An Jiu followed the yamen runner to a quiet tea room to wait.
The fragrance of tea curled in the air as she held the Divine Martial Army token in her hand. Recalling the reason she had joined the Crane Control Army, an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.
This time, she had willingly rejoined an assassin organization. She was still the same decisive, life-weary person, yet something seemed to have quietly changed.
What exactly was it? An Jiu frowned in thought for a long time but found no answer.
The Crane Control Army was highly efficient. She didn’t have to wait long—barely the time it took to finish a cup of tea—before someone arrived.
The man was around thirty, short in stature and unremarkable in appearance, dressed in a brand-new russet brocade robe that made him look like the owner of some silk shop in Bianjing.
After verifying the token, he led her through a back door to a waiting carriage.
Having spent so much time in underground organizations, An Jiu had instinctively assumed that the Crane Control Institute—a place that trained assassins—would be hidden in some remote wilderness. Reality, however, was the exact opposite.
The Crane Control Institute was located within the imperial city.
At the end of the broad and straight Vermilion Bird Avenue stood the entrance to the imperial city. The outer perimeter of the imperial city was where the Song Dynasty’s power was concentrated, with the Three Departments and Six Ministries, the Privy Council, and other central institutions arranged in layers from the outside in. The closer one got to the heart of the imperial city, the more classified the affairs became.
The Crane Control Institute stood beside the Military Command Office in the southwestern corner, separated from other areas by towering walls. The plaque above bore the bold, domineering characters "Crane Control," exuding an arrogance that made the adjacent Military Command Office seem insignificant by comparison.
An Jiu was speechless. This was called a "Shadow Guard"? Even special forces didn’t need to flaunt their presence so brazenly!
"This is the Crane Control Institute," the man guiding her finally spoke after they smoothly passed through the gates. "However, within the imperial city, there is no Crane Control Bureau or Crane Control Army."
The Crane Control Institute was where Shadow Guards and assassins were trained. Those who entered were mostly orphans or children from obscure families. Members of the Crane Controlling Families, on the other hand, could directly join the Crane Control Army after passing their trials. Even if they entered the institute, it was mostly for formality’s sake—partly because their family connections gave them an advantage (having relatives in the Crane Control Army greatly increased their chances of selection), and partly because they had been trained in these skills since birth, their family traditions far surpassing those of ordinary people.
"Those who fail the trials here but survive are conscripted into the Palace Command and the Imperial Guard," the man continued.
The Palace Command and the Imperial Guard were responsible for protecting the imperial city, so on the surface, the Crane Control Institute was established to select imperial guards. Those who knew of its connection to the Crane Control Army kept it to themselves.
An Jiu noticed that the man beside her seemed to have the ability to read minds—whatever she wondered about, he would address.
Though convenient, it was also terrifying. She decided to think of nothing and instead continued observing her surroundings.
"I am Xu Zhi," he said, suddenly unable to discern An Jiu’s thoughts, which piqued his curiosity. "May I ask your name, miss?"
"An."
"Miss truly lives up to being recommended by the Divine Martial Army," Xu Zhi remarked. He knew her identity, yet when she answered "An," he didn’t sense any deception—the first time this had happened since he gained the ability to read minds.
An Jiu’s gaze swept over him indifferently. "Any questions?"
In that brief moment their eyes met, Xu Zhi detected no emotion whatsoever.People cannot be without emotions! Even in the calmest moments!
He decided to test her again, "Aren't you Mei Shisi?"
"Yes, and no," An Jiu answered honestly.
Once more, Xu Zhi failed to sense any emotional fluctuations from her regarding this ambiguous answer. He couldn't even perceive her inner thoughts.
A layer of sweat formed in Xu Zhi's palm.
The Crane Control Institute had sent him to receive the newcomer precisely because of his Mind Reading ability, which allowed him to discern a person's nature and hidden thoughts in just one encounter. This was crucial for tailoring future training. If he couldn't make a judgment or made a wrong one, his life could be at risk—how could he not be nervous?
Moreover, he had always been confident in this ability and had never faced such a challenge before.
"What weapon are you skilled in?" Xu Zhi asked.
An Jiu was impatient to answer, but having just joined this organization and not yet understanding the situation, she couldn't act as she pleased. So she replied perfunctorily, "Arrows."
As they neared their destination, Xu Zhi grew even more anxious. But he knew that Mind Reading was most hindered by impatience, so he tried hard to calm himself and refrained from pressing further.
At the entrance of the Scroll Room, two guards clasped their hands in greeting. "Master Xu."
"Newcomer," Xu Zhi presented the admission letter.
The guards immediately let them pass.
Inside, the walls were lined with small drawers resembling those in a Medicine cabinet, labeled horizontally with "Heaven, Earth, Mystic, Yellow" and vertically with celestial stems and earthly branches. In the center of the spacious room stood a desk and a chair, where a green-robed official was bent over organizing scrolls.
Hearing footsteps, the official looked up, revealing a pale face with upturned fox-like eyes. For a moment, An Jiu thought she was seeing Zhao Shanchang from the Mei Clan School! Upon closer inspection, she realized this man's features were far more refined than Zhao Shanchang's, though their eyes were similar and both had a habit of squinting.
"Master Sheng Zhangku," Xu Zhi greeted with a clasped hand.
Sheng Zhangku glanced at Xu Zhi and then scrutinized An Jiu up and down before saying coldly, "For registration, you must show your true face. You may go to the side room to prepare."
Hearing this, An Jiu gave a slight nod and headed toward the side door on the right.
As soon as An Jiu entered the room, Xu Zhi urgently said, "Luzi, I can't read this child's mind."
"If you can't, I certainly can't," Sheng Zhangku replied, rotating his stiff neck before sitting down. He then warned sternly, "And don't call me by my childhood name."
"Fine, fine, I'll call you dear grandpa," Xu Zhi shamelessly clung to him.
Sheng Zhangku nodded in satisfaction.
An Jiu hadn't used much adhesive on her face. After wiping it with oil, the mask came off easily. She washed her face and returned to the Scroll Room.
Xu Zhi was discussing solutions with Sheng Zhangku when they heard movement and turned to look.
Both were momentarily stunned.
Recovering, the official immediately spread out paper to sketch An Jiu's portrait—the first step in the registration process.
After finishing, he asked, "Would you like to join the Imperial Guards?"
"No," An Jiu replied.
"Joining the Imperial Guards would be much easier," Sheng Zhangku reminded her.
"If I wanted an easy life, I wouldn't have come here," An Jiu said bluntly, unappreciative of the advice. "I want to join the Divine Martial Army."
Sheng Zhangku didn't press further and simply asked, "Name."An Jiu instinctively didn’t want to live under the name Mei Jiu. Remembering how much she had disliked the name Old Madam had given her, she said, “Mei Ru Xue.”
“Age?”
“Fifteen or sixteen.”
“Which is it, fifteen or sixteen?”
“Sixteen.”
“Any special abilities, or proficiency with certain weapons? What martial arts have you practiced?”
“No special abilities, no proficiency with any weapons, and I haven’t practiced any martial arts.”
Sheng Zhangku paused his brush and turned to look at Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi felt that An Jiu’s words were truthful, but after what had happened earlier, he wasn’t entirely sure.
Sheng Zhangku simply wrote: Special abilities—pending investigation. Weapon proficiency—pending investigation. Martial arts—pending investigation.
After finishing, he rolled up the portrait and documents together and placed them into a small drawer labeled “Xuan Ren.” “You will retrieve these when you leave the Crane Control Institute. During your time here, you will temporarily have no name and will only be referred to as Xuan Ren.” (To be continued…)
PS: Everything is fine for now, though after the surgery, I might be a bit anemic? I’ve been feeling dizzy and sleepy.
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