Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine
Hearing these words, An Jiu confirmed that her whereabouts had not been exposed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be speaking so casually.
The man’s voice was unmistakably that of Wei Yuzhi, the second master of Misty Villa. She had only met Wei Yuzhi briefly, exchanging few words, yet the encounter left a deep impression—he was the first man in both her past and present life to propose to her.
Wei Yuzhi belonged to Misty Villa, so his presence here wasn’t surprising. What was strange, however, was the woman’s voice—Mei Ru Yan!
How had she gotten involved with people from Misty Villa?
"Kill them," Wei Yuzhi said by the riverside. Dressed in a slate-blue robe, his face slightly pale, he looked every bit the refined and elegant scholar admiring the scenery.
Mei Ru Yan, with her enchanting eyes and brows, sat cross-legged under the verdant pine tree in a fiery red dress. A guqin lay across her lap, its scorched tail engraved with the character "Mo."
At Wei Yuzhi’s command, she flicked her wrist, sending several silver needles flying. Two muffled groans followed as two shadow unit members of the Crane Control Army collapsed heavily to the ground.
As her hand settled back, she lightly pressed the strings, abruptly silencing the music.
A month ago, she had been half-dead. Now, she killed with such ease.
Recalling that day, Mei Ru Yan’s heart twisted in pain.
She had rushed back to Plum Blossom Village, only to find the valley entrance scorched black, countless corpses rendered unrecognizable. Yet, she instantly recognized the lone figure standing with a sword—Mister Mo.
At that moment, Mei Ru Yan truly felt as if the sky had collapsed. She dashed into the flames, clutching his body, unable even to cry. She thought, perhaps it would be better to perish in the fire.
But fate had other plans. A downpour extinguished the flames, restoring a sliver of her rationality. She buried him in the bamboo grove of the Mei estate and sat desolately before his grave for four days. Overwhelmed by grief and without a drop of water, she finally passed out. When she awoke, she lay in the bamboo cottage where Mister Mo had lived, the bedding still carrying his faint scent. Outside, the sound of a guqin drifted gently, as if he were still there.
Dazed, she stepped out and saw a man in plain white robes playing the guqin—but his face was not the one she remembered.
He introduced himself as Wei Yuzhi, the second master of Misty Villa.
Wei Yuzhi said he had been close to Mister Mo and, upon hearing of the attack on Plum Blossom Village, had come with his men—only to arrive too late.
Mei Ru Yan knew Mister Mo had once been Misty Villa’s top assassin, but she knew nothing of his past.
"Truly worthy of being A Mo’s disciple. You carry his legacy well," Wei Yuzhi praised.
Mei Ru Yan’s eyes reddened, tears instantly spilling over. This was a pain she couldn’t bear to touch...
"I’m such a selfish person," she murmured. The environment she grew up in had shaped her selfish nature, and she had believed she would only ever love herself in this world.
If she had guarded her heart, perhaps she wouldn’t be in such agony now. But in the end, what she hated most was the mastermind behind Mister Mo’s death! So she accepted Misty Villa’s aid, rapidly elevating her Inner Force to the seventh rank in a short time. Now, her Inner Force had stabilized, though she still needed to take Medicine regularly.
Ruthlessness filled Mei Ru Yan’s eyes. She would have her revenge—no matter the cost.
A mountain breeze carrying rain swept past, and Wei Yuzhi coughed.
Mei Ru Yan took the cloak beside her and draped it over him. "Are you alright, sir?""It's nothing, just a slight chill." Wei Yuzhi tightened his cloak. After staring at the corpses on the ground for a long while, he slightly raised his hand to signal the surrounding assassins to approach.
He tilted his head and whispered a few words to two of them.
The two men acknowledged the order and took off like falcons, charging straight toward An Jiu's position.
An Jiu's heart tightened as she drew her bow, her killing intent erupting abruptly. With a lift of her hand, she unleashed a Mental Strength Startling String.
The two men plummeted from midair. Without hesitation, An Jiu drove two sharp arrows into their throats before they could regain their senses.
Having completed this, An Jiu immediately turned to leave.
Mei Ru Yan stepped forward to pursue, but Wei Yuzhi stopped her. "Don't chase. Though my Martial Arts are weak, my Mental Strength has reached the Transformation Realm. Even I failed to detect that person's presence—you're likely no match for her."
If he hadn't noticed, why had he sent people to investigate? Mei Ru Yan was full of doubts.
Wei Yuzhi explained, "I observed that the Crane Control Army's formation resembled a trial for new recruits, with shadow units lurking nearby to monitor the participants. Your zither music drew two shadows, yet the trial participant was conspicuously absent. Isn't that strange?"
"So that's how it is. How astute of you, sir." Mei Ru Yan studied the man before her. Though already thirty-two, he still retained the appearance of a young scholar—his features were regular but not particularly striking, blending in seamlessly among ordinary people on the street. Yet this very man commanded countless cold-blooded assassins and held knowledge of every major and minor affair under heaven.
Wei Yuzhi was born extraordinary. The Misty Villa housed two archives of records, and he could recall every word without error—even minor tasks the villa had undertaken during its founding, along with the employers and targets involved, down to the smallest detail.
That the Misty Villa now stood as the foremost villa in the martial world was due not only to the boldness of its master, Wei Chuzhi, but also to Wei Yuzhi's meticulous efforts in building an entire domain. His talent was on par with that of Elder Zhi from the Mei Villa.
"Strange..." Wei Yuzhi murmured, staring in the direction An Jiu had fled. If the other party had reached the Transformation Realm, how could they be a trial participant of the Crane Control Institute? And why would they stand by and watch Mei Ru Yan kill two shadow units without intervening?
After a moment of contemplation, a faint smile surfaced on his face. That person was likely like him—weak in Martial Arts but exceptionally strong in Mental Strength!
Wei Yuzhi suddenly recalled the fleeting glimpse he'd caught in the ruined temple, and his smile deepened. He confirmed his suspicion with Mei Ru Yan, "Your elder sister, Mei Shisi, should have joined the Crane Control Army, correct?"
Mei Ru Yan was quick-witted enough to connect his words to the earlier incident. "You mean that person just now was her?" she asked in surprise.
Wei Yuzhi walked to the base of the cliff and crouched to examine the corpses closely.
His expression as he studied the bodies was no different from when he read books—both carried the same focused yet leisurely air.
"No wounds except at the throat." Wei Yuzhi straightened, narrowing his eyes as he replayed the scene in his mind. The two assassins had plummeted straight from the sky... killed in an instant, like geese shot down mid-flight. He spoke slowly, "Startling String."
He was now ninety percent certain of the other person's identity.
"Sir, could you..." Mei Ru Yan bit her lip. "Could you show my sister some leniency?"
Wei Yuzhi coughed for a while, his face flushing unnaturally. "I won't kill her. She and I... share something of a connection.""Master Xie." Though puzzled, Mei Ru Yan's expression relaxed slightly upon hearing his willingness to show mercy. She continued, "The wind is strong outside. Please return quickly."
"Mm." Wei Yuzhi replied.
...
Battling the wind, An Jiu sprinted relentlessly until her face covering was soaked by the rain.
Only when her mental strength confirmed the two figures had moved far away did she stop to rest beneath a tree.
The rain gradually weakened as night fell.
An Jiu suddenly recalled the "Heavenly Book Fragment" and the box she had once sought in the ancient temple. Such artifacts could enhance both mental strength and inner force—were there similar treasures for external cultivation? She knew joining the Crane Control Institute would grant access to martial arts techniques, but she never expected to be forcibly dragged into a trial immediately after entering!
The thought made her resent Gu Jinghong deeply.
But now wasn't the time for distractions. Since Misty Villa had discovered them, acting alone would be too dangerous. She needed to regroup with Lou Mingyue's team.
An Jiu felt the three copper tubes at her waist—one engraved with "red," another with "yellow," and the last with "white." Frustration welled up. She'd barely joined the Crane Control Army before being thrown into this mission without proper briefing. Though their shape suggested signal flares, no one had explained the color codes!
After a moment's thought, she lined all three tubes on the ground, lit them with a flint, then dashed toward Misty Villa's hidden outpost.
After covering about thirty meters, three sharp whistles pierced the air behind her as colorful explosions bloomed overhead.
Glancing back at the display, An Jiu felt a flicker of satisfaction.
Uncertain how the Crane Control Army would respond to the signals, she spent half a day tracking before detecting Lou Mingyue's trail. Two days of solitary forced marches finally brought her near the valley.
Upon arrival, she concealed herself and scanned the area with mental strength—only to discover, with shock, that Lou Mingyue's group had vanished!
Her mental perception spanned a ten-li radius. She'd sensed their presence just an hour earlier. How could they disappear so abruptly? (To be continued...)
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