Chapter 134 The Second Injection

Petals drifting through the forest, serene and quiet, the young woman gentle and graceful, coupled with the fact that having one's stomach filled was indeed a good thing—none of this was enough to bring a smile to Gu Yi's face.

Shu Yu took out a small dish and placed it properly, then gathered her skirts and slowly sat down on a stone stool. "Before coming here, I saw the Palace Master."

Hearing this, Gu Yi asked with concern, "What did the Palace Master say?"

Without speaking, Shu Yu merely shook her head from afar.

It was entirely within expectations, yet it still left Gu Yi quite helpless. "It seems the only way is for me to become stronger than her."

"How could that possibly happen?"

"Since there's nothing to do here, I might as well try. Who knows, it just might be possible."

Shu Yu turned her head away. "Even if you do manage it, it will take many years. Since we are to spend all these years here, even if you don't like me, we must get along well."

Gu Yi asked in surprise, "Why are you speaking like this? When did I ever say I don't like you?"

"But you said you don't like the Mo clan."

"While I certainly have some reservations about certain aspects of the Mo clan, I never said I didn't like you. You haven't done anything to me, why would I dislike you?"

"That is sheer sophistry, stop talking nonsense." Shu Yu hastily urged him to shut up, adding a warning reminder, "You always violate decorum, which is not good. You should observe some rules, lest the Palace Master's anger be provoked."

Gu Yi curled his lips. "That right there is my reason for disliking the Mo clan. When they're good, they're wonderful, but when they turn bad, they're deadly. It's like having a split personality."

Crack!

Shu Yu slammed the table hard and abruptly stood up. "Why are you so inconsistent in your speech? One moment you like, the next moment you don't. Which of your words is true, and which is false?"

Gu Yi was startled, causing the food clamped between his chopsticks to drop.

"You... why are you flying into such a rage? I've always spoken my mind, just chatting casually."

Hearing this made Shu Yu even angrier. She pointed at him and scolded, "Then aren't you just one of those worthless wretches whose mouth is full of falsehoods? You treat all your words like a passing breeze, perhaps leading others to believe you are sincere while you remain utterly oblivious. What kind of behavior is this?"

Gu Yi put down his chopsticks, tilted his head, and said in bewilderment, "I always talk like this when I'm not being entirely serious. It's not like you've known me only today, is it necessary to point at me and scold me like this? Trapped here as I am, am I not even allowed to vent a little grievance?"

"You!"

Never expecting Gu Yi to talk back to her like this, Shu Yu felt the anger in her chest surge even higher. Unable to contain herself for a moment, she lashed out and slapped Gu Yi across the face.

Gu Yi's eyes widened in shock, and he hurriedly raised a hand to block. "Are you insane? What are you doing? Ah..."

Because of the sudden movement, he aggravated his wound, sending a sharp wave of pain through him.

Crack!

Shu Yu struck him again with her left hand!

This blow knocked Gu Yi tumbling to the ground. Wracked with pain, his own temper flared. "Damn it, if I were in good health, could you possibly hit me like this?! I helped you kill people, and this is still how I'm treated in the end, is it?"

Upon hearing these words, Shu Yu's expression froze. In her heart, she felt a trace of regret, yet her pride forbade her from immediately offering an apology to Gu Yi.

She was angry at Gu Yi, and now she was angry at herself as well. Not knowing what to do for a moment, she simply turned on her heel, swept her sleeve, and stormed off.

She ran off to a deserted, open space and unleashed a flurry of wild strikes, venting every last bit of her anger.

As to who was right and who was wrong, she could not tell. Gu Yi had indeed spoken poorly, but she probably shouldn't have acted that way either—he was still injured, after all.

As for Gu Yi, he lay on the ground for a while. After confirming that his wound wasn't bleeding again, he slowly climbed back up and continued eating.

He certainly wasn't going to punish himself.

He simply ate while cursing, muttering that all these women of the Mo clan were bloody madwomen.

Yet, what Shu Yu had said was true; Gu Bai瓷 looked all right on the surface, but if one provoked her anger in the future, there was no telling what might happen.

Gu Yi decided he would stay far away from them all. Good-looking or not, was the entire world devoid of women except for the Mo clan? He was determined to get out of this place and find someone gentle and amiable; who could possibly endure bringing a household full of lunatics back home?

Having finished his meal, he cast these vexing matters from his mind and returned to his own pursuits. If he were to let himself get so angry that his injuries relapsed, no one would feel sorry for him.

With this matter concluded, Gu Yi returned to the Mooring Pavilion to find the Eighteenth Floor Master, whom he saw from afar sitting in the center of the pavilion by the lake, resembling a touch of immortal grace strayed into a landscape painting.

As he drew closer, he could distinctly sense the spiritual energy in the air—it warped the atmosphere while simultaneously embellishing it.

Gu Yi silently sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to enter meditation.

Throughout the process, the Eighteenth Floor Master merely glanced at him without saying much. However, upon hearing Gu Yi cough twice, he finally spoke: "Do not control your body."

"Understood."

The spiritual energy radiating from the Eighteenth Floor Master emitted a resonant humming sound as it began, bit by bit, to make contact with Gu Yi.

Following that, the enfolding spiritual energy began to draw Gu Yi into its embrace.

It felt like entering another world, a vast landscape of snow.

***

The Eighteenth Floor Master performed no profound techniques, merely practicing simple breathing exercises, striving to integrate himself with heaven and earth.

Time passed unmeasured. Gu Yi only felt the recovery speed of his body accelerating. Before long, he no longer needed the assistance of the Eighteenth Floor Master; instead, using spiritual energy as a medium, he guided the connection between himself and the universe. Within his meditation, he gradually attained enlightenment, attempting to unravel the secrets of the "myriad DAOs" of this world.

Yet as for the so-called Heavenly DAO, he had only ever heard half a sentence back then: "The Heavenly DAO dwells above all living beings, endowed with supreme majesty and divine power," while the rest remained unknown.

Lacking any more profound comprehension of realms, Gu Yi turned his attention back to his cultivation technique.

The Thousand-Needle Gleaming Light Art was difficult to practice when one's realm was low, and for the longest time, he had only been able to condense the first needle.

When facing enemies, he always had to focus exceptionally hard on condensing the needle, which left a vast gap compared to the highest tier where needles could be summoned and dismissed entirely at will.

From one generates two, from two generates three, and from three come a thousand needles.

Once this second needle was successfully condensed, Gu Yi's mastery over the technique would become far more adept. And if one day he reached the fourth tier of the realm, summoning and vanishing needles instantaneously would be effortless.

The Eighteenth Floor Master departed later on, leaving Gu Yi sitting alone by the lake to cultivate in peace.

Believing Gu Yi had fully recovered, the Long-Legged Cat wanted to find him for a sparring match, but was blocked outside the Mooring Pavilion by the Eighteenth Floor Master. "Gu Yi's injuries are not yet fully healed, and his mood is ordinary. If you go looking for him right now, he won't pay you any mind."

"His injuries aren't fully healed?" The Long-Legged Cat took a closer look and saw that Gu Yi was channeling the ambient spiritual energy quite smoothly.

"Even if he were fully healed, he needs to cultivate. Have some patience; once he attains enlightenment on the Dao, it won't be too late to fight him then."

True as that may be, how long would it take for this fellow to attain enlightenment?

That would require a considerable amount of patience indeed.

"Forget it, forget it." The Long-Legged Cat sighed and walked away. "I won't look for him for now then, let him properly enhance his strength instead."

Cultivation was always somewhat tedious, and time passed quickly.

However, for Shu Yu, whose mind remained turbulent and unsettled, it was an entirely different story. She had no idea what was wrong with her; even meditation failed to calm her, and her restless agitation left the attendants outside her door at a complete loss as to what to do.

Seeing this only fueled Shu Yu's irritation, and she snapped, "If you have something to say, come inside! What are you lingering out there swaying back and forth for?!"

The young maid shrank her neck in fright, hurriedly lowered her head, and scurried inside with rapid, small steps. Dropping to her knees, she reported, "Left Guard Palace Envoy, these are the external intelligence reports submitted today."

The so-called external intelligence was merely their term for reports on events happening outside the Great Rain Palace.

"Then deliver them in according to protocol. Why were you pacing outside the door the whole time? Do you think I'm terrifying, or simply unlikable?"

"This subordinate wouldn't dare! This subordinate was merely afraid of further provoking the Left Guard Palace Envoy!"

"Enough! Put the things down and get out!"

Seeing that even her usual attendants reacted this way only made Shu Yu angrier. Yet she wasn't truly angry at anyone else, nor could she clearly articulate what was frustrating her; in short, she simply felt extremely aggrieved.

After calming herself down a bit, she proceeded to read the documents the attendant had brought. The contents by the end left her astonished and temporarily at a wordless loss.

Shule was in trouble.

This was something she had never anticipated.

Shu Yu quickly thought of what would happen if Gu Yi found out...

Normally, she certainly would have gone to tell him immediately, but having just experienced that unpleasant clash, she suddenly found herself at a loss for how to face him.

Just as she was pondering this, someone else entered. "Left Envoy, the Palace Master is summoning you."

"Very well, I understand."

Shu Yu composed herself and immediately set off for the main hall.

Gu Bai瓷 stood facing away from the entrance within the hall.

"Palace Master."

"Mm. How is your injury?"

Shu Yu replied, "After recuperating for many days, it is nearly healed. If the Palace Master has any instructions, Shu Yu will certainly carry them out."

"It is nothing major, merely that our military campaign has been successful; the Desisive Victory Pass should have been taken. With this development, the Xu forces in Xingyuan City are now isolated. We need not worry about that side; we can push directly toward Luyang and besiege the city. I have already dispatched Zhang Weiyu to follow the main army."

Shu Yu also had intelligence, though not as detailed, so she asked, "Palace Master, what were the casualties on that side?"

Gu Bai瓷 handed her the battle report, telling her to read it for herself. In reality, mentioning this was meant to let Shu Yu know that if Zhang Weiyu performed with exceptional merit, she might very well be promoted to Pavilion Master in the future.

Yet Shu Yu did not seem as concerned about this as she usually would have been.

Nor did she request permission to leave the palace to join the fight.

Shu Yu scanned the battle report briefly. It stated that the Desisive Victory Pass had been breached, and the Xu forces had abandoned the city to retreat and defend elsewhere. Originally, He Jiang had fallen into a desperate plight, but the Fourth Princess of Great Xu had unexpectedly arrived in the nick of time.

With her presence, the detachment attacks of the Li forces were immediately checked.

However, the Xu forces within the Desisive Victory Pass suffered heavy casualties. Presumably fearing that the two peaks held other forces, the Fourth Princess took charge and ordered a retreat.

Before the arrival of these reinforcements, the Li forces had not dared to act rashly either, as General Ji Lan was still positioned behind them.

The two armies remained at a stalemate, allowing the Xu forces to safely withdraw.

Even so, the Desisive Victory Pass was lost.

"That person named Shule seems to have died." Gu Bai瓷 retained a vague memory of her. "She was the one brought in here alongside Gu Yi a few days ago. Now it appears that granting her permission to leave was not a blessing for her after all."

"Go tell Gu Yi about this, and on my behalf, ask him whether he still wishes to leave."

Remaining within the Great Rain Palace was perhaps the safest option.

"Of course Shu Yu wouldn't dare disobey the Palace Master's will." Shu Yu averted her gaze. "However, as I just had a falling out with him, going to see him right now is truly... rather difficult..."

Thinking she must have misheard, Gu Bai瓷 wondered how such a complication could have arisen. "Did he bully you?"

Her tone carried a chilling edge that startled even Shu Yu. "No, no, he is still recovering from his injuries. It's just that he always loves to speak recklessly, and I grew angry for a moment, leading to an argument."

Realizing it was nothing serious, Gu Bai瓷 dismissed it. "Then I shall go myself."

Shu Yu wanted to say 'yes', but hesitated and ultimately offered a plea of guilt instead. "How could I let personal matters override the Palace Master's command? If I refuse to obey an order today simply because I feel awkward, could I likewise defy the Palace Master's will tomorrow just because I am displeased? Let me go instead, Palace Master."

Bizarre.

Even Gu Bai瓷 found the situation bizarre. Why was someone usually so steady experiencing such fluctuating states of mind? Curious and suspicious, she gave her clanswoman another long look. "Shu Yu, are you hiding something?"

"Shu Yu wouldn't dare!" The young woman lifted her skirts and knelt to the floor.

"Next time, do not engage in such capricious behavior. A restless mind is the greatest taboo in cultivation."

"Understood, Shu Yu takes your instruction to heart."

"Then go. Remember to ask him my question and report his answer to me upon your return."

"Yes."

Gu Yi was currently cultivating in quiet meditation by the lake, with the Eighteenth Floor Master standing guard. Neither the Long-Legged Cat nor Yan Lang was permitted to approach.

Neither was Shu Yu.

"Does the Eighteenth Senior know when he will finish? Shu Yu bears an order from the Palace Master to speak with him."

The Eighteenth Floor Master, eyes closed, shook his head. "I know not when he will conclude. Unless it is an urgent matter, you would do better to wait a moment."

"It... could be considered urgent."

It certainly counted as urgent.

Without asking further, the Eighteenth Floor Master allowed her to enter the Mooring Pavilion.

Remembering how they had parted on such unpleasant terms not long ago, she had no idea whether she ought to adopt a strictly professional tone or her usual one.

In truth, Shu Yu's dilemma was entirely visible to Gu Yi.

And that was precisely where the headache lay. When they were normal, they acted like ordinary people, but one never knew when they would suddenly become abnormal.

Right now, however, she looked slightly more normal.

"What is it? Is there another matter?" Gu Yi opened his eyes, his tone considerably colder than before.

"It concerns the war between the two armies."

Gu Yi scrambled to his feet, though a dull ache still lingered in his chest. He deliberately let his expression show the pain, wanting Shu Yu to see it—look here, this is what I got for helping you.

Yet Gu Yi held no hope that these people would utter an apology. It was already decent enough that, despite their unpleasant fallout, she still remembered their agreement and had come to brief him on the war situation.

"Is there some development?" Gu Yi primarily cared about the people he knew.

"The Desisive Victory Pass has fallen."

"What? Even the Desisive Victory Pass has fallen?" It wasn't that he doubted it, but rather that he had rarely entertained such a possibility. "The Desisive Victory Pass is an extremely narrow mountain pass, easy to defend and difficult to attack. How could it fall in such a short time?"

If that was the case, the fighting must have been unimaginably brutal.

Shu Yu omitted the gritty details. "The Palace Master remembers the one named Shule who came with you previously. She perished in this conflict. The Palace Master bade me ask you whether you still wish to leave?"

A sudden surge of furious anger erupted within Gu Yi. "What kind of idiotic question is that? Is she implying that I should be grateful for finding safety here?!"

"And isn't that true?" Shu Yu countered. "If you had returned with Shu Yu, could you be certain you would have survived?"

"Her strength was no less than mine. I might not have survived, but it would still be vastly better than sitting here every day facing two sour faces like yours!"

Hearing such words caused a pang of hurt in Shu Yu's heart, and a mountain of grievances rushed to the surface. Taking a deep breath, she endured it, trying desperately to hold it back. "Think carefully... and give me your answer anew. The Palace Master expects me to return and report it to her."