Missing Thoughts Literature

Chapter 18

Nangong Ming threatened Lady Su to break the Non-War Covenant, while Gu Gan claimed he would protect peace with the other two nations.

Given the partnership between Nangong Ming and Gu Gan, this was clearly not the truth.

Yu Sui didn't say much, only nodding to show she would help and to inform her if anything was needed.

Gu Gan said, "You've just arrived at the Academy, so get used to it first. If you don't understand anything, come ask me. Although I'll be a bit busy these next two days, don't hesitate to ask. Don't be afraid."

He paused, then added, "If Mei Chengyu targets you because of me, you must tell me."

As he spoke, his expression was stern, clearly showing that Mei Chengyu's actions this time had earned him a mark in Gu Gan's book.

Yu Sui: "Okay."

As she stood up, she tripped over the table and stumbled forward with a cry. Gu Gan, with quick reflexes, stood up and reached out to steady her.

A Five Elements Light Core fell into Gu Gan's clothes from an angle no one saw.

Over the years, perhaps she hadn't made much progress in other areas, but her skill in using Light Cores had become increasingly proficient.

"Let's go, I'll walk you down," Gu Gan said.

Yu Sui agreed and left with him.

Gu Gan knew she shared a dormitory with Xun Zhiya. He briefly told Yu Sui about Xun Zhiya: "She's very famous in the Legalism School and also strong. She's a disciple of Yu Sheng of the Legalism School."

"Although she seems difficult to get along with, her temper isn't bad. She's outwardly cold but inwardly warm. If I can't answer your questions promptly, you can also ask Xun Zhiya."

Yu Sui nodded and said, "Okay."

Inside the Dragon Ladder, Gu Gan glanced at Yu Sui standing beside him. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "Sui Sui."

"Mm?" Yu Sui turned to look at him.

Gu Gan said, "You don't need to worry too much about the Futuo Tower. Just enjoy yourself at Taiyi. If anyone causes you trouble, tell me. Don't worry about anything else."

Yu Sui said blankly, "But this is why Father sent me to Taiyi."

Gu Gan said forcefully, "I'll help speak to the Prince."

Yu Sui blinked at him, thinking, I hope you're telling the truth.

Gu Gan frowned, seemingly feeling he had spoken too harshly. Fearing she might misunderstand, he explained, "I'm afraid it's too dangerous, and I don't want you to get involved in these troubles."

Yu Sui went along with his words, saying, "I know. I don't know any Nine Schools Techniques, so I definitely can't help you much, Brother Gu. I just need to make sure I don't hold you back. I'll study hard."

"Hold me back? What are you talking about?" Gu Gan glared at her. "Don't say such nonsense."

The Dragon Ladder door opened. Yu Sui walked out and said, "Then you must tell me if you need my help."

Gu Gan then smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sui Sui, I will definitely need your help someday."

The two emerged from the Dragon Ladder, walked around a corridor, and finally stopped at Six Zero Seven.

Yu Sui took out her key to open the door and said to Gu Gan outside, "I'll go in first then."

Gu Gan nodded, watched her enter the room, and then closed the door before leaving.

The lights in the room were bright, and the floor was clean and tidy. By the windowsill, there were two flower stands, one long and one short, filled with flower pots of various sizes. Yu Sui took in the main room at a glance, clearly seeing signs of only two people having lived there.

On the table, whether it was teacups or bowls and chopsticks, there were only two sets.

Yu Sui leaned against the wall, sensing through her Strange Fire that the two people in the room were behind the door. She pretended not to know and bypassed the occupied room, heading towards the empty one. Just as she was about to push the door open, she heard the sound of a door opening behind her.

She turned and saw Li Jinshuang entering with a key.

Their eyes met. Li Jinshuang seemed surprised for a moment, then lowered her head slightly, returning to silence.

Yu Sui greeted her friendly, "You live here too?"

Li Jinshuang walked towards the empty room next to her: "Mm."

After speaking, she pushed the door open and went inside, then closed it.

After entering her room, Yu Sui leaned against the door, looking thoughtfully at the room next door:

She had seen Li Jinshuang and Xun Zhiya standing together at the Questioning Arena before, and they were also together at the Three Provinces Prison of the Legalism School. Now, they were even sharing a dormitory.

Considering that Xun Zhiya was the Saintess of Nanjing Country, and Li Jinshuang also claimed to be from Nanjing Country, the two should know each other.

However, their interaction didn't seem like that of friends, but more like that of a superior and subordinate.

Yu Sui looked around the room. There was only a bed and a table and chairs. The furnishings were simple, with all the basic necessities.

Black Beard was sending her a message, asking if she needed anything else.

Yu Sui sat on the edge of the bed, gently pressing her palm against it. Her consciousness connected through the Strange Fire to the Five Elements Light Core placed within the Double-petaled Blue Flower, and she saw the scene inside the room:

Gu Gan had returned.

Ji Meng stood by the window, arms crossed, looking at the returning Gu Gan and saying, "Re-sealing the Futuo Tower, is that what you told Nangong Sui?"

Gu Gan sat by the table with a detached expression. "It's too dangerous. I don't want her to get involved. Sui Sui is a Normal Practitioner and doesn't have the ability to protect herself yet. It's better for her not to be involved."

Huo Xiao was more pragmatic and stated directly, "He's right. With Nangong Sui's current strength, if she gets involved, many unnecessary problems might arise."

Gu Gan frowned and glanced at Huo Xiao with a hint of warning. Huo Xiao was unfazed.

"Alright, I don't have any objections," Ji Meng touched his eyebrows and asked Gu Gan, "What do you plan to do next? Explore the Hanging Moon Cave again?"

"Waiting for news from Xun Zhiya," Gu Gan said. "That night, we weren't the only ones who entered the Hanging Moon Cave; there were others."

Ji Meng cursed, "I wonder which scoundrel stole the Milky Way Water. The timing is so coincidental that we're taking the blame."

Gu Gan let out a cold laugh. "This matter won't be dropped just like that. Where's Xiang Feifei? She was in charge of guarding the entrance to the Earthly Pit that night. Didn't she notice anyone leaving?"

"She said no," Huo Xiao said, leaning against the door. "With Xiang Feifei's Yin-Yang Techniques, Swallowing Shadow, she couldn't have missed anyone leaving the Earthly Pit that night, unless that person was above the Thirteenth Realm."

"There's another possibility," Ji Meng said. "The other party possesses the Divine Mechanism Sky Eye."

Gu Gan turned his head to look. "How likely do you think it is that we'll encounter someone with the Divine Mechanism Sky Eye?"

Ji Meng shrugged, as if to say he hadn't said anything.

Gu Gan stretched his shoulders and neck, making cracking sounds. "The next time the Hanging Moon Cave reflects the Heavenly Secret Line, it will be in three months."

Huo Xiao nodded. "Three months later, the Zhanlong Cave will coincide with the opening of the Legalism School. We'll have another chance then."

Gu Gan leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. "When Wen Yang returns, we'll see how his Mechanism Technique has progressed. We still have three months, which is enough time for us to prepare."

Yu Sui wanted to hear about the Listening Wind Ruler from Gu Gan, but unexpectedly learned more.

Gu Gan hadn't mentioned the Listening Wind Ruler at all, and Ji Meng and Huo Xiao hadn't asked either. It seemed that the claim that the Listening Wind Ruler could send messages without inscriptions was likely a lie.

But Di Su Tiancheng hadn't detected anything.

Yu Sui rolled her eyeballs, withdrew her consciousness, and lay down on the bed. She raised her hand and rubbed her eyes.

It was only noon.

She had only been at Taiyi Academy for half a day.

There was quite a lot to do.

The Five Elements Light Core, used for spying, could currently only avoid easy detection on people below the Thirteenth Realm. For highly sensitive individuals who maintained a constant sense of crisis, there was still a risk of being discovered.

For people like Nangong Ming and Lady Su, even if the Five Elements Light Core was placed around their activities, Yu Sui wouldn't be discovered when she wasn't connected by consciousness. Once Yu Sui connected her consciousness through the Strange Fire, even the slightest, instantaneous circulation of Five Elements Qi would alert these two.

Yu Sui had tried many times, and each time she was detected, she would crush the Light Core. Once, Nangong Ming even thoroughly investigated the entire Prince's Mansion because of that subtle sense of being monitored.

Chapter 18 (Page 2/2)

If it was like this in the Prince's Mansion, then in Taiyi Academy, where Thirteenth Realm cultivators roamed freely and there were twenty-four Saints, she had to be even more careful when using the Light Core.

What threatened Yu Sui was that she didn't know what methods others would use to distinguish the World Destroyers.

Besides revealing her Strange Fire.

Yu Sui took out the Listening Wind Ruler and looked at it. The disc instrument projected by the light and shadow was spinning rapidly, with runes and numbers operating at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

While ordinary people could barely see it, Yu Sui could easily record the information of every moment in her heart.

Taiyi's giant communication array restricted the Listening Wind Ruler from transmitting outwards, allowing it to be used only on islands within Taiyi's range.

Yu Sui played with the Listening Wind Ruler for a while, closed her eyes, and calculated. She meticulously calculated the encrypted messages of the communication arrays she had deciphered in Qingyang Imperial Capital over the years. After inputting the encrypted messages into the Listening Wind Ruler, she lay down on the bed for a short rest.

She dreamed of standing on an endless expanse of water, enveloped by the familiar heat of her Strange Fire, causing the water surface to emit misty steam.

Yu Sui had been most familiar with two things over the years: fire and water.

Fire was her constant companion.

To escape the scorching heat brought by the flames, she repeatedly plunged into the icy cold water.

The only thing in this world that could give Yu Sui a moment of security was the boundless, silent, and calm water surface beneath her feet.

As she looked down, she saw a cluster of flames rapidly rising from the depths of the water, carrying a power that could devour everything. Yu Sui's eyes were illuminated by the light of the flames, reflecting a magnificent golden-orange hue. Her consciousness knew it was the Strange Fire that was about to consume her, yet she could not avoid it.

As the flames were about to break through the water's surface, from those eyes of magnificent colors, a black and a white, two fish chasing their tails rotated beneath her feet, encircling the flames and suppressing them beneath the water.

Yu Sui then opened her eyes and woke up, sitting up in bed. She reached out and rubbed her eyes.

She was quiet for a moment alone, then got up and left.

Black Beard had pushed aside his business at the establishment today. Initially, he had been busy with Gu Gan's affairs, but now he was running around for Yu Sui.

The news that Yu Sui had been taken as a disciple by a Saint of the Ghost Dao School, he had someone report to the Prince immediately.

Although the Listening Wind Ruler couldn't be used, there were countless people from the Three Teachings and Nine Schools living in the outer city, belonging to various factions. To transmit messages outwards, each family had its own methods.

Others might not know, but Black Beard was quite pleased.

To be taken as a personal disciple by a Ghost Dao Saint, she must have extraordinary qualities. Perhaps the County Princess was wise beyond her years, her talent so deeply hidden that only Sage Chang Gen could see it.

He believed that the County Princess would make great progress at Taiyi Academy, completely shedding the title of a normal practitioner, and return to the Imperial Capital to inherit the throne. As long as he served her diligently here, he would have a chance to ask the County Princess for an opportunity to return home in the future.

With this plan in mind, Black Beard ran errands for the County Princess, leading people to arrange a dormitory for Yu Sui.

He decorated the ordinary room luxuriously, even the bedside ornaments were glittering and extremely valuable, every detail screaming "We, the Nangong family, are very rich."

Yu Sui sat in a chair in the main room, playing with the Listening Wind Ruler.

Black Beard came out and said, "County Princess, everything has been arranged. Is there anything you're not satisfied with?"

Yu Sui shook her head, troubled. "My Listening Wind Ruler seems unable to send messages. Is it because it can't connect to the Number Mountains on this island?"

Black Beard explained, "Once you enter Taiyi's range, the Number Mountains will automatically capture the Listening Wind Ruler's inscriptions."

"But I just can't send it out. I could before," Yu Sui said. "I'll go ask at the Communication Institute."

Black Beard quickly said, "I'll handle this small matter."

Yu Sui shook her head and got up to leave. "I'm not doing anything anyway, and I can take this chance to look around the Academy and get familiar with it."

She hadn't taken two steps when Li Jinshuang from next door came out.

Yu Sui enthusiastically greeted her, "Are you going out for a stroll too?"

Li Jinshuang replied, "No."

She walked straight out, avoiding contact with Yu Sui.

Yu Sui turned back to Black Beard and asked, "Do I seem difficult to get along with? She never says more than three words to me."

Black Beard repeatedly shook his head.

As they entered the Dragon Ladder, Black Beard said to Yu Sui, "The other three people living with you, County Princess, are all from Nanjing Country. Xun Zhiya of the Legalism School is Nanjing Country's Saintess, and she's very likely to be the successor to the throne in the future."

Yu Sui let out a small gasp. That status was indeed incomparable.

Black Beard continued, "Shu Chujun of the Yin-Yang School is a confidante of the Saintess. They grew up together, and she might also inherit the position of High Priest of Nanjing Country in the future."

Yu Sui nodded. "What about Li Jinshuang?"

"She's the most loyal retainer of the Xun family," Black Beard paused, adding with some emotion, "The Li family of Nanjing has the same good reputation as our Zhongli family of Qingyang. They both belong to the Military School and have produced several God of Wars. However, due to infighting in Nanjing previously, the Li family suffered heavy casualties, and almost all the male heirs of the direct line perished."

"Li Jinshuang is the most talented among the new generation of students. Although she's not of the Li family's direct line, she was raised by the main family since childhood."

Yu Sui asked, "They raised her like a boy?"

Li Jinshuang's male attire didn't look like a personal preference at all.

Black Beard nodded. "That's right. The Li family has been an aristocratic family in Nanjing Country for a thousand years, still maintaining the clan style of the old era with numerous rules. Perhaps because all the male heirs of the main family died out, the current matriarch of the Li family raised Li Jinshuang as a boy. She has always operated outside the family as a male."

Yu Sui raised her hand and smoothed her hair, remaining silent.

Zhongli Que's situation was difficult because the Qingyang Emperor was wary of the Zhongli family. It wasn't just her; the future of all the children of the Zhongli family wasn't very optimistic. As for the Li family of Nanjing, it was due to internal clan reasons.

The situations of these children from Military School clans were all rather strange.

Yu Sui didn't think too much about it, as her own situation wasn't much better.

Taiyi's Communication Institute was comparable to the entire Qingyang Nation's courtyard. This was no longer a large communication array, but a super-giant communication array. Different areas were located with groups of mountains of varying sizes.

Many people were coming and going in the Communication Institute. They wore unified uniforms and had to record information from the mountains daily. It was just past noon, and the Nine Schools Practitioners of the Communication Institute were already busy, each returning to their posts.

In front of the gate of the mountain cluster, the patrolling guards stopped Yu Sui and Black Beard.

After Black Beard explained their purpose, one of them extended his hand and said, "Give me the Listening Wind Ruler. I'll take it in to take a look."

Yu Sui asked, "Can I go in too?"

The identity of Qingyang County Princess wasn't very useful here. The patrolling guard said tactfully, "It's inconvenient for people outside the Communication Institute to enter here."

Yu Sui turned to look at Black Beard. Black Beard also looked a bit troubled and said in a low voice, "County Princess, the security of the Communication Institute ranks among the top five in Taiyi. Without special circumstances, they won't let you in."

"Alright," Yu Sui handed the Listening Wind Ruler to the patrolling guard. "How long will it take?"

"If it's just because you're new and can't connect to the mountains, so you can't send messages, then it will be quick." The patrolling guard seemed amused by her reluctant expression, and his tone became gentler.

Yu Sui watched the patrolling guard enter with the Listening Wind Ruler.

The moment the door opened, she caught a glimpse of the familiar yet strange mountains inside. Unlike the Imperial Academy, the mountains here were black and gold. The colored strips and discs rotating around the mountains were also the same. A solemn and dignified aura, along with a lofty pressure, washed over her, making her unconsciously hold her breath and concentrate.

The courtyard gate closed, and Yu Sui withdrew her gaze.

She waited patiently.

The patrolling guard, holding the Listening Wind Ruler, established a connection with the mountains at close range. Each time he tried, he would have Yu Sui's secret text, set on the Listening Wind Ruler, transmit a little more into the mountains, until all the secret text was transmitted. Then, the connection between the Listening Wind Ruler and the mountains was successfully established.