Chapter 662: Beiyue, there’s hope (2/2)

Outside, Uncle Gao nearly led the carriage to the wrong path at the words. His masters might be all talk and no action, but it sounded like His Highness Duke of Qin had lost this round. But after all that chatting, there were still business matters to attend to.

“The Chu Clan’s fate rests in Chu Tianyin’s hands. Whether or not he lives is up to him,” Long Feiye said coldly. Chu Tianyin was in a terrible plight right now. He not only had to face Emperor Kangcheng and Duanmu Yao’s hatred, but also Ning Cheng’s suspicion and Long Feiye’s test. If he wanted to kill a living path out of these three forces, he would have to make a choice. In the end, it all depended on what he kept and what he would throw away.

Long Feiye was quite anticipating Chu Tianyin’s performance. After all, Chu Tianyin was the one who started the chaos in Tianning. Most likely he’d move within the next few days.

Han Yunxi suddenly asked, “Long Feiye, why would Chu Tianyin think of contacting you?”

Although no allies nor enemies lasted forever, Chu Tianyin didn’t have to find Long Feiye when he wasn’t on his last resort! Long Feiye was halfway responsible for the Chu Clan’s current straits.

“Because no one besides your lordship can help him.” Even though it was Gu Beiyue who connected the two men, Long Feiye was still speaking the truth.

A few days later, Han Yunxi and Long Feiye arrived at their estate in Yaoshui. As soon as they got off the carriage, Chu Xifeng came to report. “Your Highness, esteemed wangfei, Chu Tianyin’s admit it!”

“He admitted his guilt on his own?” Long Feiye didn’t understand.

“More or less. He admitted that he was the one to kill Empress Xue and threatened Western Zhou to cross his Chu Clan troops first if they want to send soldiers to Fenglin!” Chu Xifeng replied.

“Now what kind of tune is he singing?” Han Yunxi was perplexed. If she didn’t know Chu Tianyin was already planning to defect to Long Feiye’s side, she might have thought he was a loyal ally to Ning Cheng after that challenge. Ning Cheng hadn’t even blamed the man before he accepted the guilt himself.

“Interesting…just wait,” Long Feiye said with amusement.

After entering the courtyard and eating a bit, Han Yunxi hurried to wash up and sleep. Long Feiye naturally went to visit Gu Beiyue.

“Did you give Chu Tianyin the idea?” he asked the man.

Gu Beiyue shook his head. “If he can’t even solve a problem like this, then Your Highness has no need to keep him.”

This was the answer Long Feiye was looking for. He sat down and poured himself tea while Gu Beiyue smiled. “Your Highness Duke of Qin, is there anything else you want to discuss?”

Long Feiye wouldn’t sit down without reason. Every time he left as soon as he finished speaking, not wasting a word.

“Your dantian was ruined, so how did you reject your lordship’s true qi by force?” Long Feiye had wanted to ask this question for ages, but finally got a chance today.

“This one has been pondering this question recently, too. Unfortunately…” Gu Beiyue sighed and only said, “A doctor can’t treat himself. Ah, well.”

“Hand,” Long Feiye said coldly.

Gu Beiyue was slightly surprised, but quickly offered his hand. He never expected Long Feiye to take his pulse a second time. Long Feiye spent a long time testing his pulse but didn’t get any results. Still, he held onto Gu Beiyue’s hand until their palms were touching, and channeled another sliver of true qi into the man’s body.

Soon enough, the true qi was bounced back again. If Long Feiye hadn’t been sitting firmly in his seat, he might have been rebounded straight out the door. Gu Beiyue hadn’t felt what happened last time, but this time he shut his eyes and carefully analyzed the rejection process of his dantian.

Long Feiye simply waited while drinking his tea. Gu Beiyue seemed to have discovered something, because he tried circulating his qi. It was smooth going at first, but soon enough he spat up a mouthful of blood and turned pale.

“What’s the situation?” Long Feiye asked coldly.

Gu Beiyue stared at him for a long time before he said seriously, “This one’s dantian might still have hope.”

“What do you mean?” Long Feiye was surprised.

When Gu Beiyue was first injured, his dantian had been choked with blood from the grievous wound, thus destroying all of his internal energy. But now that didn’t seem to be the case. Instead of being choked up with blood, his dantian seem more stuffed up with qi instead. Both situations could cause a serious injury to the dantian, but the consequences differed.

“It’s possible that true qi has blocked the dantian, thus making it hard to circulate energy and use martial arts,” Gu Beiyue said.

As a pro in the field, Long Feiye understood what he meant with one sentence. Gu Beiyue’s true qi and inner energy might still have traces existing. But because true qi was congesting his dantian, he couldn’t use any of his skills. If his true qi could be allowed to circulate freely, then his dantian might recover, and his inner energy with it.

“So the congested qi was responsible for rejecting your lordship’s true qi?” Long Feiye asked.

“Very possible,” Gu Beiyue’s eyes danced with joy. It was already a blessing that he could stand. If he could recover his martial arts skills as well and the shadow arts with it, then it would be a blessing among blessings.

Don’t cry over the losses, but be grateful for the gains!

Long Feiye’s gaze turned complicated. “How certain are you of recovering?”

Dissolving congested blood was no matter to Gu Beiyue, since in that case he’d only lose his true qi and martial arts without affecting much else. But dissolving a qi congestion around his intact true qi and internal energy was like unclogging a pressure valve. Once the qi started circulating freely again, the true qi could be used to nurture his dantian and slowly recovering his internal energy. Controlling the circulation shouldn’t be a challenge for Gu Beiyue, right?

But he didn’t answer Long Feiye’s question, choosing instead to ask with a smile, “If this one recovers, will Your Highness still be at ease with me?”

1. tsundere (傲娇) – aojiao, to present as unfriendly and blunt, but warm and tender inside. A loanword from the actual Japanese translated into Chinese–and now English.