Remaining unmoved by the advances of others

A warm, fragrant scent filled the air, filling all of A-Qiu's thoughts.

The spring water gently enveloped her, soothing her and allowing her to sink into another carefree world.

Gu Yi was right there, and that was the most reassuring fact.

Ah Qiu casually replied, "Back then in the dungeon, I suddenly felt afraid for the first time in my life."

If A Qiu's eyes were open at that moment, she would have seen Gu Yi's pupils suddenly tighten.

He paused for a moment and then said, "What are you afraid of?"

A Qiu said, "I'm afraid of death. Gu Yi, I wasn't afraid of death before, but the death of an assassin is different from this kind of death. An assassin may die in the dark of night, and when he falls, he smells the fragrance of fallen leaves and smells the earth; he may die at the tip of a sword, and in his last moment, he sees the flickering torches and hears the ancient temple bells and the cawing of crows in the cold night."

She continued, "Being locked in a cell, suffocating to death silently in the dark, and having to watch your companions die one by one, is the most desperate and cruel way to die. It seems that the most cruel people in the world are not us assassins."

Gu Yi asked, "What were you thinking about at that time?"

Ah Qiu murmured, "I, I've thought of something..." Even though she was half asleep, she stopped herself in time, a faint blush appearing on her snow-white face.

After a moment, she said, "I thought of my master."

She wanted her master, Wanqiqing, to save her. This was quite normal. After all, she entered the palace on the orders of her master, and Wanqiqing had treated her well. Her senior brother, Gongyi Xiu, did not give up on saving her until the very last moment before he arrived.

But Gu Yi still felt a little awkward.

So, in those most hopeless moments, did she never think of him? Even though just before that, she had promised him that she would stay with him forever and never leave him.

"Master." This time she was calling him.

Gu Yi picked up a wooden ladle and poured a ladleful of water on her in response.

"What I fear most is not death, but losing all hope."

Gu Yi heard his own voice say, "Have you ever lost all hope?"

A Qiu said, "Yes. In the snowy plains behind the Divine Weapon Hall, when I woke up, I possessed unparalleled martial arts skills, but I also understood something I had never understood before."

Gu Yi asked, "What is that?"

Ah Qiu said, "Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. In truth, no one in this world really cares about my life or death."

Gu Yi was first shocked, then said, "That's not how it is."

A-Qiu insisted, "That's how it is. You're thinking that I have a master and senior brothers who care about me a lot. But that all happened after I returned to Lanling Hall alive. If I had died then, do you think there would have been a future?"

In the silent shadows of the pine, cypress, and maple trees, only the water of the hot spring ripples and surges.

After a moment, Gu Yi said, "So you think that the reason you are accepted by this world is because you have martial arts skills."

A-Qiu asked, puzzled, "Isn't that right?"

Gu Yi gently reached out and pressed his arm against her wet forehead, saying, "Of course not. A long, long time ago, when you were still a baby and didn't know martial arts, someone welcomed you into their arms. You brought them so much comfort and happiness. They never expected you to have unparalleled martial arts skills or to accomplish anything. As long as you were by their side, they felt that every day of their lives was new."

Now, there were no more floral decorations to cover her face; only the "heart-to-heart flower" mark was branded on her skin, a fiery red mark shaped like a crescent lotus.

His brow twitched repeatedly.

It is the Niwan Palace that is awakening.

A-Qiu was immersed in a dreamlike state, as if she had transformed into a butterfly.

Someone embraced her wholeheartedly, with all their body heat and warmth.

Her heart, which had been beating very fast, gradually calmed down.

She felt as if she were buried in someone's deep embrace, or as if a luminous pearl was hidden deep in the ocean.

But it was a distant, familiar, and warm feeling. This feeling relaxed her entire being, and slowly, it felt as if her body had melted away.

Only countless meridians, radiant and transparent, flow into the sea in countless strands.

Every pore on her skin seemed to radiate light.

Gu Yi had already submerged in the water, holding her tightly, his palms pressed against her back, continuously channeling his true energy into her to clear her blocked meridians.

He no longer cared about the proper separation between men and women, and was only busy taking advantage of her deep sleep to find out why her body had "forgotten" martial arts.

She had not forgotten the martial arts moves; they were her body. She spontaneously and consciously chose to "forget" her internal energy.

Once a memory is formed, it can only be forgotten, never lost; this is a property of the body. Information can only be overwritten, not deleted.

He still remembered when Gongye Fusu handed him the "Brahma Powder," he said meaningfully, "This incense formula will open up one's mind and body completely. Perhaps for this reason, it can easily touch the suppressed pain in past memories. However, it also has some other side effects. Therefore, if you are confident, it is best to finish this quickly."

Even in the water, he could clearly feel that A-Qiu's body was starting to get hot.

He felt as if he were hugging a furnace.

Fortunately, the water kept the steam rising from Gu Yi's head.

Suddenly, he heard Ah Qiu in his arms let out a soft moan, and then she wrapped her arms and legs around his waist.

Gu Yi's body suddenly stiffened, and his hand, which was placed behind A Qiu's back, also paused.

After being cleansed by this fragrant herb, one's five senses will be more acute than usual, including... the sense of touch.

He was holding her wholeheartedly, intently observing her internal condition, but he hadn't anticipated her reaction at this moment.

Her clothes were practically invisible in the water. His mind was in turmoil, and he felt more and more clearly her soft body, perfectly nestled in his arms, exuding a languid and demanding charm.

The irresistible temptation, like a raging storm on the sea, threatened to engulf him entirely.

Gu Yi had never experienced anything like this before and felt that he was about to lose control.

He had never imagined that A Qiu would turn out like this, nor had he ever thought that he would have such an impulse.

The intense desire that arose from her palpitations nearly overwhelmed him.

His self-control was on the verge of collapse, and he didn't even have the will to push her away.

He... only wanted to be with her, to be intimate and entwined with her.

It was A Qiu's gentle call, like thunder in a clear sky, that startled Gu Yi awake.

He heard it perfectly clearly: the two words she uttered softly from her cherry lips were: "Master."

This soft exclamation pulled Gu Yi out of the abyss of overwhelming lust, restoring his clarity of mind.

The thought that flashed through my mind instantly was: whatever he wanted to do, it shouldn't be in this situation.

She opened herself up to him because of her trust, and even when he was right next to her, she entered the hot spring and let him use the medicinal herbs.

If something were to happen between him and her like this, he would be a beast.

Gu Yi suppressed his impulse, opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and lifted her out of the water, still soaking wet.

He didn't even dare to linger his eyes on her.

Previously, he only thought that soaking his whole body in the medicinal broth would not require removing his clothes, so there was no need to avoid it. Now he realized that he was very wrong.

Once clothes are soaked in water, they are no different from being naked. Neither visually nor tactilely.

Gu Yi's sect has always only had him as a disciple. Therefore, he now realizes that having a disciple means he has quite a lot to learn...

What no one knew was that Gu Yi, who appeared strict, polite, and upright in public, actually disliked being bound by rules and regulations. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lived alone in the vast Jinlingtai.

He had had enough of being watched like a rare bird or beast outside Jinlingtai, with everyone bowing and scraping before him as soon as he entered the door, and every move he made being followed by the eyes of the crowd.

Therefore, he never used rules to bind A Qiu, nor did he make many demands on himself.

...Right now, he still doesn't know how.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't know how.

Does he expect Ah Qiu to kowtow to him three times every time he enters the door?

Or does he have to start every time he speaks with "Now, your teacher will say a few words"?

He still required her to reflect on her actions every morning and evening, sweep and burn incense, examine herself three times a day, and report her thoughts and feelings to him before going to bed at night.

Let's forget about it. He doesn't lack servants to clean up, and he doesn't like to make trouble for people to establish his authority.

Gu Yi couldn't think of any effective way to establish rules and strictly distinguish between superiors and subordinates.

When A-Qiu woke up, the first thing she saw was an extremely fresh and clear light.

The light, as bright as spider silk after rain, streamed into the room, illuminating the plum blossom pot on the table, filling the room with a clear and bright atmosphere.

Curious, she raised her hand to examine the light and shadow closely.

Similar to the past, it was a delicate hand that seemed to defy frost and snow, but with a qualitative change, as if it were more crystal clear and translucent.

She examined her body again. Although her true energy was not as abundant as before, upon closer inspection of her Qi Sea and Xuan Yuan, she found that Yang energy had returned, like a spark of true energy emerging after the ice melted and the snow thawed.

Starting from this point, daily practice will allow the meridians to circulate and true qi to be abundant, thus enabling a full recovery.

Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "Gu Yi! You're amazing!"

Gu Yi hadn't slept all night and now looked unusually tired and drowsy. He was propped up by her bedside, almost falling asleep from exhaustion.

With his concentration, he could have sat in meditation and entered a state of tranquility even without sleeping, thus nourishing his spirit.

But after her outburst last night, he couldn't sleep for most of the night. He was restless and had no self-control at all.

Their clothes were both wet. He didn't want to change her clothes himself, but he was also afraid that she would catch a cold. So in the middle of the night, he simply pressed his palm on her back and used his internal energy to help evaporate the moisture from her clothes, while also clearing the blockages in her meridians caused by the cold energy accumulated from her early years of training in the snow mountains.

She was very tired, so she fell asleep right in his arms, occasionally fidgeting restlessly.

Startled by her words, Gu Yi opened his eyes and said irritably, "How do you know I'm good if you haven't even tried?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he was so shocked by his own words that he wanted to disappear.

What on earth was I thinking in my exhaustion that led me to blurt out that sentence?

A Qiu ignored all of that and wrapped her arms around him from behind, rubbing her head against his waist happily, saying, "Gu Yi, you are really amazing! I've been blindly practicing and tinkering for so long, and it's all been useless. But you only used one night to restore his life."

Her haphazard rubbing caused Gu Yi's breathing to become erratic. He immediately pulled her hands down from his waist and warned, "You are still weak, and your meridians are like newborns. Don't do anything reckless."