The faint morning light gradually sprinkled from the east, towards this side of the world that was no different from the past.

From Cining Palace to Xuanqiong Tower, this road Wei 14 himself walked countless times, and every stone brick and branch on the road showed the appearance of summer year after year.

The plants and trees in the palace are revived year after year, but the people and things here can no longer be turned back.

Many of the swallows in the Xuanqiong Tower were still resting in the nest at this time, and Wei Shixi's sudden climb in the tower startled many birds. Bai Ling hugged his shoulders tightly and buried his face between his arms to avoid being scratched by the fluttering swallows.

The top of the tower is still the same.

Wei XIV put Bai Ling down.

The spring flowers are gone, the flowers are producing flourishing leaves, and thanks to a few heavy rains in the summer, everything here is still alive.

Bai Ling spread out his palms and held the two half-seals of the Dark Guard at the same time.

The black seal was opaque, but it was as crystal as jade, and the top of the seal was tied with a red tassel, and she gently breathed towards the end of the seal, and then pressed it firmly on the back of her hand.

One of them is indeed printed with the upper half of the three characters "Wei XIV", while the other is the half of Wei, and there is a cursive prefix with half a "medium".

A name quickly popped into Bai Ling's mind.

Wei Ying.

It should be Wei Ying, the fourteenth master, the secret guard he insisted had been killed.

Bai Ling put away Wei Ying's half-seal, she took a light breath, and raised her eyes to look at the fourteen in front of her.

Wei XIV stood there, waiting for her next step.

"Two choices, fourteen."

Bai Ling spread out his palms and placed the half-seal belonging to Wei XIV in front of him.

"From now on, stay by my side completely. Or, you take this half-seal with you and go to see the emperor after the death of the Queen Mother. Bai Ling's voice was soft.

According to the rules of the palace, the normal process is indeed like this.

When the Empress Dowager died, the half-seal left in the Cining Palace would be sent back to the Emperor by the palace people, while the secret guards waited for their next order.

"Go to see the emperor, then the fate between us will end today."

Bai Ling looked at Fourteen, his face with the usual stubbornness and calmness.

"You are the person who knows me the most in the palace, and if there is a day when you and I meet each other in the next day, you are also the enemy who threatens me the most.

"At that moment, you don't have to show any mercy to me, because I won't be the slightest bit merciful to you. We are each our own master...... No, I don't have any masters, but I have something to do at the cost of my life, and I won't let anyone stop me. ”

"But if you want to stay by my side, just like the Queen Mother just said, we will take care of each other......"

Bai Ling took a deep breath.

"Then be ready to give up all that you have so far gained—your fame, your position, all your potential glory...... You may also be enemies of many people who are a hundred or a thousand times stronger than you and me. ”

"But I promise you," Bai Ling lowered her eyes as she looked at the half-seal in her hand, her voice lowering slightly, becoming gentle and sure, "as long as I live in this world, I will always have a place for you by my side." I will value your reputation, your life, as much as my own. On the premise of not hurting me, you can also run for the freedom you want at any time. ”

"Which one do you want to choose," Bai Ling looked serious, holding up the half-seal in his hand a little higher, "Give me the answer now, Fourteen." ”

Wei Fourteen's gaze fell on Bai Ling's palm.

This choice is not difficult for him to make, maybe before bringing Bai Ling here, he already had the answer in his heart at the queen mother's bedside.

But at this moment, he still looked at the half-seal quietly and did not give an answer.

Bai Ling's words more or less touched his heartstrings - during this time, he had also faintly thought about this problem, but whenever his thoughts were about to touch the core that needed to be swordsmanship, he still chose to avoid it.

- You don't have to show any mercy to me, for I won't be the slightest bit merciful to you.

Bai Ling gave the answer first.

Even at such a moment, she still chose to remove a layer of shackles from Wei Shixi's body first.

How could Wei 14 not understand.

He raised his hand slightly, reaching for Bai Ling's palm.

Bai Ling's breath froze for a moment.

She suddenly became frightened - if Wei Shixi made a choice, it was really to take the half seal and return to Emperor Jianxi's side......

While this is indeed a riskier option for Fourteen, it ......

At this moment, Bai Ling instinctively wanted to withdraw his hand, but held back—this was her own choice, even if she didn't want to face this result, she had to put the final decision in the hands of Fourteen—

In the next moment, Wei XIV held her hand again.

His hand was so strong that Bai Ling even felt that his hand was being held a little painfully.

She finally understood Fourteen's choice.

"Thank you." Bai Ling replied softly, her voice low, "Thank you." ”

"You're welcome." Wei Shixi's voice was still the same as before, no one could hear the ups and downs, and he looked down at Bai Ling, "In the future, please also advise." ”

……

After leaving the palace, Bai Ling went home and slept for a while.

In the morning, she carried a basket of vegetables to the street to buy groceries—although she had to go to the wedding banquet in the evening, she still had to prepare the lunch meal.

Bai Ling walked in the middle of the crowd, silently thinking about everything that had happened this morning, and feeling that everything seemed unreal.

She looked around, and the people in the streets were no different from the old days, people were selling, bargaining, shouting, and noisy...... She knew that Fourteen was hiding in a corner she couldn't even notice right now.

Like countless ordinary days in the past four years.

The crowd was in an uproar, and everyone hurried to both sides of the road, and Bai Ling was knocked to the side.

Many people scolded and shoved, and Bai Ling stood on the stone steps of the shops on both sides of the road, and she held the pillars and looked at the back of the crowd - many officers and soldiers escorted the ragged people and walked slowly towards the south of the city.

"What's going on?" Someone on the side asked.

"Catch the homeless!" Someone replied, "Didn't there be a dead person in the south of the city a few days ago?" ”

"Eh, that's long overdue, I can't even sleep well these days thinking about these people."

"Yes, we should all be driven out of the city, how can we let them in."

Bai Ling listened to their chat, and roughly understood what was happening in front of him.

Just as she was about to turn her head away, she suddenly stopped.

In the escorted team, a young face appeared that she was very familiar with.

Bai Ling was stunned for a moment, she raised her hand and waved towards the team of homeless people in the middle of the road, "Ah Li!?" ”

The boy turned back.