A Century of Memories
A-Qiu stared in disbelief.
Regardless of who Gu Yi was referring to, she had no recollection of any of them.
In this world, she only knew Gu Yi. If there was a second one, it would be Chu Yuanyi.
Gu Yi gently stroked her face, and she felt the warmth of his palm.
"Because of his failure to your mother, he will surely treat you well. He also... knows everything and can do everything. He should be able to take better care of you than I can."
Later, A Qiu learned that the person he was talking about was Shi Changqing, the King of Flute, who was also her master Wan Qiqing of Lanling Hall.
In Gu Yi's mind, Wan Qiqing, who had transformed into the court musician Shi Changqing, was gentle and refined, and had a graceful demeanor. He should be a person who was very good at dealing with people and taking care of others.
He's at least better than himself.
He was taciturn and unassuming, wandering the world, and was nothing more than an unknown hermit.
"Ah Qiu".
Her face was nestled in his palm, but she was startled by his sudden call.
"Yes, Master."
"If one day you leave, forget me. Master... is not an important person, and your life should have been better than here."
In Gu Yi's heart, rescuing a little girl from the palace by chance was a blessing in disguise, and a rare moment of peace in his century-long wandering life. But life is life, and he considered himself an unlucky person, and did not want this innocent girl's original life trajectory to be changed in any way because of him.
She felt that the world she saw, which had already been cleared of gloom by the moon rising high in the night sky after the rainstorm, was now covered by a layer of damp mist.
She really wanted to say, "That's not how it is." To her, her master was the most important person.
She couldn't leave, and she didn't want to forget him.
In the end, he could only ask, "Master, what's the name of the piece you were playing just now?"
He said softly:
"Go to sleep."
"It's called 'Chang'an Wind'."
What followed was that the Hengzhou rebels went up the Yangtze River and attacked the capital, where large-scale atrocities and massacres also occurred in Jianzhang Palace.
Since palace servants started breaking into the ruined Liyang Palace every few days, although they were constantly scared away by the Candle Dragon, A Qiu could foresee that there was no longer any place to hide here.
Whether they died outside or fled into the ruined palace of Liyang, the palace servants must have been driven to desperation to choose this place, because they probably thought that even being devoured by the Candle Dragon was better than dying in the chaos of the enemy army.
If three or five palace servants were to break in, they might be startled away by the Candle Dragon. However, if these three or five palace servants were to attract an army, and dozens or even hundreds of people were to surround the Candle Dragon and engage in a battle of swords, then even the Candle Dragon would not be able to escape.
This is why, since ancient times, even mythical beasts and divine birds have avoided humans, hiding in deep mountains and marshes. If they were to attract human attention, even a single bird or beast would ultimately be no match for a group of humans, especially one armed with weapons.
The situation eventually became so tense that one day at noon, a group of palace servants and eunuchs, carrying the elderly and children, and even armed with wooden sticks and ropes, risked their lives to break into the abandoned palace. This time, even Gu Yi had to resort to trickery to scare them away.
Ah Qiu thought that this was also why the legends of gods and giant snakes in the ruined palace of Liyang became so popular.
Essentially, it's for the same reason as the ghostly legend of Tangli Courtyard.
But on the evening after this incident, Gu Yi finally made up his mind to leave.
He instructed Zhulong to hide in the abandoned garden's pond, not to show itself easily again, and to avoid humans.
To everyone's surprise, after hearing what he said, Zhulong seemed to be deep in thought for a long time, and then raised its head, signaling Gu Yi and A Qiu to follow it.
A-Qiu carefully grasped Gu Yi's hand, watching Zhulong's figure wandering through the dark corridor, and couldn't help but ask, "Master, are you and Zhulong... old friends?"
Gu Yi seemed taken aback by her question for a moment, and then said, "I suppose so. Many years ago, I came to Jianzhang Palace to investigate the situation and took refuge here to recuperate. I was taken care of by Zhulong. Later, whenever I came to the territory of the Southern Dynasty, I would come here to visit it, and it seemed to recognize me. Then... in recent years, I simply decided to settle down here."
It turns out that Zhulong was the original owner of this place, but he lent this abandoned palace in Liyang to Gu Yi for shelter.
This is why Gu Yi felt comfortable leaving Zhulong alone in this place.
It's a long-time local, having survived countless turmoil within the palace. To be able to hide there unnoticed, it must have its own methods.
This was a very remote back room of the ruined palace. Zhulong led them here, walked around the room, and looked down as if searching for some clue, or perhaps listening intently.
However, after a short while, the Candle Dragon seemed to have finally found the mechanism. It stretched out a claw covered with silvery-white scales and lifted a stone brick on the wall.
With a loud crash, a hole about ten feet square opened up in the ground, with stone steps leading down into the dark depths.
At this moment, A Qiu understood that this must be the secret passage leading to the underground tomb and the other underground palaces.
Since ancient times, imperial palaces have been built with secret passages and hidden rooms for escape, precisely to prevent crises like the one we see today. But these secrets are naturally held by only a very few people.
Moreover, with the change of dynasties, the previous royal family might die an unnatural death or be exiled thousands of miles away, and they might not necessarily pass on this secret to the successor of the next dynasty. These secret passages would then gradually be lost to history.
But Zhulong is clearly the guardian of these secrets.
Seeing that they didn't move, Zhulong swam down first and then turned back to signal them to follow.
Gu Yi glanced at A Qiu and whispered, "Are you scared?"
A Qiu shook her head, but tightened her grip on Gu Yi's clothes even more.
Gu Yi understood, bent down and hugged her in his arms, and followed Zhulong down the path.
As they walked, A Qiu heard the sound of water.
At the end of this secret passage was a large hall with a steaming pool inside.
Looking out from this hall, one can see hidden passages in all directions, leading to unknown places.
Of course, A Qiu already knew that one of the paths must lead to the Wuyang Emperor's Mausoleum, where the previous Emperor Huan was buried.
Zhulong turned around and looked at them expectantly. His eyes seemed to say that they could stay here to avoid the chaos of war outside.
It turns out that Zhulong was also able to distinguish between what was important and what was urgent. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Zhulong did not want to reveal the secrets of this underground palace to these two outsiders.
Gu Yi hesitated for a moment, glanced at A Qiu, and then said solemnly, "Thank you. But whether it's me or her, it's not good to keep hiding from everyone like this."
Yes. A Qiu thought, Gu Yi is the kind of person who is going to create a peaceful era single-handedly, so why would he keep hiding like this?
His eyes were very firm.
Zhulong, being not human, did not understand what this decision meant for Gu Yi and A Qiu. It simply shook its head thoughtfully, as if to say: "Then it's up to you."
It swayed its body and tail as it walked step by step into the pool.
The water in this pool remains at this temperature year-round, presumably containing natural minerals and spiritual energy, which has the effect of cleansing the body and mind.
All because as soon as he arrived at this place, A-Qiu felt that the vitality was deep and long-lasting, and had a watery charm, which was significantly different from other places.
The Candle Dragon crawled into the pool, submerging its massive body, leaving only its pair of emerald eyes wreathed in golden flames visible, staring intently at Gu Yi and A Qiu.
Then, as if it were tired, it gradually closed its eyes.
The water in the pool also underwent a strange change, with its temperature dropping rapidly.
Not only the pool water, but A Qiu could feel the entire underground palace rapidly cooling down, and she naturally moved closer to Gu Yi.
By this time, she had already made some progress in practicing internal energy under Gu Yi's guidance, but she still found the cold unbearable.
A layer of condensed white frost quickly covered the top of Zhulong's head and face. A layer of ice also formed in the pool water.
Its eyes were already closed peacefully, and it was clear from its appearance that it was fast asleep, as if it had entered a distant era, into some ancient and long-lasting dream.
Little did we know that was hundreds of years ago.
Gu Yi looked at Zhulong sleeping peacefully, his expression one of utter shock.
This must have been the first time he had seen this old friend, and how he had spent those long years undisturbed by humans.
He first encountered Zhulong when he sought refuge in the hot spring pool within the abandoned garden to heal his wounds. Presumably, the water in this pool was connected to the hot spring outside.
By some specific circumstance, he awakened the dormant Zhulong, thus beginning their brief companionship during their long lives.
The icy mist in the pool continued to rise, gradually obscuring the form of the Candle Dragon.
After some time, even if someone were to break in, they would no longer discover the dormant Zhulong hidden beneath the ice.
Gu Yi was stunned for a long time, then suddenly raised his hand and bowed to the pool.
Ah Qiu understood that this bow was both a gesture of gratitude and a farewell.
The gratitude is for Aurogon's companionship over the years.
As for saying goodbye, he declined Zhulong's kind offer to stay and live in seclusion there, and insisted on leaving.
After bowing, he bent down and picked up Ah Qiu, then walked back the way he came.
Ah Qiu leaned against him, feeling extremely warm and at ease despite the long and dark road ahead.
She said softly, "Master."
"Um."
It was Gu Yi above her who answered her.
"You were quite shocked when you looked at Zhulong just now."
Gu Yi paused for a moment, probably not expecting that his change in expression would be noticed by the little girl.
He replied, "I just didn't expect that it could be so free to choose its own time on earth."
If the times are peaceful and one finds a suitable companion, one can roam freely and wag one's tail with great fortune.
If the situation becomes too dire and the palaces fall into disrepair, they will be buried deep underground.
Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration and said, "The Candle Dragon is no ordinary divine beast; it guards the emperor's fortune. There must be a special reason why it became friends with Master."
I first appeared when you were there, and then disappeared when you left. Even as friends, we are kindred spirits for a hundred years.
Gu Yi's arms tightened around her, and instead of answering, he said, "Once we get to the top, you'll have to lie on my back."
She did as he said, getting down from his arms. Then Gu Yi leaned down, and she gently lay on his back, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
He had to take her to Jianzhang Palace, which was now surrounded by the chaotic army, so he needed to free his hands to prepare for a charge out.
Thick black smoke and flames filled the air, and screams and cries echoed everywhere.
In each palace garden, people with disheveled hair were dragged out and tied into long rows.
Everywhere there were gleaming swords, spears, and arrows, and the constant sound of horses' hooves.
Gu Yi said in a low voice, "If you don't want to see, you can close your eyes."
He carried her on his back, yet his feet seemed to traverse the clouds, treading over the nearly century-old palace eaves and pavilions, undeterred by the raging flames burning beneath them.
The sky stretched as far as the eye could see, with light clouds and a gentle breeze, all a deep, serene blue.
Beneath their feet lay countless palaces, their gold, jade, and silk all reduced to ashes in a single fire—a veritable hell on earth.
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