Set her free
Wan Qiqing scoffed, "Who doesn't have another side? I've also seen you, Young Master, with your silver hair and gray eyes, looking like a demon, at the Martial Saint Shrine. I wonder if this side of Young Master Gu were made public, would people accept me, this murderous maniac, sitting in the court, or would they accept you, this silver-haired demon, sitting in the court?"
A Qiu's heart suddenly tightened.
Fortunately, his master had only vaguely seen Gu Yi's transformed appearance, but was unaware of Gu Yi's secret of living for a hundred years.
Otherwise, if he were to make it public, it would certainly be very detrimental to Gu Yi.
Wan Qiqing seemed to find it somewhat amusing and continued, "Do we need to double-check and find excuses to deal with the enemy? I now understand why the Southern Dynasty's army, under the Grand Tutor's rule, suffered repeated defeats at the front lines. It must be because, like the Grand Tutor, even when the enemy reaches the city walls, we still need to double-check."
As Wan Qiqing said this, A Qiu's mind instantly flashed back to a conversation between Gu Yi and her when they were together in the underground chamber.
At that time, she broke into the underground chamber with a dagger and bumped into Gu Yi, who was in a state of mental instability after transforming into human form. Although Gu Yi no longer recognized her, he still recognized "Assassin Qin" and knew that the wound on his chest was caused by Assassin Qin. However, he did not kill her but subdued her.
At that time, she asked Gu Yi, since she remembered that she was injured by the "assassination of Qin", why didn't she try to kill her when she came in?
Her question was in line with Lanling Hall's usual style: weapons often have specific owners, especially daggers with such unique style and patterns as "Assassination of Qin". If it is recognized that "Assassination of Qin" is the weapon that hurt him, then the person who wielded "Assassination of Qin" is very likely the person who hurt him.
At his most vulnerable moment, this stranger sneaking in with a knife posed a tremendous threat. If he were an assassin, he would surely kill him.
At that time, Gu Yi's mind was like that of a child, and he replied sullenly: "How can you kill someone without solid evidence? If you kill the wrong person, how can they be brought back to life?"
Therefore, Gu Yi and Wan Qiqing are indeed fundamentally very different in temperament.
Gu Yi said calmly, "I am indeed looking for a reason right now, but it is a reason not to kill the Hall Master."
The moment he finished speaking, the situation on the field changed dramatically.
First, on the roof of the carriage, Rong Yu stepped into the air with the tail of a duster, and then landed, positioned right behind Wan Qiqing.
Then Sima Yao struggled to his feet, supporting himself on the carriage shaft, and took five steps to the right, blocking Wan Qiqing's left side.
The wind whistled, and a figure swept past A Qiu, heading straight for Wan Qiqing's right side, blocking his escape route.
The man, dressed in white robes and silver armor, with flowing hair and carrying two maces, was none other than Sikong Zhao, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards.
In this way, the three of them formed a pincer movement. With Wan Qiqing surrounded from the left, right, and rear, only his front was open, and what he was facing was Gu Yi.
Only then did A Qiu realize that Gu Yi had brought so many people, including some of the top experts from the Imperial Palace.
She was filled with conflicting emotions.
If attacked by Rong Yu, Sima Yao, and Sikong Zhao together, even Wan Qiqing would have a hard time escaping, let alone with Gu Yi added to the mix.
Wan Qiqing was the one who raised her since she was six years old, and she couldn't bring herself to watch him die.
But just moments ago, Wan Qiqing intended to kill everyone, including her. Since he could make such a decision, he couldn't blame others for wanting to kill him.
On one hand, there was the bond between master and disciple; on the other hand, there was the Lanling Hall's motto, "Those who bring disaster will suffer, and those who bring fortune will receive it." This left her heart in turmoil, tormented and conflicted.
Wan Qiqing stood surrounded by four top experts from the Southern Dynasty, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.
Whether it was Rong Yu's Dust Tail, Sima Yao's "Plain Sword," or Sikong Zhao's "Peerless Mace," they all locked onto him, constantly unleashing their power. If Gu Yi gave the order, the three of them would immediately attack together.
Gu Yi remained motionless, his expression one of restraint. No one could predict where or when he would strike, and this was even more terrifying to a master.
Even in his extreme rage, Wan Qiqing gradually regained his senses under such immense pressure to survive.
He was now trapped in an encirclement from which no one in the world could escape, not to mention that he had just taken a "Sun and Moon Shining Together" attack from Shangguan Yuqi.
But Wan Qiqing was worthy of being the master of Lanling Hall and a grandmaster of the present day. Even though he realized that he was caught between a wolf in front and a tiger behind, with no way to survive, he was still calm and fearless. He laughed and said, "Of course, Junior Master can kill me, but I wonder if he has thought about the consequences of killing me."
He emphasized the last few words very heavily, clearly doing so intentionally.
Everyone present was stunned.
Everyone knows the current situation in the Southern Dynasty. Now is a crucial time to beg for surrender from the Northern Qiang. If Wan Qiqing, the Northern Qiang's national advisor, is killed at this moment, it is hard to say whether it will provoke the Northern Qiang army, which will then sweep through Jianzhang.
It should be said that no one would doubt that even if Wan Qiqing died, he would definitely have made arrangements.
Moreover, although the Lanling Hall only betrayed two branch leaders, its strength, with its gathering of top assassins, cannot be ignored. If Wan Qiqing dies at Gu Yi's hands, the Lanling assassins' target of revenge will become the entire power structure and administrative system of the Southern Dynasty.
Then, Sikong Zhao, who was most informed about the current situation, showed a clear understanding, and Rong Yu's imposing manner immediately weakened.
Then, even someone as otherworldly as Sima Yao felt his sword's trajectory drop slightly downwards.
Wan Qiqing saw this, but only gave a slight cold smile.
He was 70% confident that these people couldn't really do anything to him.
Because of his current position, he is a pawn in the power struggle between North and South that no one can easily shake; moving him would have far-reaching consequences. Anyone who tries to remove him from the game will have to pay a heavy price. And the Southern Dynasty simply cannot afford that.
Today, it was his carelessness and rage that led him to flee alone with injuries, chasing after this carriage and plunging himself into an unprecedented danger.
Even so, no one can touch him unless that person is willing to do anything about the consequences.
At that moment, Gu Yi made a reaction that no one could have imagined.
Just when everyone's morale was waning, he took a step forward.
This single spatial shift has once again tightened the situation on the field.
Wan Qiqing narrowed his eyes, wanting to see how he would act.
Looking at Gu Yi's back, A Qiu felt a sense of familiarity and security for some reason.
Gu Yi will always be Gu Yi. No one can provoke him to the point of losing his temper, and no one can lead him by the nose.
Gu Yi's gaze was as clear as a deep well, calmly and deeply fixed on Wan Qiqing.
He said softly, "If I were to suggest to Your Excellency Hulijin that I replace you, the Hall Master, and become the Grand Preceptor of the new, unified dynasty, do you think he would agree?"
No one expected Gu Yi to say those words.
Gu Yi's talent and virtue were well-known throughout the land. Even Li Chongyu, the Marquis of Guannei, who was far away in Youzhou, came from afar to pay homage to him upon hearing of his reputation. Gu Yi's lack of ambition for the throne was also common knowledge; otherwise, he would not have supported Xie Lang to become emperor after pacifying the Southern Dynasty, rather than trying to establish himself as emperor.
Such capable and loyal ministers are what almost every emperor dreams of.
Moreover, even if the Southern Dynasty surrendered, it would be extremely difficult to dismantle its original power structure and incorporate it into the Northern Qiang's rule. If they could obtain the assistance of a powerful minister like Gu Yi, who was well-versed in the intricacies of the Southern Dynasty and whose authority was absolute, they would naturally be eager to obtain it.
Moreover, the new dynasty still appointed Gu Yi as its national advisor. At least this pretext could reassure the people of half of the Southern Dynasty, as it seemed to imply that the original order would not be completely destroyed.
Therefore, replacing Wan Qiqing with Gu Yi is a move with only advantages and no disadvantages. Even if it's only for short-term use, Huli Jin would choose Gu Yi over Wan Qiqing.
A Qiu thought to herself that Gu Yi's style of handling political affairs had always been humble and steady, but once he showed an enterprising attitude, he was truly unmatched in his aura and sharp in his ability to strike at the heart of the matter.
Wan Qiqing remained silent, instead scrutinizing Gu Yi intently.
The meaning was clear: he believed Gu Yi's words were not just empty threats. However, whether Gu Yi would actually do so remained to be seen.
After Gu Yi issued his final warning, the entire room fell silent once again, everyone waiting for Wan Qiqing's response.
Whether he lives or dies now depends on Wan Qiqing's words.
Wan Qiqing finally spoke, in a consultative tone, "The Grand Tutor once said that he was looking for a reason not to kill me."
Gu Yi said, "Very good. It seems that the hall master has regained his senses and we can talk things out."
Wan Qiqing pondered and said, "In the Northern Qiang, I was a strong advocate for Sinicization, and many policies were my own. In fact, I have always been pro-Han, otherwise I would not have stayed in the Southern Dynasty for so many years."
Gu Yi said, "I can understand it as, if the Hall Master can still live to be your Northern Qiang National Preceptor, during this surrender, will you try your best to ensure that the original order of us Han people is not destroyed, and in the future, will you also do your best to promote the unification of the world by Sinicized Confucianism?"
Wan Qiqing put away his smile and said, "That's natural. That was my original goal. I am not inherently bloodthirsty. Whether you believe it or not, the order I expect has always been one of enlightenment and education, not the oppression of hierarchy and ethnicity."
A-Qiu could tell from these few words that Wan Qiqing was sincere. Moreover, he had indeed taught her in this way for many years. A grandmaster like Wan Qiqing could not possibly be hypocritical or deceive himself to this extent.
He is not inherently bloodthirsty; he only transforms into a serial killer under certain stimuli.
For example, if the situation exceeds his psychological expectations to the point of being out of control, the situation could be the actual war situation, or it could be his psychological limit.
Gu Yi calmly replied, "That's excellent."
Wan Qiqing finally smiled again, put his hands behind his back to indicate that he had no intention of fighting again, and resumed his usual carefree and unrestrained manner. He shrugged and said, "You let me leave, and I guarantee that you will successfully surrender and that I will not kill a single Han person—is that considered a settlement?"
Gu Yi said, word by word, "There is something even more important."
He didn't turn around, but A Qiu could feel that both he and Wan Qiqing's attention had turned to him at the same time.
In the tense situation just now, she had almost forgotten her question.
Today's events can be said to have originated entirely from her.
Although she knew that Gu Yi would never hand her over, when Wan Qiqing's gaze swept over her without any ripples, A Qiu's heart still jumped into her throat with nervousness, and she couldn't even breathe properly for a moment.
Wan Qiqing, who had been chatting and laughing as before, immediately became expressionless and said calmly, "Is it for this traitorous disciple?"
Gu Yi said decisively, "Nine years ago, the Hall Master took A Qiu away from me. Although by chance, A Qiu was able to become my disciple again, the Hall Master and she are now irreconcilable enemies. I ask the Hall Master to give me face and release A Qiu, allowing her to be free."
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