173 Peach Fores (1/2)
There was a garden on the outskirts of South City. Its earliest owner was surnamed Gui, and therefore it was known as Gui Garden.
The garden took up more than six hectares and was grown full of peach trees. With the cold winter still going on, the garden remained covered in thick snow, and there was still some time before flowers blossomed once again.
There was a newly-built small grave deep among the peach trees. A swordsman draped in a purple cape had stayed by here for three days and nights thus far. After all, the person in the grave used to guard him day and night.
After catching wind of it, Gu Shenwei arrived at the peach garden early in the morning and saw his target from afar.
”The pain brought about by death can only be ended by death”, Gu Shenwei thought. He had felt sorry for Chu Yangjun's death for a moment but had cast it to the back of his mind by now.
”If I have two hearts, I'll use one to remember him and the other to figure out how to kill you. But I only have one, and can't afford to waste it on you.” Leaning against a tree, Ye Silang spoke facing the grave and did not look back at the killer behind him.
”Killing this affectionate yet foolish swordsman may be easier than I thought.” Gu Shenwei, standing at a distance of more than twenty steps from the swordsman, loosened his right-hand grip on the sword shaft. ”That would be great for you. I wouldn't know how to kill you if you have two hearts.”
As if not hearing the killer's gibe, Ye Silang continued to speak without looking back. It seemed, perhaps, that he had been talking to himself all along, and the killer's presence was simply a coincidence. ”We learnt swordcraft together. Before that, I had already trained under different teachers while he had never learnt kung fu, and so I made him suffer quite a bit. This peach forest was his favorite place, and he would secretly come here to cry each time he lost a fight. As his swordcraft improved, there were occasions when even I became no match for him. But we made it a point to come here to play whenever it was the season the peach blossoms were in full bloom. Our days were spent with a lot of other people, while at night, only the two of us would sneak here. Even if we couldn't see anything, we could at least smell the fragrance of the flowers.”
”Now's a good time to act.” Gu Shenwei clutched his sword shaft once again and knew that Maid Lotus, who was dressed in white and hiding on a different tree, probably thought the same. But he was unable to strike, as if something was impeding him and causing him not to focus all of his attention on his sword.
”That shameless person, Gao Zhen, actually conceived evil thoughts towards him, and in doing so nettled and often quarreled with the little fella in the rice shop. Well, I would have killed that wretch if no one else did it.”
”But because you were using Marquis Gao's money, you were a little reluctant to kill him.” Gu Shenwei deliberately provoked the swordsman, hoping the latter would attack first.
”That's right, money, it's all because of money. All kinds of fascinating realms can be seen by learning swordcraft, but the one thing lacking about it is money. Though Gao Zhen was killed, he did me a great service. Someone offered me a hundred thousand taels to kill you and frame you for his murder, and I agreed. With this sum of money, we could have left Jade City, bought a piece of land, grow a few peach trees, and never get involved in jianghu conflicts ever again.”
Ye Silang's thoughts remained fixed upon the person in the grave, and there was no malice in his tone.
”You're the most valuable killer I've ever seen. Fifth Young Master Meng must really think too highly of me.”
”I'm not a killer and neither is he. We are swordsmen who may have killed for money, but would never act behind the back.” Ye Silang's voice suddenly became serious and his posture became straight.
”I'm a killer, and not a swordsman. I may kill for any reason, and absolutely not by standing in front of an expert and waiting for him to attack.”
Gu Shenwei was fully prepared. He had previously sensed a killing intent which was filled with weariness on Ye Silang's body, but it now became aroused and fervent like a volcano which had been dormant for too long and could erupt at any time.
”But why did you want to kill him? He wasn't a threat to you.”
When Ye Silang turned his body, Gu Shenwei was slightly shocked. He looked a completely different man; his face was haggard and no longer had that godlike radiance. The only distinctive features were his red eyes that exuded a fierce glare, upon seeing which even the most ferocious of wild beasts would retreat in fear.
But Gu Shenwei was a killer and not a wild beast. He had practiced Death Scripture, which taught that killing was one's purpose, and had walked the way of ”self-deconstruction”.
”Because of you. With him around, I wouldn't be able to kill you, while you would be able to kill me. You shouldn't have made him obstruct me, and shouldn't be surprised by his death after allowing him to engage in a life-and-death battle, in which all was fair and it was either me or him.”
Gu Shenwei imagined that the opportunity he was waiting for was about to arrive. He would strike back mercilessly at the swordsman when the latter attacked with his full might, but the real slayer would be Maid Lotus atop a tree.
The three swords would fly at an unbelievable pace, and the fight would end in a briefer period of time than it took for a peach blossom to fall off a branch. Someone would live and someone would die. The only differential depended on who was that tiny, imperceptible bit faster than the other.
But he was wrong once again. Ye Silang did not attack, his hand not even reaching for his sword shaft. ”I said I would return you a life, and today's the day for that. I'll spare you this time, but we'll meet again very soon.”
Gu Shenwei did not respond to this ”kind gesture”. He maintained a firm grip on his sword shaft while Internal Breath spread throughout his whole body, and began to feel an upsurge in killing desire. The greedy monster in him would only be satisfied after seeing fresh blood.
A vigilance grew in Ye Silang's heart. Without touching his sword, he moved his fingers a little and took a step back. ”I see that you're well-prepared. I shall have to find another time to return you a life. You may attack now. The person on the tree and you have one chance to kill me, and there'll be no second chance come tomorrow.”
Gu Shenwei had full confidence of killing the swordsman standing opposite him. Although he might once again be wounded, there was no chance that two killers who had learned the swordcraft of Death Scripture would lose to a haughty swordsman.
But he simply could not attack. There was something elusive and unidentifiable which was exerting a weak blocking effect on him. He suddenly understood that he was hesitating, and it was because Chu Yangjun's pre-death facial expression had quietly popped up in his mind and disturbed his thoughts.
It was all the weirder because he did not get a good look at Chu Yangjun's expression at that time. He only heard a line of last words which needed no passing on.
This would be a fatal error rather than a golden opportunity to kill. The minor disturbance was sufficient to cause his movements to be a tad slower than usual, which could spell the difference between life and death. While he wished to kill the swordsman, he did not want to suffer the same fate at this time.
”Tomorrow.”
Gu Shenwei took a step back as well.
”Tomorrow.”