token of love
His master, Li Wujiu, the leader of the Hidden Sect, was the person Gu Yi trusted most in the martial arts world. Therefore, after he revealed that he was not only a member of the Yuefu but also a disciple of Li Wujiu, Gu Yi immediately found him and asked him to send A Qiu back.
He dared not refuse the elder's command. But this matter had truly become a major knot in his heart.
The events at last night's palace banquet were already numerous. A-Qiu left midway through the white silk dance performance, then returned and was attacked by a white tiger. Afterwards, the emperor was furious, and everyone dispersed. He watched her leave with Consort Sun and Xue Hongbi; shouldn't she have returned to the Music Bureau?
Why would A Qiu be in Gu Yi's room in the middle of the night?
Gu Yi didn't say much, and his expression revealed nothing.
He simply told him that after seeing A Qiu off, he would go to the Eastern Palace to receive the imperial decree. The appointment of the new Flying Phoenix Four Guards had to be finalized before he left the capital.
Then Gu Yi, along with his newly appointed Flying Phoenix Guard, rode out of the capital.
Xiao Chang'an knew very well that women were probably not the most important goal in his life.
And it would be unwise to fall out with Gu Yi over this matter.
A Qiu is currently a dancer, while Gu Yi is a powerful minister. Whether anything happens between them or nothing happens at all is none of his business.
Both of them are free people.
But Xiao Chang'an was naturally willful and always did whatever he wanted, so he couldn't swallow this insult.
However, Gu Yi's trip to cross the river to meet Li Chongyu is of great importance, and the situation is still unclear. For both public and private reasons, he should not use this matter to arouse Gu Yi's suspicion and dissatisfaction at this moment.
Like everyone else in the Southern Dynasty, he did not want to see the Southern Dynasty split apart.
Therefore, Gu Yi's journey must be safe and sound.
At that moment, a sense of crisis suddenly arose in Xiao Chang'an's heart.
Three black dots appeared on the river in the distance, heading straight towards their boat.
This stretch of river was deserted, with nothing but emptiness in the distance. The only possibility was that the other party was coming for them.
The three junior boatmen, sensing the same thing, simultaneously looked up ahead. After exchanging only a glance, they made a decision: to accelerate at full speed and break free from the encirclement.
Gu Yi's boat suddenly accelerated, parting the water and chasing the waves with unstoppable force, leaving a white line at the stern.
Xiao Chang'an held his flute in his hand, looked around, and said in a low voice, "We can't outrun them. They have specially made 'night boats'."
Upon hearing this, the three junior charioteers all showed signs of alarm. One of them even asked, "Now that Lord Xiao has recognized the 'Night-Traveling Boat,' should we abandon ship and escape?"
Along the waterways of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, various gangs and docks stand side by side. But the one no one dares to provoke is "Night Travelers of the World." This organization is known for its strict discipline and its expertise in assassinations and ambushes on the water. Its naval warfare prowess and advanced warships even surpass those of the government. And its signature small warship is the "Night Traveler's Boat."
Xiao Chang'an glanced back into the cabin and said with a wry smile, "Since the other side has already deployed as many as three 'night boats,' they must also have set up an ambush underwater. Moreover, this place is quite far from the shore. Whether we will have enough strength to swim to the other side after jumping into the water is also a problem."
The young master charioteer said in a deep voice, "Then the only option left is to fight head-on."
Xiao Chang'an said, "That's right."
A direct confrontation means killing everyone on the enemy ship and seizing it to escape. This would be suicide for most people, but it might be possible on this ship.
After all, there was Gu Yi, who was possibly the number one expert in the world, in their cabin.
As expected, three night-traveling boats came downstream, one in front and one on the sides, surrounding the passenger boat in a triangular formation.
At this moment, the wind is blowing and the waves are surging, with the water surface churning endlessly.
Xiao Chang'an stood at the bow of the boat, holding his flute, and said in a deep voice, "I am a guard from the Eastern Palace in Jianzhang. I am crossing the river to take care of a small matter. I wonder which friend from which road I have disturbed?"
No matter how powerful the "Night Wanderers" are, they are still people of the Southern Dynasty. To attack the people of the Dayan Imperial Palace in this way is truly unwise.
The approaching ship, which had been steadily closing in, paused upon hearing Xiao Chang'an's words and stopped advancing.
Suddenly, a man dressed in a white outfit leaped out from the opposite sampan. He had a slender waist and long arms, a strong and capable physique, a sharp and cold face, and piercing eyes. His white clothes stood out especially because everyone else opposite him was dressed in black.
Upon closer inspection, one can see that his face has features resembling those of a foreign race, with deep-set eyes and a high nose, yet he is indeed a Han Chinese.
The man in white chuckled lazily, "So it was a misunderstanding. The information we received was incorrect. Please, young man, make yourself at home."
He casually gestured backwards, indicating "please." The night-going boat on his right indeed slightly shifted to make way.
Xiao Chang'an was greatly alarmed.
If "nighttime travel" were so easy to pass the time, there would be no need to travel around the Jianghuai region.
Since the other party has already come with great force, if you really decide to let them go, you should at least ask them a few more questions or ask them to show a token that can prove their identity. You should weigh the pros and cons repeatedly before making a decision.
Instead of just a casual remark like it is now.
There was only one reason why the other party agreed so easily after he revealed his identity as a guard of the Eastern Palace.
That means we must wipe them all out here, leaving no future trouble.
Whether they were from the palace or not is no longer important. The dead cannot speak.
The gap in the river that had opened up before them had now become a trap. To go in or not to go in, both were questions.
A major battle is imminent.
At this moment, Xiao Chang'an heard Gu Yi's clear and deep voice coming from the cabin.
"As he said, proceed."
The three junior master charioteers must have heard Gu Yi's voice as well. Their boat immediately changed direction, slowly swimming into the opening created by the other side.
The Junior Master Charioteer regarded Gu Yi as a god and never hesitated to carry out orders.
Xiao Chang'an secretly became more vigilant and on guard.
As the two boats passed each other, the man in white suddenly leaped up and swooped onto their boat like a hawk. At the same time, he drew a long, crescent-shaped sword from his waist and slashed it straight into the cabin.
At the same time, all the black-clad, masked martial artists on the opposing ship leaped towards this vessel. The three junior master charioteers and Xiao Chang'an reacted immediately, and the ship was already filled with the glint of swords and the chilling aura of menace.
At this moment, a strange change occurred. Xiao Chang'an suddenly felt his footing shift three feet to the side.
He knew without a doubt that Gu Yi had used his internal energy to hold the boat in place, suddenly changing its orientation.
In this way, all the landing spots that the attackers had pre-determined for the boats were now empty. Most of them had already fallen into the water, and those who managed to land on the bow of the boat were also unable to stand firmly and were knocked into the water as soon as they were seen.
Gu Yi's strategy can be described as seizing the initiative and gaining the advantage of location.
But Xiao Chang'an did not feel relieved for a moment because of this.
If the enemy falls into the water, they will inevitably have to salvage the boat from the bottom.
The ship's horizontal movement had little effect on the man in white. He merely tapped his foot slightly in the air, then used the momentum to slash straight down towards the cabin, maintaining his original stance.
Just then, a burst of sword light suddenly shone, piercing straight through the cabin roof and meeting his "Crescent Moon Slash".
This sword strike had been brewing for a long time; it appeared calm and unhurried, but in reality, it was incredibly fierce.
The white-clad man's crescent blade flashed and then disappeared. He fell onto the ship's railing, spitting out a mouthful of blood. In stark contrast to his previous leisurely demeanor, he looked at Gu Yi, who had emerged from the cabin, with shock.
He asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you, sir?"
Gu Yi said calmly, "Isn't it too late to only become interested in me at this moment?"
Xiao Chang'an just made it very clear that the people sent by the Jianzhang Palace to cross the river on business were ignoring the fact that they still wanted to kill him to silence him, which shows how determined they were.
The man in white smiled wryly and said, "This is a job I have no choice but to take. The other party only described the appearance of you and your party, and did not tell me anything else."
Gu Yi said, "If 'Night Traveler' would take on business like this, then you must be tired of living."
The man in white took a step back, leaning against the gunwale, and smiled, "Although your swordsmanship is divine and unparalleled in the world, you are destined to perish on this great river today. I only asked this question because I was amazed by your skill."
Xiao Chang'an knew that his words were not empty threats. An ambush was not a martial arts contest; he could simply jump into the water and escape. As long as their boat was sunk and ambushes were set up along the way to prevent them from swimming ashore, Gu Yi and his group would most likely perish on the water.
Gu Yi's eyes lit up, and he said calmly, "Even so, you must be buried with me."
The Moon-Carving Sword whistled once more, and for the first time, Xiao Chang'an saw a cold indifference towards life and death in Gu Yi's eyes.
The man in white suddenly shouted, "Stop!"
A glimmer of golden light trembled.
Suddenly, the man in white used the tip of his swirling crescent blade to pick up a gold ornament that had fallen in front of Gu Yi.
Xiao Chang'an could see it clearly; it resembled a woman's hairpin or similar ornament, with a gold and jade gemstone in the center and delicate tassels trembling below. It looked somewhat familiar.
Gu Yi's pupils dilated slightly, but he calmly said, "Give it back to me."
Xiao Chang'an had expected the other party to laugh at him. Even if the man in white didn't know that the person opposite him was the renowned Young Master Gu Yi, the mere fact that such a handsome and refined man would wear such a delicate and exquisite feminine ornament would be enough to make many common people in the martial arts world scoff.
To everyone's surprise, the other person stared at the floral headdress with an expression even more solemn than Gu Yi's.
He did not return the hairpin to Gu Yi, but instead asked, word by word, "May I ask, sir, where did you obtain this hairpin?"
His tone was anything but joking.
Gu Yi could tell, of course. At that moment, he suddenly recalled the words he had said to A Qiu when she gave him the flower ornament, which he had pretended to be serious but was actually just teasing her.
"So, if I take this to Lanling Hall in the future, they will do something for me, no matter what it is, right?"
Ah Qiu replied with a worried look, "...I don't think so. The most likely outcome is that you'll get a beating from your master."
Gu Yi stared at the tall, imposing man in white, and a name immediately came to mind.
He had already met two of the three hall masters of Lanling Hall: A Qiu, the hall master of Divine Weapon Hall, and her elegant senior brother, the hall master of One Word Hall, who was the Left Prime Minister of the Imperial Court, Gongyi Xiu.
The person in front of us is very likely to be A Qiu's second senior brother, Xing Feng Hall Master, known as "Long Night Flying Eagle" Mo Yimingyue, and Lanling Hall code name "Nie Zheng".
Otherwise, what other group in the martial arts world would be like this, clearly engaging in the business of assassins and thugs, yet dressed in white as if walking in the dark?
He pursed his lips slightly and replied, "She is a dancer from the Music Bureau surnamed Shi."
If this person really is her second senior brother, she could guess who he was talking about just from the information in that sentence. As the head of the Divine Weapon Hall, A Qiu entered the Music Bureau as a courtesan under the identity of Shi Changqing's daughter. Even if not all the disciples of Lanling Hall knew this, Mo Yimingyue, the head of Xingfeng Hall, should know it.
Moreover, Xingfeng Hall already had informants and spies all over the world. In Lanling Hall, besides being in charge of interrogation and purging traitors, they also managed the intelligence network. It was impossible for them not to know the whereabouts and movements of the Hall Master of Shenbing Hall.
Upon hearing Gu Yi's words, the pupils of both people present were wide open in shock.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
