The wind brushed past, rustling the grass.
Those six individuals possessed remarkable lightness skills, leaping from blade to blade before stopping nearby, floating lightly atop the leaves. Their breathing was slow and steady, as if they were about to merge with the vegetation.
An Jiu felt that the martial arts of these six people far exceeded the level she had initially sensed.
After standing for a while, the young man among them whispered, "Senior Brother, no one's here."
"Just now, I clearly sensed a surge of mental strength," the man said gravely. "Master said Mei Shisi possesses extraordinary mental strength, having reached the Transformation Realm. Concealing her presence would be effortless for her. She must be nearby. Search carefully."
An Jiu's back stiffened. If discovered, there was no way she could take on six opponents alone. What then? Surrender or fight to the death...
Now that they were so close, she could probably discern their true strength if she probed again. But to avoid exposure, she didn’t dare attempt it.
Five of them scattered to search the surroundings, leaving only one behind.
An Jiu remained motionless. She couldn’t see who it was, but based on her experience with missions, she guessed it was the young man’s senior brother.
The man stood just a foot behind her. She could even feel his soft breaths and the probing tendrils of his mental strength sweeping the area.
This standoff lasted a full two quarters of an hour before the other five gradually returned.
One reported, "No traces found."
Another added, "We found trampled grass on the slope. Someone must have passed through."
"What’s the news from over there?" the senior brother asked.
"Master has trapped them with his formation, but there’s an eighth-rank expert among them. They’ll likely break free by tonight. Should we keep searching or go reinforce them?"
"Keep searching. Master said finding her would be of great use."
"Ha, what great use?" the young man chuckled. "Rumor has it Master fell for her at first sight and insists on marrying her. We’re searching for the future Second Manor Mistress."
An Jiu was conflicted. Back then, in a moment of impulsiveness, she had let Elder Zhi destroy her meridians, leaving her with little hope of ever regaining Inner Force. If she could harness her mental strength properly, it might be a viable path. Wei Yuzhi was like her—possessing formidable mental strength but no martial arts. Did he know methods to control and utilize mental strength? She had learned the "Startling String" technique from Elder Zhi’s legacy and knew that mental strength wasn’t useless at all. On the contrary, it had immense potential. But her understanding was still superficial, and she could only wield a fraction of it, wasting her formidable mental strength.
Yet Wei Yuzhi was inscrutable, his motives unfathomable. An Jiu couldn’t discern truth from lies in his words. Striking a deal with a tiger—was it worth the risk?
"I’ve found you. Come out," the senior brother suddenly said.
An Jiu’s heart clenched. She had been distracted earlier, which might have caused her presence to leak. She couldn’t tell if he was bluffing or telling the truth.
After a moment’s hesitation, An Jiu decided to remain hidden. Since they didn’t seem intent on harming her, even if she were discovered and dragged out, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But if she stepped out now and fell into a trap, she’d regret it.
She knew her own limits. She wasn’t foolish, but when pitted against masterminds, she was bound to be outmaneuvered. That’s why she’d always preferred undertaking perilous solo missions over dealing with scheming individuals.
A one-in-ten chance was still a chance.
The mountain wind blew again, leaving only the sound of grass blades brushing against each other in the vast silence between heaven and earth.After a moment of silence, the leader gently landed on the ground, tapping the earth with his sword sheath.
The others followed suit, landing and searching the surroundings.
The vibrations were right beside her ears. An Jiu’s muscles tensed, her killing intent erupting in an instant as she locked onto the person before her. Suddenly, she leaped up, seized him, and pressed a dagger against his throat.
The attack came too swiftly. By the time the others snapped out of the oppressive force of An Jiu’s presence, they saw their senior brother firmly restrained by her.
“Retreat one mile, or stay and collect his corpse,” An Jiu said coldly.
“Fall back,” the senior brother ordered.
In his mind, he thought: his Martial Arts were eight whole levels above hers. He had only been caught off guard by her Mental Strength, slowing his reaction for a split second. Given even the slightest opportunity, capturing her alone wouldn’t be difficult.
The other five shared the same thought, so after glancing at An Jiu, they swiftly retreated without hesitation.
The man spoke, “Miss Mei, we mean no harm. Our master has ordered us to invite you back for an important discussion—”
An Jiu neither silenced him nor replied, maintaining her Mental Strength’s oppressive force without the slightest reduction.
As they descended the mountain, cold sweat beaded on his nose.
An Jiu’s Mental Strength far exceeded his expectations—it was even more terrifying than Wei Yuzhi’s. At first, he could still force out words, but as time passed, he gradually succumbed to the pressure, his mind growing increasingly dazed. His Mental Strength was at the seventh level!
At the foot of the mountain, An Jiu headed straight into the forest, where the abundance of living creatures made concealment easier.
The forest’s chill brought a sliver of clarity to the hostage.
An Jiu extended her Mental Strength to locate the other five, confirming they had indeed retreated a mile away. Her gaze darkened slightly as she pressed the dagger harder against his neck.
The moment her killing intent arose, she suddenly remembered Mei Jiu’s kindness toward others and Lou Mingyue’s moral boundaries.
But after only two breaths of hesitation, the dagger in her hand still fell mercilessly.
The man had just sensed An Jiu’s Mental Strength easing slightly and was preparing to counterattack when, without warning, she struck. The dagger was so sharp it severed his True Energy’s protective barrier. In the blink of an eye, he went from a living person to a corpse.
Just like that, one of Misty Villa’s elites vanished.
An Jiu released her grip, and the body collapsed to the ground.
In the past, she would have acted without hesitation or guilt in such a situation. But this time, an uneasy discomfort lingered in her heart. They had intended to capture her alive, not necessarily kill her. Being caught might have been dangerous—or it might not have been. She had simply chosen to avoid risk when given the option.
Killing him might invite greater trouble and unnecessary enmity. But in her past life, she had been a fugitive whose crimes carried the death penalty if caught. Through countless life-and-death struggles, she had formed a belief—whether there was a future depended entirely on surviving the present.
At times like this, her vision narrowed to the immediate moment, unable to see further.
She calmly wiped the blood from her dagger onto his clothes, but inside, her emotions churned violently.
“You actually killed him!”
“What if they weren’t bad people?”
“An Jiu. Please don’t kill anyone. Let’s just hide…”
“I killed someone… I killed someone… Sobs …”Mei Jiu's voice echoed chaotically in An Jiu's ears, stirring up irritation within her. Staggering in her steps, she hurriedly left and haphazardly ducked into a hollow tree, curling up inside. Her fingers trembled slightly as they clutched the dagger.
She rubbed her head and buried it between her knees:
Mei Jiu, you're dead. But has your cowardice remained in this body?
After sitting quietly alone for a while, brushing away the restlessness in her heart, she used her mental strength to scan the surroundings. She discovered that over twenty people had appeared about a mile away, moving at an extremely fast pace toward a single direction. Among them was a particularly familiar presence.
Chu Dingjiang!
Normally, her mental strength could only detect people and their internal energy levels. Yet for some reason, she could distinctly recognize his aura!
This must be the Crane Control Army, having discovered the killings and the trapped trial participants, coming to the rescue.
After a moment's thought, An Jiu decided to follow them.
Those individuals were using qinggong (lightness skill), making it impossible for An Jiu to keep up. However, by using her mental strength to track their positions, she wouldn't lose them.
After chasing for roughly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she suddenly noticed Chu Dingjiang abruptly changing direction—heading straight toward her.
For a fleeting moment, warmth flickered in An Jiu's heart.
Chu Dingjiang moved with incredible speed. In no time, she spotted a shadow swift as a leopard, landing as silently as a ghost.
He was still draped in his black mantle, his entire figure enveloped within it like a towering monument.
"Come here," he said.
An Jiu hesitated briefly before walking over.
Chu Dingjiang wrapped an arm around her waist, tapped his toes lightly, and soared into the air.
Looking up, An Jiu could only see the sharp contour of his jaw beneath the Ghost Mask.
The wind howled past her ears as Chu Dingjiang slightly lowered his gaze. "Has my appearance changed in the few hours we've been apart?"
Though she felt inexplicably pleased inside, her words came out rather prickly. "Did you use us as bait?"
Unable to resist, Chu Dingjiang flicked her forehead. "What nonsense. Do I seem like that kind of person? Besides, this time I'm just a follower—hardly in any position to make decisions."
If not him, then it must have been Gu Jinghong.
"That sounds quite sour," An Jiu remarked.
Chu Dingjiang chuckled softly.
Hearing his laughter eased the discomfort in An Jiu's heart, stirring an urge to confide in him. Though naturally reclusive, her frequent visits to psychologists had made her less averse to revealing fragments of her thoughts. However, now didn’t seem like the best moment.
"Want to say something?" Chu Dingjiang sensed her shift in mood.
"I killed someone," An Jiu stated bluntly, without mincing words. "In the past, I’ve killed many innocent people without remorse. But this time, I took the life of someone who shouldn’t have died, and it feels... complicated."
"That’s a good sign. It means you’re learning emotions," Chu Dingjiang said, having recognized early on that An Jiu was no ordinary girl. "Though excessive emotion isn’t ideal in our line of work, living completely numb—without feeling anything—what’s the point in that?"
An Jiu fell into contemplation.
"For people like us," he continued, "being capable of heartache is something to cherish."
An Jiu nodded, mentally affirming Chu Dingjiang’s status as a wise, understanding figure. Curiosity nudged her. "Do you still feel heartache?"
"I do. I’m a man of deep loyalty and sentiment," Chu Dingjiang declared with solemn self-definition.
An Jiu somewhat acknowledged his loyalty and sentiment, but hearing him proclaim it so earnestly caused the image of her wise mentor to crumble instantly.Chu Dingjiang carried An Jiu as tree shadows swiftly receded behind them.
In moments, the two caught up with the main group.
Gu Jinghong's gaze swept over them and he warned, "Wei Yuzhi is here." (To be continued...)
PS: Still not over this cold, feeling drowsy at home, so I went outside to type. The breeze was so refreshing... but then I got dizzy and forgot my bank card password. Entered it wrong and got three cards frozen—almost couldn't get back. Barely managed to scrounge up two bucks for the subway after digging around... wuwuwuwu...
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