Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The snowfall in the capital was extremely heavy.

Snowflakes, as white as goose feathers, pressed against the vermilion palace walls, enveloping this first and most magnificent city of the human race in a somber white.

Inside the government office, the floor heating system was scorching hot.

Gu Xiang sat upright behind a large sandalwood desk, with a mountain of memorials piled up beside him.

He wore a purple robe and a jade belt. His once youthful and scholarly face had been sculpted by time and power, becoming angular and angular.

The languid air between his brows vanished completely, replaced by a calm and dignified presence that made one afraid to look him in the eye.

"The demonic calamity in the northern border has been quelled. The Demon Suppression Division has requested permission to massacre those three thousand demons."

Gu Xiang continued writing with his vermilion brush, without raising his head, his voice as cold as the snow outside: "Granted. If a demon eats humans, humans must kill it. Cut out the demon's core and send it to the Ministry of Revenue to replenish the national treasury, and distribute the pelts to the soldiers guarding the northern border to keep warm."

The Minister of Revenue at the lower seat trembled and quickly bowed in agreement.

This young prime minister is now the pillar of stability for the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In recent years, he has implemented new laws, rectified officialdom, and established community schools, fusing Confucianism's noble spirit with martial arts, thus elevating the fortune of the Great Zhou by 30%.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty today, even ordinary people can learn martial arts and study. Demons dare not invade the borders, and immortal sects dare not act rashly. It truly is a case of everyone being like a dragon.

But all the officials were afraid of him.

I fear his lifeless eyes, and the murderous aura emanating from him that seems to say, "Even if there are thousands of people, I will go."

"Smack."

After finishing reviewing the last memorial, Gu Xiang placed his vermilion brush on the brush holder.

"Step down."

"Yes."

The officials, as if granted a general amnesty, filed out in single file.

The vast political hall suddenly became empty, with only the sound of wind and snow hitting the windowpanes outside.

Gu Xiang leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

The heart in his chest beat steadily and powerfully, each beat pumping out scalding blood, carrying a warmth that was not his own, flowing throughout his body.

He instinctively placed his hand on his chest.

It doesn't hurt here.

But it's incredibly empty.

"Is Prime Minister Gu finished with his work already?"

A figure in bright yellow pushed open the door and entered, bringing with him a gust of cold wind and the aroma of wine.

Li Yu wasn't wearing a dragon robe, just ordinary clothes, carrying two jars of aged "Drunken Immortal Wine" in his hand, and he walked in without any attendants.

Now he is the emperor, but in front of Gu Xiang, he is still the down-and-out prince who used to freeload in the pavilion.

Gu Xiang stood up to pay his respects.

"Alright, alright, there are no outsiders here, stop with the formalities." Li Yu waved his hand, walked straight to the table, and slammed the wine jar down there. "Today is the Winter Solstice, and there's a banquet in the palace. Those old guys are giving me a headache. I thought it would be quiet here, so I came to ask for a drink."

Gu Xiang remained silent for a moment, then went to the cabinet next to him and took out two white jade bowls.

The bottle was opened, and the rich aroma of the wine instantly filled the entire room.

Li Yu filled two bowls, pushed one to Gu Xiang, and picked up the other and drank it all in one gulp.

"ha--"

Li Yu wiped his mouth and looked at Gu Xiang, "These past few years, you've governed the Great Zhou like an iron barrel. Even those old Taoist priests from the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect don't dare to easily extend their reach into the capital. Brother Gu, being a prime minister is more tiring than being the emperor."

Gu Xiang picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.

It's spicy and goes down your throat, but it doesn't warm you up.

"Those in positions of power should fulfill their responsibilities," Gu Xiang said calmly. "The stronger the Great Zhou Dynasty becomes, the more prosperous its national fortune will be, and the greater our chances of victory will be when facing those people in the future."

Upon hearing this, a hint of sadness flashed in Li Yu's eyes.

He knew who the group Gu Xiang was talking about was.

They also knew why Gu Xiang was working so hard.

"Brother Gu," Li Yu put down his wine bowl, staring at Gu Xiang's overly calm face, "how long has it been since you last laughed?"

Gu Xiang's fingers tightened slightly as he held the wine bowl, his knuckles turning white.

"Laugh?" Gu Xiang forced a smile, but it looked worse than crying. "Your Majesty is joking. I am very pleased to see the people of Great Zhou living in peace and prosperity every day."

You can fool the whole world, but you can't fool me.

Li Yu sighed, stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

The wind and snow howled in.

"Look at this capital city," Li Yu said, pointing to the myriad lights outside. "This prosperous age is just as you wished. But what about yourself? You've turned yourself into a knife, a knife without a sheath. The string in your heart is stretched too tight; if you continue like this, you'll break."

Gu Xiang didn't say anything.

He simply stared quietly at the wine in the bowl, reflecting the flickering candlelight.

Broken?

He had already broken up with her three years ago at that bloody wedding.

Right now, he's nothing more than a walking corpse, clinging to life only because of the heart in his chest and his obsession with revenge.

"Go back and rest." Li Yu turned around, his tone pleading. "Go back to Qingniu Town, or go to Luofeng Slope. As for matters of state, with me and the Imperial Advisor, things won't fall into chaos."

"I am not tired." Gu Xiang drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp.

"This is an imperial edict," Li Yu said sternly.

Gu Xiang raised his head and looked at Li Yu.

a long time.

He lowered his eyes, stood up, and bowed: "Your subject obeys the decree."

Gu Xiang is gone.

He walked into the swirling snow without riding in a sedan chair or carrying an umbrella.

His purple robe fluttered in the wind, and his lonely figure resembled a desolate grave.

Li Yu stood by the window, watching that figure gradually disappear around the corner of the palace wall, her eyes reddening.

"How much longer do you think he can hold on?"

Li Yu asked softly.

A woman dressed in a black robe emerged from a dark corner.

She wasn't wearing a mask, revealing a stunningly beautiful face, but her eyes held a weariness born of having seen the vicissitudes of life.

Imperial Advisor.

It was that same little fox from before.

"His heart died long ago." The Imperial Advisor walked to Li Yu's side, looking at the snow outside the window. "Now, the living are a Confucian sage and a demon, but not the scholar he once was."

Li Yu grabbed the wine jar and took a big gulp.

"Sometimes I truly hate myself," Li Yu gritted his teeth. "If only I had been stronger back then, if only I had..."

"It's no use," the Imperial Advisor interrupted him. "That's fate. It was a scheme set up by the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect, and it was also Su Qing's... Miss Su's own choice."

Both of them paused for a moment when that name was mentioned.

That young master in blue robes, always waving a folding fan, smiling slyly, spouting fallacies and heresies.

That nine-tailed celestial fox who haggled over a few taels of silver on the streets of the capital, yet dared to point her sword at the heavens for Gu Xiang.

"She's a liar," Li Yu said with a bitter smile. "She fooled Gu Xiang, and she fooled all of us."

The Imperial Advisor remained silent.

She remembered the look in Su Qing's eyes when he handed her that jade slip at the Star-Picking Tower that day.

Resolute, yet gentle.

"Gu Xiang's cultivation has progressed at an alarming rate these past few years," the Grand Preceptor said in a low voice. "He has transformed the Confucian Righteous Qi into a killing sword, and he has also honed his Phoenix True Fire by taking advantage of the Great Zhou's national fortune. He intends to attack the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect."

"Can he win?" Li Yu asked.

"I don't know." The Imperial Advisor shook his head. "But that Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart has been completely integrated into his body. It is the Dao Fruit of the Phoenix, and also Su Qing's life. As long as this heart is still beating, he will not lose."

Li Yu remained silent for a long time.

"I don't want to see him die."

"He won't die." The Imperial Advisor turned around, his figure gradually disappearing into the darkness. "Because he promised her that he would live on, carrying her heart with him."

……

On the streets of the capital, the snow was ankle-deep.

Gu Xiang walked very slowly.

Most of the shops along the street were already closed, with only a few lanterns swaying in the wind.

He passed by a shop selling roast chicken.

He paused for a moment.

In the past, he would come here to buy a roast chicken every time he finished court.

Su Qing loves to eat.

When she ate chicken, she didn't act like a proper lady at all. Her mouth was greasy, and she would spit bones onto the article he had just finished writing, then ask him with a grin, "Lord Gu, is this article better, or is this chicken leg more delicious?"

Back then, he would always scold her with a stern face for being uncivilized.

But deep down, I was happy.

Gu Xiang stood in front of the shop for a long time.

It wasn't until the owner poked his head out and recognized the current prime minister that he nervously offered him a hot roast chicken.

Gu Xiang waved his hand.

I didn't buy it.

Nobody's eating it anymore.

It'll be cold even if you buy it.

He continued walking forward.

Passing by Zuixianju, passing by the Luoshui River, passing by the bridge where they once released lanterns together.

Her presence can be found everywhere.

The woman in red, barefoot, smiling at him under the moonlight.

"fool."

That voice seemed to echo in my ears again.

Gu Xiang suddenly turned around.

Behind me was nothing but empty space, only the swirling snow and two lonely lines of footprints.

The wind and snow blinded my eyes.

Gu Xiang raised her hand and touched her cheek.

It's wet.

The snow has melted.

It must be.

He took out a jade pendant from his pocket.

It was an extremely rough jade pendant, poorly carved, and you could barely make out the character "青" (qing, meaning green).

It was a piece of scrap material that he had saved up for a long time to buy in Qingniu Town, which he then carved by hand and gave to her.

Later, in her suicide note, she said that the jade pendant was too ugly and did not match her identity as a nine-tailed celestial fox, so she had thrown it away long ago.

However, when Gu Xiang was sorting through her belongings, he found it deep inside a brocade box.

It was rubbed until it became shiny and oily.

"fraud."

Gu Xiang murmured softly.

He gripped the jade pendant tightly, his fingertips turning white from the force.

My heart was pounding painfully in my chest.

That kind of excruciating pain.

"Su Qing..."

Gu Xiang looked up at the dark night sky.

Snowflakes fell into his eyes, turning into scalding tears that slid down his cheeks.

"It's snowing again in this capital city."

"Did you see that?"

"Everyone in the Great Zhou is like a dragon, and no demon dares to bully them anymore."

"I became the prime minister, and no one dared to laugh at my poverty anymore."

"But……"

No matter how well I govern this world, or how thoroughly I explain this principle,

"In this world, there is no longer a you to listen to my nonsensical reasoning."

The wind and snow intensified.

It masked that barely audible sigh.

Gu Xiang turned around and walked towards the city gate.

The figure receded into the distance in the wind and snow, eventually becoming a black dot and disappearing into the vast天地 (heaven and earth).

……

Linjiangxian - Reminiscing about Past Travels

Alone I climb the high tower, amidst the chaotic wind and snow; who will watch the fireworks that light up the city?

Vermilion gates and purple palaces are locked in a cold and desolate atmosphere.

As the vermilion brush falls before the desk, the old vows in my heart are broken.

I remember those days when we were drunk among the flowers, laughing and talking about the world.

Now I am all alone, facing the railing.

A pot of wine grows cold; in my dreams, I seek my beloved.