North-South Contention
Xiao Chang'an stood there, stunned, his heart filled with turmoil.
He didn't know who the person was, but he had already heard the sounds of the zither and flute clashing and the singing and shouting echoing from the front hall.
I was already sweating bullets for this performance of "White Silk".
He mentally counted all the martial arts figures he had ever seen or heard of, but he couldn't think of a master who was both proficient in the flute and whose martial arts were so terrifyingly powerful.
Furthermore, judging from the sound of the flute, his personality is fickle and unpredictable; he can impersonate anyone, yet he disdains being anyone else's shadow.
Why has such a demon-level master never been heard of in the martial arts world?
A breeze was blowing on my face.
He only felt a blur before his eyes and a sudden release in his body, as all his acupoints were released.
There was something cool and smooth in his palm. He knew it was his purple bamboo flute just by the feel of it.
A humble voice sounded from behind, saying, "Thank you, young brother. If you ever need my help in the future, you can present the Heavenly Secret Token on this flute as proof."
The music in the front hall has begun; it is the final scene of "White Silk".
Xiao Chang'an didn't have time to agree or care who the person was. He hurriedly grabbed his flute and slipped into the front hall.
As the geisha's figures shifted and changed positions, spinning wheels and waterwheels were already brought onto the stage.
A Qiu lowered her sleeves and stepped back, just as she passed by Sun Neiren who was coming up.
Ah Qiu whispered, "Instructor, I need to leave immediately. I'll leave the rest to you."
A-Qiu had excellent eyesight; even in the darkness, her vision was impervious. With a turn, she immediately noticed that her master was nowhere to be seen among the musicians.
Gu Yi's seat was now empty.
My master is one of the most renowned grandmasters in the world, and the number one expert in the North. Gu Yi, on the other hand, is known as the number one expert in the Southern Dynasty. The fact that these two disappeared at the same time makes it obvious where they went.
However, she could not bear to see either of them get injured or defeated.
Although my master was a talented and elegant man, he was also detached from worldly affairs and had little human warmth, unlike the fathers and brothers of ordinary people.
However, she had grown up in her master's Songxue Hall since she was six years old, where she could freely take and study music, chess, calligraphy, painting, antiques, and weapons. Her martial arts skills were also taught and imparted by her master.
The bond between master and disciple over so many years couldn't be fake.
But for her, Gu Yi had not only taken care of and helped her in many ways since entering the palace, but she also had a deep and special feeling for him. It was an unconditional trust, and even more so, a familiar intimacy and attachment.
Master's visit was certainly not just to showcase his talents. He and Gu Yi were both aware of the impending battle, and thus, they left their seats before the performance was over.
The outcome of this battle may determine the lives of the two men, or it may determine the direction of the regimes in the North and South.
If Gu Yi were to die, the first consequence would be the division of the Southern Dynasty. Pei Yuanli would inevitably become irreconcilable enemies with Li Chongyu, and the Jianzhang Army would ignite a war with the Shuofang Army. At that time, the Northwest Army, being outnumbered and outgunned, would be unable to suppress the conflict between the two armies.
If anything happens to her master, she and her eldest brother Gongyi Xiu should immediately leave the palace and return to Lanling Hall to take over power and stabilize the situation.
She cannot allow any of these situations to occur.
At first, Sun Neiren was taken aback, and Xue Hongbi, who followed closely behind, almost blurted out, "What are you going to do?"
But in the blink of an eye, Ah Qiu had already vanished.
Just before leaving, he secretly used his sleeve to gently grasp the hands of Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu behind him.
Although Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu did not understand why she was leaving at this moment, they both nodded to Sun Neiren with resolute expressions.
The meaning was clear: even if A-Qiu wasn't there, we would still finish performing "White Silk" together.
"White Silk" is the glory of the entire dance troupe, and it will not be unable to be performed because of the departure of one person.
Sun Neiren let out a deep breath, pulling her attention away from Shi Changqing and A Qiu.
A Qiu is Shi Changqing's daughter. She used to say that her father had passed away. Now, Shi Changqing suddenly appears at the Yuefu, and A Qiu, as his daughter, seems to know nothing about it. There must be a big reason why she chases after him.
In fact, it wasn't just A-Qiu; she herself also wished she could catch up with him and get to the bottom of things.
However, when you're on stage, your talent is everything.
As long as we know that Shi Changqing is still alive, that's good enough.
It's like a flickering flame somewhere in my heart, shining faintly.
How have you been, my beloved master of the flute?
A full moon hung high above the Jinshui Tower in front of the palace gate, illuminating the square inside and out, revealing every detail.
At this moment, all the guards and patrols here have been withdrawn, and the huge square is empty and deserted.
Clearly, there was a high-ranking person in the palace who had taken the initiative to determine the location of the duel between the two grandmasters and cleared the area for them.
When Gu Yi entered the square, the first thing that caught his eye was the imposing figure standing gracefully with his hands behind his back, gazing at the moon on the highest, double-eaved golden roof of the Jinshui Tower.
Wan Qiqing's white robes fluttered in the breeze, making him seem like a celestial being descended from the moon palace to the mortal world, someone who had never belonged to this world, and possessing a transcendent arrogance that looked down upon all living beings.
At this moment, Gu Yi suddenly understood why Wan Qiqing, the master of Lanling Hall, had given the list of assassins in the martial arts world such an elegant and pleasant name.
The List of Banished Immortals.
Only assassins who disregard life and death and regard killing as an art can be listed on this list. Wan Qiqing himself was such a master.
Heaven and earth are the furnace, fleeting clouds drift like grey dogs. Life, death, and extinction are but a game.
He pictured Ah Qiu's beautiful eyes, always smiling yet calm and unmoved.
She is the number one person on the list of banished immortals, the master of the Divine Weapon Hall, "Jing Ke".
You can tell a lot about a student by looking at his teacher.
If A Qiu hadn't been taken away by this person back then, would he have been spared the dilemma he faces today?
In the vast square, only Gu Yi stood there, casting a long shadow behind him.
He looked up at Wan Qiqing on the top of Jinshui Tower, but did not feel any competitive spirit towards him because of the other party's superior position.
He calmly asked, "May I ask whether you should address me as Your Excellency Shi Changqing or Wan Qiqing?"
Gazing at the full moon, Wan Qiqing did not turn around, but smiled and said, "A name is just a title. Young Master, it can be anything. It is only today, having met the famous Young Master, that I realize we are old acquaintances."
What he was referring to was his encounter with Gu Yi, who came to rescue A Qiu, ten years ago when he took A Qiu away from the Forbidden Palace. But at that time, he did not know that the young black-clad master who concealed his identity and possessed divine swordsmanship was none other than Gu Yi, the young master who later pacified the world.
Under the moonlight, Gu Yi's face was perfectly calm and composed as he said without any fluctuation, "At that time, I only knew that you were Shi Changqing, a musician in the palace, but I did not know that you were Wan Qiqing, the number one person in the North and the master of Lanling Hall."
If Gu Yi hadn't known that he was Shi Changqing, and hadn't received his statement that he would definitely treat A Qiu well, he would never have let him take away the six-year-old A Qiu so easily.
But if he knew that Shi Changqing was Wan Qiqing, he would not only not let A Qiu go with him, but he would also risk his life to destroy this person under the "Louyue" sword.
There were some things about Wan Qiqing that Gu Yi knew, but even Gongyi Xiu and A Qiu didn't know them.
Within the territory of the Northern Qiang, the Grand Preceptor Wan Qiqing was known as the "Wolf General," and it was he who advocated for the complete massacre of several cities in the Southern Dynasty.
Gu Yi thought so, but he also knew very well that Wan Qiqing was thinking the exact same thing as him.
If Wan Qiqing had known then that he was Gu Yi, the Junior Tutor who would later restore peace to the Southern Dynasty, his actions would not have been as simple as kidnapping A Qiu and abandoning him to cover the retreat and deal with the chaotic army.
He would make sure Gu Yi didn't live to see the next day's sun.
Wan Qiqing turned around for the first time, and the two locked eyes.
At this moment, Wan Qiqing had already removed Shi Changqing's signature black bird mask. Gu Yi had also removed the white silk covering his eyes.
Wan Qiqing looked at Gu Yi's handsome and angular face and said with slight surprise, "Young Master is much younger than I imagined." Her gaze then fell on his black hair with strands of silver and said casually, "A young man with white hair, that seems to be the result of practicing some kind of special technique to preserve youth and prolong life."
Gu Yi knew that the other party was currently using every means to probe for his weaknesses.
He raised his mind to a state of perfect tranquility and replied, "Likewise. The Imperial Preceptor also appears quite young."
Wan Qiqing smiled and said, "If you think that by revealing my identity as the National Preceptor of the Northern Qiang in front of everyone, you can make Qiu'er and Xiu'er submit to your Southern Dynasty, then you are very wrong."
He said softly, "The moment they harbor disloyalty towards us, that is their death. This is the rule of the martial arts world, and I'm sure Young Master won't object."
Although Wanqiqing is the National Preceptor of the Northern Qiang, Lanling Hall is a martial arts sect. Martial arts lineage should transcend North-South divides and national boundaries, with everyone adhering to the same master-disciple rules. —Theoretically, this should be the case.
Gu Yi remained silent. He knew Wan Qiqing was not joking.
Wan Qiqing's eyes flashed with surprise again. He asked in astonishment, "Why does the young master seem to care so much about my two unruly disciples? Is he really willing to give up this opportunity to expose my true colors in front of the world for their sake?"
A sharp glint finally appeared in Gu Yi's dark eyes, and he said calmly, "I don't need it."
A swift, bright white light shot out from his waist, and at the same time he leaped towards the rooftop with his sword, aiming straight for Wan Qiqing's chest.
His voice was now as cold as ice, indifferent as it had ever been before.
"Because tonight is your death day, Hall Master."
The zither "Ling Shu" of the Junior Tutor was listed as one of the "Three Wonders" of the dynasty and is a symbol of the Southern Dynasties' transition from chaos to order.
The "Jade Balance" of the Junior Tutor is a symbol of Gu Yi, as the tutor of the Crown Prince, who instructs the world in literature, morality, rites and music.
But no one will forget that before the world knew about the young master's zither and jade ruler, his weapon was a four-foot-long "carved moon" green blade.
During the rebellion in the palace, Gu Yi, wielding a four-foot-long "carved moon" sword, slaughtered dozens of powerful figures from the four major clans of the Southern Dynasty—Chu, Yang, Yuwen, and Zhongli—who were plotting rebellion, right there in the Golden Palace.
This battle not only shocked the powerful clans and marked the beginning of peace in the Southern Dynasty, but also made Gu Yi famous overnight. He rose from an unknown person to become the number one expert in the Southern Dynasty, and his personal reputation reached its peak.
But the Sword of the Young Master was never mentioned, because Gu Yi did not consider it his achievement.
Internal strife and fratricide, establishing a nation through bloodshed, was a choice Gu Yi was forced to make, and also the heaviest mental burden of his life. He didn't care how many people would both fear and hate him afterward, but killing was never his true desire.
Even if it's for political struggle.
Therefore, after this battle, Gu Yi never used the "Louyue" sword again, and instead carried the Yuheng sword with him.
But today, for the Jinshui Tower gathering, he specially took out the "Louyue" sword, which had been sealed for ten years.
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