What night is this?
The others here didn't know that it was Wan Qiqing, but he did.
He also knew what the consequences would be for his master, given his usual temperament, to openly betray the sect like this.
He simply couldn't rationally accept the outcome.
These words reminded Xie Lang, who suddenly frowned and asked, "Who exactly was the one who struck and killed Shi Shi? He claimed that Shi Shi was his disciple, but wasn't Shi Shi a dancer in the Music Bureau and a disciple of the Junior Master?"
The others, unaware of the details, remained silent. Although Gongyi Xiu knew the truth, he dared not utter a single word.
At this moment, Mu Huaying, who had been bound by chains, coldly replied, "Shi's martial arts are so strong that she was able to break through the two barriers I set up. She must have been a martial arts master before entering the palace. It's impossible that she learned such skills in such a short time after becoming a disciple of the Junior Master. Her protection of Li Chongyu is also very suspicious."
The atmosphere among the emperor and his entourage became unusually solemn under the cover of night.
Li Chongyu ran as fast as he could, but under the starlight, he could only keep a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Gu Yi.
Now that there were no outsiders present, Li Chongyu finally spoke up, greeting, "Young Master, is that you?"
He recognized Gu Yi because of the indescribable closeness between A Qiu and Gu Yi.
He was never as afraid of Gu Yi as the others, because he had seen Gu Yi in this form fourteen years ago at the Martial Saint Shrine. It's just that at that time, he didn't have time to recognize that the white-haired sword immortal was Gu Yi.
But that person ultimately saved him, helping him hold on until Aunt Fan Ying arrived. Therefore, while this strange appearance was shocking to others, it was familiar and comforting to him.
What confirmed to him that this person was Gu Yi was Wan Qiqing's words to A Qiu: "He is your master, but am I not?"
This sentence made him realize something. From the first time he met A Qiu, he knew that A Qiu had two masters: she was Jing Ke, the master of the Divine Weapon Hall of Lanling Hall, and naturally a disciple of Wan Qiqing, the master of Lanling Hall; and the reason why she had been following and protecting him, Li Chongyu, was because she was instructed by her other master, Gu Yi.
Besides Gu Yi, who else would have single-handedly come to rescue the Li family's descendants in the desperate situation at the Martial Saint Shrine back then?
At that time, Gu Yi was not yet the famous Junior Tutor of the Southern Dynasty, but a nameless, faceless, and indistinct shadow sword immortal.
Gu Yi paused slightly, and after a moment, replied stiffly, "Don't call me that."
He neither admitted nor denied it, but Li Chongyu understood his meaning.
Grand Tutor Gu Yi is a renowned figure throughout the land and a pillar of the Southern Dynasty. If his astonishing appearance were to become known, people would surely regard him as a monster, and the Dayan Dynasty, which he had single-handedly established, would face questions regarding the legitimacy of its regime.
Once Li Chongyu understood the situation, he immediately changed his form of address and couldn't help but ask, "Why would my benefactor..." What he wanted to ask was naturally why Gu Yi was in such a state, but he immediately thought that this was probably Gu Yi's weakness and secret, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Greetings, it is probably not appropriate for you to appear in the army in your current state, as there are too many people around. If you trust Chongyu, please have Chongyu take your sworn sister to the army so that the army doctor can treat her. Once she has recovered, Chongyu will definitely send someone to return her to you."
If it were the old Gu Yi, he would have considered it the most appropriate course of action. Li Chongyu was a man of integrity and a man of principle; A Qiu had saved his life, and he would have protected her, even if it meant searching the world for the best medicines and doctors to cure her. Gu Yi, however, was already facing numerous difficulties himself, and his shocking appearance would make it inconvenient to bring A Qiu along.
But at this moment, Gu Yi's expression was gloomy, and he said in a deep voice, "I will not let her leave my side even for a moment."
After a moment, he added, "She is severely injured, and her heart is currently being protected by my true energy."
Li Chongyu's expression immediately changed upon hearing this.
He wasn't unaware of the severity of Wan Qiqing's attack, but as A Qiu's sworn brother, he still harbored a sliver of hope. Especially seeing Gu Yi protecting her in his arms, and because of his faith in Gu Yi, he believed that A Qiu should be alright, hence his suggestion to send her to the military medical center for treatment.
If the situation is as Gu Yi said, even a celestial being would be powerless to reverse it, let alone the army physicians of the Shuofang Army.
After much hesitation, Li Chongyu finally made up his mind and said, "At this moment, my benefactor is in crisis and can no longer personally control the affairs of the Southern Dynasty. I am in the same situation. Right now, I can only return north as soon as possible and lead the army to fight against the Northern Qiang on the battlefield. I entrust my sworn sister to my benefactor."
He said in a deep voice, "The Northern Qiang people are wolves in nature. A Qiu only refused to go with him, yet Wan Qiqing has taken such ruthless measures. My benefactor must also be careful now."
Gu Yi simply nodded slightly.
Ahead lay the Yangtze River, where a dense mass of people could be vaguely seen, their banners fluttering in the river breeze. This was the vanguard of the Shuofang Army, waiting for Li Chongyu. Once they rendezvoused, they would cross the river and head north.
Li Chongyu took one last look at A Qiu's tightly closed eyes, then cupped his hands to Gu Yi and said, "I am deeply grateful for the care and kindness of you and my sister. A true man doesn't need to express gratitude today. We will meet again someday!"
Gu Yi's gray eyes remained expressionless as he calmly uttered two words: "Take care."
Li Chongyu turned around and walked towards the military camp, instantly merging into the crowd.
The first thing A Qiu saw when she woke up was a face so close to her, both familiar and strange, as if sculpted from ice and snow.
Her long, silvery-white hair flowed like a waterfall, outlining a human figure that stung her eyes.
She began to say, "Master..." but a cold finger pressed against her lips, stopping her from speaking.
He said in a deep voice, "Don't call me that." He lowered his head again, looked at her intently, and said, "Call me Gu Yi."
In Gu Yi's cold, gray eyes, A Qiu saw her own reflection. It was a feeling that was both familiar and strange.
If she was mostly unrestrained and unbridled with Gu Yi in the past, he now gave her a vague sense of danger.
She looked around again and realized that she was leaning against him.
They were in a spacious carriage, and sunlight poured in through the windows, illuminating the tables, vases, and incense burners inside clearly.
A censer of incense was burning on the table, its smoke curling upwards, creating a fragrant and comforting atmosphere.
Although Gu Yi has changed, his aura remains the same, as solemn and serene as a submerged plum blossom or an ancient pine tree.
When A-Qiu smelled his familiar scent, she couldn't help but relax from her initial wariness, close her eyes sleepily, and snuggle into his arms again.
Gu Yi's expression immediately turned strange. He stiffened for a moment, but still maintained the posture of holding her.
He whispered, "Ah Qiu."
This was the first time he had called her name since he changed his form.
After closing her eyes, surrounded by Gu Yi's presence and listening to his heartbeat, A Qiu felt that everything had returned to a familiar track, and lazily said, "Mmm."
Gu Yi asked again, "Don't you have anything to ask me?"
A Qiu opened her eyes in surprise, but was immediately forced to close them again by the radiance emanating from his white hair. Without thinking, she said, "No. I've seen you like this before. Back then..." She suddenly remembered what Gu Yi had said and done to her after his transformation in the underground room after the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, as well as what had happened recently at the inn before Gu Yi took the medicine. Although her eyes were still closed, her face suddenly turned red.
Being so close, Gu Yi could clearly see the changes in her expression.
Although he was currently in his silver-haired, gray-eyed form, a hint of barely suppressed embarrassment appeared on Gu Yi's pale face. But he had no choice but to explain, and could only continue, "A Qiu, I'm not someone who would act recklessly just because I've become like this."
I won't do anything reckless with everyone.
Just for her.
This conclusion will only make him feel worse.
What exactly does this mean?
When A Qiu opened her eyes again, her face was pale, but her clear, bright eyes looked at him and said resolutely, "I'm not afraid."
She's not afraid? Not afraid of what?
Upon thinking of this, Gu Yi's expression turned strange again. He quickly lowered his eyes, helped her to a position against the car wall, then let go and stepped back to maintain a safe distance from her.
At this moment, being a self-disciplined gentleman is by no means in his nature. He actually needs to work hard to control himself from "doing whatever he wants".
Ah Qiu's face flushed, and she stammered, "What I mean is, no matter what you look like, I won't be afraid of you."
A strange light flashed in Gu Yi's grey eyes, which were like glass. He said in a low voice, "I know."
A Qiu closed her eyes again. At this moment, she felt pain all over her body, and leaning against the wall was far less comfortable than leaning against Gu Yi's body. Suddenly, she remembered that she could ask Gu Yi something.
"Gu Yi, where have you been these past two days?"
Everyone says they can't see you.
Her tone carried a slight hint of reproach. That morning, he had told her to come back early, but not only did she not come back early, he also vanished without a trace.
Gu Yi's voice came softly and steadily from nearby: "You know that place. I've been in the secret chamber beneath Jinlingtai all this time."
A-Qiu was a little confused and mumbled, "Why are you there? Is it because you've turned into what you are now again? Do you change into this form from time to time?"
Gu Yi paused for a moment, then said, "It's because there's a problem with the Nascent Soul Pill that Gongye Fusu refined. Perhaps his Nascent Soul Pill is missing some ingredients, or perhaps the process isn't entirely correct. In any case, it can't suppress the changes in my body."
He continued, “Ah Qiu, I remember that I have existed in this world for many years, but I don’t really feel the changes of time because I’m mostly in a meditative state. Until one day when I came out of seclusion, I saw my reflection in the stream and saw that my hair was all white and the color of my eyes had changed. Only then did I realize that my cultivation had gone wrong. From then on, I started taking the Divine Transformation Pill to suppress the changes in my body. But within a month, on the night of the full moon, even the Divine Transformation Pill could not suppress the changes in my body.”
A Qiu vaguely recalled that the first time she witnessed him changing his form underground at Jinlingtai was on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, after the palace banquet.
She heard her own voice softly ask, "Then, when your body changes, will your temperament change too? Will you still remember everything?"
Gu Yi's calm voice rang out: "Yes, temperament can change. But whether one can remember everything is uncertain. In the past, my memory was disjointed. When my hair turned white, I didn't remember much of what I experienced when I was normal, and when I was normal, I only had a vague impression of what I experienced when I was white-haired."
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