105 The League of Crimes (1/2)
There was no need for Gu Shenwei to ask Maid Lotus what had happened that night. It had been a long time since he was that ignorant youngster. He had also heard about the misery that good-looking young apprentices suffered at the hands of training tutors and killing mentors. In comparison, Tie Hanfeng, who merely swore and hit apprentices, was as kind as a saint.
How could Maid Lotus, in possession of such beauty, possibly survive? In the beginning, when her kung fu was rather weak, it was not just luck that saved her; Liu Xuan had just been one of coveters who laid hands on her.
Gu Shenwei said nothing, but deep down, his emotions were roiling. He could not tell whether he was indignant at Liu Xuan or jealous of him. All he knew was that he had to kill Liu Xuan and all insiders. This was not only to wipe them out but also as an obligation to Maid Lotus.
When the giant red-crowned rocs messed around, people could blame their killing on it. When apprentices slaughtered, they could kill at will within designated boundaries. But now, the rocs were gone, and Liu Xuan was so cautious that he would not cross north of Woodensaber Alley, which meant that Liu Xuan had to be killed by some other way.
Gu Shenwei conducted a follow-up solo investigation, and discovered that Slave Zi also had several good friends who were potential insiders.
He had gathered that Liu Xuan was an ordinary killer and not particularly favored by Eighth Young Master. He was rarely taken out of the fort for missions and had later become purely a guardian of the yard.
Liu Xuan had once claimed that his direct protector was a blademaster, but the credibility of his words was suspect.
Maid Lotus was again summoned by Liu Xuan. Afterward, Gu Shenwei went to find her to discuss the ”solution”.
Her calmness impressed and also shamed Gu Shenwei, because he could not serve justice immediately when she, as his assistant, counselor, and friend, was bullied by another man.
Maid Lotus agreed to assassinate Liu Xuan because he was indeed a scourge. He did not know what the clues meant yet, but he would understand when the two apprentices' machete skills caught the attention of the Golden Roc Fort.
They figured out several plans, such as using Slave Zi to seduce Liu Xuan out of Woodensaber Alley and then killing them both, setting up the murder scene as a surreptitious meeting between a killer and a male apprentice. Or, simply slaying Liu Xuan and dumping his corpse into the killing zone, and so forth. All their plans had one thing in common, Maid Lotus would be exposed no matter what.
It was not uncommon for killers to flirt with female apprentices and it was not Liu Xuan's wont to keep secrets -- more likely that he would be extremely public about the details. Therefore, if he died suspiciously in East Castle, Maid Lotus, and even Slave Huan, would be major suspects. Also, even if Heart Cleansing Yard would not investigate, Shangguan Nu would be incensed.
As for the secrets of grinding weapons, Maid Lotus had ascertained that Liu Xuan would not disclose the secret of how he had been controlling her until he got sick of her. Even Slave Zi did not realize how important the message he had inadvertently said was.
Up till now, every man Gu Shenwei assassinated had been a scapegoat, or Gu had recieved additional support. He was opportunistic in some ways. In this case, there was none, and he had to kill Liu Xuan the old-fashioned way.
As Master Shifu, Tie Hanfeng, said, ”A saber kills, so does a mouth.” Sometimes, it was safer to cut off those ”relationships” of Liu Xuan.
Gu Shenwei came up with a bold plan, which Maid Lotus disagreed with at first. After listening to his detailed explanation, she thought it excellent, and helped him perfect the plan, correcting many potential loopholes.
The key figure in this plan was Miss Luo Ningcha.
Just as Maid Lotus was leaving after paying respects to her master again, Slave Huan was summoned by Miss.
It went as Maid Lotus planned. She was close to many of the maids, and they were willing to help deliver messages to the Miss.
The four maids named ”Chen Xin Sui Yi” stood at both sides of the screen, while the blind and tongueless Maid Cui stood beside Miss Luo Ningcha, who was waiting for another slave to pledge loyalty. This was Gu Shenwei's explicit reason for seeing her. The Miss had not done this for a long time, and was thus curious about it.
What Tie Hanfeng termed ”relationships” were preferably called ”backers” in the fort. Since it was a general rule that the more ”backers” the better, Slave Huan's actions were to be expected, especially considering that he was one of the Miss's slave dowries.
The pledging process was based on the blood oath, except that the Miss did not puncture her finger. She would also not share the bowl of blood with a slave. Gu Shenwei played his part faithfully, stressing in his oath that he was first a killer for Eighth Young Master before a faithful servant of the Miss whereas Maid Cui acted on behalf of the Miss.
The Miss was not as arrogant as before, or at least so it seemed. She spoke languidly, like a resigned woman who had already grudgingly given in, yet her words sounded uninterested and bitterly sarcastic, barely containing the anger and pride deep inside her.
After the pledging, Gu Shenwei, still kneeling on the ground, asked for a few words in private with his new master. He imagined that the Miss would agree.
In this peculiar relationship, both the master and servant held secrets that the other could use. Gu Shenwei claimed himself to be Yang Huan, the son of the servant Yang Lan from the Gu family, and had maneuvered himself into Golden Roc Fort to seek vengeance for his father. Despite not knowing the details of her past murders, he fooled her into thinking he did.
This balance was delicate and fragile. Even a small tug on either side might spell disaster. Nevertheless, Gu Shenwei decided not only to tug the string, but to tie them together into a ”league”, implicating her in the collaborative crime.
Miss, who was behind the screen, chuckled with sarcasm and sourness. ”Look, even a slave comes to discuss 'business' with me, as if I still have a say in this family. He who calls himself a 'faithful servant' will soon become a killer. At that time, I'm afraid I'll have to talk to him about 'business' by myself.”