96 A Big Fire (1/2)

Liuhua the Silencer concealed himself well. Gu Shenwei had not noticed any suspicious signs like a bump in the snow until he suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. He immediately looked back and saw that Liuhua was lying on his stomach in the snow, camouflaged in his snow-white clothing and aiming a short bow at Gu Shenwei.

He was only 20 steps away, which was within Liuhua's shooting range. At such a distance, Liuhua would not miss any target.

Gu Shenwei knelt on the snowy ground and kept his upper body low, his left hand propping himself against the ground and his right hand gripping a saber. He stared at Liuhua for a while. Although they belonged to the same side, Gu Shenwei could still feel the intense killing intent radiating from Liuhua. He suddenly felt much pressured, which was even more uncomfortable than when he was having a duel with Wildhorse in the ruins of Woodensaber Alley.

”It's a trap. Don't move!” Gu Shenwei mouthed the message. However, he still clenched the saber in his right hand and did not dare to relax for even a moment.

Liuhua remained silent, so Gu Shenwei did not know whether he understood him or not.

In Gu Shenwei's memory, the apprentice never spoke. He was not a member of the Snow Mountain Gang and had not cut off his tongue like Wildhorse and the others. He was more like a loner who had lost his ability to speak long ago.

Gu Shenwei slowly unclenched the hilt and crawled toward Liuhua.

Opposite him, Liuhua did not loosen the bowstring, neither did his hostility increase. However, he seemed to be irritated by something when Gu Shenwei was 10 steps away. His killing intent suddenly rose, and he took a shot and was ready for the second.

Luckily, 10 steps were not the best shooting range for an archer. Since he had been prepared for it, Gu Shenwei narrowly dodged the deadly arrow.

The moment he sensed Liuhua's killing intent surge, Gu Shenwei sprang to the right to avoid the attack. He then leaped forward again like a nimble cat and pounced at Liuhua.

Liuhua had no chance to fire the second shot, and close quarters combat had always been his weakness.

Gu Shenwei raised his hilt and forcibly hit Liuhua on his head. Liuhua shook his head, yet, the killing intent in his eyes did not fade. Gu Shenwei punched him and finally knocked him out.

If he had a choice, Gu Shenwei would like to kill the guy right on the spot because he hated the archer's eyes and arrows. He acted like an unsociable child, who always spoiled everyone's mood at the most inappropriate moment.

But Gu Shenwei did not kill him. Their fight had already drawn the others' attention. Several spots in the distance were quickly approaching him from the wilderness behind the gathering place of the Ten-Dragon Gang.

Gu Shenwei waved his hand, signaling he was not an enemy. He did not care whether someone from the Ten-Dragon Gang noticed him or not. After all, it was a trap, and they knew long ago that killers were waiting in ambush for them.

Like a little angry lioness, Shangguan Yushi glared at him from under the crack of the black mask. She stood in front of Slave Huan with her hand holding an unsheathed narrow saber and said coldly, ”It's not that I intended to kill you. Now you're courting death by yourself.”

”There's a trap in the yard,” said Gu Shenwei as he rose to his feet. Meanwhile, he kept his right hand close to the saber hilt, since he did not want to be killed by Shangguan Yushi like this.

”I know... ”

”No, that was a wrong message. Nobody is hiding in the wine jars. They are all filled with strong liquor and can be ignited right away. It's the Ten-Dragon Gang that wants to attack with fire.”

Shangguan Yushi glanced back at a slim apprentice in black suit. It was Maid Lotus.

”It was my fault. I gave the wrong information, but there's still time to correct it,” said Gu Shenwei.

Shangguan Yushi said with a sneer, ”Well, Slave Huan. You're really trying hard to take all the credits.”

Gu Shenwei did not refute her, as he did not care about Master Yu's thoughts and believed Maid Lotus would not be instigated that easily.

”Go and check,” Shangguan Yushi ordered.

Behind her, Wildhorse followed the order and moved out. His physique was as perfect as a leopard's, enabling Gu Shenwei to recognize him even when he was wearing night suits.

Wildhorse crouched down and quickly approached the yard as if he was gliding on the snow.

”He's made great progress in kung fu,” Gu Shenwei thought.

When Shangguan Yushi realized she was standing upright and could easily expose herself, she anxiously knelt on one knee and stared at Slave Huan, thinking the slave was trying his best to mess with her first mission.

Gu Shenwei also went down on one knee. He ignored Master Yu but stared at the Ten-Dragon Gang's gathering place. Again he felt the weakness of his speculation. That was definitely a trap, but it might be more covert and sophisticated than he had imagined.

Wildhorse disappeared into the night, and no more sound came from the gathering place. The killer apprentices knelt on the snow like a group of stone pillars.

Suddenly, the yard was engulfed in flames, which danced like red blades and shot high into the air. No matter how capable the people in it were, they would not be able to survive.

”Besiege it. Kill them all,” Shangguan Yushi instantly issued an order and then shot a harsh glare at Slave Huan.

That Gu Shenwei came forward to expose the trap at the eleventh hour annoyed her. She thought he did it on purpose to make her command of the first assassination imperfect. Now that the assassination had turned into an encirclement, he should be much satisfied.

Gu Shenwei did not have time to figure out Master Yu's thoughts. He also unsheathed his saber and dashed toward the burning yard. He was a future killer, so he did not want to stand by once the killing began.