Chapter 167: The Praying Mantis
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Marquis Gao, Zhou Huan, Slave Jing, and Slave Yuan were all murdered by a killer. This was a pretty obvious fact. But because of their sword wounds, this fact was ignored.
Swords and daggers were similar, and a top-rate macheteman would not become weaker by using a sword. Moreover, there was not a single master among the four who were dead.
Wildhorse had already thrown in with Shangguan Yushi. His hatred for the “Tattooed Arm Gang” had never diminished.
Gu Shenwei gradually understood Master Yu’s entire plan. Unless Slave Huan and Maid Lotus all died under the sword, all the suspicions would fall on Ye Silang. Moreover, there was also Chu Yangjun to consider. Who would believe that a swordsman would not also like assassination? The Golden Roc Fort’s Shangguan Ru would definitely not believe this.
But Gu Shenwei still had a few unresolved issues. For instance, who was the assassin of Rouge Forest? That person’s swordcraft was excellent, and it couldn’t have been faked by Wildhorse. Also, how did Master Yu actually contact the Horned Dragon Society? Why did he need to give Marquis Gao money?
Gu Shenwei didn’t have a lot of time to decipher these matters. Master Yu and Wildhorse’s plans were to begin.
This plan was indeed of ingenious design. On the surface, Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus seemed to be “walking into the devil’s lair” on their own accord.
A macheteman received the news that Horned Dragon Society’s Machete God Huang Shi’an was still a gambler. Every two or three days, he would visit the casino called “Thousand Eyes” for a bout.
Gu Shenwei was still responsible for collecting intelligence. Hence, such news was automatically reported to him. He then had to journey to North City to pass valuable information to Shangguan Ru.
The first assassination attempt of Huang Shi’an had been organised by Slave Huan. Because of his failure, he had to fight to secure the second operation.
Slave Huan and Master Yu had a small dispute before the Tenth Young Master. In the end, Shangguan Ru still gave the task to Slave Huan. This was because Slave Huan needed to land a perfect operation to restore his reputation and status in Kun Society.
To outsiders, Slave Huan’s suspiciousness seemed to reach the level of paranoia. Apart from Maid Lotus, he refused any other helpers. Even the preliminary reconnaissance had been done by two people following in secret. In other words, no one was allowed to know the details of this assassination.
Even so, Gu Shenwei was a hundred percent certain that he and Maid Lotus were walking into a well-laid trap. Killers understood killers, and their assassination plans were sure to be anticipated by Wildhorse.
This time though, he wanted to be prepared for battle.
On the third day of intelligence gathering, everything was going as planned. Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus entered the North City in the evening. After visiting the Tenth Young Master, he expressed his doubts. “This is a trap and I suspect that Maid Lotus is the target.”
Shangguan Ru sat cross-legged on the soft couch, an expression of serious contemplation. Gu Shenwei could not help but think that this expression did not suit the young girl before him. She was too young, and was used to being pampered. She had no experience in living through the cruelties of war. She would not know about how to handle such a complicated situation properly.
But Shangguan Ru used the oldest trick in the book to end the bitter rivalry between Master Yu and Slave Huan. However, she did not know that any civility on the surface had already been shattered. Their struggle had not only destabilized their masters’ position, but also destroyed the very foundation of Kun Society from the inside.
Unless one of them died.
“Do you still believe Kun Society has a hidden traitor?”
“Yes. This night, the person who will attack Maid Lotus is a hidden traitor.”
“Who do you suspect? I know you have someone in mind.”
“Oh, I believe it’s one of the killers. Someone held on to their grudge since the apprenticeship days.”
Gu Shenwei was very careful not to mention Master Yu. He believed it was the same for Shangguan Yushi as well. The rivalry between the two was intense, even as they looked amicable on the outside.
Shangguan Ru breathed a sigh of relief. She had been afraid that Slave Huan would suspect Master Yu. This way, no matter whether the suspicion was true or false, she would have to make a choice between the two. If it was a case of hatred between killers, she could uphold justice without the slightest hesitation.
As such, the matter was settled. Slave Huan and Maid Lotus went on their assassination operation as planned. At the same time, they were to catch the hidden traitor.
The two, dressed in black and wearing black masks, left straight from North City. They did not travel the usual route but jumped over the high walls. Then, they crossed the frozen river, walking towards South City. Meanwhile, the killer, grasping a sword and dagger in each hands, readied himself, having waited in anticipation for so long.
Judging from the sole act of assassination itself, the operation seemed simple.
Huang Shi’an was a gambler through and through. The intelligence that Gu Shenwei had collected from various channels all suggested that before Machete God had become famous, he was already fond of gambling. This was why he had not received the favour of his patrons in the past.
Thousand Eyes was located in Chengdong. This was a casino protected by the Horned Dragon Society. It was not far from the base camp and was very safe.
Huang Shi’an often went to this betting arena, bringing seven to eight machetemen. He liked the bustle, and liked to cheer on the crowds.
Gu Shenwei knew that this trap wasn’t entirely mere speculation. From Xu Xiaoyi’s intelligence, he knew that the Machete God had been going to the Thousand Eyes almost everyday. He had even become bolder in placing his bets. “In less than ten days, this betting arena would collect tens of thousands of silver. Tens of thousands! My God, these people are completely immersed in the game.”
Gu Shenwei thought immediately of the “rice and flour trade” game which the great Protector Sack Zhou played. This was a game when the silver was transferred from the left to the right hand. Horned Dragon Society used this method to attract the attention of Kun Society without spending a single cent.
There was a small alley opposite Thousand Eyes and Huang Shi’an would travel down this particular street after betting, heading for home. Gu Shenwei and Maid Lotus had watched for three consecutive days, and both agreed that this was the best spot for an ambush.
The plan was this: Gu Shenwei would perch on the rooftop of a house in the alley and would use his advantage of higher ground to ambush the people below using bow and arrow. Once spotted by the enemy he was to escape immediately. The men of Horned Dragon Society would definitely jump atop the roof to give chase and Huang Shi’an’s kung fu greatly surpassed all the others. About eight or nine would run to the front where Maid Lotus would ambush them in the middle of the road. When Huang Shi’an passed by, she would kill him with one blow of the sword without intercepting the others.
However, this method of assassination was not foolproof. Its success depended highly upon the enemy’s reaction. However, it allowed them to avoid traps on the ground.
Maid Lotus set up her ambush. Gu Shenwei went alone to the alleyway, watching the main door of the Thousand Eyes from the rooftop, crouched on all fours.
After a quarter of an hour, Huang Shi’an and seven machetemen appeared together. From their expressions, one could hardly tell the odds of victory. Machete God looked happy as always. Even if he’d just lost an entire month’s worth of salary, he would not be scowling.
Gu Shenwei was going to go ahead with his second plan. Assassination was secondary. Catching the hidden traitor was the key objective tonight.
He used the snow on the roof to build a figure of a man crouching on fours. He covered it with a black coat and left his bow and arrow there. In the darkness, bending as low as he could, he circled back to where Maid Lotus was supposed to lay her ambush.
This was what the two agreed on. From Gu Shenwei’s current position, it didn’t matter if the enemy’s target was Slave Huan or Maid Lotus, he would be able to find out.
The praying mantis catches the cicada but the yellow finch lies in wait behind it. Only now, a praying mantis had run to the back of the yellow finch.
The machetemen of the Horned Dragon Society’s hearty laughter floated through the silent night, and Huang Shi’an’s throaty laughter could be heard from afar.
If Gu Shenwei was that finch, he would have chosen to strike the moment the assassination operation of Machete God was in play. That was the moment when Slave Huan and Maid Lotus were concentrating intently and neglecting their backs.
The killer appeared. Approaching Maid Lotus from the other direction, it appeared as a vague dark silhouette, but Gu Shenwei could still recognise the distinct traits of the killer from the Golden Roc Fort. In the East Castle, he had observed the apprentices’ movements in the countless dark times and was extremely familiar with their actions.
This killer did not hide his tracks deliberately but moved quickly. Gu Shenwei sized this person up quickly: he was dressed in all black, masked, and carried a knife and a sword under his waist.
It was exactly the same as Slave Huan’s.
It was he who had killed Slave Yuan and Slave Jing, having dressed up as one of their most trusted men. Even if the resemblance was not complete, it was still hidden by the darkness.
There was no time to wait. Gu Shenwei’s priority was Maid Lotus’ safety.
Two “Slave Huan” stood facing each other. No one moved. They were stupefied by this incident.
In the alley below, Machete God and his companions could be heard, their voices getting louder and louder. They were probably wondering why the expected assassination had not happened.
“That’s him?” Maid Lotus asked from her position.
The two “Slave Huan” nodded at the same time. Immediately, as one of them made an attack, the other pulled out his sword, someone who did not know machete skills would have found these two killers exceedingly weak. They kept trading straight blows. These moves were too simple and unsophisticated.
However, in this match, the outcome had already been decided. One of the men’s hands was severed and it fell with his saber onto the ground. With a moan, he turned to the east and ran.
Machetemen in the alley pricked up their ears at the sound. Someone shouted, “There’s an assassin!” Numerous shadows quickly jumped onto the rooftop, chasing after the man in black.
The plot to assassinate Huang Shi’an had lost its meaning. Gu Shenwei nodded his head, and with Maid Lotus, ran West, in the opposite direction of fake slave. The two had planned their escape route way in advance and quickly ditched their pursuers.
“Are you not going to chase him?” Maid Lotus was a little surprised.
“There’s no need. If he is truly a killer, there’s only one place he can go.”
The killers of the Tenth Young Master all lived in the stronghold of the Kun Society in the South City. Fake Slave Huan had lost a hand and it was only natural that he sought help from his master. Running east was only a trick to hide his true destination.
Gu Shenwei believed it must have been Shangguan Yushi who had given the order, and the person who had lost his hand must be Wildhorse.
Even though Slave Huan’s machete skills had improved greatly with the help of the “Death Scripture”, Wildhorse’s machete skills were comparable. He had only slipped in that unexpected encounter, losing his momentum.
The two men in black returned to theKun Society stronghold. They did not enter immediately, but waited on a roof in the South. One monitored what was above, and the other watched the ground.
The entrance and exits of the Kun Society’s stronghold were in the East, but the killers never took that route in the night. They would always circle around to the south.
Almost four more days had passed when a dark shadow stumbled out.
The two watchmen waited until the target entered the courtyard. They waited for a little more before entering and quickly made for the bedroom of Master Yu.
Shangguan Yushi might have been wide awake or might have just been extremely alert. The two men in black had only just arrived at the door when it flew open, a saber in hand. She asked loudly: “You two. Where is the Machete God’s head?”
Maid Lotus tore off her mask, saying: “It’s me.”
“Tenth Young Master!” Shangguan Yushi cried out hoarsely, and loosened her grip on the saber.
“There really is a mole. He’s injured and has just returned. Let’s ferret him out now.”
Gu Shenwei stood silently in the corner, waiting to see how Master Yu would reply. It would be strange if Wildhorse was not hiding in her house.
And it really was strange.
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