Foresight
The man remained still, but answered her with silence.
A-Qiu said, "You're not answering because you're someone I know, and you're afraid I'll recognize your voice."
The man finally said in a hoarse voice, "Who do you want me to be?"
His voice was muffled and unclear, and his tone had changed, making it impossible to identify him from his speech.
Ah Qiu's hand, which was about to grab his arm again, froze in mid-air because of those words.
He's right. Who does she really want him to be?
Even if we knew who he was, what could we do?
A Qiu was stunned for a moment, but the other person had already jumped off the platform without looking back and disappeared into the crowd.
The situation on the stage was already clear.
Pei Ao had previously ordered the Divine Hound Camp to besiege A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi, so Shangguan Yuqi wouldn't bother with gentlemanly conduct at this moment.
With the combined might of Shangguan Yuqi ("White Feather") and Pei Yu ("Red Falcon") from the contemporary Flying Phoenix Sect, Pei Ao was no match for them. After just three moves, Pei Ao was immediately in grave danger, barely able to defend himself. This was only because Pei Yu, out of consideration for their family ties, did not kill him, and Shangguan Yuqi, respecting Pei Yu's wishes, did not unleash her full power.
A Qiu clearly understood the situation and knew that although Pei Yu had the upper hand at the moment, he was also at a loss and did not know how to deal with his cousin who had grown up with him since childhood. Therefore, he hesitated and was undecided, which led to the current stalemate.
A Qiu sighed softly, locking onto Pei Ao with the "Carved Moon" sword intent from afar, continuously urging his sword energy, and said, "Vice Commander Pei, the situation is hopeless now, you should just surrender."
Pei Ao was already struggling to deal with Shangguan Yuqi and Pei Yu. Now, with A Qiu's murderous intent locked on him, he felt the pressure increase dramatically in an instant. Unable to hold on any longer, he smiled bitterly and said, "As the Grand Musician said. But even if I surrender, Madam Pei will not let me go."
A Qiu knew that his concerns were not without reason. Given Mu Huaying's ruthless nature, the traitor who dared to play tricks in the Divine Hound Camp to deal with her daughter would definitely not fare well if Mu Huaying found out.
With a clang, he threw the Returning Dragon Spear to the ground, then drew a short knife from his waist and slashed it towards his neck.
This turned out to be unpredictable. Pei Yu's Returning Dragon Spear was a long weapon, and it was impossible to stop him in time. Although A Qiu's sword had locked onto Pei Ao, he was far away and could not get close enough to stop him.
When Pei Ao's personal guards saw him draw his sword and commit suicide, they followed suit, all pulling out short knives and preparing to follow him in death.
Throughout history, those who rise up in rebellion either succeed or die trying; these people are not unaware of this.
Seeing that a tragedy was about to unfold on the high platform, Shangguan Yuqi took a deep breath and swiftly reached for her waist with her left hand. A long sword, as soft as flying silver snow, flew out quickly and instantly wrapped around Pei Ao's hand holding the sword, forcefully pulling his arm around.
Upon seeing this, Pei Yu immediately rushed forward and struck Pei Ao with a heavy elbow, causing Pei Ao to drop his short sword and subdue him completely.
Shangguan Yuqi flashed her soft sword and immediately withdrew it to her waist, shouting, "The ringleader Pei Ao has already surrendered. The others need not commit suicide. The court will handle this matter fairly!"
A Qiu also rushed forward, pointing his Carved Moon Sword at the rest of the group and said, "At this moment, a formidable enemy is at hand. The Northern Qiang are ostensibly seeking peace and marriage, but in reality, they could attack at any time. As the successor of the Young Master, I have absolutely no intention of stirring up trouble at this moment for my own personal grudges or likes. If the Young Master were here, he would not do such a thing either."
Hearing A Qiu's words, Pei Ao's guards on the high platform were half-believing and half-doubting, but they all put down their short swords. After all, who would willingly die if there was even a sliver of hope?
The remaining Divine Hound Camp soldiers, having witnessed A Qiu uphold the rules and duel with Pei Yu, and then single-handedly withstand a rain of arrows with her sword, had involuntarily developed a sense of respect for her. Now, when they heard her mention "successor of the Junior Master," they no longer felt that it was just a lofty title, but a symbol of responsibility and credibility.
Leading the group below the platform, Yin Shang shouted, "Lord Si Yue, disregard past grievances! The Divine Hound Battalion is willing to obey Commander Pei and Lord Si Yue's orders, serve the country, and defend our homeland!"
After Yin Shang finished shouting, the other soldiers also joined in the shouting.
Before A Qiu arrived at the Divine Hound Camp, everyone thought of her as a pretty court musician who only attained her position because she was affiliated with Gu Yi. Although she had previously single-handedly escorted Li Chongyu out of the city, people found it hard to believe that a delicate and timid girl could have accomplished it on her own merits. They assumed she was mostly relying on her master Gu Yi's reputation to keep others from making things difficult for her.
Therefore, under Pei Ao's instigation, most people harbored the intention of using her to establish their authority. This was also the result of the power vacuum created after Gu Yi's retirement and Xie Lang's serious illness, which inevitably led to people vying for, coveting, and testing each other.
But Ah Qiu's trip was truly a life-or-death act, firmly stamping the golden seal of "Successor of the Young Master" upon him. At least from now on, the Divine Hound Camp and even the Jianzhang Masters will reassess the significance of this successor of the Young Master.
Ah Qiu himself broke out in a cold sweat as he recalled the whole process.
What she found even more unforgettable and for which she was even more grateful was the man who repeatedly appeared from the crowd, dressed as a soldier of the Divine Hound Battalion.
She knew very well that the man was neither a soldier of the Divine Hound Camp nor one of her second senior brother's men. Because of his free and easy demeanor, he had a kind of solitary and transcendent feeling of coming and going as he pleased, and he was definitely not the kind of person who would act on orders.
At this moment, the cheers of the crowd around her continued, as if celebrating her hard-won victory, but a faint sense of longing filled her heart.
She raised her voice and shouted to the entire training ground: "The fifty-four warriors that you promised me earlier, please have the Divine Hound Camp send them to the Music Bureau as soon as possible. If there are any deaths or injuries, other volunteers will take their place."
The response she received was a thunderous roar: "The Divine Hound Battalion is willing to serve the Grand Master of Music and fully cooperate with the Music Bureau to complete its mission!"
Pei Yu and Shangguan Yuqi both turned their gratified gazes toward A Qiu. A Qiu had finally won this battle for hearts and minds, though only the two of them knew the dangers and difficulties that had taken place.
It's easy to kill these people from the Divine Hound Camp and even the Jianzhang Division, but to truly make them submit to the enemy, especially a woman who was originally a dancer, is no easy task.
But A-Qiu did it.
Before Pei Yu could speak, A Qiu interrupted her, saying, "This matter is entirely under General Pei's jurisdiction. I am an outsider and it is not appropriate for me to interfere." Her words implied that Pei Yu had the final say on Pei Ao and his guards' plot to assassinate her. The matter could be serious or minor; if Pei Yu ultimately decided to leave it at that, she would not pursue it.
Originally, the assassination attempt by the Divine Hound Camp against Grand Master of Music and Shangguan Yuqi, the leader of the Flying Phoenix Clan, would have been difficult to resolve even for the emperor if it had escalated, and could have been considered a crime of rebellion. Therefore, as soon as A Qiu finished speaking, even with Pei Yu's arrogance, he cast a grateful glance at her and said in a deep voice, "I know what I'm doing. Thank you, Grand Master of Music."
A Qiu didn't say much more, but extended her hand. Pei Yu hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out and shook her hand.
Ah Qiu said softly, "You risked your life for us just now. Ah Qiu will remember this kindness."
She was referring to Pei Yu's feigned deception of Pei Ao, while in reality he rushed to the high platform to try and disrupt Pei Ao's arrow formation.
Pei Yu was slightly taken aback. She wanted to blurt out that she was also doing it for the sake of unity in the Southern Dynasty, but then she thought that A Qiu's trip was at her invitation, and if something happened, how could she run away at the last minute? In the end, however, she felt that these words were all superficial.
In truth, when Pei Ao leaped onto the high platform and summoned the archers, she made her choice purely on instinct. How could a daughter of the Pei family be so cowardly as to disregard her friends for power, position, and personal safety?
So, in her heart, she had already regarded Ah Qiu, her biggest enemy, as a friend?
So when did it start?
Looking back now, it probably started from the moment A-Qiu agreed to her request without any hesitation, and then came to the Shepherd's Camp, which was like a dragon's den and a tiger's den for her.
In the end, she simply pursed her lips and replied irrelevantly, "Yet I've never seen you remember Miss Shangguan's kindness so well."
A Qiu was taken aback by her question and subconsciously turned to look at Shangguan Yuqi.
Shangguan Yuqi had already leaped down from the high platform and landed on the back of a warhorse galloping towards her. She gazed intently into the distance, seemingly oblivious to their conversation.
A-Qiu smiled awkwardly and said, "I guess I owe her too many favors. She saved me, and I saved her. I've lost count of how many times, so I've just stopped trying to remember them."
What she said was indeed the truth. Before entering the palace, people in the martial arts world always remembered every favor and grudge. But since getting along with Shangguan Yuqi, she often found herself repaying one favor before another came along. And because Shangguan Yuqi was a quiet person who focused on her work, she gradually forgot about it.
Over time, he grew accustomed to having Shangguan Yuqi by his side and to turning his back to her, as if it were always meant to be that way.
Pei Yu smiled and had someone bring her a tall horse, saying deeply, "The Southern Dynasty today will never be defeated by any enemy."
Because we are no longer enemies who are hostile, suspicious, and hostile towards each other.
Even if we are still enemies, we are enemies who trust and respect each other.
A Qiu practically galloped into the inner and outer walls of the palace. She spurred her horse, passing the Grand Marshal Gate and the Vermilion Bird Gate, while Shangguan Yuqi followed closely behind her. Shangguan Yuqi never seemed to urge her horse on, yet she always managed to stay close to A Qiu.
A Qiu, her forehead slightly sweaty from hurrying along, asked in surprise, "Miss Shangguan, are you always so calm and composed?"
Shangguan Yuqi smiled and said, "No. But something as trivial as reporting back to the palace is not enough to make me lose my composure." She added, "I think you, Grand Master of Music, would not lose your composure over something like this."
When A-Qiu's secret was exposed, her face flushed red, and she said awkwardly, "...I, I was just really curious, I couldn't figure out who it was."
Shangguan Yuqi caught up and walked alongside her calmly, saying, "Is he the one who blocked Pei Ao's last arrow for you and rushed to the high platform to save Pei Yu in time? Today's events were indeed thanks to his timely intervention; otherwise, you, me, and Pei Yu might not have survived to see tomorrow's sun. The outcome would have been completely different."
A-Qiu said blankly, "I feel like I know that person very well, but I can't figure out who has such superb skills."
Shangguan Yuqi followed her words and said, "That's right. That person's skills are even superior to yours and mine, yet he can blend into the Divine Hound Camp and come and go without a trace, and he seems to have foresight about everything."
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