An Jiu had always remembered her mother's helpless appearance—the fear and loneliness etched on her face when she died. It was her own cowardice and evasion that had left her mother with no one to rely on.
This was the only regret in An Jiu's heart. She felt that if she could make up for this regret, her life would be complete. That was why she regarded Mei Yanran as her own mother, occupying her thoughts and heart entirely.
"Filial piety and fraternal duty are the great matters of human relations. Very good." Chu Dingjiang praised her sentiment. He had the patience to slowly leave his mark on this blank canvas, so he didn’t bring up the matter between them again.
Surprisingly, An Jiu responded well to this approach. The validation visibly pleased her.
Scroll Room
Sheng Zhangku wasn’t present, but he had already prepared the materials and instructed his subordinates to hand them over.
The two took the documents and found a secluded spot to review them.
At the center of the Crane Control Institute was a small garden, a resting place for the Academicians and the most scenic, secure area in the entire institute.
A gentle stream murmured, and willow branches swayed tenderly. A pavilion shaped like a pleasure boat extended from the shore into the lake, where lotus leaves stretched endlessly under the sky, dotted with pink and white blossoms.
Normally, a trainee like An Jiu wouldn’t have been permitted to enter such a place. She was only here thanks to Chu Dingjiang.
"Chu Dingjiang," An Jiu spread out the scroll and skimmed a few pages before suddenly asking, "Why was I chosen for this mission?"
Chu Dingjiang didn’t hesitate to be blunt. "Because you’re weak enough. If someone wants me dead, would they assign me a strong ally?"
"That’s all?" An Jiu might not have long-term foresight, but she wasn’t stupid. Chu Dingjiang’s explanation seemed plausible, but there were still many unanswered questions.
After a moment of contemplation, Chu Dingjiang replied, "It was my request. Since I’m the one bringing you into danger, I’ll ensure your safety."
All his patience and feigned weakness had been leading to this day.
The majority of high-ranking officers in the Divine Martial Army supported two men: Yan Feng and Zhao Jie.
With these two in power, Chu Dingjiang had known from the start that his tenure as Divine Martial Commander wouldn’t last. So during his time in office, he had secretly thrown the lower-ranking officers into disarray, frequently reassigning them—some promoted, some demoted—as if deliberately currying favor. True, he had won the support of many lower-ranking officers this way, but his real goal was to place most of them in positions where they were ill-suited.
Under normal circumstances, these officers could handle routine matters. But once faced with more challenging emergencies, their shortcomings would become glaringly obvious.
When the time came for Yan Feng to overthrow him, Chu Dingjiang deliberately left behind a series of unsolvable messes before walking away without a second glance.
The reason he was so easily ousted was that he wanted to be ousted at this very moment.
Now, freed from the constraints of his position, Chu Dingjiang deliberately kept exposing the enemy’s formidable influence, putting pressure on the Crane Control Army. With internal strife and external threats, the chaos in the Divine Martial Army would persist much longer. In such a situation, Yan Feng—who had only just risen to power—would fear nothing more than the Emperor doubting his competence and recalling Chu Dingjiang. This would drive him to eliminate Chu Dingjiang as a threat with even greater urgency.
Before being overthrown, Chu Dingjiang had intentionally hidden his investigative findings in the official office, making sure Yan Feng’s spies "accidentally" discovered the hidden compartment.Yan Feng had just taken office, with Zhao Jie eyeing his position covetously. Eager to secure his footing, when such a golden opportunity for merit presented itself, he would undoubtedly verify the list's authenticity privately before presenting it to his superiors to claim credit—certainly boasting it as the fruit of his own painstaking investigations.
The list was genuine, but the means of obtaining it were dubious, involving trades of Crane Control Army secrets with Jianghu figures. They didn’t know Chu Dingjiang’s identity, only that he was from the Divine Martial Army. Once exposed, Yan Feng would face utter ruin.
The perfect person to expose this was Zhao Jie, who would eventually "uncover" some "evidence" Chu Dingjiang had deliberately left behind.
While Chu Dingjiang reaped the benefits, he wasn’t idle. Before Zhao Jie uncovered the truth, he continuously provoked Yan Feng, ensuring everyone knew Yan Feng was out to destroy him. By then, even if he claimed the list was his own, who would believe him?
Chu Dingjiang’s foundation in the Crane Control Army wasn’t as solid as Yan Feng’s. Zhao Jie’s primary enemy was Yan Feng, not Chu Dingjiang. Faced with a choice, even if Zhao Jie doubted the list’s origin, he would seize the chance to eliminate his rival.
As the dogs fought, Yan Feng, during his tenure, would inevitably purge Zhao Jie’s faction. By the time Chu Dingjiang returned, dealing with them would be far easier.
Moreover, given the Emperor and the Dark Capital Commander’s recent methods, the sudden discovery of so many spies would inevitably trigger a wave of assassinations.
Events unfolded as predicted. The Crane Control Army began assassinating those on the list, drawing swarms of Misty Villa assassins. Combined with their usual contracts, the villa was left half-empty.
When Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu stormed in, wreaking havoc, what did it matter if they failed to capture Wei Yuzhi?
After all, this was an "impossible mission" Yan Feng had set to eliminate rivals. Instead of dying, Chu Dingjiang had dealt a heavy blow to Misty Villa—undeniable merit with no fault, ensuring no blame from above.
Their rampage through Misty Villa, though not as grand in reality, sounded like an earth-shattering feat!
The Emperor couldn’t possibly overlook it.
Wary that his high martial prowess might arouse the Emperor’s suspicion, Chu Dingjiang found an excuse to offer himself as a furnace vessel to Gu Jinghong.
Though Gu Jinghong’s character deviated slightly from expectations, it didn’t matter. At worst, Gu would conceal the matter, rendering Chu’s efforts futile. Even if he truly became a furnace vessel, he feared nothing. His rise in the Crane Control Army had relied more on strategy than martial arts. Besides, losing his skills wouldn’t happen overnight—who knew what opportunities might arise before then?
A dubious list, a few twists, and two major rivals were eliminated. The original plan to remove Liao’s spies was executed, winning many hearts along the way. And he? The wronged loyalist, the capable minister who achieved greatness against all odds—a bold and heroic figure in others’ eyes.
This was him—once the heartless Hua Rongjian, now Chu Dingjiang.
Amid the fragrance of lotus, Chu Dingjiang took a deep breath. "We’ll set off in two days. I’ll explain everything as we go."His plan wasn't yet complete, so he couldn't speak about it without restraint. If he wasn't careful, his scheme against others might backfire and he'd end up being the one to suffer.
"Alright." An Jiu decided to take the plunge. Truthfully, she still had reservations about Chu Dingjiang in her heart and didn't completely trust him. However, after spending all this time in the Crane Control Army, she realized that wandering alone would make it impossible to predict when she might see Mei Yanran again, let alone rescue her. She needed allies. Though Chu Dingjiang currently appeared quite down on his luck, following her intuition, she somewhat reluctantly latched onto this powerful figure.
As for why Chu Dingjiang would want to recruit her, An Jiu couldn't figure it out. But as the saying goes, those with nothing to lose fear nothing - right now she had nothing but her life, so what was there to worry about?
Though she was beginning to cherish life more, she still hadn't turned into a timid little rabbit like Mei Jiu.
"Let's not talk about that then. Let's discuss Cui Yichen's matter first - I'm a bit confused," An Jiu said. (To be continued...)
PS: It's a bit late, my apologies. This chapter went through several revisions.
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