Girls are outgoing
The first thing A Qiu saw upon ascending Jinling Terrace was the "Ling Shu" in Wan Qiqing's hand.
The body of the zither is carved from ancient paulownia wood, gleaming with a dark luster. Its shape is simple and ancient. The seven bright white silk strings vibrate incessantly between Wan Qiqing's fingers, producing a pleasant sound.
As Wan Qiqing struck the bell for the last time, the Ling Shu emitted an ancient and melodious sound, like beads rolling on a plate.
A-Qiu frowned slightly without realizing it.
Before hearing Gu Yi play the zither, she always thought that Wan Qiqing's flute playing was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard, and Wan Qiqing's mastery of music also impressed her deeply.
She had never seen anyone express such a range of emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—so vividly, so profoundly, so movingly.
But in Gu Yi's way of playing the zither, there is no "self," but rather a state of mind that is serene, forgetful, and nameless. It is a feeling of being carefree and transcending all phenomena.
When she listens to Gu Yi's zither playing, she often becomes so engrossed that she forgets her own existence, calming down along with the music and entering another realm of tranquility and naturalness.
At this moment, however, Shangguan Yuqi's incisive comment on her master, who had transformed into "Shi Changqing," came to mind: "This person's intention to show off is obvious."
Wan Qiqing was facing this junior disciple, so naturally he didn't have the same intention of showing off as he did when facing the former Empress Huan. However, his flamboyant personality and unconventional temperament were vividly displayed in the music he played earlier, which was sometimes like a raging storm and sometimes like a stampede of horses.
After Wan Qiqing finished playing the song, he stroked the "Ling Shu" and sighed: "Outwardly, he is not arrogant, inwardly, he is as pure as jade, like a wild goose soaring through the snowy sky."
This is his praise of the zither, describing its sound as exquisite and varied, capable of soaring to the heavens like the cry of a phoenix, while its timbre is ancient, humble, and profound. But isn't this also his assessment of the zither's owner, Gu Yi?
With his back to A-Qiu, he sighed, and suddenly, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he rolled up his sleeves and threw the "Ling Shu" (a magical artifact) with a strong wind straight at A-Qiu, who was standing by the platform.
His powerful inner energy flowed through the instrument, spinning and arriving in an instant with extreme force.
A Qiu dared not take the blow head-on, fearing he might damage the spirit pendant. He could only dodge it with his movements, then use his hands to turn around and break the zither's straight-line momentum. He then placed his hands under the zither's belly and barely managed to catch the spirit pendant. He held it in his arms with utmost care and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Wan Qiqing stood solemnly on the Jinling Terrace, his clothes fluttering in the wind, and shouted, "Why are you sighing? Are you afraid I'll deliberately damage Gu Yi's zither?"
Ah Qiu bowed and said, “Of course, Master wouldn’t be so narrow-minded as to deliberately damage the ‘Young Master’s Qin.’ But in the past, in Lanling Hall, I saw Master spend money like water when he was in a good mood. No matter how precious the jade cup was, it was broken. Countless famous qins and precious blades have been broken in Master’s hands. I’m afraid that you might casually throw it away and break it on a whim.”
Wan Qiqing remained silent for a moment, then said, "I never knew you could observe me so closely."
Ah Qiu cautiously said, "Master has always acted according to his own heart, so why should he care about other people's opinions?"
Wan Qiqing turned around, her eyes flashing like lightning, staring at A Qiu, and said coldly, "Are you observing Gu Yi this carefully as well?"
After thinking about it, A Qiu realized that she had never observed Gu Yi so carefully before. In many ways, it seemed that Gu Yi was the one observing her.
Observe her martial arts background and personality style, and then figure out how to better teach her according to her aptitude so that she can quickly understand the complexities of people and things.
She replied, “Master Gu Yi is as stable as a mountain, seemingly eternal, requiring no special observation. Master, do you deliberately observe the sunrise and sunset every day, the changing seasons every year? I am the same way. I don’t need to deliberately observe Master Gu Yi, or even care whether he is here or not, yet I always feel under his protection.”
Wan Qiqing gazed at the starry sky and said leisurely, "To give birth without possessing, to act without relying on one's own power, and to achieve success without claiming credit—this is probably the realm of Gu Yi." Then, however, he turned angry and shouted, "But this should not be your reason for betraying me."
At the same time, he extended his five fingers from his sleeve, and a strong, invisible killing intent instantly engulfed the entire space.
If Wan Qiqing's anger and desire to kill her at the Martial Saint Shrine last time were due to the shock and anger provoked by A Qiu's rebellious act, which was still tinged with three parts impulsiveness and two parts reluctance, then his waiting for her at Jinling Terrace this time must have been a move made after careful and thorough consideration.
Mo Yimingyue had been waiting below the stage, testing her martial arts with a single move before stopping, presumably to assess her chances of defeating Wan Qiqing.
A-Qiu suddenly realized something.
At this moment, she represents Gu Yi's return to court and is also the pillar that stabilizes the current situation for Gu Yi. In her heart, she never wanted to fight Wan Qiqing, but since Wan Qiqing has come to her door, she can only win this battle.
Besides protecting Gu Yi's reputation, it was also a way of giving back to Wan Qiqing for nurturing her for nearly ten years.
Only by defeating one's master can one truly honor him. The disciple that Wan Qiqing, the master of Lanling Hall, desires is never someone who merely obeys and grovels.
As the sword "Louyue" was drawn, a cold light surged forth, its brilliant radiance resembling a waterfall of mercury. It stood before A Qiu, its sharp edge unyielding, tearing a gap in Wan Qiqing's incomparably fierce aura.
At the same time, A Qiu spoke up and said loudly, "Although I am determined to follow Gu Yi, I have never thought of betraying or harming my master."
These words came from the bottom of her heart, and she was very clear that otherwise, Wan Qiqing would not have allowed her to live to this day.
Given her status as the head of the Divine Weapon Hall and the chief assassin "Jing Ke," she is probably the highest-ranking person in the hall to have betrayed Lanling Hall in the last hundred years.
Wan Qiqing suddenly rose up, swooping down from the sky like a giant white eagle, meeting the gleaming sharpness of Louyue without any intention of retreating. His five fingers, like silver hooks and iron claws, flowed over the Louyue sword blade like water, just as he had played the zither earlier.
A series of beautiful tinkling sounds rang out. A Qiu was startled, realizing that her master's martial arts had improved again.
Back in Lanling Hall, Wan Qiqing had never used any weapons. This was not to say that he was unfamiliar with weapons, but rather that his fair, slender, jade-like hands, covered in innate true energy, had long since reached the point where he could catch blades with his bare hands, and using weapons would only be a burden.
At this moment, A Qiu realized that Wan Qiqing's hands, after being tempered and refined, were probably the most skillful and powerful weapons in the world. Whether it was her nails, tendons, or bones, their sharpness and strength were probably no less than that of her "Assassination of Qin" weapon.
A Qiu withstood Wan Qiqing's finger technique head-on, using the momentum to leap backward, but then immediately advanced, launching a series of attacks. His movements were so swift that he almost became one with his sword, the sword moving with his body, bringing the sharpness of Louyue's sword technique to its extreme.
Wan Qiqing casually disassembled the sword, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, and said, "Your swordsmanship should have been taught by Gu Yi, so why does it also bear traces of the Shangguan family's Gentleman's Swordsmanship?"
A Qiu respectfully replied, "Although my swordsmanship was derived from the Young Master's swordsmanship, I was also inspired by watching Miss Shangguan practice her swordsmanship. Miss Shangguan once demonstrated the sword dance 'Qiankun Dingshi' at the Jixian Hall. I saw that her movements were distinct, her breath flowed continuously, and her movements were filled with righteousness. I was probably unconsciously influenced by her."
Wan Qiqing snorted coldly and said, "That's good. The Shangguan family's Gentleman's Sword has always been passed down to men, not women, and not to outsiders. Even if Shangguan Yuqi were to be presented to you one day, I advise you not to learn it."
A Qiu was puzzled. She thought that even if Shangguan Yuqi had a good relationship with her, there was no way she would pass on her family's martial arts to her. Moreover, even if she was a member of the Shangguan family, she would not receive martial arts inheritance unless she was from the lineage of the tomb keeper. Wan Qiqing was probably overthinking it.
Wan Qiqing suddenly shouted sharply, "Come on!"
At his shout, the crescent moon in A Qiu's hand seemed to lose its own will, being directly pulled towards him by the immense suction force of his swirling sleeves. A Qiu was also swept away and fell in his direction.
If things had continued as they were, A-Qiu would have had to let go, otherwise he would have inevitably run into the trap of A-Qiu's palm strike.
In a flash, A Qiu drew upon the "Assassinate Qin" technique hidden in his left sleeve, drawing upon the aura of an ancient weapon to cut through the space that Wan Qiqing had tightly bound with his own aura, allowing him to advance or retreat with ease.
But she immediately rejected the idea.
As Gu Yi's representative and the successor of the young master, she could never openly display her intention to assassinate Qin again, nor should she use the martial arts taught to her by Lanling to retaliate against the master of Lanling Hall.
Meng Keli heard Wan Qiqing sneer and say, "When did you follow Gu Yi and his people and learn those benevolent and moral principles, tying your own hands? If this continues, you will die here today in less than three rounds."
He tightened his grip, seemingly deliberately trying to force her to reveal her dagger, and said coldly, "If someone dies, it doesn't matter who your master is, you'll still be seen as someone who can uphold your master's reputation!"
At this moment, seeing his most beloved disciple, his feelings suddenly became complex and difficult to understand.
In the past, when they were in the hall, Ah Qiu mostly appeared obedient and adorable in his presence. But he also knew, of course, that Ah Qiu was far from being such a simple child.
He is here today because Ah Qiu has officially entered the power center of the North-South conflict, which means he has already entered his battlefield.
Mo Yimingyue's confrontation with her in the court as the envoy of the Northern Qiang was only the first step.
He had previously expelled A Qiu from Lanling Hall precisely so that she could officially replace Gu Yi and appear in the Dayan Court today.
From the moment he placed her as a pawn in the Dayan Imperial Palace, it could be said that every step she took was within his calculations, including getting close to Gu Yi and receiving the protection of the Four Stars of Heavenly Secrets.
But the only thing that surprised him was that her heart no longer belonged to Lanling Hall.
The person she chose to serve was Gu Yi.
No one would have expected that the elegant and refined master of Lanling Hall, whose talent was unparalleled, would hesitate so much about this matter.
A person may have been surrounded by countless women, but that doesn't mean they truly understand love.
What is emotion? He was certain that if he asked his eldest disciple Gongyi Xiu or his second disciple Moyi Mingyue, they would arrive at the same conclusion as he had.
That is, true feelings naturally exist in the world, but there is no need to take them too seriously.
It is not like interests or right and wrong; it is just one of the many things in the world that requires choices and decisions.
He then realized that this was probably only the second time in his life that he had faced a difficult problem posed by a young girl, except that this time he was the father and the teacher.
But no matter what, he had to get her back to him and stand on his side.
Otherwise, what would be the point of him coming to rule the world?
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