Gu Qianluo carried a basin of bloody water in one hand and slowly walked out of Le'an Courtyard, closing the door behind her with the other.
A melodious and gentle zither tune drifted from a pavilion not far from Le'an Courtyard.
Sometimes gentle and soothing, sometimes joyful and exciting, it is as moving as a mountain stream.
Hearing the sound, Gu Qianluo slowly raised her head and looked at the beautifully decorated pavilion across the street.
A beautiful woman in a long emerald green dress was gracefully leaning against the window, her figure elegant and dignified.
Her eyes were fixed on her, and just as she was about to look away, the woman seemed to give her a faint smile.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head, carrying the bloody water towards the bathroom.
As the corridor turned, a familiar figure leaned against the pavilion, looking at her with a half-smile.
Gu Qianlu frowned as she recalled Zhu Ying's identity, feeling uneasy.
"Brother Tang!"
As she passed the pavilion, she politely greeted the man sitting on the stone bench before quickly turning and leaving.
Seeing her embarrassed expression and her eagerness to flee, Tang Jiuzhao's eyes darkened.
He quickly stood up, opened his silver fan to shield Gu Qianluo, and asked in a sullen tone,
"Sister Luo'er, what kind of monster am I? Are you so afraid of seeing me?"
Caught off guard, Gu Qianluo lost her footing, and the blood in her arms soaked Tang Jiuzhao's snow-white robes.
She quickly put down the basin, took out a handkerchief, and wiped Tang Jiuzhao's clothes.
"Brother Tang, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Seeing that she seemed distracted and preoccupied, Tang Jiuzhao quickly stopped her hand and questioned her.
"Luo'er, are you hiding something from me?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianluo's heart sank. She gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly and retorted,
"No! Brother Tang, you're overthinking it."
"Then why are you in such a panic? Did something happen to Zhuying?"
"Let's go! Take me, the sect leader, to see his injuries."
Upon hearing that Tang Jiuzhao wanted to go see Zhuying, Gu Qianluo's heart trembled slightly, and she quickly turned around and rushed behind Tang Jiuzhao.
It doesn't matter that Zhu Ying is hiding the fact that she is a girl.
Importantly, she had a mark on her body that resembled that of the Xuan Yan Pavilion.
Before hearing Zhu Ying's explanation in person, Gu Qianluo didn't want her to die like that.
After all, she had saved Gu Qianluo more than once.
Tang Jiuzhao walked quickly, and in no time he arrived at the entrance of Le'an Courtyard.
He reached out and pushed open the wooden door, catching a glimpse of a pale figure from behind through a crack, and...
Tang Jiuzhao narrowed his eyes, just as he was trying to see the blurry mark on Zhu Ying's back.
Gu Qianlu waved her hand and quickly closed the door.
"Brother Tang! You can't go in! Zhu Ying's injuries are serious, and there's blood all over the ground."
Didn't you faint at the sight of blood when you were little? I'm doing this for your own good!
Gu Qianlu forced an awkward smile and earnestly explained to Tang Jiuzhao.
"What a joke! What kind of injury hasn't this sect leader seen? Besides, I overcame my fear of blood a long time ago."
"Luo'er! Get out of the way!"
"No! You can't go in!"
Seeing her desperately trying to close the door, Tang Jiuzhao's eyes darkened. He quickly pulled her to the side of the corridor and asked in a deep voice, "..."
"Luo'er! Are you hiding something from me? If you don't tell the truth, I, the sect master, will go in and see for myself today!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianluo felt that things had come to this point and she could no longer keep it a secret.
Moreover, Zhu Ying's identity as a young woman helps to overturn Gu Qianluo's accusation of "unchastity and impurity".
Thinking this, Gu Qianlu gritted her teeth and whispered in Tang Jiuzhao's ear,
"Brother Tang, actually, Zhuying is a girl."
Upon hearing this, Tang Jiuzhao's eyes narrowed slightly, and the taut string in his mind snapped with a "buzz".
"You're saying that Zhuying isn't a man, but a woman? You knew this all along?"
"No, I only found out when I was treating her injuries just now."
Tang Jiuzhao unconsciously rested his chin on his hand and pondered, "
"If that's the case, once she's feeling better, can't you go back to the capital?"
"Brother Tang, both the Marquis's Mansion and the Gu Mansion are trying to get rid of me."
Now that I have no special skills, I can only let them bully me when I go back.
"Very well, once you've mastered all eighteen martial arts skills, you can return to the capital with dignity and reclaim everything that belongs to you."
"Hmm, Brother Tang, your clothes are dirty. Why don't you take them off and I'll take them to wash them for you?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Jiuzhao felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
But when his gaze fell upon the opposite attic, he reluctantly refused.
"Don't worry about it! You go about your business!"
After saying that, Gu Qianlu walked towards the laundry yard.
Inside Yingchun Pavilion, opposite Le'an Courtyard, Qiao Yingying was carefully observing the graceful figure of a woman passing by in the corridor.
Seeing Tang Jiuzhao chatting happily with her, Qiao Yingying's eyes flashed with jealousy. She inquired of the servant beside her,
"Do you know who the woman who came from Le'an Courtyard is?"
"Reporting to the Sect Master's wife, it seems to be the eldest daughter that the Sect Master brought back from the capital."
"Miss Gu? Isn't she deceased?" Qiao Yingying muttered to herself, her face full of sorrow.
Just as the servant was about to say something, Tang Jiuzhao walked in with light steps and said gently,
"If Madam wants to know anything, she can just ask me directly. Why make things difficult for the servants?"
After saying that, Qiao Yingying's eyes flashed, and after waving the servants away, she pulled Tang Jiuzhao to sit down on the wooden couch by the bed.
"My lord, I heard you brought back two extraordinary people."
Qiao Yingying's eyes flickered, and she turned her head to look at Tang Jiuzhao for a moment, pointing her round fan towards the Le'an Courtyard across the street.
Tang Jiuzhao's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Nothing can be hidden from you, Madam."
"Tell me! What were you thinking when you did this, my husband?"
“My father and the Gu family were old friends. Before the Tang family became wealthy, whenever we went to the capital on business, the Gu family would take the initiative to let us stay temporarily.”
When the Gu family needed guards to transport goods, disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect always came forward.
The two families have helped each other and maintained a friendly relationship for generations.
Now the Gu family disowns Gu Qianluo, and the First Madam of the Marquis's Mansion has secretly switched the blame, putting Luo'er in a "deadly situation."
If we don't help her, who will?
"So, you're only helping Gu Qianluo because of the relationship between our two families?"
"Hmm, what else could it be?"
"My lord, it's not that I want to discourage you. Gu Qianluo was murdered just one month after marrying into the Marquis's mansion."
The mastermind behind this is definitely not a simple person.
You disregard the reputation of the Free and Unfettered Sect and recklessly meddle in palace intrigues. Aren't you afraid that someone might harm us?
"Don't worry, Madam, Gu Qianluo has decided to change her name."
During his studies at the Xiaoyao Sect, he will learn martial arts as a male disciple.
"As long as you and I don't tell, who else will know her identity?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Qiao Yingying's eyes, and she pressed for an answer.
"No one has ever seen Gu Qianluo's face, so changing her name is certainly possible. But what about the one in the Le'an Courtyard?"
I heard that he is Zhu Ying, who is wanted throughout the city.
This refers to the bodyguard who was rumored to have an affair with Gu Qianluo.
"My lord, am I right?"
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