184 Return to South City (1/2)
Wildhorse's story made Gu Shenwei realize that truth was illusory and people just believed what they wished to believe.
In the meantime, he also had a suspicion that Wildhorse might have just made up a story to cheer Shangguan Ru up. ”That mute teenager is a natural born killer and has a strong desire for blood. He wants a capable leader, so he can't stand by watching Master Ru slide into a depression,” Gu Shenwei thought to himself.
Although Shangguan Ru lived in North City now, her killers still worked on a shift basis to keep watch at night. One night, Gu Shenwei was on the first shift. He wore a black cape and hid himself in a tree in the middle of the yard. When seen from a distance, he looked like a bulge in the trunk or an empty nest in the tree.
As this residence was not very large, he was able to see everything inside it while staying up in the tree. That night, he could even keep an eye on the situation in the streets nearby, for the moon was exceptionally bright.
Compared to South City, North City was much quieter at night. He could not see any pedestrian on the streets or hear anyone shouting or playing music after 9 pm. During this hour, the city looked as if it was empty.
Despite that, he still strictly carried out his mission and focused on observing everything around him. He was a professional killer, who knew when to think, observe or kill.
To his great surprise, Shangguan Ru quietly walked out of her room all of a sudden.
She was dressed in a long white robe, her long hair tied into a ponytail. In the moonlight, she looked like a wandering fairy.
Upon seeing her, Gu Shenwei immediately tensed up. He thought that she was going to sneak out of the residence. He decided to follow her to keep her safe and also to prevent her from doing something foolish in North City.
However, beyond all his expectations, Shangguan Ru did not go anywhere. She took off her robe in the yard, revealing a black outfit, and then she drew out her wooden saber and began to practice a saber routine beside the tree where Gu Shenwei hid.
She moved very fast, making her saber whistle. However, this routine still looked more like a workout routine than a combat routine.
Gu Shenwei had never seen this workout routine before. He considered that it was probably due to the fact that children of the Shangguan family were taught more kung fu skills in the Golden Roc Fort.
After watching her practicing for some time, he gradually realized that she was practicing saber skills with an imaginary partner, Shangguan Yushi.
A moment later, Shangguan Ru stopped practicing and went over to lean against the tree trunk. She looked up at the starry sky and asked, ”Can you identify constellations in the sky?”
”No,” Gu Shenwei blurted out. After a while, he added, ”I can only identify the seven bright stars of the Big Dipper.”
”The saber routine that I practiced just now is called Seven Stars, since it has seven variations. My favorite move in this routine is the one named Ursae Majoris. I like its name. I also like another one called Alkaid.”
”Yeah, nice names.”
Shangguan Ru continued to talk about many other things, and Gu Shenwei just kept listening.
”Does Master Ru just want to talk about Master Yu? Or, does she want me to pledge my eternal loyalty to her again?” Gu Shenwei wondered.
”Do you know any other stories of burglars? I mean those cool burglars who always work alone.” Shangguan Ru suddenly changed the subject.
Gu Shenwei was surprised that she still remembered the story of Red Bat Lady, which he had told her years ago. Back then, he had just wanted to goad her into breaking into Six Kills Temple by telling her this story.
”There are not many such burglars. A burglar usually works for an organization behind the scene and is backed by a secret power. Even a top burglar like Red Bat Lady was unable work on her own and always go her own way.”
Gu Shenwei was no longer a child. He did not believe that the Red Bat Lady could sneak into the palace without relying on anyone else to help her.
”Not many, but there are still some of them, aren't there?”
”Yes, there are.” Gu Shenwei racked his brain and finally thought of a jianghu tale that he had heard during his childhood. ”Many years ago, there was a renowned burglar named Hairless Specter.”
”Hairless Specter? What a weird name,” Shangguan Ru interrupted.
”Yes, this name is very weird, but this burglar is legendary. No one was able to catch Hairless Specter. No one knew if the burglar was a man or a woman.”
”Are you suggesting that this Hairless Specter is even more legendary than the Red Bat Lady?”
”It's impossible to compare Hairless Specter to Red Bat Lady, although Hairless Specter's kung fu was also quite good. Hairless Specter just worked for himself and only stole items which were more peculiar. The officials didn't work very hard to hunt him down.”
”What did Hairless Specter steal?”
”Hair.”
”Hair? Are you saying that the burglar stole hairs on a human head?”
”Yes. Hairless Specter liked to sneak into the homes of others in the night to cut hair, regardless of sex. Many people's hair was cut by the burglar.”
”Hahaha, that's nonsense. You must be kidding.”
”It's true. I knew a guy whose hair was cut off by the Hairless Specter. He wore a hat to cover his head for days.”
...
Shangguan Ru returned to her bedroom after midnight, feeling much better.
Gu Shenwei was still up in the tree. He looked into the distance and felt lost. He discovered that he was only able to recollect little about his life in the Central Plain.
A moment later, Maid Lotus came out for her shift. When she jumped up to the tree, Gu Shenwei told her, ”Let's get ready. We'll return to South City very soon.”