The Word of Heaven

Chapter 341 A Deadly Trap by Fate
After a long, mild winter, the wasteland is now bursting with life in the height of spring. The landscape is no longer desolate and barren; visible green hues are emerging from the earth. Although they do not cover every corner of the field of vision, they are more like loose blankets scattered around the lonely oases.

From a distance, it looks as if an unseen deity made this arrangement on a whim while enjoying the wilderness.

Chen Chi is now in a green carpet.

He looked at the man sitting by the stream with extreme respect and waited silently.

That person was Zhao Qi.

The secret letter sent by the Zhenbei Army was opened in his hands. The black words left on the white paper lingered in his eyes for a long time, like an unimaginably powerful magic, which froze him in place, even his eyelids did not twitch.

Chen Chi saw it clearly, his expression remained unchanged, but the emotions hidden in his eyes grew increasingly tense and solemn.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Qi finally spoke.

When did you send this letter?

"Just last night."

Chen Chi answered very cautiously.

Zhao Qi praised, "You're very good."

The journey from Yicheng to this oasis in the wilderness involves more than just the changes brought about by the vast distance; it also involves the question of how to find the recipient of the letter.

Given that Zhao Qi has already reached the supreme realm of ascension, even if he is a member of the Qin Dynasty, not many people in the court are qualified to know his whereabouts, especially since he has always been alone.

Chen Chi did not feel proud of this, and accepted the praise with normal etiquette.

Since leaving Wangjing to join the army last spring, he has received so much praise for his work in delivering messages that he has become indifferent to it, or perhaps because he was once highly praised by someone, he can no longer feel excited about it.

"What kind of person is Gu Zhuo?" Zhao Qi's tone was very ordinary, as if he were just chatting casually.

Chen Chi was not alarmed by these words. His expression changed subtly, conveying a mix of nostalgia, emotion, melancholy, and sigh.

Then, with these emotions in his eyes, he looked at Zhao Qi and began to recount his past in a captivating and engaging manner.

It's less a past event and more a story.

Zhao Qi listened quietly, without saying a word throughout the entire process, as if it wasn't the topic he had started.

When the wind subsided, Chen Chi's voice faded, signifying the end of the performance and the dispersal of the audience.

"If you had the chance to see him again, would you want to see him?"

Zhao Qi asked.

Chen Chi was very familiar with this question because so many people had asked it.

He laughed, shook his head and said, "It would be good to say goodbye, but it's meaningless. It's better not to say goodbye than to say goodbye."

Zhao Qi said with a smile, "Interesting."

Chen Chi bowed respectfully again, said some polite words about being busy with military affairs, then took his leave and turned to depart.

For some reason, from the moment the wind stopped, he felt a strange chill in the air. Even though the sun was shining brightly and the sky was a clear blue without a single cloud, there was a sense of oppression as if a torrential downpour was about to hit.

This gave him a bad feeling, and he desperately wanted to leave and return to Yicheng as quickly as possible.

Chen Chi thought this way, and in fact he did this, but things did not go as he wished.

An ordinary, unremarkable aura enveloped his body.

That was Zhao Qi's gaze.

Unable to turn around, Chen Chi asked in a slightly deep voice, "Senior Zhao, is there anything else you need?"

Zhao Qi said, "Stay here."

Chen Chi fell silent.

Zhao Qi continued, "He will be here soon."

Chen Chi's expression changed drastically, his pupils shrinking to their limit.

Zhao Qi said, "It's a rare opportunity to meet, so let's make the most of it. Otherwise, if we miss this chance, we'll regret it later."

Chen Chi turned around again, looked at the middle-aged man sitting by the stream, and said after a moment of silence, "I don't quite understand what you mean."

"It doesn't mean anything."

Zhao Qi scooped up some water and washed his hands, saying casually, "You don't need to worry about this. What happens next has nothing to do with you. I didn't ask you to stay because I was plotting against you."

Hearing this, Chen Chi wanted to say something, but all those desires vanished just before he could put them into words.

A strong sense of despondency surged through his blood, spreading to every corner of his body, ultimately leading to silence.

He sat down in silence, looking at the ceaseless stream in the oasis. Suddenly, he recalled the scene of being drunk and asleep in a brothel in Yangzhou City that year, realizing that it had been many years ago.

……

……

A horse-drawn carriage travels across the wilderness, heading towards the mountains.

Compared to the last time I mingled with the merchants, traveling with Pei Jingge was undoubtedly much more pleasant, not to mention the weather was so nice these days.

There was no gloom in Gu Zhuo's eyes.

During the day, he saw the bright sunshine.

After nightfall, a bonfire is lit, and Pei Jingge will roast the rabbits he has caught until they are so delicious and appealing that it is hard to look away.

Gu Zhuo didn't eat much.

The closer he got to the mountains still shrouded in snow, the more serene his mind became, and the more he resembled an immortal, with eating the clouds and drinking the dew becoming commonplace.

The only constant is the way Gu Zhuo and Pei Jinge get along.

Gossip still happens every day, but philosophical discussions never really take place.

The scenery of the wilderness is always so similar, with almost no difference between day and day, always sunshine and gentle breeze, without a drop of rain.

In such an environment, the two of them had fewer and fewer new things to say, but surprisingly, they didn't get tired of each other.

The most important reason, of course, was Pei Jingge's curiosity.

Gu Zhuo became a storyteller.

He recounted the events that occurred a hundred years ago from the perspective of the leader of the Taoist sect. Pei Jinge listened attentively, but couldn't help but scoff and laugh, since the underlying theme was absurdity.

In the days that followed, Pei Jingge began to recount the chaos that had gripped the Qin Dynasty over the past century.

The so-called chaos is nothing more than the four words "aristocratic families" and "sectarian sects".

The two sides made peace through the natural bridge of the summer festival. Families such as the Liu family of Yishui River rose to prominence in the past century, and their rise was inseparable from the support of powerful families like the Xie family of Yinping.

In order to receive support, many sects have had to allocate resources to disciples with certain surnames, and the final result is hard to say whether it will be good or bad.

The advantage is that the tradition can continue and it is thriving, but the disadvantage is... this makes some proud geniuses decide to break away and embark on a path without sect or faction.

This is undoubtedly a stain on the summer festival.

After considering that the summer sacrifice was a national policy set by the White Emperor, the officials naturally covered up these facts and even went so far as to communicate with those outstanding figures on behalf of the sect.

Yes, the department in charge of this kind of trivial matter is the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.

During his three years at Changzhou Academy, Gu Zhuo read many books, but he was truly ignorant of this matter.

Pei Jingge's final assessment couldn't be more direct.

"I believe His Majesty the Emperor is remarkable, but I do not believe that this world can ever reach perfection. No matter how beautiful something is, it has an unpleasant side. This is the principle of yin within yang, and the principle of you being in me and me being in you. Unless you can kill everyone or completely sever ties with everyone, you will be limited by it."

“A hundred years ago, you were powerless to change the Daoist sect, so you chose the first path, but only by using others; while His Majesty the Emperor could not follow your path, leaving him only the second path, but I cannot understand how he can walk it.”

"If I were you, I wouldn't take either of these paths."

"I'm going to leave."

……

……

That same evening, after he finished speaking, a carriage from the Zhenbei Army entered the oasis.

The lush, carpet-like meadow was a feast for the eyes. As Gu Zhuo and Pei Jinge walked among it, they even felt as if they were in the south.

Before long, the river, which was located right in the middle of the oasis, came into view.

Zhao Qi was sitting over there. The two of them were standing over here.

The setting sun spreads across the horizon in the reflection of the water, in circles and circles.

The setting sun, like blood, brought a faint chill to both sides of the strait.

Zhao Qi looked at Gu Zhuo, stood up, bowed, and performed the junior's greeting.

Just before Gu Zhuo was about to return the courtesy, his sleeve was subtly tugged, the meaning of which was quite clear.

Pei Jingge stared intently, indicating that this had nothing to do with her.

Gu Zhuo thought this wasn't a good idea.

Thinking of this, his sleeve was tugged again, whether by the wind or not, he couldn't tell.

Zhao Qi waited quietly.

Then, four words reached his ears.

"You are not as good as her."

Gu Zhuo's voice sounded calm, yet it possessed strength and commanded respect.

However you look at it, this statement is extremely abrupt and can be described as rude.

Both sides of the strait were silent.

Zhao Qi slowly straightened up, looked into Gu Zhuo's eyes, frowned, and remained silent.

Pei Jingge was particularly pleased with his reaction.

Gu Zhuo naturally didn't continue speaking. He looked at Chen Chi and said, "Long time no see."

Chen Chi thought to himself that if he were to be honest at this moment, he would probably say with a wry smile that it would be better not to meet.

So he smiled earnestly and began to exchange pleasantries: "Actually, it hasn't been long. It's just that so much has happened since we said goodbye that day, which is why I feel this way now."

Gu Zhuo looked into Chen Chi's eyes and saw the true thoughts of his old friend. He felt a little regretful, but he understood.

"Thank you."

"Uh?"

Chen Chi's eyes were full of astonishment.

Gu Zhuo said earnestly, "And I'm sorry, if you hadn't met me, you might still be the person you like now."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chi suddenly felt somewhat at a loss.

Countless emotions welled up in his heart, representing all the hardships and setbacks he had experienced over the past few years.

He lowered his head, breathing slowly and evenly, and then at a certain moment bit his chapped lips hard, blocking all sounds in his throat, unwilling to let any of them escape.

The evening breeze arrived with the twilight, caressing the face that had grown old without anyone noticing. The wrinkles on the face finally smoothed out, no longer tightly furrowed, no longer filled with sorrow and bitterness.

No tears streamed down Chen Chi's face. After a brief moment of confusion, he looked up at Gu Zhuo.

“I should apologize,” he said.

Gu Zhuo said, "But there may be no compensation."

Chen Chi laughed and shook his head, saying, "That one sentence is enough."

Gu Zhuo asked, puzzled, "Nothing else matters?"

"It's not like I don't know you."

Chen Chi looked at him, then suddenly laughed heartily and said, "I know what you did in Wangjing. You didn't even care about the offense that Changzhou Academy committed against you. I can't think of any reason to doubt your character."

Gu Zhuo remained silent.

It wasn't that he was cold; rather, he wasn't used to this kind of conversation.

Pei Jingge guessed what he was thinking and said to Chen Chi, "You should go."

Chen Chi stopped smiling, turned around, nodded his thanks to Zhao Qi, and then left.

It would truly be a pity if we hadn't been able to meet today.

As Chen Chi's figure disappeared into the distance, silence returned to both sides of the strait.

Dusk deepened, and the sun had set more than halfway down the sky.

The world was a blood red.

Zhao Qi looked at Gu Zhuo and said, "Chen Chi came to deliver a letter to me. The letter's meaning is very simple: I should take action against you."

Gu Zhuo asked, "And then?"

Zhao Qi said, "Before that, I have a few questions for you."

Gu Zhuo did not refuse.

Zhao Qi looked at him and asked, "When you stepped into the wasteland, didn't you have any premonition about all of this?"

Gu Zhuo recalled for a moment and said, "Indeed, there aren't many."

In the general's mansion in Yicheng, Wang Jingshuo gave him a bad feeling, but not enough to make him wary.

That is not enough to justify his return to the south.

"Actually, you shouldn't have come."

Zhao Qi was silent for a moment before saying, "Because until the moment you arrived, I still hadn't made a decision about whether to take action against you."

At this point, his gaze shifted to Pei Jinge's eyes, and he added, "But I really don't like what you just said."

Why use this as an excuse?

Pei Jingge curled her lips slightly and said with a faint sarcasm, "With your temperament, how could you make a decision based on just one sentence? It's simply that you've already been tempted."

Zhao Qi said, "Perhaps."

Pei Jingge was still smiling.

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, her smile became even more radiant, almost arrogant.

She asked, "I don't know when you started planning, but I don't think it could have been earlier than when I lost to him in front of Cihang Temple. In this short period of no more than one spring, what are your chances of winning?"

Zhao Qi calmly replied, "That's not something I would care about."

Pei Jingge smiled slightly and said, "But you can't help but think about it."

"if……"

Zhao Qi remained silent for a long time before saying, "If everything in the letter is true, then there is only one answer to your question."

Pei Jingge raised an eyebrow and asked, "Ten percent?"

Zhao Qi said, "Ten percent."

The two spoke slowly, almost at a snail's pace, each word seemingly carrying a deeper meaning beyond its literal words.

Gu Zhuo had countless opportunities to get involved, whether it was to disturb Dao Xin with words or to take the opportunity to deduce more information, it was all something he could do.

But he did nothing; instead, he sat down by the stream.

The stream flows on and on, and time slips away here.

Zhao Qi withdrew his gaze, looked at Gu Zhuo again, and said seriously, "This is actually something that happened before."

"What's both interesting and uninteresting is that you were very familiar with the last person who got caught up in this situation."

He concluded by saying, "Fullness and emptiness."

Having said that, I've said everything.

Five years have passed.

The White Emperor, by divine mandate, once again went fishing.

This time, he was trying to catch Gu Zhuo's life.

(End of this chapter)