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Gu Shenwei reminded himself that this was South Jade City, and it might be very common here for a 14-year-old teenager to hire a killer for murder. He did not want to show his ignorance, so he kept quiet. But he was also unwilling to be hired because earning money was absolutely not his reason for being a killer.

“You’re asking the wrong man. I’m not a killer.”

Xu Xiaoyi had been staring at him full of hope, yet now he was disappointed, which made him appear less mature. He said, “Give me a price, I can pay it. I have enough money, really. I can pay the first half right now.”

“I said I’m not a killer.”

Xu Xiaoyi was so upset that he looked like a child who did not receive his New Year’s present. “I thought that you could help. You know, this is our last chance to get me and my sister out of here.”

“You have a sister?”

“Yes. Truth be told, I’m a thief. And my sister, she is a… a prostitute. We didn’t volunteer to do this, of course. It was him who coerced us. Anytime we can’t pay him the money, he beats us. If I ever had the choice, I would learn literature or martial arts. My sister should be a lady in a rich family, living in North City, learning some needlework at most. I don’t blame myself for being a thief, but at least she should marry a good man, some sort of exiled noble. She is so nice, gentle, and beautiful. Why has she been treated this way?”

Gu Shenwei recalled his sister, Gu Cuilan. She was treated much worse.

“How much money have you got?”

“Uh, I don’t know. I’ve never hired a killer before. How much is it normally?”

Gu Shenwei had experienced the cruelest killing contest among the apprentices, so he could detect an ambush from the movement of a single blade of grass. And he had been scheming against adults with evil intentions, therefore he was suspicious about everything. But he never dealt with any street hoodlum, especially a poor hoodlum begging for his help.

“A hundred taels of silver.”

When Maid Lotus bribed the steward of the Pyrowork Academy to arrange for Liuhua to be Slave Huan’s opponent, she gave him a hundred taels. Thus, Gu Shenwei thought this was the price of a life.

The price made Xu Xiaoyi feel awkward, but he did not bargain. “Alright, I can pay you the first 50 taels now, and when it’s done, you can have the rest.”

“Tell me about that man.”

“Who?”

“The man who coerced you and your sister.”

“This isn’t a good place for our conversation. Follow me.”

Gu Shenwei did not know why should he do this killing “business”. The issue between him and his Master Shifu had not yet finished, so he should not make any more trouble under any condition. Besides, this boy was so weirdly smart and untrustworthy.

The only thing that touched Gu Shenwei might have been his emotions when he talked about his sister.

He stood up, following the boy to leave the tavern, and wondered what Tie Hanfeng would think about this. Since his Master Shifu would not show him what he really wanted, irritating him was worth a shot.

It was not too far from daybreak, there was barely anyone walking on the street. Xu Xiaoyi led him to go through the city wall, crossing different corners in a valley, as if he was a mouse living in the maze that he had built. He understood every shortcut and corner and avoided others’ eyes and ears.

Their destination was a small building near the street without a yard. On the first floor was the reception room; the second floor had the bedrooms. Although it was not very big, the decorations were luxurious: a thick carpet, countless jades, pearls, golds, and silvers, and some silks and satins were left everywhere and nobody knew what were they used for. Clearly, a feast had just been finished.

It was a small brothel. Gu Shenwei became a little nervous, so he doubted the boy again, thinking that this could be another joke of his Master Shifu. Maybe he would see that same old bright-red face soon.

But he was proven wrong. Xu Xiaoyi went upstairs and led a fragile girl out, which was his sister. Though her cheeks were covered with rouge, she still looked frightened and childlike.

She, called Xu Yanwei, was 17 years old, and the first prostitute that Gu Shenwei had ever met.

If Gu Lun was still alive, watching his son at this age already associating with a prostitute, he might have moved his house much farther away.

Xu Yanwei, as her brother had said, was truly gentle. She remained silent and let Xu Xiaoyi introduce her. With her head lowered, she played with her handkerchief in her fingers and seemed to be extremely terrified about this killing business. Any sound outside the door would shock her.

It was an old rogue who had coerced them. He lived in South City and no one knew his real name. They just called him “Pot-bellied Buddha”, and his boys and girls called him “Father”.

“Father bought children from all over the world, raised and enslaved them. The boys would be thieves and the girls would do… this.”

Xu Xiaoyi spoke with a hot temper; clearly, he hated this Father very much. “As long as the customers can pay, he’ll kill someone in public for fun. Not to mention the beatings. Look, the wounds on my sister’s body are never healed.”

He rolled up his sister’s sleeves to expose a skinny arm, where her white skin was covered with several shocking bloody scars.

Xu Yanwei quickly loosened his hands, turned around, and wept soundlessly.

Gu Shenwei was touched by their performances. The chivalrous spirit that his father had instilled in him during his childhood revived, so he ignored many things. For example, since this “Pot-bellied Buddha” could control many children and did business with prostitutes and thieves, he had to be a powerful man, or was even connected to Golden Roc Fort. Hence, killing him might be something dangerous.

Gu Shenwei had entered into a world that was entirely different from any aristocratic family or any fort. Lies and truth, illusions and reality did not exist here; everything was only the hallucinatory image of gold and silver.

Those who knew how essential money was could see through this mist. But Gu Shenwei did not know that now.

“Give me the silver and a dagger,”

said Gu Shenwei after thinking about Xu Xiaoyi’s words for a while.

Assassination had its protocol. Thus, Gu Shenwei checked the surrounding environment, decided on where could he retreat to, and asked about Pot-bellied Buddha’s personal information.

Pot-bellied Buddha was actually an expert dating back to his youth. He had made his career by killing people in the valleys of South City. Unfortunately, as he gained more money, he became weaker. Now he had to stop several times to gasp when he went upstairs.

He also kept a bodyguard with him at all times. The person selected was not the same every time, but he certainly had to be a macheteman and was someone who could be found in any tavern in South City.

In two hours, he would come and ask Xu Yanwei for the “tax”, which meant taking all the money that she earned last night. Normally, he would come upstairs and do the business in the bedroom.

Xu Yanwei had already gotten rid of the old woman servant who was usually with her.

This seemed like a simple action. The only thing inappropriate would be the dagger that Xu Xiaoyi had found.

The scabbard was brand new, covered with bright dark lacquer, and inside was an imitation Golden Roc Fort dagger that was very rough, a little lighter than a real one. The dagger’s edge curved backward.

Gu Shenwei returned the scabbard to Xu Xiaoyi, asked him to leave, and kept the fake dagger, then he followed Xu Yanwei to enter the bedroom.

This room looked familiar; it had the same complicated decorations as downstairs and a curtain hung above the door. Gu Shenwei tightened the curtain and hid himself behind it. That bodyguard should stand right in that entrance, so he would kill him first.

After the preparations, both of them felt the awkwardness at once.

Though Gu Shenwei was only 15 years old, he had a serious and gloomy expression all the time, which made him appear three or four years older. Xu Yanwei had never dealt with anyone who was not her customer before, except for her brother. She was anxious, glancing at him sometimes, and dropped her head immediately, pretending to smooth out the extremely tidy hemline of her skirt.

Gu Shenwei was also embarrassed. He did not know how a prostitute should act, but in his imagination, she should be bolder and tougher. Xu Yanwei’s eyes were constantly full of tears and she kept avoiding his glances, which made her looked less like a “prostitute”.

“You should act like I don’t exist, otherwise, they’ll doubt you.”

Gu Shenwei reminded her. He had to hide in this place for a while, but he could not stand her inquisitive glances anymore.

Xu Yanwei grunted assent, almost silently. Then, she did what she would have done if no one else was in the bedroom—she took off her clothes.

Actually, all she wore was a luxuriant robe with nothing else underneath it.

Although Gu Shenwei could not see anything but a vague figure through the curtains, he turned his head back immediately and his heart was beating fast. It was the first time he felt that Xu Yanwei might not be so shy and timid.

When he turned around again, Xu Yanwei had already fallen asleep. The daytime was her rest time.

He cleaned a layer of sweat from his palm and grabbed his dagger tightly. He gazed at a blank space on the door to calm himself down.

Xu Yanwei was breathing gently and smoothly, as if she had truly fallen asleep and would not be disturbed even if there were 100 men hiding in this room.

Pot-bellied Buddha came upstairs, treading loudly, and his sounds arrived earlier than he did. “My precious daughter, what have you brought me today?”

He came in like a giant ball. He wiped his perspiration often, as if it were summer. Behind him was a middle-aged man, tall and slovenly, who seemingly had not washed his face for a long time. The bodyguard looked like a bandit to Gu Shenwei.

Pot-bellied Buddha walked toward the bed, and his bodyguard stood alongside the door. All that separated him from a real killer was a curtain. He lustily stared at the woman on the bed.

Xu Yanwei woke up the moment that she heard his steps, sat up on the bed and pulled the quilt to cover up her body. She looked pale as she tried hard to smile. “Father, the customer last night gave a thousand taels. It’s all up there.”

There was a low table with red silk covering it. Pot-bellied Buddha unveiled it, and upon seeing the silver was piled up, he was satisfied.

Gu Shenwei was shocked, what kind of customer could give a thousand taels? He could only get a hundred by killing a man. He felt that he lost a lot.

But now, he could not bargain anymore. He held his breath and waited for the best moment. The bodyguard seemed to not be like an expert. Yet, according to the protocol of a killer, Gu Shenwei had to pull out all his strength and never disregard the enemy.

The guard greedily looked at the woman’s snow-white shoulder and, hence, he leaned forward, pressing on the curtain. He was less than three centimeters away from the dagger.