Chapter 274: Memory
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Gu Shenwei walked into a quiet valley. The stalker was very careful as he always kept a distance of a dozen steps away from Gu Shenwei. He could keep a close eye on Gu Shenwei by relying on the lights from the houses along the street.
This stalker was experienced. If Gu Shenwei was not that suspicious, then he would not have discovered the stalker.
The gate of a house in front of Gu Shenwei was unlatched. He stopped at the gate, checked his surroundings, pushed open the gate, entered the yard and closed the gate gently behind him. He stuck himself to the gate and listened for any sounds as he grabbed his sword hilt with his right hand.
Gu Shenwei could hear the sound of people laughing inside the house. This was a prostitute’s house and she was entertaining her customer. The servant had forgotten to close the gate.
Gu Shenwei waited for a while. Then he suddenly pushed the gate forward. He reached his left arm out and pulled in a person. He then placed his saber at the person’s neck with his right hand.
That man was holding onto a limestone in his right hand as he was about to make a sign on the door. He couldn’t even react and he froze in his original posture. A chill ran down his spine. His body softened, but he managed to stand straight with his mouth wide open due to the presence of a saber at his neck. He didn’t even dare to breathe.
“What is your name?” Gu Shenwei whispered. The laughter from the house was gradually becoming louder and it made for a good cover.
“Wang…Wang Cheng.”
“Who is your master?”
“I…I can’t say.”
Gu Shenwei exerted a little strength and the saber sliced through a layer of the stalker’s skin.
Wang Cheng did not have much courage despite the fact that he was an experienced stalker. All of a sudden, his eyes dilated, his limbs twitched and his mouth was foaming.
Gu Shenwei loosened his grip. Wang Cheng kept convulsing as he slowly sat down. He was dead, but the blood that was flowing out from his neck was not even enough to feed a mosquito.
He had bitten the toxic pill inside his mouth and committed suicide.
Gu Shenwei bent down and observed him for a while. He did not know much about poisons so he could not find any clue. There was nothing special on his body, so Gu Shenwei sheathed his saber. He pushed open the gate and left quickly. He left the body behind for the prostitute and her customer.
There were quite a few people in South City who appeared to have no connection with Golden Roc Fort, but in fact, they were working for the fort. However, Wang Cheng was not one of them. He was just a stalker. There was no need for him to poison himself upon being caught.
Gu Shenwei returned home with his suspicions. He suspected that Shopkeeper Lyu and Mister Zhao was involved because he was followed when he left his house for the first time in three days. The problem must lie with the two of them, but he wasn’t sure who was the one.
This small yard was located in a developing village on the border of South City. The residents here were mostly poor machetemen and businessmen. Xu Xiaoyi bought this yard through someone else a year ago and had asked an old servant to guard it. The guard only recognized Xu Xiaoyi’s seal. The nearby residents often changed, hence they wouldn’t pay much attention to their neighbors.
Xu Xiaoyi had rented or bought seven to eight similar apartments in different locations. They were bought or rented in preparation for Gu Shenwei’s return.
Chu Nanping came at midnight. They patrolled around the house and did not find any stalkers.
The second Immortal Peng almost couldn’t wait to meet killer Yang Huan. When he saw Chu Nanping, he figured out that the Dragon King must have entered Jade City.
“He said that Joy Pavilion can protect us.” Chu Nanping was simple-minded and naive, and he trusted Immortal Peng’s words. “We don’t need to stay here. Golden Roc Fort wouldn’t dare to create trouble because there are many masters in Joy Pavilion.”
Gu Shenwei did not want to move to Hope Valley. In fact, he changed his residence at dawn in the next morning. Both him and Chu Nanping also disguised themselves.
Gu Shenwei was relaxed since Immortal Peng was in a hurry to see him. For the next three days, he disguised himself as a hired macheteman who wanted to avenge his master and inquired about Wang Cheng. Even though Wang Cheng was so cowardly, he had been willing to kill himself over a small incident. He was definitely being controlled by someone powerful.
But no one knew Wang Cheng. There were only two Wang Chengs in Jade City, and both of them were living well. They had nothing to do with the stalker.
Gu Shenwei visited Mister Zhao and Shopkeeper Lyu again. Although Chu Nanping was on the lookout, he hadn’t detected any stalker on both occasions. Gu Shenwei thought that the problem might lie with Chu Nanping. No matter how the teenager was dressed up, he still had the temperament of a swordsman, hence Chu Nanping could be easily identified by experienced stalkers.
Gu Shenwei temporarily put this matter aside and went to meet Immortal Peng one evening.
The previous Immortal Peng was an ugly dwarf, but now he was replaced by a slightly bearded, white-faced scholar. The scholar’s style was very different from that of his predecessor. Besides, he had no screen to cover him. He was sitting cross-legged on a hard wooden bed, and there were two boys standing on both sides. One of them held a sword, while another held a miniature Buddha. The incense burner was emitting dense smoke into the air, which enveloped Immortal Peng in a mysterious atmosphere.
Without a strong hypnotism, the second generation Immortal Peng was less mystifying than his predecessor. However, his words were just as mystifying. “Everyone will return to Joy Pavilion.” This was his first sentence.
Gu Shenwei had previously learned the Secrets of Love at Joy pavilion, so he was regarded as a disciple of Joy Pavilion. He did not want to be tangled up in this issue and asked directly, “I heard you are in a hurry to see me?”
“I heard that you want to negotiate with Stone Castle?” Immortal Peng asked.
Gu Shenwei once reminded Chu Nanping not to say too much. However, Chu Nanping had treated Joy Pavilion as his second home, so it was difficult for him to stay vigilant here. Chu Nanping revealed all of the Dragon King’s plans when Immortal Peng had shown his goodwill. But he didn’t even realize that he had leaked the information.
“Well, I am tired of killing. I don’t want to bleed anymore nor do I want to let anyone die for me.”
“Do you think that Stop Kills Society can help you reach an agreement?”
Gu Shenwei did not have such high expectations but he nodded. He said, “But I don’t know whether the society can do it.”
“Ha ha.” Immortal Peng smiled kindly as though he was an almighty god who was facing an innocent, naive child. “There’s nothing that Joy Pavilion can’t do.”
“Joy Pavilion or Stop Kills Society?”
“Joy Pavilion is Stop Kills Society and Stop Kills Society is Joy Pavilion. Times have changed, Yang Huan. The divine power of Immortal Peng has now exceeded that of Hope Valley and now, the entire Jade City has to listen to him. If you want to negotiate, then he’ll see it through.”
The white-faced scholar seemed to have a cognitive bias towards his identity. Though he claimed to be Immortal Peng, he used terms like “Immortal Peng” and “he” instead of “I” to express his opinions after some time. It seemed that he was possessed by the dwarf. Although he was just a messenger, his way of speaking would often awe the listeners.
However, Gu Shenwei was not affected by it. He knew that the dwarf Immortal Peng would not talk to him in such a calm manner. “But ‘he’ has some conditions. Tell me. An open discussion is important for cooperation.”
Immortal Peng smiled, but he did not say anything. The two boys bowed and left. Chu Nanping also retreated. After his return to Joy Pavilion, the Dragon King was no longer the only one who could command him.
The immortal and the killer were the only ones remaining on the third floor of Joy Pavilion.
Immortal Peng took out a white handkerchief, which was as big as a quilt. There were many tiny characters on it. He touched the handkerchief in a loving manner, and then looked up and said, “Do you remember this thing?”
“The screen.”
There was once a giant screen in this room, which was used to cover the dwarf Immortal Peng. The Secrets of Love and the so-called sixty-four training methods were recorded on it. After when Gu Shenwei had killed the immortal and smashed the screen, the disciples rewrote the notes on the handkerchief based on their memory. The size of the handkerchief was the same as the screen.
“Most of Immortal Peng’s efforts were on this handkerchief, and you had nearly destroyed it.”
“Immortal Peng had already reincarnated, so he wouldn’t care about it.”
“He doesn’t care. But it’s time for you to return a part of his memory.”
Gu Shenwei was prepared to deal with Immortal Peng’s nonsense, but he was still confused when he heard this sentence. He said, “I will return it if I have it. But I don’t have it.”
“You have it.” Although Immortal Peng was calm, he seemed to be a little urgent. “When you had killed him, you had taken a roll of paper away. That was his memory and everyone witnessed it.”
That roll of paper was contained in the Death Scripture which was written by Gu Shenwei when he was deluded. It was not Immortal Peng’s memory. “Oh, I have an impression of it.”
“Yes, that’s it. Return it to him, and Immortal Peng will make your dream come true.” There was a tinge of urgency in Immortal Peng’s tone.
Three years ago, there were two disciples of Joy Pavilion who had wanted to take that roll of paper back from the killer. The white-faced Immortal Peng had taken a long time to realize this because he had been spending a lot of time to practice the Secrets of Love and the sixty-four methods. In the end, he still failed to practice collectively nor have a mental connection with his disciples. He had to speak through the mouth of others. That was how he knew that his predecessor had not recorded the entire manual on the screen.
The lost manuals must be that roll of paper, which had been taken away by the killer. The disciples of Joy Pavilion were convinced that, if it weren’t for their fear and distrust towards the outside world, they would have searched the entire Western Region to hunt down Yang Huan.
“Please prove the capability of Stop Kills Society before we discuss the return of the ‘memory’.” Gu Shenwei held onto his sword hilt and was prepared to leave. He wanted to head to Four Truths Temple to find Master Lianxin. It would probably be more helpful.
“We can prove our capability anytime!” Immortal Peng became dignified and ruthless. His deep voice swayed the candlelight.
A dozen strange-looking disciples of Joy Pavilion suddenly appeared from the windows and downstairs. They were holding onto different weapons and surrounded the killer.
Chu Nanping was late by one step. He jumped to the Dragon King’s side and drew out his long sword without saying a word.
“Chu Nanping, this man killed your brother,” a disciple with a tumor on his forehead said sternly.
“No one can kill him before I have mastered Emotionless Swordsmanship.” Chu Nanping’s swordsmanship was improving rapidly under Gu Shenwei’s guidance. However, he still could not forget about Emotionless Swordsmanship, which he would never be able to master.
The disciples were eager to attack, so Gu Shenwei drew out his saber. He would only kill one person with his sword every year, meaning that the quota for this year had already been used.
The two sides calmly confronted each other and waited for an opportunity.
The disciple who stood at the stairway was the first to discover something strange. He blurted out, “The peach forest is on fire.”
Sure enough, red light from the flames was reflected in Joy Pavilion. The thunderous burning sound was mixed with some crackling sound. It sounded as if a giant monster was growling.
This fire was extremely strange but timely. All the disciples couldn’t help but look back. Seizing this opportunity, Gu Shenwei took Chu Nanping with him and jumped out from the window. They jumped several times along the high wall and disappeared into the darkness.
Gu Shenwei did not know the importance of this fire until the next day. He only noticed one thing that night, and it was that someone was stalking him again.
This time, Gu Shenwei brought this tail to his real residence.
