Mount Tai pressing down
A Qiu thought to herself, "That's because the Left Chancellor Gongyi Xiu is my senior brother, and also a famous bachelor in the capital, the dashing and romantic 'Jade-faced Marquis Liu'."
Gu Yi was speechless for a moment, then said, "Zuo is much older than you and should have more experience."
Xiao Chang'an immediately retorted, "If being older equates to being more experienced, shouldn't the Junior Master be the most experienced?"
Gu Yi: ……
A Qiu immediately put her hands on her hips and said, "What's the use of this kind of experience? My master doesn't need it!" Still not satisfied, she poked Xiao Chang'an's forehead with a finger and pointed at him, saying, "Little Xiao, you should learn from this. Won't your master be so angry that he vomits blood?"
Xiao Chang'an, a master of martial arts, simply let her slender finger touch his brow, and said with a smile, "Sister, which of your beautiful eyes saw that I'm not learning well? Just now, Miss Pei insisted that I escort her, but I tried my best to refuse her firmly. Haven't I learned well enough?"
Watching from the side, Gu Yi also felt that when he was with A Qiu, even with Gu Yi himself present, he was not as tense as he had been with Pei Yu, but rather much more relaxed and at ease. He couldn't help but agree with what Xiao Chang'an had just said.
Pei Yu and her daughter are indeed difficult to get along with. Gaining her favor is not necessarily a good thing.
Xiao Chang'an then smiled amiably at Gu Yi and said, "We are already on the willow bank of the Imperial River. If we disembark and walk a few dozen steps to the right, we will see your Jinling Terrace. Young Master, you may proceed now."
Gu Yi nodded, and A Qiu got up with him. Just as she was about to walk out, Xiao Chang'an grabbed her hand.
Xiao Chang'an smiled and said, "It's almost dawn now, and the current is strong enough to keep us moving. We can just sit in the boat, take a nap, and when we wake up, we'll be at Tangli Garden. Isn't that better than rushing around all night?"
A Qiu suddenly remembered that she herself had to rush to Tangli Music House early this morning to rehearse the drum dance with Sun Neiren and the others. She felt that Xiao Chang'an's words made a lot of sense, and looked at Gu Yi questioningly.
Gu Yi's face was truly as black as ink, and a black sleeve brushed against the arm that Xiao Chang'an had pulled on. Xiao Chang'an cried out in pain and let go, but didn't seem to care, simply smiling as she looked at A Qiu.
Seeing Gu Yi's expression, A Qiu knew he was angry. She immediately said, "I still need to go to Jinlingtai to make some preparations." Before following Gu Yi off the boat, she turned back and said, "Thank you so much for your help tonight, Xiao Xiao!"
Xiao Chang'an stretched lazily, sprawled out in the boat, and smiled, "First I fought alongside you to save people, then I rowed the boat for you and dealt with Pei Yu. My first night back in the capital has been spent busy for you, but I haven't received any reward in return!"
A Qiu paused slightly, thinking to herself that it wasn't so. If Xiao Chang'an hadn't intervened because of her, he would have been sleeping soundly at Luoyufang tonight, instead of spending the rest of the night on the water with them, enduring the wind and the wind.
Gu Yi paused, then landed firmly and said, "Xiao Chang'an, a member of the Imperial Guard, dared to demand repayment for a favor I had done. He is hereby given a major demerit and his salary for this month will be reduced by forty zhu."
A Qiu paled, but then heard Xiao Chang'an's laughter coming from inside the boat: "Fortunately, the young master is not anyone's father-in-law, otherwise with you, the old master, pressing down on him, I'm afraid no one would dare to come to your door to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."
Gu Yi was trembling with anger, and he turned and left.
A Qiu immediately followed, still not understanding what Xiao Chang'an meant. She asked in surprise and confusion, "Master, you actually have a daughter?"
Gu Yi snorted heavily and said, "You're really stupid."
A Qiu was puzzled, but after thinking for a moment, he hesitated before saying, "Then... do I also have a master's wife?"
Gu Yi suddenly turned around and pointed at her forehead, saying, "Let's not worry about that for now. You really wanted to stay on the ship with Xiao, didn't you?"
He suddenly stopped, and A Qiu almost bumped into him, but managed to stop just before hitting him, covering her head and saying, "I just think he makes sense. We've been to so many places all night, so it's good to have a place to take a nap before dawn. We still have to practice dancing today."
Gu Yi angrily said, "You dare to sit alone with him, a man and a woman, in a cabin?"
Ah Qiu said awkwardly, "Although he looks mature, he's still just a child!"
Gu Yi said, "You treat him like a child, but he..." He couldn't finish the last sentence.
The feelings between young men and women are inherently fickle; one day they might swear oaths to the heavens, and the next they might break off all ties. He didn't want to dwell on this matter and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sleepy?"
A-Qiu rubbed her eyes and said, "Actually, it's okay. But of course, it would be best to sleep a little longer."
She had barely finished speaking when a gust of wind rose in front of her. Without a word, Gu Yi scooped her up and held her in his arms, saying decisively, "Then you can sleep, I'll carry you over."
A Qiu was immediately jolted awake, clinging to Gu Yi's shoulders with both hands, her ears burning, and stammered, "I, I don't need to sleep, I can walk over by myself."
Unexpectedly, Gu Yi said without any mercy, "It's not like I haven't slept with them before." He then leaped up, used his lightness skill to jump over the palace wall, and sped through the sky towards the Tangli Music House.
I've slept on him countless times since I was a child, why be so formal?
At first, A Qiu couldn't sleep. In recent days, she had repeatedly reminded herself to keep her distance from Gu Yi.
If Gu Yi had other intentions towards her, he would never have accepted her as his disciple. Since his intentions were clear, she did not want to cause any trouble or lead to misunderstandings.
But even she, slow to notice, could sense something was amiss with Gu Yi's actions tonight.
She nestled in Gu Yi's arms, watching the wisps of clouds drift across the clear night sky, and suddenly asked, "Master, do I have a mistress?"
If Xiao Chang'an hadn't brought it up, it would have been hard to say. This is because no one knows about Gu Yi's past.
If she did, then it would explain why Gu Yi could only accept her as his disciple, and why his connection with the world was limited to this kind of fate.
Gu Yi froze upon hearing this, nearly falling from the sky. He said in a deep voice, "What, do you really want one?"
A Qiu was even more confused upon hearing this. Before she could figure out whether she wanted it or not, Gu Yi said, "If you want, I'll have the Lanling Hall Master marry one for you, but don't ask me about it."
Ah Qiu thought to herself, "If Wan Qiqing wanted to marry, he would have done so long ago. Why would she need to ask?"
Gu Yi suddenly stopped and landed on a flying eaves, setting her down heavily. He looked at her intently and said, "Why didn't you ask the Master of Lanling Hall, but only asked me? Do you think that I am the one who is more likely to be forced into marriage than my two masters?"
A Qiu's heart trembled at his sudden, intimidating gaze, and she involuntarily lowered her head to avoid it, saying, "But, Xiao Chang'an said that..." She wanted to say that Xiao Chang'an's teasing of him as a father-in-law who was extremely difficult to talk to must not be without basis, but must have a reason.
Gu Yi was already furious when he thought of Xiao Chang'an's long, inappropriate remarks. He snorted coldly and said, "If I really had a daughter, I would never give her to him even if I never married."
A Qiu glanced at his face and said cautiously, "Why? Xiao Xiao... in fact, whether it is appearance, martial arts or temperament, he is the best of this generation."
Gu Yi looked at her with a rather incredulous expression and said, "You think—he can?"
Ah Qiu carefully considered the words and said, "He's better than my senior brother."
Gu Yi retorted, "Do you think I would marry my daughter to someone like your senior brother?" He laughed angrily, "Are all the people in the capital dead?"
A-Qiu scratched his head and asked, "Among the men of this generation, who does Master fancy?"
She thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "Your Highness?"
Gu Yi almost choked on her.
A Qiu shook her head again and said, "That's not good either. Miss Shangguan and Miss Pei are both waiting to enter the Eastern Palace. If Master's daughter goes in, she might only be able to become a concubine or something."
Gu Yi's face was so dark it could drip ink: "My daughter, Gu Yi's Junior Tutor, is actually going to be someone's concubine?"
A Qiu looked at Gu Yi's expression, sighed, and said, "Then it's fortunate that Master doesn't have a daughter. Otherwise, he would really have to grow old alone."
It turns out that Xiao Chang'an was right.
Among all the officials and commoners in the court, Gu Yi couldn't find a suitable son-in-law. He didn't even approve of the future emperor. Who could he blame?
Upon hearing what A Qiu said, Gu Yi suddenly calmed down.
He suddenly looked away and said softly, "Ah Qiu, if you really want to be with someone, Xiao Chang'an is not a suitable candidate."
When A-Qiu heard the topic suddenly shift to herself, her eyes widened in surprise.
What is Gu Yi doing? When did she ever think about being with Xiao Chang'an?
However, out of politeness, especially since Xiao Chang'an had just helped her that night, she could only say politely, "Master, you flatter me. I'm not exactly someone suitable to be with."
Generally speaking, what people consider a good match, regardless of gender, is someone stable, family-oriented, and responsible. Xiao Chang'an certainly doesn't fit this category. However, as the head of the Lanling Hall's Divine Weapon Division and the Southern Dynasty's chief assassin, she's currently undertaking an extremely risky mission. Therefore, she's probably not a good match for someone like the Crown Prince, a man of principle.
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Yi's expression became dark and unpredictable.
The next moment, Gu Yi suddenly pulled her into his arms tightly, his voice slightly hoarse: "Then don't be with anyone, okay?"
This time, the way he held her was completely different from the gentle, protective embraces he had given her before.
A Qiu felt that the fragrance she was already familiar with on his body had become even stronger, exuding a powerful and aggressive aura.
A Qiu felt flustered, but couldn't bring herself to push Gu Yi away.
I looked up and met his eyes, only to see dark, intense eyes, burning with tiny sparks.
A Qiu's heart raced, and the blood in her veins flowed even faster. She no longer cared whether it was Gu Yi or not, and pushed against his chest with all her might, her voice trembling as she said, "Gu Yi, let go."
Gu Yi, however, did not allow her to resist at all. He pulled her into his arms again, and even through her clothes, he could feel her disordered breathing and her heart pounding like a deer.
But he refused to let her go.
The more she struggled, the tighter Gu Yi gripped her. He said in a hoarse voice, "Don't move anymore."
Having no other choice, A-Qiu could only try her best to calm herself down and quietly lie still in his arms.
Seeing that she no longer resisted, Gu Yi gradually loosened his grip and simply held her quietly.
After a struggle, the cool, slightly bitter fragrance emanating from Gu Yi became even stronger, and she felt drowsy again, with weariness washing over her once more.
When he's not being domineering, Gu Yi's embrace is warm and reassuring.
In her drowsy state, she seemed to hear Gu Yi's steady voice close to her ear, and his warm breath tickled her earlobe.
"You haven't agreed to me yet."
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