Chu Dingjiang took out another item and placed it on the table.
Mo Sigui swiftly pocketed it, expecting Chu Dingjiang to ask whether he could cure An Jiu or something similar. If that were the case, he could use the opportunity to keep extorting more medicinal herbs.
"Does it hurt?" Chu Dingjiang asked quietly.
Mo Sigui covered his face and jumped back in surprise, staring at him in bewilderment. After a long pause, he realized Chu wasn’t asking whether he was in pain from being hit, but rather inquiring about An Jiu. He exhaled in relief. "Having your organs and flesh torn apart—what do you think? But don’t worry too much. She has an incredible tolerance for pain. If she can endure the agony of External Cultivation Reforging, which is comparable to death by a thousand cuts, this level of pain is nothing to her."
"The Miracle Doctor stands and speaks without feeling back pain. Chu kindly reminds you—best be careful, or one day, not only will your back ache, but it might just snap." Chu Dingjiang tossed out the remark indifferently before vanishing from the room.
Mo Sigui curled his lip, only to wince as the movement tugged at his injury.
……
The convoy rested at the relay station for three hours before setting off again before dawn.
At first, their pace was slow due to several members still recovering from severe injuries. But once they had mostly healed, they quickened their journey.
Only after putting Yangzhou far behind them did the group gradually process the fact that they had survived a near-death ordeal—and not only that, but a mere twenty-something of them had razed Misty Villa’s stronghold! They were certain they would never achieve such a feat again in their lifetimes.
The survivors now regarded Chu Dingjiang with reverence and admiration—even the usually headstrong Lou Mingyue was no exception. This battle had made her acutely aware of her own shortcomings. Had it not been for Chu Dingjiang, they would have perished long ago.
As for An Jiu, who had previously drawn attention with her blind shooting at Funiu Mountain, her performance this time left an indelible mark on everyone’s memory.
Before even entering Bianjing, Gu Jinghong and Chu Dingjiang received a secret summons from The Emperor. Upon entering the city, they parted ways with the group, leaving Sheng Changying to lead the rest back to Crane Control Institute.
Sheng Changying was reliable, so there was little chance of mishaps in handling such matters. However, he himself wasn’t doing too well.
Mo Sigui’s Medicine was highly effective—the bloody marks left by someone’s pinching on Sheng Changying’s face had long since vanished without a trace. Yet every time he saw Zhu Pianxian flitting about in front of him, his face burned as if it still stung.
"Lord Sheng." After observing him for several days, Zhu Pianxian had decided to latch onto this promising connection. Holding a bowl of bird’s nest soup, she offered him an overly sweet smile. "I just made this. Would you like a taste?"
As she spoke, she scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and held it out to feed him.
Sheng Changying’s fair complexion flushed crimson, his face drenched in sweat as if he’d just washed it. "Madam Zhu—"
Zhu Pianxian seized the chance to shove the spoon into his mouth.
Sheng Changying gulped hastily, the sweetness making him cough uncontrollably.
Zhu Pianxian hurriedly set down the bowl and spoon, moving behind him to pat his back.
Now Sheng Changying’s ears and neck turned red as well, his narrow eyes misty like a shrimp freshly scalded in boiling water.
"Luzi!" A plain-looking middle-aged man rushed in, only to freeze at the sight before him.
The newcomer was Xu Zhi. Sheng Changying had been away on his first long journey in years, and upon hearing of his return, Xu Zhi had hurried over to check on him. Who would have thought he’d find an unfamiliar woman in the room—and one wearing a Married woman's hairstyle at that…Xu Zhi stood there in a daze for a while, waiting until Sheng Changying had mostly caught his breath before stepping forward with a delighted expression. "Ah, so this must be your wife, eh? Lüz—no, Changying, you’re something else! Not traveling for over a decade, and the one time you go far, you come back with a wife!"
"It’s not—"
"Sister-in-law, Changying and I grew up together. My surname is Xu, and I’m a few years older than him. He usually calls me ‘elder brother.’" Xu Zhi fished out a pouch from his person. "Came in a hurry and didn’t have time to prepare, but I can’t skimp on a first-meeting gift. This is a little trinket I picked up from the west. Take it as a keepsake."
Zhu Pianxian had initially intended to explain the misunderstanding, but upon seeing the hefty pouch, her greed got the better of her. She was torn over whether to accept it or not.
Thinking she was just being modest, Xu Zhi shoved the pouch into her hands. "Don’t be shy, sister-in-law."
"She’s—"
"Lüz, you’re really something! How could you bring your wife back without giving me a heads-up?" Xu Zhi cut him off, displeased.
"I—"
"What ‘I’? Hurry up and introduce me properly. We’re family now!" Xu Zhi rubbed his hands together, more excited than if he were the one getting married.
Zhu Pianxian gasped when she saw the contents of the pouch. "Such a large bag of top-grade jade seeds!"
These days, jade seeds weren’t particularly rare, and average-quality ones weren’t worth much. But this pouch was worth a fortune!
Despite her greed, Zhu Pianxian remembered she wasn’t actually Sheng Changying’s wife. Suppressing the agony of parting with such treasure, she reluctantly handed it back. "This… I really shouldn’t accept…"
"As long as you like it, sister-in-law," Xu Zhi said. "Between me and Lüz, this is nothing."
By now, Sheng Changying had calmed down somewhat. Watching the two chat merrily while completely ignoring him, he had no intention of interrupting. With a sigh, he bent over his desk to tackle the mountain of paperwork that had piled up during his absence. The temporary replacements likely hadn’t handled a single case for him.
Xu Zhi kept talking while nudging Sheng Changying’s chair with his foot. Getting no response, he turned to find him buried in paperwork.
Amid the lively atmosphere indoors, the oppressive dark clouds outside finally unleashed a heavy snowfall.
An Jiu sat by the brazier in the darkness for a while, lost in thought.
The path to finding Mei Yanran was actually quite close—she had just been pretending not to see it.
Their successful attack on Misty Villa had earned them great merit, ensuring they could all easily join the Crane Control Army.
They were about to take this step, yet there was still no news of Mei Yanran.
The Crane Control Army wasn’t large, but everyone’s whereabouts were kept highly secretive. Unless one was the commander, it was nearly impossible to track individual movements—even Chu Dingjiang, who had once held a high position in the Crane Control Army, knew very little. Having been part of such an assassin organization before, An Jiu understood that searching for someone inside wouldn’t be easy.
With her health improving and her hope for life rekindled, she needed to find a way to get Mei Yanran out quickly…
Perhaps she should ask Gu Jinghong. It was worth a gamble.
Having made up her mind, An Jiu stood and left the room.
Gu Jinghong’s quarters were adjacent to the gardens where the Academicians rested, not submerged in darkness like the others.The snowstorm raged fiercely. From afar, An Jiu spotted a solitary figure leaning against the eaves, ink-black hair whipping wildly in the wind and snow. Half of his face was concealed behind a Ghost Mask as he tilted his head back, guzzling liquor from a jar. Yet even such an unrestrained posture carried an elegance reminiscent of a crane poised for flight.
The lanterns hanging from the roof corners swayed, their dangling bells chiming urgently in the gale.
In An Jiu's memory, Gu Jinghong had always been calm and gentle—yet beneath that serene surface seemed to seethe a tempest of ferocity. (To be continued...)
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