The Apprentice

The East Fortress was crisscrossed with narrow lanes leading to different courtyards. Gu Shenwei had once visited the small courtyard where apprentices were recruited, but now its double doors were shut tight, as if to keep the whole world at arm's length.

The Twins had never been here either. They had simply run around without a destination, making sharp turns at every junction to shake off their pursuers. After countless courtyards, the six boys finally stopped, gasping for breath, and looked back. The lanes were silent and deserted. They couldn't tell whether they had shaken the gatekeeper or whether he had never followed them at all.

In any case, they were now in the heart of the East Fortress. Just beyond one of these walls, real assassins might be learning secret killing techniques. The thought made them look at one another and grin.

With Shangguan Ru in the lead, the six of them went from courtyard to courtyard, trying to find out what was inside. But every door was shut tight, without so much as a crack. They knocked, but no one answered. They pressed their ears to the doors, but heard nothing. It was as though every courtyard in the row stood empty.

Shangguan Ru's frown grew deeper and deeper, and she was about to lose her temper again when Shangguan Fei finally spotted something behind one of the doors. He turned and beckoned excitedly to the others.

The six crowded together, each pressing an ear against the door. Sure enough, they heard rapid clacking from within. There were people inside, and quite a few of them.

Still, the door offered not the slightest crack. After listening for a while, they grew bored. Shangguan Ru stepped back and looked around. She walked to a lower stretch of wall, pointed to a corner, and told her page, "Stand against the wall."

The page hurried into place, patting his shoulder. "Ninth Young Master, climb on."

But the wall was so tall that even standing on his shoulders wouldn't get her over the top. Shangguan Ru pointed at Huan Nu. "You, get up there."

The page looked a little unhappy, but he had no choice. He bent his knees, and Gu Shenwei climbed onto his shoulders, facing the lane. Now the wall's top was within reach.

Shangguan Ru rubbed her hands together excitedly and said to her brother and cousin, "Come on, toss me up."

The remaining page jumped in alarm. "Ninth Young Master, isn't that too dangerous?"

"Go!" Shangguan Ru said, and the page didn't dare make another sound.

Shangguan Yushi liked danger all the more for being dangerous. Shangguan Fei was a little nervous, but he didn't want to look like a coward. After hesitating for a moment, he came over to help under his cousin's stern gaze, muttering, "This was your idea."

They took one of Shangguan Ru's feet each and heaved together, tossing her into the air.

Shangguan Ru was as light as a bird. She flipped several times and landed neatly on Gu Shenwei's shoulders. He barely felt the added weight and quickly grabbed her ankles.

Shangguan Ru leaned over the wall to peek inside. Below, the others stared up at her expectantly.

"What do you see?"

"Hmm, lots of people."

"What are they practicing?"

"Wooden sabers, just like us. Even the moves are the same. Honestly."

"Ah, I know! This is Carved Wood Courtyard, where they train beginner apprentices."

The page on the ground ran to the gate and looked up at it for a long moment. "Young Master Yu is right. It really is Carved Wood Courtyard. Oh, there are some small characters underneath, too. Ow—"

The page cried out in surprise. Then a steady, stern voice barked, "Who's there?!"

The sudden shout caught them all off guard. Every boy jumped, and the page at the bottom of the human ladder went weak in the knees. The two people above him tumbled down.

Shangguan Ru had been standing at the very top, but she had learned Lightness Skill and was light besides. Two people caught her below, so she was unhurt. Still, she had been badly frightened and collapsed into her cousin's arms, unable to get up for quite some time.

Gu Shenwei, in the middle, wasn't so lucky. No one caught him, and he was trying to protect the person on his shoulders. He crashed to the ground. When he got up and touched his face, he found blood running from his forehead and nose.

The man who had shouted was the instructor from Carved Wood Courtyard. He recognized Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Fei at once and started in alarm. Hurrying over, he asked, "Are you hurt?" He reached out to examine them.

By then, Shangguan Ru had recovered. She sprang to her feet, and Shangguan Yushi blocked the instructor's hand.

"Of course I'm not hurt. You don't need to fuss over me. We—we're here to issue a challenge."

Startled and embarrassed, Shangguan Ru had suddenly gotten the idea to imitate Marshal Yang and challenge Carved Wood Courtyard.

The instructor was a short, sturdy middle-aged man. At her words, he stared blankly. Carved Wood Courtyard was part of Golden Peng Fortress and belonged to the Shangguan Family. What did it mean for Ninth Young Master to challenge her own family? But he was quick-witted. These boys had barged into the East Fortress without anyone stopping them, which clearly meant that someone higher up had given permission. Everyone was just letting the young masters play a game. Why should he take it seriously?

"So you've come to honor us with your challenge, masters. May I ask which school you belong to?"

Shangguan Ru had only said it offhand, so she hadn't expected him to take her seriously. Her face lit up with delight. "I wouldn't call us masters. We're... well... the Penglun Sect. I'm the leader."

All the Shangguan children learned martial arts at Moon Holding Courtyard when they were young. Shangguan Ru had made up a sect on the spot from that.

"I'm the deputy leader," Shangguan Fei cut in. His cousin shot him a glare.

"Hu Shining, instructor of Carved Wood Courtyard, pays his respects to the two leaders of the Penglun Sect. Please enter the courtyard and test your skills against us."

The Twins were used to everyone in the fortress fawning over them, so they accepted Hu Shining's flattery without a second thought. Chins high, they entered first, followed by the four "masters." Of them, only Gu Shenwei didn't look much like a "master." He had wiped his face again and again, but blood still stained it. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice.

Carved Wood Courtyard covered a broad area, with many buildings and a courtyard much larger than most. Even with more than a hundred assassin apprentices gathered inside, it didn't feel crowded. Weapon racks lined all four sides, making it little different from an ordinary training ground.

The other instructors had already heard the conversation outside. Like Hu Shining, they were determined to curry favor with the two young masters. They ordered the apprentices to form a line along the east side and welcome the challengers from the Penglun Sect.

Shangguan Ru was eager to spar, of course. After only a few words, she was the first to step forward and challenge them. Hu Shining solemnly selected apprentices for her, each one supposedly an "outstanding student" and a "top fighter."

But after just two bouts, Shangguan Ru lost interest. Most of the assassin apprentices were boys around ten years old. They had already been given the hint, and none dared to fight in earnest. They were more timid than the boys who usually sparred with her. After three or five moves, they would give in. Even when Shangguan Ru pressed them, they would rather take a beating and admit defeat than use their real skills.

Young Master Shangguan Fei took the field and won three bouts in a row, which made him very happy. He had someone bring him a wooden saber and won three more. Overjoyed, he waved it at his younger sister and shouted, "Give me the leader's seat!"

Shangguan Ru ignored him, still trying to figure out how to make the assassin apprentices use all their strength. Shangguan Yushi leaned close and whispered something in her ear. Shangguan Ru's eyes lit up. "Deputy leader, come back. We're changing how we do this."

Shangguan Fei was reluctant to stop, but he still left the field and took a towel from his page to wipe away the sweat. "Carved Wood Courtyard isn't as good as Moon Holding Courtyard, is it?"

Shangguan Ru turned to Hu Shining, the instructor. "Going back and forth like this is no fun. I know you don't dare show your real skills. Here's what we'll do: I'll send out one of my disciples to challenge you, and we'll have a few real bouts. Anyone who cheats or puts on a show isn't a true hero—or a true assassin."

Hu Shining felt relieved. As long as the challenger wasn't a member of the Shangguan Family, he could fight for real. He smiled broadly. "The leader of the Penglun Sect sees everything. It's not that the disciples of this courtyard refuse to give it their all. They simply haven't mastered their skills, and facing the leader of a great sect has made them nervous."

Shangguan Ru was tired of hearing the flattery. She turned and pointed at Gu Shenwei, but frowned before she could speak. Only then did she notice that Huan Nu was injured and looked a mess. He hardly had the bearing of a disciple from a renowned sect.

Gu Shenwei stepped forward and said quietly, "Master, let your disciple take the field."

This was a perfect chance to win Shangguan Ru's favor, and Gu Shenwei couldn't afford to let it slip by.

Shangguan Ru had no other choice. The other two pages had ordinary martial skills, and if Shangguan Yushi took the field, the apprentices probably still wouldn't dare fight her. So she said, "You have to win. If you make your master lose face, I'll expel you from the sect."

Someone handed Gu Shenwei a wooden saber as he stepped into the ring.

Hu Shining had trouble deciding which apprentice to send out. To please Ninth Young Master, he had to let the match be real. But this "top disciple of the Penglun Sect" was bruised and battered, clearly fresh from a beating, and probably not very skilled. Finding an assassin apprentice who could match him would be no easy task.

His gaze wandered over the apprentices, then finally settled on one. When the boy came forward to receive his orders, Hu Shining leaned close and whispered, "Let him have ten moves, then beat him."

The apprentice nodded, took his wooden saber, and stopped a few paces in front of Gu Shenwei.

To his surprise, Gu Shenwei recognized him.

The boy who had come forward to fight was Qian Nu, one of Miss Luo Ningcha's dowry servants. He had known no martial arts before. Only a string of coincidences and mistakes had sent him into the East Fortress in Huan Nu's place. His foundation was worse than anyone else's, and after several months he was still the weakest apprentice.

Qian Nu usually lived in Eighth Young Master's courtyard, and their schedules were different, so he and Huan Nu had rarely crossed paths. His life as an assassin apprentice had left unmistakable marks on him. He had once been steady, clever, and good at choosing the right moment to speak, keeping his emotions off his face. Now he was much thinner. His steadiness had turned to gloom, and he buried his feelings even deeper. Wariness flickered in his eyes at every moment.

He must have suffered greatly.

Gu Shenwei had suffered just the same, and even more. Outside the fortress, Marshal Yang's head was still impaled on a spear, yet Gu Shenwei still had to force a smile and flatter his enemy's children.

The two faced each other in silence, neither showing that they knew the other.

Gu Shenwei needed this victory to make Shangguan Ru happy. He gripped his wooden saber tightly, already decided. Marshal Yang was dead, but his words remained in Gu Shenwei's mind. "If you want to kill someone, you need a true killing heart."

Gu Shenwei had no intention of killing anyone, and a wooden saber couldn't kill. Even so, he called up the hatred deep in his heart and roused a surging killing intent.

Qian Nu gripped his wooden saber tightly too. He needed a victory of his own, to prove he wasn't a useless ornament sent by Xue Niang to fill a spot, and to prove that a few months of training as an assassin apprentice were worth more than Huan Nu's years of martial arts practice.

Instructor Hu Shining's instructions were forgotten. Neither boy treated the match as a game.

Hu Shining sensed that something was wrong, but Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Yushi were delighted. They clasped hands and waited for a real, thrilling fight.