"You may leave now, and keep this matter to yourself," said Cao Rui.
"Yes," the maidservant bowed before withdrawing.
Cao Rui gazed absently at the lush greenery of the courtyard. Over the years, the mistress had stirred up plenty of trouble outside, yet the Jade Residence had always stepped in to handle it—though she had never once asked for their intervention. This time, however, it seemed the situation had escalated beyond her control.
Zhu Pianxian was far too important to the Jade Residence. With her around, wealth flowed in endlessly.
This time, they must seize the opportunity to keep her here…
……
After Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu left, they didn’t go far but instead concealed themselves nearby.
An Jiu pulled out a small paper packet and tossed it to Chu Dingjiang.
He caught it. "What is it?"
An Jiu’s attention remained fixed on the Jade Residence, as if she hadn’t heard him.
Chu Dingjiang unfolded the packet and found shelled spiced pine nuts inside. A faint smile crept into his eyes. Shelling nuts was one of his many hobbies—not because he particularly enjoyed eating them, but simply as a pastime to pass the idle hours. Life in the Crane Control Army was exceptionally dull, and nearly everyone had some peculiar little habit.
After eating a few pine nuts, the rich aroma filled his mouth. Chu Dingjiang narrowed his eyes. "The messenger from Misty Villa was that hunchbacked man who collects slop. I followed him all the way to the town, but somehow lost track of him there."
Given Chu Dingjiang’s abilities, even with a portion of his Inner Force sealed, it was highly unlikely for him to lose track of someone.
"That town and the dock are both a bit strange," An Jiu said immediately. "I’ve thought it over carefully these past few days. It’s possible the dock uses some special method to prevent us from discerning people’s Mental Strength and Internal Energy."
Chu Dingjiang’s Mental Strength was different from An Jiu’s—he had never been able to distinguish such things to begin with—so any trickery at the dock had little effect on him. But after An Jiu mentioned it, he had paid closer attention during his next visit. "An array could achieve that effect. We forgot—Wei Yuzhi is an expert in such things. The dock might very well be rigged with an array. Perhaps…"
Perhaps Misty Villa’s stronghold was that very dock!
Upon hearing the name "Misty Villa," most would first imagine a manor built upon a mountain. But who said it had to be named so literally?
For now, it was only suspicion. They had no certainty that the dock was connected to Misty Villa. Only by intercepting the assassins sent to kill Zhu Pianxian could they confirm it…
An Jiu suddenly realized something. "They can only return to report after completing the mission, right?"
"Mm," Chu Dingjiang acknowledged.
"Then all that talk about making a deal with Zhu Pianxian—you were just deceiving her?" An Jiu asked.
Chu Dingjiang turned his head. "Once the one-month deadline is up, whether the mission is completed or not, they must return to report."
"You won’t wait a month," An Jiu stated with certainty.
Chu Dingjiang paused, then tossed a few more pine nuts into his mouth, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You guessed right."
An Jiu frowned. In the past, she wouldn’t have cared about the safety of those around her when completing a mission. But for some reason, hearing that Chu Dingjiang intended to sacrifice Zhu Pianxian unsettled her slightly—even though she didn’t particularly like that swindler, Zhu the Money-Grubber.
Yet that fleeting discomfort vanished in an instant.
The two took turns keeping watch.
The Jade Residence was too vast, not as easy to ambush as the Emerald Pavilion. Even if Misty Villa’s assassins had followed them here, they would need time to observe before making their move.To prevent the people from Misty Villa from recognizing An Jiu's disguised appearance, only Chu Dingjiang entered Jade Residence the next day to discuss matters with Zhu Pianxian. He took the opportunity to stay within the residence, preparing to coordinate with An Jiu from inside and out.
Both Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu possessed Mental strength at the Transformation Realm, making it easy for them to conceal their presence. Before leaving, Chu repeatedly warned An Jiu not to take action—only to follow.
What Chu didn’t know was that An Jiu’s greatest strength was "following orders." If told to eliminate a target with a single shot, she would never take two.
While Chu’s stay in Jade Residence seemed comfortable and relaxed, being in the open made him more vulnerable than if he were hidden.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
The autumn breeze had just begun to sweep through Yangzhou, filling the city with the fragrance of osmanthus. A bright full moon hung in the sky, its silvery light casting a frost-like glow over the rooftops, as if draping them in a veil of white gauze.
Hidden in the shadows, An Jiu had been keeping watch over a ninth-rank expert nearby.
This person had appeared suddenly seven days ago, lurking only around the perimeter of Jade Residence—undoubtedly an assassin from Misty Villa. Over the past few days, he had always slipped into the residence around midnight. But tonight, he moved just before dawn!
An Jiu sensed that he might be planning to strike today. Once he entered the residence, she quietly approached the courtyard wall.
Jade Residence remained eerily silent.
Below the Transformation Realm was the ninth rank, and this person was likely Misty Villa’s top assassin. He had infiltrated Jade Residence multiple times as if it were unguarded, freely familiarizing himself with its layout. At the peak of the ninth rank, with ample experience, he could practically walk unopposed in the martial world. After all, those who reached the Transformation Realm were few, and those with Transformation Realm Mental strength were even rarer. Forget just Jade Residence—there were hardly any in the entire world who could match his strength.
He could never have dreamed that two individuals with Transformation Realm Mental strength were lying in wait tonight. Thus, he launched his attack as casually as ever.
No commotion arose within Jade Residence.
Before long, the man swiftly emerged.
Under the moonlight, An Jiu clearly saw him carrying a bundle, the thick scent of blood wafting from it.
An Jiu followed him. (To be continued...)
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