Chapter 207: Heart of the Lake
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Memory was like a dog eager to please its owner. As long as you something to chew on, it would come back with something in its mouth.
Gu Shenwei had a strong feeling that he had met the Weis before, but he couldn’t remember the exact details. He doubted his memory. To him, even though he spent nearly three years working in Stone Castle, it seemed longer than a lifetime. Recollecting the events that occurred three years ago was harder than crossing the widest river alone.
But he still believed that he would get a few basic facts right.
He had only been six or seven years old when his sister Cuilan got married. He knew nothing, only to blindly address him “brother-in-law”. Until he realized that his sister had married into the Wei family rather than his brother-in-law joining the Gu family, he had little impression of his “brother-in-law” and had no intention to get to know him.
Gu Shenwei was unfamiliar with the name “Wei Lingmiao”. However, he was convinced that his prospective in-laws were the Weis.
He had a niggling sense of familiarity towards “Wei Song”. Someone had once mentioned this name and he even felt that he had seen this name before.
The reception for Wei Lingmiao would be a gathering for the upper class of Jade City. Fifth Young Master Meng had overestimated Slave Huan’s status. Kun Society had to attend this gathering but Fifth Young Master Meng would never allow a slave-born killer to stand in the same room with the other noblemen. Shangguan Ru was uninterested in such gatherings and asked her brother to take her place.
Shangguan Fei was willing to do his sister a turn but he had a small wish. He hoped that through this gathering, his brothers’ would no longer hate him anymore. If that worked out, he would swear that he would not vie for the position of Supreme King.
The gathering was held in the early summer of mid-May at the Bodhi Garden in the Meng Residence, North City. Gu Shenwei attended the gathering as the bodyguard of Ninth Young Master. This was the first time he met Master Wei Lingmiao, who was supposed to be his brother-in-law.
There was a benefit of being a bodyguard – he did not need to socialise or drink with the guests.
Shangguan Fei was the youngest among the noblemen, however his gloomy expression and flustered actions made others feel like he was aged and that something was wrong with him.
There was definitely something wrong with Shangguan Fei. His leg, which had been crushed by a rock before being cured by a doctor, was still slightly disabled. No one could detect anything when Shangguan Fei walked slowly but when he walked faster, he seemed unbalanced. From then onwards, he had developed a habit of looking at people from the corner of his eye.
Unlike other noblemen, Shangguan Fei remained behind the table at all times and did not greet any far-away visitors. He was uninterested in the guests, be it the Governor’s son or those ambassadors who were only interested in having fun. He cared only about his personal safety and he suspected that his sister had sent Slave Huan to monitor him instead of protecting him.
After hearing so many rumors, Gu Shenwei was disappointed when he saw Wei Lingmiao.
Master Wei was only about twenty four or twenty five years old. He was tall and handsome, but other than that, he did not seem to have other talents. He was not as wanton and unrestrained as the others had described. Instead, he was gentle and elegant. He greeted everyone coolly and even stopped momentarily at Ninth Young Master’s table and greeted him.
The banquet began in the evening. Apart from the fact that several noblemen were drunk, everything seemed normal. It appeared that this would be like every other boring and insipid party.
Around nine o’clock at night, several older noblemen left and Wei Lingmiao dismissed his followers. Then, the real party began.
“Marquis Gao was a womanizer and died for love. We are saddened yet envious. Everyone, let us toast him on this special occasion.”
This was the first toast made by Wei Lingmiao this evening. Everyone stood up. The atmosphere seemed heavy when they paid tribute to the Marquis, who had died young. Master Wei led everyone in the toast and all of them smashed their cups on the floor.
“Lao Si, bring out all the prostitutes! It’s so boring.”
Master Wei’s words swept away any vestiges of the gloomy mood and everyone cheered. The noblemen had not attended the gathering because they wanted to please the Governor, but because they wanted to see what kind of tricks the flirtatious Master would bring from the Central Plain.
“Lao Si” was Fourth Young Master Meng, who was the older brother of Meng Mingshi. Both of them were old friends. He slammed the table and said, “Damn it. Delay any longer and those prostitutes would have become old maids.”
In the blink of an eye, the gentlemanly Master transformed into a crude lecher.
Pairs of strong men, each carried gigantic plates with a naked woman on lying atop of every plate. There were nineteen of them, one for each of the remaining nineteen guests.
After the gigantic plates were placed in the middle of the hall, the strong men retreated.
Apart from woman, there were also wine jugs and cups on the plate. The women smiled invitingly, in all sorts of seductive poses to attract the attention of the noblemen, especially Wei Lingmiao. To win his favor, each woman tried her best to stand out from the rest.
Everyone was staring at the women. Then, another batch of women entered the hall and danced among the plates. They slowly took off their clothes and remained with the other women.
Crash! A cup from one of the noblemen’ hands fell onto the floor. There was then a round of applause. No one was interested in the food in front of them.
Even Shangguan Fei, who was uninterested in women, wore a lustful expression and could not help grunting.
Gu Shenwei suspected that Ninth Young Master was trying to blend in with the others. He had no business in the hall so he quietly left. He headed to the lake and stood silently by the fence.
The moonlight was bright. The famous colorful lotuses of Bodhi Garden closed up during night time and they looked like little unlit lamps swaying peacefully on the surface of the lake. There was a huge contrast between the noisy hall and the peaceful lake.
“It was fortunate that Sister didn’t marry him, if not I would have had to kill him”, Gu Shenwei thought. His heart felt as tranquil as the lake.
Meanwhile, the performance in the hall was still going on. Once a batch of women exited another would enter. It looked like many noblemen had prepared some entertainment. It looked to be a wild night of debauchery.
A group of women chattered as they walked past, excitedly discussing the nobles whose attention they had caught. Gu Shenwei had nowhere to hide so he just stood at his original position and pretended to guard the Meng’ residence. He gazed the little boats floating at the centre of the lake.
“Hey, Yang Huan, why are you here?”
Someone had recognized him. Gu Shen turned his head, saying, “Oh, nothing. It’s chaos inside and I’m technically not a guest.”
Xu Yanwei was covered in a piece of thin clothing. Her face seemed redder than usual, which could be because of too much powder or from performing too hard. She replied, “That’s true. You must have felt uncomfortable watching the others choosing women. If you want, I can play with you.”
Xu Yanwei batted her eyelashes and laughed. She was in a good mood and did not care about the killer’s gloomy appearance. She asked, “Did you see me just now?”
Gu Shenwei shook his head. He really had not seen her and all the women looked similar. It was difficult to distinguish each of them. Although admittedly, he was a man just like any other and it was difficult to pay attention to only the face.
“Master Wei had taken a fancy to me. I dare say that he will sleep with me tonight. Yang Huan, lets meet again at Central Plain.”
Xu Yanwei spun around, not caring that her body was bare under the moonlight. Laughing, she left. She was one step closer to reaching her goal and had even dared to call Mr. Huan by name.
This prostitute with the tragic backstory was certainly optimistic. Gu Shenwei looked at her retreating back and couldn’t help but laugh. However, he didn’t believe that Wei Lingmiao would take her with him when he returned to Central Plain. That Master was a womanizer and he surely would not be enamoured by a prostitute
The ruckus from the hall became louder, as though some noblemen’s lusts could no longer be contained. The sound was similar to what one heard along Pleasure Alley.
The sounds of animals in the heat. Servants rushing around. The chilld of the moonlit air. The ethereal beauty of holy lotus flowers. Gu Shenwei felt like he was standing between the two contrasting worlds. He missed his blade and sword. It was forbidden to bring weapons into the Bodhi Garden and he crouched, rubbing blades of grass between his finger, as if trying to conjure something out of nothing.
“A bunch of fools”, a lazy voice said. This man leaned against the fence as he sized up the young killer.
Gu Shenwei was taken by surprise and did not know how to respond to Master Wei. He hesitated for a moment, dipped his head and said, “Master Wei, why did you come out alone?”
“No reason”, Wei Lingmiao replied as he pursed his lips and whistled, signalling the little boat in the centre of the lake. He said, “It had been years since I came here. I thought there would be new people in Jade City but it looks like nothing has changed. Even though the people are different, they still use the same old tricks. Prostitutes nowadays are not as hardworking as those in the past.”
“Master Wei had seen much. Surely you would obviously not be attracted to these cheap tricks”, Gu Shenwei said. He thought Xu Yanwei would feel disappointed.
“Cheap tricks can be alluring but only in moderation. Few women knew this and even fewer men. Everyone is just wasting their live, just like pigs and dogs.”
Gu Shenwei found that he could not maintain a conversation with Master Wei. They were on different wavelengths. Fortunately, the boat docked so he need not reply to Master Wei.
The captain was a young woman dressed in rags. Despite being casually dressed, her familiar smile revealed her true identity. She, too, was from South City.
Wei Lingmiao went to the pier and boarded the boat with the help of the woman. Then he turned back, “Come with me to and watch the moon. Let us stay far away from them.”
“Me?” Gu Shenwei replied. Gu Shenwei was only a bodyguard but had had a fortuitous chance of speaking to Master Wei. He felt that he was not worthy to even be invited onto the boat, let alone play on it.
“Yes, why not? A killer is also a person. Are you not drawn by this beautiful scenery?”
Gu Shenwei’s heart skipped a beat. There were numerous bodyguards in Bodhi Garden but he was the only killer. Wei Lingmiao must have known his identity when he said that.
Then, Gu Shenwei remembered the 1.15 million taels and thought that this invitation could be related to that. Hence, he boarded the boat, preparing to fight it out with Master Wei.
The young woman pushed the boat from shore and Wei Lingmiao entered the cabin. He then took out a bottle of wine and two ceramic bowls. Half sitting at the bow, he closed his eyes and hummed a little tune.
Gu Shenwei instinctively took up the bottle and poured the wine into the two bowls. He knelt at the side while waiting for Master Wei to ask him about the money.
Suddenly, flute sounds could be heard from the stern of the boat. It was in harmony with Master Wei’s humming. Evidently, there was a songstress onboard.
The boat circled around the reflection of the moon at the heart of the lake, disturbing the lilies. They seemed to be shaking their head in dissatisfaction. The music stopped.
Wei Lingmiao opened his eyes and smiled at the killer. He asked, “How is your owner?”
Gu Shenwei almost punched Wei Lingmiao’s handsome, arrogant face. Master Wei, who came from Central Plain, had almost became his brother-in-law. He had gotten tired of playing with all the prosititutes in Jade City and he was now interested in Golden Roc Fort Tenth Young Master. To him, the name Gu Cuilan had probably never existed before.
