# 1712
Chapter 1712: The New "Huo Qubing"
A few days later, Chang'an.
Dawn approached in the east, and the most brilliant crimson star in the sky had already vanished. The bitter cold of winter seemed about to pass. Throughout the recovering Chang'an City, many common folk stood in lines, moving toward the city gates one by one.
The guard at the city gate swept his gaze across the crowd when his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of two carriages racing across the distant earth. His eyes narrowed.
He walked to the center of the gate, intending to stop the two carriages, but upon closer inspection of the seal on the carriage compartment, his face lit up with joy. He turned and shouted:
"The Marquis has returned!!"
Upon hearing this, the guards on both sides immediately opened a passage into the city. The citizens waiting in line to exit also moved to the sides of the road, watching excitedly as the two racing carriages flew into the city!
"We welcome the Marquis on his triumphant return!"
"Triumphant return? But didn't the Marquis go out to fight?"
"Doesn't he need to fight to have a triumphant return?"
"Fair point..."
"Marquis! This is an old hen we raised at home. Take it back to give the generals some nourishment!"
"Marquis, I have a daughter of marriageable age, she's sixteen, and you..."
"..."
The enthusiastic citizens tried to crowd around the two speeding carriages, but neither compartment showed any sign of slowing down. With the horses galloping at full speed, they roared into Chang'an City.
Lin Qiye lowered a corner of the curtain and, after a long while, sighed deeply...
"Shouldn't the Marquis's affairs be announced to the world?" Hu Jia asked, puzzled.
"No." Lin Qiye and Yan Zhong shook their heads in unison. "When Huo Qubing left Chang'an, the Bureau of Evil Suppression had just been established. If we announce the Marquis's death now, it will cause panic among both the Han Dynasty and the Bureau of Evil Suppression... Moreover, we have no way to explain how he died or who the enemy was."
Everyone fell silent at once.
"But even so, the Marquis can't stay hidden forever, right? What about the imperial palace?"
Lin Qiye's gaze fell upon the carriage ahead. He said nothing.
The two carriages drove into Huo Qubing's residence. This place had once been where the Bureau of Evil Suppression held its first recruitment interviews, but after so many days with no new applicants, it had been completely abandoned.
Lin Qiye stepped down from the carriage. From the front carriage, Gongyang Wan lifted that broken spear segment and also stepped out.
The two exchanged a glance. Gongyang Wan gave a slight nod and strode toward the inner room.
A moment later, a figure in armor pushed open the door and walked out. Upon seeing that familiar face, everyone's pupils slightly contracted, as if the man himself had stood before them once more.
"Marquis..." Looking at this "Huo Qubing" who was nearly identical, Zhan Yuwu's eyes reddened.
"Ninety percent similar." Lin Qiye evaluated critically. "The features are perfect. The only issue is the height—it's slightly off. As long as we add something to the shoes, it will be flawless."
This "Huo Qubing" before them was, of course, played by Gongyang Wan. Before she was tempered into a soldier by Huo Qubing, she had, at his request, removed his face and swallowed it raw. Though she hadn't completely devoured Huo Qubing's body, unable to obtain the [Dominion over Emperor], she could still use this face with its simple application.
"However, I don't know much about the Marquis's past. If someone asks detailed questions, I may slip up." Gongyang Wan said gravely.
"No need to worry. Yanyu and I will stay by your side at all times." Yan Zhong said seriously. "Now that the Bureau of Evil Suppression has been established, there aren't actually many occasions requiring the Marquis's presence. Nor will you need to fight enemies. You only need to appear occasionally so the world knows the Marquis is still alive."
"Exactly... And for most of the time, you must remain active within the Bureau of Evil Suppression under the identity of Gongyang Wan. Only when the Bureau of Evil Suppression is on the right track and the timing is right should we allow the Marquis to 'die of illness,' thereby taking command of the entire Bureau of Evil Suppression in a logical manner."
Lin Qiye paused, then continued:
"Playing the Marquis while staying true to yourself—this is no easy task... Gongyang Wan, have you truly decided to lead the Bureau of Evil Suppression in the Marquis's place?
From the moment you take this step, there is no turning back. And this step forward... may last two thousand years."
Gongyang Wan slightly turned her head, gazing at the reflection of that face she had once despised most in the bronze mirror. For a moment, she felt dazed.
She glanced at the wooden box in her arms and spoke slowly:
"I said before, as long as you help me save Azhuo, I'm willing to do anything... The Marquis gave my brother and me a new lease on life. His dying wish, I will surely fulfill."
Lin Qiye gave a slight nod. He stepped forward to stand before Gongyang Wan and looked at the wooden box:
"What the Marquis took is the Heart of Kusuen. The Kusuen本体 is not dead now, only sealed, so it still exists... If the本体 dies, it will also die violently in this box, just like those offspring...
I'll completely sever the causal connection between this heart and the本体 for you. Only then can we be completely safe."
"Thank you." Gongyang Wan solemnly handed the wooden box to Lin Qiye.
Lin Qiye opened the box. Thread-like strands of causality extended from the heart within, reaching all the way into distant emptiness, tightly connected to the Kusuen本体 thousands of miles away.
The [Causeless Cause] floated between Lin Qiye's palms. A few strands of causality extended outward, directly severing those threads connected to the本体 and binding them into a ring that quietly floated around the heart.
After completing this, Lin Qiye nodded and returned the box to Gongyang Wan.
"That severs all connection between this heart and the Cthulhu Faction... However, I must remind you—this thing comes from beyond our world. It can help you reshape your brother's body, but whether this new body is truly human in the fullest sense is uncertain...
It may be ordinary, or it may be extraordinarily special... Special beyond anyone's imagination."
"Regardless, he is still my brother." Gongyang Wan's eyes were full of determination. She turned to look at Hu Jia and spoke respectfully, "Mr. Hu, please help me separate Azhuo's spirit and transfer it into this body."
Hu Jia nodded. He removed the stone xun from his waist, placed it to his lips, and began to play slowly. The melodious, graceful tune echoed through the residence. After shedding all defenses, Gongyang Wan's gaze gradually grew distant.
A moment later, a blurry glimmer of light drifted from within her, merging into the heart within the wooden box.
The heart seemed to come alive, beginning to grow delicate blood vessels around itself, along with large amounts of muscle tissue. Pale white bones were constructed凭空 within the flesh and blood. It was, using Gongyang Azhuo's spiritual world, reconstructing a body belonging to him!
Seeing such a miraculous scene, everyone present widened their eyes in curiosity. Hu Jia's xun melody gradually ceased. Gongyang Wan snapped back to awareness and gazed at the familiar figure taking shape in her arms, excitement flickering in her eyes!