174 Flames (1/2)

The Shangguan family had two grown-up masters, one of whom was conferred the title ”Young Master”. However, their situations were as different as heaven and earth. As the Kun-Horned Dragon war raged on, the Ninth Young Master Shangguan Fei was nearly forgotten.

He controlled the least territory and had recruited barely a few machetemen. The only consolation was that his eleven killers were all alive and kicking, whereas three of his younger sister Shangguan Ru's killers had perished.

The decision to hold the negotiations on Shangguan Fei's territory received the approval of both sides. Shangguan Ru trusted her elder brother while Meng Mingshi had a rather good opinion of the Ninth Young Master.

During the negotiations, each side would send forth one person who was not allowed to carry weapons. The other machetemen could only keep guard at both ends of the lane. Shangguan Fei would also dispatch three killers to guarantee the negotiators' safety.

Gu Shenwei should have thought about this sooner, but he had been preoccupied with thinking about how to kill the swordsman Ye Silang that he overlooked the most obvious fact. It was only when the commandant reminded him that he finally understood.

Fifth Young Master wanted this assassination to proceed seamlessly, and thus would not only send forth his best swordsman but also make sure that the three overlooking killers stood by and did nothing.

Shangguan Ru thought that the assassination would take place on the way to the negotiations because she overly trusted her elder brother and never imagined he would ”betray” her.

This was the first time Gu Shenwei conscientiously examined the relationship between the twins. He discovered that while they remained friendly on the outside, they had long become divided at heart. The animosity between them had been growing since the game of ”stealing” the Black Jade Palm a year back.

At that time, four ”raiders” were trapped in a house by Mister Guo. To save Slave Huan and Master Yu, Shangguan Ru falsely placed a knife at her elder brother's throat. Though she did not go through with it, Shangguan Fei was nonetheless scared out of his wits.

Since then, Shangguan Fei no longer clung on to his younger sister and Master Yu. Shangguan Ru was not only unaware of it but felt pleased.

But nobody imagined that Shangguan Fei's resentment would continue to grow in the dark to the extent that he viewed his younger sister as an enemy.

This was like an intricate spider web in which the tug of any thread would shake the entire situation. Gu Shenwei was merely a tiny insect stuck on it, but his position just so happened to be in the way of the masters, and as a result, his life and death became pivotal to the whole affair.

No matter how many people would die, this was all a game to the Shangguan family. The Supreme King was using this method to train his children; the principle behind it was the same as having the apprentices kill each other, except that this time, the players themselves were not at risk, and instead it would be a bunch of nobodies who paid with their lives.

Gu Shenwei pondered alone for some time to comprehend the rules of this game. The names of and relationships among Shangguan Fei, Shangguan Ru, Meng Mingshi, and Shangguan Yushi flew about in his mind.

When he heard a noise from outside, he opened the door and went out to take a look. Tenth Young Master was standing in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by four lantern-carrying servants, while a continuous stream of messengers entered through the gate to report the circumstances to her.

”It has begun!” Shangguan Ru lifted her head high and spoke excitedly to Slave Huan. ”Let's go and watch the fun together.”

The lantern-carrying slaves walked in front while Gu Shenwei walked alongside Shangguan Ru, further escorted by a dozen or so attendants. The Tenth Young Master had not deliberately increased her number of servants, but people from the Inner Residence of Stone Castle had unknowingly come to North City in quick succession. She had become accustomed to seeing them whenever she opened her eyes.

The group arrived at a tower next to a border wall of North City. Slave Huan followed Shangguan Ru upstairs while the attendants kept guard below.

There were many people gathered upstairs already. With the south-facing windows left wide open, many people complained of the cold and instructed their servants to bring them thicker coats and hand warmers.

Shangguan Ru's arrival caused a minor stir. Her acquaintances came over to offer greetings, while several strangers asked others to help introduce. Gu Shenwei saw Shangguan Fei walk over to his younger sister and whisper a few sentences to her ear, and they laughed at the same time in a manner no different from regular siblings. Fifth Young Master Meng was also present, but with a grim face, he pretended not to see her and did not come forth to greet.

The place was filled with the noble children of North City, or otherwise their personal servants, who carried lanterns, kept watching on their masters' actions, and performed errands for them.

”Look, there's movement!” Someone shouted. Everyone hastily clustered by the window and peered towards South City, which was across a river.

It was Horned Dragon Society's stronghold on the other side. There was a faint flickering of flames in the surrounding streets, and suddenly, yelling noises that became increasingly high-pitched, loud, and confusing were heard. They were followed by noises of weapons colliding, curses, commands, and strange cries.

Kun Society's great counteroffensive at the eleventh hour was taking place under the eyes of the many nobles.

”It sounds intense but we can't see anything,” someone grumbled.

”You'll be able to see clearly in a while,” Shangguan Ru replied brusquely.

The first stage of the battle was disadvantageous to Kun Society. There was practically no movement within Horned Dragon Society's stronghold as all of the fighting took place outside its perimeters. This meant that the offensive was not going well, thereby explaining the Tenth Young Master's irritation.

Fifth Young Master Meng was chatting and laughing together with several Horned Dragon Society members. They were discussing some licentious topics and deliberately speaking loudly, as if they were not concerned about the life-and-death brawl in South City.