Hidden Shadow

Chapter One Hundred

With the Clan School instructors and shadow unit joining the battle, Mei Shi finally turned the tide against their slaughter.

"It was Mister Mo who saved her." Mei Jiu sighed in relief, watching the two figures, thinking Mei Ru Yan must be happy now.

Mo Sigui moved closer to Elder Qi's side, uncorked a jade flask, and rolled it along the ground into the combat zone.

Tendrils of smoke seemed drawn to fabric, clinging persistently to the clothing of those nearby.

"You reckless brat!" Elder Qi hastily swallowed an Antitoxin pill.

Only then did the black-clad assailants realize the smoke was poisonous. One of them flicked a hidden weapon, shattering the jade flask. Instead of dispersing, the smoke erupted in a thick white fog!

"Oh no!" Mo Sigui exclaimed softly, rushing back to press a bottle of medicine into An Jiu's hand. "Help me distribute the antidote!"

The smoke didn't discriminate between friend or foe. Seeing the black-clad attackers around Elder Qi collapse in the mist, An Jiu knew the poison acted swiftly. Without another word, she quickly poured out the medicinal pills and distributed them to nearby Mei Shi members.

"Sister?" Mei Ru Yan recognized her when accepting the antidote.

An Jiu nodded, glancing briefly at Mister Mo. His sword-like brows and thin pressed lips maintained their usual cold arrogance. The half-loose hair at the back of his head softened his features slightly, yet he remained unapproachable.

After hearing Yao Ye's account of Mister Mo's background, Mei Jiu now saw how he radiated an aura of lethal coldness. How had she ever thought this man resembled an ethereal immortal?

Perhaps that initial image of him in white robes playing the guqin amidst bamboo had been too beautiful. Truly, appearances could be deceiving! Mei Jiu sighed inwardly.

Zhao Shanchang and Mr. Qingming approached to take the antidote.

"Damn these bastards! Today it's either them or us!" Zhao Shanchang flipped his robe, raised his blade, and charged back into battle.

Mei Jiu was astonished—even An Jiu showed surprise.

In their memories, Zhao Shanchang had been a non-martial, severely nearsighted scholar. When Yao Ye called him "Jade-Faced Fox," An Jiu had found the image incongruous. Even if true, shouldn't such a title belong to an elegant, refined gentleman? Not this ferocious wildness!

As they pondered this, a Mei Shi Shadow Guard rushed over. "Mister Mo, please lend Old Madam your aid!"

An Jiu scanned the area and spotted over a dozen black-clad figures surrounding the Old Madam.

Before the words fully faded, Mister Mo's toes tapped the ground as he shot forward with sword-drawn speed—so fast he seemed to achieve Unity of Man and Sword, a living blade thrusting toward the enemy.

Gale winds whirled sparks as sword light cascaded like driven snow, dense and overwhelming. Where it passed, blood sprayed.

From the corner of her eye, An Jiu saw Mei Ru Yan's lips curve slightly, her brilliant phoenix eyes reflecting both raging flames and that plain-robed figure.

That faint smile unsettled Mei Jiu. Lives were ending with each sword stroke! Suddenly, An Jiu's earlier words echoed in her ears: Mei Ru Yan might have had ill intentions from the start...

Mei Jiu couldn't verify the truth, nor did she wish to know. She only felt a growing dread—even Mei Ru Yan was adapting to this life of slaughter, while she alone remained an outsider, forever struggling to belong.

This realization filled her heart with sudden despair.An Jiu was observing the battle when she suddenly sensed an immense surge of Mental Strength. Following the direction of the energy, she spotted a figure on the rooftop drawing a bow, the arrowhead gleaming with an eerie blue light.

"Old Madam, be careful!" An Jiu immediately called out in warning. "There's a Transcendence Realm Archer to your right rear!"

Thrum!

An Jiu clearly heard the vibration of the bowstring. Immediately after, a Crane Cry resounded through Plum Blossom Village as the blue light streaked across the sky like a shooting star.

The arrow was incredibly fast. With enemies attacking from both sides, Old Madam couldn't evade completely. The arrowhead pierced straight through her shoulder.

Struck by the Startling String technique, Old Madam swayed slightly before driving her cane into the ground to steady herself, standing motionless.

Mister Mo swept his sword through the surrounding black-clad assailants before swiftly retreating to An Jiu and Mei Ru Yan's position.

"My Lady!"

"Matriarch!"

The Mei Shi Shadow Guards fighting nearby saw this and rushed toward Old Madam, but the black-clad enemies desperately blocked their path, intensifying the bloody struggle.

With the Mei family head dead and the successor having fled with their followers, all elders except Elder Qi had fallen in battle. Now with Old Madam injured, chaos erupted instantly.

According to Mei Shi tradition, Elder Qi should have taken command. Unfortunately, while he could revive the dead and heal bones, he possessed no leadership skills.

Though continuing the fight was their only option, such desperate combat required a pillar of morale.

Amidst the turmoil, An Jiu suddenly sensed that formidable presence reappear behind her.

She turned to see the "Madman" already nocking his second arrow, its blue glow shimmering as another Crane Cry shot toward Zhao Shanchang like lightning.

An Jiu had no time to warn him. Engrossed in slaughter, Zhao Shanchang only sensed the tremendous force approaching. He drove his blade into a black-clad enemy's abdomen and used the body as a shield.

The arrow pierced through the corpse and embedded itself in Zhao Shanchang's chest. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Hahaha! Found you!" The Madman cheered wildly, already drawing another arrow—this time aimed directly at An Jiu!

Many present carried bows, and unable to locate An Jiu, the increasingly agitated Madman began attacking indiscriminately. Cui Yichen instructed him to fire arrows in different directions, knowing An Jiu would be the first to react—the one he sought would inevitably reveal themselves!

An Jiu frowned and dashed beneath the eaves while unfastening her bow.

Drawing the empty bow with two fingers, she unleashed a sudden burst of killing intent. In that brief moment of rapid movement, the bowstring hummed softly. She swiftly retrieved an arrow from her quiver and released it.

Hearing no Crane Cry, the Madman inwardly mocked—until his mind went blank, his body freezing momentarily. By the time he regained awareness, a real arrow was already at his face.

"Ha! Interesting!" The Madman laughed maniacally, channeling Inner Force around himself. The arrow halted an inch from his heart before shattering into dust with a slight movement.

"Mei Shisi! Face me in an archery duel!" Remembering their cliffside standoff at the ancient temple, the Madman's blood boiled with excitement. "Or I'll pick you off one by one!"

An Jiu crouched on a corridor beam, unaffected by the Madman's threats—though Mei Jiu grew anxious.

The Madman's deafening voice reached everyone clearly.

Amid the chaos, Mo Sigui slipped beneath the corridor. "Shi Si! Can you handle this?""Impossible." An Jiu's reply was blunt. Last time, she had only managed to fire the Startling String with the help of Chu Dingjiang's Inner Force. Now that her meridians were completely destroyed, even if someone infused her with Inner Force, it would be useless.

The so-called Mental Strength Startling String could probably only deal with lower-tier Martial Arts practitioners. Facing off against the Madman would be tantamount to suicide.

"We must leave now," Mo Sigui said. "It's easy to enter this area but hard to escape. The encirclement has been going on for nearly half an hour. I've noticed their forces slowly converging here, growing in numbers. We're down to fewer than sixty people. Think of a way to delay them and buy time for the others to escape."

This was a daunting task. An Jiu asked Mei Jiu, "Do you want to flee or follow his plan?"

After asking, An Jiu felt it was unnecessary—Mei Jiu would undoubtedly choose to stay. She couldn't bear to abandon so many lives.

Sure enough, Mei Jiu replied, "How can we ignore them in such a situation?"

An Jiu had no attachments either way. Since Mei Jiu chose to stay, she had no objections.

"You claim you can fire the Startling String?" An Jiu's cold voice carried a hint of mockery. "Yet you still used an arrow. Is this what you call the Startling String? Utterly ridiculous!"

"If you don't believe me, I'll show you!" The Madman tossed aside his arrow and drew the bow empty-handed.

Mo Sigui shrank back to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

An Jiu used her bow to gently push open the broken window behind her, ready to leap into the house the moment he released the arrow. The house was on fire, and she risked burns, but that was better than being hit by the Startling String.

"Your Mental Strength is scattered. If you can fire a true Startling String with this shot, I'll step outside and be your target!" An Jiu knew Mental Strength was the key to concentrating Inner Force at a single point. Though she couldn't sense Inner Force, she was acutely sensitive to Mental Strength.

"Shut up!" the Madman snapped irritably. (To be continued...)