147 Chess piece (1/2)
As Mister Guo was Lady Meng's first target, chaos had not yet broken out in the castle when Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus arrived to carry out their mission.
Both of them had arrived at precisely the right moment. They had only been hiding for fifteen minutes when Mister Guo left his house hurriedly with four of his men. Like a wily fox, he had been alerted to the strange activity in the inner residence.
However, just like any other person, Mister Guo had underestimated the abilities and determination of Lady Meng.
Mister Guo was not worried about his own safety but of the safety of an important person, one who was to play a key role in his schemes.
Upon seeing Mister Guo head in the direction of Shangguan Hongye's residence, Gu Shenwei could finally confirm his hunch.
To the Shangguan family, this would be a fierce family fight. To the two young adults on their assassination mission, this would be a rare opportunity to practice their swordsmanship.
Gu Shenwei decided to give Maid Lotus the chance to kill off Mister Guo and his four guards.
Gu Shenwei had seen Mister Guo's skills before and his kung fu skills were as good as that of a first-class killer.
As Maid Lotus had yet to fully remove the influence of the Breaking Obsession, the only way to rekindle the strong killing desire within her was through a brutal massacre.
Due to different interpretations of the Death Scripture, the weakening of Maid Lotus' killing desire had a great impact on her killing intent, which had originally been extremely potent.
Gu Shenwei had no intention to help her. If Maid Lotus was unable to overcome this obstacle, she would not be able to survive in the fort, let alone to become Slave Huan's assistant.
At the crossroads, Maid Lotus raised her ”Huan” sword and began her attack.
Her first move was hesitant. But even before the first guard had fallen, she delivered her second move, fluid and natural like running water. Gu Shenwei, who had hidden himself, applauded her silently.
It was an enjoyment to watch the swordcraft of the Death Scripture. Those who used such swordcraft lived as if they were always in danger. Every move was desperate and every counterattack struck down an enemy. To those who did not understand such swordcraft, they would fear for the safety of the user, but to those who understood, it was truly a sight to behold.
Only those with the desire to die and the will to kill had the courage to practice such swordcraft.
The four guards were killed in an instant. Even though Mister Guo had been smart up till now, his last moments saw him commit a mistake. ”I had served the Lord for over ten...”
He only made it through half a sentence before he was struck down by Maid Lotus. What he had not understood was that it was precise because of his close friendship with the Supreme King that he was fated to die on this night.
The process of alleviating the Breaking Obsession in Maid Lotus had gone much smoother than that of Gu Shenwei. Even as Gu Shenwei helped her to clear the mess, he could feel the remnant of some killing intent within her.
Compared to Gu Shenwei, Maid Lotus was the more natural killer. Gu Shenwei couldn't help but think, ”She was already displaying cold-blooded killer instincts when I first met her and at that time. She hadn't even held a real knife before.”
Both of them took out their sabers and made extra cuts around each wound, in attempts to cover up the small and unique wounds. Then, they cut off Mister Guo's head and went into the inner residence.
At that moment, the three o'clock drumbeats sounded. In two hours, the early risers would discover corpses in many parts of the fort. Those who were older and wiser would turn a blind eye but the young who had never seen such a spectacle before would be shocked. The commotion would only die down when their elders had warned them and by late morning, all of the corpses would have disappeared.
Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus were the first to complete their mission and Lady Meng was very pleased with them. She left them in the hall as temporary Shadow Guards. One of them would hide up in the rafters while the other would hide in the shadows behind the pillar.
More and more people gathered in the Inner Residence.
Shangguan Yushi arrived, bringing a knife and standing at Lady Meng's side as a personal guard.
A senior maid who served as a scribe was hidden in the penthouse. A few cases, which were covered with papers, lay in front of her. Two junior maids were in charge of serving her. Whenever Lady Meng gave her order, the scribe would write it down immediately before handing the paper to Lady Meng for checking. The paper would then be passed on to another maid to receive the stamp of the Lord's golden seal.
This was how the assassination order of Mister Guo had come about. But without the Supreme King's acknowledgment of these missions, all involved parties would find it difficult to evade punishment. Yet, Lady Meng's increasingly reckless movements made Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus very uneasy.
The Sixth Mistress of the Meng family stood in the doorway and led several women who were in charge of passing messages.
Shangguan Ru had started helping her mother out much earlier than her brother, Shangguan Fei. She had even begun helping her mother make plans and distribute manpower, shuttling between the main hall and the penthouse to deliver the paper.
As more and more people heard the news, more and more people gathered around the main hall. For those who had returned from their missions, Lady Meng didn't give them the next assignment, but bade them stay in the rooms located around the main hall. When the rooms ran out, those who returned from their missions later were made to stand in the courtyard. In clusters, they looked at one another silently. No one made a sound.
Slave Huan and Maid Lotus were not the only youth being exploited. In fact, some of the first batch of assassins had come from the Little Flag Battalion. They too, had shared the same fate as the twins.
While guarding the main hall, Gu Shenwei gradually began to understand Lady Meng's entire plan.