The secret letter was written by Gu Jinghong. Judging by its contents, it seemed Chu Dingjiang had agreed with him to jointly attack Misty Villa.
"I thought it was just the two of us." An Jiu set down the letter, feeling slightly more at ease. She wasn't afraid of death, but she couldn't die now—not before even seeing Mei Yanran's face. After all, she owed this life to Mei Jiu.
Even if most of Misty Villa's forces had been drawn to Bianjing, it wasn't a place one or two people could easily infiltrate.
"Gu Jinghong commands a hundred men, but the Crane Control Army is fraught with internal complexities. Mobilizing them won't be easy, so the situation remains grim." Chu Dingjiang paused before adding, "But with even a thirty percent chance of success, it's worth a try."
An Jiu disliked Gu Jinghong. Lacking much experience in social interactions, she judged people purely by instinct.
"Why would he take such a risk?" An Jiu asked.
"He wants to support the Second Prince, build his faction, and earn merit in the eyes of the Emperor." Chu Dingjiang spoke slowly. "Whether that's the real reason is hard to say. He lacks ambition—perhaps he's doing all this out of world-weariness."
"World-weariness?" An Jiu didn't understand.
"He's tired of his circumstances, dissatisfied with the world, so he seeks to destroy or change it." Having observed countless people, Chu Dingjiang could roughly discern Gu Jinghong's mindset.
He joked, "We're merely acquaintances, so my impression might be superficial. Maybe he's a Liao spy?"
An Jiu didn't press further. Gu Jinghong's letter mentioned the Emperor had already approved his request. The letter was dated several days ago, and accounting for delivery time, Gu Jinghong might already be nearing Yangzhou City.
"Let's go." Chu Dingjiang stood, brushing off the pine nut shells clinging to his clothes.
Before reinforcements arrived, they needed to scout the terrain and assess the enemy's forces.
The docks lacked high vantage points, making aerial observation impossible. They had to infiltrate the area to gather intelligence.
Chu Dingjiang had An Jiu change into women's attire with slight facial alterations, while he donned a human skin mask. After finalizing their plan, they entered the docks.
The docks bustled as usual.
As Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu walked among the crowd, nothing seemed amiss when they initially headed toward a passenger ship. But when An Jiu started moving north along the riverbank, she felt countless eyes watching her from the shadows.
When she pretended to admire the scenery and glanced around, the sensation vanished.
Generally, lower mental strength couldn't detect higher levels, but exceptions existed. An Jiu dared not recklessly extend her mental probes here.
"Excuse me, young man. Might you direct us to the privy?" Chu Dingjiang stopped a lean man resembling a foreman, discreetly slipping him a silver piece.
The man pocketed the silver. "I'll take you there."
"Many thanks!" Chu Dingjiang quickly pulled An Jiu along. "Come, wife."
An Jiu's expression stiffened—this definitely hadn't been part of their plan earlier!
Chu Dingjiang casually held her hand as they followed the lean man.
Along the way, towering stacks of goods gradually blocked their peripheral vision, leaving only a narrow path. The cargo seemed haphazardly placed, but upon closer inspection, there appeared to be some hidden pattern.
"Here we are." The lean man stopped, pointing to a small wooden shed ahead. "Hurry up! Outsiders aren't allowed to wander here. If the bosses find out, I'll be punished!"Chu Dingjiang slipped another silver nugget into the man's hand. "Thank you, young master."
He then pushed An Jiu toward the outhouse. "Wife, I'll wait outside. Hurry up now. Don't delay matters!"
The outhouse was crude—no chamber pot, just a pit dug in the ground with stones placed on either side. The stench was overwhelming, and swarms of green-headed flies buzzed everywhere. An Jiu couldn't help but frown.
Knowing Chu Dingjiang needed time, she deliberately lingered inside.
"Are you done yet?" the skinny man snapped impatiently.
"Wife, are you finished?" Chu Dingjiang called out.
"Almost!" An Jiu retorted irritably.
Chu Dingjiang approached the skinny man with an apologetic smile, slipping another silver nugget into his hand. As he did so, his fingers flicked subtly.
The skinny man didn't notice the slight movement. He took the silver but continued grumbling, "Took so long you could've birthed a child by now!"
The moment the words left his mouth, darkness suddenly engulfed his vision. Before he could react, he collapsed unconscious.
"Done." Chu Dingjiang pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the medicinal powder from his fingers.
An Jiu emerged with a dark expression.
Chu Dingjiang grinned. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
With a flicker of his figure, he vanished without a sound.
After roughly the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, Chu Dingjiang returned, having scouted the entire dock. His expression was grave.
The skinny man groggily stirred, unsure how long he'd been out, when he felt someone shaking him.
His eyes snapped open to see Chu Dingjiang's anxious face. "Young master, are you alright?"
The skinny man's face darkened, his narrow eyes coldly scrutinizing Chu Dingjiang, a hint of malice flickering between his brows.
"Ah, young master, you don't look well! Don't tell me you've been possessed!" Chu Dingjiang feigned alarm, quickly pulling An Jiu behind him—both to shield her and to hide her poorly concealed odd expression.
Chu Dingjiang knew she was trying her best to cooperate, but her acting skills were hopeless.
The skinny man's mental strength detected nothing suspicious. Though still doubtful, his expression softened slightly. "How did I pass out?"
"No idea! If you hadn't woken up, our ship would've left without us!" Chu Dingjiang exclaimed.
"Let's go." Rubbing his temples, the skinny man led them back to the dock.
Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu immediately boarded a passenger vessel.
The ship soon departed.
Chu Dingjiang had deliberately chosen a small boat. With limited capacity, it carried only enough food and water for a day or two, ensuring it would dock again shortly after setting sail.
As the boat headed north, it stopped at a private dock along the shore near Chuzhou—just as Chu Dingjiang had predicted.
Only after disembarking did An Jiu ask about his findings.
"There is indeed an array at the dock," Chu Dingjiang said gravely, "but it's just an array. There's no hideout for numerous assassins. Misty Villa's real lair is in the town itself."
An Jiu nodded. "The entire town must have arrays that conceal internal energy. When I waited for you outside that day, I clearly sensed several martial artists entering, but afterward, I couldn't detect their presence anymore."
"Now that we're certain, the rest is straightforward." Chu Dingjiang smiled faintly. His mental strength differed from An Jiu's—while she couldn't detect ordinary people, he could. The town wasn't large; by identifying densely populated areas and systematically eliminating possibilities, he was confident they'd find the hideout.The skinny man at the dock clearly possessed martial arts skills and was likely one of the many assassins with extensive experience. Although the knockout drug Mo Sigui prepared was colorless and odorless, fainting without reason would inevitably arouse suspicion. There couldn’t be any further action for now.
"First, we'll go to Chuzhou and meet up with Gu Jinghong," Chu Dingjiang said.
An Jiu suddenly thought of something. "Since you've decided to investigate first, why did you still have the Yu family's goods shipped through the Feng family's dock?" (To be continued...)
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