Chapter 48
Unrest broke out again in the Ming capital. Shops were closed, students petitioned, officers and soldiers lined up in the city, and many people were causing trouble.
In the Yunshang Escort Agency, Lian raised her arm and caught a carrier pigeon that had flown thousands of miles amid the noisy sounds in the alley.
He picked up the mailbox, raised his arm again, released the messenger, then opened the bamboo tube and unfolded the letter. Then a look of great joy appeared on his face, and he hurried to the first floor.
"Luo Yan, the Duke of Zhenbei sent a letter saying that the army will arrive in Mingjing in three days."
Gu Luoyan turned around and looked over, a look of surprise on her face: "Very good!" Then she turned back to look at Hongli, Guan Qing and Dou Shiqiu: "Then we need to speed up even more."
Hongli took up the brush and drew a talisman on the yellow paper with cinnabar. "Everything has been prepared. Miss Luo Yan can choose a date."
"Let's do it tomorrow. No more delays. We must finish everything before the general puts pressure on Mingjing."
Dou Shiqiu sat across from the wooden table. She looked at Gu Luoyan, a little hesitant. "Luoyan, are you really ready? That person is different from the madam of the Hongguan." Dou Shiqiu turned sideways and looked at Hongli. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look directly into Hongli's eyes. "I have never seen a demon more powerful than that one."
Guan Qing also said, "There are two known demons in Mingjing City. The one we encountered last time was one of them." Her expression darkened, and she added, "A few days ago, my master and I suddenly lost our way. If we hadn't tracked Dou Shiqiu down to the Right Prime Minister's residence, I'm afraid we wouldn't have remembered encountering a demon in the capital for a long time."
"That demon can control people's minds. I think it must be the one in the palace. Her magic power is extraordinary. Even the master can't avoid her magic."
"Yijin is right. I believe that demon's strength surpasses mine." Hongli paused, looked up, and smiled. "But don't overthink it. The demon we saw that day possessed two magics: 'Shadow' and 'Control'. Perhaps the twin demons of Mingjing I've been speculating about are actually just one."
"If everyone works together, we may be able to eliminate it."
Gu Luoyan nodded. "Since Luoyan has promised Duke Zhenbei and General Zhen to eradicate the evil spirits in the capital, I intend to do so." She cupped her hands and saluted the people around her. "It is my honor to have you all helping me."
After saying this, Gu Luoyan also laughed and said jokingly: "If this fails, I will really die. And I will drag you all down with me."
Dou Shiqiu's expression darkened. Just as he was about to speak, Guan Qing beside him continued, "I have wings, the young lady has the seven stars shining on her, Dou Shiqiu can escape by water, and the master doesn't need us to worry about him. If that doesn't work, we can just run away. We have plenty of ways to deal with it. You don't have to wait for death in the palace."
"You're so sharp-tongued." Hongli tapped Guan Qing's back of the hand with the butt of his pen.
Guan Qing then laughed: "I just saw that Miss Luo Yan started it."
Dou Shiqiu watched, feeling momentarily bewildered. Life and death were clearly imminent, yet the people around her were chatting and laughing, joking with one another. She didn't quite understand what this meant, but she knew the tension in her heart loosened a little with the laughter, and her heavy heart began to open up.
Is this what a human being is?
He is the same person as Yan Nanzhi.
It is moody and complex, yet it always amazes everyone.
This is man, the aspiration of all things.
·
A quarrel broke out in the living room on the second floor of the escort agency.
Xue Yi wiped her tears, but was unable to convince Gu Luoyan, and stamped her feet in frustration.
Gu Luoyan's face remained calm. She held Xue Yi's hand and said gently, "Sister, listen to me. I'm not letting you and Chuntao go, not because I'm tired of you. I know you want to go with me, but Zhuiyun and Zhuyue are still young, and Yuanbao needs to be taken care of. We met as sisters in the Hong Kong Coliseum, and I've long regarded you as my closest family. If we succeed in this fight, it's all good, but if we lose, you'll be beheaded. Luoyan can't bear to see you and Chuntao die with me."
Gu Luoyan approached Xue Yi and hugged her, placing her hand on her back, gently soothing her.
Xue Yi couldn't stop crying and shouted, "What do you think of Chun Tao and me? Are we just cowards? You know the dangers, but you want to go into them alone?"
"Gu Luoyan, I'm your sister! Don't be so selfish!"
Xue Yi pushed Gu Luoyan away. She was very excited, saying harsh words and tears were streaming down her face.
Gu Luoyan lowered her head, her eyes filled with mystery. She reached out and grasped Xue Yi's arms, leaning forward and resting her head on Xue Yi's chest.
"Okay, sister, I won't say any more. Let's go together tomorrow, okay?"
"Are you serious?"
"Hmm..." She raised her head, choked up, and a smile appeared on her face: "After all, Luo Yan can't do without her sister. Luo Yan is just showing off."
Xue Yi hugged her, speechless.
A long sigh broke through the silent sobs, and nothing else.
·
Gu Luoyan stood alone by the window, gazing out. Her eyes were dull and slightly dazed.
The gauze curtains by the window were tossed by the wind, letting in the firelight for a moment and then returning to calm.
Suddenly it started snowing.
Snowflakes were reflected in Gu Luoyan's eyes, and she was slightly startled.
Ice crystals drifted in through the window and touched the tip of Gu Luoyan's nose. A slight chill.
Snowflakes were flying, and then a figure appeared in the dance between night and day.
There was a change in Gu Luoyan's expression.
The fox's three tails turned into snowflakes, and half of her body was wind and ice. And her melancholy eyes looked at Gu Luoyan.
She floated in the air, as if she would disappear in a flash. Then she appeared before Gu Luoyan's eyes.
Gu Luoyan closed her eyes, then opened them again. Only then did she finally realize it wasn't a dream.
Nian Qing looked at her but said nothing. She lowered her head as if she had done something wrong, and the wind and snow around her became more violent.
"Nianqing..."
The moment she opened her mouth, the fox floated in front of Gu Luoyan, and the palm of her hand in the ice crystal spread out, appearing in front of Gu Luoyan. She interrupted Gu Luoyan: "Hit me, I did something wrong."
"I..." Gu Luoyan was a little confused and flustered. She did the same thing as Nian Qing, and she didn't know how to tell Nian Qing.
"Gu Luoyan." Nian Qing leaned over to the window and said softly, "I know what life is. Can you forgive me this time?"
Snowflakes drifted onto Gu Luoyan's face, just like Nian Qing's anxious heart.
Gu Luoyan opened her mouth but couldn't speak.
Finally, she took Nianqing's hand and said slowly, "Nianqing, I did something wrong too. I don't know what to do."
"No one is perfect, and there is no right or wrong." Nian Qing clasped Gu Luoyan's fingers, "Face it, and there will be a solution."
"Gu Luoyan, no matter what you did, let's face it and solve it together, okay?"
"You're living too tiring a life." She hugged her, and the wind and snow outside the window disappeared in an instant.
The night was still dark, and the fox's tail gently rested against Gu Luoyan. She buried Gu Luoyan's head in her chest, closed her eyes, and kissed the top of Gu Luoyan's head with great cherishment and dependence.
The illusion in Nian Qing's eyes ceased. The real her was feeling Gu Luoyan beside her.
Lost and found again, and be cautious.
Until I felt the person next to me stretch out his arms and hug me.
Nian Qing smiled.
She was always floating in the air, half a foot off the ground. This way, she could hug Gu Luoyan as much as she wanted and kiss the top of her head.
The fox opened his eyes, and instead of seeing the darkness, he saw the moonlight.
She whispered in Gu Luoyan's ear: "Gu Luoyan, I love you."
"I swear I won't do that again."
Her answer was silence, a face pressed closer to her chest, and arms tightening around her.
She said to her again: "Gu Luoyan, I love you."
·
midnight.
Someone stood up.
A silvery moth flapped its wings and flew into the room, and the fine powder that fell down made the sleeping person sleep even more deeply.
The door was quickly and gently pushed open. Gu Luoyan and Nianqing stood outside, looking in. Chuntao was watching over the children, and she seemed to be having a good dream. She turned over, smacked her lips, and went back to sleep.
Xue Yi lay slumped over the table, a look of exhaustion on her face. The candle beside her was only half-burned. She must have been awake all night and had just fallen asleep.
Gu Luoyan walked over and covered her with a blanket. She looked at Xue Yi quietly, then smiled.
Outside the building, inside, white moths flutter, carrying powder into the beautiful night.
Lian, who was guarding the account book, lowered her head, her face buried in the book. Gu Luoyan followed Nianqing down the second-floor escalator and saw her. She walked over and took the pen for her.
Hongli and Guan Qing came out of a room on the other side of the first floor and met Gu Luoyan.
They nodded to each other, and then Hongli led Guan Qing out of the escort agency. Only Gu Luoyan and Nianqing remained in the hall.
Gu Luoyan exhaled, then took one last look around the Yunshang Escort Agency from top to bottom. A hint of nostalgia crossed her face, but it quickly faded, masked by her usual state of mind.
The moth finally flew out around the escort agency and landed on Gu Luoyan's fingertips.
She said to Nianqing beside her: "Nianqing, go."
After Gu Luoyan finished speaking, she walked out of the escort agency, with silver-white moths swarming around her. When she pushed open the door, she saw that the spellcaster had stopped the magic.
The moth turned into a flash of light, then fell to the ground as dust. Dou Shiqiu looked at Gu Luoyan, silently reaching out his hand and holding her.
Inside the escort agency, Nian Qing's eyes began to change, and deep darkness filled his eye sockets.
The three tails behind her spread out, lifting her body into the air. Green smoke gathered around her and then dispersed, as if completely opening the surrounding walls.
Everything became transparent, and everything seemed to appear before Nian Qing's eyes.
She saw Xue Yi, Chun Tao, Zhui Yun, and Zhu Yue. She also saw Lian, the sleeping escort, and the flickering candle.
Yuanbao, who had an old face but a child-like body, opened his eyes. Perhaps because his soul was weakened, he was not affected by Dou Shiqiu's magic. He woke up from a light sleep and saw Nianqing at the other end of the wall.
Nian Qing's eyes had turned completely black.
She stared at everything in the escort agency and spoke:
"This is an escort agency, named Yunshang. Ever since Bai Lang's unrestrained travels throughout the world, it has been handed over to Lian Lai for management. Chun Tao Xue Yi brought her children here and was taken in by the escort leader. After enduring hardships, she finally achieved good results."
"You will live out your lives in peace and harmony, and the memories of the Hong Kong Coliseum will be forgotten. We are just passers-by and will not leave any trace in your hearts."
"The past is erased, and you will not be able to perceive it."
Nian Qing's figure began to fade in the green smoke, and she finally said:
"Even Gu Luoyan can't remember you."
“It happens immediately.”
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