zChapter 1368
Chapter 1368: [Epilogue] The first ending
In the course of these changes, Gu Beiyue secretly sent people to spread rumors about Long Feiye and Han Yunxi traveling through the mountains and rivers. For example, there were people who ran into the pair here, patients who Han Yunxi treated for poison or illness, etc. Rumors were a frightening thing, not only because they inverted right and wrong, but because they could mutate and distort the truth as they spread. Gu Beiyue’s rumors soon led to all sorts of version for Long Feiye and Han Yunxi’s travels among the populace. As time went on, most of the population really did believe that Long Feiye and Han Yunxi were nestled somewhere in Great Qin.
It had to be said that these rumors were a type of pressure for the restless types at court. If Long Feiye and Han Yunxi were still around, they were more likely to hold onto their scruples instead of acting recklessly.
In over half a year, Gu Qishao and little Shadow had traveled multiple times between Mysterious Continent and Cloud Realm, but they never brought back news of Yan’er. However, Gu Qishao had already gotten in touch with Ning Cheng and told him everything. He also found little Yu’er in the middle of training, who immediately rushed back to the Wolf Sect and killed several generals under Han Xiang’s command in duels before taking out Han Chen’s only token to declare her temporary takeover of the sect in place of her master.[1]
Yan’er’s matter ended in a fruitless search after half a year, but Ning Cheng and Su Xiaoyu didn’t give up. They kept asking for details undercover. After Gu Beiyue stabilized the current situation in Great Qin, he personally traveled to Mysterious Continent to join Gu Qishao, Ning Cheng, and Su Xiaoyu in a secret meeting. The four of them talked for an entire day and night.
Half a year after that, the three children Gu Nanchen (顾南辰)[2], Jin Ling (金灵), and Tang Hongdou (唐红豆) all changed their last names and adopted pseudonyms before being secretly sent into Mysterious Continent. As to where they went and what they were doing, that remained a mystery.
Cheng’er and the Shangguan Clan all found out about Ning Cheng’s identity. For the sake of keeping things hidden, Ning Cheng’s son Ning Yuan was given the Shangguan surname and called Shangguan Ningyuan (上官宁远). He remained in the Shangguan Clan to learn martial arts. Ning Cheng was ultimately guarded and didn’t inform the Shangguan Clan Head about the truth surrounding the Ice Sea. He made up another excuse to ask about training while sealed within ice. In response, the Shangguan Clan Head replied that in the north of Mysterious Continent were the Snow Clan people who trained in the ways of ice and cultivated true qi. The process of defending their true qi against the cold was a type of cultivation.
After learning this, Ning Cheng was so excited that he stayed up all night. Since there was a way to cultivate while sealed in ice, then Rui’er’s intuition was right: Long Feiye and Han Yunxi not only survived, but were taking the chance to train as well.
Rui’er remained in the Great Qin palace, studying how to deal with the court while diligently practicing his martial arts without slacking off. Gu Beiyue set down a plan for revenge and conquering Mysterious Continent to help Rui’er as well as Long Feiye and Han Yunxi.
After Rui’er sent off Gu Nanchen and the other children, he stood on the southern shores of the Ice Sea and shouted, “Our Xuanyuan imperial clan will see a day where we flatten Mysterious Continent!”
With the plan in place, the next steps were to wait and work hard. Day after day trickled by with still no news of Yan’er. Despite this, nobody believed that she’d died. Like Shadow said, they had to keep trying if she was alive and see a corpse if she was dead. The search was neverending.
Gu Qishao and Lil Thing became key points of communication between both sides. Gu Beiyue and Rui’er’s news, Tang Li and Ning Jing, Jin Zi and Mu Linger, all passed through Gu Qishao to their children; in response, the children used him to pass on messages back to Cloud Realm Continent.
After one year of calm over the Ice Sea, the golden-eyed snow mastiffs slowly came back. But they couldn’t step onto the ice itself after discerning poison from its blacked surface. When they saw Gu Qishao, they would still surround him, but as soon as they spotted the huge snow wolf behind him, they all submitted and thus submitted to Gu Qishao by extension. Gu Qishao sat by the shores with a huge pack of snow mastiffs to guard him. At the very least, it made his solitary figure look less lonely.
Many times, Gu Qishao would visit the ice cavern with Lil Thing to keep Long Feiye and Han Yunxi company. He frequently ended up sitting there an entire night to tell them about the children’s recent updates, his plans with Gu Beiyue, the status in Mysterious Continent, and the current situation in Great Qin. He knew Long Feiye and Han Yunxi could sense their presence, but wasn’t certain whether the pair could hear him talking. Thus, he would repeat himself continuously. It wasn’t until one day when he finished repeating himself five times that the snow wolf by his side suddenly vanished into thin air.
He gave a start before feeling overjoyed. “Poison lass, is that you? You took in Lil Thing? You can hear me talk, right?”
At this, the snow wolf reappeared.
Gu Qishao was certain that Poison lass was responding and said, “Poison lass, if you can hear what I’m saying, take Lil Thing in.”
As expected, the snow wolf disappeared again. Gu Qishao was so pleasantly surprised that he suddenly figured out a way to communicate with Poison lass. Thus, he kept asking and the snow wolf kept appearing and vanishing. In the end, the snow wolf howled in discontent and Han Yunxi stopped taking it into the poison storage space. It had yet to recover fully. Although it could maintain its snow wolf form for long periods of time, it still couldn’t communicate telepathically with Han Yunxi. Despite this, it could still sense Mama Yunxi’s moods.
Mama Yunxi was clearly set off by Gu Qishao’s constant babbling, but Gu Qishao was having fun amusing himself and even dragging itself in to suffer….seriously! He narrated one thing five times! Who knew what Papa Long was feeling right now.
Gu Qishao saw the dissatisfied snow wolf and assumed that Poison lass was just tired. He stopped asking questions and hugged the snow wolf in contentment to sleep. Since then, Gu Qishao had one extra task besides doing business in the medicine trade and being a messenger, and that was to communicate with Poison lass occasionally. Later on he brought along Rui’er, Gu Beiyue and the rest. Rui’er would rather move into the ice cavern and live there, but he knew there was a heavy burden on his shoulders. He didn’t dare disturb his father and mother’s cultivation, so only visited one every one to two months.
Gu Beiyue was crowned regent and moved from the Grand Tutor’s estate to within the palace. After little Shadow was sent off in secret to Mysterious Continent, he only had Qin Min left by his side. Over the past few days, Gu Beiyue was busy as ever and running all over the place. Even if Qin Min stayed with him, there were few chances to actually see him.
Near the end of the year one year later, Gu Beiyue finally had a few days of rest. He personally penned a letter to invite Tang Li, Ning Jing, Jin Zi, and Mu Linger to come to the palace and keep Rui’er company for New Year’s. At first, Gu Beiyue was only planning to send Shadow and a few trusted agents to Mysterious Continent, but Tang Li and the rest voluntarily mentioned sending off Tang Hongdou and little Ling’er too, so Gu Beiyue could only concede.
It was impossible to say they didn’t miss the children around the holidays, but their quartet never brought up bringing them back. After all, their children had changed names and gone into Mysterious Continent to train in martial arts for the future revenge plot and to help Rui’er conquer Mysterious Continent. How could they come home on a whim?
Qin Min missed little Shadow, but didn’t dare ask for him to visit. On New Year’s Eve, she personally went to the kitchens and made a table full of food. Tang Li and the rest showed up as well, but it was Rui’er who disappeared. In the end, Gu Beiyue found a letter the boy had left in his rooms. He had gone to the Ice Sea to keep his father and mother company and prepared red envelopes for everyone in his parents’ names.
“That’s fine as well,” Gu Beiyue sighed softly.
With Rui’er gone, Gu Beiyue and the adults, six in total, passed through New Year’s with a large meal and some conversation before going back to their respective rooms. Qin Min sat in the courtyard and couldn’t help missing little Shadow. She didn’t know how he was living in Mysterious Continent, or whether he was missing Yan’er too, or maybe secretly shedding tears? She sat for a while before returning to her rooms in the main house. Gu Beiyue mostly lived in the side hall next to the Xuanlong Hall where the royal court assembled. Sometimes he came back to eat, but never spent the night. She assumed he had already left this time as well, but spotted him coming out of the house as she prepared to enter.
“It’s so late, why haven’t…” She was about to speak when there was a loud bang behind her. This…
She subconsciously looked back, only to see the dark night sky blooming with brilliant fireworks. They were gorgeous.
Fireworks…
She walked over and stood beneath the roaring skies, head raised to watch. It was as if she had returned to that unforgiving, sleepless night in Ningzhou City when she first realized she couldn’t bear to part with Gu Beiyue. Qin Min looked back at him and broke into a soft smile.
Gu Beiyue smiled as well and said, “Take it, it’s payment for the meal.”
Qin Min didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After all these years, she didn’t expect him to remember. She walked over and asked, “Gu Beiyue, I don’t want payment for the meal. How about you stay here and spend the New Year’s with me?”
She didn’t want to spend New Year’s all alone, much less see him spend it by himself in the palace’s side hall. There was chess in her rooms so they could play. One game was enough to kill the night. But before she could suggest it, Gu Beiyue actually accepted. “All right, I’ll keep you company.”
Thrilled, she wanted to ask for a winning chip when Gu Beiyue suddenly picked her up princess-style and turned to head inside the rooms.
This…
“Gu Beiyue, you…”
Had he misunderstood? He assumed she wanted to “spend the night” in a way that…her heart began to pound. Although she could explain herself, she capriciously decided not to.
Gu Beiyue really had misunderstood. He placed Qin Min on the bed and sat by her side, looking at her. Qin Min’s heartrate quickened as her face flushed. Still, she asked him, “Gu Beiyue, will you not refuse anything as long as I ask for it?”
If she didn’t say, he’d never do it. If she asked, he’d fulfill it immediately.
Was that how it worked?
Gu Beiyue didn’t reply beyond sealing her lips with a kiss. His was still as gentle as ever, along with his movements. Although the kiss was raw to the point of clumsy, when his hand touched her most sensitive places she still couldn’t help trembling and curling up.
She really couldn’t take it!
If only because…it was him! Gu Beiyue!
Because it was him, she sank completely;
Because it was him, she didn’t look for anymore answers;
Because it was him, she shivered during the entire process like a dream, unable to believe it all.
Gu Beiyue, oh Gu Beiyue. Even if you dote on me a hundred times, I’ll still be nervous, tremble, and speechless. Even—even if our bodies are one, I still feel like I can’t get close to you.
That night, Qin Min ended up falling into deep slumber in Gu Beiyue’s arms. Gu Beiyue never did answer her question in the end. Yet from then on, Qin Min had formally become Gu Beiyue’s wife. That was an indisputable fact. The night of New Year’s Eve saw some people lively, others warmed, and still others ice cold.
In the Gu Clan (孤家)[3] located in Mysterious Continent Jinyang City, the daughter of the first wife Gu Feiyan (孤飞燕) suddenly regained consciousness after a year-long coma from falling into water. Gu Feiyan was the granddaughter of the Gu Clan, gifted with extraordinary talent and loved by its elders since her youth. The Gu Clan had generations of friendship with the Qi Clan (祁家)[4] and Gu Feiyan’s hand in marriage had long been promised to the Qi Clan’s grandson Qi Yu (祁彧).
One year prior, Gu Feiyan had fallen into the water and remained unconsciousness until now. Speaking of which, that was a strange incident in itself. Gu Feiyan was a good swimmer, but for some reason she sank that day as soon as she hit the water. By the time the servants pulled her out, the servant girl discovered that her clothes had changed from before falling in. But nobody believed something like suddenly changing clothes, so the servant girl was too afraid of bringing it up in case there was trouble. She could only assume she’d been mistaken.
While Gu Feiyan was unconscious, the Gu Clan searched for famous physicians to no avail. After this year, the family had already planned to give up on this granddaughter and send her to the countryside. And yet, she woke up on New Year’s Eve…
Gu Feiyan, Gu Feiyan….who, was she?
—
Author Jie Mo’s Words to the Readers:
This is really the end. In the summer of 2017 expect the sequel to Poison Genius Consort. Wait for LongXi to break through the ice, for Rui’er to grow up, for Gu Feiyan to come home, for everyone else to return! The legend of the Mysterious Continent is awaiting you!
I said I’d write a testimonial but I’m too used to narrative style so I can’t really write sensational words. Poison Genius Consort has been serialized for more than two years, so I’ve spent over 700 nights in your company. I wouldn’t have lasted until now without you all, so thank you! I ask for your forgiveness for the many unsatisfactory parts. Let’s meet again in summer!
After the Lunar New Year, the comic serialization of Poison Genius Consort will begin, then the publization of the print version. There will also be a drama series that will be announced on social media platforms. If there’s time I’ll write up some small theaters and stuff on my Weibo.
I welcome everyone to follow me on my Weibo at jiemomo2015 or my new microblogging account (username: 我是芥沫 “I am Jie Mo”). Or maybe hit me up at the Poison Genius Consort official account: tiancaixiaodufei
Translator’s Notes: The above author’s note was originally published near the end of the year in 2015, so please note that some accounts might have gone defunct since then. I tried to link what I could. There are two more epilogue chapters after this, so stay tuned! We’re almost done folks!!
1. I keep thinking she’s 8+ but I remembered 10 years passed since she left HYX so now she’s 18+, that’s pretty cool.
2. Reminder that this is little Shadow’s actual name.
3. By the way, this is the same “Gu” as Gu Beiyue’s real surname, though I don’t know if they’re actually related to him in any way.
4. Same bastards that attacked LFY and HYX on the Ice Sea btw before exploding into bits in the vortex.