ambush
Not long after Gu Youan returned home, Jian Nan stood unharmed in front of her. Gu Youan looked him up and down, wondering, "Sheng Jingche?"
Sheng Jingche clasped his hands together and leaned against a pillar. "You can tell us apart?"
"How did you escape? Where did you go?" The Dali Temple was impregnable, yet Jiannan managed to escape.
“You’an, Jiannan can’t escape, but I, Sheng Jingche, can.”
Gu Youan reached out and touched his face, trying to find traces of the human skin mask. Jiannan patted her hand, "The real Jiannan, I'm not an imposter."
Gu Youan did not believe his one-sided story, but instead carefully examined his face.
Jiannan turned his head away. "I'm not Jiannan. I'll get angry."
Gu Youan slowly lowered her hand. Sheng Jingche was the dominant personality, and he had absolute control over his body. Gu Youan stared at him for a long time, "Since you've escaped, why don't you come back to the Gu family to see me?"
Jiannan took off his outer robe, revealing his strong back covered with scars. "Jiannan was beaten to the point of near death. After I escaped, I recuperated in a farmhouse outside the city."
"I'll tell you after he wakes up; I don't know the specifics either. Gu Youan, did you go to see Xie Daoqing?"
"In a moment of panic that day, I fell into the pond with Xie Daoqing. When I woke up, the Xie family and the Gu family had already arranged a marriage." Gu Youan narrated calmly, as if it were someone else who was engaged, not her.
Jiannan grabbed his arm. "But is it for me?"
Gu Youan's eyes darted around. "I joined the Emperor's Agency to infiltrate Xie Daoqing's inner circle. Now that I have a legitimate reason to live in the Xie family, I believe this is what the Emperor's Agency wants to see."
Jiannan suddenly grabbed her arm. "You'an, are you aware of the Xie family's wolfish ambitions? Are you confident you can stand up to them?"
Gu Youan broke free. "Don't pull me like this, Sheng Jingche. You and Jiannan are not the same at all. Don't pull me."
She suddenly pushed Jiannan away, "Now that you're back, let's go back to the Emperor's Ship tomorrow."
Jiannan chuckled and looked down at her, "Gu Youan, Jiannan doesn't want you to take any risks."
"Enough, my mind is made up." She turned and left. For some reason, she felt fear towards Sheng Jingche who had returned this time. It was clearly the same face, but Jiannan made her feel more at ease.
"You'an, what are you doubting?" Qingyang suddenly appeared behind Gu You'an.
Gu Youan broke out in a cold sweat. "Why didn't you make any footsteps?"
"You'an, do you want to join the Xie family?" Qingyang asked her again to confirm.
"Do you want to come into the Xie family with me?"
“You’an, I am your medicine person, I should stay by your side.”
Gu Youan replied calmly, "I am a young lady of the Gu family. The Xie family will not do anything excessive to me. You and the other two should go back to the Emperor's Ship to recover from your injuries."
Qingyang took Gu Youan's hand and placed it on his neck. She knew what he wanted to do, so she turned her head, clung to his neck, and gently bit down, a tingling sensation spreading throughout her body.
Qingyang's blood held an absolute attraction for her. Qinglin Courtyard was so heavily guarded that not even a mosquito could escape.
Snow fell on the two of them. Gu Youan sensed a faint sadness emanating from Qingyang. In the distance, a pair of eyes were fixed on her, like an eagle eyeing carrion.
Gu Youan subtly turned away. Whenever she drank Qingyang's blood, Baihe would be watching him, which made her feel like she was being caught in the act.
Since Qingyang was injured, his self-awareness has become increasingly weak, and she can prolong Qingyang's life by drinking his blood.
After the matter was over, Bai He came to Qingyang's side and glared at her fiercely, "Gu Youan, you went too far."
"Baihe, you don't need to look at me like that. I didn't interfere in your relationship with Qingyang. Qingyang doesn't remember you anymore. Instead of arguing with me here, you should find a way to save him as soon as possible."
Bai He glared angrily at Gu Youan. He moved his feet, but Gu Youan pressed his head down and bit his neck hard.
Bai He was startled by this sudden action and felt disgusted. After a fierce struggle, Gu Youan released him.
He covered his neck and looked at Gu Youan with a wronged expression, "What are you doing? Can't you be a little more reserved?"
Gu Youan snorted coldly, "Instead of guarding against me, you should think of a way to treat him yourself."
The way Baihe looked at her was as if she were catching a mistress. She left in anger, leaving Baihe alone, bewildered in the wind.
Xiao Cui looked on in surprise, a look of shock flashing across her face. She then silently lowered her head, knowing that servants like them could not interfere in their master's affairs.
She handed over a handkerchief, which Gu Youan took and used to wipe his neck. "They will be leaving after tomorrow. I will also be going to the Xie family in a few days. After I leave, you should clean the yard inside and out."
"Miss, the eldest young master will be returning to the manor in a few days. Aren't you going to meet him?" Gu Youan washed her hands and lay sprawled on the bed. If only she had a cell phone right now.
A bright moon hung in the black night sky. Gu Youan drifted off to sleep in a daze. The night was not peaceful. Her dreams were bizarre and fantastical. A cool breeze blew by, and she felt a chill on the back of her neck.
Still half asleep, Gu Youan got up and saw a figure standing under the window. She immediately became alert, gripping the blanket tightly, and asked softly, "Who's playing tricks on me there?"
The man suddenly turned around, and a deathly pale face was reflected in front of him. In the moonlight, she was startled.
Another pair of hands gently brushed across her neck. The night was deathly pale. She suddenly opened her eyes, picked up the candlestick beside her, and threw it at the person in front of her.
The man suddenly dodged, and the candlestick was thrown against the window. Gu Youan rolled to her feet, and Xiao Cui, hearing the commotion, rushed over.
The room instantly became bright and airy. Bai He, dressed in a white nightgown, was lying on the floor. Gu Youan kicked him, saying, "What are you doing, acting crazy in the middle of the night?!"
Jiannan stepped forward to stop her, "Xuanji, stop fighting."
Gu Youan struggled frantically, crying, "He wants to kill me."
Qingyang also rushed over to stop Gu Youan. Among the four, Gu Youan was the strongest in martial arts, and as the Xuanji Envoy, she could kill Baihe without any harm.
In the midst of the scuffle, Gu Youan suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed Jiannan. Baihe grabbed Jiannan's leg, Qingyang elbowed Jiannan in the abdomen, and Xiaocui stood guard outside the door.
Gu Youan plunged the dagger into Jiannan's chest, and Jiannan looked at the three of them with a puzzled expression.
What are you doing?
Qingyang took out a rope and tied Jiannan up. Gu Youan pulled open Jiannan's clothes, lit a red candle, and dripped the red candle onto his fair skin, drop by drop.
"Xuanji, this is an abuse of power."
Gu Youan smiled. "Abusing power? Aren't you going to reveal your true identity?"
Both Sheng Jingche and Jian Nan felt unfamiliar to her. She grabbed his neck and said, "Confess your true identity and Jian Nan's whereabouts, or I will make you experience all kinds of torture."
Qingyang gently turned the pillar at the foot of the bed, and a wall with torture instruments hanging on it appeared in front of the four of them.
“You’re a perfect impersonator, but you’re not him.” Having partnered for many years, she knows his body language; they understand each other.
Gu Youan looked at him and said, "No matter how well you pretend, I know you're not him."
They would meet in the pine and bamboo forest after completing their mission, and no matter what happened, that would never change. But when she asked the man in front of her why he didn't come to the Gu family to meet up, she knew he wasn't Jiannan.
Gu Youan picked up a hook knife, pinched his ear, and cut it off. Blood flowed freely. Qingyang cut his palm, squeezed the blood into a bowl, and poured it down his throat.
Gu Youan looked at him, put the ear in the box and handed it to Bai He, "Send it to Xie Daoqing."
Gu Youan took the opportunity to cut off his other ear, but the man shouted, "Miss Gu, I'll confess everything."
Gu Youan threw away the scimitar and sat down in front of the dressing table. The whole room was filled with the smell of blood. "I have no patience. You need to confess as soon as possible. It's no big deal if someone in the Gu family dies."
“Miss Gu, I am just a shadow, I have no name, and I am skilled in disguise. Young Master Xie sent me here.” Gu Youan punched a pillar, picked up the wooden box, and headed towards the Xie family.
A gust of wind came and broke the door open. Xiao Cui was blown away by a powerful palm strike. Gu Youan looked out the door and saw a man dressed in black clothes floating in.
"Dare to touch anyone from the Gu family?" She somersaulted away.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, she was slapped across the face. Her vision blurred, and she grabbed the door frame with one hand. Qingyang quickly flew out to support her. When she came to her senses, she saw an unexpected person.
"Gu Changming." Gu Youan blinked irritably, covering her swollen face. "What are you doing?"
"What am I supposed to do, Gu Youan? What are you planning to do tonight?"
Suddenly, dozens of men in black appeared on the courtyard wall and surrounded the area. A figure emerged from behind Gu Changming.
Gu Youan snorted coldly, "Gu Changming, you're ganging up with outsiders to bully me!"
She looked at the people surrounding the walls. Despite the commotion at Qinglin Courtyard tonight, neither Gu Sheng nor Madam Wang had shown up, which meant they had clearly given their tacit approval.
Jiannan went missing, the three of them were stopped at the Gu family's house, and the Emperor's ship was also in grave danger. Gu Youan swung the iron hammer toward the southwest corner.
Qingyang and Baihe exchanged a glance and attacked the southwest corner. Gu Youan looked at Gu Changming and said, "You just want to wipe us out in one fell swoop, Gu Changming. I'll wait and see you betray your own family for the greater good."
Knowing she couldn't get out, she looked around, then took out her sword and stabbed it directly into Gu Changming's chest.
The two clashed violently. Gu Youan's swordsmanship was fierce, while Gu Changming adopted a defensive approach to offense. The two fought to a standstill.
Qingyang and Baihe were fighting a black-clad assassin on the wall. The assassin was well-prepared, and the two sides were deadlocked. Suddenly, Gu Youan rushed at Xie Daoqing. Xie Daoqing was not to be outdone. He activated a mechanism on his wheelchair, and arrows shot towards Gu Youan. She couldn't dodge in time, and one arrow pierced her shoulder.
A familiar scent filled the air. She pulled out the hairpin and plunged it into her thigh, instantly staining her gauze skirt with blood.
They removed their headdresses and threw them all against the wall. Explosions erupted one after another, and flames lit up the sky.
Gu Youan looked around at everything, and finally she couldn't hold on any longer and fainted. As she closed her eyes, she saw a faint smile on Xie Daoqing's lips.
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