Chapter 453: Chapter 203: Various Methods of Stealth Killing (2)
Guo Wei recalled the time Chu Lingguang was being hassled by Eunuch Liu. Chen Jin, Emperor Yue Xuan, and Yan Chengdu had all followed Chu Lingguang to the small tavern to show their support. Then, before Chu Lingguang’s great battle with Samba, they had traveled from far and wide to back him up. Guo Wei knew that Chu Lingguang had no shortage of friends.
Seeing the support Chu Lingguang received from people like Butcher Hu, Guo Wei could also tell that he would never lack for benefactors.
Therefore, Guo Wei didn’t press for details on how Chu Lingguang had evaded the Spiritual Sense probe of a True Martial Realm expert. He didn’t want to put any pressure on the young man.
As for the matter of the Favor system gifting him a Cultivation Technique, Chu Lingguang had no way to explain it to Guo Wei. A tacit understanding existed between master and disciple. A silent, mutual trust had long been established in their hearts.
It was just like how Chu Lingguang had never dared to ask about matters concerning Guo Xiaotian or Guo Wei’s martial sect.
"Guer Khan thought I hadn’t followed, so he dismissed those Tianzhu people. The True Martial Realm expert left soon after. I had originally planned to retreat after they were gone, but then I heard Guer Khan planned to go after my Second Aunt. I was afraid something would happen to her, so I tailed them," Chu Lingguang explained.
"You don’t harm an opponent’s family. These Turkic people have no bottom line."
Guo Wei seethed with anger.
"After I followed them, I waited until they were lying down and fast asleep. I stole their Barbaric Bows and arrows, and then... I shot and killed Guer Khan and his entire party."
As he spoke the last part, Chu Lingguang watched Guo Wei carefully, observing the changes in his master’s expression.
SLAM!
Upon hearing this, Guo Wei slammed the table and shot to his feet, shouting his approval. "A good kill!!!"
"Master, you don’t blame me?"
Chu Lingguang had expected Guo Wei not to blame him, but he thought his master might be worried or at a loss. He never imagined he would be so fired up and excited.
"Why would I blame you? Guer Khan was threatening your family. That you were able to kill them is a great relief to me! How could I possibly blame you!"
Guo Wei laughed heartily.
"If a martial artist can’t step up and protect his family when they’re in danger, then what’s the point of all his training? His Martial Arts would be a complete waste."
"Remember, you must always keep that fire in your belly. We who practice Martial Arts can choose to lie low and endure humiliation, but we can never be indifferent!" Guo Wei instructed.
"Master, I understand."
Chu Lingguang nodded firmly.
’One can lie low and endure humiliation, but one can never be indifferent. A fire must always be burning in your heart.’ At that moment, Chu Lingguang felt all the pressure on him vanish. The psychological burden of killing Guer Khan and his men was completely gone.
"Tell me the details of how you killed them. I want to hear everything," Guo Wei said.
"Yes, Master."
"I went for Guer Khan first, using the Four-Star Linked Pearls Archery..."
Chu Lingguang recalled the events carefully, recounting the entire process in painstaking detail. Afraid he might miss something, he even added supplementary details several times.
After listening, Guo Wei’s face split into a wide grin. He clapped Chu Lingguang on the shoulder and said, "Good disciple! I was always worried you were too honest and naive, that you’d be taken advantage of in the Court and the Jianghu. I never thought you had such a cunning streak! Good. Very good. Excellent!"
"Master, that sounds a little strange coming from you," Chu Lingguang said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"However, there was one thing you didn’t do well. The process seemed fine on the surface, but you overlooked something important. Since you decided to target Guer Khan first, you should have been decisive. Finish him off completely before dealing with Isiluge.
"You have to understand, Guer Khan was the strongest among them. If they’d had time to form a defense, he would have been a major wildcard. Furthermore, Guer Khan was their leader. If you had killed him first, the others’ morale would have crumbled."
Of course, Guo Wei didn’t hold back his criticism either.
He approved of what Chu Lingguang did and praised him for his courage and resourcefulness, but he also felt that his disciple was inexperienced when it came to assassinations and had made a clear error.
"Master, please tell me what mistakes I made. I’ll remember them and correct them."
Chu Lingguang knew Guo Wei was a seasoned Jianghu veteran. In the past, to capture Xie Xiaohuan and save Guo Xiaotian, he had charged into Turkic lands alone and caused a massacre. The man was incredibly resourceful. Now that the topic had come up, Chu Lingguang was eager to absorb all he could.
He readily acknowledged the point Guo Wei had just made.
He made a mental note. ’Next time, I have to remember the principle of "to catch the thieves, first catch the king." I can’t be indecisive like last night, when I almost let Guer Khan get away.’
"Even though you could avoid their detection, risking it to go steal their bows and arrows was a huge mistake. If you had failed and been discovered, they would have swarmed you. Even if you’d managed to escape with your life, you would have paid a heavy price."
"Anyone with experience in killing knows that acting on impulse is a cardinal sin. The first rule of assassination is preparation."
"You heard Guer Khan wanted to harm your Second Aunt, and you got angry and followed them to take them out. There’s nothing wrong with that. But did you study the terrain? Did you make a plan to separate them first? If you didn’t even consider that and just planned to wipe them all out in one go, then I have to reprimand you."
...
"After you riddled Guer Khan with arrows, you remembered to finish the others off to make sure they were dead. But your method was too uniform. It makes it obvious that it was the work of one person."
"After confirming the kills, you should have tried to stage the scene. Make it look like they were ambushed and killed by a group of people. That way, suspicion wouldn’t fall on you so easily," Guo Wei said seriously.
"I don’t have any experience with that. Master, please tell me, how should I have staged the scene to avoid leaving any clues?"
Chu Lingguang asked humbly, having already prepared a brush, ink, and paper to take notes while he waited for Guo Wei’s explanation.
"When you were finishing them off, was a Curved Saber the only weapon at the scene? Were there no hammers or Long Spears? You used the same Curved Saber to finish them all. What do you think people will conclude when they see that?"
"After they fell, if they were all clumped together facing the same direction, what would that look like to an observer? If you had dragged their bodies and scattered them about, couldn’t you have faked a scene where they were hunted by a group and had tried to flee in all directions?"
"And you just ran after finishing the job? That shows quick thinking, but your composure is severely lacking. If you do that again in the future, you’re liable to leave clues all over the place," Guo Wei said with sincere gravity.
"Master, your experience is vast. This has been a real eye-opener for me."
Chu Lingguang benefited immensely. He jotted down every piece of experience Guo Wei imparted, and in the end, he gave his notes a title: "Various Methods of Stealth Killing."
"That little fishing boat you used didn’t enter the inner river last night, so it can’t be used again. Punch a hole in it with your spear and sink it in the Canal. I’ll have your Master Yan prepare another one for you."
After the master and disciple finished discussing the various techniques for assassination and covering one’s tracks, Guo Wei began helping Chu Lingguang clean up his mess.
By fabricating various details, they would make sure everyone believed that Chu Lingguang had never left South City last night.
Although the True Martial Realm expert could testify that he hadn’t found Chu Lingguang in the forest, Guer Khan was a Turkic noble who had died within Great Yuan Territory. There was no guarantee the Court, facing pressure from the Turkic side, wouldn’t sacrifice a few innocent people to appease them. In any case, this fire could not be allowed to burn them.
And so, through Guo Wei’s arrangements, it was as if Chu Lingguang had never gone missing last night, let alone ever encountered those Tianzhu people.
The story would be that he had spent the entire day practicing his Spear Technique on the Canal.
He had a small fishing boat ready for Chu Lingguang in time, allowing him to drift down from upstream. Partway down, he "collided" with a merchant ship, "accidentally" piercing its hull with his spear. For this, Master Yan and Guo Wei went together to apologize and offer compensation to the ship’s owner.
Afterward, Chu Lingguang, just as he usually did, took his newly purchased fishing boat out from the inner river and spent the entire day practicing his Spear Technique on the Canal.
「A day and a half after Chu Lingguang returned to South City.」
The two Iron Wolf Eagles that had flown far away returned as if they had received a command, eventually circling high above the corpses of Guer Khan and his men.
Half a day later, a group of Turkic merchants from Jin City appeared in that patch of woods.
