An Jiu was about to peel the chestnuts with her bare hands when Chu Dingjiang reminded her, "Be careful, they're full of thorns."
"I've skinned hedgehogs before," An Jiu retorted, feeling slighted. With a displeased expression, she pried open a cracked chestnut.
As the shell split, a sharp thorn grazed her index finger, drawing blood instantly.
An Jiu stole a glance at Chu Dingjiang. Seeing that he wasn’t paying attention, she shifted her body to turn her back toward him and wiped the blood off on her inner garment.
"Done wiping?" Chu Dingjiang asked leisurely.
An Jiu turned her head to find him already skewering the lamb leg over the fire, watching her with an amused smirk.
"An accident," she said flatly.
"Come here!" Chu Dingjiang beckoned.
An Jiu picked up the scattered chestnut pieces and squatted beside him.
Chu Dingjiang looked at her, torn between exasperation and amusement. "You never forget about eating, no matter what. Show me your hand."
An Jiu tucked her hand into her sleeve. "It’s just a scratch. It’ll heal in no time."
Chu Dingjiang reached for her wrist, but An Jiu resisted, lifting her foot to kick him. He caught her ankle, which only made her more agitated, and she lashed out with her other foot.
The two of them tussled back and forth.
Chu Dingjiang had only been playing around and hadn’t used his Inner Force. But when he sensed An Jiu attacking with her Mental Strength, panic surged through him. He immediately released his Inner Force and pinned her to the ground. "An Xiaojiu! No Mental Strength!"
Only then did An Jiu remember Mo Sigui’s warning and withdrew her Mental Strength.
"Ignoring the doctor’s orders—do you have a death wish?" Chu Dingjiang felt he had to curb her habit of instinctively using Mental Strength in fights. Without Inner Force, An Jiu would struggle against even fourth or fifth-tier Inner Cultivators if not for her overpowering Mental Strength.
An Jiu stayed silent, her dark eyes fixed on his face, so close to hers.
The surroundings fell quiet. When Chu Dingjiang wasn’t distracted, his senses sharpened severalfold. The soft body pressed against him made his blood roar like wildfire, and the True Energy in his body surged at an accelerated pace.
Their breaths mingled audibly.
Afraid of startling her, Chu Dingjiang restrained himself and leaned in slowly.
Lost in thought, An Jiu suddenly lifted her head and kissed his lips.
The sudden "attack" left Chu Dingjiang stunned.
An Jiu’s eyes widened as everything around her seemed to blur. Only Chu Dingjiang’s presence remained vivid—warm, with a hint of sweetness, like sunlight bathing her body, leaving her soft and tingling. She liked it. Unconsciously, she licked his lips.
Chu Dingjiang’s heart pounded wildly, the thunderous beats drowning out all other sounds. Cradling the back of her head, he seized control in an instant.
The kiss came like a storm, fierce and overwhelming, making her heart race abruptly. An Jiu broke free and glared at him, displeased.
"A Jiu…" Chu Dingjiang’s voice was hoarse, surprised by his own loss of control.
An Jiu stared at his lips, her gaze gradually softening.
Though Chu Dingjiang wore a Human Skin Mask, the shape of his lips remained unchanged—neither too thin nor too full, with well-defined peaks. Their pale hue wasn’t as pink as a woman’s, but they were undeniably attractive.
"Ahem." Chu Dingjiang’s heartbeat steadied, and seeing her expression ease, he relaxed. "The lamb’s about to burn."
He turned to flip the roasting leg.
The aroma momentarily diverted An Jiu’s attention. She leaned in to inspect it—the other side had already turned a mouthwatering golden brown. The last traces of her irritation vanished in an instant."A Jiu, you mustn't exert yourself physically during this time. If anything happens, I'll protect you," Chu Dingjiang said.
The cold wind dispelled the ambiguous atmosphere, and both of them tacitly set aside what had just occurred.
An Jiu focused intently on the lamb leg, her face taut as she tried to calm her racing heart. Unbidden, the sensation of that earlier kiss surfaced in her mind, and instead of calming down, her heartbeat only quickened! She pursed her lips, but a faint blush still colored her cheeks.
In the flickering orange glow of the fire, Chu Dingjiang couldn't make out the flush on her face, only noticing her tense expression and lips pressed into a thin line.
It had all happened too suddenly—perhaps neither of them was mentally prepared yet. Chu Dingjiang consoled himself with this thought, but a nagging doubt lingered: Had she felt nothing at all? Not only was this a blow to his confidence as a man, but it also left him uneasy. Did she harbor no such feelings for him whatsoever...?
A crackling sound came from the fire.
After a while, Chu Dingjiang broke the silence. "Hold out your hand."
An Jiu remained fixated on the lamb leg, as if she hadn't heard him.
"There's something delicious," Chu Dingjiang tempted her.
Sure enough, An Jiu turned her head and extended one hand.
"Both hands," Chu Dingjiang said.
An Jiu thought for a moment, then obediently held out both hands.
Satisfied, Chu Dingjiang nodded, took out a small bottle, and sprinkled some powder on the wound on her right index finger before wrapping it with a strip of cloth.
"Liar!" An Jiu yanked her hand back fiercely.
"Don't move!" Chu Dingjiang grabbed her and didn't let go until he had finished bandaging her finger. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "You have internal injuries—I'm not sure if eating this will cause any issues. Better to be cautious."
As he spoke, he reached to take the lamb leg down.
This time, An Jiu wouldn't have it. She gripped his hand tightly, glaring at him. "Chu Dingjiang, roast it!"
"There are chestnuts and sweet potatoes too," Chu Dingjiang said, setting the lamb leg aside. He peeled open a few chestnuts, revealing a handful of brown nuts, and buried them in the fire.
"Roast it!" An Jiu looked ready to fight if he refused.
"You stay here. I'll be right back." Chu Dingjiang propped the lamb leg back on the spit and hurried back to the relay station.
He returned shortly.
"They said it's fine to eat a little," Chu Dingjiang said, his tone noticeably lighter.
Hearing this, An Jiu's mood improved, and she finally remembered to ask about Mo Sigui. "You didn't take the sweet potatoes earlier—did you hit him again?"
"..."
"You hit him again?" An Jiu frowned. "You can't just hit him whenever you feel like it."
"I originally planned to let it go after taking the sweet potatoes," Chu Dingjiang explained. "But then I found out he had poisoned them to play a trick on you. This kind of behavior can't be tolerated—he needed to be taught a lesson!"
"He wasn't like this before," An Jiu said.
Chu Dingjiang found this odd. "Mo Sigui is your cousin, right? You haven't been back with the Mei family for long—why are you so close to him in particular?"
"I don't know," An Jiu replied, thinking carefully. "At first, I was a little interested because he looked decent. Then I found out he was a physician, and I hated him. Later, I realized his personality didn't match his appearance at all—like an annoying fly that wouldn't go away. But after getting to know him better, I thought he was alright."
"You like handsome men?" Chu Dingjiang suddenly felt the scar on his face grow hot, a faint ache pulsing there.
"Let me tell you a secret." An Jiu leaned closer and whispered, "I used to enjoy destroying beautiful things. I thought little flowers were very pretty and liked them, but sometimes I couldn't help wanting to crush them. The doctor said it was a sickness."An Jiu had mental issues, but she was quite lucid when calm.
Chu Dingjiang had long suspected that An Jiu suffered from madness. Before witnessing her innocent side, his impression of her wasn’t particularly deep—he simply saw her as a fierce, formidable woman brimming with killing intent. Yet, the longer he spent with her, the more he realized that beneath the ferocity lay a genuine simplicity.
“The frequency of these impulses is decreasing. Does that mean I’m getting better?” An Jiu looked at him expectantly.
Having grown up in the Warring States period, Chu Dingjiang had seen mountains of corpses and lives as cheap as grass. He had orchestrated countless deaths himself and was not a man prone to sympathy. He had witnessed too many pitiful souls—even if someone starved or fell ill before his eyes, it was rare for him to feel much compassion. Yet now, watching the hope in An Jiu’s gaze, he found his heart inexplicably aching.
Perhaps it was because he saw in her the tenacity of life.
“Mhm!” Chu Dingjiang assured her firmly, “You’ll recover soon! Besides, isn’t Mo Sigui here? If he can’t cure you, I’ll beat him to death.”
An Jiu brightened. Though she was still a killer, she felt lighter more often now. Even in the midst of slaughter, she no longer lost control at the sight of blood. All these changes were because of Chu Dingjiang, because of Mo Sigui, because of everyone around her. And most of all… because of Mei Jiu.
“Does everyone have an afterlife? Or a chance to be reborn?” An Jiu asked.
Without needing to think deeply, Chu Dingjiang knew she was thinking of the girl who had once let her herd sheep. “Yes,” he said. “Kind people are reborn into wealthy families, living peaceful, happy lives.”
“A fool like Mei Jiu would probably get something even better.” The corners of An Jiu’s lips lifted slightly.
This smile wasn’t the vacant grin of madness, nor the cruel, bloodthirsty smirk she sometimes wore. It simply bloomed quietly in the winter night, like a pure, fragrant epiphyllum, reflected in the depths of Chu Dingjiang’s dark eyes—and imprinted in his heart.
He was genuinely happy for her.
Catching the rich aroma of roasted lamb, Chu Dingjiang hurried to turn the meat. His movements suddenly paused. “Mei Jiu?”
“Yes!” An Jiu didn’t hide it from him. “She’s Mei Shisi.”
Chu Dingjiang had already formed his own speculations and didn’t press further. All he knew was that the woman before him was the one he recognized—she had nothing to do with anyone else.
“It’s ready!” Chu Dingjiang sliced off a tender piece of meat with his dagger and handed it to An Jiu.
She eagerly stuffed it into her mouth, only to gasp from the heat, puffing out little clouds of steam.
“Hahaha!” Chu Dingjiang laughed heartily, scoring a line around the lamb leg with his dagger. “No use rushing—this is all you’re getting today!”
An Jiu, busy chewing, ignored him. Once she finished one piece, she immediately reached for another.
Chu Dingjiang sliced the meat slowly, occasionally passing her some chestnuts, sweet potatoes, or peanuts. Before long, she was full.
Regretfully eyeing the remaining chunk of lamb, An Jiu instructed, “Wrap it up for tomorrow.”
“I’ve been busy all night and haven’t eaten my fill yet.” Chu Dingjiang tore into the meat. “Some wine would be even better.”
After their meal, the two huddled by the fire, the warm flames flickering between them. Unbidden, they both recalled that kiss.
An Jiu tensed, her expression stiffening.
Chu Dingjiang considered testing the waters again, but seeing her reaction, he hesitated. This was clearly rejection, wasn’t it…?………………………………………………………………………………(To be continued...)
PS: Damn it, damn it!!!! Couldn't log into the backend again, late once more!!! Arghhh, so frustrating! Why does the system always fail me when I'm rushing to upload chapters?
Also, you guys have been amazing with your support recently! Sleeves has been busy with some matters these two days, but will continue with double updates tomorrow. Thanks for everyone's support!!
OpenNovel