The Truth

The gambling den had been set up by Shangguan Hongye at the young master's urging. During the martial arts match, Gu Shenwei had been haughty at first, then obsequious, and had admitted defeat with his own mouth. All of this would make Shangguan Yushi underestimate him, thinking Huan Nu was still the little slave she had humiliated a year ago without daring to fight back.

Gu Shenwei hoped so.

If Young Master Yu came with a crowd to take revenge again, he would have almost no other choice. In front of outsiders, he could only bow and scrape, just as he had a month ago. If the conflict between them became public, the master would lose face, but the slave would lose his life.

Shangguan Yushi came to his door sometime after midday that afternoon. She had to stay by Shangguan Ru's side at all times, so slipping away without attracting attention was a little difficult.

She didn't shove the door open and stride in with the same imposing air as Shangguan Hongye. Instead, she slipped into the room like a ghost. She was alone, standing silently by the door like an invisible person, staring fixedly at Huan Nu, who sat on the kang.

Huan Nu had been waiting for her, but he still jumped when he looked up.

No one could doubt Shangguan Yushi's fury. Her face was so rigid it seemed about to blend into the stone walls, and her narrow eyes seemed to conceal a savage demon, ready to burst from its sockets and pounce on her enemy at any moment.

Gu Shenwei thought she would say something, so he didn't speak first. He simply stood on guard, but she attacked without a word.

Shangguan Yushi's eyes revealed her intentions even before she moved. Gu Shenwei braced both hands against the kang and jumped down, meeting her first move head-on.

Young Master Yu was clever, far cleverer than most of the boys in the fortress. But like all the Shangguan family's children, she had learned the most profound martial arts and lacked cruel, real-world combat experience.

She used Flat Ground Thunder, the move Gu Shenwei had misjudged at the school. This time, he was absolutely right.

He seized the best position. With a light lift of his right hand, he used the force of Shangguan Yushi's own flying kick to toss her away.

Xue Niang's method of countering the move had worked extremely well—and she had thought too highly of Shangguan Yushi. The girl, a year younger than Gu Shenwei, had yet to grasp the endless variations of martial arts. Her moves were perfect, but she had almost no variations.

Shangguan Yushi crashed into the wall. When she fell, she staggered and barely managed to regain her footing.

Gu Shenwei hadn't used much force, and she wasn't hurt, but that didn't change the fact that she had suffered a crushing defeat. It was like the match at school: on the surface, she had won the bet, but the fact that she had been wrestled to the ground in just four moves had drawn far more attention.

She wasn't someone who could accept defeat. As soon as she steadied herself, she attacked again, one move after another, like a violent storm. But she had learned her lesson and stopped relying on speed and force alone. Instead, she proceeded cautiously, and for more than a dozen moves in a row, she didn't use any of those five.

Gu Shenwei responded carefully and didn't try to end the fight quickly.

The two youths traded punches and kicks in the cramped stone room. Neither said a word, and neither would admit to being weaker than the other.

Gu Shenwei didn't have that many ways to counter her, and gradually fell behind. Fists and kicks had never been the strength of the Gu family's martial arts. He had also neglected his training for more than a decade, and still couldn't match Shangguan Yushi, who had undergone rigorous training at Moon Holding Courtyard.

And the rumors were true: Young Master Yu was more skilled than Shangguan Ru. She rarely showed it, but now she held nothing back, using everything she had to defeat the bold dog slave.

With the advantage, Shangguan Yushi struck harder and harder, and she was increasingly likely to use one of those five moves. In the thirty-somethingth exchange, she used Turn Heaven Pull Sun, and Gu Shenwei was too late to counter it.

After a few more exchanges, Shangguan Yushi used Push the Waves Forward, one of the five moves Xue Niang had selected.

Among the many fist and palm techniques of Golden Peng Fortress, this move was fairly ordinary: simply a straight push with both palms. But Xue Niang had thought highly of it, and had once explained its subtleties to Huan Nu and He Nu:

"Why does the same move make one person a top expert, while another can practice it until it's second nature and still remain mediocre until death? The key is whether you use it 'dead' or 'alive.' Every move in martial arts has a fixed pattern. In truth, each assumes that the enemy is in a particular position. Take Black Tiger Steals the Heart: it assumes the enemy is right in front of you, with his guard down and no protection. What use is the move if the enemy isn't in front of you? Those who use their moves 'dead' simply perform them without considering where the enemy is or how he's defending himself. It's like hacking at beef with a treasured sword meant for killing people; sooner or later, the blade will chip and the sword will be ruined. Experts who use their moves 'alive' value momentum, not the move itself. They seize the advantage of time and terrain, lure the enemy into the position they want, then strike when the moment is right and kill with a single blow. To use Push the Waves Forward well, you need a series of feints to throw the enemy into disarray. Then, when his hands are fumbling and his stance is unsteady, unleash your full strength. Golden Peng fist techniques combine offense and defense. This is the only move that has offense without defense, so you must put all your strength into it."

So when Shangguan Yushi strung together five or six feints, Gu Shenwei guessed she would use Push the Waves Forward. The move had two forms, high and low. The low strike hit the enemy's body, while the high one targeted an acupoint on the chest. Whichever she chose, the counter was the same, as long as he judged correctly.

If Shangguan Yushi had been an experienced fighter, she would have realized something was amiss when Gu Shenwei's steps seemed unsteady and his body sagged. But she only saw that his attack was weak, exactly the right opening for Push the Waves Forward, so she struck hard without hesitation.

The move had no defense and required all her strength. Shangguan Yushi had done everything right, which meant she couldn't change her move midway.

Her palms had only just taken shape when Gu Shenwei dropped to one knee. As she thrust both palms forward and realized her target was no longer in front of her, his right elbow had already slammed into her lower abdomen.

There was no need to hold back anymore. If the fight dragged on like this, he might not be able to beat the girl.

Shangguan Yushi's body bent like a bow as she flew backward and crashed into the stone wall again before falling. This time she couldn't steady herself. She sat on the floor and suddenly vomited up her lunch.

Gu Shenwei's heart jumped. He thought he had hit her too hard and took a step toward her, wanting to check on her, but immediately retreated to his original position. At this moment, he had to press his advantage and couldn't show the slightest weakness.

"Do you want to keep fighting?"

He deliberately made his voice cold. Shangguan Yushi sat on the floor and stared at him in fear and shock. She wiped her mouth with one hand, then instantly turned vicious and merciless again. "Eighth Brother will tear you limb from limb."

At the last moment, Shangguan Yushi had revealed the true colors of a spoiled young master: she would complain to an adult with more power and authority.

Gu Shenwei crouched down to meet Shangguan Yushi's eyes. He wanted to tell her some "truths." More than half came from the slaves' gossip outside the school gate, and the rest from his own guesswork. He would soon find out whether they could cow this little she-demon.

"Mm, Eighth Young Master will tear me limb from limb. But before that, he'll probably be interested to learn something, because it will reflect badly on the two young masters."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Someone has been using Ninth Young Master's name to run a gambling den at school and swindle money from our clan's children."

"Everyone's just betting for fun. No one swindled anyone!"

Gu Shenwei ignored Shangguan Yushi's protest and continued. Most of what came next was guesswork.

"That person made money but never shared it with anyone. Ninth Young Master is kindhearted and simple, and never makes an issue of it. She doesn't know this person didn't set up the gambling den for fun, but to help cover the family's expenses."

Gu Shenwei stared without blinking at the girl across from him, not missing the slightest change in her expression.

Shangguan Yushi said nothing, but her cheeks flushed red and her shoulders sank as if she were about to pounce again. She held that pose, then suddenly crumpled.

"It wasn't me. It was all my brother... My mother told me to get money... I had no choice..."

She spread her legs and burst into tears.

Gu Shenwei felt ashamed. With help from Xue Niang, a martial arts expert, he had used cruel means to bully a girl a year younger than himself. She didn't look like "Young Master Yu" at all now.

"I understand. We're all surviving in the cracks."

Gu Shenwei softened his tone, but Shangguan Yushi stubbornly raised her head. She wanted to glare at him, but couldn't stop the tears. She lowered her head again and tried desperately to stifle her crying, only making it worse. She sobbed uncontrollably, unable to get a word out.

"I'm just a slave trying to please my master. No matter how hard I try, I'll still be a slave. That's my fate. You're surnamed Shangguan. That's your fate, too. We can each stay on our own side of the well, can't we?"

Gu Shenwei spoke cautiously. Shangguan Yushi's temperament was like her name: unpredictable. Who could tell when the "rain" would come, much less whether it would be a gentle shower or a violent storm?

The crying girl stood up and wiped her face hard twice, finally locking that ill-timed emotion back in its cage. "I won't let you off."

Hearing that threat, Gu Shenwei felt relieved instead. Empty threats often meant a truce, at least a temporary one.

"A slave's life is always in the master's hands," Gu Shenwei replied respectfully. He couldn't reach a clear agreement with Shangguan Yushi. This was enough for now.

Shangguan Yushi snorted and headed outside. At the door, she turned around. "About what happened today..."

"If I let out a single word, may lightning strike me and may I never be reborn!"

Gu Shenwei cut in before she could finish. Swearing an oath was easy for him.

Shangguan Yushi probably wasn't satisfied. This ending was far from what she had expected when she came, but she left without saying anything else.

Gu Shenwei let out a long breath. Dealing with this little she-demon was exhausting. Compared with her, Shangguan Hongye was practically an idiot.

He had won one round, but he knew perfectly well it wouldn't be the last. He still had to stay on guard against her counterattack, and next time she would surely be even more ruthless.

But during this brief truce, he had to find a way to rekindle Shangguan Ru's dream of becoming an assassin. Only by hiding behind this energetic little girl could he get close to Golden Peng Fortress's core secrets.