When the devil

-Demon Realm-

[Heavy snow in the 38th year of the Zhao calendar]

It was dark, and the silent palace was very deserted.

Bai Lie stepped over the high threshold and knelt down on one knee in front of the screen with golden patterns and phoenix pictures.He was dressed in silver armor, which was incompatible with the luxurious decorations around him. He stood here like this, waiting for the sound from inside.

Someone inside the screen was coughing, and there was a lot of movement.

Gu Xiao once asked everyone to speak only with his permission when meeting the saint, and he didn't even like to hear those few voices, "Long live my emperor".

"…come in."

After a while, the people inside finally spoke, and Bai Lie got up and walked behind the screen.

Gu Xiao was wearing a dragon robe, sitting by the case and reading the scroll, the room was very dark, and a few lights from the flames fell off his face, staining the outline of his facial features in a dim yellow.

Bai Lie lifted his robe and knelt down again, sniffing the smell of herbs wafting from the incense burner, feeling a bit bitter.

"When is Aiqing going to leave Yudu?"

Gu Xiao's eyes did not move away from the scroll, his voice was neither fluctuating nor emotional, Bai Lie raised his head in response, and saw Gu Xiao hooking his fingers towards him.

The emperor asked him to get closer, so he got up and went to the emperor.

"Return to Your Majesty, I will leave for the border before midnight."

"Ari's birthday will be in a few days, why not stay a few more days?"

Bai Lie was slightly startled, with helplessness in his eyes, the "A Li" that Gu Xiao said was Bai Lie's almost six-year-old son Bai Li.It's just that he has been busy with official duties and rarely goes home, and the chance to see Bai Li is even rarer.

Bai Li's birthday is approaching, and Bai Lie has been silently remembering that this time he came back to Yu and brought some small gifts for Bai Li, but he was unlucky, Bai Li happened to go back to her natal home with his wife Liu Ying these days, and did not see her face to face. I had no choice but to entrust things to the steward.

"Demon disasters have been rampant in the past few years, and I can't relax..."

He lowered his head and spoke, his eyes staring at the shadows left by the lights.

Gu Xiao suddenly asked: "Bai Lie, have you heard about Chen Xiao recently?"

Bai Lie was stunned, paused for a while before saying: "...I haven't seen him for a long time since he went to the Demon Realm."

Gu Xiaodao: "He actually asked someone to bring some things, saying it was a gift for A Li, I also prepared some, and someone will send it to your house later."

Bai Lie hurriedly moved, wanting to kneel down to thank him, but Gu Xiao blocked him with a scroll: "Don't kneel down, don't thank you, it's rare to see you once, don't waste time on platitudes, sit down, sit down."

There was some wind outside the window, and it was cool. The candle in the cover was burning very high, and the tip of the fire was shaken by the wind.

There was a smell of rain in the air, which dispelled the bitter medicine smell in the room.

"You have followed me since you were a child, wholeheartedly, and duty-bound. In my heart, there are only two people who can be trusted in this world, and one of them is you." His voice was very soft, as if he would melt into this indifferent voice. In the cold: "It's a pity, I have said countless times that Ai Qing doesn't need to care about the etiquette of the monarch and his ministers when we meet in private. For so many years, you have never listened to my words."

Bai Lie said: "Your Majesty, please don't blame me. I'm just a reckless man. It's my honor to be used so much by Your Majesty."

Gu Xiao laughed: "When I was young, I practiced martial arts with your father, but he never let me beat me until my nose was bruised and my face was swollen, and I didn't even apologize."

Bai Lie had never heard of these old things, and he didn't understand why Gu Xiao brought it up in front of him now. The heart of a gentleman didn't dare to guess randomly, but he was a little embarrassed by these words.

"Your Majesty can beat you back from...the minister."

"Can't talk." Gu Xiao said, "Is this the narrow-minded person in your heart?"

Bai Lie was taken aback, and hurriedly said, "How could that be!"

"Haha, well, I don't want to beat you up, so let me just say it casually, don't take it too seriously."

Gu Xiao laughed too hastily, and couldn't help coughing again.

Seeing this, Bai Lie hurriedly got up and took the tea on the table. Gu Xiao waved his hand and didn't take the cup of tea. After his cough subsided, he said slowly, "Bai Lie, I married you and Liu Ying back then. Tell me the truth, do you have any reluctance in your heart?"

Bai Lie was a little puzzled by his question. He and Liu Ying were twenty-one when they married, and they have spent eight years together, and their child is six years old. What's the point of asking such a question now?

"Liu Ying and my minister respect each other as guests. To my minister, they are already inseparable. I don't understand what His Majesty's reluctance to... mean?"

Gu Xiao smiled: "Chen Xiao has a lot of opinions. He believes that if you want to marry a wife, you should also marry a celestial immortal. A mortal has insulted your status, and he is the one who jumped out to oppose it."

Bai Lie's heart sank slightly, but his expression did not show any waves: "I am also a mortal."

Gu Xiao couldn't help shaking his head: "He has been friends with the Bai family for generations, and his kindness is like a sea. In his heart, your blood is special. I don't understand why he is so persistent. Maybe he still remembers what happened to He Yu back then. For my fault..."

Bai Lie didn't know what Gu Xiao was referring to, so he couldn't answer for a moment.

"If you can understand a little bit, many things will not stop there."

He listened to Gu Xiao's words of self-pity and self-pity, and then fell silent. He thought of something, which inexplicably broke into his mind and lingered.

"There is one thing, I have always wanted to ask you what you think." Gu Xiao looked back at the scroll, and his tone seemed to come from his heart.

"Please speak, Your Majesty." Bai Lie suddenly recovered.

Gu Xiao was not in a hurry to speak, but brought the unfinished tea to his lips, and took a sip.

There was light in his eyes, the kind of cloudy light after fainting, after a pause, the light and shadow disappeared as he lowered his eyes.

He asked Bai Lie: "If one day I died, Gu Yuan and Gu Xuancheng, who would you choose?"

Suddenly, Bai Lie was startled, and he froze for a long time without daring to speak. He guessed that he had heard wrongly, and stared at Gu Xiao blankly with a pair of bewildered Ruifeng eyes.

The flamboyant General Bai's face was pale at the moment, but Gu Xiao thought it was a prank. He couldn't help laughing, but the laughter made him cough uncontrollably. Before Bai Lie could recover, he put down the scroll and stood up from his seat. The dragon robe hangs down, dragging along the fur blanket on the ground following his steps.

"You have a good relationship with Gu Yuan." Gu Xiao turned his back to Bai Lie, and looked at the distant sky outside the window: "Why don't you rush back to the border, before the weather gets warmer, you can stay with Gu Yuan."

There was a "bang" behind him, and it was the sound of a general in armor kneeling on the ground.

"His Majesty……"

Gu Xiao turned around, the warmth in his eyes dissipated, and what remained was a chill like an empty shell.

"Human life is determined. Some people live long, some people live too short, and some people can live long, but they want to kill themselves." He whispered: "Because they want to live too much, they are greedy and punish Begging for nothing, I fell to the door of Lord Yan, thinking about casting someone else's corpse into a ladder to climb back to the world."

The wind has stopped, the flames have stopped shaking, and there is dampness in front of the window that can't go away.

"It's a pity, I am this kind of person." He clenched his fists to his lips and coughed twice.

Bai Lie couldn't get up, and replied: "I am willing to swear allegiance to Your Majesty with all my heart and soul."

The flames scorched his silver armor, flashing on his sharp silhouette, the young general didn't dare to think about it, perhaps life and death were just a thought away.

Gu Xiao looked at him, coughed softly, and remained silent for a long time.

The sky is calm and dark, and there is still warmth in the world.

Winter is deep, and it is snowing endlessly.

The path up the mountain was lit with dim lights, which dyed the snowy shadow into a dim yellow.

The hooves of the galloping horses kicked up snow dust, and the white cloak fluttered in the snow. Bai Lie rode the horse galloping alone, heading up the winding road.

At the end of this road is a big mansion, with a stream running along the east side, bypassing the snow-covered rockery. Although it is far away from the imperial palace, it is also a royal courtyard. The water in the pond is very clear, and the snow is covered with a layer of white, quiet and beautiful.

Few people came at this time, but the house was brightly lit, as if waiting for someone to come.

Bai Lie reined in his horse and stopped at the door, turning over, his silver boots stepped into the snow that hadn't covered the back of his shoes, he was not moved, he just raised the token in his hand, and the guards on both sides who were waiting to step forward to ask questions showed respect .

Bai Lie walked indifferently among the guards stationed at the gate, and there was a person waiting in the courtyard.

"See King You."

As soon as he saw that man, Bai Lie bowed down and saluted him. He was originally tall and tall, with a white robe and silver armor, black hair neatly tied up, and a calm expression in his brows, which added an unapproachable coldness to his handsome features.

The person standing in front of him was the You King Gu Yuan, and the snow was falling endlessly. Although he was wearing a sable fur cloak, he looked extraordinarily thin.

"Dabai, look at you, you're unfamiliar again, go into the room first, go into the room first." When he spoke, he raised his eyelashes slightly, and the tear mole under the corner of his eyes made his expression a little enchanting, and I don't know if it was because of the cold that his words The confidence in the room is so thin.

There are not many people who know this mansion, and Bai Lie is one of the few people.

Gu Yuan's biological mother, Concubine Ning, used to live here, but it was a pity that her confidante died, and Gu Yuan took over after she died of illness.Bai Lie didn't know Gu Yuan well, and he was able to come here because Gu Yuan asked someone to tell him that in his heart, Gu Yuan was just a hospitable, crazy playboy, but a few days ago, Gu Xiao Asking like that, seeing Gu Yuan who greeted him with a smile on his face, Bai Lie was inexplicably more concerned.

He followed Gu Yuan into the house, a stove was lit inside, and it was very warm. Gu Yuan took off the cloak, and the maid beside him took it. He picked up his Yueqin again, sat down on the chair, and asked with a smile: "Would Dabai want to listen to a song?"

Even if Bai Lie replied that he didn't want to, Gu Yuan wouldn't put down the piano, and maybe he followed his wishes: "Bai thanked the lord for his kindness."

Gu Yuan plucked the strings, but the sound was out of tune: "Look at you, you are serious, His Majesty sent you to me, and you are still polite to me. You feel comfortable, but I am not comfortable."

Bai Lie was slightly taken aback. No one else knew about Gu Xiao when he saw him that day, and he shouldn't have leaked the news on the way. He didn't expect Gu Yuan to be so well-informed, and he had a thorough understanding of Bai Lie's plight.

Gu Yuan said: "But I've always been considerate, so you don't have to make things difficult, you can stay if you want, and you can leave if you don't want to. I have a lot of ways to fool my father."

The heating stove in the house can also be illuminated, like the sun buried in the clouds, oozing with golden brilliance.After staying there for a while, Bai Lie felt his whole body warm. He folded his hands together, watching the light and shadow falling from between his fingers formed a shape on the floor.

"Staying in Yudu is also a good thing. I haven't seen Ali for three years, and I don't know what he is like now."

"Yes, Xiaobai's birthday is approaching, so I have to prepare a gift." Gu Yuan leaned on the arm of the chair, "Don't mention it, that cutie was carved out of the same mold as yours. At such a young age, he is skilled in martial arts, and I heard that the matchmaker who came to propose a marriage would be queued outside the city."

Bai Lie smiled: "It's too early to propose marriage."

Gu Yuan giggled: "It's not early, it's not early, it's gone if it's late, why don't you book it with me."

Bai Lie looked over: "Your Highness already has an heir?"

"No—" Gu Yuan pointed to herself: "I mean, order with, me."

Bai Lie: "..."

Gu Yuan saw Bai Lie's speechless face, and there was a nondescript smile on his face again. Bai Lie is an honest man, he does things rigidly, and always keeps a distance from others, but he has one advantage, that is, he has a good temper, and he can do whatever others want. From the nose to the face, he can see the breeze without taking it to heart.Gu Yuan liked him, and it was precisely because of the fun of teasing him that she still couldn't get enough of it, so she sat upright again, stroking the strings with her slender hands pretending to be frivolous.

"Dabai, you haven't been in Yudu these years, I have taken care of your Xiaobai a lot, as a reward..."

His voice softened, his words were aggrieved, and his slender eyes were filled with anticipation.

Bai Lie frowned slightly, wondering: ... Quanzi is still young. "

"Haha, don't take that joke just now seriously." Gu Yuan was clearly misleading Bai Lie on purpose, seeing that handsome face full of troubles, he was very happy from the bottom of his heart: "This king has other meanings, don't be nervous, don't be nervous .”

Bai Lie breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I will definitely help you with whatever Bai can do."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yuan immediately said: "This king wants you to protect someone."

Gu Yuan answered it too quickly, startling the wooden man Bai Lie again, why did there sound like a trap in these words?Bai Lie narrowed his eyes to see what Gu Yuan was going to do.

Gu Yuan smiled meaningfully: "He just woke up not long ago, and he is taking a bath and changing clothes at the moment, Dabai might as well listen to me first, after the song, I will take you to see him."

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This chapter will involve several angles to tell the story, and it may be much longer than the previous two.