Hidden Shadow

Gu Jinghong didn't explain much. His main purpose for coming was to check on An Jiu's progress with her Reforging.

Mo Sigui had indeed not disappointed. Although An Jiu's Meridians would never fully recover, if she could persist on the path of External Cultivation, she was bound to achieve something remarkable.

Under the dim lamplight, An Jiu's expression gradually calmed, but her gaze remained sharp as a hidden blade—alert and piercing.

It was precisely this look that had caught Gu Jinghong's attention back in Plum Blossom Village.

At the time, she had almost no Inner Force, yet she managed to knock off his mask. This had delighted him—this girl had a natural-born killing intent, practically a born assassin! With proper training, she would undoubtedly become a lethal weapon in the near future.

However, An Jiu now displayed extreme wariness, which Gu Jinghong found troublesome.

It seemed building rapport was urgent...

After a brief consideration, he figured out the reason. "Perhaps you won't believe what I say now, but your mother has never served in the bedchamber, nor will she in the future."

An Jiu frowned, her eyes flashing with mockery.

Gu Jinghong pondered for a moment before revealing the truth. "I proposed the re-establishment of another branch of the Dragon Martial Guard—one that only carries out missions and is not responsible for serving in the bedchamber. This was approved by The Emperor. After all, he is still mortal for now and must attend to worldly affairs. Apart from The Emperor, the Crane Control Army's commander, and myself, you are the fourth person to know of this. You may pretend you never heard it, but if it leaks, I trust you can guess the consequences."

No matter how much the emperor sought immortality, he couldn't completely neglect state affairs. As someone responsible for the nation's safety, he indeed needed protection and people to handle various matters for him—including certain assassination methods.

His words were firm, but An Jiu remained half-convinced. Even if Mei Yanran hadn't served in the bedchamber, she had no intention of joining the Dragon Martial Guard. She was all too familiar with the look in Gu Jinghong's eyes. The commanders of her past-life organization had often gazed at her the same way, praising, "Thank God! An, you are the perfect weapon He has given me to conquer the world."

An Jiu had lived a life of uncertainty before, seeing only the present and the next day. When there was a mission, she would wade through blood and violence; when there wasn't, she would hide and evade. She had grown accustomed to receiving orders, waiting for commands—losing her handler felt like losing her guidance. But after experiencing many things, An Jiu seemed to have slowly rediscovered herself. Though she was still uncertain about the future, she had formed a clear resolve in her heart: in this lifetime, even if she couldn't escape the fate of becoming a killing tool again, she would at least become her own weapon!

Gu Jinghong hadn't expected An Jiu to believe him outright, so when she showed no reaction, he simply said, "Until we meet again," and took his leave.

Staring into the pitch-black darkness outside, An Jiu sank into thought.

What exactly was Gu Jinghong planning? He didn't seem blindly loyal to the emperor, yet he was working so hard to rebuild the Dragon Martial Guard. His motives were highly suspicious.

Then she thought of Chu Dingjiang. He, too, seemed to be constantly recruiting people—was it purely to consolidate his position within the Crane Control Army?

She couldn't understand, nor could she guess their true intentions. Yet just from the turbulence within the Crane Control Army, she could sense the undercurrents beneath the Song Dynasty's apparent calm. Perhaps once the storm broke, it would lead to a dynastic upheaval.

"Heh." An Jiu chuckled to herself.

In the deathly silence of the room, only her abrupt, hollow laughter echoed.An Jiu, harboring the mentality that if she wasn't doing well, she didn't want others to fare any better, thought about the impending chaos of war. Her heart swelled with anticipation.

—This was the happiest moment since she'd entered the assassin profession, bar none.

In the following days, An Jiu remained in high spirits. Her martial arts training was especially vigorous.

The skin on her body transformed like that of a newborn, changing day by day, gradually becoming fair and delicate, making her appear even younger than women her age. When Mo Sigui woke up and saw her, he was so startled he exclaimed, "So External Cultivation and Reforging the body also have the effect of rejuvenation!"

After finishing his porridge, Mo Sigui wiped his mouth and said, "I've decided that after I turn fifty, I must also Reforge my body—go from fifty back to fifteen."

"I support you," An Jiu affirmed his idea enthusiastically.

Hearing her tone and recalling his own miserable state at the time, Mo Sigui couldn't help but smooth his collar and shamelessly change his mind. "On second thought, forget it. For a man like me, who relies mainly on inner charm to captivate the masses, looks are just the icing on the cake. Maturity has its own allure."

An Jiu scoffed, wanting to mock him further, but then remembered she still needed Mo Sigui's help to practice the Tendon Severing Palm. She pulled out the tattered little book and placed it in front of him, flipping to the third page. Pointing at the words, she said dryly, "It says I need to understand the human Meridians. That's your specialty, right? Explain it to me."

It was rare for her to ask for help, and her expression was awkward.

"Looking down on me, are you?" Mo Sigui rubbed his brow, deliberately making things difficult. "This isn't a specialty—it's something ingrained in the bones of every physician. Too simple, not worth my interest."

An Jiu frowned, pursed her lips, clenched her fists, and held back her temper.

Just when Mo Sigui thought she would either beg or explode in anger, she calmly asked, "Is being this cheap ingrained in your bones too?"

"What?" Mo Sigui narrowed his eyes and tapped the table irritably.

"You said it's ingrained in your bones, so it should be precious. Yet you look down on it yourself—doesn't that make it worthless?" An Jiu struggled to articulate her meaning clearly.

Mo Sigui suddenly understood. "Couldn't you just say it properly? If you mean 'worthless,' just say 'worthless'! Why say 'cheap'?"

An Jiu corrected him earnestly, "This is a more sophisticated way of putting it."

Worthless equals not valuable, not valuable equals cheap—three words condensed into one! How magical, how profound!

The old An Jiu could only speak simple phrases in Chinese. But after inheriting Mei Jiu's accumulated knowledge, her vocabulary had suddenly expanded so much that she didn't know where to start. She had gained this wealth of words, but having spent little time with Mei Jiu, she hadn't fully mastered their usage. Most of the time, she used words that she felt were roughly correct, often opting for what she believed were the most sophisticated expressions.

"I don't see anything sophisticated about it!" Mo Sigui, unaware of her thought process, assumed she was deliberately insulting him in a roundabout way.

Whatever—a great man doesn't bear grudges against petty ones! Mo Sigui poured himself a cup of tea, hoping to soothe the irritation in his chest.

"It's fine. I'll teach you slowly in the future." An Jiu firmly believed that Mei Jiu had been exceptionally cultured—her astonishing vocabulary surpassed all the languages An Jiu knew combined. She was also convinced that her own phrasing was sophisticated, so she confidently added, "As repayment for teaching me about the human Meridians."The sincerity in her tone made Mo Sigui look up and study her carefully. Her tender face was filled with "earnestness," and he thought to himself that it didn’t seem like she was teasing him. Could there be a fool residing in this body?

"The water’s overflowing." An Jiu didn’t look, but her mental strength had already sensed it.

Mo Sigui set down the teapot and, after a moment of silence, said, "I’m quite interested in your high-level vocabulary."

In truth, he was more interested in An Jiu’s "condition."

"Deal?" After Mei Jiu’s death, An Jiu gradually realized she wasn’t entirely useless either.

"Deal," Mo Sigui agreed.

And so, the matter was happily settled. Mo Sigui began explaining the human meridians to An Jiu.

With the guidance of a miracle doctor like him, understanding meridians was no challenge at all. Mo Sigui was also very satisfied with An Jiu’s comprehension, making the teaching process smooth and enjoyable.

However, An Jiu wasn’t as pleased with Mo Sigui. Whenever she explained the usage of certain words to him, he never quite grasped them accurately. While listening to her explanations, he would either look astonished, utterly confused, or sink into deep thought. On top of that, he insisted on checking her pulse at random times throughout the day.

"You’ve been taking my pulse quite often lately," An Jiu remarked.

Mo Sigui lightly pressed his fingers against her wrist, channeling his true energy into four streams that seeped into her pulse. After a moment of probing, his expression turned puzzled.

"Is there something wrong with my body?" An Jiu asked again.

Mo Sigui snapped out of his thoughts, unwilling to voice his suspicion about her mental state. His gaze wandered over her as he searched for an excuse, finally saying slowly, "You’re already sixteen, but your chest hasn’t developed well. I was checking if it’s due to spleen deficiency or insufficient qi and blood..."

"I think it’s fine." An Jiu’s body had started menstruating two years ago, though not very regularly, but she figured it wasn’t a major issue. As for her chest, it was neither too big nor too small—just the right size to cup in one hand. "Too big would affect movement."

"If you’re satisfied, then I’m relieved." Mo Sigui stood up. "I’m going for a walk."

An Jiu nodded, noticing he looked rather melancholic. Assuming it was due to his struggles with vocabulary, she—rarely one to form deep connections with others—felt she should cherish this bond. So she earnestly comforted him, "You can take your time learning. I won’t laugh at you, really."

Mo Sigui grinned, but it was a smile tinged with gloom and deep resignation. He silently recited to himself, "Life is full of hurdles..."

Unable to diagnose An Jiu’s "condition," failing to restore her meridians, and having been unable to separate the two souls sharing one body back then—Mo Sigui felt he had encountered an unprecedented challenge in his way of medicine.

After stepping outside and basking in the bright, scorching summer sunlight, he carefully considered An Jiu’s consistently displayed demeanor and solemnly categorized people into four types: men, women, eunuchs, and An Jiu.

Mo Sigui decided that from now on, he would specialize in treating the first three categories in his medical practice. The last category, being exceedingly rare, would only be studied incidentally. He couldn’t afford to abandon an entire forest for the sake of one crooked tree.

Having reached this conclusion, he felt a little lighter in spirit.

Meanwhile, the "crooked tree" was currently holding the token given by Gu Jinghong and, under Sheng Zhangku’s guidance, reviewing records of past external cultivation masters.

Sheng Zhangku observed her increasingly clear eyes and smiled faintly. "Miraculous Doctor Mo truly is extraordinary."

After reading the records of several ninth-level external cultivators, An Jiu asked, "Why did some of them die after completing just one mission?"A ninth-rank External Cultivation expert had actually died so easily. The highest record was completing twelve missions—this was definitely no coincidence. An Jiu didn’t know how ninth-rank Inner Cultivators performed in missions, but Gu Jinghong was a ninth-rank Inner Cultivator, practically invincible. Others might not be able to match him, but they wouldn’t be too weak either. (To be continued…)

PS: Here’s the first update. I didn’t post yesterday due to unforeseen circumstances, so I’m making up for it today. Heading to the bathroom, then I’ll be back to continue.