Take care of yourself
A Qiu said softly but firmly, "Master trained us not to make us pawns who obey orders without question. Following Gu Yi is my true wish, and accepting my senior brother's punishment is also my true wish."
Mo Yimingyue remained unmoved and said, "But this time, you failed."
A Qiu felt ashamed. This assassination attempt on Pei Yuanli had truly failed. Whether Pei Yuanli was injured or killed, it was not caused by her own hand, and the outcome was not even confirmed afterward. She only managed to escape the scene successfully with the help of Mo Yimingyue.
Mo Yimingyue stared at her with unwavering, abyss-like calmness and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"
Ah Qiu took a deep breath, mentally reviewed the situation, and finally said, "Ah Qiu has nothing to say in defense. I was indeed negligent in my duties. Please punish me, Senior Brother."
A sharp glint flashed in Mo Yimingyue's eyes as she indifferently asked, "Where is the weakness?"
A Qiu said clearly, "First, we should not be lenient because of the affection between Mu Huaying and Pei Yuanli. Given that the two protected each other to the death at that time, they should both be killed. Second, we should not feel ashamed when we see Pei Yu and be unable to exert our full strength, which will only lead to us being forced to retreat step by step and instead waiting for Mu Huaying to join forces with her."
Mo Yimingyue had been secretly monitoring the Pei residence from the outside, ready to provide support at any time, but she was unaware of the details of the fight that took place inside the residence.
Upon hearing A Qiu's confession, his heart was in turmoil, and he was unable to utter another word.
Mo Yimingyue was a ruthless and cunning man who had dominated both land and water for nearly ten years, possessing unparalleled cunning and strategic acumen. But at this moment, he truly didn't know what to do with A Qiu.
Ah Qiu's first words were about affection. His second words were about righteousness.
As a tool, the assassin should naturally have no feelings or loyalty; A-Qiu's current failure is the best proof of this.
But as his junior sister whom he had watched grow up, did he really want her to be cold-blooded and ruthless, with only interests and means in her mind?
Ah Qiu had never been defeated in her previous attacks, and she was ranked first on the list of banished immortals. That was because the people she had assassinated in the past were just targets to her when she was young. They were not living people with flesh and blood, with emotions and ties.
But after she entered the palace as a musician, she made contact with these people. Whether they were enemies or friends, she could no longer regard them as names on a list, symbols to be assassinated.
Mo Yimingyue avoided looking at A Qiu, but what she was thinking was: Master, you personally arranged to send A Qiu into the palace, but the result will probably be that you lose your best assassin.
Ah Qiu's martial arts skills remain, and her mind and experience will only become richer, but because of this richness, she can no longer simply and decisively cut things apart.
Mo Yimingyue turned her back to her and said calmly, "I will pretend I didn't see you secretly sending the Thirteen Shadows to protect Li Chongyu without my master's knowledge. But Li Chongyu is no ordinary person. His arrival in the capital will be the focus of everyone's attention. If a fight breaks out in that situation and there are traces of the Thirteen Shadows' involvement, it will be difficult for me to cover it up for you."
A Qiu trembled violently, staring in disbelief at Mo Yimingyue's imposing and tall figure, and exclaimed, "Senior Brother!"
The next instant, she slid up and suddenly hugged Mo Yimingyue's slender waist from behind.
Otherwise, there would be no way to express the gratitude she felt for Mo Yimingyue at this moment.
Mo Yimingyue, a powerful and ruthless figure, had rarely been this close to anyone since adulthood, except when engaging in combat. He turned his head rather awkwardly and glanced at the room in the southeast corner of the inn, then whispered, "Let go."
Ah Qiu wouldn't let go, she just buried her head in his back and rubbed against him.
Mo Yimingyue heard her say in a low voice, "Senior brother, once things in the palace are settled, I will return to our hall. I guess I can no longer be an assassin. I can be a lowly soldier for you, help you scare people, and rob and collect rent for you."
Hearing this, Mo Yimingyue sighed inwardly, but outwardly said with extreme impatience, "Don't you want to let go? I'm not Gu Yi, I don't fall for this!"
Although he said this, he felt a great warmth in his heart.
A Qiu was unaware that the reason Mo Yimingyue decided to help her conceal the fact that she had used the Divine Weapon Hall without permission from her master, Wan Qiqing, was because he had come to understand something.
The current A-Qiu is indeed quite different from the one before. But those changes, at least in the eyes of her senior brother Mo Yimingyue, are not bad.
Upon hearing Gu Yi's name, A Qiu immediately let go of his grip, took two steps back, and blinked, asking, "Senior Brother, how do you know that Young Master is susceptible to this?"
Mo Yimingyue glanced at the southeast corner of the inn again, and said with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, "When did you first develop this habit of attacking people for no reason back in Lanling Hall? You must have picked it up from hanging out with him!"
Mo Yimingyue's eyesight was truly exceptional; no unusual detail could escape his notice. A Qiu immediately blushed, but fortunately, in the darkness, Mo Yimingyue had his back to her and couldn't see it.
However, Mo Yimingyue didn't need to use his eyes to judge people. He was too lazy to look at his junior sister's embarrassed state, and waved his sleeve dismissively, saying, "I'm leaving! You'd better watch yourself!"
After speaking, he disappeared into the night outside the wall without a trace.
A-Qiu touched her face, which was still burning. Since no one could see her anyway, she didn't care anymore and turned to walk towards the room in the southeast corner.
She had left behind her dance costume and the cloak that Lie Changkong had lent her. She needed to change her clothes and try to sneak back into the palace before dawn.
The moment she stepped into the room, she was suddenly jolted awake as the lights came on, the timing was perfect.
Gu Yi, dressed in a black cloak draped in gold feathers, stood with his hands behind his back by the window. The candlelight he casually lit cast a faint shadow of himself on the wall.
A Qiu felt inexplicably guilty and couldn't move forward or backward, so he just stood there, stunned.
All because she never expected Gu Yi to be waiting for her here.
After a moment, she remembered the most important matter and stammered, "Master, Pei Yuanli's fate is unknown. Master must prepare someone to take over the military power of Jianzhang Army."
Gu Yi said calmly, "Chang Kong has already reported this to me."
A-Qiu was initially surprised, but then relieved and said, "So Chief Lie has already met Master. That's good."
Gu Yi turned around, his dark eyes fixed on her, and said, "Do you know under what circumstances he met me?"
A Qiu shook her head. With her sharp eyes, she noticed a trace of blood on the feather pattern of Gu Yi's hanging sleeve.
A-Qiu immediately disregarded the difference in rank and rushed forward, grabbing his sleeve and anxiously asking, "Master, are you injured?"
Only then did she notice that Gu Yi's face was paler than usual. She immediately reached out to check his pulse and found him weaker than usual. She immediately said, "The three-day period is up. I'll go to Young Master Fusu's place to get you the medicine!"
Gu Yi, unusually, let her pull him along, only saying, "Chang Kong is already gone."
A-Qiu paused, then said hesitantly, "In this world, there are very few people who can hurt Master."
Gu Yi said, "You guessed it?"
A Qiu had already guessed the general idea, but Gu Yi's question made her even more certain.
The one who injured Gu Yi was her other master, Wan Qiqing.
Gu Yi heard at midnight that Pei Yu had left the palace temporarily to return home.
A Qiu has been avoiding him lately, but he knows perfectly well what she's up to. He also saw her leaving with Lie Changkong at dusk.
Lie Changkong did not betray A Qiu's plan to kill Pei Yuanli, but he did not deliberately conceal his actions from Gu Yi. Gu Yi was not stupid and could guess the general idea.
He guessed they would make their move tonight, otherwise Lie Changkong wouldn't have changed into night clothes, left his usual weapons "Hundred Slashes" and "Ce Lin" in the room, and left without reporting to him.
A top assassin from Lanling, skilled in assassination, and a top guard skilled in security—these two combined should be more than capable of dealing with Pei Yuanli. Even with the addition of Mu Huaying, the former wife of Fei Feng, they should be able to escape with ease.
Since A Qiu has been avoiding him, it means she doesn't want him to know.
He had previously instructed her to learn to make her own decisions and judgments, and then asked Lie Changkong to stay with her more often, having already considered all possible scenarios.
If Pei Yu hadn't left the palace, he wouldn't have rashly intervened.
But since the two of them went to the Pei residence to assassinate him, something big was bound to happen tonight. Gu Yi couldn't possibly sleep, so he instructed the Junior Tutor to be extra vigilant about all movements, especially those of Pei Yu in the Eastern Palace.
Therefore, almost immediately after Pei Yu left the palace, Gu Yi followed suit.
But almost as soon as he left the Grand Marshal's Gate of the Imperial City, he encountered Wan Qiqing, dressed in white, standing leisurely by the roadside.
Wan Qiqing was standing on a stone bridge at that time, with his back to him, as if he were admiring the stars reflected in the water below.
The moment Gu Yi saw him, he was filled with regret.
He should have gone to A Qiu's room to get "Louyue" before he came out.
The fact that Wan Qiqing happened to be here at this time suggests only one possibility: he was fully aware of A Qiu's movements and the situation in the palace.
He couldn't possibly have come here just to chat with Gu Yi.
Gu Yi, who usually remained calm and collected, lost his patience for the first time at this moment.
Although Wan Qiqing appeared to stand casually and calmly, his entire aura blended seamlessly with the stone bridge.
It's impossible to pass by without alerting him.
Gu Yi cut to the chase: "Does the Lanling Hall Master know that Pei Yu is already on his way back to the manor?"
Wan Qiqing turned around casually, a carefree smile playing on his lips.
"It's a rare opportunity to meet the Young Master, why let other people's trivial matters spoil our enjoyment?"
Gu Yi was unsure whether he was feigning ignorance or genuinely confused, and said in a deep voice, "If Pei Yuanli, Mu Huaying, and Pei Yu join forces, do you think A Qiu can return alive?"
Wan Qiqing smiled and said, "How could a disciple jointly trained by me, Wan Qiqing, and the Young Master be so easily surrounded? Does the Young Master have so little confidence in A Qiu?"
Gu Yi pulled out a jade scepter from his sleeve, pointed it at Wan Qiqing, and said in a deep voice, "Make way."
Wan Qiqing's visit was by no means well-intentioned; he was most likely there to seek revenge on the place where he had "instigated" A Qiu to secretly mobilize the Shenbingtang forces to protect Li Chongyu.
However, Gu Yi certainly didn't regret it.
If A Qiu wants to escape his fate as a pawn, gaining his own power is an inevitable step. If Wan Qiqing wants to cause him trouble, he will bear it.
However, this is really not the right time.
Wan Qiqing carefully observed his expression and said in surprise, "Young Master doesn't seem to be in good spirits, even worse than when we last met. This is truly strange. Because in the minds of the people of the Southern Dynasty, the Young Master is practically indestructible, impervious to fire and water. There are many legends about the Young Master..."
At this moment, the usually gentle radiance of the Jade Balance became dazzling, transforming into countless phantoms that swept towards him from all directions.
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