Zheng Quchi stubbornly refused to back down and stared directly at Gongshu Jiruo.
Even though Yuwen Sheng is the Grand General of Ye, Gongshu Ji is from Beiyuan, so there's no need for him to cause trouble and start a war on the border of Julu. Besides, this is the "Jichun Craftsmen's Guild" that he organized; he probably just wants everything to proceed smoothly and doesn't want any unexpected complications...
But now, listening to his words, what did he do to Yuwen Sheng and the others?
Or did he already know that Yuwen Sheng had stolen that cloth map from the Thousand Trees Palace?
She quickly glanced away, stared at a spot in the air for a moment, and said, "I'm not waiting for anyone."
Gongshu Jiruo looked into the distance, where the gleaming lanterns shone brighter than the stars in the dark sky. After a slight pause, he spoke in a restrained and stoic tone.
“Aqing, Yuwen Sheng has abandoned you. Whether you are waiting for him or not, you are all alone.”
When Zheng Quchi heard him say this, she took a moment to process what he meant. Although he used the word "abandoned," which sounded very harsh, she seemed to understand what had happened.
She organized her thoughts and said slowly, "I know what I'm doing and what I need to do. I also know how to get home. Whether I have companions or not, it doesn't affect the path I'm taking. Gongshu Jiruo, I'm not the kind of person who obediently stays in one place and just waits for others to lend a hand. You underestimate me."
Joining the "Jichun Craftsmen's Guild" was her personal choice, and choosing to help Yuwen Sheng was also her personal choice. It is not anyone's responsibility or obligation, and she will take responsibility for her own life.
Gongshu Ji hadn't expected her to react this way.
Most people would be furious and panicked if they heard that their companions had abandoned them, even if they weren't heartbroken. But she always believed in one thing.
She trusts herself.
She never clings to others; instead, she buries herself deep in the earth to draw nourishment and strengthen herself. No matter how great the wind and rain, no matter how the mountains crumble or the peaks collapse, nothing can shake her firm and steadfast nature.
“Aqing, I’ve finally realized something.”
Why does it have to be her?
Besides saving him, what was it about her that made him think about her day and night? Later, his longing for her turned into a vast expanse of autumn water.
He never admired people like Gongshu Lan, who would recklessly pursue love, extinguish their own nature and brilliance, and become trapped in a swamp of unrequited love.
But he doesn't know what type of woman he will become infatuated with in the future, or perhaps he will never meet someone with whom he has a soulmate.
But his good fortune lay in the fact that he didn't deliberately seek her out; a disaster, an accident, a life-threatening ordeal, led him to her.
What is he saying?
"Yuwen Sheng and his men have abandoned you and left Yongfeng Mountain with their troops. He also stole a letter that is extremely important to the Julu Kingdom. In order to make this intelligence a crucial key to turning the tide of battle, I believe he will spare no effort to break through the encirclement and return home as soon as possible. For this reason..."
He looked at Zheng Quchi and said quietly, "He didn't hesitate to use you as bait to mislead everyone. He put you out in the open to divert attention, and without any of our expectations, he took everyone away without hesitation."
Zheng Quchi's thought process is sometimes unusual; before his emotions take over, he first looks at things from a rational perspective.
Back then, Wei Yao told her to draw everyone's attention inside the Thousand Trees Palace to create an opportunity for Yuwen Sheng... Could it also include covering their safe evacuation later?
So, she completed her mission as an undercover agent quite satisfactorily.
She lowered her eyes and calmly asked, "Why would such an important letter from the Kingdom of Julu appear in Wujue Temple, a place seemingly detached from worldly strife?"
Gongshu Jiruo saw that she remained silent about Yuwen Sheng's actions of using her and then abandoning her. Was she indifferent, or did she care too much, to the point that she forcefully closed herself off and became numb?
He didn't quite understand, but seeing that she had hit the nail on the head and asked the core issue, he didn't hide anything from her.
"Because Wujue Temple is not a simple temple. Most people in Julu Kingdom do not believe in Buddhism. This temple was built only to attract people from other countries. Its existence is also a kind of intelligence agency for transmitting information."
"...Why are you suddenly being so frank?" She was startled.
This matter is highly confidential. Although Yuwen Sheng knows it, an ordinary person like her would probably never guess how deep the water really is unless she exposes it.
Furthermore, how did he know so much about the secret espionage wars among humans? It was hard for her not to suspect that he might have been involved in it as well.
Gongshu Jiruo looked at her intently and said in a low voice, "Because I have something else to tell you."
Zheng Quchi clenched his fist and still asked, "Do you already know who I am?"
“Aqing or Zheng Quchi,” he said.
"..." It really was completely exposed.
“But I’ve gotten used to calling you A-Qing, so I’ll continue to call you A-Qing from now on.”
It's pointless to ask him when he found out now. Since they've already revealed their identities to each other, she might as well just be completely open about it.
"Do you think that what you want to be honest about is the same thing I've been wanting to ask you?" She stared intently at him.
Gongshu Jiruo's eyes darkened slightly, and when her long eyelashes drooped, her fair and snow-white face showed a sense of loneliness and silence: "Back in Fuxian, I knew about Gongshu Lan's plot to frame you."
Zheng Quchi's pupils paused for a moment.
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