Princess of Langya
At that time, we will truly be separated by vast distances, never to meet again.
Afterwards, as the sun sets over the mountains and rivers and autumn deepens in the old capital, will he still think of her and remember her?
At this thought, A-Qiu felt a dull pain in her heart, which she could no longer bear. She fell heavily into the grass, feeling as if all her strength had been drained away.
She longed to lie down on the ground and never get up again.
Anyway, there's nothing else she needs to do.
No one needs her.
Everyone has left her world.
Her world thus became silent.
For a few moments, her thoughts seemed to freeze, turning into a blank. Only the rustling of the wind through the grass could be heard.
She closed her heavy eyelids, listening to her heartbeat growing ever more distant.
They're all gone...that's good.
Everything was no longer relevant to her.
"Achoo, Achoo".
A familiar voice echoed in her ear, over and over again.
But it didn't sound like urging; it was more like a gentle sigh and lament.
A breeze brushed against her cheek, like a gentle, warm touch and comfort.
She no longer had the strength to respond, but in her hazy consciousness, she still recognized whose voice it was.
That was the voice that echoed in her heart whenever she was in a state of extreme loneliness and despair, from childhood to adulthood.
It was this voice that kept her company, preventing her from going mad even amidst the pale snowfields, the darkness of the prison, and utter heartbreak.
She muttered, "Don't make a sound, Ah Xiu."
She turned over and went back to sleep.
She didn't want to wake up, she didn't want to wake up. If her consciousness remained submerged in chaos at this moment, she wouldn't feel pain.
I felt the reality that was already shattered.
Nobody in this world wants her.
Another deep, domineering male voice suddenly rang out:
"Grasp that dagger."
It was the first time she had ever heard that voice, and even in her dream, she was terrified.
The voice seemed familiar, yet not quite. It was as if I had heard it somewhere before, but it wasn't the familiar, comforting sound of someone I often heard; rather, it had a sense of strangeness.
But she still unconsciously followed the voice's instructions and traced the path to "assassinate the Qin emperor".
The voice had a sense of authority and nobility, as if it were absolutely unassailable.
The moment she touched the "Assassination of Qin" device, a powerful surge of heat, like an electric shock, coursed through her entire body.
That was the blood oath that had been established between the assassination attempt on Qin and her.
She woke up trembling.
The man's voice was fading into the distance.
"The assassination attempt on Qin is stained with the blood of the first emperor, which is why it is intertwined with your bloodline. It can awaken you, and you can awaken it."
A-Qiu suddenly opened her eyes.
The first thing you see is a bed curtain made of raw silk, with small holes clearly visible on it.
A sliver of light shone in, illuminating the room as brightly as snow.
Although the place is small, it is bright and clean. On the table is an antique and dignified ceramic vase with several green bamboos inserted in it, their green shadows swaying and their graceful bamboos standing tall.
A-Qiu sat up and saw that the view from the window into the room was also full of green bamboo, with a sense of boundless vitality and light, flowing charm.
Birds chirping and insects humming outside the window, creating a lively atmosphere.
Although she didn't know where she was, she felt an unusual sense of peace.
She had never experienced this feeling, not even in Lanling Hall where she grew up.
Everything here, from the bamboo and tables to the bed curtains, exudes a sense of crystal-clear purity, yet nothing is superfluous. The space is well-proportioned, with every inch perfectly placed, suggesting that the owner must be a person of noble character and refined taste.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, breaking the silence inside. A row of bamboo sparrows that had been perched on the bamboo branches outside the window were startled and flew away.
The woman who entered was a beautiful middle-aged woman with clear eyes and a kind demeanor; she was none other than Sima Yao, who had once driven for Shangguan Yuqi.
Ah Qiu remembered that Shangguan Yuqi had said that Sima Yao was both her master and her elder relative. Suddenly, he realized that this must be the family's forbidden ground where Shangguan Yuqi practiced her swordsmanship.
No wonder every detail exudes the same carefree and detached spirit as Shangguan Yuqi herself.
Only in such a beautiful and pristine environment could Shangguan Yuqi's ethereal and elegant temperament be nurtured.
She immediately clasped her hands in a fist salute, addressing her as "Aunt Yao" just like Shangguan Yuqi!
She continued, "I only remember fainting by the roadside. It must have been Aunt Yao who picked me up. I am deeply grateful and will not thank you enough. Please accept my bow." As she spoke, she was about to perform the ceremony on the couch.
Sima Yao, beaming, immediately helped her up, offering a warm smile and saying, "No need for such formalities." After a slight hesitation, she added with a hint of guilt, "Actually, I should have brought you back here after General Sikong escorted you out of the city when you left the palace, but your master... Venerable Wanqi stopped me. My martial arts are inferior to Venerable Wanqi's, so I couldn't bring you back, which is why you have to suffer so much."
Without hesitation, A Qiu replied, "How could it be Aunt's fault? A Qiu is an outsider. Miss Shangguan was worried that I had nowhere to go, so she asked Aunt to come and pick me up. It was out of friendship. Aunt, knowing that she was no match for me, an outsider, still refused the master of Lanling Hall. What a great sense of loyalty! A Qiu is already extremely grateful!"
Every word she spoke was a true reflection of her thoughts and feelings. When she was expelled from Jianzhang, Shangguan Yuqi was also overwhelmed with other matters, yet she was still making plans for her. Sima Yao, who had no relation to her whatsoever, came out of the forbidden area to find and pick her up simply because she was a junior disciple. In her previous life, she had never experienced such genuine help from a complete stranger.
Sima Yao looked at her with admiration and said, "You are a kind and polite child. I am very relieved that Yuqi has a friend like you."
She added, "She asked me to pick you up, so you must be a very important person to her. But why do you still call her Miss Shangguan so formally? Can't you just call her Sister Yuqi?"
A Qiu was surprised that she would ask about this. She stuck out her tongue and said, "It's probably because of Miss Shangguan's icy beauty and heavenly appearance that I admire her more than anything else. Therefore, I dare not be presumptuous. I always feel that if I were to sit on equal footing with her, it would be a desecration to her, let alone call her a sister."
Sima Yao couldn't help but laugh when she heard her exaggerated words: "That's right, all the people in the Shangguan family are like that!" After saying this, she immediately covered her mouth in embarrassment, looking as if she was blaming herself for speaking out of turn.
Ah Qiu thought to herself, "She said 'a member of the Shangguan family,' so who else could it be but Shangguan Yuqi?"
Seeing that Sima Yao, though over forty, still possessed the innocent charm of a little girl, I couldn't help but tease her, "Aunt Yao talks about the Shangguan family, aren't you considered a member of the Shangguan family?"
Sima Yao widened her beautiful eyes and said confidently, "Of course I don't count. My surname is Sima, and I am... a member of the Sima family." As she said this, her voice gradually lowered.
Seeing her expression, A-Qiu regretted his slip of the tongue.
She had already heard that Sima Yao was the former Princess of Langya of the Former Huan Dynasty, and was a cousin of the last emperor, Sima Yan. She had taken refuge in the Shangguan family to avoid the disaster of the Former Huan Dynasty.
Now that the Former Huan dynasty has been destroyed and all branches of the Sima family have been wiped out, Sima Yao will certainly not feel good about bringing this matter up again.
A Qiu immediately changed the subject, saying, "I remember that Miss Shangguan was also seriously injured and in critical condition at the time. I wonder where she is now?"
Mentioning Shangguan Yuqi successfully diverted Sima Yao's attention. And this matter was indeed of great importance.
Sima Yao looked worried and said, "After Yuqi and I left the scene, we waited for you nearby. Sure enough, not long after, we saw you running out. I followed you all the way, and seeing that you were emotional, I didn't dare to disturb you. Only when you collapsed and couldn't get up did I take you to the carriage and send you back."
A Qiu thought to herself that her outburst of tears must have been seen by Sima Yao, and she felt extremely embarrassed.
Sima Yao seemed to ignore her and continued, "Yuqi and I brought you back and rested here for a day and a night. She then claimed that she had almost recovered and wanted to return to the palace immediately. I know she was not fully recovered, but with the surrender imminent, there was no room for error. Perhaps it was a matter of great importance, and she had no choice but to leave with her injuries."
Ah Qiu thought of how badly Shangguan Yuqi was injured, yet he still had to go to the palace immediately to discuss matters, which showed how urgent the situation was.
In a flash, she thought of Gu Yi again, who had also been distracted at this critical moment to save her, and a pang of pain shot through her heart.
Sima Yao said softly, "Don't overthink it. This is the safest place right now, and no one will bother you. Your most important task now is to recover from your injuries before you think about what to do next."
Hearing her say that, A Qiu became even more certain that Sima Yao had seen all her lapses in composure, and stammered, "I've caused Auntie trouble."
Sima Yao shook her head and said, "It's alright. The Shangguan family's forbidden area has always been... a place for heartbroken people. Yuqi's state of mind when she came here back then was no different from yours right now."
A Qiu was surprised that she would bring up Shangguan Yuqi's past at this moment, and asked in surprise, "Did the young lady also have... such sad moments?"
She used to think that Shangguan Yuqi was as indifferent as ice and snow, and rarely saw her show emotions. She could hardly imagine that she would cry and make a scene like she did.
Sima Yao said softly, "Yes. That's because of her aunt, who is also my cousin-in-law, Yanxiu."
A Qiu suddenly remembered that Shangguan Yuqi had casually mentioned to her the events leading up to her entry into the forbidden area. She had originally been groomed by Yanxiu as the next head of the family, but after Yanxiu's death, she entered the forbidden area and took on the role of the guardian of the sword path.
A Qiu said with feeling, "When Miss Shangguan mentioned you, she said that you are one of the most important people in her family."
Sima Yao smiled and said, "When she was still an infant, Yan Xiu sent her to the forbidden area, where I raised her for a period of time. After the former Grand Secretary verified her identity and confirmed that she was the daughter of Shangguan, her father took her back. Later, she entered the forbidden area to learn swordsmanship, and I taught her the 'Seven Star' sword technique. However, she is exceptionally talented. I can only be considered as guiding her through the basics. Her subsequent cultivation was entirely up to her own exploration, and now her achievements far surpass mine. Therefore, I dare not claim to be her master."
A Qiu suddenly remembered something and said, "Miss Shangguan's swordsmanship is quite special. She wields both the 'Seven Stars' and 'Ice Bamboo' swords simultaneously. I'm afraid none of the Shangguan family's tomb keepers throughout the generations have ever achieved such a feat. Just now, Aunt said that you taught her the 'Seven Stars' swordsmanship. Was the 'Ice Bamboo' swordsmanship taught to her by the former Grand Secretary?"
Sima Yao shook her head and said, "The Shangguan family swordsmanship is passed down only to men and only to women. When Yuqi first entered the forbidden area, the former Grand Secretary was still alive, and according to tradition, I only passed on 'Seven Stars' to her. The reason she wanted to inherit 'Ice Bamboo' was after the former Grand Secretary passed away. It was his death that made Yuqi determined to take on the responsibility of the family, so she decided to study 'Ice Bamboo'. In my opinion, she was just reminiscing."
A-Qiu picked up where she left off, saying, "She is reminiscing about her two deceased elders and wants to take on the unfinished lives of the two of them with her own strength."
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