Raw rice and cooked rice

Even though Gu Yi wouldn't teach her, she wouldn't give up hope of recovering her internal strength. She continued to meditate and practice her internal energy every day, but her meridians and energy center remained as stagnant as rivers and valleys in the depths of winter.

If it were any other martial arts master, suddenly losing the martial arts skills they relied on throughout their lives would naturally cause them great distress. This distress is actually unrelated to real life; it is more about psychological loss, the fall of reputation, and the sighs of their peers.

A Qiu, however, did not have such worries. Although she gained fame for being ranked first on the "List of Banished Immortals," her reputation remained a shadow, hidden from the light.

Very few people in the world have actually seen the true face of "Jing Ke".

In fact, after the initial shock of knowing that he had lost his martial arts skills, Ah Qiu felt a sense of relief deep down.

Losing martial arts skills means losing the power to transcend the mundane world, but more often than not, it means no longer needing to entangle oneself in a life of bloodshed.

She was well aware of what her past martial arts skills meant.

What is a nightmare and a shadow to others is a source of pride and glory for the master and the entire Lanling Hall.

But for her, even if it wasn't a nightmare, it was at least a cold trial.

He can kill one person in ten steps and leave no trace for a thousand miles.

A top-tier assassin like her, her every move is a purification of the world. With a single strike, as light and cool as moonlight, a head falls to the ground from the shadows.

It's true, it's very clean.

Constantly navigating between life and death is a form of spiritual practice aimed at transcending the world.

For her, the identity and power of an assassin were more like a cruel destiny she had to bear. She walked alone, utterly alone. Her life was like a wild goose treading through snow, unable and unnecessary to leave any trace or thought.

She used to think that everyone was like that.

It wasn't until she entered the palace that she realized there wasn't just one way to live life.

As she slowly awoke from her long meditation in the snowy mountains, she heard a melodious female voice outside the door: "Miss Qiu, are you available now? Lord Chenghua Ling'an requests your presence at the Music Bureau."

A world without martial arts isn't so scary after all.

A-Qiu sat upright in the Music Bureau, staring blankly at the diagram of the Music Bureau's structure and functions painted on yellow silk with light ink on the wall. What came to mind was the day when Duke An received her here and issued her the imperial decree of investiture.

At that time, she was just beginning to make a name for herself and became the chief dancer of the dynasty. Because of her merit in protecting the crown prince in front of the emperor, she was promoted to the position of musician in a special way. She was riding high and even when she went out of the palace to perform official duties, she was accompanied by the head of the royal Flying Phoenix Guard, Miss Shangguan.

Within just a few days, she had become a prisoner in the imperial jail. Although Gu Yi rescued her, she was clearly no longer a favorite of the emperor. After all, such acts of insubordination and leading a riot could not escape the emperor's notice.

Unlike last time, An Daoling did not wait for her in the hall. Instead, he hurriedly entered from outside after announcing her arrival.

But it was obvious that Lord An had no intention of being negligent, because as soon as he entered, his concerned gaze never left her for a moment.

He looked at A-Qiu quietly for a moment before sighing, "Fortunately, the Junior Tutor arrived in time. I couldn't have intervened in such a sensitive place as the Imperial Prison. You've suffered."

A Qiu raised her head and sincerely met An Daoling's clear eyes, saying, "If it weren't for Lord An immediately finding an opportunity to report to the Junior Tutor as soon as he heard that something had happened to us, the Junior Tutor would have had no way of knowing about this. Why should Lord An feel guilty?"

An Daoling said, "I'm not the only one speaking up for you. In my opinion, Consort Chen also protects you. However, our Emperor is not someone who is easily appeased." After saying this, he and A Qiu exchanged a wry smile.

Ah Qiu said frankly, "It is a blessing for the world that Your Majesty is not easily deceived."

An Daoling's eyes flashed with admiration as he sincerely said, "Even after enduring the ordeal of imprisonment, you did not blame Heaven or others. I did not misjudge you, nor did the Junior Master." He added, "Because of this ordeal, you were actually favored by the Junior Master and accepted as his disciple. This can be considered a blessing in disguise, a turn of bad luck into good fortune!"

A Qiu originally thought that only her master, Wan Qiqing, and her fellow disciples from Lanling Hall knew about Gu Yi taking her as his disciple. After all, Gu Yi and she had not yet completed the formal apprenticeship ceremony, and Gu Yi did not seem to be the type to publicize it. However, she did not expect that even An Gong, who was in charge of the Music Bureau, would find out so quickly, and she was speechless for a moment.

After a moment, she cautiously asked, "Lord An, how did the Grand Tutor explain things to others the day he took me away?"

Everyone in the dance troupe, including Sun Neiren, was there, along with Gongyi Xiu, Shangguan Yuqi, and others. Gu Yi's public act of carrying her alone to Jinling Terrace in such a grand manner made her wonder how these people viewed her.

In particular, Sun Neiren had repeatedly warned her not to use her beauty to please men.

Ah Qiu used to be a powerful and carefree person, not caring about anyone's opinions, and she had a clear conscience. But she found that now she really cared about these people and didn't want them to misunderstand her.

Because they were not strangers to her, but friends with whom she had built a genuine bond of friendship and trust.

An Daoling's answer, however, took her by surprise. He smiled and said, "The Junior Tutor did not explain this to anyone."

A-Qiu was stunned and said in disbelief, "He didn't say anything, he just..."

An Daoling examined her face with affection and said nonchalantly, "At the level of Junior Tutor, there's no need to explain to anyone. Others will do everything they can to explain and smooth things over for him. Do you understand?"

Ah Qiu was so embarrassed that he couldn't say another word.

An Daoling looked at her meaningfully and smiled, "But now that the news of the young master taking you as his disciple has spread far and wide, it has the best explanation for why he took you away that day. You don't need to worry about this anymore."

Ah Qiu finally understood what was going on. The news was spreading like wildfire, and it must have been the work of the Punishment Hall under her second senior brother's jurisdiction. Senior Brother Mo Yi was truly kind, going to great lengths to secure a proper status for her.

Gu Yi himself would never go around telling everyone. But since he had clearly kept her at Jinlingtai all along, he wouldn't deny it.

In the eyes of the world, even if the deed is done, neither she nor Gu Yi can go back on their word.

Thinking back to the absurd situation when she became Gu Yi's apprentice, and how Gu Yi had been so startled by her kiss that he wondered if he would ever want to teach her anything again for the next year.

But it was clearly he who overstepped the bounds first.

I've really only earned this empty title; I haven't gained any real benefits.

An Daoling smiled and said, "You are a naturally gifted white silk dancer with an excellent physique and constitution. It is quite normal if the young master takes a liking to you and wants to teach you superior martial arts."

A Qiu's heart stirred. She originally possessed martial arts skills, but she couldn't reveal them to avoid arousing suspicion. An Daoling was giving her a hint: with Gu Yi as her master, regardless of what she had learned from him or whether she had learned anything at all, her martial arts skills were now openly acknowledged.

If Madam Pei forces her to take poison again, she can openly display her superior martial arts skills and then blame it all on Gu Yi's excellent teaching, saying that he taught her in just three days.

She had never imagined that her master, Gu Yi, could be used in this way.

Unfortunately, An Gong was unaware that he had already lost his martial arts skills.

An Daoling frowned, his long, white eyebrows furrowing, and said seriously, "A Qiu, I have summoned you to the Music Bureau because I have something for you to do. Of course, your status is no longer what it used to be, so you may refuse."

Although A Qiu was only a sixth-rank musician at the moment, she was the disciple of Gu Yi, the nominal highest manager of the Music Bureau and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. If Gu Yi didn't ask her to do anything, who would dare to assign her to trivial tasks?

Looking at the entire Music Bureau, only Duke An has such a magnanimous spirit of "recommending people without regard to relatives or enemies," using talent according to their abilities, regardless of whether she is Gu Yi's disciple.

An Daoling stared intently at A Qiu, his eyes unblinking, and said, "If this succeeds, A Qiu, your reputation will not be confined to the palace, but will spread between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and even reach the Western Regions. You will no longer be just a dancer, but will become the embodiment of peace and friendship in the hearts of people from all nations in this era of war and displacement."

Even with A Qiu's intelligence, he was deeply shaken upon hearing An Gong's words.

It should be noted that with Gu Yi's current achievements and reputation, he is not worthy of the title "embodiment of peace and friendship." After all, Gu Yi's most important achievements so far have been built on killing and an iron fist.

People looked up to him, yet also feared him. And there were also many who did not submit to him.

Ideal politics is to "attract distant peoples by cultivating virtue and civility if they do not submit." However, the world is now fragmented, with various barbarian tribes hostile to each other, and wars have raged for centuries. No country has the time or energy to cultivate virtue and civility.

At this moment, A Qiu finally felt the special attention that An Daoling, as a senior musician who had served two dynasties and one of the "Four Stars of Heavenly Secrets" who were the leading figures in the martial arts world, paid to him.

The Yuefu (Music Bureau) should not only be a place for leisurely enjoyment and relaxation during banquets, but also bear the important responsibility of exchanging thoughts and feelings between different ethnic groups.

Where language cannot reach, music and dance can express and spread.

Music and dance can reach the depths of the human heart, where language cannot.

With his own perspective, which has been rooted in music and dance for half his life and immersed in the arts, An Gongzheng showed her the role that music and dance could play in this era.

A Qiu took a deep breath, met An Daoling's gaze, and said, "Please give your instructions, Lord An."

An Daoling turned his gaze to the gradually darkening window and said, "Do you still remember the Princess Longevity of the Kucha Dance Troupe that I asked you to deal with?"

When A Qiu thought of this woman, her deep green eyes and her perpetually calculating face would appear clearly in his mind's eye. A worried look appeared on his face as he said, "I didn't have time to report to Lord An when I returned, but you must already know the result. Miss Shangguan suspects that she is an assassin from the Hidden Moon Clan, and I recently met her in the West Market, which makes me even more certain."

She recounted in detail the whole story of her encounter with Princess Wansui in the West Market, only omitting the fact that her senior brother Mo Yimingyue had intervened.

To An Daoling's surprise, what truly piqued his interest was neither the fact that the Princess Wansui, who should have been under house arrest, had appeared freely in the West Market, nor that Gu Yi had accompanied her shopping, but something else entirely.

He frowned deeply, his expression extremely solemn, and said, "You're saying that what the Princess Long Sui tried to take from you was a Han Dynasty brick?"

A Qiu corrected, "To be precise, it's half a Han Dynasty brick."

An Daoling's expression became even more tense. He said, "Think carefully and answer me seriously. Was there a relief painting of a dancer with long sleeves on that brick?"

A-Qiu answered very quickly this time, because if it weren't for that iconic statue, she wouldn't have been able to spot that half of the Han Dynasty brick at a glance.

Because of the half-broken brick in her master's study, which depicted a dancer with long sleeves and a bent waist. Although it had been a long time, she didn't remember it very clearly, but she always felt that it looked very similar at first glance, which is why she decided to buy it immediately.

An Daoling let out a long sigh and said, "A Qiu, could you bring that Han Dynasty brick over now so I can take a look?"