Chu Dingjiang was in high spirits.
Only when he was with An Jiu could he shed all his defenses and pretenses. She lashed out with lethal moves when angered, repaid kindness with kindness and vengeance with vengeance, her thoughts were as transparent as shallow water, and she spoke bluntly without concealment...
Chu Dingjiang believed that falling in love required many reasons, but wanting to sleep with someone only needed impulse.
For An Jiu, he had both reasons and impulse.
When Chu Dingjiang earned his notorious reputation as the "Heartless Young Master," he was not yet twenty. By twenty-six, he had protected his family by stepping over countless corpses. He died at thirty-five. Branded with infamy and unwelcome in every kingdom, he spent nine years in exile, believing he would eventually find an opportunity to rise again. Unfortunately, before that chance came, he could no longer endure his wretched, fugitive existence. In the end, he strode openly through the lands of the former Zhao Kingdom. What followed was predictable—the first to attempt his assassination were the very clansmen he had sacrificed everything to protect.
His death also cemented the Hua Clan's reputation for upholding justice at the expense of kinship.
Those nine years had honed him from a refined young noble into a rough, weathered man. In his prime, his heart had been filled with schemes and grand ideals, untouched by sentimental attachments. But when the world rejected him and he wandered alone through wilderness, with only cold memories of bloodshed to look back on, the unshakable loneliness pierced his heart like a thorn, unforgettable for eternity.
In the Crane Control Army, he seemed to reclaim the fiery vigor of his youth, yet he often felt his actions lacked the decisiveness of the past—until An Jiu suddenly appeared.
At some point, her mere presence began to fill the void of his lost courage, making him fearless once more.
To Chu Dingjiang, An Jiu was not just a woman—she was a part of him, the strongest yet most vulnerable part.
...
The night breeze whispered.
The two crouched atop a wall in a dark alley all night.
When movement stirred in the Li residence, Chu Dingjiang returned to the Crane Control Institute.
This time, An Jiu carried an ordinary bow and arrows. She lay in wait in the shortcut alley Li Ting frequented.
The day was overcast, with a slight breeze and high humidity. An Jiu lowered her gaze to observe the degree to which the wild grass atop the wall bent under the wind, gauging its strength.
By evening, a light drizzle began to fall. Amid the hazy twilight, faint lantern lights glimmered. An Jiu guessed Li Ting likely wouldn’t ride home today, but she remained in place a while longer.
Around the same time as the previous day, An Jiu faintly heard the crisp sound of hooves on stone pavement.
She drew her bow and waited silently.
Soon, two riders galloped into view.
Li Ting wore a raincoat, moving much faster than the day before.
Raindrops slid slowly from An Jiu’s nose. In her eyes, Li Ting’s every movement was slow and clear. Seeing his graying hair and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, An Jiu suddenly recalled the way he had scolded his daughter with a smile in his gaze...
For a fleeting moment, she hesitated—but she still released her fingers.
Whoosh!
The arrow grazed the back of Li Ting’s neck, blood gushing out in torrents, instantly staining the stone pavement in streaks of crimson.
"My lord!" A guard leaped to catch Li Ting as he fell from his horse, shouting for help. "Assassins! Someone help!"
An Jiu frowned.
She had missed her mark!
Though she had struck, she saw clearly—this shot was not fatal.The sound of hurried footsteps approached from nearby—mostly low-ranking guards with little to no Inner Force. Though numerous, they posed no real threat. To avoid escalating the situation, it was best not to finish off the target now.
An Jiu decisively turned and left.
She hurried back to the Crane Control Institute.
Concealing her presence, she hid in her quarters, replaying the moment of Li Ting's assassination attempt in her mind.
Sitting in a chair, An Jiu spread her hands open. In the darkness, only vague shadows were visible. There was no excuse this time—it wasn’t Mei Jiu’s fault, but her own heart that had faltered. For an assassin, such hesitation was fatal.
Today, it was just a failed attempt. Tomorrow, it could cost her life.
"Failed?" Chu Dingjiang landed softly before her.
An Jiu remained silent.
"Couldn’t do it?" Chu Dingjiang took her outstretched hands and pulled her into an embrace.
Being held like this, An Jiu stiffened momentarily. Yet the warmth seemed to soothe her tense nerves, gradually easing her rigidity.
"Do you know why the Crane Control Institute ordered you to assassinate Li Ting?" Chu Dingjiang stroked her back gently. "Li Ting is Prince Jing’s man. This isn’t just about factionalism in court—Prince Jing has been colluding with the Liao Kingdom, and the evidence is irrefutable. But his influence in court is too entrenched to act against openly. Over the years, the Liao Kingdom has planted numerous covert operatives, including the infamous Misty Villa in the martial world. If we push Prince Jing into rebellion and he joins forces with the Liao Kingdom, chaos will erupt. How many families will be torn apart? How many men will die on the battlefield? The Crane Control Army isn’t targeting him alone—multiple officials are being assassinated simultaneously."
Chu Dingjiang had grown up in an era where life was cheap and war was commonplace. The devastation of war far surpassed the covert killings carried out by the Crane Control Army.
"Choose between righteousness and sentiment—it’s up to you," Chu Dingjiang patted her. "But Li Ting must die. If you’re still conflicted, I’ll go in your stead."
"How noble of you." His words suddenly made her realize she wasn’t engaged in some unlawful act—the Crane Control Army was the shadow force defending the Song Dynasty.
"Not nobility—just sentiment." Chu Dingjiang scoffed at her. "At this rate, you’ll soon become the first in Crane Control Institute history to lose twenty points!"
An Jiu pushed him away. "I’ll go myself."
The first attempt had already alerted the target, and with only two days left, a second assassination would be even harder. But she had caused this predicament—who else could she blame?
An Jiu slung the Dragon Subduing Bow across her back. Though heavy, she had discovered that the Mental Strength-infused Startling String it unleashed was far more powerful than ordinary arrows—useful in a pinch. Having just attempted an assassination, the enemy might not expect another strike so soon. Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity.
Chu Dingjiang helped her into a raincoat.
He didn’t object, merely watching as she left.
An Jiu arrived at the Li residence in the pouring rain, using her Mental Strength to scout the surroundings. Normally, the guards rotated shifts, but tonight they were all stationed around the master bedroom.
An Jiu reflected again—if she had succeeded in the ambush earlier, only one life would have been lost. Now, several more might perish.
Shaking off the thought, she began observing the guards’ positions.
Two hours later, a gap appeared on the rooftop. But her lightness skill was poor—she couldn’t move silently. While her Mental Strength could mask her presence, it couldn’t conceal physical noise.She felt her pocket—good, she still had the knockout medicine Mo Sigui had given her.
With a plan forming in her mind, she scaled the wall and entered the estate. Hiding in the shadows, she poured the powder Mo Sigui had provided into her palm, then spread her fingers and plucked the bowstring.
Knockout medicine was difficult to use effectively in such an open space, so she wondered if she could use Startling String to deliver it instead. (To be continued...)
PS: Thank you all for the pink votes and tips. I originally planned to update more today, but something came up unexpectedly in the evening. Starting tomorrow, I'll add extra updates based on the pink votes and tips you've given this month. Sleeve Paper is a slowpoke and really can't manage daily updates of eight or ten thousand words, but I'll do my best to update more frequently.
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