Spirit Ape Thrust Technique
In fact, A Qiu did have a way to avoid harming people, and the method was quite simple: to assassinate the Qin emperor.
However, without the advantage of weapons, her close-quarters combat skills are limited in terms of the damage she can inflict with her fists, palms, and fingers, and her advantages will be greatly reduced, making it impossible for her to exert even half the power she would have had to assassinate the Qin emperor.
This explains why, when Gu Yi intercepted her in the night sky for the first time, she received a Jade Balance strike to her palm. And when she faced Chu Yuan in the ruined Qiwu Palace, she had no guarantee of victory.
If one has no intention to kill, then none of one's moves will be fatal, making it easy to fall into a disadvantageous position.
When Gu Yi released her, A Qiu finally stood up from the bed, stretched her sore and numb legs, and blinked her beautiful eyes, saying, "Young Master Gu, I can avoid hurting people without using weapons. But how can I defeat you without hurting anyone?"
Gu Yi shouted, "Think for yourself!" Before she could react, Yuheng had already struck her chest, aiming straight for her "Shanzhong" acupoint.
He had led troops on the battlefield and firmly believed that military strategy comes from actual combat, and the fastest way to find a shortcut was to put it into practice.
The Tanzhong point, located in the center of the chest, is an important acupoint for the flow of Qi and blood, and is also in front of the heart. If struck by it, one will inevitably suffer severe injury and vomit blood.
If Gu Yi were to use his palm, he would never strike her Tanzhong point, as he strictly adheres to the distinction between men and women. But now, striking her from afar with Yuheng, he has no such reservations.
A Qiu sighed, then with lightning speed, flicked his five fingers at the front of the Jade Balance. The Jade Balance trembled repeatedly and was thrown to one side.
At the same time, taking advantage of the moment when Yuheng swept aside, she slipped into the open doorway, pounced on him, and almost completely wrapped herself in Gu Yi's arms. She struck his chest with one palm and chopped down on his shoulder with the other.
In fact, she fought Sikong Zhao in the same way. In close combat, hands, feet, hips, waist, shoulders, and elbows were all used as weapons, intertwined and protected, with each move striking the other.
Gu Yi, however, clearly lacked experience in such close physical combat. She stepped down, wrapped her arms around his waist, and clung to him tightly, never leaving his body for a moment. His brows were already furrowed into a deep frown. He withdrew his jade balance to block her attack on his chest, and at the same time, with an elbow and a sideways shoulder, he lightly pushed her away, frowning as he said, "Can't you at least show some respect when you fight?"
A Qiu was quite embarrassed, as she had never been suspected of such disrespect before. In the past, her Long Rainbow Strike would kill her opponent in at most three moves, and the dead would not complain about her indecent behavior.
Gu Yi then remembered something and suddenly frowned, saying, "When you were learning martial arts at the sect, did your master also spar with you in this way?" This question was extremely stern, and even his voice was raised three degrees.
Ah Qiu laughed and said, "No, that's not it. I created it myself. I learned it from a big monkey."
As a child, she played with macaques in the mountains. There was a monkey king who often fought with her. Macaques were extremely agile, with arms that could be raised and lowered freely. When they fought, they would entangle in a tight knot, leaving only a tiny space in front of them. As a result, A-Qiu learned to move with extraordinary agility, weaving effortlessly between their arms and behind them. Eventually, even the monkey king could not defeat her. Her master, Wan Qiqing, felt that her agility was extremely suitable for close combat as an assassin, so he taught her to combine it with dagger thrusting techniques, naming it "The Spirit Ape Assassin."
Gu Yi's expression softened slightly, and he said, "Humans are different from beasts. You cannot use the fighting methods of beasts."
A-Qiu stuck out her tongue. She thought to herself, "Fighting is all about winning. She couldn't see any difference between humans and beasts in that respect."
Gu Yi said in a deep voice: "Rites, music, horsemanship, archery, calligraphy and mathematics are the six arts, and archery is a martial art. Learning the six arts is the way for a gentleman to make progress every day, so martial arts must also follow the rules."
He then asked, "Why do you practice martial arts?"
Without hesitation, A-Qiu replied, "For killing."
Gu Yi said solemnly, "Wrong. Internally, it's about self-cultivation; externally, it's about stopping conflict."
He held the Jade Balance across his chest, took a step from left to right, and his true power emanated, naturally transforming his figure into a majestic and imposing figure, like a towering mountain.
Between each step and each stop, A Qiu felt that the atmosphere of the entire space had changed.
The profound stillness is a sign of the nascent Taiji, a state of primordial chaos before creation. Within it, life force begins to emerge, subtle and wondrous.
Gu Yi's gaze was deep, bright, and serene as he looked at her. It was as if he had been gazing at her like this since the beginning of time, and could stand there forever.
A Qiu suddenly said, "Gu Yi, haven't I seen you before?"
Gu Yi remained expressionless, stepped forward with his left foot, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and held the jade balance horizontally.
It is the primordial chaos that divides into Yin and Yang, one still and one moving, one illusory and one real. The cycle of heaven and earth, the endless cycle of life, all reside within this palm and this foot.
Yuheng pointed at Aqiu again.
A Qiu's palms parted, and her forward palms opened beautifully like orchids, breaking into Gu Yi's qi net and pressing against the front of the Jade Balance.
Gu Yiyuheng was struck by her, and suddenly felt an incomparably powerful force crashing into him, causing him to involuntarily take a step back.
A Qiu's beautiful eyes suddenly lit up, and her other delicate hand arrived unexpectedly, with an incomparably graceful movement, turning from a palm to a slash, directly targeting Gu Yi's left wrist.
The coordinated attacks of these two palms were ingenious, containing the force of a sudden storm. Moreover, the footwork was perfectly synchronized, displaying the style of a true martial arts lineage.
Gu Yi lightly shouted, "Good." He launched more than ten attacks in succession, all of which were blocked by her exquisite and overwhelming palm techniques.
A Qiu felt increasingly confused as she fought. This palm technique seemed to flow endlessly from her heart, perfectly synchronized with her thoughts and actions. At first, it was a bit clumsy, but it became smoother and smoother as she fought. Although there were only thirty-six moves, it felt incredibly powerful.
Moreover, the palm technique seemed very familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere not long ago.
Gu Yi flipped his wrist, took her hand in his palm, and said in a deep voice, "You remembered?"
What did you remember?
A Qiu shook her head, looked at the hand that Gu Yi was holding, and stared at her palm in disbelief, saying, "What kind of palm is this?"
Gu Yi said softly, "Chu Yuanyi's 'Wind and Thunder Slash'."
A Qiu pulled her hand away from Gu Yi's palm, her face full of surprise and disbelief. "That Aunt Yuan Yi from the ruined Qiwu Palace? How could I know her Wind and Thunder Slash? Could it be that I could memorize her palm technique just because I fought her once?"
She was both surprised and incredulous, repeatedly examining her own palms. She recalled and compared her movements and fist techniques with the palm strikes used by Aunt Yuan Yi, and finally had to admit that although the martial arts she had just used were not as fierce and ruthless as Aunt Yuan Yi's, and not as powerful, they were indeed the same set of palm techniques.
Seeing the troubled look on her face, Gu Yi remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "Actually, Chu Yuanyi taught you that."
As if she had heard the most unbelievable thing in the world, A Qiu stammered, "That fierce old aunt taught me?" She shook her head, pondered for a long time, and finally turned her gaze to Gu Yi: "You haven't answered my question yet."
The question I just asked was that one.
"Gu Yi, haven't I seen you before?"
Gu Yi was somewhat dazed.
The seeds he planted have now blossomed into a beautiful and intelligent flower.
However, he never imagined that one day she would call his name from across the room.
...For a long time, no one has ever called him by his name.
She's really brave.
An indescribable thought stirred within him. He suddenly realized that she had no loss in not knowing about the past.
It's good to treat it as a chance to get to know each other again.
He lowered his head and eyes, tucked the jade balance into his sleeve, and said casually, "Why don't you go ask your master?"
Ah Qiu has become mute.
The Lanling assassin did not go there.
My master once said that the past is an obstacle on the road ahead. Now that we have entered Lanling, let's leave those things behind.
The master added, but one thing is certain.
If your past was very happy, you would not be in Lanling Hall now.
So Gongyi, Moyi, and she silently lowered their heads.
He silently mourned for his past for the time it takes to burn an incense stick.
A slight coughing sound, accompanied by increasingly heavy footsteps, came from afar.
Judging from his voice, he was very young. His feet landed neither too hard nor too lightly, and his breath was extremely long, indicating that he was a master with profound internal strength.
While A Qiu was still in a daze, Gu Yi swiftly picked her up and carried her to the bed, then with a slap, the curtains on all sides fell down, blocking her view.
A-Qiu was a little confused. Wasn't Jinlingtai his territory? Who was he afraid of seeing?
She then remembered that she was currently a wanted criminal in the palace. Gu Yi was right not to want anyone to see her.
A-Qiu lay quietly in the blanket, reducing her heartbeat and breathing to a barely perceptible state.
She used only her hearing to picture a dignified young master calmly entering the room.
The man seemed to glance at the bed once more.
He couldn't have noticed her; he must have heard Gu Yi talking to someone before coming in, so he deliberately coughed to warn her.
A-Qiu was extremely embarrassed, covered by the blanket.
This is the legendary situation where you know I exist, and I know you exist, but we both have to pretend we don't.
A dashing and cheerful young man's voice rang out: "This is the ritual flowchart for the Mid-Autumn Festival Moonlight Palace Banquet, which the master suddenly requested at midnight and which was drafted by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices three days ago."
The sound of turning pages could be heard, indicating that Gu Yi was examining them.
The young man continued, "The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is on night duty and is very surprised. He doesn't know why the master suddenly thought of seeing this in the middle of the night."
As the Junior Tutor, Gu Yi never cared about these formalities and rituals. Even though he was the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he never concerned himself with the specific procedures of the sacrificial rites. The officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices would handle the details and regulations.
Gu Yi did not answer, but picked up his pen and said: "Add a sentence here: Now that the country has been peaceful for a long time, it is appropriate to restore the singing and music of the previous dynasty. Let the dance troupe of the Music Bureau perform a dance at the Moonlight Banquet. Use—" He thought for a moment and said: "The White Silk Dance of the previous dynasty.
He added, "At the same time, a copy will be sent to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and conveyed to the Music Bureau."
Gu Yi has always handled matters in this way: he never drags things out, leaving others to guess his intentions, nor does he give anyone room for ambiguity. His judgments, conclusions, and execution steps are all presented in one step, written down or dictated, so that subordinates can clearly convey and execute them.
The young man said with heartfelt admiration, "No matter what the master does, he is always clear and organized, and never gives anyone a chance to question him."
After Gu Yi finished writing and sealed the package, he said without looking up, "Send it back."
The young man accepted the order and left, glancing casually towards the bed before he did so.
A Qiu overheard this from under the covers and immediately understood Gu Yi's intention.
Since a dance performance is required for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Huang Chaoan must not injure the dance troupe before the banquet.
But what about after the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Gu Yi seemed to understand her thoughts and replied calmly from outside the bed, "Being seen is the first step towards achieving fairness."
"Being valued is the second step."
"The dance troupe needs to win the hearts of everyone in the court with their talents, so as not to fall into the position of being at the mercy of others again."
"I'm not talking about the hearts of one or two high-ranking individuals, as that only leads to bias and exploitation. I'm talking about the hearts of everyone. Because where the eyes of the masses are focused, there will be fairness and light."
After a moment of stunned silence, A Qiu decided to ask the question that had been on her mind: "Master Gu, why do you allow the existence of a dance troupe in the palace? And even more so, why do you allow the existence of musicians?"
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