Climbing the Wall

Gu Shenwei was separated from the twins by Shangguan Yushi; this wasn't a problem that could be solved with martial arts, so he had to think of another way.

The twins' enthusiasm for the game hadn't waned with the passage of time. Shangguan Ru had declared that after a month of training, she would arrange a test to pit the three teams against each other.

Gu Shenwei felt this would be an opportunity to regain Shangguan Ru's attention.

First, he needed to figure out the content of the test. With Shangguan Yushi involved in setting the questions, he felt he couldn't be careless.

The very next day after Shangguan Ru announced the test, Gu Shenwei found an opportunity to corner Shangguan Hongye again.

Shangguan Hongye saw Huan Nu from a distance and immediately sent the Little Book Boy away. When they met, he merely nodded.

"I need your help," Gu Shenwei said directly.

Shangguan Hongye, who had been expecting Huan Nu to bring something out, was disappointed. "Is it the same kind of help as last time? I can't do it. Young Master Yu almost discovered that I organized the gambling, and I don't dare offend her."

"No, this time it's simpler. You need to find out what the Ninth Young Master's test will be in a month."

"Heh heh, I almost forgot. You were chosen as an 'Assassin' and are a bit anxious? I still can't help. I don't have any influence with the Ninth Young Master."

"The young master must know."

"Oh, come on. I made him lose money last time, and he hates me for it."

"Fine, if you're unwilling, then forget it. Give me back the things I left with you. I can find someone else to help."

Shangguan Hongye's expression changed. He glanced around, then pulled Huan Nu to the wall. "Are you crazy! I'll help you just this once, but we agreed: it was a 50/50 split before, now it's all mine."

"Okay, fine. At worst, I'll make another fortune."

Shangguan Hongye immediately leaned closer and whispered, "If you can get more goods, I'll help you convert them into silver and store them."

Gu Shenwei smiled noncommittally and turned to leave. After a few steps, he called back, "As soon as possible."

Next, he still had to seek help from Xue Niang.

"There will be a test in a month. If I can win, the twins will pay attention to me again, either by taking me back or by treating me as their greatest 'opponent.' Both would be beneficial for currying favor with them. However, if my internal energy is still like this..."

Xue Niang sat on a chair, appraising the respectful young man before her. "You are very clever, sometimes even more so than that Yao Nu. Perhaps too clever, to the point where even I have to guard against you."

"This servant only wishes to serve Xue Niang and the young lady with all his heart and no ulterior motives. He only hopes that one day Xue Niang and the young lady can grant him justice and avenge his father's death. Moreover, this servant's life is in Xue Niang's hands."

To Xue Niang, avenging his father's death referred to the Gu Family's old servant, Yang Zheng.

Gu Shenwei had secretly pressed the Xuanji acupoint on his chest several times, and the burning sensation grew stronger. Most importantly, ever since Xue Niang stopped helping him cultivate his internal energy, his Hehe Jin had remained stuck at the second level, showing no progress for months. At first, he thought he wasn't training hard enough, but later realized it was the result of Xue Niang's meddling.

"You know, that's good. You know." Xue Niang repeated the phrase but didn't immediately give an answer.

The next evening, Xue Niang presented a solution. She actually had He Nu spend an hour each night training Huan Nu. The young girl suddenly went from being a sparring partner to a "master."

Punching, saber techniques, lightness skill, hidden weapons, and so on. Although He Nu was indifferent, she was very obedient to Xue Niang's instructions, teaching almost everything she learned during the day. Only internal energy was something Gu Shenwei couldn't learn. The rumor was true: to learn the Golden Peng Fortress's internal energy, one must have no prior foundation in any other school's internal energy.

Gu Shenwei secretly followed He Nu to learn assassin skills, while during the day he had to maintain the pretense of an unfavored servant, carrying out the boring orders issued by Shangguan Yushi.

He anxiously awaited Shangguan Hongye's reply, wanting to know what his weakness was in Shangguan Yushi's eyes.

For half a month, Shangguan Hongye received no information. This couldn't be blamed on him, as Shangguan Ru herself hadn't decided on the test content yet.

After another six or seven days, Shangguan Hongye hurriedly stuffed a piece of paper into Huan Nu's hand, thus completing his task.

The paper contained two words: "Climbing walls."

Gu Shenwei was baffled. What kind of test was climbing walls? But he immediately understood: this was a test of lightness skill.

In Shangguan Yushi's opinion, Huan Nu's weakest point was lightness skill.

The Gu Family Martial Arts emphasized steady progress and indeed wasn't particularly adept at lightness skill. Gu Shenwei often sparred with others, and Shangguan Yushi must have noticed this.

With seven or eight days left until the test, Gu Shenwei explained the situation to Xue Niang, requesting to focus all his efforts on learning lightness skill and wall-climbing techniques for the remaining time. He had to cram, whether he wanted to or not.

Xue Niang finally agreed to assist him again in cultivating Hehe Jin through external means. Advanced lightness skill required a foundation of internal energy. Gu Shenwei was too late to learn lightness skill, so he could only compensate through internal energy.

A month passed quickly. The twins neglected their studies and focused on training the "Assassins." Gu Shenwei and the other nine selected individuals reported directly to Giant Stone Cliff in the East Fortress every morning. They now had the "privilege" of entering the Golden Peng Fortress's restricted areas. However, three people under Shangguan Yushi left after signing up to act as "lookouts."

On the day of the test, almost no one in the academy was studying; everyone had rushed out to watch the excitement with the twins. Many people were entering the East Fortress for the first time. Like ordinary people, they were initially nervous and excited, then felt it was nothing special. As they approached Rebirth Cliff, they became uneasy again. Only after turning into Giant Stone Cliff did their fear subside, and they praised the place as quite good.

The test content was simple, just as Shangguan Hongye had revealed.

To the west of Giant Stone Cliff was a stone wall nearly several zhang high. Since it was already next to a cliff, why build such a high wall? No one understood, and no one explained.

Nine silk red flowers were placed on the top of the wall. The testers had to climb up as quickly as possible to snatch the red flowers. The person who obtained the most flowers would win.

This test seemed unrelated to being an "Assassin," but it was simple and direct, making it a favorite among the audience.

The three "Blade Masters" did not participate; only the nine young "Assassins" climbed the wall to snatch flowers.

This was probably Shangguan Fei's idea. He didn't want to be outdone by his sister and cousin in public, and it would be even more humiliating to be surpassed by a servant.

The scene was chaotic. Several young disciples of the Shangguan Family, confident in their training at the Moon Holding Courtyard, also wanted to participate. After much arguing, five more spots were added, making a total of fourteen people competing for nine red flowers.

The three "Blade Masters" served as referees, and Qing Nu was responsible for maintaining order. As long as the twins were not in danger, he was happy to participate in such games.

The test began with much laughter. Among the three "Assassins" under Shangguan Yushi, only Huan Nu managed to climb the wall. The other two clung to the cracks in the wall with their hands, admitting defeat before their feet had even left the ground. They had learned nothing in the past month and could only confess their guilt to the "Blade Masters" before blushing and squeezing out of the crowd to act as "lookouts."

Shangguan Yushi didn't care about the public's ridicule; she only cared about Huan Nu.

Gu Shenwei's first leap was higher than everyone else's. He had initially worried about the five latecomers, as they were all surnamed Shangguan and might have learned more profound martial arts at the Moon Holding Courtyard. However, he found this worry completely unnecessary. The five were clearly there just for fun, not even as good as the "Assassins" trained by young master Shangguan Fei. They climbed just over two zhang before crying out in alarm. Three fell down, and the other two climbed down on their own, drawing peals of laughter.

The three youths chosen by Shangguan Fei had the best foundations, but Shangguan Ru trained the most diligently. The six of them followed closely behind Gu Shenwei, darting towards the target like agile geckos.

Gu Shenwei snatched the first red flower. Cheers erupted from below. A hand tried to grab his ankle, but he kicked it away without mercy. A startled cry was heard, and someone tumbled off the wall.

The competition had devolved into ruthlessness. The six people who had reached the top of the wall took wooden swords from their waists and began a free-for-all.

Blade work was Gu Shenwei's forte. He didn't need to summon his killing intent; a normal display was enough to send his opponents fleeing in disarray. The youths fell from the wall one after another. Two even tumbled inside the wall, and it took them a while to limp back to Giant Stone Cliff.

Gu Shenwei had overestimated these youths. A month of training couldn't change that much. However, he used it as an excuse to have Xue Niang upgrade his Hehe Jin again, which was a considerable gain.

Gu Shenwei grabbed seven red flowers. One youth, while he was dueling someone else, snatched two red flowers and leaped down recklessly. He was caught by a group of spectators and wasn't injured.

Gu Shenwei tucked his wooden sword back into his waist, removed the red flowers, and slowly climbed down the stone wall. His Qinggong wasn't yet good enough to jump from several dozen feet without injury.

He held a pile of silk imitation flowers and looked up, his first gaze falling on Shangguan Ru.

Ninth Young Master was also watching him. Even though her "Assassin" had gained nothing, she showed no sign of anger. Normally, she would have thrown a tantrum over such a small failure.

Gu Shenwei shifted his gaze and presented the red flowers in his hand to Shangguan Yushi, his nominal "Blade Master."

"Young Master Yu, Lord Blade Master, I have picked these flowers for you."

If Shangguan Yushi was extremely disappointed and furious at that moment, she showed none of it. She didn't take the red flowers, clasped her hands behind her back, and said lightly, "Keep them well. They are all yours."

Shangguan Yushi seemed to have conceded, no longer trying to find ways to drive Huan Nu away from Giant Stone Cliff. Gu Shenwei, however, became even more vigilant.

The "Assassin" training had also concluded. Shangguan Ru dismissed the incompetent "Assassins," leaving only three people, including Gu Shenwei. Together with the three "Blade Masters," there were six in total, forming a more elite group.

"Everyone else thinks this is just a game, but I'm going to give them a shock."

This was the first day the group was formed. Only the six of them were at Giant Stone Cliff. Shangguan Ru spoke very seriously, with a hint of mystery in her voice.

"The six of us are the most capable children in Stone Fort. The ones in Carved Wood Courtyard are all mediocre and not worth mentioning."

After saying this, her gaze lingered on Shangguan Fei for a moment. By her standards, Shangguan Fei shouldn't have counted, but she couldn't just turn away her own elder brother.

"Assassins can't just play games; they have to do their part."

Her tone grew more mysterious. This time, she wasn't influenced by anyone; the words were entirely her own.

"I am going to organize an assassination," she said.