Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One
The lean young man turned his head, sat for a while, then quietly stood up.
He walked over and sat beside An Jiu, tilting his head slightly as he asked in a soft voice, "Mei Shisi?"
Hearing his voice, An Jiu finally recalled his identity. "Qiu Shi."
During the trial at the ancient temple, they had once encountered someone skilled in poison. Lou Mingyue had said he was from the Qiu family.
"Oh? Your memory is quite good." The young man had delicate features, pale lips, and a particularly gentle smile. "My name is Qiu Yunxiao."
Qiu Yunxiao adored beautiful women. When he first saw Lou Mingyue’s true appearance, he was instantly awestruck and spent his days attending to her every need. Now, upon seeing An Jiu, he immediately felt that such a delicate and lovely appearance was more to his taste.
Though he fawned over beauties, his words and actions were not vulgar. His demeanor of "a fair lady is a gentleman’s desire" wasn’t entirely detestable. However, An Jiu was unaccustomed to close interactions with others, let alone someone as dangerous as Qiu Yunxiao, who was practically drenched in poison.
But since these were the only seats available, with people sitting all around, she had no choice but to endure it, feeling as though every hair on her body was standing on end.
Fortunately, it was soon Qiu Yunxiao’s turn to take the field. The moment he left, An Jiu felt as if a weight had been lifted.
Glancing across the training grounds, she saw another corpse being dragged away. The victor was also covered in wounds and was helped off the field by the guards to rest.
"Mei Shisi." Lou Mingyue approached An Jiu.
Clad in black robes, she was even thinner than before, with an added layer of ferocity in her brow that marred her once heroic and spirited aura.
"Why are you here too?" Lou Mingyue asked.
"Mei Shi was attacked, much like Lou Shi," An Jiu replied.
Not just similar—it had been far more brutal.
Lou Mingyue’s expression darkened. "Mei Shi has many experts, and even a Miracle Doctor overseeing things. How could—"
An Jiu didn’t mind conversing with Lou Mingyue, as their discussions often resembled work reports. "The enemy had dozens of ninth-rank experts, with even a Transformation Realm master aiding them. It’s a miracle any of Mei Shi survived."
"How is that possible?" Lou Mingyue was incredulous. Had half the ninth-rank experts in the world been recruited by the mastermind?
Lou Mingyue had long since joined the Crane Control Institute, and newcomers weren’t allowed to leave freely, so she had no knowledge of the events outside.
"Yelü Huangwu is truly formidable." Lou Mingyue gritted her teeth, the boulder in her heart sinking even deeper. She had previously investigated Yelü Huangwu thoroughly and knew the woman possessed considerable political talent. She had thought that, even if Yelü Huangwu was a prodigy, she was merely a woman who had lived a few more years than herself. But now…
"Why did you come here?" An Jiu asked, remembering that the heads of the Crane Controlling Families usually didn’t need to join the Crane Control Army.
"I let Xiao Wu take the position of Lou Shi’s head," Lou Mingyue said flatly, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
In truth, Lou Mingyue’s reason for joining the Crane Control Army was simple. Yelü Huangwu not only commanded numerous experts but could even wield military power. For the weakened Lou Shi to oppose her would be like an egg striking a rock. Though Lou Mingyue was eager for revenge, she wasn’t so blinded by hatred as to act recklessly. Since Yelü Huangwu was the Crane Control Army’s sworn enemy, by joining them, she would inevitably cross blades with her one day.
An Jiu didn’t press further.
"You don’t have to participate in the matches, do you?" Lou Mingyue asked.
An Jiu shook her head.
"Then come with me to settle in first?" Lou Mingyue glanced at the center of the training grounds. "There’s nothing worth watching here."Lou Mingyue was on the verge of breaking through to the eighth rank. Even if she faced any one of the Heaven, Earth, Mystic, or Yellow Instructors, she might not necessarily lose. In this arena, her opponents would fall before even a speck of dust could touch the hem of her robe.
An Jiu hesitated slightly before standing up and leaving with her.
The surrounding guards stood like rigid wooden stakes, watching the two depart without any attempt to stop them.
Lou Mingyue led An Jiu out through the back door and into a dark passageway.
"You could join the Crane Control Army directly," An Jiu said, her voice echoing back and forth in the tunnel as if she had asked the question repeatedly.
The Lou Clan likely had many high-ranking officials within the Crane Control Army. Getting someone as talented as Lou Mingyue in would be as easy as turning over a hand.
Lou Mingyue replied, "The Crane Control Army has been in chaos lately, especially the Divine Martial Army. First, the commander was demoted to deputy commander, and his successor couldn’t wait to suspend him. Unfortunately, the successor lacked the ability to clean up the mess, and now the Divine Martial Army is in complete disarray—the more they try to reorganize, the worse it gets. The other branches aren’t faring much better. I’ll stay in the Crane Control Institute for now, keeping my options open."
Lou Mingyue’s identity was special—she was originally from the Crane Controlling Families and knew more secrets than even those within the Crane Control Institute. If she wanted to return and resume her position as head of the Lou Clan, the Crane Control Institute had no right to stop her.
"What’s the current situation?" An Jiu asked.
"Current?" Lou Mingyue sounded puzzled. "Didn’t you come here because you heard the Crane Control Army had temporarily stabilized?"
The internal situation of the Crane Control Army had stabilized? An Jiu’s mind swirled with suspicion—what a coincidence! The reason she had only arrived now was because Hua Rongjian had stopped her.
An Jiu thought about how he acted differently in public and private, how he knew disguise techniques, and how he had deliberately let her leave this time… Could Hua Rongjian also be a member of the Crane Control Army?
The emperor was wary of the Hua Clan and must have planted many spies around them. It was unlikely that Hua Rongjian could play the role of a wastrel while also secretly holding a position in the Crane Control Army, right?
Lost in thought, they soon emerged from the passageway.
Though dusk had only just begun outside, this side of the tunnel was already pitch black.
Lou Mingyue moved through the darkness as if it were daylight, quickly entering a room and finding a flint to light an oil lamp. "There are many empty rooms here. You can stay in the one next to mine."
The flickering lamplight illuminated their faces.
Lou Mingyue’s expression had lost some of its fierceness, replaced by weariness and a touch of softness. She sighed and tossed the flint aside. "It’s always dark here—to train our ability to estimate time in chaos. Lamp oil is distributed every seven days, but it’s only enough to burn for one hour. No one will wake you up; they’ll only tell you when and where to go. Arriving too early or too late will be punished."
"Mm." None of this was a problem for An Jiu. "There’s a trial in three months?"
"After entering the Crane Control Institute, there’s a sparring match every half-month—always stopping short of serious injury. After two months, there’s a life-or-death duel to determine groupings. Today was that day. For the following month, every sparring match will be fought without regard for life or death. The third month requires participation in a major trial… which means in one month." Lou Mingyue paused. "But you might not be in the same batch as us."
From what that damned eunuch had implied, it seemed he intended to place her in the next batch.
With the matter settled, the two fell into silence.
The faint crackling of the oil lamp only made the room feel even more stifling and quiet.After a long while, Lou Mingyue stood up and said, "You should rest first. I'm going back to my room."
"Mm." An Jiu rose to see her off.
"Be careful of Qiu Yunxiao." Lou Mingyue turned her head at the doorway to remind her. (To be continued...)
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