The wind rises in Chang'an
Gu Yi's expression darkened further, but he did not argue. He remained silent for a long time before saying, "It is indeed as Aunt said. This place is not a good place to raise children."
The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly became exceptionally heavy.
After a long pause, Gu Yi continued, "Back then, it was out of necessity; I didn't want an innocent life to be lost here. As for now, she's grown up quite a bit and is much easier to take care of. I wonder if Auntie could take her back?"
A Qiu understood: Gu Yi's hiding here was already inconvenient. Someone had abandoned her in this ruined palace in Liyang, and he had taken her in out of compassion. Now, he was increasingly busy and had no time to look after her, so he asked Aunt Yuan Yi if she could take her somewhere else.
In reality, Yuan Yi was, after all, a woman and a palace maid, so if it came to taking care of children, she would probably be more convenient than Gu Yi.
Upon hearing this, she immediately became extremely anxious, hugged Gu Yi's knees, and shook her head desperately, saying, "Master! No!"
Gu Yi looked at her, his gaze softening instantly. He stroked her head and said, "It's not that your master doesn't want you, it's that he's afraid he can't protect you."
To everyone's surprise, when Chu Yuan heard Gu Yi's question, he scratched his head and was speechless.
After a long pause, she stammered, "My situation is even worse than here. I'm all alone, living hand to mouth, sometimes I don't even know where my next meal is coming from. I'm just getting by."
Now, A Qiu understood perfectly well that after the Qiwu Palace was destroyed by fire, it had become a place abandoned and hated by the monarch. After several power struggles and purges within the palace, Chu Yuanyi, the mentally unstable and eccentric palace maid in charge of Qiwu Palace, had long been forgotten.
Most importantly, her mental state fluctuates, and even she herself doesn't comb her hair or wash her face, yet she might not be as well-behaved as Gu Yi. At least Gu Yi, except when he goes out at night, always makes sure she goes to bed and eats three meals a day on time.
Seeing Chu Yuan's condition, Gu Yi understood and gave a wry smile.
Chu Yuanyi stared blankly for a while, then said, "But A Qiu can't keep hanging around with us like this, neither human nor ghost. She is, after all, a person of such high status. I wonder if she has any relatives who can take her out and take care of her."
Although Chu Yuanyi was muddle-headed, she was also very clear-headed. Even though she was unkempt and unkempt, she still had the same mindset as the eldest daughter of the Chu family back then, and knew how to consider her long-term future.
A Qiu originally thought that Gu Yi was only concerned with worldly affairs and didn't care about these mundane family matters.
To everyone's surprise, Gu Yi actually answered: "Although she still has relatives, I'm afraid no one on her mother's side would dare to take her in or acknowledge her. And at this time, if she falls into the hands of some scheming paternal relatives... it would be better for her to be in the hands of us strangers, at least we won't use her."
Chu Yuan sighed heavily, saying listlessly, "This can't go on forever. I can't always be there in time. Sigh, let's leave it to fate!" During the fight earlier, she had twisted herself because she was worried that those people had hurt A Qiu.
She limped away, her hair disheveled, in the drizzling night.
Gu Yi looked at A Qiu with a gentler gaze and said softly, "Come with me."
The night sky was extremely bright after the rainstorm, with the Milky Way stretching across the sky from south to north.
A moist fragrance of roses wafted from the abandoned garden.
Gu Yi instructed her to sit on the stone seat under the corridor, with her legs crossed, her left foot resting on the back of her right foot, her hands forming a mudra, sitting peacefully, and focusing her mind.
He himself sat behind her.
Before long, Gu Yi's breathing became deep and soft, as if it had merged into the rhythm of all things, peaceful and calm.
But as soon as A-Qiu closed her eyes, the horrifying scene from the hall reappeared. Someone suddenly burst in, sword in hand, carrying a corpse on horseback; soldiers, sword in hand and grinning, walked towards her step by step. When she tried to calm her mind, these scenes kept replaying in her heart, vivid and deeply disturbing.
So after sitting for a while, her breathing became more and more disordered and heavy, and sweat kept seeping out from her back, even wetting her hair.
She was anxious when a hand was placed on her forehead. She heard Gu Yi say softly from behind her, "No need to rush, take your time."
She turned around abruptly, her eyes wide, and said with a mixture of certainty and urgency, "Master! I want to learn superior martial arts as soon as possible!"
That way, she could protect herself and wouldn't have to worry Gu Yi and Chu Yuanyi anymore.
Gu Yi no longer needed to think about sending her away.
Gu Yi smiled slightly, but that smile was full of bitterness.
Gu Yi's disciple was actually in a hurry to learn martial arts to protect himself.
Originally, he didn't intend to teach her martial arts.
He already knew her background. A girl from such a family should be pampered and spoiled in the mansions of a wealthy and powerful family, with servants at her beck and call. He believed that if her parents knew, they would never agree to her following him and living such a dark and dangerous life.
He had always planned to return her to her family when she was older and the world was more peaceful.
But tonight's unexpected turn of events completely shattered his plans. Chu Yuanyi had already taught her the sixty-four forms of the Wind and Thunder Slash Hand.
"Wind and Thunder Cleave" is already a very advanced external martial art, strengthening muscles and bones, and combining offense and defense. He decided to teach her the superior Taoist mental cultivation method of regulating qi and focusing the mind, so that she could develop internal strength, which would allow her to unleash true power and make the "Wind and Thunder Cleave" many times stronger. Even if she didn't achieve great mastery, it would still prolong her life and improve her health in the future.
This was Gu Yi's expectation for this nominal disciple.
He didn't want her to inherit his knowledge, nor did he want her to leave any trace of him in her life. As long as she was well, he wouldn't have let down the years of hard work he had put into raising her.
His deep voice sounded above her head: "Are you really sure you want to learn martial arts?"
He continued, "Practicing martial arts is tough and tiring. Actually,..."
In fact, if you were born in a peaceful era, into an imperial family, you wouldn't need to learn these things at all, and your parents would never let you wield weapons.
She resolutely replied, "I want to learn. I admire my master's skills, his ability to move freely in any situation. I also want to be like Aunt Yuanyi, able to kill bad guys and protect the weak."
Gu Yi's eyes flashed, and he said meaningfully, "You've seen Yuan Yi kill people. You don't find it cruel, but you even want to learn her kung fu?"
She thought for a moment before slowly saying, "Those people were cruel first, and they deserved to die. Auntie's ruthless actions were also to avenge those who were harmed by them, and at the same time, to warn future generations: those who kill will always be killed, and there will be no mercy."
Gu Yi looked at her with disbelief, which turned into unimaginable joy and amazement.
He murmured, "From these words alone, one can see that you think independently and are decisive and resolute, a rare talent indeed. In the future... it would be a pity if you were confined to the inner chambers..."
A-Qiu didn't understand what he meant, but gently nestled her face into his palm and said, "Master, I won't go anywhere, I just want to follow you."
Gu Yi's eyes widened in shock. After a moment, he looked away and said earnestly, "You'll grow up eventually."
Without thinking, she replied, "Let's talk about it when we're older."
Gu Yi was both amused and exasperated by her retort. After a moment, he said, "You've said a lot today."
She recalled that the word she used to say most often was "Master," and she couldn't really say complete sentences.
Perhaps due to the excessive stimulation I received today, my language skills have improved by leaps and bounds.
Gu Yi said, "Then let's do as you say and not worry about what happens when you grow up. Sit cross-legged first, and I will try to guide you into a meditative state."
When she tried to quiet her mind again, many hidden fears still rose in the night.
Some, not just tonight, but seemingly from much earlier times, left her trembling.
But then a deep, melancholic flute melody suddenly rose up, like the bright moon emerging from the Tianshan Mountains, dispelling all the floating clouds and shadows on the glacial lake.
All that remained were the shimmering, rippling blue water, clear and bright, with ever-changing colors, a truly beautiful sight.
The sound grew closer, like an evening breeze brushing past tents and cattle on the grassland, a scene of peaceful rest in the afterglow of the setting sun.
The approaching flute music tells a story of flags beyond the Jade Gate Pass, the distant gazes from high-rise buildings, centuries of conquest, and the withered bones and yellow sand along the Wuding River. Some people, once gone, never returned.
The iron horse under the eaves of Chang'an, the kite in the courtyard overlooking the distance, broke free of its string in a corner of the high blue sky, and flew further and further away.
Her inner energy surged, and her emotions gradually calmed. She had heard this flute music countless times before, but this was the first time she had felt Gu Yi's state of mind. It was the kind of vicissitudes that only someone who had experienced many years, countless full and waning moons, ancient border roads, and vast desert sands could have.
"Master, wherever you go, I will be with you."
She murmured to herself, unaware that at this moment, thanks to the "Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu," she, despite her young age, was able to truly understand Gu Yi's feelings. And because of the Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu, Gu Yi was also perfectly aware of what she was thinking at this moment.
The flute melody that came from his lips vibrated for a moment, but then quietly drifted away.
"Ah Qiu, after you have mastered your internal skills, leave me and go as far away as possible."
“This is not a place for you, and I, your master, am not a good place to go either.”
When Gu Yi spoke of "home" back then, he had no other intention than simply feeling that he was homeless, living a life of hardship, and that a child following him would ultimately suffer.
Even then, she still felt that wherever he was, that was the safest place. No matter if there was thunder and lightning, wind and rain, or even a life-or-death situation.
His embrace offered her the deepest comfort.
She answered:
"But I think my master is the best person in the world."
After a long silence, he answered in her heart;
"You're the first person to say that."
She was silent for a moment before speaking:
"Master, have you never met anyone else before?"
Gu Yi answered very quickly this time.
“Many people. I’m often homeless, sometimes in jail. I see hundreds or thousands of faces every day, but I don’t remember any of them. Right now, I’m afraid these are the most stable days of my life recently. And I’m afraid these days won’t last long.”
The internal energy that permeated her body receded like the tide, and she suddenly felt a little flustered.
Gu Yi seemed to have made a decision.
"If the world were at peace, would you, A-Qiu, be quietly embroidering and reading in a secluded mansion somewhere in Jianzhang, no longer having to live such a life of fear and anxiety?"
But what kind of life that was, A-Qiu couldn't even imagine.
Just as Gu Yi couldn't imagine what life would be like if he could settle down.
He probably didn't understand that the reason he was able to stay in the abandoned palace in Liyang for six years was precisely because of her.
Day and night, he protected her, cared for her, and his heart was always with her. It was a burden, but it was also the only gentle hope in his heart.
The flute music suddenly stopped, and Gu Yi spoke, no longer communicating through telepathy.
“Your mother has a friend who has been looking for you.”
“He is very famous and handsome, and he is well-connected in both the Northern and Southern Dynasties. No matter what the situation is, he should be able to protect you.”
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