Apprentice

Inside the gates of East Fortress, the alleys were still wide and open, leading to different courtyards. Gu Shenwei had been to the courtyard where apprentices were recruited once before. Now, its double doors were shut tight, projecting an air of extreme exclusivity.

The twins had never been here before either. They ran aimlessly, making sharp turns at every intersection to shake off their pursuers. After passing through countless courtyards, they were so out of breath that the six youths finally stopped and looked back. The area was silent and deserted. It was unclear if their pursuers had been lost or had never followed them in the first place.

In any case, they were now in the core area of East Fortress. Just one wall away, real assassins might be learning secret assassination techniques. They couldn't help but exchange smiles.

Shangguan Ru took the lead, and the six of them went from courtyard to courtyard, trying to find an opening. However, every door was tightly shut, leaving no gaps, no matter how they knocked. No response came from inside. When they pressed their ears to the doors, they heard nothing, as if each successive courtyard was completely empty.

Shangguan Ru's brow furrowed tighter and tighter, and she was about to lose her temper again. Fortunately, Shangguan Fei, who was ahead, finally found something in one of the doors. He turned back and waved excitedly at the others.

The six of them crowded together, pressing their ears against the door. Indeed, they heard hurried "bang bang" sounds from inside. Not only were there people, but there were quite a few.

However, the door remained shut tight. After listening for a while, they grew tired of it. Shangguan Ru stepped back a few paces, looked around, and walked to a slightly lower section of the wall. She pointed to the corner and said to her page: "Stand by the wall."

The page quickly stood in place and patted his shoulder. "Ninth Young Master, come on."

But the wall was high, and even standing on his shoulders, they couldn't reach the top. Shangguan Ru pointed at Huan Nu. "You go."

The page was a little unhappy, but there was nothing he could do. He bent his knees, and Gu Shenwei climbed onto his shoulders, facing the alley. This time, they weren't too far from the wall's crest.

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

The remaining page was startled. "Ninth Young Master, that's too dangerous!"

"Go!" Shangguan Ru only uttered one word, and the page dared not make another sound.

Shangguan Yushi liked danger more the more dangerous it was. Shangguan Fei was a little nervous and afraid of being looked down upon. He hesitated for a moment, then, under his cousin's stern gaze, came over to help, muttering under his breath, "This is your own idea."

They each took one of Shangguan Ru's feet and threw her into the air with all their might.

Shangguan Ru, like a nimble bird, somersaulted several times and landed steadily on Gu Shenwei's shoulders. Gu Shenwei didn't feel much extra weight and quickly grabbed her ankles with his hands.

Shangguan Ru clung to the top of the wall and peered inside. The people below watched her expectantly.

"See anything?"

"Hmm, lots of people."

"What are they practicing?"

"The same as us, wooden swords, even the same moves. Honestly."

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

The page on the ground ran to the main gate and looked up for a long time. "Young Master Yu is right, it's the Carved Wood Courtyard. Huh, there's some small writing below too. Oh my..."

The page let out a startled cry, followed by a steady, stern voice shouting: "Who's there?!"

This sudden shout was unexpected and startled all the youths. The page at the bottom of the human ladder's legs went weak, and the two above him fell.

Shangguan Ru was standing the highest, but she had learned qinggong and was light. With two people catching her below, she was unharmed, though thoroughly frightened. She collapsed into her cousin's arms and couldn't get up for a while.

Gu Shenwei in the middle was less fortunate. With no one to catch him and trying to protect the person on his shoulders, he fell completely. He stood up and touched his forehead, which was bleeding from his nose.

The person who had shouted the warning was a transmission instructor from the Carved Wood Courtyard. He recognized Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Fei at a glance and was shocked. He walked forward a few steps and said, "Are you hurt?" At the same time, he reached out to check.

Shangguan Ru had recovered by then and stood up abruptly. Shangguan Yushi blocked the transmission instructor's hand for her.

"Of course, we're not hurt. You don't need to worry about us. We... we're here to challenge you."

Shangguan Ru, startled and feeling humiliated, suddenly had an idea and, imitating Marshal Yang, challenged the Carved Wood Courtyard.

The transmission instructor was not tall and was a sturdy middle-aged man. He was stunned by her words. The Carved Wood Courtyard was part of Golden Peng Fortress, belonging to the Shangguan Family. Why would the Ninth Young Master challenge his own family's establishment? However, his mind worked quickly. Seeing the youths enter East Fortress without anyone stopping them, it was clear they had the tacit approval of higher-ups. Everyone was playing along with the young master's game, so why should he take it seriously?

"So, you are esteemed experts here to bestow your teachings. May I ask which sect or school you represent?"

Shangguan Ru had said it casually, not expecting it to be taken seriously. She couldn't help but grin. "We dare not claim to be experts. We are... um... the Penglun Sect, and I am the sect leader."

The Shangguan Family's disciples all practiced martial arts at the Penglun Courtyard when they were young, so Shangguan Ru used this to invent a sect.

"I am the deputy sect leader," Shangguan Fei quickly added, earning a glare from his cousin.

"Hu Shining, transmission instructor of the Carved Wood Courtyard, pays his respects to the two sect leaders of the Penglun Sect. Please enter for a duel."

The twins were accustomed to being pampered within the fortress and accepted Hu Shining's flattery calmly. They strode proudly into the courtyard, followed by the four "experts." Among them, Gu Shenwei looked the least like an "expert." Although he had wiped himself, there were still traces of blood on his face, but no one seemed to care.

The Carved Wood Courtyard occupied a considerable area with many buildings. The courtyards were much larger than ordinary ones. Even with hundreds of assassin apprentices gathered, it didn't feel crowded. Weapon racks were placed on all sides, making it no different from a regular martial arts field.

The other transmission instructors had heard the conversation outside. They shared Hu Shining's thoughts and tried their best to please the two young masters. They ordered the apprentices to line up on the east side to welcome the challengers from the Penglun Sect.

Shangguan Ru was naturally eager for a contest. After a few words, she was the first to step forward to challenge. Hu Shining solemnly assigned apprentices, each of them a "top talent" and "strongest expert."

However, after only two matches, Shangguan Ru lost interest. Most of these assassin apprentices were teenagers who had already been instructed. None of them dared to fight seriously, and they were even more timid than the usual sparring partners. After three or five moves, they would admit defeat. If Shangguan Ru pressed them further, they would rather take a beating and lose than use their true skills.

Young Master Shangguan Fei took the stage and won three consecutive matches, looking quite pleased. He then asked for a wooden sword and won three more matches, extremely proud. Wielding the wooden sword, he shouted to his sister, "Give me the sect leader position."

Shangguan Ru ignored him, pondering how to make the assassin apprentices fight with full strength. Shangguan Yushi whispered a few words in her ear. Her eyes lit up, and she said loudly, "Deputy sect leader, come back. Let's change the way we fight."

Shangguan Fei, still wanting more, stepped down and wiped his sweat with a towel from his page. "The Carved Wood Courtyard isn't as good as our Penglun Courtyard, is it?"

Shangguan Ru turned to the transmission instructor, Hu Shining. "This kind of back-and-forth is meaningless. I know you don't dare to show your true skills. How about this: I'll send out a disciple to challenge you, and we'll have some real fights. Cheating and faking it isn't for heroes, uh, nor for true assassins."

Hu Shining felt a sense of relief. As long as it wasn't someone surnamed Shangguan, a real fight was acceptable. So, he said with a smile, "The Penglun Sect Leader has sharp eyes. It's not that our courtyard's disciples are unwilling to give their all, but rather they haven't learned well enough. They can't help but feel a bit nervous when facing the sect leader of a great sect."

Shangguan Ru was tired of hearing flattery. She turned and pointed at Gu Shenwei, frowning before she even spoke. She had just noticed that Huan Nu was injured and looked disheveled, lacking the demeanor of a disciple from a prestigious sect.

Gu Shenwei stepped forward and said softly, "Master, let your disciple take the stage."

This was a great opportunity to please Shangguan Ru, and Gu Shenwei could not easily miss it.

Shangguan Ru had no other choice. The other two pages had very ordinary martial arts. Shangguan Yushi was on the field, so the apprentices probably wouldn't dare to make a move. She could only say, "You must win. If you disgrace your master, I'll expel you from the sect."

Gu Shenwei entered the field, and someone handed him a wooden sword.

Hu Shining hesitated about who from the Carved Wood Courtyard should answer the challenge. If he wanted to please the Ninth Young Master, he had to fight seriously. However, this "top disciple of the Penglun Sect" was bruised and swollen, clearly having just been beaten. His skills must have been mediocre. It was truly difficult to find someone of equal skill among the assassin apprentices.

His gaze swept back and forth, finally pointing to an apprentice. As the apprentice came forward to receive the order, he whispered, "Let him have ten moves before defeating him."

The apprentice nodded, picked up his wooden sword, and entered the field, stopping a few steps away from Gu Shenwei.

Gu Shenwei actually recognized him.

The young man who came out to fight was Qian Nu, one of Miss Luo Ningcha's dowry servants. He originally knew no martial arts. It was due to a series of coincidences and mistakes that he replaced Huan Nu in East Fortress. His foundation was worse than everyone else's, and after several months, he was still the weakest among the apprentices.

Qian Nu usually lived in the Eighth Young Master's courtyard and had a different schedule, so he rarely had a chance to meet Huan Nu. His life as an assassin apprentice had left a clear mark on him. He was originally a relatively steady person, intelligent, knew when to speak, and kept his emotions hidden. Now, he had lost a lot of weight. His steadiness had turned into gloom, and his emotions were hidden even deeper. His eyes constantly revealed a sense of vigilance.

He must have suffered a lot.

Gu Shenwei was the same. He had suffered even more. Just outside the fortress, Marshal Yang's head was still impaled on a spear. He still had to force a smile and curry favor with the children of his enemy.

The two faced each other silently, neither showing any sign of recognizing the other.

Gu Shenwei needed this victory to make Shangguan Ru happy. He gripped the wooden sword tightly, his mind made up. Marshal Yang was dead, but his words still echoed in his mind: "If you want to kill someone, you need a true killer's heart."

Gu Shenwei didn't intend to kill anyone, and a wooden sword couldn't kill. But he still summoned the hatred deep within him, igniting a surging killing intent.

Qian Nu gripped his wooden sword tightly. He also needed a victory to prove that he wasn't just a decorative vase sent by Xue Niang, and to prove that several months of training as an assassin apprentice was superior to Huan Nu's several years of martial arts practice.

The instructions from the teaching instructor, Hu Shining, were forgotten. Neither of them treated this sparring match as child's play.

Hu Shining sensed that something was wrong, but Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Yushi were overjoyed. They clasped their hands together, anticipating an exciting and real fight.