Death Sutra Chapter 40

Editor: Cypress Venus Trap

Chapter 40  Bet

Gu Shenwei progressed rapidly in learning those defense moves, to the point that if Lotus attacked 10 times, he could speculate those moves correctly about 7 or 8 times.  

But he was still not satisfied with himself as he was still unable to deduce correctly at all times, especially when Lotus attacked suddenly with a kung fu move that were not one of the five moves. He would end up becoming frantic, and unable to fight back basically because he couldn’t see through it in advance, and also because the ones he had prepared were only the 15 moves created by Xue Niang.

Xue Niang, however, surprisingly praised him, “It is a pity that you can’t enter the east castle. With your understanding, you could have graduated as a real killer in a few years. Pity, it’s a pity.”

But she became more and more worried about Servant Huan’s plan, “What are the chances for the girl to use these five moves as soon as she start fighting?”

Gu Shenwei was also worried about this. If his opponent was Shangguan Ru, he would be 60 or 70 percent sure that he could predict the moves accurately. But he knew very less about Shangguan Yushi’s kung fu. He could only assume that she had learnt the same martial arts as Ninth Gongzi, even, including her unique skills.

“She will use them. I know her, she wants to humiliate me in front of others, and also wants to kill me. She will use the most powerful moves immediately after the fight begins.”

Everytime Xue Niang asked about it, Gu Shenwei would answer back with full confidence. He was like a gambler now, putting all his eggs in one basket. Not only had he forced himself to believe he could win this time, but also had spread his confidence onto the onlookers.

On the thirteenth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Gu Shenwei showed his hand to Shangguan Hongye.

Shangguan Hongye seemed to have speculated Servant Huan’s purpose. He calmly took over one crushed silver ware and didn’t leave right away. Instead, he crossed his arms and waited for Servant Huan to open his mouth.

“Hong Gongzi, do you want to bet something big?”

“What do you mean? You want to win these items back? I’m telling you, they are out of my hands now.”

“No, I want you to arrange a bet.”

Shangguan Hongye fell silent upon hearing this. Not everyone could be a banker. Usually it was Shangguan Yushi who acted as the banker in school.

“I can also find others, I just think that we have many things in common.”

Shangguan Hongye still didn’t say anything, but his face suddenly changed, “Watch your mouth. Servant Qing said you didn’t know the rules and he’s right. Remember, I’m the lord, and you’re the servant, how is it possible that we share something in common?”

“At least we hate the same person.”

Shangguan Hongye knew who he was talking about. Everyone in the school knew that Shangguan Yushi taught the disobedient servant a lesson, not to mention that Servant Huan’s scarred face had just recovered in the past few days.    

“You dare to hate a lord? What an audacious dog slave.”

“A servant naturally has no status, but she is not my lord, my real lord is the eighth young lord…”

Gu Shenwei stopped speaking anymore and let Shangguan Hongye consider it.

Shangguan Hongye thought for a while, and finally his hatred towards Yu Gongzi took the upper hand, “Your bet is related with her?”

“Hmm, I want you to instigate Yu Gongzi to have a competition with me. You work as the banker and we’ll rip her off.”

“Hey hey. First, you may not be able to defeat her. Second, it is harder than climbing the heaven to take money from her.”

“You don’t have to care about this. I have my own ways to defeat her, you just have to arrange a gamble.”

“Just bet on win and lose?”

“No, I want you to bet on me defeating Yu Gongzi in three moves.”

Shangguan Hongye was surprised and his mouth hung wide open. He became increasingly confused about this servant, “You must be wrong, perhaps it is better to bet her defeating you in three moves.”

Gu Shenwei smilingly shook his head, “She knows my kung fu skills, she’ll not bet on this. Bet on me defeating her in three moves.”

This time it was Shangguan Hongye shaking his head, “No more jokes, I’m not sure if you can defeat her or not, but I don’t want to risk. Those things you had sent me have almost been used up a long time ago, but I still want to keep some of it with me.”

“No worries. You organize the bet; If I win, the money will be yours, if I lose, you can ask me for money.”

This was a sure deal and Shangguan Hongye had seemed to be persuaded. But he still couldn’t make the decision. He hated Shangguan Yushi very much, but at the same time he was too afraid of her.

Gu Shenwei didn’t want to push him too much, “Take your time to think about it, I’m always ready.”

It was vacation again in the following three days and Gu Shenwei concentrated on practising his kung fu. He appeared to be fully confident in front of Xue Niang, but he still couldn’t help but worry a bit after returning to the stone hut. Most of the information he seeked was from the teenage servants’ chat, no one could tell how much of it were real and how much of it was exaggerated.

But he must destroy the barrier called Shangguan Yushi. He was completely blindsided for the humiliation before the New Year. Now it was his turn to arrange and plot, and let that little devil to take the blow unpreparedly.

On the seventeenth day of Chinese Lunar New Year, the class began again. The twins and Shangguan Yushi finally showed up.

It was almost a month since their last meeting, Shangguan Ru seemed to have long forgotten her ‘disciple’. She was talking and laughing with her cousin along their way to school. At the school gate, the teenagers came up to greet their lords, all of whom had wanted to share some good luck from the two gongzis. When the eight fighting partners bowed to the gongzi, she didn’t even glance at Servant Huan.

She had a colorful New Year. Shangguan Yushi thought of many tricks and they nearly wrecked the inner chamber. The matters about ‘Peng Yue Sect‘, killer, and disciple seemed to have become a long time passed history, and couldn’t arouse her interest anymore.

Shangguan Hongye also approached to say hi, then he followed Shangguan Fei into the school. He didn’t look at Servant Huan as well, as if he had forgotten his suggestion.

Gu Shenwei appeared to be calm but he was actually very anxious. As time went by slowly, during the class break, one fighting partner was called to be sent inside but Servant Qing didn’t select Servant Huan.

It was almost noon time, the school kids left one by one. Gu Shenwei had waited vainly for the whole morning.

Even Shangguan Hongye hid from him. He led his little bookkeeper and ran away quickly. Gu Shenwei surprisingly couldn’t catch up with him.

It was the same on the next day. Xue Niang had started asking about the progress and he could only mumble it is undergoing. He gradually lost his confidence as time went by, everything will be in vain if Shangguan Hongye got cold feet.  

Three days had passed like this, and when Gu Shenwei was determined to block Shangguan Hongye paying any price, the event he expected occurred.

It was still during class break. A request from school was made to call a fighting partner to go inside, Servant Qing had just pointed a teenager before new message passed out, “Let Servant Huan come in.”

Servant Qing was obviously surprised for a moment, then he reluctantly pointed at Servant Huan. “You go.”

Gu Shenwei pretended to be surprised, and walked towards the school with his head bowed. When he passed by Servant Qing, he heard his whisper: “Do not court death.”

Gu Shenwei didn’t say anything.

The school yard was crowded with people, the number of people seemed to be larger than ever. As expected, his opponent was really Shangguan Yushi this time. People standing on her side was obviously more than the other side, and the leader was precisely Shangguan Ru.

The leader of the other group was surprisingly not Shangguan Hongye, but Shangguan Fei.

Shangguan Hongye turned out to be too timid. He had been trying to instigate the little gongzi to organize the bet.

“Ehh, isn’t this my disciple?”

Seeing Servant Huan walk into the crowd and face with Shangguan Yushi, Shangguan Ru suddenly recalled the little game they had played a month ago.

“I was kidding, Ninth Gongzi, please forgive little servant’s big mouth.” Gu Shenwei bowed and said. Shangguan Yushi let out a inconspicuous sneer.

Almost all of the teenagers had heard about the matter when she had punished Servant Huan, only Shangguan Ru knew nothing about it.

Shangguan Ru curled up her mouth, “Humph, do you think you’re formidable? Yu Gongzi, help me teach him an impressive lesson.”

“But your brother thought he could defeat me in 10 moves.” Shangguan Yushi said with disdain.

Ten moves.

Gu Shenwei was startled, then he immediately understood. Shangguan Hongye and Shangguan Fei were still too conservative, and didn’t believe he could subdue the enemy in three moves, so they added seven more moves. But this would probably ruin his plan. If Shangguan Yushi was not irritated as he had wanted her to be, she wouldn't use her unique skills instantly after they start fighting, and then the defense moves he had learnt so hard would be in vain.

“Even I thought that it was too much for 10 moves.” Shangguan Fei screamed. Although he was his little sister’s shadow, he always wanted to show a bit of his power.

Seeing the twins start argue again, Gu Shenwei took one step ahead and said:

“No need to compete, I give up.”

The surrounding school kids were all surprised at his words. This was a fighting partner and his duty was to fight and play with the lords, how dare he give up and not fight?

Shangguan Fei became more anxious, “How do you know you will lose without a fight? I have bet lots of silvers, you dare to give up?”

Shangguan Hongye who no longer hid behind the little gongzi yelled with red face: “Are you kidding? You wanna rebel?”

Shangguan Yushi didn’t care, she rested her hands on her hips and didn’t utter a sound. Shangguan Ru, however, appeared to be very disappointed, “Your kung fu is not bad, you may not lose.” She was too anxious and forgot which side she was on.

Gu Shenwei continued until the clamorous noise rested a bit: “Ten moves are too many, little servant would rather give up. Little servant would like to fight if the moves are less.”

The surrounding school kids became so astonished at the words that the noisy yard suddenly quietened down and then almost, at the same time, they roared with laughter.

“This servant must be shell-shocked.” This was the consensus of many people.

Shangguan Fei turned his head, looked at Shangguan Hongye, puzzled, “What is he doing?”

Shangguan Hongye’s face purpled, “Servant Huan, are you able to fight or not? Get out of here if you can’t fight.”

Shangguan Yushi didn’t laugh, her eyebrows gradually tilted up. She held Shangguan Ru who wanted to speak and said by herself: “Hey, it turns out you have concealed your ability. Say it, in how many moves do you want to defeat me?”

“Yu Gongzi has extraordinary kung fu skills, little servant knows he is inferior as compared to you, but little servant had accidentally been taught a bit of kung fu by someone…”

“No more bullshit, how many moves?”

“Three moves, no more no less.”

Shangguan Yushi’s wrath flashed. She was just about to accept it, when Shangguan Fei who was on the other side didn’t agree, “No no, I’ll not bet if it is three moves, we agreed it to be ten moves.”

Shangguan Fei didn’t want to bet, and all the schoolkids behind him asked to quit. The bet was almost abandoned until someone finally stood out.

“I bet on Servant Huan.”

Shangguan Ru declared loudly. Seeing her cousin’s expression, she hurriedly added: “I’m not believing in him, I just want to see what tricks he’s going to play.”

Ninth Gongzi had greater charisma than the little gongzi amongst the school kids. Several kids on Shangguan Yushi’s sides ‘betrayed’ instantly and Shangguan Fei also changed his mind. After a short while, the bet was finally decided.

Shangguan Yushi was so angry that she laughed. She stretched her legs and said: “Come, you dog slave, let me see your ‘three moves’.”

Gu Shenwei had realized his purpose. He had successfully irritated Shangguan Yushi, and even aroused Shangguan Ru’s interests, which was better than what he had expected.

Next, he wanted to see if his and Xue Niang’s judgement was accurate or not.

Chapter end