Chapter 100: Comprehension of Sword
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Gu Shenwei had suffered a crushing defeat in the delayed seventh monthly test.
Wildhorse and Slave Huan were both the best competitors among this year’s apprentices. No one knew why they were matched up against each other. Nevertheless, everyone was looking forward to it.
Everyone had clearly remembered the battle in the ruins of Woodensaber Alley, which had lasted for an entire day and a night. Eventually, this battle was stopped by Lord, making these boys feel like they had been kicked in the stomach.
Gu Shenwei’s Internal Strength had stopped improving long ago. He put more effort into practicing his saber skills and reviewing his battle experiences after every practice session, as he hoped that this would compensate for his shortcomings. He made that happen, at least during his first few months at the East Castle. His kung fu was several levels stronger than before.
But now, his lack of Internal Strength was becoming more and more apparent, which could not be counterbalanced by any saber skill or experience.
Gu Shenwei had battled with Wildhorse for more than thirty movements in the training room. If anyone had witnessed that, he could hardly conclude that Slave Huan was actually the weaker one. They appeared to be of equal strength, and it looked as if anyone could win.
But Wildhorse was the last one standing, and Gu Shenwei knew his fate the moment when they had made their first movement.
Wildhorse was steadily improving. He had no defect: saber skill, Lightness skill and Internal Strength, he could manage all of them well. He was much better than the man he was at the time of the ruins’ battle.
Gu Shenwei was stabbed in his left chest, close to his heart. This was one of the deepest wounds in his body, which had nearly killed him.
It is said that Wildhorse had showed him mercy so he could repay Slave Huan for saving him from being killed in the South City. Now he did not owe anything to Slave Huan.
But Gu Shenwei knew this was not true. Wildhorse might be thankful, but he was still a killer, he would never repay him by using this method.
Wildhorse tried his utmost, he could almost finish Slave Huan’s life. He failed only because his strength was still developing. If he was given another month, Slave Huan would not be able to resist him after ten movements.
A deeply wounded apprentice had two choices: either he could choose to be throw off the Reincarnation Cliff, thus he could be honored as a warrior, however, it meant nothing nowadays; or could choose to be sent to the Firewood Yard. Gu Shenwei would rather stab himself than be forced to go back to that gloomy place.
Thus he chose the third way. He held in his most recent breath and asked an acquaintance to send him back to where his Master Shifu lived. He kept his eyes open all the time, so that the apprentice would not see him as a dead man and carry him to the Reincarnation Cliff.
He passed out as soon as he was put on the bed, and he did not open his eyes until the next night.
When he woke up, he could smell the intense herbal aromas, and then he discovered that his wound was covered with thick bandages. Gu Shenwei felt ashamed. Before the battle, he was thinking of overthrowing Golden Roc Fort, and now what? He could hardly protect himself.
One should learn both strategy and skill.
Tie Hanfeng’s reaction made him much more ashamed. It felt like a knife was stabbing his internal organs.
“You woke up?”
“Yes, Master Shifu.”
“You can’t assist Eighth Young Master in this way.”
“Yes.”
“Nor can you assist me.”
“Yes…Shifu.”
Tie Hanfeng tried hard to suppress his temper, but it had still burst out when he glared at Slave Huan coldly: “What the heck? What do you think you’re doing? I asked you to learn something in the Whiterobe Academy, and you learned to be stabbed? What about your killing intent? Your hatred? If I were you, I would kill myself immediately. Being stabbed by a dummy? You deserve death.”
Gu Shenwei could not refute it. Now they both had a red face.
Tie Hanfeng paced to and fro, his shoulders heaved up and down, making him look like a unsteady flying bird. “You fool, you’ve made a lot of schemes in this fort, needless to say about the other craps in the South City. Why do you think you are alive now? You dared to hide your internal trauma of Barren Sect, why I don’t kill you? Why?”
Gu Shenwei still could not refute it.
“Because you killed the stupid enemy in every monthly test! Because you can summon up a stupid ‘Tattooed Arm Gang’, because you can survive in the carnage, and made everyone think you are the best apprentice! That’s why Eighth Young Master protects you all the time, and that’s why I allowed you to do so many foolish things. If you are trash, I would have never spent so much money on you!”
Gu Shenwei could not be more ashamed. It turned out that Shifu knew Slave Huan’s secret long time ago, and he had reported it. If so, Gu Shenwei should tell him frankly. But then again, he was just a trivial slave at that time, the master might not want the trouble.
And it was his enemy Shangguan Nu, instead of Tie Hanfeng, who had asked for three more days for the assassination of Stone Kingdom’s prince.
This was extemely ironic. The shame he felt could never be wiped out.
“Remember, son.” Tie Hanfeng seemed prepared to show his real face. “Your life does not belong to you. You better make it count. Although Golden Roc Fort is gigantic, it only feeds the most vicious dogs. As for my place, it’s much smaller, there’s no place for trash.”
What could Gu Shenwei say? He was silent. After another day’s rest, he began his work. He took out the Nameless Swordbook and read it all day long, betting everything on it.
Tie Hanfeng left him alone. He had other things to worry about in the City. Gu Shenwei had enough time to study the obscure and profound letters and paintings.
The last few recondite words of the book had proved its value. The first 29 sword moves also seemed to have some mystical effects. But they all seemed too flawed. He originally thought it was the book’s problem, now he would rather believe that he had not comprehended it.
It was too hard to understand its profound meanings. He needed assistance.
On this night, Tattooed Arm Gang’s former members held their regular meeting. The number of people had decreased, only less than ten apprentices were left. Since they had pledged alliegiance toward different masters, this gang had already dissolved, no need to mention the blow that Slave Huan’s fiasco had brought them.
The meeting finished quickly. They deliberately did not mention the test, which made the atmosphere more awkward.
Gu Shenwei asked Maid Lotus to stay, who had the same problem as him. Their Internal Strength had stagnated for a long time.
“That book is useful.”
Maid Lotus spoke Gu Shenwei’s mind, they were thinking the same thoughts. Maid Lotus had not followed Slave Huan’s suggestion. She was secretly learning the sword skills, but she also could not comprehend it.
From that moment on, they sought the solution together by studying the book, especially in the last few pages, hoping that they could find the method to avoid qigong deviation.
After several days, they made no progress. Hence they had to admit their failure, and instead they studied the first 29 sword moves.
In the beginning, with inspiration from each other, they had rapidly improved. But soon a divergence appeared, and became so big that they could not maintain the harmony anymore.
” ‘The one who kills does not die’, this was the leading phrase, and ‘kill’ was the core, so this sword art should be used in the most ferocious and ruthless way.”
This was Maid Lotus’s point. And she insisted on it even after their argument.
“You’re right, but look at this, ‘He devotes himself to the Tao from day to day to suffer harm; he is harmed again and again till he dies; then he would reborn from ash.’ It’s saying that the killing target was ourselves. Before killing others, we have to kill ourselves first.”
Gu Shenwei thought his comprehension of the words were better, yet he did not persuade Maid Lotus.
These two teenagers placed all their hopes on this alien and exotic book, thus they chewed every letter whenever they were eating or sleeping, and once any thought came across their mind, they would share it with each other.
Because they met each other so frequently, rumors about them had sprung up, but Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus did not care about it. Until one day, Gu Shenwei was blocked by a team of apprentices. And since that, Gu Shenwei recognized that even killers had their secret passions.
Those apprentices all came from the former ‘Tattooed Arm Gang’, and they treated Gu Shenwei with respect Yet they all had a gloomy expression and a rigid tone. They could not tolerate it anymore.
“Slave Huan, lets find a place, we want to talk with you.”
Gu Shenwei lifted his right hand, so that he could pull out his saber at any time. His kungfu was surpassed by Wildhorse, but these guys? They were much weaker. “Talk with me right here.”
Those apprentices looked at each other, checked that no unrelated people were around, then their leader tentatively asked, “What’s…what’s going on between you and Maid Lotus?”
Gu Shenwei almost laughed out loud. He did not see that coming. “She is my friend and my helper. We have some important issues to discuss, that’s all.”
“Is that all?”
“That is all.”
Gu Shenwei acted very natually. In addition, he had his right hand on his saber, which was more persuasive than his words. Hence they apologized and left.
Soon another rumor came: Slave Huan and Maid Lotus was planning against Wildhorse. Some people believed it, and some people did not.
Improving their kung fu was the priority. Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus ignored all the rumors and continued to study the sword arts. But their progress was getting slower and slower. The vocabulary in the book was too profound, they could only identify which letters they were reading.
Gu Shenwei came up with an idea. He asked Zhang Ji for help.
The killers could not casually leave the East Castle, thus Gu Shenwei wrote down his confusion on the paper, and requested the slaves to deliver it. He wrote excessively everytime, including more than a hundred question concerning kung fu, history, classics. He concealed his real question among it, in case anyone peeped at it.
Zhang Ji did not know any kung fu, but he would read any book he had seen. After so many readings of the secret manuscripts, he could at least write something. Thus he answered every question Gu Shenwei asked, sometimes he even sent some books and wrote instructions for this pseudo-disciple to read.
At first, Gu Shenwei was worried about whether his behavior was suspicious, yet it proved he was wrong. Zhang Ji was a hired expert, without any power or influence. There was no danger in communicating with him.
However, his Master Shifu was the biggest hindrance. He did not understand why his apprentice ignored the proper duties, so he threatened Slave Huan’s life everytime they met. He asked Slave Huan to stick to the saber’s practice and ignore the “profund meaning” of Zhuang Zi or Lao Zi.
Gu Shenwei tried to explain. Now that he completely knew about his Shifu, no matter how malevolent Tie Hanfeng was, he would never kill Gu Shenwei for real.
Maid Lotus failed in the eighth monthly test as well, but her wound was not deep. After that, Gu Shenwei failed again. Luckily, his opponent was not that strong, so his wound was light.
But these two failures taught them an important thing.
Unlike normal sword arts or saber arts, the 29 sword moves in the Nameless Swordbook was unable to be learnt by a single person or two. Due to the lack of an atmosphere where people had to face the threat of death, practising the skill in normal conditions would not do them any good. On the contrary, they would deviate more from the path of “killing others” or “killing their own selves”.
They made an agreement on this matter. They had to kill others to learn the quintessence of the sword art.
