Show mercy
Knowing she wasn't lying, Lie Changkong calmed down slightly and asked, "Xiao Yu? And who is she?"
Gu Yi interrupted, saying, "She is the woman in green who set up the maze in the mountain path that you saw, the head disciple of the Hidden World Sect, and the eldest daughter of the Xiao family, a powerful clan in the north, Xiao Yu."
Before Lie Changkong could recover, he said in a calm and even tone, "I learned from her that Sect Leader Li was forced into a life-or-death situation."
Upon hearing this, Lie Changkong trembled violently and asked in disbelief, "Master, what did you say?"
Gu Yi repeated himself. But as soon as he finished speaking, he spat out another mouthful of blood, staining a corner of the table in front of him red.
Upon seeing this, Gongye Fusu didn't bother to ask what was wrong. He immediately took out a heart-protecting and calming incense pill from his sachet and lit it. At the same time, he pressed one hand on Gu Yizhi's back to help him regulate his breathing.
At this point, Lie Changkong realized that he had wronged A Qiu and that this matter could no longer be concealed. He said sadly, "So the reason why the master broke his cultivation was not because of romantic love, but because of his affection for Sect Leader Li."
Gu Yi, usually calm and resolute, now looked somewhat embarrassed. He avoided the topic and said, "In any case, the Daoist sects, both internal and external, are interdependent. To harm Li Wujiu is to harm me, Gu Yi, and the enemy has already done just that."
Gongye Fusu, concerned about his injuries, pressed on, asking, "To be overcome by passion? How can such a technique exist? Is there no way to remedy this?" He then said in a deep voice:
"The Southern Dynasty cannot be without the Junior Tutor for even a day. Even for the sake of my Gongye family's business in the Southern Dynasty, I must do everything I can to cure the Junior Tutor."
Lie Changkong knew that Gu Yi was facing the loss of his power due to his concern for others, and that this was something that could not be reversed by any elixir. He had almost completely lost his backbone and was in a state of confusion. He said, "What should we do now? Sect Master Li has entered a life-or-death situation, and our master is in such a state. Even our safety has become a problem. How can we dare to enter the forbidden area of the Hidden Sect, where it is now difficult to distinguish friend from foe?"
With Gongye Fusu's help, Gu Yi's expression softened slightly. He pointed his chin at A Qiu and said, "And her too."
Both Lie Changkong and Gongye Fusu were baffled: A Qiu is currently just a woman who can't even kill a chicken, what use is she?
A Qiu was the first to understand Gu Yi's meaning, but she was uncertain and said, "Master, this disciple is not confident that I can recover."
Lie Changkong immediately understood and said in a deep voice, "Does Master intend to pass on the Ghost Valley inheritance to Miss A Qiu within the sect's forbidden area?"
Gu Yi said, "From this moment on, you may call her Young Master."
While Lie Changkong was still hesitating, Gu Yi said, "She doesn't need to cultivate this 'otherworldly body,' so she doesn't have any taboos against being emotional, and therefore doesn't have the same weakness as me. Besides, I forcibly retained my physical form in this world by cultivating magic back then, so I wasn't a normal being in accordance with the Great Dao. Even if today's mishap hadn't happened, there would inevitably be other problems. I... I really do have a lot of problems."
He looked at A Qiu again, his gray eyes calm as he said, "Fortunately, I have found a suitable successor, so I can say that I have completed the mission of my sect and have not given up halfway."
Suddenly, A Qiu felt a lump in his throat and could no longer speak.
Gu Yi was about to entrust all the unfinished business on his shoulders to her. Because of his current appearance, he could no longer appear before the world, and he himself was also in danger of losing his power. At that time, he would be like A Qiu now, unable to move an inch without the protection of others.
Gongye Fusu said, "But Miss Aqiu's martial arts..." At that moment, everyone saw Wan Qiqing slap Aqiu's back twice, hitting vital points and meridians, clearly intending to cripple her martial arts.
Gu Yi seemed to have anticipated this, and said, "A Qiu, try lifting the Moon-Carving Sword."
Although A Qiu had vaguely felt the energy returning to her meridians these past few days, she wasn't sure and hadn't tried wielding the sword again. Now, hearing Gu Yi's words, she immediately picked up the sword and brandished it a few times in the air.
But just as she was making the gesture, she suddenly felt internal energy arise in her dantian and circulate along her meridians. Although it was extremely weak, it was not like before when she had no feeling at all.
Gu Yi said, "I have already examined your meridians. Although they seem to be severely damaged, there is no serious danger. These past few days, I have been using my own true energy to help you heal the injuries to your internal organs. Therefore, your body can recover."
He continued, “Back then, your master Wan Qiqing publicly declared that he was severing all ties with you and would cripple your martial arts, but that was because he knew that someone would investigate your relationship with him after this incident. He made it clear that he was breaking off relations with you, but he hoped that this would make the people in the palace stop caring about your background. He didn’t really want to cripple your martial arts. Therefore, when he made his move, he held back a little bit of internal energy, but instead it entered your body and protected your heart meridian.”
Only now did Ah Qiu realize that his master had shown mercy.
She had already felt that her master had been very lenient; those two blows had only crippled her martial arts. Had they been even slightly more severe, her life would certainly have been in danger. Given his usual ruthless treatment of traitors, someone as openly treacherous as her would certainly not have been allowed to live.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yi realized there were some things he couldn't say anymore.
Wan Qiqing severely injured A Qiu and expelled her from the sect all because of A Qiu's words, "This disciple already has someone to protect for the rest of my life." And the two slaps he delivered with a heavy heart were also meant to ensure that Gu Yi would never abandon her.
A woman willingly abandons her original sect and has her martial arts crippled for him; even the most hard-hearted person would find it hard not to be moved, let alone Gu Yi.
But Wan Qiqing's actions were very likely not well-intentioned, especially towards Gu Yi. Even knowing this, he had no choice but to comply. Simply because it was A Qiu.
He suddenly seemed to understand a bit more about Li Wujiu's state of mind back then.
Lie Changkong already knew that A Qiu was the head of the Divine Weapon Hall of Lanling Hall, and had even worked with her before, so he had no doubt about her strength. But at this moment, he hesitated and said, "Since the master has made such an arrangement, your subordinate and the young master charioteer will have no objections. However, the court may not be willing to accept the young master replacing the master."
A smile appeared on Gu Yi's lips, and he said meaningfully, "You don't need to worry about that. Xiao Yu just referred to A Qiu as the successor of the Junior Master and the Master of the Heavenly Secrets Order, which shows that no news has leaked in the capital. His Majesty... has decided to keep this matter quiet. Otherwise, A Qiu's first identity outside would be that of an outcast from Lanling, not the successor of the Junior Master."
Xie Lang was the second person in this world, besides Li Wujiu, whom he trusted unconditionally. The reason he kept quiet about this matter was largely because he understood his own determination to protect A Qiu.
When Xie Lang finally realized that A Qiu, who had been performing in the palace music hall for so long, and the white-robed dancer he had taken as his successor, was actually the disciple of Wan Qiqing, the master of Lanling Hall, and the chief assassin on the Immortal Ranking, he probably, as always, silently swallowed the bitter pill and took on all the doubts and criticisms for him.
After all these years, Xie Lang had always shouldered Gu Yi's responsibilities, both official and personal. Officially, this involved his sweeping reforms and decisive decisions in court; personally, it meant the attacks and questions from numerous powerful clans regarding his origins. While among the several clans, including the Xie family, whose lineages had lasted for centuries, simply stating "successor of Guiguzi" was enough to explain everything, for most others, he remained an inexplicable secret and legend.
Gu Yi continued, "Actually, during this trip to the southwest, besides finding out about the Transformation Pill, the more important thing I wanted to do was to help A Qiu recover her martial arts in the sect's forbidden area. And if the situation is right," he hesitated slightly, "I also want to ask Li Wujiu to witness me handing over the Ghost Valley inheritance to A Qiu. But originally, I wanted to hold on for a few more years."
If he could hold out for a few more years, he could accomplish more, such as joining forces with Li Chongyu to march north and quell the Five Barbarian Invasions, and recover Chang'an and Luoyang. Then, what would be handed over to her would be a complete and beautiful land, without her having to personally prepare for war.
Furthermore, she wouldn't even need to inherit this legacy. As long as he achieves the unification of the world, with Xie Lang and Xie Tiao, along with the assistance of two generations of Flying Phoenix Guards, and with the protection of experts like the Four Constellations of Heaven in the palace, they can govern the country well. He can retire to the mountains and forests, and she wouldn't need to take on this responsibility. They could... have another choice.
Gu Yi suddenly dared not think any further.
Of the group, Gongye Fusu knew the least about what they were discussing, as he was mainly there as a physician accompanying her. Hearing Gu Yi's words, he suddenly perked up and asked, "Does the Young Master intend to use the Spirit Gathering Array of the Zhuyou Sect to help Miss Aqiu recover her power?"
Before Gu Yi could answer, Gongye Fusu immediately said apologetically, "I did not intend to pry into the secrets of the Shaoshi Sect. It is just that the method I know of for refining the spirit and body and quickly restoring the body and mind in a short period of time is the Spirit Gathering Array of the Zhuyou Sect."
Gu Yi no longer concealed anything and replied, "Your Gongye family has always had a close relationship with the Zhuyou Sect, so it's not surprising that you know about this formation. That was indeed my original plan, but now that Sect Leader Li has encountered an unexpected situation, this plan will most likely fall through. However, even so, I have other ways to help her recover, so you don't need to worry about this matter anymore."
He looked at A Qiu, his voice suddenly softening: "My only question is: are you willing to accept the Guigu tradition?"
Everyone else knew that A Qiu had always been obedient to Gu Yi and never disobeyed him. In order to stay by Gu Yi's side, she was even expelled from Lanling Hall by Wan Qiqing. Now that Gu Yi was in trouble and only had A Qiu as his disciple, A Qiu could not refuse to serve her master.
A Qiu met Gu Yi's gaze without flinching and asked softly, "If that's the case, where will you go?"
This gentle question sent a shiver down Gu Yi's spine, making him almost unable to look her in the eye. He immediately lowered his head, unable to utter another word.
Lie Changkong also sensed that the atmosphere had become strange, and interrupted, "I will accompany the young master to retire to the mountains and find a safe and secluded place to recuperate."
Gongye Fusu looked at him with disbelief, then at A Qiu, and finally exclaimed, "Why are you accompanying the Junior Tutor to go into seclusion? Do you really want to go?"
Lie Changkong was also confused by his question, scratching his head and saying, "What's the question of wanting or not wanting? I've always guaranteed the safety of the young master. Logically, I should assist the young master in achieving great things, but the master's condition is abnormal right now, and after dissipating his power, he naturally needs someone to protect him even more. If I don't go to accompany him, are you the one who should?"
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