Late autumn’s yellowing maple leaves fluttered through midair, and beneath this dreamlike, breathtaking scenery lay a sharp, chilling murderous intent.
Gu Xici panted lightly, pressing a single hand against the wound at his waist. His face was pale as he clenched his back molars and cursed, “Damn it, which bastard sent you to assassinate your lord?”
“That turtle’s son of Prefect Chen from a few days ago? Or that scoundrel from the Vice Chancellor’s household who loves molesting decent folks?”
The black-clad figure before him gave no reply. A long sword cleaved through the maple leaves, darting out like a venomous serpent as it thrust toward Gu Xici.
His pale lips curved into an arc. Using his very last ounce of strength, Gu Xici did not raise his saber to block; his movements mirrored the assassin’s precisely.
The long sword pierced straight through his chest, and a droplet of blood trickled from the tip protruding through his back, blossoming into speckled crimson flowers across the maple-strewn ground.
Meanwhile, the assassin’s right arm was slashed open with a wound so deep it exposed the bone.
Gu Xici collapsed beside the assassin, overflowing with unresignation as he yanked the jade pendant from the assassin’s waist.
The jade pendant dropped onto the maple-covered earth, emitting a short, muffled thud. The assassin bent down, preparing to pick it up, when he suddenly caught the sound of orderly footsteps approaching from not far away.
With a jerk, he yanked his sword free and kicked Gu Xici toward a nearby spot.
He quickly retrieved the jade pendant and fled using lightweight kung fu, gradually vanishing into the dark night.
Lying on the ground, Gu Xici felt his body’s temperature fading away like a torn rice sack through the gaping wound in his chest.
How truly resentful he felt.
Was it all going to end like this?
He smiled bitterly as his eyelids grew increasingly heavy, closing inch by inch.
“Quickly go call the imperial physician.”
“Gu Xici, wake up…”
“Could the capital’s overlord, Heir Gu, be willing to die in such a cowardly manner?” “Gu Xici, hold on, don’t sleep, don’t…”
Whose voice was that? It sounded so familiar, belonging to someone he seemed determined not to forget even in his subconscious.
He wanted to open his eyes and look closely, but he could only cough up a large mouthful of fresh blood, which splattered onto the maple-carpeted ground.
Had his elder brother sent someone to find him? Or… someone else?
Yet given his personality, that person would likely be overjoyed to see him dead.
But the voice was so familiar; why would anyone call out to him with such a tone?
Could it be?! His arch-enemy, Ye Shu!
Yet… he was nearing death, so why on earth would Ye Shu appear here?
Still… how wonderful it was that at a time like this, he still had him on his mind…
After that, he knew nothing more, save for the sensation of teardrops landing upon his face.
Yet as his arch-enemy, seeing him dead, why would Ye Shu weep? Shouldn’t he feel overjoyed instead?
At last, his consciousness failed to hold out, sinking into boundless, endless darkness.
Warm sunlight spilled across his face, and his thin eyelids could not completely block out the dazzling, blazing sun, causing his eyeballs to roll in discomfort.
Gu Xici sat bolt upright, filled with restless agitation, and shouted indignantly, “Waiter, pull down the curtain! With light this bright, how is your lord supposed to sleep?”
He thought he was still at the tavern, but upon catching sight of the familiar sword hanging beside the bed, Gu Xici finally realized that he seemed to have been reborn.
I’ve been reborn!!
Thinking this, Gu Xici hurriedly sat up and looked around his surroundings. A string of tassels hung by the bed, the canopy was plain and elegant, and a wish-granting round table stood in the center. The doors and windows on all sides were open, letting in a few strands of glaring sunlight, while the desk not far away exuded the fragrance of ink. Turning his head back, he saw the ancient sword adorned with a sword tassel hanging beside the bed.
Though everything looked so familiar, he somehow felt that something was amiss.
He remembered this sword seemed to belong to Ye Shu!
Thus, although this room closely resembled the furnishings of his own bedchamber, this was not his mansion, but rather the residence of his arch-enemy.
The key point was that this sword did not belong to him right now; he only stole it later on when he intentionally went looking for trouble with Ye Shu. For that, his elder brother had given him a severe scolding.
And how did Gu Xici realize this sword wasn’t his? It was quite simple—one could tell from the peony and gold-thread floral pattern on the blade. To his knowledge, throughout the entire royal city, only his arch-enemy Ye Shu’s sword bore such a design; one had to become the Grand Preceptor before they were permitted to wield a sword with this pattern of decorations.
This meant he had now traveled back three years in time, right before he had a dispute with Ye Shu and before he plotted to make trouble for him. Come to think of it, it seemed they had clashed over some matter, and Ye Shu had even accused him of disrupting his mission.
As for what mission it was, he had no idea, and then…
He couldn’t quite remember what happened next; perhaps when he headed back, Ye Shu had come to speak with him, and since he couldn’t win the argument, he had cursed at him—rather harshly at that prompting the enraged Grand Preceptor Ye Shu to strike him unconscious with a single palm strike.
He simply couldn’t fathom it. He had no idea what had happened, nor had he done anything; he had merely encountered the Grand Preceptor standing near the tavern holding a sword and casually asked what he was up to.
Consequently, he had been fiercely berated and inexplicably resented by him.
And then, they had come to blows…
Yet the most pressing matter right now was for him to figure out why that assassin had come to kill him, and as for that jade pendant with the maple leaf imprint, what significance did it truly hold?
As he pondered this, the door was suddenly pushed open. In walked a silver-haired man dressed in a profound black robe embroidered with golden patterns—this person was none other than Ye Shu.
Upon seeing Gu Xici, his eyebrows arched upward, his pale purple eyes harboring disdain, and a morbid smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Seeing Gu Xici turn his head away to ignore him, Ye Shu let out a sneer. “What? Was your brain beaten silly by this Preceptor, Heir Gu?”
Hearing this mockery-laden remark, Gu Xici instinctively wanted to get out of bed and fight him, but recalling Ye Shu’s attitude toward him before his death in the previous life, he forcefully swallowed back his dissatisfaction. Curbing his emotions, he stated, “Ye Shu, I don’t want to argue with you right now, and you don’t need to be so sarcastic either!”
“Hah, sarcastic?” Ye Shu walked up to the bedside, looking down at Gu Xici from above. “Heir Gu, you insist on disrupting my mission, yet you didn’t look like this when you were cursing me out. What’s this? I haven’t even started lecturing you yet, and you already can’t take it?”
Though Gu Xici knew he was in the wrong, he could no longer endure looking up at Ye Shu from the bed, which made him feel as though he were the weak party.
Therefore, he pushed Ye Shu aside, got out of bed, and slipped into the boots resting beside it.
“My attitude that day really wasn’t right, Ye Shu, and I threw the first punch, plus that slap. How about it—you want to hit me back?”
Gu Xici said loudly, turning his face to the side to indicate that if he wanted to hit him, he should strike right here.
That day, he had been on the verge of completing his assassination mission when he was thrown off track by him.
The crucial part was that he refused to admit his mistake.
Observing Gu Xici’s expression and behavior, Ye Shu raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
Hm? Heir Gu had a change of heart? He actually admitted that what happened that day was his fault?
Something was fishy… Could he be afraid I’ll deal with him? Or is he apologizing to me on the surface while plotting to take revenge behind my back?
Ye Shu felt the latter was far more likely.
Gu Xici didn’t strike him as someone reasonable; ever since their conflict last time, he had slapped him across the face. This showed he was nothing more than an unthinking, hot-tempered, pampered young aristocrat, and Ye Shu didn’t care to bicker with him too much.
It was truly baffling just as annoying as in his past life.
Seeing that Ye Shu remained motionless for a long time, Gu Xici grew anxious.
“If you’re going to hit me, hit me! What are you waiting for?!”
At this, Ye Shu sneered, waved his hand, and said with icy detachment, “Hah, hitting you would dirty my hands.”
What?
Gu Xici felt as though he was about to burst with anger.
He wanted to erupt, but the thought of that slap and his previous actions made him realize he was indeed in the wrong.
He couldn’t curse him out, nor could he beat him.
Since he was already in the wrong, letting the insults slide was fine; nothing major should come of it. However, if striking Ye Shu back brought trouble, investigating the truth would become even more difficult.
Under the current circumstances, he lacked Ye Shu’s cleverness, and he had no clue how to go about investigating. He only knew of the jade pendant engraved with a maple leaf imprint carried by that dark-clad assassin. Therefore, picking a fight with him right now was completely pointless, and it was best to avoid further disputes with him altogether.
The crux of the matter was that he still owed him a slap.
“Fine, Ye Shu, I’ll take the loss this time, and I owe you a slap,” Gu Xici said. “If you’re still angry another day, feel free to hit me back whenever you have the time.”
Ye Shu felt a profound sense of oddity within his heart—what kind of game was this Heir Gu playing with him?
Forget it, since he said as much and hadn’t crossed his bottom line, he didn’t wish to bicker with him excessively.
Yet if Heir Gu came looking for trouble with him again someday, he would certainly show no mercy.
With this thought, he disdainfully used a handkerchief to wipe the outer robe where Gu Xici’s hand had brushed against him.
Seeing Ye Shu wiping down his garment, Gu Xici felt utterly speechless. Was he really that filthy?
Noticing that Ye Shu kept silent the entire time, Gu Xici had no choice but to initiate the conversation: “I won’t come looking for trouble with you anymore, Ye… Shu. Then… if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
Ye Shu gave no reply, merely casting a suspicious gaze toward Gu Xici, which tacitly granted him permission to leave.
Once Gu Xici departed, Ye Shu recalled his words and couldn’t help feeling somewhat doubtful.
Had this pampered young lord really turned over a new leaf?
It all felt rather peculiar.
Moreover, some of Gu Xici’s remarks didn’t align with what happened that day. What did he mean by “won’t come looking for trouble with me anymore”? Didn’t I just meet him for the first time and clash with him near the teahouse just last night?
Yet his attitude just now was bizarrely unusual, completely different from the Gu Xici of his past life. If it were his past life, the moment he mocked him, he would have already rushed up to throw punches.
Could it be that Gu Xici knew something?
Could he… also have been reborn? But his behavior didn’t look like someone who had undergone rebirth?
Gu Xici shook his head, dismissing the thought.
He had been probing him all along, yet everything he did mirrored his past life—except for the sudden shift in attitude right before he stepped inside.
As his arch-enemy, recalling the final glimpse he caught of him in his previous life, he never expected it to be him lying on the ground, drenched in blood and breathing his last, his sleeves smeared with dirt and covered in blood while maple leaves littered the ground. Despite loathing Gu Xici, seeing him covered in blood left his emotions tangled and complex.
Never mind. Regardless of whether he was reborn or not, as long as he stopped interfering with his missions in this lifetime, he would likewise try his best not to lay a hand on him—this was already the absolute limit of his tolerance toward Gu Xici.
Gu Xici, I hope you won’t provoke me again.
Inside the room, the color of Ye Shu’s pale purple pupils shifted slightly, transforming into an eerie blood-red hue. Seeming to sense something, he pushed open the window and used lightweight kung fu to travel near an estate.
Meanwhile, Gu Xici, who had hurried all the way back to the General’s Mansion, caught sight of Gu Chen standing by the entrance with an unpleased expression, accompanied by several guards. He felt somewhat guilty; with Gu Chen as his elder brother, since he had pulled such a stunt and his brother had found out, reprimanding him was a certainty.
Yet scolding was fine; if he got a beating, tracking down the truth would become even harder.
Thinking this, he offered Gu Chen an awkward, ingratiating smile and explained, “Brother, I know I was wrong, so… please calm your anger first…”
Hearing Gu Xici’s words, Gu Chen grew even more furious. He grabbed Gu Xici by the arm and pulled him straight into the estate.
Within the courtyard.
Gu Chen began loudly berating Gu Xici, while Gu Xici assumed the posture of a timid quail, daring not talk back as he offered a feeble defense: “Brother, I’ll never dare do it again. Look, I already told Ye Shu as much if not, he can just slap me back!”
Sighing heavily in frustration, Gu Chen patted Gu Xici’s shoulder and spoke with a solemn expression, “Xiao Ci, it’s not that your brother is nagging you. Previously, you could go everywhere eating, drinking, making merry, and causing trouble, and your brother could still shield you to some extent. But this time, you actually went and caused trouble right at the Grand Preceptor’s doorstep, and even traded blows with him. Right now, the entire imperial court is full of criticism condemning you for offending the Grand Preceptor. Furthermore, do you even know his background? How dare you address him directly by his name! If the Grand Preceptor weren’t of such a forgiving temperament, he would have long since thrown you into the dungeon.”
“Is it really that serious?” Gu Xici scratched his head, curling his lips into a devil-may-care expression.
Seeing Gu Xici looking completely unconcerned, Gu Chen was driven nearly to rage, yet he couldn’t bring himself to scold him too harshly, seeing as he was his only blood brother.
With a sigh, Gu Chen looked at Gu Xici and said, “Xiao Ci, you are not to run around stirring up trouble these past two days. Once this storm passes over, I will personally take you to pay a visit and apologize to the Grand Preceptor.”
“No, Brother, I”
Gu Xici tried to say more, but Gu Chen cut him off with a stern rebuke.
“Shut your mouth and stop bringing trouble upon yourself. Stay obediently inside the mansion these next few days. I have matters to attend to and must leave. That’s final.”
With those words, Gu Chen swept his sleeves and strode away.
Gu Xici readied himself to chase after him and pushed open the door, only to be informed by the guards stationed outside that he was barred from leaving the premises.
Instantly deflated like a punctured ball, he slammed the main door shut with a loud bang.
Returning to the courtyard, Gu Xici sat down at the stone table and began pulling up weeds from the garden. With every weed he plucked, he cursed Ye Shu: “Damn Ye Shu, odious Ye Shu—aren’t you just the Grand Preceptor? Putting the blame on me for no reason, what’s so great about that…”
Just as Gu Xici was in the middle of his tirade, he raised his head and caught sight of a familiar figure gliding across the rooftop. Clad in a dark-robed outfit with long silver hair, and carrying that very same sword—was it not Ye Shu? He seemed to sense someone gazing at him, turning his head slightly to fix his gaze upon Gu Xici.
Gu Xici felt a twinge of guilt under that stare and averted his eyes.
Why… would he be here? Could it be… As Gu Xici muttered inwardly, he accidentally caught sight of the jade pendant engraved with a maple leaf imprint peeking slightly from the hem of Ye Shu’s robe.
Gu Xici’s pupils dilated in shock, finding it almost unbelievable that this jade pendant had appeared on him.
Why… why would that jade pendant turn up on his person?
What connection did he share with that black-clad assassin? No, he had to figure out a way; perhaps this was tied to his own death…
Gu Xici originally intended to keep watching, but discovered that Ye Shu had already walked far away. Consequently, he returned to his bedchamber to brainstorm a plan.
Little did he know, every single move he made had been observed by Ye Shu. With a solemn expression, Ye Shu watched Gu Xici’s retreating figure, seemingly deep in thought as he tucked the jade pendant back into his chest, muttering to himself:
“Could it be… Gu Xici also knows about this jade pendant? This is going to be troublesome.”