"I am deeply saddened and distressed. I hope you will take care of your health, Master."
A delicate hand rested on Lingyan's shoulder from behind, bringing with it a cool woody scent mixed with sweet citrus notes—the very scent she loved most in the world.
"This fragrance?"
"I first tasted it in Your Highness's room last time, and I thought it was quite good, so I prepared it myself, adding some calming ingredients as I went. Does Your Highness like it?"
"...I really like it."
A surge of joy welled up in Lingyan's heart, sweeping away the shadow that had been lingering in her mind.
"Then I will send some to the Pavilion Master later."
Gu Zhong leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
"Thank you very much..."
Ling Yan tried to dodge to the side, but Gu Zhong held her shoulder firmly, making it impossible for her to move. She could only stiffly straighten her body, deliberately ignoring the strange sensation in her ear.
"What is the Pavilion Master still worried about?"
Perhaps he had made enough of a scene, Gu Zhong finally let go of the uncomfortable Pavilion Master and sat down in front of her.
"It's nothing." Not all of my thoughts could be shared with her.
"If it's about the campaign against the Demonic Sect, the Pavilion Master will only need to work hard for a while, so there's no need to worry about it so much."
As he spoke, Gu Zhong unceremoniously picked up Ling Yan's teacup and took a sip from the spot where her lips had been.
"This matter is of great importance—"
Upon hearing this, Lingyan was momentarily stunned and failed to understand what Gu Zhong meant.
"It is only natural for the righteous path to form an alliance to punish the demonic sect. If the sect leader raises his arm and calls for action, there will surely be a response. Why bother with so much planning?"
Gu Zhong put down his teacup, raised an eyebrow, and looked at her with a smile.
"Yes, I was being too hesitant."
This time, Lingyan understood and didn't need to pretend. She wondered what kind of strategy Gu Zhong had come up with to be so confident.
However, now that she had given her approval, Lingyan no longer needed to be timid. The Alliance Leader's Order was immediately sent to all the martial arts sects, inviting them to Gushan to discuss the matter of attacking the Demonic Sect.
This led to a host of troubles. The Gu family sword technique, which had been lost since the Gu family was wiped out twenty years ago, reappeared in the martial arts world, sparking a fierce competition among martial artists to acquire it.
In addition, there is a rumor that the treasure map of the former dynasty, which was known throughout the world for decades but suddenly disappeared, is on the body of the surviving descendant of the Gu family!
Compared to martial arts manuals, wealth is far more tempting. In an instant, everyone in the martial arts world turned into a detective, eager to investigate the past massacre of the Gu family and find the survivors.
The person behind spreading these two messages has a very clear purpose: to find Gu Zhong and then use him as a tool to kill him. Their intentions are despicable!
Amidst the turmoil, several matters that Gu Zhong had entrusted Ling Yan to investigate began to show promise.
Yan Luosha's last trace was found in the southern border region, and no one has seen her since. Cheng Yun was not Cheng's biological son. Years ago, a cradle floated downstream and happened to meet Madam Cheng who went there to burn incense and pray for a child. She took it as a sign from Buddha and raised him as her own child. Upstream of that river is the former site of the Gu family. As for Lingbo Sect, it no longer has the extraordinary and detached demeanor it once had, and seems to have quite an ambition.
Seeing that various sects were heading towards the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion one after another, Gu Zhong thought it over and over again and finally decided to go to the Southern Frontier to investigate in person.
Why go in person?
Lingyan was quite surprised to learn of her decision.
"Some things can only be verified by seeing them with your own eyes to determine their truth or falsehood."
"Be careful, and under no circumstances should you get involved in the Gu family sword manual matter."
After a moment of silence, knowing that Gu Zhong was deeply concerned about something, she did not want to offer any further advice, but could only add a few more words of instruction.
“Lord Pavilion Master, you always think too much. I am not the kind of person who is bound by conventions, and I have no intention of keeping secrets. Besides, it is not like I do not know this sword technique. Why go to the trouble of getting caught in the trap set by the person behind the scenes?”
Gu Zhong rolled his eyes at her, telling her that she was overthinking things.
Indeed, Gu Zhong has been stealing secret manuals everywhere these past few years with great enthusiasm. He is not an ancient person himself, so it is really not worth risking his own safety for a set of sword techniques.
"It's good that you know what's going on..."
Halfway through her sentence, Lingyan suddenly felt an itch in her throat, and a sweet, metallic taste rose from her lungs. Before she could suppress it, she coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
"You've been poisoned?!"
Seeing this, Gu Zhong raised his voice and asked sternly, his anxiety evident in his words.
"...It's nothing."
Picking up the white Xuan paper from the table, Lingyan disregarded its preciousness and threw it onto the bloodstain, using it as a rag to wipe it clean.
"The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is full of talented people, with many proficient in pharmacology and toxicology, and their poisons are so potent... How can you not take this seriously?"
Enraged, Gu Zhong stepped forward and grabbed Ling Yan's wrist, only to find that the Pavilion Master unconsciously flinched, as if in unbearable pain.
She suddenly lifted Lingyan's sleeve and discovered that the wound from the needle prick she received when fighting the Lingbo Sect member at Tianwu Gate had not healed and had formed a dark red hole.
"Only the Lingbo Sect possesses the antidote for this poison. Coincidentally, I received their invitation today and should be heading up the mountain soon. Therefore, there's no need..."
Lingyan pulled down Gu Zhong's hand that was gripping her sleeve and was comforting him when, before she could finish speaking, everything went black and she fainted, falling into a soft embrace.
When Lingyan opened her eyes again, it was already dark outside the window. The daytime hustle and bustle was gone, and the place seemed extremely desolate. There was only one person sitting by the window under the candlelight, idly flipping through the old book in her hand, which was probably another secret manual that she had picked up from somewhere.
"woke up?"
Hearing the faint sounds coming from inside the bed curtains, Gu Zhong turned his head and looked at Ling Yan with a half-smile, easily revealing the anger in his eyes.
"Um."
Faced with such a serious demeanor, Lingyan couldn't help but feel guilty, and her tone became weaker.
She got up, raised her hand to rub her eyes, and was about to lift the curtain to go out when she suddenly realized something was wrong and hurriedly reached out to touch her face.
The silver mask that he always wore on his face is no longer there.
"This mask was quite in the way, so I took the liberty of removing it for you, Master. I hope you won't be offended. Besides, it would be a real shame to hide such a beautiful face."
Gu Zhongli stood by the bed and laughed. She half-lifted the curtain and leaned in, a teasing look on her face.
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Author's Note:
I went to bed early yesterday and didn't have time to update. I'll make up for it today, and there will be another update tonight.
//
Chapter 66 The Leader of the Righteous Alliance and the Leader of the Demonic Cult (19)
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Knowing that Lingyan would not blame her, Gu Zhong even seemed somewhat self-righteous.
Seeing her act this way, Lingyan felt at ease, and the shackles that had been binding her heart suddenly fell away.
It was something that was already tacitly understood; it was simply a matter of completely removing the veil covering it, being honest with each other, and no longer needing to probe each other in conversation.
"Now, is it possible that A-Zhong will return my name to me?"
Contrary to her usual forced and serious demeanor, Lingyan joked like this.
"This is such a beautiful name, I'm quite reluctant to part with it—"
Gu Zhong sat down on the edge of the bed, gently took her hand, and leaned in to speak in an extremely tender tone, as if he were talking to a lover.
"Stop fooling around!"
Reaching out to stop the approaching lecher's shoulder, Ling Yan softly scolded him, her tone seemingly coquettish, lacking any of her usual domineering manner.
"Is this why the Pavilion Master always wears that mask?" the man chuckled. "Quite lacking in authority~"
"···"
For a moment, Lingyan didn't know how to refute it, as this was indeed her initial consideration. An extremely beautiful woman, even if admired by thousands in the martial arts world, is ultimately difficult to convince, let alone lead the martial arts community.
"Master, there is something that has puzzled me for a long time. May I ask for an answer today?"
Gu Zhong stepped back slightly, leaving enough space between the two of them, and asked, half seriously and half jokingly.
"What is it?"
The feeling of tension and restraint disappeared, replaced by loneliness and emptiness.
"Why does the Pavilion Master treat me so well?"
Gu Zhong was constantly filled with this question. From the moment they met, Ling Yan had always protected her, yet never asked for anything in return. Could someone she had never met before truly be entrusted with such a responsibility?
“…”
This question, however, made Lingyan somewhat ashamed to answer. She was never a proactive person, so how could she speak of love without knowing the true thoughts of those in this world?
"Does the Pavilion Master have feelings for me?"
Seeing her turn her face away and remain silent, Gu Zhong also turned to the side, determined to stare intently into Ling Yan's eyes, speaking each word clearly and forcefully.
"...If so, what would you do?"
As Gu Zhong finished speaking, Ling Yan's heart seemed to stop. After a long while, she finally looked Gu Zhong in the eye and replied with endless trepidation.
Gu Zhong did not respond immediately to this question. She paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting Ling Yan to answer in this way.
"Sect Master, do you truly know who I am?"
As if wanting to confirm something, Gu Zhong asked her the same question he had asked before.
“I once said that your identity is not important to me.”
Lingyan's answer remained unchanged.
Even if it's a demonic cult...
"What does it have to do with anything?"
"You should think this through, Master. A storm is brewing, and once you get caught up in it, it will be hard to escape."
"Of course, once a move is made, there's no going back; that's always been my principle."
Even if the road ahead is fraught with difficulties and bloodshed, from the very beginning, Lingyan stood by Gu Zhong's side.
Having obtained the answer he wanted, all his worries vanished. Gu Zhong first let out a soft laugh, which then grew louder and louder until he was so overwhelmed by Ling Yan that he couldn't straighten up, as if he wanted to express all the joy and happiness he had accumulated over the past decades.