Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

Hearing this, Gong Huanyu sat up.

The dark black hair was disheveled, hiding the young man's resolute face, adding a bit of forbearance and paranoia.

"Sister Yunzheng." Gong Huanyu looked calmly at Gong Yunzheng standing across from him, straightening his sitting posture before saying, "I thought I wouldn't see you again before the decisive battle with Wufeng."

Gong Yunzheng's voice was calm: "How did Brother Huanyu know that we were going to go to war with Wufeng?"

Gong Huanyu sighed: "Don't you already know everything? If you hadn't figured it all out, I'm afraid you wouldn't appear in front of me."

"Brother Huanyu is too dangerous, and I'm afraid no one in the palace can be your opponent right now. If I show up in front of you earlier, you will either kill me to silence me, or I will expose you and cause the palace to suffer a heavy blow before the decisive battle with Wufeng."

"You're quite smart."

"I just feel sorry for you."

"Pity me?" Gong Huanyu found it funny.

"It's pitiful that you were blinded by hatred and even cooperated with the Wufeng assassin for this." Gong Yunzheng revealed Gong Huanyu's source of information: "Zi Yu and the others would never tell you that Wufeng would attack the palace gate. The only one who might have told you was Shangguan Qian, an orphan of the Gushan Sect and a Wufeng assassin from the same sect as your mother."

"Orphan." Gong Huanyu's lips curled up, as if he was about to laugh, but his expression was stiff and ironic. "That's a good word. Sister Yunzheng, have you forgotten that my mother is the daughter of the former leader of the Gushan Sect? I'm also a descendant of the Gushan Sect."

"I haven't forgotten." Gong Yunzheng's voice was gentle: "Just like Brother Huanyu, I will never forget the revenge for the murder of my father and mother, even until I die."

Gong Huanyu raised her eyes, her heart surging with the mention of hatred. "Then you shouldn't have come here. You knew I wanted to use the Infinite Flowing Fire to destroy Wufeng, to avenge myself, you, my brother Yuanzheng, and Gong Shangjiao's parents, and to eliminate the hidden dangers for the entire palace. You shouldn't have stopped me."

"Everyone in the palace has a responsibility to avenge Wufeng, and they should do so." Gong Yunzheng's face turned cold. "But you, the traitorous patricide, impersonated Wufeng and manipulated Ming Wuji to kill Elder Yue. You pitted your younger brother Ziyu against his older brother Shangjiao, weakening the palace's power and turning your own blade against your own brothers. Without even harming the enemy, over half of your family has already been killed or injured. Is this your way of revenge?"

"Women's kindness." Gong Huanyu stood up, looking at his hands stained with his adoptive father's blood. "I used to have peaceful methods. You know what? I've been working hard on my skills, both moral and demeanor. I have a gentle temper, I'm not impatient, I know how to manage my subordinates, and I've been a qualified young master in every way, so that when I take the position of wielding the blade, I can unleash the infinite flowing fire to extinguish Wufeng."

"But I discovered that there is a Council of Elders above the Blade. Even if I take the Blade's position, I still can't complete my plan of revenge against Wufeng."

"And my position as Young Master isn't secure either. Old Zhiren is being demanding of me, believing I'm incompetent! Gong Shangjiao is pressing me from behind, constantly trying to replace me! They've forced me to this point!"

"In the entire palace, it seems that I am the only one who remembers revenge!"

"In the bloody battle ten years ago when Wu Feng sneaked into the palace, it was my parents who died in Yu Gong. Gong Hongyu survived, as did his wife and son. That's why he didn't seek revenge, but spent his days hiding in this secluded corner, guarding a peace that might disappear at any moment." Gong Huanyu's eyes were red when she spoke of this. "Although no one in Shang Gong died, Gong Liushang was left crippled, not to mention Gong Zishang, who only knew how to chase after the guards all day. Jiao Gong and Gong Shangjiao endured it silently, always keeping an eye on the position of my young master. Sister Zheng Gong Yunzheng, you have strategies but a body that could die at any time. Gong Yuanzheng only knew how to follow behind Gong Shangjiao and do his bidding!"

"The three elders, Hua Xueyue, sit firmly on their high platform, looking down on us like ants, unable to see our pain and hatred."

"Afterwards, the Gushan Sect was wiped out, and the palace stood by and watched. I even lost my maternal grandfather's entire family." Gong Huanyu questioned Gong Yunzheng, "As a son and a grandchild, as long as I have any filial piety left in me, how can I not feel resentment?"

"What's even more hateful is that Gong Hongyu helped Ming Wuji conceal her identity as the Wufeng Assassin, allowing her to live comfortably within the palace gates... My enemy is right before my eyes, yet I can't show even a trace of hatred. Every time I call her aunt, my parents in heaven will scold me for being unfilial!"

"How can we use a palace gate like this?"

Gong Huanyu closed his eyes, suppressing the resentment in his heart. His tone gradually calmed down, "It will all be over soon. I will destroy Wufeng and atone for my sins with my own death."

"Sister Yunzheng." Gong Huanyu looked at Gong Yunzheng. "Initially, I exchanged your Heart-Protecting Pills to kill you because you were too clever. I was afraid my plan would be exposed and all my efforts would be wasted. Later, I realized that even if you knew, you didn't tell anyone about my plan. Why?"

After understanding Gong Huanyu's inner thoughts and hearing his resentment and hatred firsthand, Gong Yunzheng revealed his plan: "I want to train Ziyu and let him realize for himself what kind of person Brother Shangjiao is."

"At the same time, I also want to attract Wufeng to attack the palace gate, so as to find Wufeng's leader."

"Like Brother Huanyu, I also have my own goals."

Gong Huanyu's eyes flickered as he said, "Oh." "For a stubborn person like Zi Yu, no matter how many good things you say about Gong Shangjiao, it's useless. He only believes what he sees with his own eyes. For the unity of the palace, it seems that you have really put a lot of effort into it."

"Unfortunately, Zi Yu was ultimately unable to join forces with Gong Shangjiao as you wished, and Wu Feng will also attack the palace gates at daybreak."

"All your efforts were in vain, simply because you were too soft on your own people. Those who achieve great things are not bothered by small details. You have been defeated, so leave the task of eliminating Wu Feng to me."

"You are able to take action to eliminate Wu Fengci just like me. This lets me know that there are still people in the palace who remember our hatred. That's enough."

"This is what I want to tell you." Gong Yunzheng's face was gentle, but his eyes were cold. "You speak of righteousness, but in reality, you are full of mean deeds. You killed your father, attempted to kill your sister, betrayed your clan, and even chose to join forces with the Wufeng assassins at all costs. Brother Huanyu, you don't deserve to die to avenge the Gongmen."

"ridiculous."

Gong Huanyu's expression was stern: "How are you going to stop me?"

Gong Yunzheng raised his hand, and suddenly a powerful internal force erupted. "Since you have completely lost your martial arts skills in front of everyone, then remain like this and await the judgment of the palace gates."

The two men exchanged blows, and after just one move, Gong Huanyu fell to the ground, holding his chest and spitting out blood.

"You've been pretending that you can't... That's not right!" He ignored the pain in his internal organs and half-raised himself. Suddenly, he understood: "Are you planning to sacrifice yourself?"

Gong Yunzheng looked at Gong Huanyu with a hint of pity in his eyes. "Brother, all methods are invented by humans. Even if you want revenge, no matter how deep your tolerance is, no matter how much suffering you have endured, even if you feel surrounded by wolves, you should not doubt that your brothers have bad intentions towards you. You should not stab your own family for revenge."

"I know you want to take advantage of the fight between Wu Feng and Gong Men to get the Infinite Flowing Fire, but since I'm here, you don't need to."

"After today, Wufeng will be destroyed. You should also kowtow before the tablet of Old Zhiren, admit your mistakes, accept the judgment of your family, and spend your life atonement for your sins."

There was still some time before dawn, so Gong Yunzheng picked up a pen and wrote down the sins committed by Gong Huanyu, then pressed it on the table with a candlestick and put it away.

When it was almost dawn, Gong Yunzheng knocked Jin Fan unconscious. Qinglan, who had placed smoke in Gong Zishang's room, carried the two of them to the secret passage at the palace gate.

Gong Yunzheng returned to Zheng Palace, changed into white mourning clothes, lit incense and candles, held three incense sticks in his hands, knelt on the ground and bowed solemnly three times to his parents' tablets, then stood up and offered the incense.

"Father and mother are watching from heaven."

"My daughter will avenge you today."