Emperor XiaoZong, Xuanyuan YunQi (Part Two)
The so-called mystical show had not been heard of in Eastern Ling before.
The first time that they had heard about it was when Yu Fu brought it up. Only after seeing her performance did they come to understand why it was called a spectral show.
The show was intriguing and particularly mysterious.
Gu Xiang and Gu Yi immediately became interested, “Very well, but you only taught us two things. You taught us how to do string figures and how to make handkerchiefs disappear, but eldest brother saw through those long ago. Do you have anything more impressive?”
“I do!”
Yu Fu led the two outside to talk about it. Seeing the three act so sneakily like little mice, he could not help but smile.
Up until a moment ago, the room had been completely silent. Now, everyone had become intrigued, as they waited to see Yu Fu’s “more impressive” show.
The three quickly returned with Gu Xiang and Gu Yi carrying a large chest. Placing it in the middle of the hall, they opened it up and revealed that it was completely empty.
Yu Fu smiled and said: “This technique is particularly amazing. Do you all see this empty chest? Sixth brother will lie down inside, and I will make sixth brother disappear.”
Gu Yi let out a sigh and walked over to the large chest. He lay down inside the chest, and Gu Xiang lowered the lid.
Everyone subconsciously looked at the chest. It was a very normal chest, and it did not look like it had been altered.
Could she really make the person inside the chest disappear?
Yu Fu pulled out some red cloth and covered the chest. A little nervously, she gave the chest a kick, “Sixth brother, are you doing alright inside the chest?”
In the past, she had only performed small tricks involving string manipulation. This was her first time making a person disappear from inside a chest, thus she was a little nervous.
Gu WenQing could not help but smile. Covering his mouth, he did his best to suppress his laughter to avoid hurting Yu Fu’s confidence.
Gu Yi’s muffled voice came from inside the chest, “I’m fine. It’s just too cramped. Little Yu Fu, move a little faster.”
“Don’t worry!”
Yu Fu adjusted the red cloth on top of the chest and glanced at everyone’s expressions.
They were all watching closely and listening attentively for any movements. To try and pull off any tricks in front of them was truly difficult.
Yu Fu chanted a spell at the red cloth and then removed it. Gu Xiang then opened the lid to the chest…
The person inside had disappeared.
Gu WenQing stepped forward and felt around inside the chest, “He actually disappeared. How exactly did you do this, and where did sixth brother go?”
No matter how he felt around, the chest in front of him was empty.
Gu JiuGe was unable to sit still, stepping forward and inspecting the chest. The chest was sealed on all four sides, so it would have been impossible for someone to have escaped under their watchful eyes.
“Strange, where did Gu Yi go?”
“It’s no wonder it’s called a mystical show. It really is mysterious, but where’s the mystical element?”
Yu Fu said: “It’s a name from the great Zhou Dynasty that existed two hundred years ago when the land had not yet been divided in three. It is said that under Empress ShengWen of RenZong’s court, it was initially called magic. Emperor RenZong thought that the word magic was a little too terrifying and did not fit a technique that was used to entertain people, thus its name was changed to ‘illusionary show.’ Who knew that it would become known as a mystical show after being spread around through word of mouth.”*
“Emperor RenZong and Empress ShengWen?”
Gu ShuBai stood up and walked around the chest, “So it was a technique that originates from the imperial family. Emperor RenZong abdicated at a young age, while Empress ShengWen was a strange woman who was famous the world over. It’s just a pity that after the throne was handed down to Emperor XiaoZong, Xuanyuan YunQi, Emperor XiaoZong divided the world in three and gave Eastern Ling and Western Kun to his younger brothers.”
Gu HanMo said: “Saying it like this, why did mystical shows not continue to exist in Eastern Ling?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s because Eastern Ling and Western Kun did not inherit the Zhou Dynasty’s will.”
Gu HuaiJiang, who had remained silent this entire time, said: “After the world was divided in three, there was internal strife in the third generation after the formations of Eastern Ling and Western Kun. That resulted in new rulers. Only Northern Li continues to carry on that lineage with its territory remaining peaceful and without conflict…”
“Then if this is the case, only Northern Li has inherited the will of the Zhou Dynasty? But Northern Li’s imperial family’s surname is Ji and not Xuanyuan?”
Gu HuaiJiang was also uncertain about this point. Northern Li was very closed off from its two southern neighbors. Whether there had been a change of courts or dynasties, he was completely in the dark.
With the topic shifting from mystical arts to Northern Li, Yu Fu hastily said: “Head general, are you guys unable to guess where I moved him?”
The group returned to their senses and started looking around. Only Gu ShuBai revealed a bit of a smile.
Gu WenQing said: “Eldest brother, have you noticed something? Quickly tell us!”
Yu Fu also looked at him, and Gu ShuBai facepalmed, “I didn’t notice anything, but I can also put on a mystical show. I can have sixth brother re-appear inside the chest. Do you guys believe it or not?”
Saying this, he closed the lid on the chest. Lifting the entire chest, he flipped it over and put it back down, and Gu Yi’s desperate cries immediately came from inside the chest, “Eldest brother, spare me!”
Strange, he really brought Gu Yi back.
Gu Xiang hastily opened the chest, and Gu Yi staggered out of the chest in a sorry state, “Eldest brother, you’re too cruel. It was already extremely cramped inside, yet you still flipped me over. I nearly threw up the new year’s eve meal!”
“Eldest brother, how exactly did you bring sixth brother back?”
Gu WenQing inspected the chest once more. No matter how he looked, he could not find any clues. Could it be that Gu ShuBai was truly able to learn Yu Fu’s mystical technique just by seeing it once?
Yu Fu and Gu ShuBai exchanged a look and tacitly smiled.
*TN: The word for illusionary is a homonym with the word for mystical.
Emperor XiaoZong, Xuanyuan YunQi (Part Two)
The so-called mystical show had not been heard of in Eastern Ling before.
The first time that they had heard about it was when Yu Fu brought it up. Only after seeing her performance did they come to understand why it was called a spectral show.
The show was intriguing and particularly mysterious.
Gu Xiang and Gu Yi immediately became interested, “Very well, but you only taught us two things. You taught us how to do string figures and how to make handkerchiefs disappear, but eldest brother saw through those long ago. Do you have anything more impressive?”
“I do!”
Yu Fu led the two outside to talk about it. Seeing the three act so sneakily like little mice, he could not help but smile.
Up until a moment ago, the room had been completely silent. Now, everyone had become intrigued, as they waited to see Yu Fu’s “more impressive” show.
The three quickly returned with Gu Xiang and Gu Yi carrying a large chest. Placing it in the middle of the hall, they opened it up and revealed that it was completely empty.
Yu Fu smiled and said: “This technique is particularly amazing. Do you all see this empty chest? Sixth brother will lie down inside, and I will make sixth brother disappear.”
Gu Yi let out a sigh and walked over to the large chest. He lay down inside the chest, and Gu Xiang lowered the lid.
Everyone subconsciously looked at the chest. It was a very normal chest, and it did not look like it had been altered.
Could she really make the person inside the chest disappear?
Yu Fu pulled out some red cloth and covered the chest. A little nervously, she gave the chest a kick, “Sixth brother, are you doing alright inside the chest?”
In the past, she had only performed small tricks involving string manipulation. This was her first time making a person disappear from inside a chest, thus she was a little nervous.
Gu WenQing could not help but smile. Covering his mouth, he did his best to suppress his laughter to avoid hurting Yu Fu’s confidence.
Gu Yi’s muffled voice came from inside the chest, “I’m fine. It’s just too cramped. Little Yu Fu, move a little faster.”
“Don’t worry!”
Yu Fu adjusted the red cloth on top of the chest and glanced at everyone’s expressions.
They were all watching closely and listening attentively for any movements. To try and pull off any tricks in front of them was truly difficult.
Yu Fu chanted a spell at the red cloth and then removed it. Gu Xiang then opened the lid to the chest…
The person inside had disappeared.
Gu WenQing stepped forward and felt around inside the chest, “He actually disappeared. How exactly did you do this, and where did sixth brother go?”
No matter how he felt around, the chest in front of him was empty.
Gu JiuGe was unable to sit still, stepping forward and inspecting the chest. The chest was sealed on all four sides, so it would have been impossible for someone to have escaped under their watchful eyes.
“Strange, where did Gu Yi go?”
“It’s no wonder it’s called a mystical show. It really is mysterious, but where’s the mystical element?”
Yu Fu said: “It’s a name from the great Zhou Dynasty that existed two hundred years ago when the land had not yet been divided in three. It is said that under Empress ShengWen of RenZong’s court, it was initially called magic. Emperor RenZong thought that the word magic was a little too terrifying and did not fit a technique that was used to entertain people, thus its name was changed to ‘illusionary show.’ Who knew that it would become known as a mystical show after being spread around through word of mouth.”*
“Emperor RenZong and Empress ShengWen?”
Gu ShuBai stood up and walked around the chest, “So it was a technique that originates from the imperial family. Emperor RenZong abdicated at a young age, while Empress ShengWen was a strange woman who was famous the world over. It’s just a pity that after the throne was handed down to Emperor XiaoZong, Xuanyuan YunQi, Emperor XiaoZong divided the world in three and gave Eastern Ling and Western Kun to his younger brothers.”
Gu HanMo said: “Saying it like this, why did mystical shows not continue to exist in Eastern Ling?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s because Eastern Ling and Western Kun did not inherit the Zhou Dynasty’s will.”
Gu HuaiJiang, who had remained silent this entire time, said: “After the world was divided in three, there was internal strife in the third generation after the formations of Eastern Ling and Western Kun. That resulted in new rulers. Only Northern Li continues to carry on that lineage with its territory remaining peaceful and without conflict…”
“Then if this is the case, only Northern Li has inherited the will of the Zhou Dynasty? But Northern Li’s imperial family’s surname is Ji and not Xuanyuan?”
Gu HuaiJiang was also uncertain about this point. Northern Li was very closed off from its two southern neighbors. Whether there had been a change of courts or dynasties, he was completely in the dark.
With the topic shifting from mystical arts to Northern Li, Yu Fu hastily said: “Head general, are you guys unable to guess where I moved him?”
The group returned to their senses and started looking around. Only Gu ShuBai revealed a bit of a smile.
Gu WenQing said: “Eldest brother, have you noticed something? Quickly tell us!”
Yu Fu also looked at him, and Gu ShuBai facepalmed, “I didn’t notice anything, but I can also put on a mystical show. I can have sixth brother re-appear inside the chest. Do you guys believe it or not?”
Saying this, he closed the lid on the chest. Lifting the entire chest, he flipped it over and put it back down, and Gu Yi’s desperate cries immediately came from inside the chest, “Eldest brother, spare me!”
Strange, he really brought Gu Yi back.
Gu Xiang hastily opened the chest, and Gu Yi staggered out of the chest in a sorry state, “Eldest brother, you’re too cruel. It was already extremely cramped inside, yet you still flipped me over. I nearly threw up the new year’s eve meal!”
“Eldest brother, how exactly did you bring sixth brother back?”
Gu WenQing inspected the chest once more. No matter how he looked, he could not find any clues. Could it be that Gu ShuBai was truly able to learn Yu Fu’s mystical technique just by seeing it once?
Yu Fu and Gu ShuBai exchanged a look and tacitly smiled.
*TN: The word for illusionary is a homonym with the word for mystical.
