Chapter 275: String
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Gu Shenwei was followed for the second time. This stalker’s skill was much better than Wang Cheng and his hiding skills were better than Wang Cheng. If it weren’t for the peach forest fire in Gui Garden, which revealed his shadow, Gu Shenwei would not be able to detect his traces so quickly.
After returning to his residence, Gu Shenwei made Chu Nanping stay in the house. He then took off his robe and put on the black cloak. He jumped out from the rear window and concealed himself on the roof so that he could spy on that stalker.
The stalker did not know that he was being watched. He was monitoring all night up until when two other people came to take over before daybreak. He then left.
Gu Shenwei didn’t care about the two newcomers and followed the first stalker. His Lightness Skill and techniques were better, so he was not detected.
At daybreak, the ignorant stalker entered a residence in the city and did not come out again.
Gu Shenwei walked around the nearby area, but he did not find any ambusher. When he returned for the third time, a middle-aged woman was walking out from the residence with a basket in her hand. She seemed to be going to buy some groceries.
However, she went directly to the city center. It was full of brothels, taverns, and betting arenas, but there was no market.
Gu Shenwei followed her from a distance.
This woman didn’t seem to know kung fu. Though she was vigilant and often looked back, she did not find anything unusual. She had been some people in black cloaks, but this was South City. Such attire was common.
The woman seemed to be walking around aimlessly. Gu Shenwei began to wonder if he might have been fooled. In the late morning, she finally stepped up her pace and headed straight to her destination.
She went to Pleasure Alley, where there was barely anyone. She then walked into a house which had exceeded Gu Shenwei imagination.
It was Xiao Fengchai’s house.
For many years, Xiao Fengchai was the most famous prostitute in Pleasure Alley or even in the entire Jade City. Most people could not understand why, but they were still fascinated by it.
Gu Shenwei had met her once when he kidnapped Wei Lingmiao with Shangguan Ru. At that time, he had been wearing a mask and didn’t speak at all, so he believed that Xiao Fengchai would definitely not remember him.
Therefore, things were even more strange.
The small building beside where Xu Yanwei lived had changed ownership, so Gu Shenwei had nowhere to go. Thus, he did not stay there. He just needed to know who the mastermind was. He had to observe for a while longer and then decide on his future actions.
Since he had already gotten rid of the stalker, Gu Shenwei decided to make use of this opportunity to go to Four Truths Temple. Master Lianxin must have been responsible for the “stop killing”. Gu Shenwei could make use of him to win the machetemen’s support.
People could rent horses at the eastern market of South City. The market was already open early in the morning. Gu Shenwei left a deposit, rented a strong horse and headed toward the temple outside the city.
The first place he went to was Leftslope Vihara, which was located near Four Truth Temple. No one was there. The thatched meditation hall had long been deserted.
There were many male and female pilgrims at the entrance of Four Truths Temple. Although they were pilgrims, they were eager as though they were watching some fun.
“Buddha’s blessings, I hope that the woman will come,” a man with a greasy face muttered excitedly.
Gu Shenwei came at a good time. The ladies of the new Governor were here to offer incense and give alms. They were accompanied by the ladies of the Shangguan and Meng families. They had arrived yesterday and lived in the temple. However, few knew about this news. They were returning back to the city today, so many people came here upon hearing the news. They wanted to have a good look at them.
The citizens of Jade City still remembered how gorgeous Luo Ningcha was when she had showed up three years ago.
“Did she come?” Some kept asking this question, but they didn’t get a definite answer. Some even wanted to bribe the receptionist at the gate, but they were sternly refused.
Ordinary pilgrims were not allowed to enter Four Truths Temple today. Gu Shenwei wanted to meet Master Lianxin, but the receptionist refused to inform the master. Gu Shenwei said he wanted to give alms, but the receptionist thought that Gu Shenwei was a playboy who wanted to peep at the female donors. Thus, the receptionist said coldly, “Come tomorrow. We don’t accept silver tickets here.”
Gu Shenwei was about to lead the horse and leave when a commotion broke out. The crowd shouted, “They came out, they came out.”
A bunch of guards who were carrying swords rushed outside. They drove the crowds away and carved out a broad pathway. The onlookers were very excited even though the ladies had hurriedly left.
“Where is she? Where?” The men craned their necks impudently. The women looked at them disdainfully, but they didn’t miss any detail.
“Oh, no. No, it’s not her.”
“Is she in the carriage?”
“No, no, she is the daughter of Bighead Kingpin. She must be riding on a horse.”
“Here comes the rider. No … eh … who is she? Pretty …”
“The Tenth Young Master, isn’t that the Tenth Young Master from Stone Castle? She hasn’t gone down the mountain for a long time, has she?”
“Yes. Who would have imagined that, when she wore women’s clothing, she could be so…”
No one knew how to describe their feelings.
Gu Shenwei stood at the periphery of the crowd and saw Shangguan Ru riding past him at a distance.
The last time he saw her in women’s clothing was when they were visiting Master Tiger Monk at Four Truths Temple. At that time, she had felt very uncomfortable in women’s clothing as though she was a bashful boy. Now, she had already gotten used to it. She had even changed her horseriding posture. Currently, her giant horse and her indescribable air made her stand out from the others around her.
Even though she was really a young girl, she also had a feminine aura. Women were envious of her and men were attracted to her.
This was a special kind of beauty that had always existed in her, but few could detect it. Only the veteran lover, Wei Lingmiao, had known how to appreciate it when she was only eleven. However, they were not able to meet three years later.
Gu Shenwei didn’t appreciate it as much as that of ordinary people.
During the three years of escape, Gu Shenwei had been monitoring Stone Castle and would occasionally hear about Shangguan Ru.
On the same day when he was rescued by the Giant Red-crowned Roc, Lady Meng confiscated her daughter’s saber, forced her to wear women’s clothing, and placed her under house arrest. From then on, the term “the Tenth Young Master” no longer existed. Only the citizens of Jade City would still use this name out of habit when they mentioned her.
The reason why Gu Shenwei was unfamiliar with the girl who rode past, was either due to the long distance, the strong initial impression of her or her attire. A thin line in his mind suddenly snapped.
That thin line was connected to some good times of the past. Those moments faded out as time went by. It was finally broken by the harsh reality and there was no longer any emotional support.
For three years, he never cared how much he had changed, thus he did not expect for her to change. The little girl who he used to play with, venture out with and start a career with, had already become a part of his memory.
“Ah——”
“Wow——”
The onlookers hadn’t thought of anything to describe the Tenth Young Master who appeared for the first time in three years. They could only make meaningless noises from their throats.
“It’s worth it.” The man with a greasy face looked around with a satisfied smile on his face. “She’s not worse than that woman. I think she is even better.”
“Yes.” The crowds were still whispering excitedly even though Shangguan Ru had already disappeared. They were not interested in the ladies at the back of the group. Some men even closed their eyes to reminisce about the view that they just saw. They knew that the appearance of the Tenth Young Master would be the hottest topic in Jade City for days or months. As an onlooker, they would be interrogated. Thus, they needed to remember every single detail.
Gu Shenwei rode back to the city and followed the pilgrims. He didn’t catch up. He was thinking about how to find Master Lianxin and how to deal with Xiao Fengchai.
After entering South City and returning the horse, he had come up with a plan. It was simple. There was no need for him to think for such a long time, but he felt that he had to keep thinking to keep himself awake.
Soon, a large amount of information came and occupied his mind.
Initially, he did not notice what the citizens were talking about, until an insane beggar ran in and shouted ambiguously, “The Dragon King killed … wipe out Jade City … everyone died, everyone died! Haha, they all died!”
“He dares to assassinate the Governor? The Dragon King is crazy,” said a man who was watching the beggar making a scene.
Gu Shenwei deeply felt that his ability to collect intelligence was much weaker than Xu Xiaoyi’s ability. It took him such a long time before he took notice of what the people around him were saying.
The fire in Gui Garden’s peach forest last night was not an accident. Some assassins had attacked the new Governor and lit the haystack when they fled. Autumn was the dry season, hence there were only a few peach trees left. The Meng family, who bought this garden last year, had only one chance to watch the peach blossoms blooming.
There was nothing much to see this season, but the Governor’s favorite concubine insisted on seeing the scenery. Thus, the Governor, Mo Chu stayed over for a night at the garden. In the end, he could truly experience the customs of Jade City.
In the end, this pampered troublemaking concubine had saved Mo Chu’s life. On that night, the spoiled woman had wanted to wear the Governor’s clothing to show off. It was probably Mo Chu’s idea to build the atmosphere. Anyway, the assassin had killed the wrong person under the dim light.
The Governor was shocked and passed out. He immediately returned to North City after he woke up. He cursed and vowed that he would arrest the assassins and skin them alive.
If this was Norland, countless officials and soldiers would have been deployed that night. However, in Jade City, the Governor could only directly command hundreds of men. This was not even enough to protect the Governor, let alone to comb the city for the assassins.
The ladies who were at Four Truths Temple offering incense had heard the news and returned ahead of schedule. All of the other forces had gathered at the Governor’s Mansion and discussed how to avenge the old Governor.
Hence, South City was not affected for the time being. Everyone regarded this assassination as a piece of strange news.
From the Governor to the peddlers selling vegetables, they were absolutely sure that the assassin was that killer— the Dragon King, Yang Huan.
When Gu Shenwei returned to his residence, he saw that those two stalkers were still there. They were sitting by a tree and were pretending to play chess. Chu Nanping stayed in the house as instructed by the Dragon King and never came out.
Gu Shenwei passed by them and deliberately paused for a moment. He then pushed the door and entered the courtyard.
The two surveillants were shocked and exchanged glances. One of them threw the chess pieces angrily, turned and ran to report the situation to their boss.
That night, all the surveillants were evacuated.
Gu Shenwei had originally planned to personally visit Xiao Fengchai at night to inquire about her motive. She did not expose him to Golden Roc Fort, which means that she had another purpose. However, he changed his mind. He moved again with Chu Nanping and disguised himself again.
He then went to a nearby tavern and bought some wine. However, he did not drink it. He sat around through the night. He did not hear any worthwhile news. Those drinkers simply treated the news about the assassination as a dish to go with the wine. Soon, they did not even mention it.
Gu Shenwei returned to his new residence. He carefully checked it out. He went to bed after confirming that there were no surveillants.
As he closed his eyes, the image of Shangguan Ru in women’s clothing appeared in front of his eyes without warning. That broken line miraculously returned to its original state. The new image replaced that boyish girl as though she had been like this as a child.
