Changgeng stood stiffly for a long time. He walked to the edge of the hot spring and slowly knelt down. He lowered his eyes and looked at the scars on Gu Yun's body.
Over the years, he was used to being woken up by Wu'ergu in the middle of the night. After waking up, he would toss and turn, thinking about Gu Yun.
Changgeng liked silence since he was young. At that time, he often felt that his overly lively foster father was unreasonable. Later on, he pondered a lot and suddenly had a strange question. Gu Yun … how did he grow up to be such a person?
Thinking about the only son of the old Marquis of Stability and Princess Royal, he was such an insufferably arrogant and noble young master. When he was young, he suddenly lost his sight and hearing. He was forced by his biological father to rush forward like forging iron. His wings were riddled with scars. Before his wings were fully grown, he experienced the loss of both his parents. The former glory of the Black Iron Battalion dimmed and he was trapped in the depths of the palace … If a person suffered too much when he was young, even if he wasn't extreme and cold, at least he wouldn't be someone who liked to play around.
Changgeng deeply felt about this.
Sometimes, he found it hard to imagine how many layers of wounds had to overlap to temper a person to such a state.
Changgeng suddenly hated that he was born ten years later and didn't have the chance to hold that person's young and clumsy hand in the thistles and thorns. Just because of this point, he felt that he would be jealous of Shen Yi for the rest of his life.
He walked forward as if he was possessed and parted Gu Yun's long hair that hung down. He carefully touched the scar on Gu Yun's chest.
"Hiss …" Gu Yun's scalp turned numb from his touch. He hurriedly moved back to hide, "I was just trying to reason with you. Why did you hit me?"
Changgeng said hoarsely, "How did this happen?"
Deaf didn't hear it clearly at first, so Changgeng grabbed his hand and wrote on his palm word by word.
Gu Yun was stunned and couldn't remember for a moment.
Changgeng wiped the water vapor off his glass mirror and placed it back on Gu Yun's nose bridge. He stared deeply at him and signaled, "Godfather, can we each confess one thing?"
Gu Yun frowned.
Changgeng: "Do you have deep feelings for the late emperor and want to kiss him, hug him, and be entangled with him for the rest of your life?"
Gu Yun cried out involuntarily, "What?"
He couldn't help but think of the previous emperor's sorrowful old face, and goosebumps rose all over his body.
"Okay, you've answered. It's my turn," Changgeng said calmly. "I want to."
Gu Yun: "…"
It took him a while to realize what Changgeng meant by "I want to". Goosebumps rose one after another, and his hair stood on end like a hedgehog.
"I think about it all the time. I think about it even in my dreams. Now, I really want to … I also think about some other things. I'm afraid I'll dirty godfather's ears if I say it, so it's inconvenient to mention it." Changgeng closed his eyes and stopped looking at Gu Yun. He signed to himself and said, "If it's not because I'm deeply in love, how can I be considered to have Qi Deviation?"
Gu Yun choked for a long time and said dryly, "… You should chant more scriptures with the monk."
Changgeng said, "If only you said this to me five years ago. Maybe if I put it down then, there wouldn't be today's matter."
However, so many days and nights had passed. So many nightmares and swamps could only be overcome by repeatedly chanting Gu Yun's name. He had been drinking poison to quench his thirst.
It was already too late.
The Marquis of Ding Ning, who couldn't even catch up to the heat, was stunned for a long time. He thought in shock, "Five years ago, I thought you were still a little kid drinking milk!"
"Then I'll ask the next question." Changgeng closed his eyes tightly, "Does godfather find me disgusting?"
Gu Yun didn't say anything for a long time. Changgeng's eyelashes trembled violently. His palms involuntarily clenched in his sleeves. Gu Yun's body's instinctive reaction just now couldn't lie. The obvious discomfort leaked out from his goosebumps.
Gu Yun might be able to understand his heart, but he might never be able to understand his desires.
Changgeng heard the sound of water. Gu Yun came ashore and put on his clothes.
Gu Yun sighed and patted Changgeng's shoulder. He calmly avoided the question and said, "You know that's impossible."
Changgeng's mouth curled up slightly. Perhaps he wanted to show a smile but failed. He only said in an inaudible voice, "I know. I won't make things difficult for godfather."
Gu Yun sat down beside him. After a while, he felt a little better and was about to speak.
Suddenly, he felt an unusually sharp wind needle piercing his back. The wine cup that Changgeng put aside just now reflected a sharp light. Before Gu Yun could react, Changgeng had already pounced on him.
Changgeng hugged him and rolled to the side. His arm tightened. At the same time, Gu Yun's canine nose smelled a faint scent of blood.
An arrow with white steam at the end of the arrow brushed past Chang Geng's side. His sleeve was torn open, revealing the flesh that had been grazed.
Changgeng raised his head and saw a sharp metallic flash outside the quiet hot spring courtyard. It was a 'light fur coat'!
However, the hot spring courtyard was only five li away from Beidaying. A fast horse didn't need to be whipped. It would arrive in a moment. Where did this assassin come from?
The assassin's attack didn't succeed, but it wasn't over yet.
The sun was setting heavily. The light fur coat that released the arrow suddenly leaped out from the other side of the courtyard wall.
Steam rose from his feet. He was like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of them. Gu Yun pushed Changgeng away. He stretched out his hand and pulled out a steel knife from under the small table where the wine was placed. With a flip of his wrist, he had already exchanged two moves with the assassin.
Gu Yun's martial arts were practiced when he fought with iron puppets bare-handed. Even though the light armor was burning purple gold, he didn't think much of it. However, after two moves, Gu Yun suddenly retreated. He was shocked to find that his hand was trembling. The weight of the steel knife was too much for him to bear.
Changgeng saw that something was wrong at a glance. He stretched out his hand to catch him. At the same time, he held his wrist. Holding the knife in his hand, he ruthlessly and accurately stabbed into the assassin's chin. The tip of the knife reached the assassin's iron mask. With a "dang" sound, a mist of blood spurted out.
Changgeng didn't even look at him. His fingers immediately slid to Gu Yun's pulse. He said in a low voice, "Someone drugged you."
Gu Yun's chest was numb, and his heart was beating wildly. He let out an "oh" sound, and for a moment, he was a little out of breath. The slight numbness quickly spread to his limbs, and this made Gu Yun, who couldn't see or hear clearly, feel his heart tighten.
"I'm fine." Gu Yun panted. "I'm afraid it's not over yet. You …"
Before his crow's mouth finished speaking, a dozen light fur coats suddenly jumped up from the top of the wall. At the same time, the imperial guards guarding outside the courtyard were alarmed and stood up.
It was unknown what was wrong with those assassins' brains. Seeing that the assassination had failed, they were unwilling to retreat. They flocked towards the household generals as if they were seeking death.
The imperial guards of the Marquis of Stability's household were all household generals who retired from the battlefield. They couldn't be mentioned in the same breath as the hired thugs who guarded the courtyard. They knew when to advance and retreat and were extremely mobile. Changgeng only swept a glance at the battlefield on one side before supporting Gu Yun to the side. "Adoptive Father …"
Gu Yun raised a finger to his lips. He then patted his shoulder and gently supported his injured arm, indicating for him to take care of himself first.
Changgeng ignored him. He simply knelt to the side and pressed down on Gu Yun's wrist. At this time, Gu Yun's pulse was no longer as disorderly as before. Changgeng tried his best to compose himself. He recalled that Gu Yun was a perennial medicine pot, so his resistance to medicine was much stronger than the average person.
It wasn't that easy to completely knock him out. It was probably because he was soaked in hot water earlier that the medicine's effects took effect.
At this time, a loud noise suddenly came from the courtyard. The entire manor trembled. Even the half-deaf Gu Yun could hear it.
In just a short moment, the assassins were already restrained by the well-trained family guards. Just as the commander gave the order to capture the assassins, all the assassins stabbed the golden box on the light cloak at the same time and self-detonated!
Gu Yun narrowed his useless eyes and said in a low voice, "Suicide soldiers …"
The commander ordered people to put out the fire as he ran to Gu Yun. "This subordinate is incompetent. Please ask Marquis and His Highness to withdraw first."
Gu Yun didn't utter a word, as if he was still in a trance.
For a moment, his old memories that had faded over the years were dug out in blood, and with a new ferocious expression, they stood in front of him.
That year, the sky outside the pass was filled with a murderous wind. The land filled with Xuan Tie was a vast and desolate grassland. A large number of vultures were wandering around, and horses were walking in the tall grass. Every few steps, one could kick a piece of white bone with the teeth marks of a wild beast.
Little Gu Yun, who wasn't even as tall as a table, was punished by The Old Marquis because of a small mistake. He wasn't allowed to eat breakfast and was forced to do a horse stance in the camp. Every soldier who passed by couldn't help but laugh when they saw him. They laughed so hard that the child, who had excessive self-esteem since he was young, had tears in his eyes.
At that time, the war had already subsided. The purple gold tributes from the 18 tribes had already entered the national treasury. The goddess had also been conferred the title of imperial concubine. Everything was originally so peaceful …
But suddenly, a patrolling soldier fell beside little Gu Yun without any warning. He was still wearing heavy armor and didn't have any injuries. Then, the guards in his courtyard fell down one by one. Suddenly, there was a deafening battle cry outside. Little Gu Yun had never seen such a battle before. He was almost scared silly and instinctively wanted to find a weapon.
But he was too small. His two hands couldn't even lift the lightest knife.
That day, the people who broke in were also a group of death soldiers wearing light armor. They moved like the wind and pressed forward like gods and demons. A soldier who had laughed at him just now struggled like a dying bird, protecting Gu Yun under his body. He watched those people fall into the camp one by one like pigs and dogs waiting to be slaughtered. He didn't know what hurt his back, but the pain was unbearable.
However, the pain soon became numb. Gradually, he felt that his limbs had been severed from his body. The sounds and colors around him dimmed. His consciousness that was about to dissipate was trapped together with his heart that was about to burst out of his chest. He could not breathe ….
He had also heard such an earth-shattering sound when he was in a semi-conscious state. The princess had arrived with people, and those people had self-detonated in their light armor.
Changgeng pressed his shoulder, "Godfather!"
Gu Yun's unfocused eyes finally focused a little. He murmured, "Are there wolf head tattoos on the unburned corpses?"
Changgeng, "What?"
The commander was stunned at first, then suddenly raised his head. The Gu family's general had a deeper impression of that incident than the young Gu Yun at that time, "Marquis means …"
"When the fire is extinguished, go and investigate," Gu Yun said expressionlessly, "and the person who drugged them …"
As he spoke, he felt the effect of the drug on his body fading. He stood up with Changgeng's help.
Changgeng was shocked to find that his hand was as cold as a dead person's. However, Gu Yun released his hand as soon as he touched it, as if he suddenly didn't want to come into contact with others.
Gu Yun walked forward in a daze. The glazed mirror fell to the ground and broke. He couldn't see clearly and almost stepped into the hot spring pool. Changgeng leaped up unsteadily and hugged Gu Yun from behind without any explanation. He protected him all the way to the courtyard.
Gu Yun's mind was not at home, but he didn't push him away.
Changgeng helped him into the room and pulled a thin blanket to cover him. Just as he was about to check his pulse, Gu Yun suddenly said, "Bring me the medicine."
Changgeng frowned, "No, you still have …"
Gu Yun's expression became indifferent, and his tone became slightly heavier, "I said bring me the medicine."
Changgeng was stunned. His intuition told him that Gu Yun was really angry.
A silent murderous aura was revealed. A tyrannical aura condensed from thousands of iron armor entered Gu Yun's blind eyes. For a moment, the handsome man was like an awakened demon god. However, it was only for a moment.
However, Gu Yun quickly came back to his senses. His expression eased a little. He patted Changgeng's hand, "Go and take a look at the injury first, then help me decoct a medicine. You're disobedient so soon, en?"
Changgeng was silent for a moment. He turned around and went out. He punched the pillar at the door.
At this time, an even bigger storm approached the capital city without any warning.
That night, in the capital city, an old man with thin hair and no beard took one last look at the blood letter on the table. He hung himself on the beam of the house and ended his old life in the morning.
When Gu Yun was upset, he forgot to instruct the imperial bodyguard commander to block the news. The hot spring courtyard and Beidaying were almost next door. The news quickly spread out as if it had grown wings.
The commander of Beidaying in the suburbs of the capital city, Tan Hongfei, was a former subordinate of the Black Iron Battalion. When he heard that his commander was assassinated in the capital city, right under his nose, he was furious on the spot. He immediately sent out a patrol camp to investigate thoroughly.
No one could hide such a big movement. In the blink of an eye, the news of Gu Yun being assassinated in the suburbs of the capital city spread like wildfire. And this was only the beginning.
The next day, when Gu Yun recovered his sight and hearing, it was already too late when he remembered his negligence. Tan Hongfei directly brought people into the capital city.
The capital city magistrate, who was badly battered, was forced by General Tan to search the capital city for suspicious outsiders. The messenger, who was ordered by Gu Yun to retrieve Tan Hongfei, had just jumped off his horse when an unexpected person arrived with a blood letter.
The messenger did not dare to barge into the capital city magistrate's office. He hurriedly ordered someone to report. Who knew that the place had already become a pot of porridge? It took a full incense stick's worth of time before someone led him in.
Before he could say anything, he saw the Commander of the Northern Barracks, Tan Hong Fei, stand up with his eyes wide open. With a slap of his hand, he cracked the table, scaring the governor, Lord Zhu, to the point that his official hat was crooked.
Tan Hongfei: "Who are you? Say it again! "
The middle-aged man holding the blood letter said word by word, "This commoner is the owner of a pastry shop in the eastern suburbs. My family has an old adoptive father, Eunuch Wu He. Many years ago, in order to avoid disaster, he found a substitute and faked his death. He was lucky enough to escape from the palace and had been hiding among the common people. Unexpectedly, he was still found by thieves more than ten years later. To avoid implicating his family, he committed suicide last night. This commoner's body is like a firefly, insignificant like decaying grass. My lowly life is not worth mentioning, but my late father ordered this commoner to announce this strange injustice to the world."
The capital city magistrate, Zhu Heng, instinctively realized the importance of this matter. He hurriedly shouted, "Audacious unruly commoner, speaking nonsense. That Eunuch Wu He was sent to the imperial prison to be beheaded at the waist for plotting to murder the imperial heir. Could it be that you want to frame the Supreme Court for not doing a good job?"
The man banged his head on the ground and said, "This commoner has a blood letter written by my father before he passed away. Now that I have brought my head to see Lord Zhu, how could I dare to lie?"
That year, Eunuch Wu He accepted bribes and conspired with an imperial concubine who had lost favor to murder the Third Prince as if he had lost his mind. This matter also involved Gu Yun, who was still in the palace. The former members of the Black Iron Battalion hated that they couldn't tear that ignorant eunuch to pieces.
Tan Hongfei's expression was heavy as he said, "Lord Zhu, there is no harm in listening to what he has to say."
Gu Yun's messenger had an intuition that something was going to happen. Remembering Gu Yun's instruction to "not let him cause trouble" before he left, he made a prompt decision and said, "General Tan, Marquis requests for you to return to the camp immediately."
Zhu Heng hurriedly said, "That's right. General Tan, please return first. If there is any news about those foreign thieves, this lowly official will immediately send someone to inform General …"
At this moment, the middle-aged man who was kneeling in the hall suddenly raised his voice and said, "This commoner wants to sue the late Emperor of Yuan He for being bewitched by Bei Man's evil concubine and using underhanded tricks to poison loyal people —"
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