Funeral

Dressed in white mourning clothes, Xie Wanqing saw Emperor Zhaoyuan on the day of her funeral. He was handsome and radiant.

He and Xie Daoqing knelt on the ground. Emperor Zhaoyuan, Li Yi, strolled over to Xie Wanqing's coffin and placed his hand on it.

Gu Youan turned her face away. What was the point of pretending to be so affectionate? Xie Wanqing had been feigning madness for years but had never seen Li Yi. When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out.

Li Yi caused countless deaths and injuries to the Emperor's ship. She pouted, Xie Daoqing grabbed her arm, and Gu Youan glared at him. This was a golden opportunity, but after today, he would never be able to assassinate Li Yi again.

The two were locked in a stalemate when Xie Daoqing gently twisted Gu Youan's arm, causing it to fall to the ground.

A piercing pain shot from her arm to her brain. Her lips twitched, but she swallowed the curse. Gu Youan stared intently at him, her left hand holding a tiny needle that she plunged into his palm.

The commotion startled Li Yi, who walked over to them. Gu Youan and Xie Daoqing were kneeling on the ground.

Li Yi said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry."

Xie Daoqing shook his head. "Wanqing passed away peacefully. It was her own choice."

The two fell into a long silence. Li Yi turned to look at Gu Youan and asked, "Is this your fiancée?"

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects," Li Yi said, raising his hand slightly. Gu Youan rose, swaying slightly. Xie Daoqing supported her waist, saying, "Go back and rest."

The two glanced at Li Yi, and Gu Youan moved into a side room.

She gently squeezed her injured wrist, checking her internal energy. It had only recovered to 50%. Xie Daoqing was protecting Li Yi so fiercely. Even though his own sister was dead, he was still protecting that murderer. The moment Xie Daoqing held her waist, he sealed her internal energy.

"Host, if you forcibly break the seal, you will lose all your martial arts skills within three days."

Gu Youan's hand fell limply to her side. She frowned and leaned against the window, gazing into the distance.

Xie Yu suddenly appeared behind him. "Li Yi is not easy to deal with. Even if the direct descendants of the Xie family risk their lives for him, the Xie family will not let him go. If you want to kill Li Yi, your first opponent will be Xie Daoqing."

Gu Youan chuckled lightly, "Why would I kill Li Yi? I have no grudge against him."

Xie Yu gently took Gu Youan's hand and said, "He really hit hard."

Gu Youan glared at him coldly, "Xie Yu, I respect you as an elder of the Xie family. Today is Xie Wanqing's funeral. You shouldn't be stirring up internal conflicts within the Xie family."

Xie Daoqing did not elaborate on the real conflict between Xie Yu and the Xie family, but Gu Youan could understand the past from the few words she spoke. She looked into Xie Yu's eyes and said, "If you want to kill Li Yi, do it yourself. Don't involve me and implicate the Xie family."

With a beautiful face and delicate white hands, Xie Yu, who had been living in the secret passage for many years, looked about the same age as Xie Daoqing.

She grabbed Xie Yu's arm. "Xie Daoqing and I are engaged. Whatever happens is between us, and it's none of anyone else's business."

“You have been in the secret passage for many years. Now that you have been able to come out today, you should cherish this opportunity instead of sowing discord. Now that Xie Wanqing is dead and the Xie family is far away in Liangzhou, instead of trying to stabilize the Xie family, you are trying to sow discord on the day of Xie Wanqing’s funeral.”

Xie Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. "You dare to get involved in the mess that is the Xie family, Gu Youan? I really don't know if you're naive or what?"

"Xie Yu, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Xie Yu turned around and said, "I want you to leave the Xie family and leave him."

Xie Daoqing and Li Yi were still in the main hall. Gu Youan glanced at Xie Yu and said, "If you want to go crazy, go outside and do it. I am his fiancée. Don't try to sow discord between me."

Xie Yu looked at her quietly, "You two really have a love stronger than gold."

Gu Youan took a deep breath and pursed her lips. No wonder Ye Qingchen and Xie Daoqing got together; their tragic backgrounds were the same.

"Host, what kind of wicked thoughts are you having now?"

As Gu Youan watched the departing figure, a murderous intent stirred within her.

"Host, there are no absolute villains in this world. Most people just have different stances."

Gu Youan shook her head. "I feel that his presence will seriously affect my actions."

"The host wants to kill him?"

Gu Youan nodded, "But he is, after all, a member of the Xie family. The Xie family is currently in a state of turmoil. If you act rashly, you may encounter unforeseen dangers, especially since your martial arts have not yet recovered."

She remained silent for a moment. The Emperor's new assassination mission was to kill Xie Yu. Sheng Jingche returned to Sheng Kingdom and reported her disappearance to the Emperor. The Emperor was about to send a new agent to Biancheng.

A feather drifted down onto the windowsill. She picked it up and examined it closely; there was no wind or rain.

Suddenly a white light flashed, and a sword blade was placed in front of her. She steadied herself and saw who it was.

"Bai He, why would the Emperor send you?" A man dressed in white arrived quietly.

“There is a traitor in the school. Everyone in the school and the two adults are dead. The Emperor’s Palace is leaderless. Boyan sent me to assist you.”

Gu Youan chuckled, "Killing Xie Yu in the Xie family, you guys really dared to take on this mission!"

Bai He looked at her calmly, "Rebuilding the Emperor's Ship will require a lot of money. This time, a mysterious seller has appeared, willing to buy Xie Yu's life."

Gu Youan looked behind him and asked, "Isn't Qingyang with you?"

Bai He's expression was awkward. He turned around and looked at him. "Qingyang is not just your medicine man. His blood can save many more people. This time, he will stay on the Emperor's Ship, and I will assist you in completing the mission."

The wind rustled through the fallen leaves on the ground, and she pulled her clothes closer. "Can you find out who's behind this?"

Bai He shook his head. "This guest is very generous. He demands that we kill Xie Yu immediately, at any cost."

Gu Youan closed the door, and Xie Yu had just appeared in front of everyone. Who had such good information?

Bai He placed his hand on Gu Youan's pulse, "How did your health become so poor?"

Gu Youan broke free, saying, "I was given a power-dissolving powder and my internal energy was sealed."

Bai He looked at her in surprise, "You were so arrogant on the Emperor's Ship, how did you end up like this here? Gu You'an, Xuanji Envoy, you are the Xuanji Envoy, the strongest in our generation, how could you be given the Dissolving Power Powder like this?"

Gu Youan pushed him away, "There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. Write to the Emperor's Office and ask them to send someone else."

She looked Bai He up and down. "Change your clothes. This is Xie Wanqing's funeral. Your attire is too flashy."

"You don't believe in my abilities?"

Gu Youan rummaged through the room for any clothes he could wear. "It's not that I don't believe it, but neither Jiannan nor I can escape unscathed. How can you and I kill someone under Xie Daoqing's nose?"

Despite Xie Yu's many faults, he was still a member of the Xie family. The Xie family had kept him in a dark room for many years without killing him, but he died as soon as he came out.

Gu Youan lowered her eyes. She alone was enough to kill Xie Yu. Nothing in this world is foolproof. She handed the clothes to Bai He and asked, "What is your real name?"

"Jiang Mu".

Gu Youan was stunned for a moment. "The Jiang family of Yuezhou? The Emperor's Mansion is truly full of hidden talents. Go back and tell Boyan to give me more time. Xie Yu can only die at Xie Daoqing's hands."

Bai He leaned against the windowsill. "You already have a better idea, don't you?"

"The Emperor has been too aggressive these past two years. Killing people is easy, but cleaning up the mess is difficult. Let him wait a while longer. The killing of Xie Yu cannot be rushed."

Xie Daoqing is exceptionally intelligent. They just killed Zhao Huai at the Zhao family's house. Xie Daoqing knows that she is a member of the Emperor's Agency. Killing Xie Yu at this time would be tantamount to exposing his identity and throwing himself into the lion's den.

Gu Youan sighed, "If you want to die, then go by yourself. Killing Xie Yu must be done by Xie Daoqing."

Bai He stepped forward, nodded and smiled, "Gu Youan, what are you talking about? How could Xie Daoqing kill a member of the Xie family?"

"This is my skill. Now that Xie Daoqing is the only one left in the Xie family, instead of blindly taking orders to make money, you should find out who is buying Xie Yu's life."

Gu Youan had a bold idea: "Why don't you find out who the buyer is, and then kill the buyer to get a lot of money?"

She handed a handful of silver to Bai He, saying, "Leave here and go back to the Emperor's Ship. Zhao Huai's death was not long ago, and the people of the Emperor's Ship cannot show themselves. If you really care about me, bring Qingyang and the medicinal herbs from the back mountain. I am still recovering from my serious injuries, and my strength has not recovered by more than 50%."

Bai He held her hand and said, "You are all bark and no bite. You need to go back to the back mountain of the Emperor's Ship to recuperate."

Gu Youan sighed, "I have already become Xie Daoqing's fiancée. The Xie family has many entanglements, and I cannot extricate myself from them."

"Jiannan is asleep, Sheng Jingche has returned to Sheng Kingdom, Bai He, who is the traitor?"

Bai He blinked, took a deep breath, and sighed, "It was Hao Yue, the senior brother of the academy. He and Zhao Huai planned this assassination from the inside, but I didn't expect you to actually kill Zhao Huai."

Gu Youan's eyes widened. She thought of anyone, but Haoyue was not among them.

"Why did he..." Her throat was already choked with sobs. Haoyue was so sacred in the eyes of the students, but she never expected that it was Haoyue who had revealed the secret.

Bai He stroked the back of Gu Youan's head and hugged her. "We were also surprised by Haoyue's leak."

Gu Youan pushed him away, "There was no mistake in the check, was there?"

Bai He patted the back of her neck. "Haoyue is a man of integrity. When we first entered the Emperor's Ship, we all received his kindness. No one wants him to be the traitor."

Gu Youan took two steps back, suppressing her emotions. "Go back, Baihe. This is not a place for you to stay. The Emperor's Ship is now exposed to everyone's attention. Don't come out."

Baihe looked at her and said, "I'm not here to assist you; I'm here to monitor you."

Gu Youan grinned, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, "Spying on me?"

"Even if my internal energy has only recovered to 50%, you are still no match for me. How can you monitor me?"

Bai He wasn't annoyed. "Gu Youan, I'm afraid you really will become Xie Daoqing's wife."

"The hardest thing for a woman is to overcome the hurdle of love. If you are alone, with your talent, you will be the most outstanding assassin of the Emperor's Ship and the future leader of the Emperor's Ship."