Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

"Wu Feng is destroyed?" Shangguan Qian in the dungeon suddenly rushed to the cage. His water chestnut-like nails were extremely inconsistent with the mottled cage.

Gong Shangjiao was out looking for a way to save Gong Yunzheng. After receiving a letter from Gong Yuanzheng, he immediately rushed back to the palace. After finishing the matters at hand, this was the first time he set foot in the dungeon to see Shangguan Qian.

Looking at the thin and haggard woman in front of him who had not been seen for more than ten days, Gong Shangjiao's attitude towards her was relatively calm and affirmative: "Wu Feng is destroyed."

In case she didn't believe him, Gong Shangjiao added, "Except for the Wufeng assassins who were out on missions, all those at headquarters were killed by Sister Yunzheng, including Wufeng's leader Dianzhu."

"I said I'd go with her..." Shangguan Qian, who had already survived the Half Moon Fly in the cell and knew it wasn't poison but a tonic, retreated in despair, her lips pale. "She lied to me. I want to kill Dian Zhu with my own hands to avenge my parents and the entire Gushan Sect!"

When she was emotionally excited, tears fell uncontrollably from the corners of Shangguan Qian's eyes, making her look even more fragile and lovable.

Looking at the scene before him, Gong Shangjiao asked her, "Are you really the only one left in Gushan Sect?"

"Does Gong Huanyu count?" Shangguan Qian asked back.

"I know what you want to say, young master. It's nothing more than that Gushan Sect and Wufeng were once an unbreakable alliance, and when Gushan Sect was in trouble, your palace stood by and watched. You feel sorry for Gushan Sect, and you feel pity for me, who was adopted by Dianzhu after losing my memory and endured humiliation and worked for Wufeng in order to kill Dianzhu."

"The Council of Elders has passed a verdict," Gong Shangjiao said. "You will spend the rest of your life under the surveillance of the palace gates."

"Because you plotted against Gongmen, you collaborated with Gong Huanyu to deliver the true topographical map of the back mountain to the Four Directions Monsters, revealing to them the time my internal energy disappeared. And because you know the topography of Gongmen, you will be sent to a deserted place, where your martial arts will be abolished and you will have to start over. You will spend your entire life alone under the surveillance of Gongmen."

"I just want to live, what's wrong with that?!" Shangguan Qian couldn't help but retort, "If I don't get the antidote for the Half Moon Fly within half a month, the poisonous insects will eat my internal organs and die. Master Jiao knew the truth but didn't tell me, leaving me with no choice but to betray the palace to get the antidote and lure Wu Feng into the palace. Isn't this what you want?"

"To Wu Feng, I am an assassin that can be used, but to you, Master, am I not also a sacrifice for you to deal with Wu Feng?"

"I've given you a chance." Gong Shangjiao looked at her. "Even though I was just pretending to deceive you, as long as you're loyal to the palace and confess to me that you became a sharpshooter out of revenge, with your status as an orphan of the Gushan Sect, no one in the palace will want to kill you, and they'll do their best to help you free yourself from the Half Moon Fly."

"But you didn't. Instead, you told Wufeng all the topographical maps and traps of the mountain behind the palace gate so that you could profit from it."

Seeing Shangguan Qian's silence, Gong Shangjiao continued, "You were the one who stole Brother Yuanzheng's hidden weapon pouch. I'm afraid the poisons of the four hidden weapons inside have all been neutralized. And you were the one who tipped off Sister Yunzheng to have her assassinated."

"Do you know that it wasn't an assassination at all?"

Not an assassination? Shangguan Qian suddenly understood why Jackdaw Qi died so miserably.

Looking at the medicine that Jin Fu brought over to cripple Shangguan Qian's martial arts, Gong Shangjiao left.

When the medicine was brought to her, Shangguan Qian picked it up and drank it.

She knew this was her only chance to survive.

……

"Miss Yun."

When she heard Gong Ziyu's voice again, Yun Weishan was surprised to find that he no longer called her "Ayun Ayun" as before, but called her "Miss Yun" in a steady and polite manner.

Yun Weishan's eyes suddenly turned red: "Young Master?"

Looking at the woman's sad face through the cage, Gong Ziyu wanted to smile at her, but he was so forced that he couldn't even raise the corners of his mouth.

He said: "Wu Feng is destroyed. I came here this time to tell you the result of the palace gate's treatment of you."

"How is the second young lady?" Yun Weishan asked anxiously.

Gong Ziyu was surprised by her question, paused, and replied sadly: "Not good."

A tear streaked down the man's handsome face. Gong Ziyu suppressed the reluctance in his heart and said to Yun Weishan, "The Qingfeng Nine Styles you learned are moves from the Feng Palace in the mountain behind the palace gate."

"A hundred years ago, Feng Gong separated from the palace and founded the Qingfeng Sect. The Qingfeng Nine Styles were gradually lost within the palace."

Yun Weishan asked, "Are you saying that I learned the moves from the mountain behind the palace gate?"

"Yes." Gong Ziyu nodded. "The elders and I have discussed this. Considering your decision to join the palace, you will be arranged to live in the back mountain. You will teach the newly selected Young Master Feng the Nine Styles of Qingfeng. From now on, you will never leave the back mountain again."

Yun Weishan asked Gong Ziyu worriedly, "Where's the young master?"

Gong Ziyu's tears fell like beads, and she fought back a sob. "I've done so many wrong things in the past. I was narrow-minded towards my brothers, I caused discord within the palace because of protecting you, and I betrayed the palace to help you conceal your identity... These were all big mistakes!"

"Now Brother Shangjiao is in charge of external affairs, and the people in the martial arts world only recognize him as the palace guard. Brother Yuanzheng is too busy to spare time, so I can't resign my position as the swordsman."

"But I will never marry again in my life."

"My brother, Gong Huanyu, will spend his entire life in a water dungeon to atone for his past mistakes. He carries the blood of Gong Men Yugong, and his offspring will be brought to my side to be raised and educated by me."

As Yun Weishan's tears continued to fall, Gong Ziyu suppressed his pity and continued, "Also, I have sworn in front of the elders that from today on, unless the palace is in danger of life and death, I will never set foot in the back mountain. Even if I have to go to the back mountain for the palace, I will never meet you. If you break this oath, I will be willing to die by the palace's poison!"

"Miss Yun." Gong Ziyu gave Yun Weishan a broken smile, "This is the last time we meet."

For the rest of our lives, even though we'll be in the same palace, we'll never see each other again.

……

When Yun Weishan was sent to the back mountain by Jin Fan, he met Master Yue.

The handsome man was holding a young child.

Yun Weishan, dressed in white and without any hair ornaments, asked in confusion, "Master Yue, what is this?"

"This is the newly chosen Young Master Yue," Young Master Yue explained calmly, "I once betrayed my clan and no longer consider myself worthy of being Elder Yue's successor. Nor do I wish to succeed Elder Yue as Elder a hundred years later. This child is Elder Yue's newly chosen Young Master Yue, and he has been entrusted to me for my instruction. As a matter of fact, I will never leave the mountain again in this lifetime."

Jin Fan walked out of the back mountain and returned to Yu Palace to report to Gong Ziyu.

"Are you settled?" asked Gong Ziyu while looking at the sky.

"Okay." Jin Fan sighed, "I met Master Yue, and he said he would never leave the back mountain again."

"This is his own choice." Gong Ziyu smiled and said, "I have also made my own choice. From now on, I will also assume my responsibilities and obligations in the palace."

"Protect everyone at the palace gate."