143 Killing the Master (2/2)
”Qi” was flowing all the time, like a revolving mist. People could not see it but feel it. In the end, it would form an ever-changing picture.
Gu Shenwei had ”seen” it.
He saw a bundle of ”Qi” coming for him, and quickly found the weakness in it. He stabbed that point almost automatically and withdrew. Everything was so natural and simple.
Gu Shenwei ripped the veil off and saw Tie Hanfeng's saber on his neck, plunging half an inch inside.
Tie Hanfeng's eyes widened, and he could not believe what had just happened to him. The biggest wish of him was not to die under a saber. But it was obvious that he had just died under a sword.
Tie Hanfeng let go of the saber, and tried to walk back to the room. It felt really absurd and ridiculous watching him limping over with heavy steps.
The saber fell down from Gu Shenwei's neck. He wiped out the bloodstain with the black veil. He could still find the imperfections in his swordcraft, because he failed to finish his master's life with one stab.
He slipped his sword back to its scabbard and picked up the saber. When he walked to the room, he found his Master Shifu lying down on the recliner, with his mouth feebly open. Tie Hanfeng's fragility could be seen from his eyes. ”Damn, what was I bustling about?”
It was his last words.
Gu Shenwei got on one knee and observed Tie Hanfeng's chest turning from crimson to white. He seemed to become another person, whom Gu Shenwei not care and knew nothing about. Maybe the prostitute, Zi Linglong would recognize who he was right now.
As Tie Hanfeng's fatal wound was on his neck, which barely bled, it would be difficult for other people to detect it.
Gu Shenwei held the saber against the neck of his master, and cut deeply through the wound. No one would ever know the real cause of death.
The blood gradually stained the recliner and dripped onto the ground. Gu Shenwei untied Tie Hanfeng's red belt and held it in one of his hands, while the other held his head, and then walked out.
The belt was nailed on the gate of the academy, which indicated that someone had finished his apprenticeship. On this day, which was only three days before the birthday of the twins, Slave Huan became the first formal killer among all of the Dragon Year Apprentices.
But this behavior was hard for all of them to understand.
The supervisor of the Pyrowork Academy was so shocked by the head Gu Shenwei brought, that he could hardly speak. After quite a while, he finally reacted and brought the new killer to the Whiterobe Academy for registration. Gu Shenwei obtained a brand new red belt and the killer's waist token. From now on, he should be called ”Yang Huan”, instead of ”Slave Huan”, though the scar on his arm was unable to be removed.
The brown-belt assassins were the most confused. Yang Huan was destined to become a formal killer after three days, why would he still kill his master? When compared with the others, Tie Hanfeng was a relatively nice teacher. Yang Huan would not obtain any benefit from killing him, furthermore he would lose a backer.
Every year, there would be students who tried to kill their masters. But no one had acted like Yang Huan, who seemed to have no reason to commit the act.
Thus people came up with a purpose for his inexplicable behavior. A new rumor was spreading around that the Cripple Tie had recently made a fortune, which his apprentice wanted ardently. Considering that it would be a crime for a formal killer to kill a master, Yang Huan did it before his promotion so it wouldn't be considered a crime.
Tie Hanfeng's death didn't cause any unrest. He had almost cut off all his relations in the fort so he could live in peace in the North City. Hence no one came out to avenge his death.
Gu Shenwei only explained his behavior to Maid Lotus. ”Using the swordcraft would be more difficult if the enemy was more powerful. But you'll progress faster.”
Maid Lotus discovered the sudden and strange change in her companion. ”Your skill is getting stronger. Will you kill me one day, just for practice? But I'm not so powerful for you to want to kill...”
Though Gu Shenwei could not expose his biggest secret, he still told her his insights. ”You still don't get it? You and I will put an end to ourselves sooner or later if we continue to practice this swordcraft.”
This was the quintessence of the Death Scripture. The apprentices of the Barren Sect never heard of it, and the fort only knew the first sentences of this book. They did not consider it to be of any value. Who would use a kung fu, whose final destination was self-destruction?
Only the one who carried a blood feud and did not care about their own life would use it.
Not to mention, the Peripheral Force in Gu Shenwei's body did not disappear at all. He blended his Internal Strength by the sped-up technique of the Yin and Yang Strength and thought he could eradicate the hidden danger, yet he found the burning Qi in the Xuanji acupoint and the Baihui acupoint was only suppressed for a time. It was restored after several days.
Those who planted the force into his body were all dead. No one could eliminate that for him. He did not count on the remaining apprentices of the Barren Sect to teach him their unique Internal Strength, either.
Maid Lotus was surprised yet she comprehended it quickly. She smiled. This was the first time Gu Shenwei saw her smile, which was as pure as a child. ”Well, killing yourself is better than being killed by others.”
Gu Shenwei told everything he recognized in the scripture to Maid Lotus. Because they viewed this book in different ways at first, Maid Lotus did not accept it completely. But his comprehension did answer many questions for her.
Now all she needed was to complete a perfect slaughter, by which she could rebuild her killing desire, and experience the subtleties contained in this book.
This slaughter came much earlier than these two had expected.
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