Go your separate ways
He did not react to what she said.
A Qiu suddenly realized why Gu Yi had intercepted her here so conveniently and so quickly.
Her "Earth Concealment" technique is renowned throughout the world. If she deliberately hides her tracks, even Wan Qiqing would not be able to find her.
It's a Love Flower Gu!
Because at this moment, a throbbing sensation was coming from between her eyebrows, growing stronger and stronger.
It reveals someone's outwardly calm but inwardly crumbling state of mind.
A Qiu immediately recalled the first time she had ever sneaked out of the palace at night and been caught red-handed by Gu Yi.
She was so flustered at the time that she didn't have time to think it through. Afterwards, she realized that Gu Yi's martial arts skills were probably too high, and she was far inferior to him, which is why he was easily intercepted.
But now she suddenly understands that it was also because of the Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu.
The thought of the beautifully blooming love flower on her forehead suddenly made her face flush.
He immediately regretted that when he approached the palace, he had forgotten to isolate his mind so as not to cause the Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu to react.
The Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu can establish a spiritual connection between two people, but if they want to know the other person's condition and location, they must deliberately close their eyes and concentrate to sense it.
When A Qiu was a child, she often used this method to sense whether Gu Yi had returned when he was away.
However, as she grew up, A Qiu never used this method to sense Gu Yi, because she had forgotten what happened when she was a child and did not know that the Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu was used in this way.
To be precise, she had no idea that she had the Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu.
In the ruined temple of Liyang, she once used this method to accidentally sense the spirit of Liyang God—Gu Yi at that time, who followed the hot spring water to find his location.
So, both then and now, it was Gu Yi who was deliberately sensing her within the palace, which allowed him to intercept her so promptly each time.
At first, it was alright, since her identity and behavior were suspicious. Gu Yi didn't know what she was doing in the palace, so he kept an eye on her.
But tonight... Gu Yi will never know she's coming.
So many thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, but she forced herself to stop them, coughed lightly, and said, "Then, if Young Master doesn't object, let's go our separate ways and part ways here."
Upon hearing her words, Gu Yi seemed to wake from a dream and come back to his senses.
A-Qiu felt he had made his point clear, so he turned and left.
Gu Yi stared at her blankly, and she didn't understand what he meant. But, business was more important.
She didn't want any more unnecessary emotions to bother her.
She was rushing forward at full speed when the sound of her clothes tearing through the air rang out, and it turned out that Gu Yi had caught up from behind.
He followed her closely, walking alongside her, seemingly unsure of what to say.
A-Qiu found it extremely strange that he followed her like this, and she was vaguely angry.
From the moment Gu Yi returned to the palace until now, apart from stopping her from committing suicide with the words "Don't do anything foolish," he hadn't said a single word to her.
After so many things happened.
What should happen, and what shouldn't happen.
She was not incapable of understanding his situation and responsibilities.
Therefore, she has made a statement that she will no longer interfere with him and has drawn a clear line between them.
It would be best if we parted ways amicably and went our separate ways.
What is he trying to do by following her like this?
But he didn't speak, and she was too lazy to speak either. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She deliberately sped up, circled around several times, and deliberately chose a spot that was hard to stand on, only wide enough for one person, to use as leverage before leaping away.
The rhythm of its rise and fall also changes constantly, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes gentle.
They even retraced their steps, constantly circling around the same temple.
She thought to herself: You just want to know where I'm going, but you won't ask? I'm determined not to let you know.
Don't exhaust him, but annoy him to death, or at least annoy him until he gives up.
Her lightness skill was already exceptional, and when she used it to its fullest extent, she was truly as fast as a shooting star and as swift as a white horse. Moreover, she constantly changed her position and angle by taking advantage of the terrain. If an ordinary person were to follow her, they would probably have lost sight of her long ago.
But Gu Yi simply followed beside her at a leisurely pace, without any embarrassment.
A Qiu deduced that his martial arts skills must have fully recovered, otherwise he would not have been able to withstand such torment.
This thought only fueled her anger.
He didn't even consider how he was saved when his martial arts were about to dissipate, and how his skills were restored.
Even after spending the whole night wandering around the palace, she still couldn't shake him off.
She was running at full speed, but suddenly changed her angle and stopped abruptly.
She had calculated that this sudden change of direction would catch Gu Yi off guard, inevitably causing him to collide with her.
She used that as an excuse to scold him away.
Gu Yi fell for the trap as expected, charging straight at the target without moving.
But just as he was about to bump into her, he managed to stop himself and stand still.
At this moment, he was only half an inch away from her.
The two locked eyes, meeting face to face.
Seeing that his plan had failed, A Qiu could not unleash his fury as he had imagined. He could only grit his teeth inwardly and say without changing his expression, "Young Master, we said we would go our separate ways. There is more than one way in this palace, isn't there?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sense of danger approaching.
Gu Yi suddenly moved.
This time it really happened, but it wasn't the kind of collision she had imagined.
Gu Yi stretched out his arm and pulled her firmly into his embrace.
The next instant, he kissed her.
It began as a light skimming across the lake, like a dragonfly skimming the water, then deepened into entanglement and demands, and finally became a forceful plunder.
His voice whispered in her ear, but it carried a hint of grievance:
I miss you so much.
A Qiu instantly regained her senses, and with a forceful push of her palms, sent Gu Yi flying.
Her face flushed crimson, but she tried her best to keep her breathing steady as she said, word by word, "I once said that we owe each other nothing and should go our separate ways. Please don't ever appear in front of me again!"
Gu Yi staggered after being pushed hard by her, and it took him a few steps to regain his balance.
He initially looked at her with confusion, but then his eyes gradually cleared.
He looked at her and, instead of answering, asked, "And why have you come to the palace?"
Looking at his expression, A-Qiu suddenly understood.
Gu Yi assumed that she had come to see him since she arrived so late at night.
She said she had something to do and hoped we would go our separate ways, but he probably didn't listen.
He still believed that she had come to see him.
She held her breath, calmed herself, and after a while, said, "I've come to see His Highness the Crown Prince."
She watched Gu Yi's expression change from disbelief to a gradual shift in demeanor.
She pointed to the Ancestral Dragon Sword on her shoulder and said in an extremely calm tone, "Aunt Yuan Yi stole the Ancestral Dragon Sword out of the palace, and I have come to return it."
Gu Yi glanced at her back and immediately knew that what she said was absolutely true.
And A-Qiu watched as his expression changed from disbelief to... a very complicated feeling.
Gu Yi pondered for a moment, composed his expression, and then stretched out his hand as steadily as possible, presenting it to A Qiu.
For some reason, A Qiu felt a chill run down her spine at that moment, and immediately took a step back, asking, "What do you want to do?"
Gu Yi said calmly, "Give it to me."
A-Qiu didn't react immediately and asked, "Take what?"
Gu Yi said, "Didn't you come to deliver a sword to the Crown Prince? Give me the sword, and you can leave."
A Qiu thought for a moment: If it really was just about returning the Ancestral Dragon Sword, then A Qiu could indeed give it to him now. Why would he worry that Young Master Gu Yi would keep this precious sword for himself?
However, A Qiu's main purpose in coming here was not to return the sword, but to stop Mo Yimingyue's assassination plan.
But if Gu Yi knew about this, Mo Yimingyue's assassination attempt might turn into a suicide mission. Mo Yimingyue was still her senior brother, and he had always tried his best to help her. His telling her this matter was a secret of Lanling Hall. Although she was no longer a member of Lanling Hall, she shouldn't have openly betrayed him like this.
So, A Qiu shook her head and said, "I'll deliver it myself. I..." She thought for a moment and added, "I have something to say to him."
If it were the Gu Yi of the past, with her gentlemanly demeanor, these words would have been enough. She clearly had something to discuss with Xie Tiao alone, and naturally couldn't entrust it to others, nor did she want anyone to disturb her.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Gu Yi's previously composed expression instantly turned extremely ugly.
Looking at his face, A Qiu didn't know why, and didn't dare to breathe loudly anymore.
She was clearly in the wrong.
Gu Yi paused for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out.
A Qiu dared not linger any longer and said, "I'm in a hurry to deliver the sword, so I'll take my leave now."
Gu Yi's face was flushed and pale by turns. But she thought she had made herself very clear; she wasn't there to pester him.
She had only taken two or three steps after turning her back when she heard Gu Yi say behind her:
"Ah Qiu".
Even though she didn't want to hear anything more from him, she unconsciously stopped in her tracks.
Gu Yi said, "I didn't mean to do that just now."
Upon hearing this inexplicable explanation, A Qiu's anger suddenly doubled, as if a bucket of oil had been poured on a raging fire.
She was about to leave when she suddenly turned around, disregarding everything else, and shouted, "You didn't do it on purpose! Someone held a knife to your throat, didn't they!"
Gu Yi was taken aback by her words, and after a moment he stammered, "That's not what I meant."
But the look in his eyes was bright and deep, and it seemed to finally bring a hint of a smile.
Ah Qiu continued shouting recklessly, "You never do it on purpose! I do it on purpose, okay!"
Gu Yi frowned, as if he wanted to laugh, but he held back. In the end, he only raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't speak so loudly."
A Qiu was taken aback, only then realizing that his shout had sounded somewhat like an accusation.
The two stood on the eaves of a palace, beneath which a line of heavily guarded imperial guards marched past, but none of them dared to look up.
The leading officer whispered, "Move! Move!"
He then grabbed his baton and lashed it at the last three or five people in the group who were moving a little too slowly, shouting, "It's perfectly safe here. Don't look around!"
A Qiu immediately realized that his shouts must have attracted the attention of the Imperial Guards on patrol.
However, upon seeing Gu Yi there, they automatically retreated.
Her face flushed red, and she didn't want to say another word to Gu Yi. She turned and left.
After taking a step, he turned back and warned, "I have important business to discuss with Xie Tiao, so don't follow me!"
Gu Yi stood still, staring at her intently, which made her feel uneasy.
He said leisurely, "Okay."
A Qiu ran another ten or so feet and only felt relieved when she saw that Gu Yi had not followed.
Given Gu Yi's abilities and power, if he insisted on seeing what she was doing with Xie Tiao, she knew she couldn't stop him.
But Gu Yi agreed.
This is why a gentleman can be deceived by his own methods.
After crossing another stone bridge, they would reach the Guanlan Hall of the East Palace. A Qiu thought that Xie Tiao must be resting in his bedchamber at this moment, and he should try to sneak in without alerting the guards of the East Palace.
If she hadn't met Gu Yi before, her instinct would have been to climb over into the garden and then rush straight into the bedchamber.
But for some reason, thinking of the strange look in Gu Yi's eyes when she told her she was going to find Xie Tiao, she vaguely felt that it might be inappropriate for a lone man and woman to barge into Xie Tiao's sleeping place in the middle of the night.
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