However, his hesitation was met with the unified effort of those outside. Four fresh forces arrived in time and, without a word, pushed the door with all their might.

The gap in the door widened a little more. Shangguan Ru darted inside, and the gatekeeper cried out in pain, somewhat overwhelmed. In an instant, the other five youngsters followed and squeezed through.

By the time Qing Nu arrived with the other attendants, the small door had already been closed again. Qing Nu could only sigh, praying that the two young masters wouldn't cause too much trouble inside, and even more so, that they wouldn't suffer the slightest harm.