An Jiu indeed fell silent, but her cold sneer drove the Madman into a frenzy more than any venomous words could.
Enraged, the Madman released his bowstring, sending a scattered wave of Inner Force toward her. Having witnessed Elder Zhi's unfocused Startling String before, An Jiu didn’t hesitate for a second—she flipped backward through the window into the house.
Boom!
The force shattered the roof tiles into fine gravel, raining down in a deafening cascade.
Mo Sigui, standing below, failed to dodge in time and was pelted, his face and clothes covered in dust.
Perhaps because the Madman had been continuously firing arrows, his Inner Force had weakened, making this attack less powerful than An Jiu had anticipated.
A shadowy figure landed beside the Madman and pointed at Mo Sigui. "Shoot him!"
The Madman, though accustomed to acting without thought, wasn’t stupid. He could tell An Jiu cared about that boy. Hearing Cui Yichen’s suggestion, he found it reasonable and immediately drew his bowstring, aiming at Mo Sigui.
Through the broken window, An Jiu saw the Madman’s movement, and her heart lurched.
"An Jiu, save Cousin!" In Mei Jiu’s mind, An Jiu was a ghost—and ghosts were stronger than humans.
An Jiu ignored her words, still calculating her next move, but her legs had already carried her charging outside.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the Madman’s bow fully drawn, sensing he was about to release the arrow. Without thinking, she lunged forward!
The Madman, still hoping to test his Martial Arts against An Jiu, had no intention of killing her yet. Seeing her movement, he adjusted his aim slightly.
His fingers loosened.
A crisp Crane Cry pierced the air, blue light flaring as the gale-force arrow split the flames, carrying a world-shattering momentum toward Mo Sigui.
An Jiu threw herself onto Mo Sigui just as the arrow grazed past her back. A sharp pain exploded through her, her chest churning violently as a metallic sweetness surged up her throat.
The Madman’s Startling String wasn’t yet concentrated or refined—the force around the arrow was immense. Even Mo Sigui coughed up blood from the shockwave.
The arrow pierced through two black-clad men before embedding itself into the banquet hall behind them. A moment of silence—then a thunderous boom as the towering hall collapsed entirely, the ground trembling as if from an earthquake.
The spectacle left everyone stunned, momentarily forgetting the battle.
The Madman, thrilled by his own power, burst into laughter. "Ha! Hahaha!"
Cui Yichen, however, had a scheme. Having suffered a crushing defeat at Chu Dingjiang’s hands because of An Jiu before, he wouldn’t let this opportunity slip. Seizing the moment while the Madman was basking in triumph, he flicked his wrist—a poisoned Hidden Weapon shot out.
An Jiu, still reeling from the violent impact, struggled to focus her Mental Strength . She sensed the Hidden Weapon coming but couldn’t move her body.
Mei Jiu, sheltered behind An Jiu’s Mental Strength, was less affected. Through An Jiu’s senses, she clearly perceived the approaching danger—yet An Jiu had lost consciousness.
Gritting her teeth, Mei Jiu took control of her own body.
Just like in the past decade, it felt natural. Her suddenly unleashed Mental Strength surged to over ten times its usual intensity—but her severely injured body couldn’t move freely.
Clenching her jaw, she crawled forward a few inches—then felt a cold sting pierce her back.
The excruciating pain had been borne by An Jiu before; now, only numbness remained. Mei Jiu didn’t even feel the wound—just her consciousness slowly fading.
A clear realization settled in her heart: This is the end for me. On the rooftop, the Madman noticed Cui Yichen's subtle movement and abruptly shifted from ecstasy to fury, grabbing him by the collar. "How dare you kill her!"
"She's not dead!" Cui Yichen lied. "I knocked her out so she wouldn’t run away again!"
"Really?" The Madman loosened his grip, half-convinced.
...
Mei Jiu collapsed into the snow, her cheek pressed against the icy ground, fear gripping her heart. "An Jiu, An Jiu... I... I don’t want to die..."
Even in the perilous Mei Shi clan, even knowing she could never adapt to this life of bloodshed, even with all her cowardice and timidity, she had never once considered giving up her life so easily.
An Jiu’s mental strength slowly gathered. "Idiot! Who told you to play the hero? Don’t you know whoever controls the body takes the damage?"
Mei Jiu knew. But in that moment, she hadn’t thought—she had just acted.
Feeling An Jiu trying to take over, she quickly pleaded, "No! We’ll both die if you do... I beg you, do one thing for me. You can’t die."
"Speak." An Jiu had witnessed countless deaths. She thought she had long grown numb, yet now, an inexplicable ache twisted inside her.
"An Jiu..." Mei Jiu’s voice was faint. "Leave Mei Shi. Find a village to settle in. Raise a flock of sheep, plant a few acres of grapes... and... marry... a good man."
An Jiu froze. She had expected Mei Jiu to say, "An Jiu, join the Crane Control Army and save my mother for me." But this fool... wanted her to live well?
"Bullshit! Do it yourself!" Without another word, An Jiu seized control of the body.
"You used to scold me like that, and it hurt," Mei Jiu murmured, her voice tinged with amusement. "But now... it makes me happy."
An Jiu glanced at the still-dazed Mo Sigui, forcing herself to stand. "Nonsense! I’m not here to act in some tragic drama with you. Hold on—Elder Qi is right over there!"
"I don’t want to die... but I know... without you, I would’ve died long ago. Someone as weak as me... could never survive this life..." Mei Jiu’s rambling voice grew softer until it faded entirely.
An Jiu stiffened.
She couldn’t describe the feeling, but she knew—Mei Jiu was truly gone.
She had died on this chaotic night, unnoticed, without even a body left behind.
In the battle for control of this body, An Jiu had started with absolute confidence, then lost her will to live. Yet from beginning to end, she had been the one in charge.
An Jiu had never imagined defeat, much less an outcome like this.
Perhaps it was the hidden weapon’s doing—An Jiu suddenly felt her heart tear apart in agony. Clutching her chest, she swayed, her body collapsing as her mental strength gave out.
Mo Sigui regained consciousness just in time to see An Jiu fall. The memory of her throwing herself at him flashed in his mind, and his heart clenched. "An Jiu!"
All of this happened in an instant.
The Madman realized Mei Shisi was dead and turned on Cui Yichen. "You said you knocked her out! Why is she dead?"
"It was an accident!" Cui Yichen said. "Don’t panic—grab Elder Qi! He can bring the dead back to life!"
The Madman’s anger melted into delight. He released Cui Yichen and patted his shoulder. "Right! Haha, clever little Chenzi!"
With that, he turned and rushed toward Elder Qi.Mo Sigui overheard their conversation and was both shocked and furious. This was clearly a trap—Cui Yichen had precisely targeted the Madman's attachment to An Jiu, striking at her first to lure him into capturing Elder Qi alive! (To be continued...)
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