Chapter One Hundred and Four
All the attackers had withdrawn from Plum Blossom Village. The fires still raged, filling the air with the acrid stench of smoke amidst the ruins of shattered homes. Mo Sigui made his way to the stables, only to find the ground littered with the corpses of horses. Left with no choice, he set off on foot in pursuit.
As he reached the valley entrance, the dim light of night revealed a massive fire blazing at the mouth of the valley, with a dark mass blocking the road. Cautiously approaching through the withered bushes, he realized, when he was within ten zhang, that it was a pile of corpses.
Opposite the heap stood a tall figure leaning on his sword, his ink-black hair disheveled, his clothes soaked in blood to the point where their original color was unrecognizable. The flames threatened to engulf him entirely.
"Mister Mo!" Mo Sigui recognized his sword and rushed into the fire without hesitation.
There was no response. Mo Sigui pressed his fingers to Mister Mo’s wrist, feeling warm skin but no pulse. With the surrounding fire, the temperature was naturally high—he might have just died, or he might have been dead for a while.
Mo Sigui’s heart sank. He withdrew his hand and began frantically digging through the pile of corpses.
An Jiu had been traveling with Mister Mo! He needed to find her—alive or dead.
"Mei Shisi! Mei Jiu! An Jiu!" Mo Sigui muttered incoherently, pausing abruptly as he remembered the tracking scent he had applied to An Jiu before they parted.
He reached for the small gourd hanging at his waist and released over a dozen butterflies.
This was a relatively common tracking method in the martial world. The butterflies were raised on a toxic fragrance, allowing them to survive in winter and fly with purpose. However, their speed was slow, and their effective tracking range was limited to ten li.
The butterflies circled the valley entrance, eight or nine of them reduced to ashes by the flames, while the rest began flying outward. Mo Sigui’s spirits lifted, and he clutched his medicine box as he hurried after them.
After a few steps, he turned back and bowed deeply to Mister Mo. "Forgive me!"
In Plum Blossom Village, Mo Sigui had only shared a deep bond with Elder Qi. Though he was worried about An Jiu, he would have normally buried Mister Mo properly before leaving. But now, finding An Jiu took precedence—there was still hope she might be alive.
After paying his respects, he hurried off in pursuit of the butterflies.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, he encountered someone on the road. The butterflies stopped flying.
Recognizing Mei Ru Yan, Mo Sigui quickly approached. The sight of each other made both their hearts sink.
"Where’s Shisi?"
"Did you see Mister Mo?"
The butterflies fluttered around Mei Ru Yan as she grabbed Mo Sigui and pressed him. "Did you see Mister Mo when you left the valley?"
"I did," Mo Sigui replied softly after a pause. "He’s dead."
"W-what did you say?" Mei Ru Yan’s voice trembled, tears flooding her eyes like a broken dam.
"My condolences. His body is still at the valley entrance. If you hurry, you can see him one last time." Seeing her grief, Mo Sigui assumed it was the deep bond between master and disciple, but all he could offer were hollow words of comfort.
His mind still on An Jiu’s safety, he pressed, "Where’s Shisi?"
"Chu Dingjiang took her away." Mei Ru Yan dropped the words before stumbling back toward Plum Blossom Village.
The butterflies followed her for two zhang before returning.
"Who is Chu Dingjiang? Where did they go?" Mo Sigui called after her.
Mei Ru Yan ignored him. Watching her retreating figure, he hesitated for a moment before continuing to follow the butterflies.
Though he had rarely used tracking butterflies before, he had no doubt in his own abilities.The vast wilderness was dotted with a few butterflies that had been scorched by fire, drifting and fluttering in the wind before finally falling. Mo Sigui trudged forward tirelessly, oblivious to the wounds on his body that scabbed over only to split open again and again. His only concern was the last remaining butterfly.
The horizon faintly brightened, tinged with a pale red as if stained by blood.
On the mountainside stood a house, its corner lantern still emitting a dim glow.
The entire dwelling consisted of only three stone rooms, surrounded by a dilapidated fence that enclosed a small courtyard. In the northeast corner, a crude shed sheltered a stove made of rubble and clay.
A man in a close-fitting outfit crouched by the stove, idly poking at the firewood in the hearth. Steam curled upward from the pot, filling the air with the aroma of rice.
When he sensed the rice was nearly done, he extinguished the fire and rose to enter the house.
Without lighting a lamp, he moved unerringly through the dim light to the bedside, where he stood with arms crossed, lost in thought—or perhaps gazing at the woman lying there.
Only when a nearly imperceptible sound came from outside did he stir.
"Commander, the medicine you requested," someone announced from beyond the door.
"Leave it," came the hoarse reply.
"Yes!" The person set down a bundle and continued, "Commander, you should hurry back. The Crane Control Bureau is convening, and I’ve heard some are proposing disciplinary action against you. Even the Privy Council has gotten involved."
The man inside remained shrouded in shadow, his expression unreadable. "Understood. I have my plans. Tell the brothers that as long as their loyalty to Chu remains steadfast, they should prioritize self-preservation. Courage and loyalty lie in the heart, not in outward displays."
The subordinate grasped Chu Dingjiang’s meaning clearly—he was cautioning them against recklessness and urging them to yield when necessary.
"Yes! Take care, Commander." The man lingered briefly under the eaves, ensuring Chu had no further orders, before slipping away.
Chu Dingjiang sat on the edge of the bed, reaching under the blanket to grasp a slender wrist. His fingers rested lightly upon it.
The pulse was faint, almost imperceptible, and he could detect no flow through her meridians. It was as though her body existed in a state of chaos.
Chu found it strange. She had only been injured and poisoned—why would it lead to such a condition?
He recalled his own experience when breaking through to the Ninth-Order Martial Master and entering the Transformation Realm. If one could endure, vitality would emerge from the chaos, elevating them to a new level.
For most Ninth-Order Martial Masters, this opportunity came but once in a lifetime. Failure to break through the first time would create even greater obstacles for subsequent attempts. The human spirit was at its strongest when returning to its truest state—impervious to external influences—yet also at its most fragile, unable to tolerate the slightest impurity. If flaws existed within, they became nearly impossible to purge amidst the chaos.
At the very least, no one had ever been known to succeed under such circumstances.
Chu had previously channeled Inner Force into An Jiu’s body and confirmed that her own Inner Force was negligible. Unless… her Mental strength was on the verge of a breakthrough!
Considering this possibility, Chu silently withdrew. After hastily eating a meal, he went to the nearby woods to practice his martial arts.
Day after day passed.
An Jiu felt as though she had been walking endlessly through darkness, her body exhausted and heavy as if filled with lead. Each step left her drenched in sweat.
Just as she was about to stop and rest, a deep, mellow male voice suddenly whispered in her ear, "Might as well toss her into the pond and drown her."An Jiu had a gut feeling he was talking about her. In her anger, a faint red light suddenly appeared before her eyes. (To be continued...)
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