Chapter 147: Killing the Master
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Shangguan Hongye fell for the trap, but you couldn't blame Miss Luo Ningcha for not trying her best to remedy the situation.
She spared no effort to discourage Lady Meng. The moment Slave Huan left, she immediately sent her maid to Shangguan Hongye's house to lead Shangguan Hongye and his mother to her own residence. At the same time, she ordered men to prepare gold and silver jewelry. Once Shangguan Hongye arrived, she would give him some money to flee the fort and make way to Bighead Kingpin.
Shangguan Hongye knew nothing about Madam Yang's scheming plot. But as soon as he'd heard that his life was in danger, his legs turned into jelly. Elderly Zhang had to help him onto his horse and escort him out of Stone Castle.
Fortunately, Stone Castle's defenses failed that night, and Shangguan Hongye snuck out successfully. However, he was still far too afraid, and he vacillated between staying and leaving as he descended the mountain alone. When dawn came, he had not traveled very far at all.
It was only when the brown-belt assassins arrived, their expressions stone-cold, that Shangguan Hongye realised that something was wrong. But it was too late to escape.
Shangguan Hongye's defection made Gu Shenwei anxious. If Lady Meng discovered that it was Slave Huan who had leaked the information, she would not spare him.
But even before Lady Meng spoke a single word, Shangguan Hongye petitioned for mercy. He knew neither his real personal identity nor Slave Huan's role in the whole matter. At the crucial moment, Luo Ningcha was tight-lipped. All was well.
Lady Meng's way of dealing with Shangguan Hongye took everyone by surprise, especially Gu Shenwei. He had never looked down upon Lady Meng but it was now that he realised how he had underestimated this woman. The combined efforts of the Supreme King and his sons might not even be enough to defeat her.
Lady Meng did not kill Shangguan Hongye. Instead, she personally accompanied him, just as she would her own son, took him by the hand and announced to everyone in the hall: "This is the Lord's biological son who has been drifting purposelessly in the world. He would have almost fallen in into the hands of traitors, but now he is safe with me and I say, as long as I live, I won't allow anyone to lay their hands on him. From now onwards, he'll be called Shangguan Hong."
The people in the hall had heard about the disharmony between Lady Meng and Young Master, as well as their illegitimate child, so they were not perplexed by Lady Meng's strange attitude. But being shrewd people, they all swarmed around her, congratulating her on how the Lord had found his biological son, and praising the Lady's magnanimity.
Shangguan Hong was completely clueless about what had just happened to him. He felt like laughing, but couldn't muster a cough, only a dazed, dizzy sensation. All that came out of his mouth was a series of meaningless utterances- "oh oh".
Lady Meng proffered a scroll from one of her sleeves, written on it was a long-prepared order from the Lord. Taking a red-scabbard saber from Shangguan Hong's hands, and brought both items to Shen Liang, the blademaster of the Heart Cleansing Yard. "Go, I want to start the two masters' saber awarding ceremony at noon, sharp."
This was the last killing order issued by Lady Meng. She carefully selected a few trusted confidantes to guard the twins, and followed Shen Liang to execute the mission together, bringing along Slave Huan and Maid Lotus.
Until then, observers had only begun to understand Lady Meng's intentions in raising up Supreme King's illegitimate son. Shangguan Chui and Mister Guo wanted to use Shangguan Hong to create a force of ten sons to oust Shangguan Ru. Lady Meng had deployed the same strategy against them, but now it was Young Master who would be ousted instead.
Gu Shenwei had made an erroneous judgment at the start. Lady Meng had no intentions of killing Shangguan Hong at all. She wanted to wrest this unexpected "Young Master" firmly within her control to strengthen her power. This was surely more advantageous than killing him.
Gu Shenwei was wholly in awe of her plan. He was relieved that Lady Meng had turned her animosity to Luo Ningcha, thus allowing him to escape.
Yet, Lady Meng did not care about Luo Ningcha at all. She had only been jealous of Bighead Kingpin's influence upon the Supreme King. She did not want to complicate the issue of Shangguan Hong but past wounds between the wife and the mother-in-law had begun to fester.
Before leaving, Lady Meng pulled Slave Huan aside and softly instructed: "Let Ninth Young Master do the work."
Gu Shenwei was sure that Lady Meng's trust in him was due to his part in killing the master. Lady Meng hoped that Slave Huan's cruelty could influence her comparatively weak-willed son.
Blademaster Shen Liang, with his contingent of forty assassins in black, ten yellow-belted torturers, ten young killers, surrounded the twins and left the Inner Residence, heading for the main courtyard of the Young Master to perform their final task.
Shangguan Chui had undergone harsh training to become a killer. However, in the midst of the crisis, he broke down, furiously brandishing his knife and dispatching his subordinates to secretly assassinate Lady Meng and her twins. Hence, when the execution squad arrived, Shangguan Chui had little more than ten over guards beside him and they too were distracted and confused.
"No one can kill me!" With a saber in his hand, Shangguan Chui pointed wildly at the sky and the earth, and his heavy eyebags growing deep red from the flush of blood. "I'm the eldest son of the Supreme King and apart from Father. No one can kill me!"
Shen Yang sympathised with the Young Master's plight but despised how he had panicked in the face of danger. Raising his red-scabbard saber high in the air, he said: "The Supreme King's Six-Kill Saber is right there, and by the order of the Lord, I will kill this unfilial child."
The guards around Shangguan Chui put down their sabers hesitantly. They were not killers and did not have to die with their master.
Shangguan Chui raised his saber and lobbed off the head of the man nearest to him. The other guards to fled in fright. "This is all fake! It's the plot of that wretched person, Blademaster Shen. Why don't you all catch her? Don't tell me you've fallen for the charms of that old woman?"
Shangguan Ru stepped out, saying: "Big Brother, don't forget, my mother is also your mother."
Shangguan Chui pointed at the twins laughing loudly, as if seeing the most entertaining characters. "Looks like the Tenth Young Master truly carries the legacy of the Shangguan family. You certainly live up to your name. Come on then, kill me. Children of the Shangguan family are destined to murder each other. Didn't the Lord kill several of his brothers? Let me be the first in this generation. Come, when you kill me, my father will shower you with much more affection. Ha, but leave me my eyes. I want to see which of you will be killed after me."
Shangguan Chui still brandished his saber, not intending to be killed without a fight. Shen Liang motioned to the assassins in black and two killers drew their blades and stepped forward.
Despite being in charge of the killers for over ten years, Shangguan Chui still hadn't a clue about their natures. Loosing a howl, he rushed forwards to attack, completely missing the two other killers had already moved to stand behind him. They unsheathed their blades and struck the Young Master's legs.
Gu Shenwei had held on to his saber, waiting intently just for this very moment. He had prepared for a very long time and wanted to test how good his "machete skill" truly was.
Behind every Young Master was a "green-masked" assassin who existed for the sole purpose of protecting his master. No matter if his master was declared an unfaithful son, a traitor, or a usurper of his own father, he would follow his master left and right, hiding in deserted places, only to emerge, suddenly, out of nowhere.
But in the eyes of Gu Shenwei, the "green mask" was no longer a creature who appeared out of thin air. Instead, a bright, cold light momentary flashed from among the guards, and the "green mask" jumped out from behind the killers, beheading one with a single swing of his knife. Shangguan Chui did not even notice.
Shen Liang had prepared for this. The remaining killers unsheathed their swords one by one. They planned to win by sheer strength of numbers.
But they were too slow.
The green-masked assassin had only killed one assassin. Before falling to the ground, his four limbs splayed, and fist still clenched tightly around his saber.
Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus emerged at the same time, one stabbing his neck, the other, the heart.
The swordsmanship of the Death Scriptures had always meant coming in just a little late. This little delay was barely perceptible and only the most skilled could discern this -- how, within a single breath, so much could be accomplished.
The green-masked assassin's blade slid down Gu Shenwei's neck, albeit ineffectually, and with two swords already plunged in his body, he died with his master.
Gu Shenwei was a little shocked. He had actually killed green-mask together with Maid Lotus. Yet, he was acutely aware of the fact that his victory had been sheer luck. Had the green-mask not kept his eyes on the killer behind Shangguan Chui, it would have been difficult to predict whether it was he or green-face who would have died.
His neck still bled profusely, and Shangguan Ru bandaged his wound expertly with a silken scarf.
Blademaster Shen Liang gaped at the two youths before him. He of all people was cognizant of the unparalled skills of the green-masked assassin yet these two youths had managed to ambush the assassin successfully! This was beyond comprehension. From that day onwards, he made sure to keep an eye on Slave Huan and Maid Lotus. However, at this very point in time, he was more concerned about Shangguan Chui's condition.
Shangguan Chui's thigh was struck by a killer from behind and he stumbled forwards several steps before falling onto the ground. He turned his head and saw the green-masked assassin's corpse. The fight was over and he knew he had lost. "Who's come to kill me?" He asked.
Suddenly, a miraculous calm descended upon the eldest son of Supreme King. Despite having fallen, his held his head high and was a picture of royalty, one that still retained all his pride.
No one breathed a single word.
Shen Liang pulled out his Six Kill Saber from its red scabbard. The saber was the red colour its scabbard. It looked like it had been pulled from a pool of blood.
Shangguan Fei had learnt his lesson from his mother and from Shen Liang. He took the Six Kill Saber, and went up to his big brother.
Shangguan Chui's gaze swept over his youngest brother, and looking at Shen Liang, he said: "I have a wife, and two sons and a daughter."
"They will live well." Shen Liang said. This was the tradition of Golden Roc Fort, that the hatred of a generation would not pass on to the next. But in reality, for hundreds of years, revenge between brothers had played on and on, and there was not a single incidence in which sons had not sought to avenge their fathers. The victor took great power, and while the vanquished still lived, he lost all means to resist.
Shangguan Chui now looked at Shangguan Fei, a smile appearing on his face. "It wouldn't be fitting for me to become Supreme King if I hadn't sunk a blade into the body of a brother. So you see, I'm not worthy. Come, ninth brother, wash yourself with my blood, and just like that saber, you'll be able to win over the Lord's heart. Remember, be careful of women. If you muster the same cruelty as that which resides in their hearts, then do not provoke them. Ah, you might never know, the people that your mother was killed, the scores of people you've never seen."
The knife in Shangguan Fei's hands trembled.
Gu Shenwei had not seen this little master for a long time. He had grown taller and looked discernably different from his twin sister. His eyes had sunken in, and his face grew longer, looking like a proper child of the Shangguan family.
Yet, his expression lacked the resolve and coldness of a killer.
Gu Shenwei knew why Lady Meng wanted Shangguan Fei to kill his big brother with his own hands. Shangguan Ru was after all, still a daughter, and while she might assume the identity of Young Master, she would never be Supreme King. Only Shangguan Fei could inherit his father's position.
And what Shangguan Chui had said was absolutely right. In every generation, Supreme Kings had appeared to have killed their own brothers, and even their own fathers. If Shangguan Fei truly wanted to get into his father's good books, he would have to overcome this "test".
Shangguan Fei's blade pierced his big brother's chest but it only went in an inch. Fresh blood spurted out and he shook even more violently. His hands tried driving it in further but the blade would not move.
Shangguan Chui groaned, and opened his mouth as if to say something.
Gu Shenwei, who has been standing beside Shangguan Fei, approached him. He grasped Shangguan Fei's hands and thrust the blade in.
And in this way, the eldest son of the Supreme King died.