"Hah, I was going to ask if you wanted to ride back together, but it seems that won’t be necessary now." Hua Rongjian was thoroughly amused.
An Jiu paused mid-motion, turned, and vaulted into the carriage. Grabbing Hua Rongjian by the collar, she flung him out.
The sudden shift in circumstances left no time to react.
Hua Rongjian was, after all, a fourth-rank martial arts master—not someone so easily dismissed. In a few quick strides, he leaped back into the carriage. "I have more than one thing to discuss with you. That cousin of yours has spread word in the city: anyone who can provide reliable information about your whereabouts will have him as their personal physician for life."
Mo Sigui placed little value on emotional bonds. Though he had lived with the Mei family for years and was supposedly closest to Mei Tingjun, he showed no trace of grief upon learning of Mei Tingjun’s death. That he would go to such lengths now was unexpected to An Jiu. Then again, she supposed it must be due to his fascination with her ruined meridians.
Yet Hua Rongjian’s words contradicted her assumption. "You don’t realize the risks he’s taking. The Crane Control Army and Misty Villa have the most extensive intelligence networks in the Great Song. They’ve had their eyes on the young Miracle Doctor for a long time. Now that this golden opportunity has presented itself, who wouldn’t seize it?"
Neither of those organizations was easy to deal with.
Those who lived by the sword had to be prepared to die by it, but training an exceptional assassin required not only vast resources and manpower but also at least seven or eight years of time. Losing even one was a significant blow. Having a Miracle Doctor on hand could mitigate such losses considerably, which was why both the Crane Control Army and Misty Villa were determined to claim Mo Sigui for themselves.
"The news had only been out for half an hour before I sent someone to warn him," Hua Rongjian said.
An Jiu didn’t thank him, her gaze probing.
Everything she’d heard about Hua Rongjian from others was unflattering—carousing in brothels, gambling on cockfights, keeping singing girls as pets. His usual carefree demeanor certainly fit the bill, yet at times, he displayed surprising shrewdness. "You have the same intentions."
"Of course!" Hua Rongjian laughed self-deprecatingly. "For someone like me, who frequents brothels, having a Miracle Doctor on hand to tend to my health—what’s your objection?"
An Jiu didn’t argue, accepting his explanation at face value, though she didn’t take it seriously.
She stared straight at Hua Rongjian’s face, perplexed. The more people she interacted with, the stranger she found them. Initially, she had despised Mo Sigui—his incessant chatter, his profession—yet over time, that aversion had inexplicably faded. Recalling her first encounter with Hua Rongjian, he had been unconscious, and she had found him rather pleasing to the eye. But every time she saw him awake afterward, she felt the urge to beat him senseless.
Yet despite her dislike, she had never acted to eliminate him. Deep down, she knew all the reasons she gave for sparing him were just excuses—she simply didn’t want to kill him. If she truly resolved to take a life, not even the heavens could stop her.
Hua Rongjian, far from feeling awkward under her scrutiny, seemed rather pleased with himself. He struck what he believed to be his most dashing pose, meeting her gaze with sparkling eyes.He leaned casually against the table, propping his head with one hand. His hair, loosened from the earlier scuffle, spilled through his fingers, mingling with the black fox fur robe. Upon closer inspection, his lips had an intriguing shape—slightly downturned at the midline but curling faintly upward at the corners, as if perpetually holding a mocking smirk. This lent him an air of aloof nobility, a stark contrast to his usual irritating demeanor when speaking.
Like this, he was undeniably captivating.
An Jiu, who knew how to appreciate beauty, didn’t hold back her words. "You really do have experience selling charm. Just lying around like this, you’d fetch a hefty price."
Hua Rongjian’s expression stiffened. He silently reassured himself: Hua the Second, this woman’s mouth is just this infuriating. As a cultivated gentleman, you must—stay! calm!
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and gritted his molars. "Given that you’re somewhat decent-looking, I’ll let it slide."
An Jiu gave him positive feedback for his restraint. "You have strong professional ethics. But I won’t pay you, nor will I sleep with you. So your patience is wasted."
Hua Rongjian had no idea what "professional ethics" meant, but he understood the latter half perfectly. For some reason, a fire suddenly ignited in his chest. He slammed his palm down, shattering the small table before him. "Mei Shisi, are you even a woman? How can you say such things?!"
"What things?" An Jiu asked.
"What do you mean, ‘what things’?" Hua Rongjian felt blood rushing from his soles straight to his head in fury. But after retorting, he froze—he wasn’t angry at her mocking him, but at how brazenly she spoke.
Why was he even wasting energy on such trivial anger? Hua Rongjian muttered, "I must be bored out of my mind."
In the past, Hua Rongjian’s anger had always seemed like a joke, but An Jiu could tell he was genuinely furious this time, so she said nothing more.
Silence stretched between them.
As they neared the city, Hua Rongjian finally broke the quiet. "I used to think you were an ice-cold beauty. Turns out you’re a chatterbox—and not just any chatterbox, but one whose every word is venomous!"
His remark made An Jiu realize she no longer shut herself off as she once had. At the very least, she could now converse with others.
It was all because of Mei Jiu.
Her expression darkened.
Come to think of it, this guy was nothing like Mei Jiu in temperament. Why had she even bothered talking to him? After some thought, An Jiu concluded it was because she’d grown accustomed to having someone to talk to. With Mei Jiu gone, she felt lonely.
"Hey! Hey!" Hua Rongjian noticed she wasn’t angry but instead looked sorrowful. Worried he’d gone too far, he quickly moved to sit beside her. "My bad. I’m the one with the sharp tongue, the chatterbox here."
He patted his chest with a heroic, martyr-like expression. "Go ahead, hit me. I won’t resist."
An Jiu had always been more responsive to softness than force. Moreover, no one had ever comforted her like this before. Seeing his antics, she couldn’t help but curve her lips slightly.
Her features were naturally delicate, but the resilience emanating from her soul made even this faint smile resemble a flower blooming through a crack in stone—not dazzling, yet uniquely breathtaking in its own way.
Hua Rongjian stared, dumbstruck. When he snapped out of it, he realized he’d forgotten what he meant to say.
Seeing her sadness fade, he resumed his nonsense. "You’re such a hypocrite. You can dish it out but can’t take it—harsh words are fine when you say them, but unbearable when others do."
The sound of urgent hoofbeats echoed on the road.A familiar voice urgently called out, "Hua Erlang!"
Hua Rongjian hadn't expected anyone to arrive so quickly. He slightly opened the window. "Young Miracle Doctor Mo."
"Where's Mei Shisi?" Mo Sigui anxiously asked.
"As for her..." Hua Rongjian was considering whether to tease him a bit when An Jiu pulled him aside.
She leaned out from the carriage window and was startled to see Mo Sigui's appearance on horseback. (To be continued...)
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