Chapter 1367: [Epilogue] He only wants her by his side
Lil Thing and Shadow had searched around the ice for an entire night without finding any signs of Yan'er. Shadow was this close to crossing the sea and heading into Mysterious Continent to continue the hunt. But in the end he held back. He knew father would never give up the search for Yan'er, so he didn't want to cause him any more trouble. When he returned with Lil Thing, Rui'er had already woken up with his tears still wet. But he was stronger than before.
Lil Thing transformed into the large snow wolf and headed for Rui'er before prostrating itself before him. It used its head to nuzzle against Rui'er's feet as if in comfort. Rui'er stroked its head before sitting on its back. Gu Beiyue followed suit. Gu Qishao and Tang Li wanted to come along, but they didn't fight with Gu Beiyue and simply waited quietly. The snow wolf carried Gu Beiyue and Rui'er past the blackened ice and into the center of the ice cavern. Last night, it had brought little Shadow here and wailed sadly inside for a long, long time, something only little Shadow knew.
As soon as they landed, Gu Beiyue first noticed the color of the ice below the cavern was white, while the poison accumulated across the Ice Sea was only three chi down from its surface. Despite this, it was enough to stop anyone in Mysterious Continent from crossing over.
"Grand Tutor, my father and mother are here." Rui'er said hoarsely.
Gu Beiyue turned and saw Rui'er and the snow wolf both sprawled on top of a section of xuan ice to hug it. He strode over and took a close look. Although it was hard to see clearly, he could make out the features of Han Yunxi and Long Feiye sealed within the ice as well as their tightly clasped hands.
His heart seized as he quickly turned away to look elsewhere. A long time passed and he still made no sound. He only looked up with his eyes wide open. He was quiet for eternity until Rui'er timidly called out, "Grand Tutor." Then he looked back, his expression still calm and gentle. Kneeling down, Gu Beiyue pulled Rui'er off the ice and said softly, "Don't be like this, you'll freeze. Your mother and father couldn't bear that. Be good, they're still alive, you know that."
Rui'er nodded earnestly. He could sense his parents' true qi as soon as he descended. They really were cultivating, he was certain. At this moment, the snow wolf suddenly gave a low howl and crawled to its feet. Gu Beiyue and Rui'er looked over, but it vanished in mid-air within an instant. Both of them gave a start before Rui'er exclaimed, "Mother! Mother must have taken Lil Thing into herself! Definitely! Mother knows we're here and Lil Thing's here!"
Rui'er was so moved that he cried and started pummeling the xuan ice. "Mother, you know we came, don't you? You know! You and father are fine, right!?"
"Mother, answer me won't you? Just once! Rui'er begs you!" As soon as he finished speaking, the snow wolf reappeared. It had clearly come out of the poison storage system. Rui'er was incomparably surprised as he tugged at Gu Beiyue to sob and laugh. He was nearly jumping in excitement. "Grand Tutor, my mother heard us talk. She answered me! She really did."
The snow wolf furiously rubbed against the ice as if trying to tell Gu Beiyue and Rui'er that Mama Yunxi wasn't dead and could sense them both. Gu Beiyue knelt down and lightly ran his head over the xuan ice where Long Feiye and Han Yunxi's fingers were interlocked. He declared, "Emperor, Esteemed Empress, this subordinate has returned from the gates of the underworld. This subordinate will definitely protect the Great Qin, the crown prince, and seek the crown princess, before bringing you both out of the ice…to pay, this, blood, debt!"
Gu Beiyue's last three words were especially vicious as his eyes flashed with a sinister gleam. He wasn't clear whether Han Yunxi had no strength to take back the poison-stained xuan ice into her detox system or simply didn't want to. But he was certain that this toxic Ice Sea was the best guarantee of protecting Great Qin and buying them time for revenge.
No one from the Mysterious Continent could offend Cloud Realm, while they could borrow Lil Thing to sneak things into Mysterious Continent. No matter whether the three great clans spread the news of attacking Cloud Realm, the Ice Sea had changed so much that it should've caught their attention by now. This poison sea could help them block all troubles from there. Perhaps Han Yunxi could cultivate to tenth-rank Phoenix power by herself and break the ice to escape.
Perhaps they could only await Yan'er.
The mystery of the ice crystal and whirlpool could only wait until Han Yunxi and Long Feiye broke through the ice to tell them. No matter what, they were still alive. They could defend the northern border of Cloud Realm Continent, which covered half the worries for him and Rui'er. When Gu Beiyue and Rui'er left, Gu Qishao, Tang Li, and the rest all asked the snow wolf to take them to the ice cavern to look at the frozen pair. When everyone was done, all of their eyes departed with red-rimmed eyes. Some had their grief written right in their gazes, while others ever hid it inside their hearts. Gu Beiyue remained rational and cool-headed except for the period of silence within the cavern, a decisive and determined man. He immediately decided to let Lil Thing take Gu Qishao across the Ice Sea to search for Yan'er in Mysterious Continent. If she wasn't at Ice Sea or the southern shore, it was likely she was in the northern shore. There had to be a reason why Jinyang City would appear as an illusion in the vortex.
Over the past few years, Gu Qishao hadn't gone to Mysterious Continent in vain. His medicinal ingredients business was getting bigger and bigger. He was not only familiar with the continent, but also knew many contacts and was the best candidate for the job.
"Go immediately! Remember, find Su Xiaoyu as quickly as possible. The Wolf Sect cannot fall into anyone else's hands," Gu Beiyue said seriously.
Han Xiang was dead, Han Chen's boundary field a dead knot, so the Wolf Sect had no one in charge. Su Xiaoyu was Han Chen's only recognized disciple, which made her qualified to compete for the position of Wolf Sect's leader. Moreover, that girl's methods and vicious heart made it possible for her to lay claim on the position. No matter what, the Wolf Sect must be preserved. This was the most basic martial arts power guaranteeing them in Mysterious Continent.
Gu Qishao hesitated before walking to Gu Beiyue's side and murmuring, "How about I find Ning Cheng to help? He can assist in the search and guard against the three great clans?"
Gu Beiyue had long guessed that Ning Cheng was in Mysterious Continent. When he used the pseudonym "Ning Le" to remind Long Feiye and Han Yunxi about the private salt trade, it meant he was probably hiding in Wintercrow Country and mixing with Le Zheng's crowd. Later on, Le Zheng escaped to Mysterious Continent and Jin Zi took over Wintercrow. Long Feiye sent men to search the nation and didn't find Ning Cheng's whereabouts. At that time, the two of them guessed that the man had followed Le Zheng to the other continent.
Gu Beiyue was about to nod when Gu Qishao muttered, "Ning Cheng married the daughter of the first wife of the Shangguan Clan and established the Xuankong Trade Consortium. He's very wealthy and relying on the Shangguan Clan's power in the south. It's easy for him to do things."
Gu Beiyue was shocked. "Really?"
"Really! If we can find Su Xiaoyu to claim the Wolf Sect and ally with the Shangguan Clan, at the very least Mysterious Continent's southern end will be our turf!" Gu Qishao's voice was filled with ruthless determination.
In this life, he had only hated Medical City and never thought of vying for much or snatching things. But now he'd rather take over all of Mysterious Continent for Poison lass and Long Feiye's revenge! For Rui'er and Yan'er's vengeance!
He had worked in Mysterious Continent for a while and long watched Ning Cheng a few times from a distance, but pretended to know nothing. He didn't tell Long Feiye or disturb the man.
"Ning Cheng…" Gu Beiyue muttered to himself before finally declaring to Gu Qishao, "Help me send a message to him. Just say…I've always been keeping the wine in preparation for him and His Highness."
Long Feiye and Ning Cheng's promise to have a drinking contest was only something known to Gu Beiyue. It was after Jin Zi conquered Wintercrow Country that Long Feiye told Gu Beiyue about it. Even Han Yunxi was clueless. Gu Qishao knew Ning Cheng liked wine and didn't think much of the message. He nodded and said, "All right, I'll definitely pass it on!"
Shadow clenched his fists on the sidelines. When Gu Qishao was about to leave, he still bolstered his courage and said loudly, "Father, I want to go with Uncle Qi to find Yan'er. Can I?"
Before Gu Beiyue could answer, Gu Qishao had pulled Shadow along. "Of course!"
Nanchen, this is your duty and the duty of the Shadow Clan. Gu Beiyue kept those words in his heart instead of telling Shadow outright. He nodded and said softly, "Listen to your Uncle Qi and don't cause trouble."
Shadow was thrilled and specially ran to Rui'er. "Your Highness, Shadow will definitely do my utmost to help you. You, take care!"
Rui'er didn't speak, but hugged Shadow fiercely before letting go in an instant. When Gu Qishao and Shadow left, Gu Beiyue brought Rui'er and the rest to depart. Before they left, they all looked towards the Ice Sea with reluctant hearts.
Mu Linger said in a choked-up voice, "There's brother-in-law to keep my big sis company, so nobody needs to worry. They won't be lonely."
Tang Li sniffled and put on a brave smile with effort. "Let's go! It's no use if we stand guard here. You all know what kind of person my big bro is, he won't appreciate it if we guard him unto death. He just wants my sister-in-law for companionship."
Gu Beiyue recalled the tightly clasped hands and felt his heart surge with emotions. He muttered to Rui'er in his arms, "Let's go, Grand Tutor will accompany you."
Back at the capital city, Gu Beiyue's first task was to find the tiger seal in Han Yunxi's possession and take military authority into his hands. At the same time, he faked an imperial decree from Long Feiye, and replaced the Department of State and Household Affairs with someone absolutely trustworthy.
Long Feiye and Han Yunxi were in a rush to meet the Ten-Year Agreement but didn't tell anyone in court about their appointment. Instead, they excused themselves with the reason of closed-door cultivation and handed over affairs of the court to a few trusted officials. Gu Beiyue maintained the excuse until he had enough men deployed in the palace and sufficient certainty to deal with a coup, then used Long Feiye's name to issue an imperial decree.
The general content was that Long Feiye would take Han Yunxi to live in seclusion in the mountains and hand over the throne to the crown prince Xuanyuan Rui. The Grand Tutor Gu Beiyue was appointed as regent until the prince reached 16 years of age!
As soon as the decree was announced, Great Qin went into an uproar. Both the civil and military officials knelt for days and nights before Xuanlong Hall to beg Long Feiye for an audience. Gu Beiyue didn't stop them and let them kneel. Of course, there were those who suspected Long Feiye and Han Yunxi were in trouble and had no choice but to pass the crown to the crown prince. There were also those who suspected Gu Beiyue himself, but he ignored such rumors. He controlled Great Qin's military and treasury and had long prepared to deal with revolt or rebellion.
Verbal sparring was just a waste of time.
Those who trusted naturally believed; those who doubted wouldn't dispel their suspicions no matter the explanation. He didn't waste words with them, but simply used strength and capital to convince them.
Over the past few years, Gu Beiyue's support to Long Feiye wasn't given in vain. In the succeeding years, his dedicate to Great Qin was also worth it. In this change of rulership, there were opponents in court but also many who were convinced in the end. In a few short years, Gu Beiyue's gentle attitude and ruthless methods kept him firmly in the position of regent. Because of this, Rui'er was able to sit steadily on his throne.
Just think, did those ministers and officials who clamored to see Long Feiye really want to see him? Or…did they just want to use the meeting as a pretext to plot rebellion?
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