Lost Item

If heaven still harbored any trace of fairness and justice, Gu Shenwei wished it would prove itself at this very moment. He couldn't fathom how he had ended up in such a miserable state. Had he committed sins in a past life? If so, why had he been allowed to enjoy fourteen years as a "young master"?

Seven boys took turns slapping him. Anyone who didn't hit hard enough would face Shangguan Yushi's kicks and punches.

That was how things were. One was the master, the other a servant. It was obvious which side to take; there was no choice to be made.

That was how things were. Gu Shenwei had to suppress his burgeoning murderous intent. After each beating, he had to say, "Little servant dares not again, please forgive me, Young Master Yu."

There were no miracles, no one intervened. Shangguan Yushi achieved her goal, punishing the impudent little servant. She looked at Huan Nu, whose face was covered in blood, with contempt and disgust. "I'll spare your dog life."

With that, she led her companions away.

Several of the boys who had administered the beating remained, unsure what to do. One stepped forward as if to help Huan Nu up, but seeing no reaction from the others, he retreated.

Qing Nu walked in, glanced around, and acted as if nothing had happened. "You can all go. What are you still doing here?"

Gu Shenwei stood up and walked towards the door. As he passed Qing Nu, he was grabbed by the arm.

"I knew from the start you'd be unlucky. Your eyes are wrong. What servant has eyes like that? As if you were the master of the fort. Maybe you were a prince of some small kingdom in a past life, but I'm telling you, you're a servant in this fort now, and you'll be one until you die. If you want to live, just be obedient. Don't think you're special just because you entertain the young masters; you're just a toy. Get rid of those ambitions of yours."

Gu Shenwei thanked Qing Nu for his "teachings" and hurried back to his stone room. He grabbed a torn cloth and wiped the blood from his face. The physical pain was insignificant. His heart felt as if it were pierced by countless sharp knives, each tremor sending waves of endless agony. The urge to kill, the desire for revenge, surged like the tide, only to recede again, repeating endlessly, beyond his control.

Old Zhang returned with lunch. Ever since he had been frightened last night, he had remained wary of the servant Huan Nu. Seeing the young boy covered in wounds now seemed to confirm his earlier judgment: humans were less reliable than beasts.

Old Zhang placed the large bowl of meat and vegetables on the edge of the heated brick bed and pushed it towards Huan Nu. A moment later, he picked out a few pieces of meat from his own bowl and put them into Huan Nu's.

Gu Shenwei looked up in surprise at the usually indifferent and silent stable hand.

Old Zhang buried his head in his meal, ignoring him completely.

Gu Shenwei picked up his bowl and ate ravenously, also without speaking.

Xue Niang was not as "easygoing" as Old Zhang. When he went for his routine report in the evening, her expression was colder than usual. She had already learned about the day's events through certain channels. None of the boys who had witnessed Huan Nu's humiliation had thought to cover for him.

"If it were Yao Nu, this kind of mistake wouldn't have happened."

Xue Niang tossed out this remark. In truth, she knew very little about that sharp-faced boy and hadn't shown any particular admiration for him when he was alive.

"Since you have the ability to kill him, you must do better than him. Don't forget your little secret, and the hidden danger in your Xuanji acupoint. I won't treat servants who mess things up, nor will I help someone avenge their father's death."

Although Xue Niang was usually strict, she rarely threatened directly. Her frankness this time indicated her deep dissatisfaction with the current progress.

Gu Shenwei knelt on the ground, having pondered things for the entire afternoon. "This little servant is foolish, please forgive me, Xue Niang. But I have already devised a plan."

Xue Niang remained silent. Gu Shenwei continued:

"I want to teach Shangguan Yushi a lesson in front of the Ninth Young Master. This is what she would least expect and fears the most."

"You seem to have forgotten, you are the servant, and she is the master."

"That's why this will be an even greater humiliation for her. The Ninth Young Master only favors the strong. Shangguan Yushi used to be the most formidable person in the academy. I want to prove she's all talk."

"Can such childish games be effective?"

Gu Shenwei waited a moment before replying, "To the Ninth Young Master, everything is a child's game."

Xue Niang's brow furrowed. Her iron-rod-like fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest of the chair, producing a soft bang bang sound.

She was old and didn't understand the psychology of young boys. She also couldn't recall having a playful youth herself. She felt Huan Nu's proposal was inappropriate, yet it also seemed like it might work.

"It's fine if you cause trouble, but you must never involve the young lady."

"I won't. This is just a matter between 'children.' 'Adults' won't care. Besides, that Shangguan Yushi was very disrespectful to the young lady, and she deserves a lesson."

"Hmph, stop trying to sow discord. She's a wolf raised by the Meng Family, naturally she sides with that bitch."

Xue Niang's tone suddenly became stern. Gu Shenwei knew his words had had an effect.

"Yes, Xue Niang sees clearly."

"Are you confident you can beat her? I heard that young girl is quite skilled, perhaps even stronger than the Ninth Young Master."

"This... this humble servant dares to ask for Xue Niang's help."

"Ha, you servant are good at shifting responsibility. Do you expect me to personally get involved in a 'childish' game?"

"No, this humble servant wishes to ask Xue Niang to teach me a few more martial arts techniques, so that I can defeat Shangguan Yushi in one move."

Shangguan Yushi was not weak. Gu Shenwei had witnessed it firsthand several times. If it were a fight to the death, he believed he could defeat her once he stirred his killing intent. Although that young girl was ruthless, she didn't understand the true secrets of killing. However, in a regular sparring match, his chances of winning were not that high.

Gu Shenwei had only gained a slight understanding of the subtle difference between sparring and killing through Marshal Yang, but he was already far ahead of boys his age.

Xue Niang, however, was contemplating a different issue. She stared sternly at the audacious young boy for a long time without answering. She wanted to see through Huan Nu's true intentions.

Gu Shenwei did not receive a definite promise from Xue Niang, but he proceeded with his plan nonetheless.

The next day, he arrived at the academy gate early, waiting for an opportunity.

For many days, he had blended into the entourage circle at the entrance. Although no one paid him any attention, for someone willing to listen carefully, the ears were far more useful than the mouth.

There were fewer than twenty students in the academy. Apart from the twins, everyone else was a close relative of the Unrivaled King. Most of them had the surname Shangguan, with a few from other families. Their ages ranged from seven or eight to fifteen or sixteen. There were only two girls: Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Yushi.

Although they were classmates, their statuses were vastly different. The children of the Unrivaled King were the "masters among masters." The Shangguan family disciples had to cautiously curry favor with them. As for those with the lowest status, they were even less respected than Qing Nu, who guarded the main entrance.

The status of the masters directly reflected on their servants. Gu Shenwei had very little contact with the students, yet he could still discern the invisible pyramid through the entourage at the entrance.

There was a student named Shangguan Hongye. His name was grand, and his background was significant. His father was the Unrivaled King's younger brother, but he had died early. Without an adult brother to protect him, he and his mother were living under someone else's roof, making him one of the lowest-status individuals in the academy.

Yesterday, when Shangguan Yushi entered the academy, she had unceremoniously pushed him down. He had been humiliated in public and dared not even retort.

However, Shangguan Hongye's expression at the time indicated that he actually cared a lot about such things and was very displeased.

Gu Shenwei had seen everything yesterday and felt there was an opportunity to be exploited.

Shangguan Yushi was overbearing, yet not the legitimate master; this was her greatest weakness.

Strictly speaking, her kinship with the twins was not as close as Shangguan Hongye's. They had to trace back four or five generations to share a common ancestor.

The twins and Shangguan Yushi did not come today; they had already begun celebrating the New Year in advance.

Qing Nu waited for a while, allowed his attendants to leave, and then found a place to drink after chatting by the door.

Once the twins' attendants left, half the people at the door disappeared. The remaining youths could only envy them. Who would want to freeze in the cold, just to hold a small item their master might not use all day?

Therefore, no one noticed Huan Nu, who was huddled in the corner.

At noon, the students poured out. Shangguan Hongye also led his attendant and page, heading home. He wasn't qualified to live in the inner quarters and lived with his mother in a small courtyard with a single entrance in the West Fort, which happened to overlap with Gu Shenwei's route for a short distance.

Gu Shenwei followed behind the two. After passing through two large gates and finding himself alone in front and behind, he called out, "Young Master Hong."

This was a good place for private conversation. Although there were guards at both the front and back gates, they wouldn't bother with children chatting, and there were no assassins lurking in the shadows to monitor them.

Shangguan Hongye stopped in his tracks, looking at the approaching youth in surprise.

Gu Shenwei's injuries had not yet healed; his eyes were swollen, and his lips were bruised. Shangguan Hongye looked for a long time before recognizing him. He curled his lip and turned to leave again. Although he was not well-regarded in the school, he disdained associating with servants, especially one who was himself unpopular.

"Young Master Hong, you dropped something."

Shangguan Hongye glanced at the small bundle of rags Huan Nu handed over and knew it wasn't his. Just as he was about to refuse, the item was already stuffed into his hand.

He was somewhat annoyed. Huan Nu had crossed a master-servant boundary, which was no less than an insult to him. However, the words he was about to say were swallowed back. He was familiar with the weight. Lifting a corner, he saw several pieces of broken silver inside. Not much, but still tempting.

Shangguan Hongye was confused. Huan Nu winked at him with a smile and quickly left. His injuries, combined with his expression, made him look very strange. Shangguan Hongye didn't react for a moment. After a pause, he immediately put the silver into his pocket.

The young page, not understanding his master's thoughts, exclaimed happily, "Where did you get this silver, Master? It's good someone found it; we can pay off some debts before the New Year."

Gu Shenwei walked forward quickly, but his heart was full of uncertainty. If Shangguan Hongye didn't care for this small amount of silver, or was unwilling to accept charity from a servant, his plan would be ruined.

Silver was silver, after all. Gu Shenwei had already passed the third gate and turned into a small alley. No shouts came from behind him.

The students were all spoiled brats, and gambling was rampant among them. Gu Shenwei had heard Shangguan Hongye's page complain several times about his master losing money, falling into debt, and even having his wages docked.

Even a small amount of silver was very important to Shangguan Hongye, who was at the bottom rung of the master-servant hierarchy.

Gu Shenwei's revenge plan had taken its first step, but he still had to wait and see Xue Niang's attitude.