Training

Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Yushi's relationship had become very delicate. On the surface, they were the model master and servant: one stood high above the other, who minded his every step. But whenever nobody was watching, their gazes would betray the deep hatred they felt for each other.

There was no longer any open conflict between them. The battlefield had shifted to Ninth Young Master Shangguan Ru. After all, they shared a common goal: winning the favor of Unrivaled King's most beloved daughter.

Gu Shenwei had regained his place as the favorite sparring boy. Every morning, he followed the Twins around, taking every opportunity to plant an idea in Shangguan Ru's mind: if she wanted to learn Golden Peng Fortress's most powerful martial arts, she had to become an assassin.

That suited Shangguan Ru perfectly. She had only just turned twelve after the New Year and wasn't old enough to take part in the Lineage's affairs, so she was just as curious about the family's assassins as anyone else.

Gu Shenwei thought everything was going according to plan, but he was one step too slow. In the end, it wasn't he who had convinced her, but Shangguan Yushi.

The first month of the year ended, and the New Year's cheer had long since vanished. That morning, as soon as the Twins arrived at the school, Shangguan Ru stood on the steps and called over the attendants belonging to her, her brother, and Shangguan Yushi—around twenty-four or twenty-five people in all. Then she announced loudly:

"Boys, come with me. We're going to play a new game."

Gu Shenwei saw Shangguan Yushi smiling as she patted her younger cousin on the shoulder, showing her support and approval. He knew it had been her idea again.

Though Gu Shenwei was surprised, he was happy to see it happen. Qing Nu, the leader of the attendants, was deeply troubled. Ninth Young Master's "games" were always dangerous, and most of the time he couldn't even join in.

But this time, even he thought they'd gone too far. The three young masters were leading two or three dozen people in a great procession straight toward East Fortress. Hadn't sneaking in once been enough? Were they going to force their way in now? Qing Nu hurried to the front, intending to ask Shangguan Yushi to persuade Ninth Young Master not to make trouble. But from a distance, he saw that East Fortress's gates stood wide open, as if they were welcoming everyone.

Qing Nu was dumbfounded. He was only in his thirties, but he had served several young masters since childhood. None had ever been indulged like the Twins. If they wanted to reach the sky, someone would even hold the ladder for them.

If any other young master had behaved like this as a child, the servants would have scolded him and told him to focus on martial arts. The masters in Moon Holding Courtyard could only be stronger than the instructors who taught martial arts in East Fortress. Once a young master's skills surpassed those of an ordinary assassin and he qualified to be named Young Master, he would enter East Fortress—not as an apprentice, but as a master choosing his subordinates.

The Twins really had been spoiled rotten.

Qing Nu kept shaking his head like a dog drenched in water, unaware that the boys behind him were secretly laughing at him.

For most of the young attendants, this was their first time in East Fortress. They were excited and nervous, looking all around, hoping to spot something extraordinary they could brag about later.

But they were disappointed. East Fortress was no different from anywhere else: the same crisscrossing alleys, with one courtyard after another on either side. Its only distinguishing feature was that there was no one around. They walked for a long time without seeing a single person, as if they were wandering through an abandoned city.

Yet this "abandoned city" was kept exceptionally clean. Not a trace of snow remained on the stone paths, and the courtyard gates were tightly shut. Ancient-looking characters were carved into the lofty lintels, like pairs of stern eyes watching the intruders.

Their excitement gradually faded, and fear spread among the attendants. The two young masters led them farther and farther on. Then someone started a rumor that their ultimate destination was Rebirth Cliff.

In Golden Peng Fortress, Rebirth Cliff was far more famous than Ghost Cry Cliff. Many servants who had grown up in the fortress had never even heard of Kindling Courtyard, but they all knew of Rebirth Cliff. They believed that every dead assassin was thrown into the abyss from there, so that in another world, in another form, they could continue protecting Golden Peng Fortress. It was said that ghosts appeared near Rebirth Cliff even in broad daylight...

When Qing Nu saw the cliff at the end of the alley, his legs immediately turned to jelly. He had to lean on the boy beside him to keep moving, and called out in a trembling voice, "Young masters, we can't go any farther. Up ahead is—"

"Rebirth Cliff. What's stopping us?"

Shangguan Ru turned around and asked calmly.

The ominous rumor was confirmed. Like Qing Nu, a great many of them went weak in the knees and huddled together, refusing to go any farther.

"This is a test," Shangguan Ru said, apparently anticipating the servants' reaction. "Those with courage can come with me. Those without it can turn back and leave East Fortress on their own."

More than half of them had little courage. At her words, they breathed a sigh of relief. But Shangguan Ru wasn't finished. "Once you leave East Fortress, don't call yourselves our attendants anymore. Go find new masters."

For some reason, Shangguan Fei, who had been too frightened to go near Rebirth Cliff before the New Year, had grown bolder this time. He took his sister's side and declared loudly:

"Everyone sent off from Rebirth Cliff is an elite of Golden Peng Fortress. Not just assassins—even Father and I will ascend to heaven from here when we die. Which of you dares look down on this place?"

At those words, those who had already taken half a step back moved forward again. With a reputation as a master-abandoner, it would be hard to get by in Golden Peng Fortress, never mind finding a new master. The two young masters might be childish, and they could be harsh, but King Lord doted on them and they had bright futures. Serving them was easy, and they handed out rewards now and then. Only a fool would want to leave.

Qing Nu in particular knew that Shangguan Ru and Shangguan Fei might well be the last young masters he would serve. He had to work twice as hard if he wanted to secure an important position once they were grown.

Nobody turned back. They all steeled themselves and walked toward Rebirth Cliff, every one of them wearing the air of a righteous soul ready to face death.

But the worst did not happen. Rebirth Cliff was not Shangguan Ru's final destination.

At the southern end of the alley stood a huge boulder, less than a foot from the wall, leaving just enough room for one person to squeeze through. Beyond it, the space opened up into a semicircular clearing.

A tall courtyard wall stood to the west of the clearing, the boulder to the north, and a curved cliff to the east. At its southernmost end, the cliff dropped straight down.

Though the place was right beside Rebirth Cliff and was itself a cliff, the boulder hid it from view, giving it a world of its own. Better yet, iron chains about waist-high ran along the edge, making it much safer. The attendants' fear began to fade, and they praised the place again and again, wondering how the two young masters had found it.

Gu Shenwei was puzzled too. Nobody had known about this place the last time he came. Looking closely, he saw that the chains and stone pillars along the edge were still brand-new; they had clearly been installed only a few days ago. The ground, too, showed signs of having been swept. There wasn't a single loose stone, and it was as smooth as if it had been polished.

Unrivaled King must have ordered the place cleaned up and given it to the Twins as a playground.

Gu Shenwei himself had once been doted on at home, but he had never received the kind of treatment the Twins did. They could do whatever they pleased and get anything they wanted.

An inexplicable jealousy rose in Gu Shenwei's heart. The Twins' favored status kept reminding him how wonderful the life he had lost had been. But it also strengthened his resolve to take revenge. He even let his thoughts run wild for a moment, imagining the day he would kill the Twins and leave Unrivaled King heartbroken.

He quickly reined in his wild thoughts and pretended to join the others in praising the place.

The Twins and Shangguan Yushi watched their servants with great satisfaction. When the praise finally quieted down, Shangguan Ru explained the new game:

"Listen. I'm going to pick a few of you with potential and personally train you to be assassins."

Shangguan Fei cut in. "And me! I'm going to train assassins too."

"Right, and Young Master Yu as well. The three of us will be the blade masters. The best among you will be the assassins."

At that, everyone relaxed. So it was a game of "pretend assassins." With the Twins looking after them, they could do whatever they liked in the fortress without any real danger. If the young masters enjoyed themselves, maybe they would even give them the title of "assassin" for real one day. That would be like climbing to the clouds in a single bound. The attendants surged forward to volunteer, and even Qing Nu was eager. He shoved his way through the crowd, claiming he was there to keep order, though he had put himself right at the front.

Some of them, however, secretly scoffed. When the young masters grew up, their position would be "Young Master," yet they were lowering themselves to become "blade masters." How childish.

The three "blade masters" were delighted, and began fighting over which "assassins" would belong to them.

Gu Shenwei felt relieved. It might only be a game, but if his guess was right, the Twins had learned plenty of assassin skills in Moon Holding Courtyard, and that could only help him. Besides, he would become even more favored by Shangguan Ru in the process. Among all these boys, who else could learn faster and better than he could?

His plan was perfect. He had simply overlooked one thing: how could Shangguan Yushi possibly let him spend so much time with Shangguan Ru?

As soon as they began choosing their "assassins," Shangguan Yushi claimed him. She turned to the Twins with a triumphant smile. "We agreed that whoever spoke first got him. No taking it back."

The Twins' disappointment was plain to see. Huan Nu was the best fighter among all the attendants, and both of them had wanted him. Shangguan Fei reacted faster and immediately claimed another boy who was good at martial arts. Shangguan Ru's eyes darted back and forth, and when she realized there was no other choice, she finally picked her own "assassin."

Gu Shenwei had to hide his frustration deep inside. His struggle with Shangguan Yushi continued, and he had lost another round.

The selection ended quickly. Each of the three "blade masters" chose three "assassins," and Qing Nu took everyone else away.

Qing Nu hadn't been chosen. He led the rejected boys away with a sigh. In truth, he knew no martial arts at all, and didn't even dare watch someone get killed.

The three "assassin" squads each chose a place to train. Shangguan Yushi's group took up the area near the northern boulder, Shangguan Ru's stood in the middle, and Shangguan Fei's settled at the southern end.

Shangguan Yushi looked coldly at the three boys who had been assigned to her. The first part of their training was to have them fetch wooden weapons.

Gu Shenwei soon understood her intentions.

Shangguan Yushi had no intention of training any "assassins." She kept sending the three boys out to do odd jobs: carrying wooden sabers and swords, fetching martial arts manuals, asking people to bring tea and towels, and so on. In short, she wanted to keep them out of her sight.

As a result, Gu Shenwei not only learned nothing, he didn't even get a chance to approach Shangguan Ru.

The other two boys were delighted. They had only been there to play with their masters, and didn't want to suffer through training. These odd jobs were part of their duties anyway, so they often dragged their feet on purpose. If they could, they would rather not come at all.

The Twins, on the other hand, took the game seriously. They had learned plenty of the assassins' special skills and forced the boys under them to train hard. The boys complained bitterly in private and envied the three under Shangguan Yushi.

A few days later, things got even worse.

When there were no more odd jobs to assign, Shangguan Yushi ordered the three boys to stand guard outside. She called it "keeping hidden watch" and said that it was an essential skill for assassins.

Gu Shenwei had run into an obstacle he couldn't get around. This jealous girl was even more stubborn than that huge boulder.