Death Sutra

Gu Shenwei had never received training at Carvewood Academy . His understanding of a killer"s primary training mainly came from his observations of Maid Lotus .

Maid Lotus had undergone tremendous changes after a mere 10 months stint at Carvewood Academy . Other than her improved kung fu skills, she was also better at concealing her feelings compared to before . Her hatred for Slave Huan could not be noticed at all .

In contrast, the female killers of the Tianji Society seemed to be too naive . They were no different from a group of ordinary little girls crowding around their idol as they kept asking questions left and right .

Guan Shang mentioned that Shangguan Ru had taken over the Tianji Society two years ago . Even after the change of ownership, the trainer would not possibly be the Tenth Young Master herself . The training tutors should be familiar with all the methods taught in Golden Roc Fort and would never have groomed such unqualified apprentices .

Guan Shang and the few female archers under her seemed more like killers .

It was a rude awakening as Gu Shenwei realized that these little girls who "worshiped" the Dragon King were a ruse in order to deceive him and gain his trust .

The Bodhi Garden underground chambers seemed like a trap as Shangguan Ru refused to show up after so long .

Showing no emotions, Gu Shenwei continued to tell stories to the curious ones while also giving guidance on some machete techniques . Stretching lazily, he said, "It"s getting boring . Who can show me around the place?"

Seven or eight little girls got up as they scrambled to be the guide .

The underground chambers covered a wide area, some of which were even deep under the lake . All of the pa.s.sages and rooms were illuminated by torches and candles . The inadequate lighting was enough to simulate the night environment .

Nighttime was the killers" favorite period of time, and they were also the most active during this hour .

Gu Shenwei estimated that there were hundreds of people living in the underground chambers . He noticed many adult killers, both male and female, who were training the apprentices . The skills and temperament of these apprentices were not the same as the seven or eight little girls around him . The differences were barely noticeable, but he was able to see things more clearly since he had his suspicions .

Killer apprentices tend to be more silent, they observed more but asked less . They were usually taciturn and stern, especially in front of people who were in higher standings . During sparring sessions, these apprentices would ruthlessly attack as if they had a profound hatred towards the other person .

A normal killer would not trust others . Likewise, it was also difficult for him to win the trust of others .

Finally, the group arrived at a place with complicated paths, with nothing but a lit torch in sight much further away . Gu Shenwei remembered that this was not far from the entrance . "Let"s go out for a breath, it"s really stuffy in here . "

"Okay, but we can"t go out because we don"t have the keys . " A little girl seemed to be very disappointed . "I"ve been here for almost five months but I have never gone outside . "

All of them nodded . The duration that they entered the underground chambers varied from a few months to six or seven months . Memories of the outside world were still fresh in their minds and they missed it very much .

Gu Shenwei was a little confused when he returned to his place of residence . He might have been too overly suspicious of the girls . They probably have not experienced formal training, and therefore still retained their innocent personalities . They have nothing to do with traps or conspiracies .

He pretended to rest and sent all of them away . After closing his eyes to sleep for a while, he quietly got up and tried to recall the path toward the entrance of the underground chambers . He was holding a small stone in his hand which he used to carved marks on the many intersections that he had pa.s.sed when he was strolling around just now .

He should be able to leave the underground chambers unhindered if there were no traps .

But the result was that he became lost .

The markings were still there, but the place where the intersection was supposed to be not long ago had turned into a thick wall . This was not something that can be pushed away by mere human strength . Gu Shenwei was forced to take a detour . Soon, he could not find a way out and forgot the way he came from . It was not until he stumbled into a training room that a female apprentice helped to send the Dragon King back to his residence .

The apprentices were silent and had obvious alertness in their expressions . It was apparent that these fifteen or sixteen years old had shown signs of being trained in the Golden Roc Fort killer"s forms .

Guan Shang came and replaced the candle before it burned out . She brought back many news, a few of which were not so good .

"The Governor"s family is coming to visit the Bodhi Garden . We might not be able to go out for a while . But it is safe here so please stay at ease, Dragon King . "

Guan Shang mentioned this casually among the many other news as if it was the least important thing . From this, Gu Shenwei finally confirmed that he had fallen into a trap . "The Governor"s family seemed to prefer to visit the garden when it was out of season . "

"Isn"t it so? There is nothing here in the Bodhi Garden at this time . It"s not much different from a wasteland . "

The conversation about going out of the underground chambers ended so fast, and they quickly moved on to other topics .

The search in Jade City by the Golden Roc killers had become much more thorough, including many areas that were rarely involved in the past . Places such as Hope Alley and the Four Truths Temple had also been hara.s.sed to varying degrees .

The imitation Dragon King"s acts had dropped drastically, but now the a.s.sa.s.sinations were targeting people who were of a much higher status . The corpse of a big Protector of Blacksmith Village was strewn across the street, with a Black Blood Flag stuck onto his stomach . An exiled aristocrat in North City was found dead naked on his bed, with dozens of brutally inflicted wounds on his body .

Guan Shang finally mentioned Shangguan Ru when she said, "The Tenth Young Master will not be able to come down from the mountain for a while . The castle is holding a martial arts tournament to examine the skills of the Shangguan family"s children . The Lady hopes that the Tenth Young Master will use this opportunity to regain the Lord"s favor, and is urging her to train hard . She will not be able to leave the fort for the time being . "

"The Tenth Young Master has very good kung fu . Surely, she will be crowned champion . "

"Yes, the Tenth Young Master"s machete skills and internal strength are the best in the fort for someone so young . Even old killers who had been practicing for decades cannot compete with her . There are several good rising stars in the family, but they still pale in comparison with the Tenth Young Master . "

Gu Shenwei thought that Guan Shang was going to continue talking about the compet.i.tion, but she left it as it is, and started talking about other things . She did not mention another word about it up until she left .

But this was just a trick to confuse the Dragon King, in order to prevent him from becoming suspicious too early .

Guan Shang"s expression was not very natural when she came by the next time . It seemed like there was something worrying her . Gu Shenwei knew that she was waiting for him to speak about it first, so he asked, "Did something happen to the Tenth Young Master?"

"No . " Guan Shang replied immediately . After a while, as if contrary to her thoughts, she said reluctantly: "Who could have thought that there were two experts among the younger generation of the Shangguan family . It seems that it won"t be easy for the Tenth Young Master to win the championship . "

"Oh, who are these experts?"

"You might not have heard of them, Dragon King . The experts are brothers . The older brother is called Dewei, he is 18 years old . The younger brother is named Dezhi, and he is 16 years old . I don"t know how they trained, but they were quite unknown and suddenly become really powerful . The old killers who observed them said that these two brothers are the top disciples of the Shangguan family . "

"I don"t think they are rivals of the Tenth Young Master . "

Shangguan Ru practiced the Wayless Qigong, and this was a huge gap that others had no chance of overcoming .

"Yes, the Tenth Young Master . . . In fact, I shouldn"t say this . . . But, Dragon King surely know that the Tenth Young Master has no problems with kung fu, it"s the lack of killing desire . The others are kept in the dark about this . It is likely that she will be lenient in a crucial timing, whereas the two brothers are quite ruthless . I"m afraid . . . "

"The Tenth Young Master will produce sufficient killing desires when it comes to life and death situations . "

"I hope so . Oh well, it would be great if there was a way to let the Tenth Young Master"s killing desires become stronger . The Tenth Young Master is a good leader . If she was defeated, Lady Meng would most likely replace her with someone else to take charge of Tianji Society . "

Guan Shang purposedly did not fully disclose the information as she was waiting for the Dragon King to come to a realization about the implications of her words . If the Tenth Young Master lost the power to command the Tianji Society, then the Dragon King"s safety in the underground chambers could not be guaranteed .

Gu Shenwei did not pick up the cue until Guan Shang announced that she was ready to leave . He said, "I hope that the Tenth Young Master can come here . "

"The Tenth Young Master is currently . . . "

"I know, she is preparing for the tournament . It won"t take up too much of her time . It is something important and I have to tell her personally . "

Guan Shang hesitated for a while before saying, "Is it really important?"

"Very important . "

"You can trust me, Dragon King . "

"I do trust you, but I can only tell this to the Tenth Young Master herself . "

"Ok, I will get someone to bring a message to the Tenth Young Master, but it"s up to Lady Meng whether or not she can come down the mountain . "

The Tenth Young Master will definitely come down the mountain . Gu Shenwei was very convinced now, but it was hard to determine who this "Tenth Young Master" could be .

He waited for two more days . Guan Shang brought back different kinds of news each time . One day the Tenth Young Master would be able to come and then the next, she could not . It was as if she was fiercely fighting against the obstructing forces in the fort .

Guan Shang came with good news this time when she returned . "Please follow me, Dragon King . "

This whole ordeal seemed quite mysterious as she did not mention the Tenth Young Master .

Gu Shenwei made an expression of tacit understanding and nodded . He carried his saber and followed Guan Shang to meet with the Tenth Young Master .

The path was becoming more and more narrow . Several areas could only barely fit one person through it . Gu Shenwei felt that they were currently headed towards an area that was underneath the lake .

There was a long corridor that was quite unusual . As soon as they approached, the saber and dagger on Gu Shenwei started to become restless and floated up into the air . It tried to leave its master"s grasp .

"Apologies, Dragon King, this corridor is made up of magnets . It is inconvenient to bring weapons . We better leave them outside . "

Guan Shang removed her saber, but Gu Shenwei was not willing to surrender his weapons . After some consideration, he handed them over to Guan Shang . She kept them at the nearby stone room for safe keeping .

After pa.s.sing through the magnetic corridor, two of them entered a s.p.a.cious room .

The person inside turned out to be Shangguan Ru indeed .

The lights were slightly dimmed, but the person sitting at the table was definitely her . She was wearing a light yellow dress, and her appearance was exactly similar to when Gu Shenwei had seen her in front of the Four Truths Temple .

Guan Shang bowed and left the room .

"Tenth Young Master . " Gu Shenwei slightly nodded, he felt very uncomfortable . He was the Dragon King now and was no longer a slave of the Golden Roc Fort .

"Slave Huan . " Shangguan Ru addressed him by his former name . Her voice was very low as though she also felt as uncomfortable as Gu Shenwei . "I didn"t expect to see you again . "

"Yes, I never thought that you would send people to save me twice . "

"You are my best . . . friend, I won"t let anyone hurt you . "

"I have always remembered the words that you said . "

"I never forgot it as well . "

The room was quiet for a moment, both of them seemed to be reminiscing about the past, slowly immersing in the joy of their reunion .

Gu Shenwei remembered that the 11-year-old Shangguan Ru had given the only chance of trust to Slave Huan, but he did not give her the same promise .

"You still can"t kill . "

"I don"t know what happened to me either . It has been like this even after three years . "

"I have a way to help you regain the killing desire, but you have to be willing . "

"I . . . I am very torn . I don"t want to kill, but others want to kill me . "

"Yes, there is no way to survive in the castle without the killing desire . It"s not that you want to kill, but you have to kill . "

Gu Shenwei approached closer to her as he spoke .

"Don"t come over . " Shangguan Ru turned away slightly and seemed to be a little shy . "We are not children anymore . Others will misunderstand . "

"Right," Gu Shenwei responded respectfully . It was like back in the past, when she was the master and he was the slave .

Suddenly he rushed over, with his left arm tightly strangled around Shangguan Ru"s neck, his right hand held a sharpened chopstick against her throat . "Ninth Young Master, it seems that you really prefer being a woman . "

Shangguan Fei was holding a dagger, but his arm was stiff in midair .

Chapter 285 Underground ChambersTranslator Transn Editor TransnGu Shenwei had never received training at Carvewood Academy . His understanding of a killer s primary training mainly came from his observations of Maid Lotus . Maid Lotus had undergone tremendous changes after a mere 10 months stint at Carvewood Academy . Other than her improved kung fu skills, she was also better at concealing her feelings compared to before . Her hatred for Slave Huan could not be noticed at all . In contrast, the female killers of the Tianji Society seemed to be too naive . They were no different from a group of ordinary little girls crowding around their idol as they kept asking questions left and right . Guan Shang mentioned that Shangguan Ru had taken over the Tianji Society two years ago . Even after the change of ownership, the trainer would not possibly be the Tenth Young Master herself . The training tutors should be familiar with all the methods taught in Golden Roc Fort and would never have groomed such unqualified apprentices . Guan Shang and the few female archers under her seemed more like killers . It was a rude awakening as Gu Shenwei realized that these little girls who worshiped the Dragon King were a ruse in order to deceive him and gain his trust . The Bodhi Garden underground chambers seemed like a trap as Shangguan Ru refused to show up after so long . Showing no emotions, Gu Shenwei continued to tell stories to the curious ones while also giving guidance on some machete techniques . Stretching lazily, he said, It s getting boring . Who can show me around the place Seven or eight little girls got up as they scrambled to be the guide . The underground chambers covered a wide area, some of which were even deep under the lake . All of the pa.s.sages and rooms were illuminated by torches and candles . The inadequate lighting was enough to simulate the night environment . Nighttime was the killers favorite period of time, and they were also the most active during this hour . Gu Shenwei estimated that there were hundreds of people living in the underground chambers . He noticed many adult killers, both male and female, who were training the apprentices . The skills and temperament of these apprentices were not the same as the seven or eight little girls around him . The differences were barely noticeable, but he was able to see things more clearly since he had his suspicions . Killer apprentices tend to be more silent, they observed more but asked less . They were usually taciturn and stern, especially in front of people who were in higher standings . During sparring sessions, these apprentices would ruthlessly attack as if they had a profound hatred towards the other person . A normal killer would not trust others . Likewise, it was also difficult for him to win the trust of others . Finally, the group arrived at a place with complicated paths, with nothing but a lit torch in sight much further away . Gu Shenwei remembered that this was not far from the entrance . Let s go out for a breath, it s really stuffy in here . Okay, but we can t go out because we don t have the keys . A little girl seemed to be very disappointed . I ve been here for almost five months but I have never gone outside . All of them nodded . The duration that they entered the underground chambers varied from a few months to six or seven months . Memories of the outside world were still fresh in their minds and they missed it very much . Gu Shenwei was a little confused when he returned to his place of residence . He might have been too overly suspicious of the girls . They probably have not experienced formal training, and therefore still retained their innocent personalities . They have nothing to do with traps or conspiracies . He pretended to rest and sent all of them away . After closing his eyes to sleep for a while, he quietly got up and tried to recall the path toward the entrance of the underground chambers . He was holding a small stone in his hand which he used to carved marks on the many intersections that he had pa.s.sed when he was strolling around just now . He should be able to leave the underground chambers unhindered if there were no traps . But the result was that he became lost . The markings were still there, but the place where the intersection was supposed to be not long ago had turned into a thick wall . This was not something that can be pushed away by mere human strength . Gu Shenwei was forced to take a detour . Soon, he could not find a way out and forgot the way he came from . It was not until he stumbled into a training room that a female apprentice helped to send the Dragon King back to his residence . The apprentices were silent and had obvious alertness in their expressions . It was apparent that these fifteen or sixteen years old had shown signs of being trained in the Golden Roc Fort killer s forms . Guan Shang came and replaced the candle before it burned out . She brought back many news, a few of which were not so good . The Governor s family is coming to visit the Bodhi Garden . We might not be able to go out for a while . But it is safe here so please stay at ease, Dragon King . Guan Shang mentioned this casually among the many other news as if it was the least important thing . From this, Gu Shenwei finally confirmed that he had fallen into a trap . The Governor s family seemed to prefer to visit the garden when it was out of season . Isn t it so There is nothing here in the Bodhi Garden at this time . It s not much different from a wasteland . The conversation about going out of the underground chambers ended so fast, and they quickly moved on to other topics . The search in Jade City by the Golden Roc killers had become much more thorough, including many areas that were rarely involved in the past . Places such as Hope Alley and the Four Truths Temple had also been hara.s.sed to varying degrees . The imitation Dragon King s acts had dropped drastically, but now the a.s.sa.s.sinations were targeting people who were of a much higher status . The corpse of a big Protector of Blacksmith Village was strewn across the street, with a Black Blood Flag stuck onto his stomach . An exiled aristocrat in North City was found dead naked on his bed, with dozens of brutally inflicted wounds on his body . Guan Shang finally mentioned Shangguan Ru when she said, The Tenth Young Master will not be able to come down from the mountain for a while . The castle is holding a martial arts tournament to examine the skills of the Shangguan family s children . The Lady hopes that the Tenth Young Master will use this opportunity to regain the Lord s favor, and is urging her to train hard . She will not be able to leave the fort for the time being . The Tenth Young Master has very good kung fu . Surely, she will be crowned champion . Yes, the Tenth Young Master s machete skills and internal strength are the best in the fort for someone so young . Even old killers who had been practicing for decades cannot compete with her . There are several good rising stars in the family, but they still pale in comparison with the Tenth Young Master . Gu Shenwei thought that Guan Shang was going to continue talking about the compet.i.tion, but she left it as it is, and started talking about other things . She did not mention another word about it up until she left . But this was just a trick to confuse the Dragon King, in order to prevent him from becoming suspicious too early . Guan Shang s expression was not very natural when she came by the next time . It seemed like there was something worrying her . Gu Shenwei knew that she was waiting for him to speak about it first, so he asked, Did something happen to the Tenth Young Master No . Guan Shang replied immediately . After a while, as if contrary to her thoughts, she said reluctantly Who could have thought that there were two experts among the younger generation of the Shangguan family . It seems that it won t be easy for the Tenth Young Master to win the championship . Oh, who are these experts You might not have heard of them, Dragon King . The experts are brothers . The older brother is called Dewei, he is 18 years old . The younger brother is named Dezhi, and he is 16 years old . I don t know how they trained, but they were quite unknown and suddenly become really powerful . The old killers who observed them said that these two brothers are the top disciples of the Shangguan family . I don t think they are rivals of the Tenth Young Master . Shangguan Ru practiced the Wayless Qigong, and this was a huge gap that others had no chance of overcoming . Yes, the Tenth Young Master . . . In fact, I shouldn t say this . . . But, Dragon King surely know that the Tenth Young Master has no problems with kung fu, it s the lack of killing desire . The others are kept in the dark about this . It is likely that she will be lenient in a crucial timing, whereas the two brothers are quite ruthless . I m afraid . . . The Tenth Young Master will produce sufficient killing desires when it comes to life and death situations . I hope so . Oh well, it would be great if there was a way to let the Tenth Young Master s killing desires become stronger . The Tenth Young Master is a good leader . If she was defeated, Lady Meng would most likely replace her with someone else to take charge of Tianji Society . Guan Shang purposedly did not fully disclose the information as she was waiting for the Dragon King to come to a realization about the implications of her words . If the Tenth Young Master lost the power to command the Tianji Society, then the Dragon King s safety in the underground chambers could not be guaranteed . Gu Shenwei did not pick up the cue until Guan Shang announced that she was ready to leave . He said, I hope that the Tenth Young Master can come here . The Tenth Young Master is currently . . . I know, she is preparing for the tournament . It won t take up too much of her time . It is something important and I have to tell her personally . Guan Shang hesitated for a while before saying, Is it really important Very important . You can trust me, Dragon King . I do trust you, but I can only tell this to the Tenth Young Master herself . Ok, I will get someone to bring a message to the Tenth Young Master, but it s up to Lady Meng whether or not she can come down the mountain . The Tenth Young Master will definitely come down the mountain . Gu Shenwei was very convinced now, but it was hard to determine who this Tenth Young Master could be . He waited for two more days . Guan Shang brought back different kinds of news each time . One day the Tenth Young Master would be able to come and then the next, she could not . It was as if she was fiercely fighting against the obstructing forces in the fort . Guan Shang came with good news this time when she returned . Please follow me, Dragon King . This whole ordeal seemed quite mysterious as she did not mention the Tenth Young Master . Gu Shenwei made an expression of tacit understanding and nodded . He carried his saber and followed Guan Shang to meet with the Tenth Young Master . The path was becoming more and more narrow . Several areas could only barely fit one person through it . Gu Shenwei felt that they were currently headed towards an area that was underneath the lake . There was a long corridor that was quite unusual . As soon as they approached, the saber and dagger on Gu Shenwei started to become restless and floated up into the air . It tried to leave its master s grasp . Apologies, Dragon King, this corridor is made up of magnets . It is inconvenient to bring weapons . We better leave them outside . Guan Shang removed her saber, but Gu Shenwei was not willing to surrender his weapons . After some consideration, he handed them over to Guan Shang . She kept them at the nearby stone room for safe keeping . After pa.s.sing through the magnetic corridor, two of them entered a s.p.a.cious room . The person inside turned out to be Shangguan Ru indeed . The lights were slightly dimmed, but the person sitting at the table was definitely her . She was wearing a light yellow dress, and her appearance was exactly similar to when Gu Shenwei had seen her in front of the Four Truths Temple . Guan Shang bowed and left the room . Tenth Young Master . Gu Shenwei slightly nodded, he felt very uncomfortable . He was the Dragon King now and was no longer a slave of the Golden Roc Fort . Slave Huan . Shangguan Ru addressed him by his former name . Her voice was very low as though she also felt as uncomfortable as Gu Shenwei . I didn t expect to see you again . Yes, I never thought that you would send people to save me twice . You are my best . . . friend, I won t let anyone hurt you . I have always remembered the words that you said . I never forgot it as well . The room was quiet for a moment, both of them seemed to be reminiscing about the past, slowly immersing in the joy of their reunion . Gu Shenwei remembered that the 11 year old Shangguan Ru had given the only chance of trust to Slave Huan, but he did not give her the same promise . You still can t kill . I don t know what happened to me either . It has been like this even after three years . I have a way to help you regain the killing desire, but you have to be willing . I . . . I am very torn . I don t want to kill, but others want to kill me . Yes, there is no way to survive in the castle without the killing desire . It s not that you want to kill, but you have to kill . Gu Shenwei approached closer to her as he spoke . Don t come over . Shangguan Ru turned away slightly and seemed to be a little shy . We are not children anymore . Others will misunderstand . Right, Gu Shenwei responded respectfully . It was like back in the past, when she was the master and he was the slave . Suddenly he rushed over, with his left arm tightly strangled around Shangguan Ru s neck, his right hand held a sharpened chopstick against her throat . Ninth Young Master, it seems that you really prefer being a woman . Shangguan Fei was holding a dagger, but his arm was stiff in midair .