Clean up the portal
Such precise and accurate steps, finding the right person, doing the right thing, and hitting the right timing every time, must be attributed not only to Gu Yi's meticulous thinking and flawless planning, but also to Li Wujiu's preemptive insight and divine calculation.
If Gu Yi had appeared earlier, although Emperor Wu was licentious and cruel at the end of his reign, the political power of the high-ranking families in the Southern Dynasty was still as solid as a rock. Gu Yi would not have been able to get involved at all, and his limelight would have been overshadowed by Shangguan Jin, the "gentleman sword" of the Grand Secretary, who was described as "a man in green robes with a sword, a reclusive and elegant man." Gu Yi would have ended up being busy in vain but without any real power.
Only after the rebellion, when powerful clans were fighting amongst themselves and talented individuals were depleted, was Gu Yi's best opportunity. He seized this opportunity, quickly appearing in the Southern Dynasty court, using his achievements in suppressing the rebellion and supporting the Xie family to gain the trust of both the upper class and the common people.
To everyone's surprise, the room fell into a brief silence immediately after she said those words.
Gu Yi half-closed his eyes, his pale face showing no emotion. After a long while, he said, word by word, "Li Wujiu did not foresee that the Southern Dynasty would be ordained by Heaven."
A Qiu and Xiao Yu were both speechless, unable to utter a single word.
Gu Yi opened his eyes again, sighed, and said, "There is no such thing as a good thing in the world that can teach you to see the outcome of the world's affairs clearly at a glance. Even the most skillful divination cannot do that. Otherwise, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu, would not have needed to launch six expeditions to Qishan, only to achieve nothing."
Ah Qiu finally understood. Zhuge Liang was also a learned man, a man of extraordinary talent. The division of the world into three kingdoms was an outcome he had foreseen in Longzhong. But looking back over a century, the Shu kingdom he painstakingly built was ultimately destroyed by the Jin dynasty, which replaced Wei, and then the Central Plains were unified. Could it be that before he emerged from seclusion, he hadn't tried to consult the oracle to find out where the destiny for unifying the world lay?
Gu Yi said, "He only divined for me that if I must leave the mountain, the most suitable direction for success is the south. That would naturally be the Jianzhang regime."
Ah Qiu thought to himself, "So that's how it is."
Gu Yi said, “But it’s not that I haven’t been to the North. Because the affairs of the world cannot be decided by a single word, I have personally gone to see them in person. I have also mingled in Chang’an and Luoyang. I saw that the palaces were in ruins and desolate, and there were no houses for dozens of miles. The barbarians took pleasure in abusing and robbing, the kings and nobles were ridiculed, and the common people were reduced to slaves.”
His expression was solemn as he said, “That kind of situation is intolerable to the Han people. In fact, we, the descendants of Guigu, have been living the same way for hundreds of years and do not have much prejudice against ethnic groups, but we will only choose a regime that promotes benevolence and righteousness as much as possible, because that is the future order that the people of the world yearn for.”
Xiao Yu grew up in a prestigious family in the north, and she had personally witnessed everything Gu Yi said, so she kept nodding in agreement.
But A Qiu thought of something else: Gu Yi's acquaintance with Li Chongyu's grandfather must have happened during those years. And the numerous Junior Master Charioteers now scattered throughout the world are naturally the result of Gu Yi's accumulated strength during those years.
Xiao Yu then remembered something even more important and asked in a daze, "If Master did not foresee the outcome that the Southern Dynasty would surely win the world back then, then why... when you came up the mountain from Chang'an this time, did Master say that the Southern Dynasty would surely win the world?"
As soon as she spoke, Gu Yi leaned on the table and spat out another mouthful of blood. A Qiu had never seen him in such a terrible state.
Gu Yi said in a deep voice, "He did not foresee that the Southern Dynasty would inevitably win the world. He merely used the form of a divine prophecy to bet his own destiny and cultivation on my side, betting that I would definitely succeed. That is why he had to enter the life-or-death trial afterward, as if he had never existed in the world again."
He emphasized, "Under the circumstances, he had no other choice."
The diviner Li Wujiu, whose word was law, could not utter a single word that would harm Gu Yi. However, Xiao Chang'an's bet left him with no other choice but to either support Gu Yi or deny it, in which case all of Gu Yi's efforts so far would be in vain.
Xiao Yu also described the tragic turn of events, tears streaming down his face, unable to utter another word.
Gu Yi finally managed to stand up, leaning on the table, and said in a deep voice, "Now that I know Li Wujiu has entered the life-or-death stage, I know where he is. Three days later, I will go to Dawanshan to search for him outside the forbidden area and see if there is anything else I can do for him. At that time, whether Miss Xiao comes or not is entirely up to you."
This was his way of saying he wanted her to leave. Xiao Yu knew this all too well. She wiped away her tears, her expression resolute, and rose to take her leave, saying, "At that time, this disciple will certainly be outside the forbidden area to welcome Young Master and will do everything in my power to assist you."
After Xiao Yu left, Gu Yi remained silent, sitting quietly by the table, focusing his mind and regulating his breathing.
A-Qiu looked at him, but hesitated several times before speaking.
Gu Yi closed his eyes and said, "Are you trying to say that I shouldn't say too much to Xiao Yu, whom I've just met?"
Ah Qiu truly thought so, but she could only say, "This disciple just feels that there's no need for Master to know about your background and weaknesses."
Gu Yi said coldly, "Because I want her to know what kind of person her master, Li Wujiu, really is."
He coughed up blood again and said, "She harbored delusions about her master, to the point that... the Xiao family came knocking on our door. Although she is innocent, she should understand what Li Wujiu's actions throughout his life were all for."
A Qiu was startled by his words and immediately lowered her head, saying, "This disciple is just worried that if Xiao Yu has other ideas, from the Xiao family's perspective, knowing so much about Master, she might... do something detrimental to Master in three days."
Given the Xiao family's ruthless and opportunistic nature—they wouldn't hesitate to seize upon so many of the Junior Tutor Gu Yi's secrets for their own use—the most short-sighted and simplest method would be to ambush and kill Gu Yi outside the forbidden area, knowing that he had already revealed his true colors. This would be a great achievement for the Northern Qiang Dynasty, which the Xiao family serves.
Even now, when A Qiu thought of Xiao Chang'an, she felt a surge of disgust. All the goodwill she had once accumulated towards him had vanished completely.
After all, Li Wujiu was a man of simple tastes who never sought conflict, while Xiao Chang'an, for the sake of his own family's interests, was forcing Li Wujiu, with whom he had no past or present grudges, into a life-or-death situation. The Xiao family's style is quite evident.
Gu Yi snorted coldly: "So we are not going in three days, but setting off tomorrow. If Xiao Yu has any thoughts of betrayal, when she appears in the forbidden area of the Hidden World Sect in three days, that will be the time for me to clean up the sect on behalf of Li Wujiu."
A Qiu was startled and only now understood why Gu Yi had been so patient and had said so much to Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu was Li Wujiu's personal disciple, and even for Li Wujiu's sake, Gu Yi would never want to ruin her unless absolutely necessary. But at this moment, based solely on Xiao Yu's words, it was difficult to discern her true intentions.
Did she approach Li Wujiu with ulterior motives from the beginning? Even if she didn't, now that Li Wujiu has entered seclusion and his fate is unknown, and she holds great power in her sect, with the Hidden Sect becoming the most influential force in the southwest under her leadership, it's impossible that the Xiao family has no influence over her.
Does she still follow Li Wujiu and the original intention of the Hidden World Sect, or has she already regarded the Hidden World Sect as a tool for vying for power in the chaotic world?
Gu Yi clearly explained the origins of the Hidden World Sect and his connection to it to Xiao Yu, so that she could make her own choice.
If the mission of the disciples of Guiguzi is to seize the moment, help those in distress, not be afraid of difficulties, and create a peaceful world.
The mission of the Hidden World Sect is to live in seclusion, bide its time, maintain a semblance of its heritage amidst chaos, and protect Ghost Valley. It is destined to play the role of a shadow and a guardian.
If you are not content to live your life this way, you should not stay in the Hidden World Sect.
Looking at Gu Yi's pale, eerily human-like face under the candlelight, A Qiu finally asked, "Master, you said you'd set off tomorrow. Is it because you're waiting for Young Master Fusu and Chief Lie?"
Gu Yi, with his eyes closed, asked, "You noticed?"
A Qiu's expression changed, and she mustered her courage, finally reaching out to touch Gu Yi's wrist. Gu Yi, unlike usual, did not avoid her, but allowed her to take his hand.
As soon as A Qiu touched his meridians, he knew something terrible was about to happen.
Gu Yi's internal organs were severely damaged, and his internal energy was running wildly and almost impossible to control, which was... a sign that his internal energy was about to dissipate.
A Qiu had only discerned from Gu Yi's vomiting blood that his internal energy must have been damaged, but because Xiao Yu was in front of her, she could only pretend to be fine. Only now did she realize that Gu Yi was not injured, but was actually about to dissipate his internal energy.
Startled, she nearly cried out. Instinctively, she wanted to use her internal energy to help him heal, but she realized that she herself was also injured and her internal energy had not recovered, so she could not mobilize any true energy.
Gu Yi said in a low voice, "Call Chang Kong and Patriarch Gongye over."
It was already past midnight, and Lie Changkong and Gongye Fusu next door had probably already returned. However, since Gu Yi and A Qiu shared a room, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to knock on the door in the middle of the night just to let them know they were back.
A Qiu was both frightened and worried, and immediately said, "I'll go and invite Chief Lie and Young Master Fusu. Master, you wait here."
Lie Changkong was startled awake by A Qiu's knocking on the door in the middle of the night. He hurriedly put on his clothes and got up to open the door. He heard A Qiu say a few words about Gu Yi. He didn't care that his clothes were disheveled and immediately rushed to Gu Yi's room.
Gongye Fusu lingered a little longer, but he tidied his clothes before coming out.
Lie Changkong took Gu Yi's pulse, and upon testing it, he immediately glared angrily at A Qiu, saying, "What...what did you do to him?"
A Qiu had never seen Lie Changkong so angry before, and was momentarily at a loss. She said, "I didn't do anything. I just helped Master up a couple of times when he was spitting blood."
Lie Changkong angrily said, "If you did nothing, why is he in this state right now?"
Although Gongye Fusu was unaware of the situation, he reached out and felt Gu Yi's pulse. His expression immediately became serious, and he said, "This is a sign that his power is dissipating." He then defended A Qiu, saying, "It seems like there's something wrong with his own technique. It's not like someone stabbed him with a knife. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
Lie Changkong angrily said, "You still say that if you hadn't insisted on only having three rooms, forcing them to share a room..." He had to stop there.
Gongye Fusu was even more baffled, saying, "Wasn't it the Junior Tutor's idea to only book three rooms? Besides, they traveled in the same carriage all the way here, so what's the difference?"
Lie Changkong said, "The difference is huge! When we were in the same car, we were both outside, so they wouldn't have done anything improper. But here, a man and a woman alone in a room..."
A Qiu finally understood what Lie Changkong meant. He was implying that she and Gu Yi had overstepped their bounds. She cried out in injustice, her face turning pale with anxiety. She shook her head and said, "My master and I ran into Miss Xiao Yu from the Hidden World Sect as soon as we returned. We didn't have a single moment to spend time together in private. I swear to God."
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