Chapter 79: Survival
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
In the morning, there was a thick layer of frost on the ground and thin ice had formed on the surface of puddles. At noon, the frost and ice had melted, and the temperature had become as hot as if it was in the middle of summer. Gu Shenwei and Wildhorse entered the battlefield at the same time. Even though it was not a good time for assassination, the conditions were equally fair for both of them.
The killer apprentices in black, who wore black veils, were waiting in Woodensaber Alley. They could not see what was happening inside, but the members of both of the two gang stood quietly, like two packs of loyal dogs. Once one of their leaders died, they would instantly smell the scent of the killer's blood.
Even if the duel continued for one more month, they would wait patiently. It looked like a sacrificial ceremony. Even if some were not interested in it, they were surrounded by the fanatics and also became one of them, who did not dare to leave or do anything that would disrespect the competition.
Gu Shenwei only took a saber with him. After entering the ruins, he carefully walked along the wall. When there were bricks and rubble, he went around it by taking other paths; when there was dense vegetation, he would rather than walk. For him, it was not the time to leave traces and draw the opponent's attention on purpose.
The circle that Gu Shenwei walked became smaller and smaller. Before the duel started, he had already identified the nine best spots for setting a trap, now he found five more spots. However, it seemed that no one had arrived. Gu Shenwei thought Wildhorse was very smart and that he would not choose an ambush spot that killers already knew about.
As time passed by, the warmth brought by the noonday sun had gone and the coldness of late autumn rose from the ground, which quickly occupied the whole world by dusk.
Almost 200 killer apprentices stood side by side in the narrow Woodensaber Alley. The ruins were dead silent. Gradually, darkness shrouded the whole world. But they seemed to be enjoying a fascinating drama, watching and listening attentively as if they were completely enraptured by the drama. Every rustle of the leaves in the wind was like a sensational turning point which charmed the audience.
What Gu Shenwei had learned over the last month was much more than what the apprentices had studied over the past 10 months in Carvewood Academy. He was proficient in tracking his enemies and hiding his own tracks. But, his opponent was Wildhorse this time, the rising star during the apprentice fight who had great kung fu skills and a keen intuition.
When night fell, it became easier to hide, but harder to search for a person. Gu Shenwei had searched the ruins twice, but he still did not find any signs of the other person. He felt he was like a madman who was fighting with himself as he was circling around in a derelict place. Occasionally, he thought that he had heard Wildhorse's heartbeat. However, when he quietly approached, he didn't find anything. Sometimes, he suddenly felt very nervous for no reason, feeling as if he was in an unfavorable location. So he fled, just in case the opponent sneaked up on him.
In this game, saber and kung fu skills were the secondary factors. Endurance and willpower were the first. Whoever had the least patience would be the first to expose his location.
Night had passed and the frost temporarily reformed. Even the best killer, who was good at Lightness Skill, would either leave his footprints on the thin layer of ice or his footsteps would crush it.
Hence, the safest choice for Gu Shenwei was to remain where he was. But he still searched along the roads and lurked at a fixed place. This trick could only work very well when facing an inexperienced opponent, however, for a well-prepared killer apprentice, Wildhorse would not be fooled. He could not directly follow Gu Shenwei's footprints, because it meant to bite the hook of a trap. Therefore, he would circle around and attack Gu Shenwei from his back instead.
Gu Shenwei found three footprints and two ice-broken places. Meanwhile, he also accidentally left the same traces. Later, he narrowed down the scope of his search and firmly believed that he was very close to Wildhorse.
There were four dilapidated yards around the crossroads. The place was the center of the black market a long time ago. Now, there remained a lot of debris with only a little plant cover.
It was now late morning and the battle had continued for almost a day. At this moment, Gu Shenwei found that a broken brick had been moved, so he carefully searched nearby and ensured it was Wildhorse's mistake. It was the time to take the initiative.
Gu Shenwei moved a piece of wood in the yard, which was located in the southeastern direction from the crossroad, and chose to ambush Wildhorse behind the broken wall in the northwestern yard, which he would pass by as he was circling around.
The next thing that Gu Shenwei needed to do was to lie on his stomach and to wait patiently.
After waiting for almost two hours, he finally heard the sound of slight footsteps.
Wildhorse was approaching. Although he was dressed in the same manner as the other killer apprentices, Gu Shenwei knew it was him. His back was arched as he crept forward with a saber in his right hand. Before he moved on, he would cautiously observe the surroundings like a thief.
Gu Shenwei would not laugh at him because he acted the same way. Killers did not like the showy movements but preferred the practical methods.
Wildhorse only took two steps, and then he stopped. No one knew what had attracted his attention and made him alert. Whatever it was, he halted and crouched lower than before and strengthened the hold on his saber. Then, he looked at the place where Gu Shenwei was lying in wait.
Gu Shenwei, hiding among the stone fragments, revealed an eye to observe his opponent. He just lay on his stomach, with his back to the sun. Even a hawk with sharp eyes would not find him.
However, Wildhorse still stared at the ruins where Gu Shenwei was waiting in ambush. Perhaps he did not find anything and just intuitively felt danger.
Gu Shenwei still waited without blinking his eyes. Among the killers, it was widely believed that people's mood swings could alert the vigilant enemies. Hence, if they wanted to hide stay well hidden, their mind should be as calm as still water.
At this time, Wildhorse looked away and stepped forwards. Suddenly Gu Shenwei's heart palpitated, even though it might have alerted Wildhorse, because he changed his direction. It seemed that Wildhorse was going to circle around the giant stone. If he did so, Gu Shenwei's position would be exposed and he would lose his advantage.
People would never know what Wildhorse would do next, because when he was moving, someone yelled outside, "Lord commanded all people to stop the private fight. Lord commanded all people to stop the private fight..."
The sound was like a raging wind that blew through Woodensaber Alley. The daydream of the 200 youths had ended. All of a sudden, the apprentices, who were drunk in the mysterious atmosphere, woke up.
Over the last month, East Castle was like an island forgotten by the gods. Residents on this island always thought they were gods and masters. The word "Lord" reminded the apprentices that the real god was looking down at the small land. Now, he came to declare his sovereignty.
Every survivor belonged to the Supreme King.
A team of red-belt killers on horseback had passed the message. On seeing them, the apprentices woke up and left quickly. In their eyes, the two people, who were still in the ruins, had lost their halos and became common folk.
Wildhorse stepped away quietly and Gu Shenwei also retreated from the other direction. Both of them thought they, themselves, had the initiative and would have killed the opponent in the next minute. Therefore, they felt very regretful.
When Gu Shenwei came back to Woodensaber Alley, most of the apprentices had gone. Only some of his loyal members had stayed behind. They nodded to him and also left quickly.
The killers on horseback went back. They even ignored the leader of Tattooed Arm Gang on the roadside.
The nightmare of slaughter was over, but Gu Shenwei still was a lowly young slave, who had a long way to go to achieve his goal of revenge.
A small group of people stood at the entrance of Woodensaber Alley and were also dressed in black like the apprentices. But Gu Shenwei knew that none of them came from East Castle.
They looked at the lone Slave Huan, as if they were merciless aristocrats who were appreciating a lion cub with great interest.
Gu Shenwei had deduced who they were and he even thought some of them were familiar to him. He should have known that this real and exciting game would arouse the Tenth Young Master, Shangguan Ru's, interest.
Shangguan Ru stood with others. Perhaps she was the small one in the middle.
A skinny person among them walked toward Slave Huan, who stood still.
"Master Yu." Gu Shenwei said respectfully.
On seeing the person approaching him, Gu Shenwei bowed slightly and recognized who she was.
"You killed my brother." Shangguan Yushi spoke to him straightforwardly. She was as elegant and proud as Gu Shenwei remembered. "Our family is very grateful to you." She even nodded at him and said, "But I still will avenge him. You better be careful! That's all."
Gu Shenwei looked at the tall girl. Several months ago, she was his toughest opponent, but now she was just a proud and innocent little girl. She came here with Shangguan Ru just for fun. She had never tasted real hatred and blood.
"How could she know the meaning of hatred and revenge?"
"Welcome to the paradise of hatred. That's all," Gu Shenwei said proudly.
All of a sudden, the lowly Gu Shenwei became as calm and elegant as a king. However, Master Yu, surnamed Shangguan fell into a panic. She held her saber with her right hand, but she lost the strength and will to draw out the saber. She stepped backward and then turned to flee.
The small group of men in black left. Gu Shenwei watched the figure, which he thought was Shangguan Ru, and his killing desire disappeared completely.
Gu Shenwei first visited Maid Lotus. She was still recovering from her injury so she had to leave early.
"Tattooed Arm Gang still exists," Maid Lotus firmly said.
Gu Shenwei did not refute her, but he knew what remained was just its shadow. When the sun came out, it would disappear, like the frost in the morning.
Killer mentors came back to the fort and counted their apprentices. Some of them lost all their apprentices, so they had to leave Golden Roc Fort and live in the small and cold house, expecting to recruit some good apprentices next year.
Those mentors, who still had survived apprentices, were excited, even though some of them were only left with one apprentice. They asked for every detail of the assassination and then taught their apprentice all their killing experience.
In fact, more than one killer mentor had openly announced that many of them, who was involved in the fighting, would become top-level killers.
But no one was rewarded by the Shangguan family. It seemed that they thought the apprentices still needed more training.
Tie Hanfeng also came back. This time, he did not drink, so he was in a bad temper and did not show any joy on his apprentice's survival.
"I heard that you formed a 'female gang', let a girl manage the team and relied on her to protect you? Your mom has turned into ash long ago, but you're still as naive as a new baby. Why are you so popular among women? Are you gonna hook up with them?"
If it happened one month ago, Gu Shenwei would be irritated. But now his mind was as calm as still water.
"She's a qualified killer. She isn't worse than anyone else," he replied calmly.
Tie Hanfeng seemed angry at his apprentice's indifference and stared at him for a while. Then, he changed the topic and said, "How many times do you still need to attend the monthly test?"
"Once."
Gu Shenwei's fifth month-test would be held at the last days at the climax of the assassination. His opponent had died. Hence, he would become a killer in Golden Roc Fort if he gained one more chance to kill an apprentice in a single saber strike.
"Very good. Next time, you shouldn't kill your opponent, because you need more kung fu training."
Tie Hanfeng coldly declared, but his words, like a saber, struck deep into Gu Shenwei's heart. He could not control his emotions anymore and he suddenly burst into fury.