Dependent on each other for survival
That was the most terrifying night in her life.
The vast, abandoned palace of Liyang was shrouded in darkness, its winding, secluded paths and artificial hills creating a labyrinthine landscape. She paced restlessly through it all, the sound of bells jingling from her ankles echoing throughout the ruined palace.
The Candle Dragon must be fast asleep in the garden. An old man like it, no amount of thunder could disturb its slumber.
What's his name?
She tried hard to recall, but she couldn't remember his name back then. In the vast, abandoned palace, usually only he, she, and Zhulong were together, and Zhulong wouldn't call him by name.
She finally remembered, after much effort, what Gu Yi usually asked her to call him.
"Master".
“You woke up early today, so your master will take you for a walk in the garden.”
It was as the first rays of dawn appeared that he looked at her, still half-asleep, and revealed the most tender and loving face he had ever shown.
"When the flowers that A-Qiu planted grow up and bloom, Master will put them on your head."
She dug in the garden, carefully scattering the seeds he had given her, her face covered in dirt as she looked up at him, hoping for his approval. Then, for the first time, he smiled, gently flicking her nose before carefully brushing the dust from her face.
It turns out that Gu Yi... wasn't always so unattainable, like a towering cliff.
And the one who received all his tenderness was none other than her.
Not only did he call her "Master," he also gave her a name, "A-Qiu."
Perhaps it's because she came into his life in the autumn.
In the empty, dark hall, surrounded by utter loneliness, her lips trembled, and for the first time in her life, she uttered those two words in a state of bewilderment.
"Master."
It turns out that the first person she could call was not her mother, but "Master".
"Master."
"Master."
"Master!" Her voice grew louder and louder, and she ran faster and faster, but she never dared to leave the area of this abandoned hall, much less push open the door to go out and look for him.
What if he never comes back?
The question vaguely arose in her mind, but she dared not think about it deeply, nor could she allow herself to think about it.
Once again, as she hurriedly ran past the side gate of the inner palace, she was suddenly grabbed by a pair of strong hands.
Then, she fell heavily into a familiar embrace, but unlike before, there was a faint smell of blood in the air.
His weak, low voice came from the darkness: "Don't be afraid, Master is here."
He is here.
She could say nothing more, only sobbed.
She could feel the blood all over him.
He had probably returned long ago, but collapsed here due to excessive blood loss.
It was her call that woke him up.
He gently embraced her in his arms, too exhausted to speak.
"Go to sleep, A-Chiu."
For many days and nights, the two of them, one big and one small, spent their time embracing each other.
Now she understands what Gu Yi was doing all those nights.
Sometimes, it is the power of the young master charioteers that unites the charioteers from all corners of the world, who have been willing to serve the Guigu School since ancient times, to reunite and obey his commands. This also requires time and the baptism of war.
Sometimes, it involves rescuing refugees from war. Sometimes it's even about directly helping to win a war.
For example, the time when Li Chongyu was rescued.
People only know that when Gu Yi appears, the whole world flocks to him, but they don't know that he has already laid a lot of groundwork before he actually makes his public appearance.
What worries A-Qiu most is that sometimes when her master returns at night, he will appear in a way she doesn't recognize, such as having silver hair and gray eyes. His temper will also become very strange, as if he doesn't know her and keeps strangers at bay.
But as long as she calls him "Master," even that strange man with silver hair and gray eyes will become much gentler.
He still appeared fierce and domineering, but he wouldn't hurt her and told her to sleep peacefully.
Therefore, Gu Yi couldn't care less about many things at those times. Regardless of whether the Divine Transformation Pill was delivered in time, he remembered his mission. After all, the situation waits for no one, and some opportunities, once missed, could no longer be used to influence the fate of the world.
She also...remembered that she was waiting, waiting for him to come back.
Since the night it happened, when he was seriously injured and fell into a coma in the palace, and she searched for him everywhere but couldn't find him, pacing around the palace all night in a panic, he didn't say much.
Just a few days later, he brought back a strange flower.
Flower heads emerged from the plant, each branch bearing two sepals. The blooming flowers resembled flames, extremely beautiful.
However, the branches and leaves were already half dry, indicating that they had been picked a long time ago.
She looked at him curiously, but didn't understand what he was going to do.
"Does it smell good?" He gently waved the red flower in front of her eyes and asked with a smile.
She sniffed it; it had a strange, mesmerizing fragrance that made one feel dazed. These past few days she had wandered through the ruined palace gardens, recognizing many exotic flowers and herbs, but this particular plant was unforgettable from the first glance.
Because of its vibrant and unique appearance. The twin blossoms on the branches resemble flying birds or a pair of dancing flames.
"This was sent to me by Li Wujiu. It doesn't matter if you don't know who he is, just know that he is the world's greatest alchemist."
"He was not only skilled in alchemy, but also in making Gu poisons. However, most of the Gu poisons he made were herbal, and they did not harm people."
She had seen the "dan" before; Gu Yi would take a pill with a green aura and a shimmering white and purple color every now and then. She would often watch him take it.
She also knew that if he didn't take the pills for a while, his appearance would change, and the changes would mostly happen at night.
But I don't know what "Gu" is.
Gu Yi uttered a sentence softly.
"This is the Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu, which I specially requested from Sect Leader Li."
"I asked him if there was a kind of Gu that could make two people feel each other's hearts and minds, and communicate with each other. As long as they are within a certain range, even if they don't know martial arts, they can sense each other and won't get lost. So he brought me this Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu."
She watched as the love flower bloomed on his fingertips, becoming even more vibrant with the infusion of his true energy, trembling like a flame.
He raised his finger and gently touched her brow.
A strange, burning heat entered her forehead, then traveled throughout her body and flowed into her meridians.
She just blinked blankly.
He then fused the remaining half of the plant with his inner strength and true energy, but this time he placed it in his own heart.
A-Qiu stared at his chest, where a faint red mark shaped like a flame was visible on half of the collar of his clothes.
He then acted as if nothing had happened, straightening his clothes and pulling them up.
Then he said, "Little A-Qiu, how about we play hide-and-seek?"
The garden of the abandoned palace in Liyang was very large, overgrown with weeds and diverse plants. The weeds, left unattended, could grow to be more than a meter tall.
If it weren't for the fact that Zhulong frequently patrolled inside, there might really be a giant snake hiding there.
In such a large garden, if someone wanted to hide, they could search the entire garden for a whole day and night and still not find them.
Gu Yi's search for her was extremely simple.
Every time she had just hidden herself, whether in a haystack, under a wall, or even with a tile over her head or a large tree branch covering her body, she would hide.
In a short while, she heard the sound of wind beside her ear. Gu Yi arrived almost instantly and grabbed her, pulling her out of the room.
But when it came to finding Gu Yi, she was in a dilemma.
Looking at the ancient trees and vines under the sunlight, amidst the overgrown weeds, she thought that she probably wouldn't be able to finish exploring this garden even after a whole day, let alone find Gu Yi, who could move freely within it.
Therefore, after Gu Yi hid himself, she didn't move her legs for a long time, not knowing where to start.
While she was lost in thought, she felt someone touch her from behind.
Looking back, she saw Zhulong tilting his head and looking at her with a malicious grin, as if to say, "You're so stupid."
Then, it flicked its tail, signaling her to follow it.
She was small and clueless in the face of the vast wilderness, but now that Zhulong was willing to help, she was overjoyed. She immediately followed Zhulong's unhurried and graceful movements, parting the branches and leaves as they quietly made their way forward.
The Candle Dragon was adept at concealing its tracks, and now that it knew the two of them were playing hide-and-seek, it moved even more silently.
Therefore, before long, the man and the dragon arrived at the center of the abandoned garden, under a huge, ancient dragon claw locust tree.
The Candle Dragon's eyes gleamed, and it even flicked its tongue at the tree, looking quite smug.
Following the direction indicated by the candle dragon, A Qiu saw Gu Yi'an sitting on the treetop, his eyes fixed on her.
When Gu Yi saw Zhulong who had come with her, his expression instantly changed from satisfaction to a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"Master."
She stood under the tree, staring blankly as he gracefully descended from the canopy, reaching out to gently pinch her nose.
"That's cheating. It doesn't mean you found me yourself."
She finally understood that she couldn't ask Zhulong for help. Zhulong had cultivated for a very long time, and its spiritual senses were far superior to those of humans. The entire garden was its territory, and it could find anything in an instant, let alone its master, whom it knew all too well.
Gu Yi patiently said, "Try again. Zhulong can't help you. Close your eyes and use your heart to feel where I really am."
She initially felt bewildered and uncertain, but after hearing Gu Yi's words, she nodded in agreement.
She closed her eyes and felt a throbbing heat rising from between her eyebrows. One throbbing, then another. The heat, though faint, immediately began to surge.
The world was completely silent. Only one spot, sensed by the surroundings, flickered slightly like a tiny, faint light.
Not far away, there was a vibration that resonated with the call from between the eyebrows.
She held her breath, calmed herself, and focused on sensing Gu Yi's location as she walked step by step in that direction.
This was a strange feeling I had never experienced before.
It was as if the surrounding world had ceased to exist, and only this one flower gu remained in the world, resonating and responding to each other, intimate and familiar.
She only opened her eyes after she finally reached the designated location.
Gu Yi was standing in front of her with a smile, extending his hand to her.
Overwhelmed with emotion, she immediately threw herself at him, hugging him and saying, "Master."
"Master" was the only word she could say at first, and it was also the word she spoke most often during those days.
Whether things were good or bad, she was still "Master". Master was the only person she would often think of.
Thus, Gu Yi's experiment with the "Heart-Connecting Gu" borrowed from Li Wujiu was successful.
And she no longer needs to worry about not being able to find Gu Yi in the palace.
On one occasion, it was a pitch-black night when you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Outside the palace, a storm raged, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
She crouched on the stone steps in front of the ruined hall, gazing fearfully at the pitch-black night sky.
In fact, she was extremely worried every time Gu Yi left.
But Gu Yi told her he wouldn't die. She couldn't help but believe him.
The situation outside has been getting worse lately.
Even in places like the abandoned Liyang Palace, which had been deserted for centuries and was largely ignored, there were several instances of disheveled, scratch-faced, panicked palace maids attempting to break in, seemingly trying to hide and save their lives.
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