Sword Dance Under the Moon

Qingluo was carried by two imperial guards, flying over rooftops to the North Garrison Command.

She lowered her head and followed the people forward, her heart pounding with anxiety—it was said that the Northern Garrison Command was a place where one could enter but never leave. Wasn't her son-in-law the one who broke out of the mansion? How could he have been imprisoned here?

The imperial guards leading the way stopped in front of a door, pushed it open, and stepped aside.

Qingluo stepped over the threshold, looked up, and froze.

The duty room was brightly lit.

The central octagonal table was laden with food and wine—thinly sliced ​​braised beef glistened on a celadon plate; roast chicken torn into pieces, its skin crispy and meat tender; a dish of peanuts; a bowl of braised pork; a steamed sea bass; several delicate stir-fries; and a pot of yellow wine warming on a small copper stove.

There were two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, one of which was being held in the hands of the "criminal" Gu Qingxuan.

He was tearing into a chicken leg, his cheeks bulging, and a small pile of bones had already accumulated in front of him.

Three guards were waiting by the table. One was carrying a teapot; another was holding a folded hot towel; and the third was clearing away the empty dishes and replacing them with a dish of freshly stir-fried bamboo shoots.

The three of them moved very quietly, seemingly even more respectful than the maids who served the young lady at the Marquis's mansion.

Qingluo blinked.

Weren't they said to be criminals? Weren't they said to be accomplices?

Even a last meal before execution wouldn't be this lavish.

Gu Qingxuan heard the door open, looked up, and stopped chewing.

The stains on one side of Qingluo's face were wiped away with a handkerchief, revealing her fair and delicate face underneath. The other side of her face was swollen and bluish-purple, with a dried bloodstain remaining at the corner of her mouth. Against her originally delicate face, it was even more shocking.

He put the chicken bones down, his voice deepening, "Who did this?"

Qingluo lowered her head and said softly, "It's nothing. I'm just happy to see that my son-in-law is safe."

Gu Qingxuan looked at Shen Xiaoxiao who was following behind.

Shen Xiaoxiao said with a hint of helplessness, "It was already like this when I arrived. He Juncheng did it. I rushed as fast as I could, but I could only stop them from continuing their attack. I didn't have time to block the first blow."

After she finished speaking, she added softly, "I'm sorry."

Gu Qingxuan nodded, said nothing more, and beckoned to Qingluo: "Come here."

Qingluo cautiously walked to the table, her gaze sweeping over the dishes and wine, then over the respectfully standing guards beside her, her mind still blank.

She didn't recognize these people, but she recognized the flying fish robes they were wearing. People who wore those robes were treated with utmost respect even by the butler and the lady of the house, yet now they were serving tea and water to her son-in-law...

Gu Qingxuan pointed to the chair beside him: "Sit down and eat. I've already asked Commander Wu to help remove your slave status; you'll be free soon. Do you have somewhere to go?"

Qingluo was bewildered and subconsciously shook her head.

She was sold into the Marquis's mansion when she was young, and she had almost forgotten what her home was like. She only remembered that it seemed to be in Fenzhou, Hedong Province, where there was a large manor. In her memory, her father was a scholar.

When I was five years old, bandits broke into my house and committed massacres.

Her father hid her in the rice jar in the kitchen, then rushed out and never came back.

She squatted in the rice jar all night, and then a fire broke out in the manor. Later, a slave trader picked her up from the ruins, and after changing hands several times, she was sold to the Marquis's mansion for three taels of silver.

She had nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

"Then follow me."

Gu Qingxuan asked, "Are you willing?"

Qingluo raised her head and looked at the person in front of her—it was still the same face, but it was no longer the man with the gloomy eyes and weak breath in the west courtyard. Her intuition told her that this person was not her former son-in-law.

She opened her mouth and whispered, "This servant is willing."

"Stop referring to yourself as a slave."

Gu Qingxuan pushed a bowl of hot soup in front of her: "Let's eat."

Qingluo breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to decline, but seeing that Gu Qingxuan insisted, she picked up the soup bowl and sipped it slowly. The soup was pork rib and radish soup, stewed until thick and rich. One sip warmed her whole body.

She took a few sips, and her eyes suddenly felt a little sore, probably because the soup was too hot.

Shen Xiaoxiao watched quietly from the side, and her impression of this man changed somewhat.

She instructed the guard beside her, "Go and fetch a physician to examine Qingluo's injuries."

The guards responded and left.

She then turned to Gu Qingxuan and tapped the table: "Finish eating, wash up, and change your clothes. How can you go see Her Highness the Princess like this?"

Gu Qingxuan nodded and then picked up another piece of meat for Qingluo: "Eat more. It will help your injuries heal faster."

Qingluo looked at the piece of meat in her bowl, paused for a moment, then nodded gently and began to eat her rice in small bites.

After the meal, the guards cleared away the bowls and plates and set out the tea set again.

Bucket after bucket of hot water was brought in and poured into a wooden tub behind the screen, where steam rose.

Gu Qingxuan took off his tattered clothes, soaked himself in the hot water, leaned back, and closed his eyes to rest.

After washing up, he changed into the new clothes prepared by the Zhenfu Division.

He wore a moon-white robe with dark cloud patterns, a dark green brocade belt around his waist, and a silver-gray cloak over it. The fabric was not luxurious, but the cut was well-fitting, highlighting his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and upright figure.

Qingluo had her face treated with medicine and was waiting with Shen Xiaoxiao in the outer room of the duty room when they heard the curtain rustle. They both turned around at the same time.

Gu Qingxuan lifted the curtain and came out.

Qingluo almost dropped the teacup in her hand.

The person before me—the same eyebrows and features, but with well-proportioned bones and flesh, and radiant skin that glowed faintly under the lamplight. His long hair was loose, half-wet and not yet dry, and his cloak billowed slightly with each step. His gait was unhurried and his demeanor relaxed.

He was no longer the beggar he had been; instead, he resembled a handsome and refined gentleman.

Qingluo blushed instantly and quickly lowered her head to steady her teacup.

Shen Xiaoxiao's gaze lingered on him for a moment, her expression somewhat complicated, before she turned her face away and said in a calm tone, "Let's go. The master just sent word that he wants me to take you to the princess's residence. They're already waiting."

Gu Qingxuan nodded and began to tie his hair. Qingluo quickly walked over and helped him put on the jade crown.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

"Yes. Young Master."

……

The residence of Princess Zhenguo was located on the east side of the imperial city, occupying most of the street, which showed how favored she was.

Looking around, the red walls and green tiles, pavilions and waterside terraces are magnificent.

Wu Dingbang was already waiting at the gate. When he saw the two of them coming, he nodded and said, "You've come at the right time." He didn't explain further and turned to walk inside.

The guards at the gate let them through.

Gu Qingxuan found it strange, but didn't pay it any mind.

Following Wu Dingbang through the many corridors, we walked deeper into the mansion.

After winding their way through several turns, the three arrived at a secluded courtyard.

Ancient trees reach for the sky in the courtyard, bluestone paves the ground, and a clump of Xiangfei bamboo grows in the corner, rustling in the wind.

Two people stood in the courtyard: an old woman holding a carved rattan cane and a young Taoist priest.

The two ignored Wu Dingbang and his party, and looked up at the sky above the rear hall.

Gu Qingxuan wondered what was going on.

Wu Dingbang secretly transmitted his voice: [Don't speak, just watch. Today is the fifteenth of July. I thought you wouldn't make it in time.]

Gu Qingxuan was puzzled. What was wrong with the fifteenth of July?

Shen Xiaoxiao was the first to realize what was happening and immediately sent a telepathic message to Gu Qingxuan: "Her Highness the Eldest Princess is in seclusion most of the year, only emerging on the night of the full moon each month to practice swordsmanship and cultivate using the moon's energy. It's a rare opportunity, so watch closely!"

Gu Qingxuan was still at the acquired level of cultivation and was unable to use the secret transmission technique.

He looked up at the sky and thought to himself that it had already turned cloudy and the dark clouds were blocking out the moon. What was the point of coming out at this time?

I just thought of this.

hissing sound—

A clear, melodious sword cry rang out, and a beam of sword light shot into the sky from the direction of the princess's residence's rear hall!

The sword light was incredibly sharp, slicing through the clouds like a blade cutting through silk!

The sword light shattered the dark clouds, creating a huge gap!

The moonlight poured down like a celestial river, enveloping the entire princess's residence in a silvery glow.

A figure ascended from the rear hall, stepping into the moonlight, his robes fluttering, and walked into the clouds following the moonlight.

Gu Qingxuan finally saw the figure clearly.

He had seen Xie Tinghe's beauty before—spoiled, gorgeous, and with the innate arrogance of a noble lady—but the person before him was a different kind of being.

Jiang Nihuang!

She wore a long, flowing white dress, covered with a silver-gray wide-sleeved gauze robe, with a thin belt around her waist. Her figure was slender and graceful. Her long hair was not styled in a bun, but simply tied back with a silver hairpin. Her face was aloof, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes were like cold stars. She was like a landscape painting using only ink and white.

Her beauty is untouched by worldly concerns, requiring no words or expressions to embellish it. Simply standing there, treading on clouds, draped in moonlight and flanked by the Milky Way, is enough to make everyone forget to breathe.

She danced with her sword in the clouds, her figure graceful and her sword light flowing like frost and snow, drawing moonlight to surround her. The moonlight condensed into strings of fine silver light at the tip of her sword, falling with the force of her sword and sprinkling onto the palace buildings of the princess's mansion, like countless stars being planted into the world by her sword.

"..."

Gu Qingxuan was stunned, and couldn't help but show a look of amazement.

Excellent swordsmanship!

That sword strike was swift, decisive, and without any unnecessary movements.

Like a bolt of lightning splitting the heavens and the earth.

So cool!

It turns out that human power can reach such heights.

He instinctively gripped the hilt of Suihan's sword, secretly vowing: One day I'll go up there and take a look!