Clouds and Moon Shadow

After packing her luggage, Gu Qingyue was just waiting to set off for Liquan County early the next morning.

As night fell, lanterns twinkled on the streets. Gu Qingyue looked around at the shops along the road, strolling along while thinking about a rumor about the royal family that she had heard at the teahouse that afternoon.

It is said that the current emperor favors Consort Liu, including the fifth prince born to her, and tries his best to suppress the second and seventh princes born to the late empress. It is said that half a year ago, the second prince was tricked and lost a leg, thus losing his chance to ascend the throne. As for the seventh prince, he was exiled to the army as a lowly soldier in the year the empress died because he offended the emperor. His fate is unknown. It is truly pitiful and lamentable.

At that moment, Gu Qingyue was shocked, not only because of the pitiful experiences of the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince, but also because she personally understood that even princes in this era did not have an easy life. Palace intrigue and the struggle for the throne were things she had only seen in books and on television in her previous life, but in reality, they were so tragic.

Gu Qingyue was lost in thought when she slowly walked to the entrance of an alley. Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from the air, startling her from her reverie. She immediately darted to the wall and a silver light flashed before her eyes. Then, a black figure darted out of the alley and flew past her.

Although the speed was extremely fast, Gu Qingyue still managed to see the somewhat familiar features of the man in black by the light of the street lamps.

It's him! The handsome young man in black!

Before I could look any further, I heard a flurry of footsteps coming from the alley.

"Hurry and chase! You missed again!" A man's gloomy and urgent voice came from behind.

Gu Qingyue turned around and saw seven or eight dark figures running out from the depths of the alley. Reflexively, Gu Qingyue raised her leg, and the leader of the group of men in black in front of her was sent flying backward, crashing into the men in black behind her and knocking them all down.

"Tsk tsk, my amazing whirlwind kick!" Gu Qingyue patted her thigh and gave herself a mental thumbs up.

"Ah-------, who is it?" Several men in black jumped up, raised their knives, and charged towards where Gu Qingyue was standing.

But upon closer inspection, there was no one there.

At this moment, Gu Qingyue, wielding the 'Whirlwind Kick,' stood firmly in front of the boy from before.

"How come it's you?!" The boy raised an eyebrow at the thin figure in front of him. What a coincidence!

Gu Qingyue was initially unhappy about being dragged over, but upon closer inspection, wow! A handsome young man!

"Why are you being chased again? Is the whole world your enemy?" Gu Qingyue blurted out, looking at the young and handsome face under the moonlight.

A slight smile played on the boy's lips, and his voice was clear: "Yes, there are enemies everywhere."

"So tragic?" Gu Qingyue frowned and sighed like a little adult.

"Are you alright?" Gu Qingyue looked you up and down.

Suddenly remembering that she had been so captivated by the boy's looks that she hadn't had a chance to ask his name, Gu Qingyue immediately raised her bright eyes and asked, "May I ask your name?"

The boy raised an eyebrow in surprise. He carefully examined Gu Qingyue in front of him. Compared to the last time in the woodshed, she was like a completely different person. However, her facial features had not changed. She was the same little boy who had saved him, especially her phoenix eyes, which he still remembered.

He paused, then said, "Mu Xiaoqi."

"Good name," Gu Qingyue said, about to introduce herself, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Master, they've retreated. It seems we won't be able to make it tonight," came a familiar voice. Gu Qingyue thought of that carefree young man.

"Go," the word was concise and to the point. In a flash, the handsome young man was gone.

Gu Qingyue couldn't bring herself to say the words she was about to utter. Oh well, it was just a chance encounter.

She recalled how she had just kicked down a group of people, intending to wreak havoc, but a hand immediately reached out from behind her, grabbed her by the collar, and dragged her to this place. She was startled for a moment, and when she turned around, she saw that the handsome young man had returned.

He probably realized it was him just now!

Hehe, the handsome young man still remembers himself.

"Mu Xiaoqi," Gu Qingyue chewed on the name repeatedly before turning around and walking back happily.

Behind a large tree not far behind her, two dark figures stood still, watching her figure walk further and further away.

"He must have just happened to be passing by and wasn't with those people," but tonight's attempt to lure them out won't work.

Mu Xiaoqi frowned: "What a coincidence." She paused, then added, "Mu Nan, go check it out."

Unbeknownst to Gu Qingyue, who had walked away, this chance encounter had aroused suspicion in the handsome young man, Mu Yun Chu.

The next day at daybreak, after a hearty meal and drinks, Gu Qingyue shouldered her small bundle and left the inn with high spirits.

Touching the money pouch, silver needle pouch, and some sleeping pill pouches she had made for self-defense, Gu Qingyue was full of confidence for the road ahead.

Starting from the small town, under the rising sun, Gu Qingyue walked briskly out of Rhino Town. She had already inquired with the innkeeper and learned that it would probably take three or four days to reach Liquan County, or a little over a day if she rode a horse. Unfortunately, she didn't have that option.

Therefore, Gu Qingyue wasn't in a hurry. After all, she had already been nine years late in finding her relatives, so she didn't care about a little longer.

We strolled leisurely along, stopping here and there, and happened to come across a tea shop around noon. It was crowded with people, and even a casual walk in the sweltering summer heat made us sweat profusely. Coupled with the fact that the southwest region is inherently humid and hot, it was quite an unpleasant experience.

Seeing that there was only one empty seat left, Gu Qingyue quickly ran over and occupied it.

"Grandpa, give me a pot of tea and two steamed buns." Gu Qingyue plopped down, feeling the breeze blowing under the tree. She stretched comfortably and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

After gulping down a cup of tea, Gu Qingyue immediately felt refreshed.

Looking down at his body, he realized that it was still too small and not strong enough. After walking for half a day, his legs couldn't take it anymore.

She clenched her small hands, which were much stronger than when she first arrived, but still far weaker than in her previous life.

Unfortunately, my mental strength is still too weak. Even a little bit of healing energy will cause me to feel dizzy and lightheaded due to mental exhaustion.

Looking at the jade buckle mark on her wrist, she remembered that when her grandfather gave her this phoenix jade buckle, he said that if she could make the phoenix jade buckle recognize her as its owner and fully master its healing ability, she could even become so sharp-eyed and perceptive that she could know everything about people and things within a hundred meters.

As for what level one needs to reach to fully master healing abilities, the grandfather said that it was a saying passed down from generation to generation of ancestors, and no one had ever tried it.

Because until his generation, no one had been able to make the jade buckle recognize its owner and understand its secrets. There was even a legend that if one was destined, the jade buckle could open up a space.

In her previous life, when she first obtained the jade buckle, she took her grandfather's words as a funny story. How could something so beyond the scope of scientific theory exist?

However, by sheer coincidence, her blood accidentally dripped onto the jade buckle in her previous life, which truly unlocked her healing abilities. But by the time she died, she had not been able to fully grasp the wonders of the healing abilities her grandfather had described, nor had she been able to open up a spatial dimension. It was a regrettable situation.

Thinking of this, Gu Qingyue sighed softly.

In her previous life, it was because she activated her healing abilities that she became sharp-witted and had exceptional hearing, which led to her being chosen by the organization to become a special agent.

While resting, Gu Qingyue secretly used her healing powers to nourish her body until the fatigue in her legs gradually subsided.

But this also caused her to feel dizzy again.

Suddenly, I remembered that my grandfather had told me before he passed away that the best way to strengthen my mental strength and make better use of healing energy was to cultivate internal energy. Internal energy could increase the duration of mental strength and make my superpowers more powerful. But in my previous life, who knew internal energy?