One man guards the pass
Bai Shi lowered his head and said, "Therefore, when the last emperor suffered a heart attack and the court was in chaos, some officials recommended sorcerers, and officials from Wu recommended my master and my senior uncle to enter the palace. My master did not tell me the details. However, whenever my master mentioned this matter, he always felt guilty. My senior uncle would subtly change the subject. I guess they must have been coerced in the palace to do things against their will. Alas, my master was a kind-hearted person by nature."
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but recall the small yellow banner that her master would always hang up during purification rituals. And whenever that happened, the way her master looked at her would reveal an unspeakable guilt beneath his gentle gaze.
"If that child were still alive, he would be about the same age as Shi'er by now."
Master Qi Shanghui calmly added an incense stick to the yellow banner and comforted her, saying, "This matter was not decided by us from beginning to end. We could not influence the outcome. It was those in power in the world who manipulated and decided it. As shamans, our abilities are limited. It is already good enough that we can protect ourselves and withdraw."
Based on their experience, A Qiu and Gongye Fusu could naturally deduce that the Qian Huan court's unusual summoning of powerful shamans like Qi Luo and Qi Shang from Wu could not possibly be for something as trivial as a headache or fever. It must be related to either state affairs or the succession to the throne. Otherwise, summoning shamans to the court had always been explicitly forbidden.
When emperors consulted the gods and spirits, the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Grand Diviner were in charge. Only when the situation reached the point of divine wrath and popular resentment, and they realized that praying to the heavens and the earth was useless, would they have to resort to the folk sorcerers who were said to have efficacy. That would be an extremely foolish and short-sighted act.
Bai Shi continued, "Actually, the reason why my master and senior master later went to travel elsewhere was because Wu County repeatedly sent people to invite them. After entering the palace that year, my master and senior master did not want to have any further dealings with the government. In recent years, the government has probably not stopped searching for my master and senior master. Presumably, after they went to the Hidden Sect, because of Miss Xiao Yu's familiarity with the government, the news quickly reached the government's ears, and people from the capital immediately came. I don't know what method they used, but they easily made my master go with them."
Speaking of this, she looked worried and said, "My master and senior master were only forced to enter the palace once in their lives at the end of the Huan Dynasty, yet they were relentlessly pursued. This shows that the center of power is definitely not a good place for sorcerers. Now that they have come to the capital again, I, as their disciple, am truly worried."
A Qiu and Gongye Fusu exchanged a glance, both thinking of the pursuit she and Gu Yi had endured along the way. Who on earth possessed such power, able to capture whomever they pleased within the four realms of Dayan?
Furthermore, considering Emperor Xie Lang's recent ambiguous attitude, the urgent edict urging his return, and Shangguan Yuqi's report that Xie Lang suddenly wanted to establish an empress, everyone genuinely felt that the power center of the Southern Dynasty was likely to be reshuffled.
The two pillars of the Southern Dynasty, Gu Yi and Pei Yuanli, were now in seclusion and dead, respectively, while the crisis facing Li Chongyu's Shuofang Army in the north had been resolved, and a preliminary alliance between the North and South had been formed. Now was the perfect time for the various powerful clans of the Southern Dynasty to reclaim their power completely.
What exactly was the purpose of the person who summoned the sorcerer to the capital at this time?
Bai Shi, fearing that A Qiu would worry, added, "My master and senior uncle would never reveal a single word about the young master, so you can rest assured, young lady. The truth is that we have very little contact with the young master, and our skills are quite different, so we really don't know anything about him. Even if they are refining pills for the young master, my master will definitely say that he doesn't know who is refining them."
A Qiu was now fully aware of the Zhu You Sect's aloof approach and was no longer worried that these two experts would betray Gu Yi.
If we're talking about betrayal, Xiao Chang'an, who possesses the secret of Gu Yi's Divine Transformation Pill, would probably find it even easier and more direct to betray Gu Yi.
Upon hearing this, Gongye Fusu hurriedly said, "I have a question to ask you; after the young master gave me the recipe for the Transformation Pill, I refined it according to the method without the slightest negligence, but I don't know why the effect of the refined pill is very different from the original Transformation Pill, and it only takes two or three days to take effect?"
Bai Shi pondered for a moment and replied, "Although I don't know the specifics of how to refine the Divine Transformation Pill, the biggest difference between the external alchemy method of my Zhuyou Sect and ordinary medicine refining is that it requires the refiner's own spiritual energy as a guide to be infused into it. This is probably why Sect Master Li either refines it himself or asks my master and senior uncle to refine it, because ordinary people do not know this method of infusing spiritual energy."
Gongye Fusu couldn't help but ask, "Does that girl know how?"
Bai Shi said shyly, "I can. And my skill in this area is slightly better than my master's and senior uncle's. My master once said that I am the most spiritual person she has ever met."
A Qiu guessed that Gongye Fusu was pondering that if he and Bai Shi combined their strength, they could refine a Nascent Soul Pill that was no less powerful than Li Wujiu's, to help Gu Yi conceal his appearance and regain his mind.
For some reason, even the thought of this stirred a deep emotion within her.
Perhaps just thinking about the possibility of Gu Yi, the upright and steady man who used to teach and protect her, returning would stir a flutter in her heart.
But she quickly suppressed her turbulent thoughts.
Given the current situation, let him go free and be a free and unrestrained version of himself.
Just then, she suddenly sensed that something was amiss in her surroundings.
Logically, the carriages and horses should have been approaching the city gate by now, and there should have been countless noisy voices. Why is it so quiet at this moment?
The silence was almost as if someone had deliberately cleared the area.
The three people in the car simultaneously sensed something was wrong.
A deep, pleasant, yet somewhat familiar female voice rang out about five feet in front of the car.
"Sikong Zhao has been waiting here for you for a long time, please get out of the carriage."
Both Gongye Fusu and Bai Shi turned pale at the sound of it.
Sikong Zhao, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, was originally the "White Crane Guard" of the previous Flying Phoenix Four Guards. Known as "Silver Saddle and White Horse," she wielded the Peerless Mace with effortless skill. In terms of martial arts prowess, she was probably the true number one in the army. With Pei Yuanli gone and Pei Yu's power still limited, it was only natural that she would take the helm of supreme military power.
Unlike Zhao Lingying, the "Azure Phoenix," and Mu Huaying, the "Black Swan," Sikong Zhao rarely intervened in politics. Most of the time, people perceived her as a strict follower of Xie Lang's orders, essentially a tool.
But now that he has a better understanding of politics, A-Qiu would certainly not think that way anymore.
The fact that she could be appointed and used by Xie Lang at will, like an invisible tool, without any personal style or will, and in such an important position as the head of the capital's security, precisely shows that she is probably the most loyal person to Xie Lang.
At least within the military, Sikong Zhao's appearances most of the time represented Emperor Xie Lang's personal stance.
Ah Qiu calmed down and said in a clear voice, "After I leave, you can go directly into the city and act as if nothing happened. Sikong Zhao will not make things difficult for you."
Before she finished speaking, she had already darted out of the window like a swallow darting through the forest.
The familiar East Gate of Jianzhang City was right in front of me, but unlike usual, it was not bustling with people. Instead, it was deserted, and even the soldiers on daily patrols were nowhere to be seen.
Standing at the entrance was a man named Sikong Zhao, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards.
She was dressed in her usual white robe and silver armor, her beautiful hair flowing down her back. She held her peerless mace upside down behind her back, and a faint smile played between her brows as she gazed intently at A Qiu.
The sound of wheels rolling on the ground behind A Qiu continued. It was Gongye Fusu who, as she had instructed, pretended not to see the standoff between the two people in front of him and drove the Gongye family's caravan through the city gate. Sikong Zhao stood there blankly, unaware of the caravan's passage and showing no intention of interfering.
Both men knew perfectly well that the Gongye family, as the wealthiest family in Dayan, would be shrewd enough to understand the situation. By letting him leave freely, Gongye Fusu also knew what to say and what to pretend hadn't happened.
Sikong Zhao's gaze as he looked at A Qiu was bright as autumn water, gleaming with a sharp light, yet it contained a hint of something else.
A slight smile appeared on her red lips as she said deeply, "Greetings, Miss Qiu. Since our last encounter, I wonder if you have made any progress?"
A sudden sense of alertness rose in A Qiu's heart.
In fact, judging from the posture Sikong Zhao adopted, she already knew that the current situation was bound to end badly.
The commander of the Imperial Guards stood guard at the gate of Jianzhang City, clearing out all irrelevant people, showing that the other side was fully aware of her movements and knew very well that she had traveled with Gongye Fusu.
Moreover, the purpose of clearing out all irrelevant people was to completely block the news of the Junior Tutor's successor entering the capital, and to absolutely prevent A Qiu from swaggering back to the Southern Dynasty court as Gu Yi's successor to bring about a punitive expedition.
Sikong Zhao called her "Miss Aqiu" and mentioned that in their last encounter, it was Sikong Zhao who gave her pointers. They already knew very well that she was once "Jing Ke," the master of the Divine Weapon Hall of Lanling Hall.
A Qiu's first battle upon entering the palace was the one on the roof of Xianyang Hall, where she faced Sikong Zhao, her face veiled by a white gauze.
At that time, Sikong Zhao recognized her as "Jing Ke". However, A Qiu never fought with her again. When they occasionally met in the palace, A Qiu always appeared as a dancer. Sikong Zhao did not recognize that A Qiu after removing her veil was the Lanling assassin "Jing Ke" who had fought with her that day.
At this moment, Sikong Zhao pointed out the matter clearly.
If she still considers A-Qiu one of her own, she should at least address her as "the successor of the Junior Master," or at least as "the Lady of Music." Although A-Qiu's official rank is low, she was personally promoted by Xie Lang to be a female official of the Music Bureau, and those who give her some face always address her that way.
Whether Sikong Zhao is friend or foe is now clear.
Ah Qiu's heart gradually calmed down.
She flicked her wrist, and "Louyue" emitted a clear whistle. Sikong Zhao's eyes revealed an expression of intoxication and appreciation, and he praised, "What a fine sword. Even I, the general, have not witnessed the splendor of the young master's sword for more than ten years."
A Qiu smiled and answered her earlier question: "Last time we fought, the outcome was undecided. Now that I have become a disciple of the Junior Master and wield the Crescent Moon Sword, what are General Sikong's chances of winning?"
Back then, atop Xianyang Palace, she launched her assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang, confident she could kill Sikong Zhao within three moves. It was Gu Yi who, fearing she would commit a grave error, intervened and stopped her; otherwise, Sikong Zhao would already be a corpse.
Now that she has Gu Yi's guidance and Louyue in her possession, she doesn't think Sikong Zhao will be her match.
Sikong Zhao withdrew his gaze from Louyue and smiled, "You don't think that I'm here for personal gain, to seek revenge, do you?"
Her words caused A-Qiu's initial determination to win to weaken by a third.
Sikong Zhao, who was present in person as Emperor Xie Lang's most trusted bodyguard and the commander-in-chief of the capital's security, issued a warning to her prohibiting her from entering the city.
She could certainly kill Sikong Zhao with her sword, but what would happen next?
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