Chapter 1262: A Day of Justice and Joy [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
In the dream's timeline, Gu Chi hadn't even had a chance to become enemies with Luan Xin before they became colleagues, so their relationship was naturally much more harmonious than in reality. Even when Gu Chi teased him in a flippant tone, Luan Xin didn't feel offended.
He simply took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped the blade.
Even if a scholar suffers a fatal wound, he will not die immediately.
His classmate drew his sword to save him the moment the incident occurred, but Lin Feng, who was prepared, stopped him, saying, "Don't move if you don't want to die!"
He struck the dantian with his palm, temporarily sealing the opponent's meridians of literary energy.
His classmate struggled with all his might, veins bulging, and Lin Feng had no choice but to disarm him. At this moment, Lin Su was barely supporting himself on the table with both hands, his literary energy surging wildly towards his heart, trying to block the opening; he wanted to die knowing why.
Why did the strategist kill me?
Gu Chi had absolutely no reason to harm him.
Gu Chi hooked a stool with his foot and sat down, scratching his forehead with his left index finger, as if troubled and unsure where to begin: "You are not Lin Feng."
Lin Su scoffed, "There was no such person as Lin Feng from beginning to end."
He entered the dream before Lin Feng was rescued, meaning that the "Lin Feng" that both Gu Chi and Shen Tang knew was actually Lin Su from beginning to end. As someone in the dream, what reason would Gu Chi have to kill him under these circumstances?
Lin Su then asked, "When did you first develop the intention to kill?"
Among the senior officials and ministers of Kang State, Lin Su was most wary of Gu Chi. After the war with Gao State, Gu Chi's scholarly ways were hardly a secret; anyone with a discerning eye could find out. In other words, Gu Chi was the most likely person to discover Lin Su's problems.
Gu Chi said, "While you were wary of me."
This answer clearly exceeded Lin Su's expectations.
"Because I'm wary of you?"
"The biggest flaw in your confession is that it's completely flawless, which is what piqued my curiosity. Such an open confession is either something like your lord who isn't afraid of outsiders hearing, or something that was prepared from the start. You're clearly not the former." Gu Chi is a contradictory person; he doesn't like to hear everything, nor does he like to hear nothing at all. "As a young lady from a noble family, it's not surprising that you know many secrets and intelligence from your father and brothers, and it's also normal for you to recommend Gongyi."
She was a woman from a prominent family; it was impossible for her to be illiterate.
If one is exceptionally talented and has loving parents, they have the opportunity to receive an early education alongside their brothers, and their horizons will not be limited to the inner quarters. Lin Su's implied recommendation of Luan Xin makes logical sense.
Gu Chi said, "It is both success and failure that are based on justice."
He inadvertently learned of Luan Xin's true approach to scholarship and a brilliant idea sprouted in his mind. He privately commissioned Luan Xin to use his scholarly knowledge to listen to "Lin Feng's" inner thoughts. As long as Gu Chi was around, "Lin Feng's" inner thoughts would be wary, but no one can remain highly vigilant at all times; their guard will eventually relax. Once they do, Luan Xin could easily obtain the real intelligence.
Luan Xin was initially unwilling as well.
What kind of respectable person could be capable of awakening the way of the mind-reading scholar?
Gu Chi always looked weak and frivolous, as if he had overworked his kidneys.
It's reasonable to suspect that this guy has designs on that young girl.
Luan Xin would never aid and abet evil!
Unable to resist Gu Chi's daily pleading, Luan Xin reluctantly agreed this time. To be on the safe side, Gu Chi even deliberately took on a two-day business trip. Upon his return, he immediately sought out Luan Xin to inquire about the situation: "Is there any problem with Gongyi or Lingde?"
When Luan Xin saw him return, he quickly pulled him away for a private talk.
He told me everything he had found out in the past two days.
In summary—
It's Lin Feng, yet it's not Lin Feng.
The Lin Feng they knew was always a fake Lin Feng; in other words, in their understanding, the so-called Lin Feng never existed.
It's a bit of a mouthful, but that's the gist of it.
Gu Chi continued his investigation, and also took the opportunity to communicate with his lord—either pretend nothing had happened and accept the Lin Su version of Lin Feng in front of him, since they didn't know the so-called Lin Feng in the first place; or see how things went and find an opportunity to eliminate the variable!
Lin Su is not Lin Feng, but she's not one of us either.
They clearly came with some kind of purpose.
Gu Chi's eyes were dark and deep, radiating a dangerous chill: [Justice sees the way of the scholar in this person, but has 'she' ever mentioned it? Keeping someone who isn't one of our own around is truly dangerous.]
He prefers to eliminate people to prevent future troubles.
The lord pondered for a moment: "I'll leave this matter to you."
Lin Su and Lin Feng have completely different personalities. The real Shen Tang was able to quickly accept Lin Feng, largely due to her innocence and frankness. In the dream, Shen Tang's feelings for "Lin Feng" were lukewarm, far less trusting and reliant on him than in reality. When Gu Chi suggested finding an opportunity to eliminate him, Shen Tang felt no reluctance—because based on the existing evidence, the betrayal had existed from the very beginning.
Gu Chi did not make a move immediately.
Not wanting to alert the enemy, they kept delaying and waiting for an opportunity, while also arranging the entire process to ensure everything went smoothly.
Luan Xin copied the "Ignore" skill from Cui Xiao, a subordinate of Wu Xian, and used this scholar's method to ensure his sneak attack from behind wouldn't fail. Little did he expect to encounter the real Lin Feng.
Gu Chi carefully examined Lin Feng, who was disguised as Lin Su: "Your temperament is very much to the master's liking, but you're too bold. You knew it was a den of dragons and tigers, yet you still dared to come. Have you ever thought that if I didn't trust you, you would be the one to die?"
Lin Feng's inner thoughts never stopped from beginning to end.
She bet that Gu Chi was suspicious and wouldn't rashly help Lin Su against her before his identity was fully revealed. As long as she could buy time, Lin Feng would find a way to save himself. She never expected that Gu Chi would actually kill her second brother without a word.
She breathed a sigh of relief: "I had thought about it, but I had to do it. Rather than saying I'm bold, I would say I trust my master, my teacher, and my strategist... You are all worthy of my trust."
"Your teacher?"
"Hmm? My master is Chu Yao, Chu Wuhui."
Gu Chi glanced at Lin Feng, then at Lin Su, who was suffering from severe blood loss, and said with amusement, "Wu Hui only has Xian Rong as his student, and at most Wei Heng, who is half a disciple. Wu Hui did teach 'her' for a period of time, but 'she' did not truly become his disciple."
Lin Su's natural talent wasn't exceptional, but he used Lin Feng's body and had cultivation experience, allowing him to progress by leaps and bounds. What teacher wouldn't be tempted by such a promising talent? Chu Yao, with his natural advantages, hadn't taken him as a disciple, a fact that even the lord had inquired about.
Lin Feng felt a warmth in his heart: "Why didn't the teacher accept it?"
Gu Chi said, "His Majesty asked, and Wu Hui said it was inappropriate."
Previously, he had wondered what was amiss, but now he understood completely. No matter how much Lin Su concealed his abilities, he was still someone with complete cultivation experience; no matter how convincingly he pretended to be a novice, there would be flaws. Chu Yao assumed that Lin Su already had a renowned master to guide him, and that he was merely teaching simple incantations; if he were to take on a disciple, wouldn't he be stealing someone else's fruits?
Chu Yao is not the type to do such a thing.
Besides, he didn't like Lin Su's personality either.
Simple guidance is enough; there's no need to take on apprentices.
Lin Feng's smile deepened: "As expected of a teacher."
In her life, Chu Yao was not only her teacher, but also a single father raising two children. As a daughter, who wouldn't want to have all of her parents' love? Even as a dreamer, Lin Feng didn't want a third person to compete with him for his father's affection.
She was naturally happy that Chu Yao hadn't taken on any disciples.
Gu Chi said, "Your son is quite jealous."
Physiological instincts don't lie.
Gu Chi was meeting Lin Feng for the first time, but after a few words, he felt a sense of closeness, much more comfortable and at ease than with Lin Su, with whom he had known for years. Speaking of Lin Su, Gu Chi noticed that although her breathing was weakening, she showed no signs of struggling or resentment, which was quite unusual.
Either Lin Su has completely accepted the reality of death and knows that struggling is useless, or Lin Su has a hidden plan.
Gu Chi's intuition told him it was the latter.
Gu Chi asked, "What should we do with this person?"
Lin Feng asked that question again.
"Second brother, if you're killed here, will you die?"
Lin Su raised her pale face, her breath weak.
Despite his disheveled state, he could still manage a bright smile: "Of course not, because this is just a rather realistic dream, and we are all dreamers. I just didn't expect that even they in the dream would protect you. Your master has not misjudged you."
Gu Chi pointed to himself: "The person in my dream?"
Lin Su said, "Zhuang Zhou dreamed of being a butterfly; everything is nothingness."
He coughed and spat out a mouthful of foul blood.
The people in the dream naturally wouldn't realize they were just illusions; they were the very foundation of the dream. The key to breaking the deadlock didn't lie with him and Lin Feng. Only when the people in the dream realized they were anomalies and expelled them could they leave this Zhuangzi dream and avoid falling into a deeper one: "I deliberately arranged for you to enter the dream at that time, intending to use him to kill you and expel you from the dream, but I didn't expect him to be so useless and run here with you."
Oh well, it's all fate.
"Anzhi!"
The imprisoned classmate suddenly struggled desperately to break free of his restraints.
He grabbed Lin Su by the collar, his eyes wide with anger.
"You're using me again?"
Lin Su scoffed: "What do you mean by using me? How foolish to expect someone who killed you to be unwilling to use you? You're still in the back mountain... no, at this time, your body isn't even in the back mountain yet."
Lin Feng looked at him in surprise: "Second Brother?"
His classmate was also startled by these words: "My corpse?"
Lin Su asked in a chilling tone.
"Otherwise what? Am I, Lin Anzhi, some kind of living bodhisattva?"
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Why not kill them and keep them to worship ancestors during festivals?
The bamboo viper is commonly found in mountain forests or damp, overgrown thickets. It's not large, but its venom is potent. The fact that Lin Su's seal was made of bamboo viper showed he was no good. His classmate knew this too, but he never imagined Lin Su would kill him.
He moved his lips: "Why?"
His classmate believed he had been quite considerate of Lin Su, not humiliating him like others had done during their studies, and even intervening when others deliberately tore up servants' ugly clothes and threw them to Lin Su for mending and washing. He felt he hadn't wronged Lin Su, both morally and logically.
Lin Su said, "That's a matter for the future."
He must have had his reasons for killing.
This answer clearly wouldn't fool his classmate: "Why!"
Lin Su said, "One of the reasons is the completion of the ceremony."
His classmate released his grip and was completely stunned.
Gu Chi gave an "oh" and gloated, "It's still because you're too naive. You were used as a sacrifice at such a young age, right? Your life is like this now. In your next life, learn your lesson and stay away from snakes."
The allure of a perfect ceremony alone was enough to tempt Lin Suqi to kill, but Lin Feng was curious about the other reason.
and--
"The strategist has already accepted that he is the one in the dream so quickly?"
Are you going to hesitate about not breaking through the defenses?
Gu Chi said magnanimously, "I wonder if Zhou dreamt he was a butterfly, or if the butterfly dreamt he was Zhou? It's hard to say who is the one in the dream."
What's there to be conflicted about?
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Su completely lost her life. Her body collapsed limply, gradually dissipating into a thin mist, leaving not a trace of blood on the ground. Gu Chi was stunned, then laughed and said, "It seems that I am the one who is dreaming. Lingde, it's time for you to wake up from your dream."
Lin Feng looked up at the sky, but there was no sign of him waking up.
"How did you wake up—"
She started to say something, but then abruptly stopped.
Luan Xin also stabbed her in the heart, successfully killing her twice.
He said slowly, "This should wake him up."
Lin Feng's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and the rapid loss of blood left her limbs ice-cold. Her heart clenched: "You should have given me a heads-up!"
She used her willpower to suppress the automatic protective function of her inner energy.
Let the blood flow faster, so that the sooner you die, the sooner you'll wake up.
Gu Chi's reproach came from beside her ear: "Gongyi, why did you act so quickly? The lord hasn't seen the real Lingde yet. She needs to take her back to see her. Why did you kill her without saying a word?"
Luan Xin said, "Didn't you say it was time for her to wake up from her dream?"
"That didn't mean I'd let you do it this fast!"
He dawdles when he should be fast, and moves swiftly when he should be slow. He really suspects that Luan Gongyi is doing it on purpose.
Gu Chi squatted down, looking at Lin Feng with pity.
"What a torment! A scholar of the literary heart doesn't die so easily." Lin Su, who had just been stabbed in the heart, lingered on for a while. Gu Chi stared at Lin Feng's neck, "Want me to give you a quick death?"
Lin Feng understood his implication.
Gu Chi wanted to behead her; one blow would kill her instantly.
Lin Feng, with a strength he didn't know he possessed, grabbed Gu Chiyi's hem and stopped him: "No need to trouble you, let me die on my own."
If Gu Chi were to cut off his head, Lin Feng worried that he would have a psychological trauma every time he saw Gu Chi's face: "I don't want to... I don't want to want to draw my sword and cut you down whenever I see the strategist in the future."
Gu Chi couldn't help but smile when he thought of that scene.
When he's in a good mood, he stops causing trouble: "Okay."
The process of waiting for death is uncomfortable. Even though you know you're in a dream and won't die, the dream feels too real.
As his consciousness was swallowed by darkness, an intense feeling of suffocation washed over him, and a chill crept in from all directions. Lin Feng suddenly opened his eyes and saw a faint light flickering above him.
She thrashed about, finally stopping her fall, and swam towards the light like a fish in a pond. Halfway there, several dark figures broke through the moonlight and swam towards her.
Lin Feng grabbed one of the people's arms.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
She surfaced, gasping for breath, trying to calm the burning sensation in her chest that felt like it was about to explode. Pulling herself onto the deck, Lin Feng used her inner energy to expel the water she had ingested, spitting it out several times before she recovered. Looking around, she suddenly remembered that she had inexplicably fallen into the water.
Everything in the dream—
It was just a brief period of unconsciousness after falling into the water?
Lin Feng grabbed his sword, gripped the hilt, and drew it from its sheath in a flash.
"Take the men and let's go!"
Unsurprisingly, the place was deserted.
Lin Feng was so angry he wanted to throw his sword.
"Go and write a letter to Minister Luan!"
Her second brother really kept it a secret!
ヾ(ゞ)
(End of this chapter)
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