An Jiu stepped outside and found a secluded spot to hide.
Chu Dingjiang had been captured while protecting her, an event that felt like it had happened just yesterday. How could their reunion turn out like this?
Right—from the very beginning, he had said he only saved her because he didn’t know she had lost her Inner Force and thus her usefulness. He had even threatened to drown her in a pond…
She was the one who had forgotten those words.
After a long while of solitary reflection, she returned.
Chu Dingjiang was still there.
He knelt before the low table and looked up at the sound of her approach. When he saw An Jiu’s clear, dark eyes, he smiled.
“Why are you pretending to be Hua Rongjian?” The Human Skin Mask she wore had been given to her by Hua Rongjian. Chu Dingjiang hadn’t recognized her at first glance in the teahouse below—he had scanned the room and identified her by intuition. So there was no way he could actually be Hua Rongjian.
“I am Hua Rongjian,” he stated firmly, his gaze unwavering.
During his time in confinement, he had come to a realization. Since he had developed feelings for a woman, there was no reason to hide like a thief. He wasn’t the type to silently pine for someone, suppressing his emotions like a fool. The woman he desired would share his fortunes and misfortunes.
An Jiu sat cross-legged opposite him, studying him for a long moment. “I came back because I appreciate that you told me the truth.”
She had considered many possibilities, but his answer was the one she couldn’t make sense of. If Chu Dingjiang was truly Hua Rongjian, then who was that frivolous playboy in the Hua Clan?
“Every word is true,” Chu Dingjiang insisted.
“You’re thicker than Hua Rongjian,” An Jiu blurted out. Suddenly, she recalled a scene from a movie she had once caught while hiding from pursuers in a theater—a massive mammoth convinced it was a tiny possum. Chu Dingjiang was like that mammoth, his imposing frame utterly at odds with his insistence that he was Hua Rongjian.
An Jiu suddenly burst into laughter.
Chu Dingjiang couldn’t fathom why being thicker than Hua Rongjian was so amusing, even after eight lifetimes of pondering. He waited patiently for her laughter to subside before asking helplessly, “What’s so funny?”
“I just suddenly find you very amusing,” An Jiu admitted honestly.
She wasn’t skilled at handling relationships, let alone maintaining emotional bonds. But she knew she had developed an indescribable feeling toward Chu Dingjiang. For now, she didn’t want to part ways with him.
“Look here.” Chu Dingjiang’s eyes softened with warmth. An Jiu’s attitude gave him the courage to confess.
He picked up the sparrow-shaped lantern, caressing it with deep affection. “This is my home.”
The bold, hearty demeanor had faded, as had the coldness. His tall figure, bathed in the dim lamplight, seemed especially lonely. “I was born in the Zhao State during the Warring States period. I still remember when Lord Fan rebelled. I pleaded with my father not to follow him, insisting that the ruler of Zhao was wise and capable. But no one listened. So I secretly planned an escape route. In the end, Lord Fan was defeated, and I stepped over the corpses of the entire Wu Clan—our allies—to ensure the survival of the Hua Clan. From then on, I bore the infamy of betraying my country, my lord, and my clan. Now, the grasses grow thick along the Yanggu River, and I don’t know which patch of earth once belonged to me…”
When he opened his eyes again, he was still Hua Rongjian—but the world had changed beyond recognition.
He was reborn into the Hua Clan, the foremost noble family of the Great Song Dynasty, with his memories intact.
After enduring for two years, he finally had the chance to peruse the clan records. There, he found his former self—Hua Ji.Hua Ji was not his real name. During the Warring States period, it signified "the youngest son of the Hua Clan." Such records only served to inform later generations that the Hua Clan once had such a person, but his identity remained vague.
No one knew he was once called Hua Rongjian. No one knew he had exhausted every effort and sacrificed everything to protect the Hua Clan, nor would anyone realize that the Warring States' ruthless nobleman was capable of far more than merely safeguarding a single family.
"When I was seven, I discovered my father in this life had secretly kept a mistress and fathered a five-year-old son. The boy bore an uncanny resemblance to me—eight or nine parts alike. I appeared before that woman and asked if she wanted her son to become the legitimate heir of the Hua Clan. She was willing to pay any price for it, so I quietly killed her." Chu Dingjiang paused, observing An Jiu's unchanged expression before continuing, "I took the child back to the manor and raised him."
Later, when Prime Minister Hua discovered the truth, Chu Dingjiang made no attempt to conceal it. Instead, he calmly analyzed the Hua Clan's precarious situation with the Prime Minister, proposing that to preserve the clan, the child should assume the identity of Hua Rongjian. He still vividly remembered the shock on Prime Minister Hua's face at the time.
With his keen political instincts, he had long recognized the Crane Control Army as a rare and formidable weapon—one that, if wielded skillfully, could overturn the dynasty. Thus, he resolutely disfigured himself and joined the Crane Control Army.
Merely leaving a name in the clan records was not enough to vent all his resentment and endurance! He wanted to leave an indelible mark in history.
As a child, he had resembled that Hua Rongjian by eight or nine parts, but as they grew older, the likeness faded. That boy had become the true Hua Rongjian, and if he did not do something to prove his own existence, there would still be no evidence in this world that he had ever lived.
An Jiu remained silent.
In other words, the Warring States' Hua Rongjian had been reborn in the Great Song Dynasty, abandoning his noble identity to join the Crane Control Army... This also explained why that Hua Rongjian bore little resemblance to his elder brother Hua Rongtian in stature, whereas Chu Dingjiang and Hua Rongtian looked more alike—they were, after all, full brothers.
"You don't believe me?" Chu Dingjiang asked.
Such an unbelievable tale—even he still found it surreal. Yet after a long silence, An Jiu replied with eerie calm, "So should I call you Chu Dingjiang now?"
He nodded. Dingjiangshan —to stabilize the rivers and mountains. Had he not faced such a weak yet promising nation, he might never have harbored such overwhelming ambition.
An Jiu faintly grasped the meaning behind the name, but she had little interest in it. "I want to see your face."
Chu Dingjiang raised a hand to lightly touch his mask. "Another time."
He had never considered physical appearance important, so he had not hesitated when he disfigured himself. But now, for the first time, he felt a twinge of reluctance. "Another time... when I've healed it."
An Jiu had no interest in gawking at others' scars, so she nodded and changed the subject. "How do you want me to help you?"
"Stay by my side. I need you—and your mental strength."
Having gotten her answer, An Jiu stood and said coolly, "It's getting late. I have someone to kill. We'll talk more later."
"Shi Si." Chu Dingjiang, unsettled by her ambiguous attitude, called after her.
"In exchange for secrets," she said, slipping out the door. As she left, she tossed back a final remark: "My name is An Jiu."
Chu Dingjiang froze for a moment, then smiled.With just one sentence, Chu Dingjiang understood why she wasn't the least bit surprised by such bizarre events.
It was past noon, but there was still time before Li Ting would return to his residence. An Jiu simply wanted to sort out her thoughts alone.
Sheng Zhangku was right—Chu Dingjiang was no pushover.
Looking back, it seemed he always knew exactly what she desired most, always scratching her itch at just the right moment. If he truly intended to scheme against her, An Jiu could well imagine herself ending up with not even bones left to bury.
She didn’t want to be used, so for now, she would wait and observe.
She sat at a roadside tea stall where a storyteller performed until the lanterns lit up the streets.
The summer heat had faded, and the streets were livelier than in the afternoon.
Amid the bustling crowd, An Jiu spotted Li Ting at a glance. Unlike in the morning, he wasn’t riding in a sedan chair but walking among the people, followed by a fourth-rank martial arts master leading two horses.
Li Ting stopped at a sugar-figure stall, where the vendor greeted him familiarly. He bought two sugar figures, carefully wrapped them after weaving through the crowd, and then mounted his horse to leave.
Galloping wasn’t allowed within the city, so Li Ting moved at a leisurely pace—slow enough that An Jiu could keep up on foot, though it was still faster than a sedan chair. Eager to return home, he even took a shortcut through a narrow alley.
An Jiu trailed him all the way into his residence, quietly concealing herself in the branches of a tall ginkgo tree in the courtyard.
Lady Li was already waiting at the inner gate. When Li Ting entered, she took a few steps forward to meet him, and the two walked together toward the dining hall. Like in the morning, they exchanged few words, yet the scene was warm and natural.
As they neared the dining hall, two small figures burst out like cheerful little birds. The older child called out crisply, "Daddy!" and clung to Li Ting’s leg. The younger one, still unsteady on his feet, wobbled over, babbling, "Gwandpa!"
"How can you act like this as an aunt? You don’t even look after your nephew—no sense of ladylike decorum at all!" Li Ting scolded sternly, though his eyes brimmed with amusement.
The toddler also tottered over and latched onto his other leg.
Neither child was the least bit intimidated by his mock scolding, their big, bright eyes blinking up at him expectantly. He pulled the sugar figures from his sleeve and handed one to each.
The children cheered and ran back inside with their treats.
Lady Li chided lightly, "You keep buying these little things—eating sweets at night will rot their teeth!"
Li Ting chuckled evasively. "I won’t next time."
"You always say that," Lady Li huffed. "Shu’er will be of marriageable age in a few years. If you spoil her into being unruly, fine—but if her teeth are ruined, what family would dare take her…"
Li Ting quietly took her hand and gave it a squeeze, laughing it off. "I’ll change, I promise. Let’s eat first."
Lady Li flushed and pulled her hand back, muttering under her breath, "Shameless old man."
The maids and servants stifled giggles behind their sleeves.
The eldest son and his wife came out to greet them, and the family entered the dining hall together.
An Jiu stared blankly at the scene until the courtyard emptied, leaving only maids shuttling back and forth along the corridors with dishes.
Laughter and chatter drifted from inside.
An Jiu slipped into the study. As expected, Li Ting arrived shortly after dinner to review the official documents he had brought back from the yamen, staying until nearly midnight before retiring to wash up and sleep.
Watching the lights go out, An Jiu sensed a familiar presence nearby and silently left the Li residence.She vaulted over the courtyard wall and glanced toward the shadows, where Chu Dingjiang stood with arms crossed, leaning against the wall as he watched her sidelong.
"Watching a family eat together—does it make you hungry?" Chu Dingjiang chuckled, pulling a paper-wrapped bundle from his robes and tossing it to her.
An Jiu caught it. Inside was something warm and soft. She unwrapped it to find four plump, steaming buns.
She walked into the shadows and crouched beside him, burying her face in the food as she devoured them ravenously.
After finishing, she wiped her mouth, stood up, and declared coldly, "Don’t think four buns are enough to buy me."
"Would eight be enough?" Chu Dingjiang teased.
"Don’t measure my worth by your own standards!" An Jiu crumpled the greasy paper and shoved it back into his arms. (To be continued...)
PS: Regarding Hua Rongjian (Chu Dingjiang), details can be found in Strategies of Beauty and Power , though only in fragments. Honestly, revealing this mystery makes me nervous—Uncle Chu isn’t just an uncle, he’s an ancestor. Pfft.
OpenNovel