Chapter 177: Mingyu Cannot Hide Tears!

In endless darkness, there seemed to be light.

True Qi flowed steadily through her body, then Mingyu Gong activated spontaneously; Yao Yue stiffened, opened her eyes, instinctively leaned toward the boat's side, and spat out clear water—each time she spat, she coughed more, and as she coughed, a hand pressed against her back, transmitting True Qi to help her regulate her breath, finally stopping her from spitting.

Yao Yue turned around and saw Gu Qing, who had just guided her blood and Qi.

Memories surged into her mind; without hesitation, Yao Yue moved to attack.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

Gu Qing's hand had already been on her back; now he pressed his fingertips hard against two points on her spine, sealing her acupoints. Yao Yue, who had just moved to strike, went limp and collapsed forward into Gu Qing.

In haste, at point-blank range, Gu Qing executed a snake-dodge, cat-flip maneuver—and in this cramped space where limbs could barely move—he flipped away; Yao Yue crashed heavily onto the deck, her head striking the cabin wall, making her eyes bulge with fury.

At this moment, Gu Qing calmly returned to the stern, half-reclining, gazing across at Yao Yue.

"You should have let me die."

Yao Yue's eyes burned with hatred; though Gu Qing had saved her, she refused to acknowledge his debt.

She still had to settle accounts with Gu Qing.

"After all, you are Lianxing's elder sister."

Gu Qing said casually: "On Lianxing's account, I had to save you."

The Gu Qing before had been willing to die for Yao Yue; now, every action he took was solely because of Lianxing—Yao Yue, he barely knew.

Yao Yue snorted coldly, lowered her eyes slightly, preparing to break her seals—but then she noticed her clothing, suddenly flared open in rage, glaring fiercely at Gu Qing.

"After falling into water, one must loosen clothing to aid breathing."

Gu Qing said: "I merely loosened your sash and removed your breast binding—nothing else."

Gu Qing spoke with righteous solemnity.

"Hmph…"

Yao Yue's face was deathly pale; since childhood, she had only ever loved Jiang Feng, her body pure and untouched by any man—but now, after Gu Qing had held her head underwater until she nearly drowned, then pulled her out, she felt her body was no longer pure.

If he removed her breast binding, how could he have done nothing?

The boat fell silent; Gu Qing sat at the stern, quietly admiring the moonlit ripples.

Yao Yue closed her eyes and used Mingyu Gong to break her seals—but Gu Qing's sealing technique was Reverse Nine Yin; her direct approach only reinforced the lock, leaving her utterly immobilized, forced to calm her mind, circulate her blood and Qi, and slowly dissolve the seals.

"Lady Yao Yue."

Gu Qing suddenly said: "I intend to pay a visit to the Yihua Palace."

Yao Yue understood—Gu Qing wanted to go to the Yihua Palace because Lianxing was there; yet now, with a cruel smile, she feigned ignorance: "You want to go to the Yihua Palace?"

If Gu Qing's goddess had been Yao Yue, Yao Yue believed herself flawless—but if his goddess was Lianxing, then Lianxing's crippled limbs would shatter all of Gu Qing's long-held hopes.

Just thinking of it made Yao Yue want to laugh.

Having begun to hate Gu Qing, she now wished to see him suffer, to watch his hopes crumble.

"Half-drunk, half-awake, I ask the villagers, / Thorns and vines lead me astray step by step; / I follow cow dung to find my way home— / My house lies west, beyond the cowshed."

Gu Qing half-reclined and recited a poem by Su Dongpo.

This poem was written by Su Dongpo at age sixty-two in Danzhou, describing how, after drinking, he lost his way home and finally bent down to follow cow dung, for his house lay west of the cowshed. "You're the cow dung!"

Yao Yue's face turned icy cold.

Su Dongpo bent to follow cow dung to find his home; but Gu Qing's recitation made it sound as if he, lost in dreams of his beloved, was groping along Yao Yue to cross the river—thus equating her with cow dung.

Gu Qing chuckled, his gaze fixed on the moon and stars; even when he glanced at Yao Yue, his eyes were calm, indifferent—as if she were a stranger, utterly unlike his former fervent devotion to her.

The boat drifted on Dongtinghu; by the late night, Yao Yue broke her seals. She did not attack Gu Qing, but sat cross-legged, silently cultivating.

Gu Qing had lain long enough; his interest spent, he turned over and began to row, heading back toward their origin.

On the return journey, neither Gu Qing nor Yao Yue spoke. When the boat reached shore, the chaos caused by Gu Qing's burning pine incense had faded—but on the bank, he saw two figures facing off.

One was Jiang Xiaoyu; the other, Hua Wuxue.

Tie Xinlan stood between them, guarding Jiang Xiaoyu.

Gu Qing leapt forward, arriving instantly at Tie Xinlan's side, standing squarely between Jiang Xiaoyu and Hua Wuxue.

Yao Yue's expression changed instantly; her steps light, she landed nearly alongside Gu Qing, face dark, eyes fixed coldly on him, fearing he might blurt out something and ruin her plan.

!

The Gu Qing before had passionately loved the "Yihua Palace Mistress," willing to do evil for her; the Gu Qing now was different.

"Big Brother Gu!"

Jiang Xiaoyu, seeing Gu Qing, sighed in relief and called out.

This time, having Tie Xinlan block him, Jiang Xiaoyu felt his pride shattered; for the first time, he realized his mind sometimes failed him.

"Master!"

Hua Wuxue bowed respectfully to Yao Yue, full of reverence and fear, then bowed to Gu Qing: "Grandmaster!"

Gu Qing had sent wedding gifts to the Yihua Palace to wed Yao Yue; Yao Yue had agreed, invited Gu Qing to Dongtinghu; Gu Qing came—and now, Gu Qing and Yao Yue returned together from Dongtinghu…

To Hua Wuxue, this meant success.

Yao Yue coldly snapped: "What are you shouting?"

Hua Wuxue, knowing his master's capricious temper, instantly fell silent.

"Big Brother Gu, then we're family with the Yihua Palace now?"

Jiang Xiaoyu stood behind Gu Qing, eyes flicking between Hua Wuxue and Yao Yue, asking: "Then why did Hua Wuxue try to kill me the moment we met?"

To Jiang Xiaoyu, this was absurd—they'd been fine upon meeting, exchanged names, and then Hua Wuxue turned on him instantly, determined to kill him.

"This matter…"

Gu Qing smiled, watching Yao Yue's eyes fixed on his lips as if one wrong word would trigger an attack; he found it amusing, and said: "Ultimately, this is a story of Mingyu unable to hide tears."

Though Mingyu Gong has an inward-concealing nature, it cannot conceal outward-flowing tears.

Hearing this, Yao Yue's face flushed with rage; the Gu Qing before Dongtinghu had been willing to sacrifice everything for her, understanding every sorrow of hers—but now that he realized his mistake, he had changed entirely, mocking her grief as if watching a farce.

"Mingyu cannot hide tears; all seen is sin."

(End of Chapter)