Girl's feelings

When A Qiu was at the peak of her power, she used speed to defeat slowness. Before the shadow battle formation was fully formed, she would look for weaknesses and fight quickly. As long as she could create an opening and force the thirteen shadows to fight independently, none of them would be her match.

However, her speed is not as good as before, so she could not stop the thirteen shadows' seamless group attack as soon as she started.

Her swordsmanship was entirely self-taught, her moves were natural and effortless, like a gazelle hanging its horns, leaving no trace. But even with such a beautiful and wondrous swordsmanship, she could not withstand the combined attacks of the thirteen shadows, whose killing moves were relentless and whose sharp weapons were constantly blasting through the air.

Within a few rounds, A Qiu had already sustained multiple injuries to his shoulder and waist.

Upon seeing the blood on A Qiu's body, the eyes of each of the Thirteen Divine Soldiers lit up. They had "tested" this hall master countless times, and this was probably their best chance to kill her.

Although the intelligence seems to be wrong, and A Qiu has not lost all his martial arts skills, but still has the strength to fight, it is only a matter of time.

Moreover, killing someone who is completely defenseless is far less satisfying for an assassin than killing someone who can hold out for a while.

A Qiu suddenly understood why there were so few records about the fate of each Divine Weapon Hall Master in the past.

It is likely that even if one survives every assassination mission, as one's prime fades and one's skills decline, one will not be able to withstand the "test" of this hall.

And so, they vanished silently into the shadows behind Lanling Hall.

Although the wounds on her body were not fatal, she was constantly losing blood. After a short while, she began to feel dizzy.

Never before had she realized more acutely that she did not want to die than now.

This shows that she has changed a lot since then.

In the past, even when faced with the most vicious attacks, A Qiu would remain calm and escape death, but it wasn't that she couldn't accept the outcome of death.

A single blade separates them, marking the boundary between life and death. Death will come equally to everyone; she is not superior to anyone simply because she is the head of the Divine Weapon Hall.

So now, without her even realizing it, she has already planted a seed of longing in her heart.

The blade of the "Luminous Moon" sword swept past her eyes once more, illuminating her clear, black-and-white eyes.

A caltrop struck her knee. A Qiu took a step forward, staggered, and knelt down. Instantly, the "Carved Moon" sword in her hand drew a circle of light, forcing back the thirteen shadows who were about to rush forward.

But this only allowed for one attack. Because blood kept seeping from her right shoulder, Gu Yi's sword wasn't heavy, but she found it difficult to lift and swing it again.

The leader of the thirteen shadows said softly, "This day next year will be the anniversary of your death. We will respectfully send our hall master off on his journey to the afterlife."

A-Qiu had already closed her eyes, but through her senses, she felt countless killing intents and weapons sweeping towards her from all angles, as if to completely engulf her. She could almost imagine what it would be like to be pierced by sharp blades and turned into a hedgehog.

However, she was confident that the Thirteen Shadows would take good care of her and give her a proper burial, and would never allow her body to be left to rot in the open.

Many things that happened in Lanling Hall were confined to Lanling Hall and unknown to outsiders.

Ah Qiu also discovered something: those who succeeded within Lanling Hall never knew the feelings of those who failed.

She knows now.

The feeling of the blade striking my body was not as I had expected.

With a "ding," followed by another sound, it was the sound of a hidden weapon striking the sword's edge, clear and melodious. Immediately afterward, there was a continuous series of clear, rain-like impacts, a sound like a sudden downpour, pearls falling, and dragons roaring through the street.

Someone landed lightly in front of her and averted a life-or-death crisis with a flurry of rapid swordplay.

But this was not Gu Yi. Although A Qiu had her eyes closed, her mind was very clear.

Since Gu Yi gave "Louyue" to her, he has only carried Yuheng with him. If it were him, it wouldn't be a sword standing in front of her.

The sound of the thirteen shadows tearing through the air as they retreated could be heard, and someone in the distance said, "This test has been cancelled due to interference from outsiders. Hall Master, be careful next time."

Ah Qiu smiled wryly, thinking that even now she still reminded her to check the progress of the test. She truly deserves to be a member of the Divine Weapon Hall.

Her mind relaxed, and she weakly collapsed. Someone caught her with one arm, and a voice as clear and melodious as heavenly music now carried a hint of anxiety: "How are you?"

What could she do? Although her body was covered in blood, which was quite frightening, she actually had a heartbeat and a pulse. She was just too weak to stand up after fighting the Thirteen Shadows.

Out of the corner of A Qiu's eye, she caught a glimpse of a white garment on the person beside her, overlapping with the bloodstains on the ground.

Exhausted, she still managed a bitter smile and said, "Miss Shangguan... thankfully you didn't cripple your martial arts back then."

If he had insisted on crippling his martial arts back then, he wouldn't have been able to save her life now.

Shangguan Yuqi said, "I was leading troops on patrol when I heard the commotion here. Enough of the nonsense, why are you here alone?" Her tone contained both concern and reproach, but no question.

No one questions why a mere palace musician would be surrounded and attacked by a group of top assassins while wandering aimlessly down the street.

Ah Qiu leaned against her, looking utterly exhausted, and said, "I...I got separated from the young master."

Shangguan Yuqi first realized what was happening, then listened attentively. After a moment, she whispered, "The Young Master is coming this way." She then added apologetically, "I'll go first. You... I saved you by chance, so please don't mention it in front of the Young Master."

Then A Qiu felt that she had released her body, just as she had come, and silently left the place.

As soon as she left, A Qiu heard the sound of clothes being torn in the air from the southeast corner, indicating that someone was rushing towards the area at full speed.

That's Gu Yi.

Now, A Qiu is extremely familiar with his footwork and movements, so familiar that he can depict the figure of him running wildly all the way with just his mind.

She also learned one thing: Gu Yi did not turn his back on her as Thirteen Shadows had said.

He only stayed in place for a moment before chasing after her in the direction she had gone.

The reason Thirteen Shadows said that was simply to get her to go all out and finish the battle quickly, so as not to delay and be at a disadvantage to them.

The fight with the Thirteen Shadows and Shangguan Yuqi's arrival to save her happened in just a few breaths.

As for why he was running at full speed at that moment, he must have heard the sound of weapons clashing and smelled the blood in the air.

When Gu Yi arrived, what he saw was A Qiu kneeling in a pool of blood with her eyes closed, supporting herself with a sword in one hand.

Her hair was disheveled, and blood was gushing from all over her body.

At least seventy or eighty hidden weapons and unusual blades were scattered around the scene, reflecting a faint light under the starry sky.

Gu Yi felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and for a moment he could barely hold onto the jade balance hidden in his sleeve.

He was only away from her for a moment.

He vaguely recalled why she had left in anger earlier.

With difficulty, A Qiu turned her head towards him and said, "Master... your disciple has failed and disgraced your reputation."

Then, she finally fainted without any burden.

In a daze, amidst the flickering light and shadow, a figure gradually became clear.

It was a tall, elegant woman with her back to her. Her hair was piled high in a bun as black as clouds, and a five-phoenix hairpin with a pearl in its mouth was placed on it. The tassels trembled and fell gracefully on her slender shoulders and long neck. She wore a plain yellow brocade dress, and her eyes shone with a clear and distinct light.

Even without seeing her face, A-Qiu couldn't help but be captivated and dazzled by her beauty.

But this woman seemed very familiar. It was as if I had seen her countless times in my dreams.

A-Qiu stared at her blankly and asked, "Why do you always come to see me?"

The tassels in the woman's hair trembled slightly, as if she were smiling, but then she said in a deep voice, "It's not me looking for you, it's you who's been looking for me."

Was it A-Qiu himself who was looking for her?

A Qiu felt confused. She didn't even know who this woman was, so how could she say she was looking for her?

Or is it that deep down, even if she is very strong, there is a missing part in her heart?

The woman raised a slender hand, smoothed her raven-feather-like hair, and said softly:

Do you really want a friend?

A Qiu was taken aback by the question.

She had never thought about this question. Friends were something she had never considered, something distant.

In Lanling Hall, there were two people whose catchphrases were related to friends.

The eldest disciple, "Jade-faced Marquis" Gongyi Xiu, had the motto "Make friends through martial arts," but the next line was "Kill people with a laugh."

Taken together, it means "making friends through martial arts and killing people with a smile."

This reveals the authoritarian style of the school.

The second senior brother, "Long Night Flying Eagle" Mo Yimingyue, dominates both the righteous and the wicked with his domineering style. His catchphrase is "My path is not lonely; I win people over with virtue."

However, A-Qiu's understanding of this was that once you got on his pirate ship, you couldn't get off without being stabbed.

This is the "way of friendship" of Lanling Hall. One can imagine the vague concept of friendship in A Qiu's mind.

She grew up in a snowy and icy environment, and the training she received at Lanling Hall instilled in her a refined and elegant nature, but also a cruel and inhuman side. Her fellow disciples were sworn brothers, but most of the time, each of them walked alone, facing life's challenges and secrets by themselves.

What exactly is a friend?

Gu Yi's image flashed through her mind.

But Gu Yi is her master, her elder. And also... the man she admires.

Therefore, not everything can be told to him. Especially her own confused thoughts and feelings.

Even with my back to her, I could feel the woman's smile.

She said softly, "You've been so strong all this time. But don't you also long for a close confidante with whom you can ask questions when you're confused, share your secrets, go shopping together on New Year's Day, release river lanterns together in the summer, and count stars together on autumn nights?"

The scene she described was something A Qiu had never experienced in her life, but just listening to her talk about it made her feel extremely fascinated. For some reason, just listening to her talk about it, A Qiu could imagine two beautiful and elegantly dressed noblewomen strolling hand in hand through the streets of Jianzhang, enjoying the spring scenery of the capital city in all four seasons.

Ah Qiu, who was usually indifferent, was touched by the deep emotions in her words and couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever had one?"

The woman nodded slightly naturally, her voice tinged with amusement, and said, “I have. Do you remember me saying that the first poems about the White Silk Dance were recited to me by one of my close friends? She patiently explained to me the customs and culture of her hometown. But I never had the chance to go there.”

Ah Qiu finally found her way in this feeling that was both familiar and strange.

The woman before her was Ah Xiu, the girl she had dreamed of again and again.

However, the Ah Xiu she sees now is somewhat different from the Ah Xiu she saw before.

It must be—Ah Xiu has grown up. At this moment, her hair is styled in a high bun, making her look like she's already married.

Do dreams also experience the passage of time, and do people in dreams grow up and age?