The Word of Heaven

Chapter 269 Nightmare
“None of them are credible.”

"why?"

"Brothers and sisters respect each other, but husbands and wives lack each other."

"That makes sense. After all, there's a big age gap between you and me. If we were brother and sister, it would be hard for me to accept that I'd suddenly aged over a hundred years. If we were husband and wife... that would be even weirder."

Lin Wanyi sighed, but her eyes did not dim, they were still bright.

There was no sign of discouragement or disappointment in her voice, and she changed the subject naturally: "Do you know why I insisted on taking the official road?"

Gu Zhuo asked: "Hmm?"

Lin Wanyi raised her eyebrows slightly and said proudly, "Because I have prepared the pass many days ago, just for this moment, and I have a view on escaping."

Gu Zhuo was a little surprised and said, "You shouldn't have had such an experience, why do you have an opinion?"

Seeing that he was finally curious, Lin Wanyi coughed to clear his throat and said seriously, "I'll tell you later."

Gu Zhuo was puzzled and asked, "Why?"

Lin Wanyi said confidently: "If my opinion is wrong, then I'm telling you now. Wouldn't it be embarrassing then?"

Gu Zhuo was silent for a while, looked at her with complicated eyes, and said, "What if your opinion costs me my life in the end?"

"I have considered this."

"Then?"

"My conclusion is that I don't have to worry about whether you live or die."

"why?"

Lin Wanyi said without thinking: "Because I will definitely die before you. Since I'm going to die anyway, why should I consider you?"

Gu Zhuo thought that this sentence was too powerful, but wasn’t this the Lin Wanyi he knew?
Lin Wanyi looked at him and said, "Of course you can disagree."

Gu Zhuo said, "Let's talk about it later."

Lin Wanyi's eyes lit up slightly, and she said, "Then I'll take this as your temporary consent."

As they talked, the carriage kept moving forward.

The wheels were still turning normally, rolling over the old bluestone slabs that had never been broken, making a clicking sound, and were about to drive into the town called Yunlai, to be strictly searched by the soldiers guarding the city.

The night brought a deathly silence, making the subtle movements caused by the Qin soldiers' search and the deliberately suppressed voices particularly clear, mixed with a lot of mockery and unconcealable pride.

Mockery is a choice of words and deeds, while pride is a reflection of the heart.

Almost all the pedestrians who enter Yunlai Town through this official road tonight are stray dogs who were defeated by His Majesty the Emperor in broad daylight and had to flee the capital. How can they be looked at with respect and without ridicule by the soldiers?

Thinking of the Emperor's wisdom and bravery, how could they, who were loyal to the court, not feel proud of him?
If it weren't for the decree announced to the world in the evening, which showed His Majesty's attitude of not punishing the people for the time being and let the focus of the matter fall on the returning Demon Lord, how could these stray dogs have a chance to survive?

This feeling of honor was so real, even had a sense of showing off one's edge, that the people entering the city were unconsciously shocked and remained silent in front of these ordinary Qin soldiers, in order to express their submission to the Emperor.

With this thought in mind, a soldier reached out, lifted the curtain of the carriage, and looked inside.

What caught his eye was a young boy and girl. Compared with the calm-looking boy, the girl was undoubtedly more eye-catching.

The girl sat upright in the middle of the carriage, her clear eyes illuminated by the lights, her spirits high and there was no trace of dejection on her face.

In fact, her face was not overly beautiful, but rather she had a kind of grace and elegance that made people unconsciously impressed.

The soldier was stunned for a moment, then saw the pass being handed over. After a strict inspection, he still couldn't find any problems.

The soldier routinely asked, "What are you doing in Yunji Town?"

Lin Wanyi replied: "To eliminate demons and defend the Way."

The soldier looked the girl up and down and asked, "Realm."

Lin Wanyi said calmly: "Dong Zhen."

Hearing this, the soldier frowned, thinking that this was indeed another wild idea. He really didn't know whether he would be a demon slayer or something else.

But he had already seen many people like this today, so he was too lazy to say more and his eyes fell on Gu Zhuo.

"This is a master." Lin Wanyi's voice sounded.

The soldier was stunned for a moment and asked, "Master?"

Lin Wanyi said as a matter of course: "Otherwise, why would I dare to go on this road?"

Having said that, she pointed at the word "Song" on the road sign and said unhappily, "Haven't you heard about the bloody incident that happened on the long street of Shendu a few years ago?"

"Humph."

Lin Wanyi raised his head slightly and said coldly: "My family has an irreconcilable feud with him. We cannot coexist with each other. I want to see him dead or alive. I can do anything for this!"

Gu Zhuo couldn't help but look at her.

The soldier was frightened by the momentum of the words and no longer had any doubts. He just thought that this was truly the style of the Qin people. He gave her a thumbs up and waved his hand to let the carriage pass.

The curtain fell again.

There was silence in the carriage.

Lin Wanyi turned her head, blinked at Gu Zhuo, and asked, "Am I awesome?"

"This guide is indeed well prepared, and the questions are answered very well..."

Gu Zhuo looked at her and asked, "But there is one thing I don't understand. What does it mean to want to see the body of the deceased or the corpse of the living?"

Lin Wanyi suddenly fell silent.

Gu Zhuo thought, could it be that you were so nervous that you said the wrong thing?
Lin Wanyi remained calm and said calmly: "Is there anything difficult to understand in this sentence? It means that if you die, you have to come back to life to be killed by me once. If you come back to life, I will kill you with my own hands."

Gu Zhuo asked: "So this is also the line you prepared in advance?"

Lin Wanyi smiled and said, "I prefer to call this a gift of talent."

Gu Zhuo stopped talking.

"Okay, that's not what I wanted to tell you."

Lin Wanyi put away her smile, pointed at her own face and said, "Am I good-looking?"

Gu Zhuo looked at her, sized her up very carefully, shook his head and said, "Pretty, but not as pretty as before."

"Yes."

Lin Wanyi was very satisfied with this answer and said, "Because I put makeup on myself."

Gu Zhuo thought to himself, is it something to be happy about drawing himself ugly?

Lin Wanyi looked at him and said, "Although I still can't master your technique, my makeup can temporarily make up for it."

After hearing these words, Gu Zhuo remembered that when he was sitting in the corner in a daze, the girl really did a lot of things beside him.

That was far more serious than he had ever seen.

Lin Wanyi's voice continued to sound.

The conversation was all about the next plans and itinerary.

"We have no reason to stay in Yunlai Town, so we must set off overnight. I prefer the water route rather than the land route."

"As long as the people in the Sky Patrol are not idiots, they will definitely be able to find our whereabouts. It's just a matter of time."

"Before the incident, we had to leave the ship in advance and then head towards the East China Sea because Changle Temple is over there."

"The nunnery abbess will definitely not live long. It is only a matter of time before she passes away. Otherwise, Your Majesty would not have let her go by then."

"Master told me that the abbot personally went to ask Yishui Taishang for help. No matter what happens afterwards, Changle Temple has to recognize this favor, so what we have to do is to get this favor back before the abbot dies..."

When Lin Wanyi said this, she suddenly felt guilty and asked, "Does this mean that you are going to wipe out the whole family?"

Gu Zhuo thought for a moment and said comfortingly, "At least there is no big buffet in your plan."

Lin Wanyi sighed: "Your words sound more like adding insult to injury."

The girl was too lazy to pay attention to him and lifted the curtain to look outside.

At some point, snow started falling at night.

The snow was falling normally, without any sign of heavy snowfall, and it was as quiet as the embers that had not fallen on a grave.

Lin Wanyi stretched out her hand towards the window and caught the ash-like snow in her palm, feeling the coldness coming from it, and her mind gradually calmed down.

She knew very well that the road ahead would be extremely difficult and various accidents would follow one after another. It would no longer be as pleasant as when she and he first traveled to the capital of gods.

Precisely because she knew that this was bound to be the case, and she didn't know what Gu Zhuo was thinking, she wanted to live a bright life.

Whether it's appearance or mood.

Only by living without depression can you have the possibility of truly living.

This is the belief that Lin Wanyi has held to this day. Thinking of this, the girl withdrew her slightly cold hands and blew a breath of warm air on the snow left in her palm lines.

The chill was dispelled, bringing real warmth, but it was not enough.

"I'd like to find an opportunity to drink later."

Lin Wanyi said softly, turned around to look at Gu Zhuo, and added four words: "With you."

……

……

The capital of gods, the imperial city.

The lights in the imperial study were exceptionally bright, with countless court officials coming and going.

Along with the sound of busy footsteps, various decrees were brought to the people. They were about the specific resettlement plans for the disaster victims and how to treat those from the sects and families who were left behind in the Divine Capital.

In contrast, occasionally a goshawk would come from far away, bringing military reports from the other two Qin generals - a dozen aristocratic families represented by the Wan family in Yangzhou City were completely unable to fight back in this sudden attack. Those who should be killed had already been killed, and only the old, weak and sick were left.

"Did anyone from the Lin family survive?"

"It was Lin Qianshui, saved by Chu Jun, Madam."

The queen narrowed her eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "I remember... Wan Yi had a fellow disciple who had a good relationship with Gu Zhuo. His name seemed to be Chen Chi, right?"

The minister standing in the imperial study at this moment had successfully extended his hand to the Astronomical Survey Department during last year's turmoil, and therefore inevitably had to shoulder due responsibilities.

The minister remembered the name Chen Chi, because it was he who decided to repatriate the disciples of the sects who were working in the Sky Patrol Department, and spread rumors in the world, making the identities of this group of people embarrassing.

"There is such a person. He was in the capital today, but he is nowhere to be found now."

The queen said calmly: "Find this person."

The minister asked respectfully, "Will you use this person to find the Demon Lord?"

The Queen Mother did not answer this question. Thinking about Lin Wanyi who was also missing, she had a rough idea in her mind.

The minister had worked with her for a long time and was already accustomed to some of her quirks. He bowed and turned to leave.

After leaving the imperial study, he met with the deacon of the Astronomical Survey Office in the corridor and gave him a few simple instructions.

"Go find that Chen Chi first, and then no matter what means you use, just let the Demon Lord know one thing... Chen Chi is already in our hands. If he doesn't care, then we'll just torture him to death. His name has the word 'Chi' in it anyway."

The deacon's eyes changed slightly when he heard this, and he tactfully advised: "The Demon Lord doesn't seem like someone who would be moved by this."

"Do you think I don't know?"

The minister said indifferently, "But since the Queen mentioned this name, we have to give an explanation no matter what. Isn't the Sky Patrol responsible for this kind of thing?"

The deacon remained silent.

The minister looked at him with a half-smile and asked curiously, "Could it be that you and Chen Chi have worked together before and have a friendship?"

The deacon knew he could no longer remain silent and said, "I understand."

The minister waved his hand, indicating that they should get to work quickly and not delay any further.

The night wind blew, bringing gusts of chill, making his already bad mood even worse. He just hoped that the Queen would be satisfied with this explanation.

……

……

Lin Wanyi is very busy.

After parking the carriage under the eaves of the dock building, she first asked the boatman and learned that the first merchant ship heading north would leave the port at dawn. She did not hesitate to spend a huge amount of money to reserve two seats for herself and Gu Zhuo.

Then, she bought a lot of snacks at the restaurant and did not return until her hands were full of three layers of food boxes.

The reason why I didn’t buy wine was, of course, because of Gu Zhuoyou.

After completing the preparations, the girl lifted her skirt and carefully shook off the remaining snow on her clothes in front of the carriage, then lifted the curtain and stepped inside.

During this process, she took off her shoes with great care. Her feet wrapped in white socks, illuminated by the dim light, gave off an inexplicable feeling that was worth a closer look.

Gu Zhuo took the food box without looking at it.

He placed all kinds of exquisite food in a safe place, and the fine wine left by Wang Ji splashed in the cup like broken starlight.

The light in Lin Wanyi's eyes seemed to be rippling with it.

"Did Chu Jun tell you?"

"Ok?"

"How did she and I meet?"

"No."

Gu Zhuo picked up his chopsticks, picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, then began to talk about the past.

Perhaps it is because he has experienced too much and there are not many things in the world that can move him, so he cannot become a good storyteller. His words always lack intonation and are only monotonous and objective statements.

Lin Wanyi listened carefully, asked questions from time to time, and then seemed to be thinking about something.

The exquisite food and drinks in the food box gradually disappeared in the process.

I don’t know how long it took, but Gu Zhuo finished the story in a very brief way.

"Very surprised."

Lin Wanyi frowned, looked at him and asked, "Do you know where I'm unexpectedly?"

Gu Zhuo shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Lin Wanyi said with a strange look on her face: "Chu Jun didn't fall in love with you."

Gu Zhuo was speechless, thinking how could you say this so calmly?

Lin Wanyi raised his glass and took a sip of wine, a satisfied sigh flowed from his lips, and he said: "But this just proves that my opinion of her is correct."

Gu Zhuo was a little curious and asked, "Hmm?"

Lin Wanyi objectively commented: "Chu Jun is good at everything. Her talent is not inferior to mine, and her looks are equally beautiful as mine, but her vision is really not that good, even a little bad."

Gu Zhuo had to agree.

Then he changed the subject and said, "This is less and less like an escape."

Lin Wanyi said: "But this is the escape I want."

Gu Zhuo asked silently with his eyes.

Lin Wanyi put down her wine glass and raised her hand to smooth her slightly messy hair behind her ears. Her profile was no longer pretty in the light, but rather charming.

Just as charming as her slightly drunk voice.

"The only way to truly escape is to escape in a way that doesn't feel like an escape."

Gu Zhuo looked at her quietly and reminded her, "This idea is too romantic. Things in the world are never so romantic."

"I know."

Lin Wanyi smiled, her smile was light but serious, and said: "But in this situation, isn't the most important thing to find that ray of sunshine?"

Without waiting for Gu Zhuo to continue speaking, she continued to pour wine for herself and him, and casually changed the subject.

"Just now when I went to buy some wine and food, I heard people in the restaurant chatting. It seems that an important person also came to Yunlai Town from Shendu today, but I don't know who it is. I hope he is not coming for us."

Lin Wanyi paused, then said: "In fact, it doesn't matter whether it is or not, because that person can come for us at any time, so you and I don't need to worry about it."

Gu Zhuo did not take this opportunity to persuade her to leave again.

Lin Wanyi said: "No matter what, there is only one thing you can do now."

Gu Zhuo asked, "Drinking?"

Lin Wanyi rolled her eyes seriously, as if she was afraid that he wouldn't see it, and said, "Please clean up everything, otherwise I won't be able to stretch my legs."

After saying this, the girl moved to the end of the carriage and sat down on the soft couch.

She closed her eyes, listened to the sound of food boxes being sorted and the howling sound of wind and snow outside the window, and unconsciously hugged herself and fell asleep in the anxiety that finally emerged.

If Lin Wanyi had a dream tonight, it would probably be a nightmare.

Gu Zhuo looked at the girl quietly, with almost no emotion in his eyes.

Whether it is warmth or pity.

Just like it was difficult for him to be warmed by the alcohol.

The transformation of Tao is no different from the passing of time and is irreversible.

(End of this chapter)