Chapter 316 Gongsun Qi and Gongsun Xi

On the southern border of the Yan Kingdom, the long defensive line of the city revealed its majestic silhouette in the dawn light. The soldiers standing guard on the high walls had cold expressions and sharp eyes that swept across the barren land covered with yellow sand in front of them.

A man wearing a cloak and black hat stood with his daughter on a mountaintop behind the city defenses. His gaze went beyond the city defenses to the distant yellow sand. Further ahead, across a sea route, lay the border of the Qingyang Kingdom.

Gongsun Qi gazed into the distance, lost in thought, wondering whether to continue forward or turn back.

This wasn't his first time here.

Gongsun Qi remembered that when he was sixteen years old, he had just entered the Yan army camp and was sent to guard the city defense line on the southern border for two years.

In the first year, his sister would worry that he wasn't used to life in the army and whether he was being bullied. She would travel from Yandu to his hometown every month or two.

They stayed for more than ten days and refused to leave.

The thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl was having a great time in this desolate place. But when urged to return to the bustling capital of Yan, she became depressed and silent.

The boy grabbed her and asked, "Did someone in the palace bully you?"

The younger sister held back her words, but her eyes reddened. Under her brother's persistent questioning, she finally broke down in tears, sobbing as she said that the people of Yandu didn't like to play with her, and that she was very scared and unhappy in Yandu after her brother left.

The boy was furious upon hearing this and shouted that he would go back and beat up all the people who had bullied her in Yandu.

He comforted her gently until she calmed down. As they parted, her younger sister whispered, "Brother, you should come back soon and beat them up."

The boy said irritably, "Didn't you come to see me because you were worried I wasn't having a good time in the army?"

"I'm scared." The younger sister looked at him with teary eyes, her voice still somewhat childish, making her words sound pitiful, "I'm afraid you'll die before me, brother, please don't die before me, okay? Wait until I die before you... Oh!"

The boy flicked her forehead hard with his finger and snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

The younger sister covered her forehead with both hands and looked at him, sobbing.

The boy had no choice but to continue coaxing him.

Only he knew that his sister, who appeared elegant, mysterious, and unapproachable to outsiders, was actually a spoiled, cowardly, and crybaby in private.

To prevent his younger sister from being bullied alone in Yandu and to return home as soon as possible to avenge her, the boy worked even harder. He experienced many things on the southern border, leaving behind many memories: his first time killing someone; his first time turning an enemy into a friend; his first time getting drunk with his best friend until dawn; his first experience of the crisis facing the Yan Kingdom, and so on.

The Gongsun family was defeated in the power struggle within the Yan state and was almost wiped out, leaving only the two-year-old eldest son Gongsun Qi and the one-month-old youngest daughter Gongsun Xi.

The brother and sister were rescued by Consort Zhao. The boy stayed outside the palace, while the girl was adopted by Consort Zhao. King Yantong at the time was extremely fond of Consort Zhao and granted her request. Gongsun Xi then became Princess Changxi of the Yan Kingdom.

Ten years later, King Yantong passed away, and Consort Zhao supported her son, King Yanshou, to succeed to the throne, beginning her reign as Empress Dowager. Her adopted daughter, Changxi, also became the eldest princess of the Yan Kingdom.

During those years, Gongsun Qi watched as many people became Kings of Yan and then died, only to have a new King of Yan quickly chosen to sit on the throne. The King of Yan sat in the palace facing his ministers, becoming a puppet of different people, while people fought and killed each other in places unseen by the King of Yan, all to ensure that their own people sat on the throne.

The victor is king, the loser is villain; this applies everywhere.

Like his sister Gongsun Xi, Gongsun Qi regarded the Empress Dowager who saved them as their own mother, but this mother was extremely strict with them.

The young children had no idea how terrifying the world outside Yandu was, or how horrible the enemies were. What they felt most directly was their mother, whom they had to look up to, her stern face, the cold words she uttered, and her strict demands on them.

Under their mother's oppressive power, they dared not make any move to resist. Although they were very afraid, they still had to live up to their mother's expectations.

Gongsun Xi dared not cry in front of her mother, the Empress Dowager, nor dared to say that she did not want to be a princess; Gongsun Qi dared not sneak back to Yandu to help her sister, nor dared to disobey her mother's orders.

The two children lived up to expectations and grew up according to the Empress Dowager's wishes. One became Xihe Jun of the Yin-Yang School, and the other became the God of Slaughter of the Military School.

In the public's memory, the eldest princess of Yan Kingdom and Xihe Jun of the Yin-Yang School is powerful, beautiful, mysterious, and noble; but in Gongsun Qi's memory, his younger sister, even after becoming a master of the thirteenth realm of the Yin-Yang School and becoming less prone to crying, still complains to her brother that life is tiring every day, that there are so many things to do, and a lot of troubles, and her eyes start to redden as she talks.

She always had "Brother, don't die before me, let me die first" on her lips. Gongsun Qi would scold her every time he heard it. After being scolded and feeling wronged, the girl would pitifully mutter, "Living so hard every day, if I don't die early, who will?"

Gongsun Qi could no longer tolerate it and was about to make a move when the young woman gracefully turned away, giving him no further chance.

When he was young, Gongsun Qi was always worried and would always tell his sister not to resent the Empress Dowager's strictness towards them. His mother had a hard life too. She was only seven years old when Prince Yanshou died. Watching her son die beside her and being powerless to do anything about it was something that his mother could never get over.

But life is unpredictable. The crybaby of yesteryear returned one day from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, clutching the headband of the Yan army tightly in his hand, vowing to fight the enemies of Yan to the death.

Gongsun Qi, who understood the Empress Dowager best since childhood, fought his way out of Yandu alone and never returned.

Now, most of the people in those memories are dead.

His mother, sister, wife, daughter—everyone he cared about had passed away, leaving him all alone in the world.

The words her younger sister always spoke of came true, but Gongsun Qi never wanted to think about them even once.

Achoo!

The girl sneezed several times, interrupting Gongsun Qi's thoughts.

He looked down at Alan standing beside him. The girl's clear black and white eyes were full of curiosity as she boldly stood on the edge of the cliff and peered down.

"Daddy, ouch!" Alan had just sneezed when someone grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him backward. "I told you to wear more clothes, but you didn't listen. Are you cold?"

"It's not cold!" Alan said confidently, raising his head and puffing out his chest, before two streams of clear snot ran down his face.

Gongsun Qi picked up the child and threw him behind him, saying, "Wipe yourself off."

"It's really not cold anymore," Alan said, wiping his nose with a handkerchief. "It's so beautiful here, Daddy! Can we go up to that city wall? It's the tallest city wall I've ever seen! It would be so impressive to stand on it!"

Gongsun Qi waited until she wiped her nose before taking out a cloak from the mechanical box and draping it over her. The morning breeze blew by, patting the girl's red cheeks. She wanted to sneeze again, but it was right in front of her father's face, so she could only tilt her head back, and the cloak she had just put on slipped off.

"Father, shall we go to the city wall?" Alan asked, pinching his nose.

Gongsun Qi calmly replied, "I won't go."

"Why?" Alan asked sadly. "Father, can't you beat them?"

Gongsun Qi put the hat back on her: "It's because you can't beat them."

Alan pulled at his hat and asked again, "I can do it!"

Gongsun Qi said, "They could cut you into eight pieces with one stroke."

Alan: "..."

The little girl stretched out her hand and counted on her fingers. When she counted to eight, her eyes widened.

"Where are we going?" Alan asked obediently, as if startled. "Are we leaving Yan? I heard Uncle say that there are other countries ahead. Are we going to Qingyang? Once we get to Qingyang, can we live in the city?"

Gongsun Qi smiled after hearing this: "Going to Qingyang is even more difficult than being in Yan. There are more people there who want to kill your father than here."

Alan shook his head frantically after hearing this: "Then let's not go to Qingyang!"

After Gongsun Qi tied her cloak and tie, he straightened up. The girl, with her amazing hearing, walked towards the edge of the cliff and said, "Father, there are people down there."

A caravan was moving quickly through the valley.

Gongsun Qi stood on the mountain, looking down. He estimated there were more than ten people, the strongest being at the thirteenth realm and the weakest at the tenth realm. The groups on both sides of the carriage wore black cloud-patterned badges on their shoulders. They were the Black Iron Guards under Commander Gao's command, lackeys of the Qingyang Nangong family, responsible for escorting wanted criminals captured in Yan to Qingyang for interrogation.

The carriage was covered with a black cloth, obscuring the view inside. Gongsun Qi, relying on his strange fire, was able to determine that there was only one person inside the carriage.

The convoy was moving quickly; once it rounded the corner, it would burst out of the valley and enter the border city's detection range. Alan recognized the insignia of the Black Iron Guards; these were the men who had fought with his father before. He clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Father, it's those bad guys! What mischief are they up to now?"

"Step back." Gongsun Qi placed one hand on the sword at his waist.

Alan obediently retreated to a safe position and quietly cheered for his father from behind, silently shouting for him to defeat the bad guys.

Gongsun Qi drew his sword with lightning speed. Alan felt a wave of heat emanate from in front of her, and the biting morning breeze that had enveloped her dissipated, replaced by a comforting warmth.

However, the people in the valley below felt the scorching heavenly fire descending upon them. They became iron tools in the forging furnace, and were burned and melted in an instant.

Sword intent, heavenly fire, flowing flames.

Countless flashing crimson sword energies swiftly pierced through the black iron guards on horseback, causing the warhorse to neigh in fear and throw its master off its back.

Those touched by the sword energy had their five elements burned, leaving them utterly powerless to resist. Their flesh sizzled as it burned, and the crimson sword energy pierced their chests, shattering their five elements cores. They died with a short scream.

This squad of Black Iron Guards was wiped out before they could even see where the enemy was. The cold, hard rocks turned scalding red within the range of the Heavenly Fire, and the flowing blood bubbled and boiled.

Gongsun Qi held his sword steadily. After ensuring there was no danger below, he swiftly sheathed his sword, and the crimson sword energy that had been flashing below also returned to its sheath.

As the intense heat dissipated, large patches of blackened marks remained on the ground.

Gongsun Qi carried Alan as they leaped down the cliff. Amid Alan's loud cries, they landed steadily in the valley passage and arrived in front of the cart covered by a black cloth.

Alan peered forward and asked, "What's in there?"

Gongsun Qi reached out and lifted the black cloth, revealing a young man lying unconscious inside. The young man's clothes were stained with blood, and his face was deathly pale, clearly indicating that he had been injured. His neck and hands were sealed with spells.

If someone from a family with a long history of mechanical engineering were present, they would recognize him as Wen Yangzhou, the long-lost young master of the Wen Yang family.

They were unfamiliar faces.

Gongsun Qi tossed the black cloth aside, thoughtfully examined Wen Yangzhou in the carriage for a while, flicked his finger, and broke the carriage with his energy. He walked closer and looked at it for a while, then suddenly reached out and touched Wen Yangzhou's neck.

As you press your finger down on the skin, the pressure creates indentations that reveal lines of golden toxins, vaguely resembling a butterfly.

Gongsun Qi was somewhat surprised by this.

Poisonous insects of the farm, the blood-red golden butterfly.

Even Yan Manfeng hasn't refined this thing. Currently, the only known person to possess the Azure Blood Golden Butterfly is Ou Rushuang, the Farmer Saint of Taiyi.

Gongsun Qi looked at the unconscious man and was suddenly reminded of her previous near-death experiences.

The little girl who was almost killed by the Azure Blood Golden Butterfly in Taiyi.

The little girl is still alive and can still move around in Taiyi, but Ou Rushuang is different.

Gongsun Qi recalled the news he had received a few days ago: Xuan Kui had suffered a severe injury in Taiyi and had been expelled by the sages of Taiyi.

Perhaps Ou Rushuang was also a member of Xuan Kui.

But what he wanted to know more at this moment was whether the young man in front of him was related to the little girl who was the destroyer of the world.

So, before the border reconnaissance team arrived, Gongsun Qi took the Wenyang shaft from the cart.